The time has come to show you the Hillesvåg designs professionally photographed at the Oslofjord Museum. First out is the Macha Jacket and Macha Cowl beautifully worn by Emma Ross, with make-up & hair by Sissel Fylling and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, captured by Eivind Røhne. I chose to style the jacket with cream coloured silk slacks and high heeled cream shoes.
The background I wanted turned out to be dark, but the colour match was so perfect, especially the oars. The jacket is knitted in the shades Charcoal and Natural in the yarn Vilje Lamullgarn (yes: lambswool) and Lime in Sølje Pelsullgarn, all from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk using mainly 3 mm/US 2.5 needle but also, 2.5 mm/US 1.5 needle, 3.25 mm/US 3 needle and 3.5 mm/US 4 needle. The stockinette gauge is 24 stitches and 32 rows using 3 mm/US 2.5 needle measures 10 cm/4″ square.
Macha is the Celtic protectress in peace as well as the name of this heavily textured jacket with cable and tweed body and stranded colorwork sleeves. A tuck marks the end of the cable pattern, the beginning of both the tweed pattern and the deep v-neck shaping. The Macha body is worked in pieces but the sleeves are knitted in the round to the armhole in stranded colourwork with purl stitches and garter stitch stripes in three contrasting colors in both Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk Vilje Lamull and Sølje Pelsull. A cable cowl completes the jacket which can also be worn together with the Macha cowl.
Em is wearing size Small, but I have graded the pattern from size XS to 2XL with a bust circumference 86 to 126 cm/34 to 50″. Intended ease: + 5-7 cm/2-2.75″. Sample shown is 92 cm/36″ and worn with + 6 cm/2.25″ ease on model.
The jacket is worked in pieces and seamed. The stranded colorwork is worked mainly in stockinette stitch with a few purl stitches and the repeat ends in 6 rows of garter stitch worked on a smaller needle to stay in gauge. The cable cowl is worked in the round with ribbing on each side of cable panels. The tucks are made with 2 circular needles held parallel, hence the bottom part of the body is worked with circular needles for ease.
A yarn kit for the Macha Jacket is available in selected stores in Norway as well as online from Hillesvåg and the Macha Cowl will come soon. The English pattern is currently being test knitted in many different colours and will be released together with the Norwegian one at the end of the month.
