Photoshoot at Ekeberg Restaurant: Helka

Posted on February 20, 2016 by Linda Marveng

The time has come to show you the stunning photos taken by Eivind Røhne of Alexandria Eissinger with hair and make up by Sissel Fylling and jewelry by Kaja Gjedebo Design wearing Helka over a tulle skirt by Judith Bech. The Norwegian pattern of Helka will be published in the special issue Familien Kreativ out on 14. March, while the English pattern will be test knitted in my Ravelry group, late Spring, before its release. The Helka sample is knitted in a combination of a pure combed wool in 3-ply Hifa Huldra Kamgarn and an alpaca mix in a chainette lace yarn: Du Store Alpakka, Dreamline Soul held together using a 4 mm/US 6 needles by Grete Jenssen, aka ma9 on Ravelry. Here is my introduction to the pattern: A long straight classical jacket with woven cables in a diamond pattern that ends in a rib. The cables are erased into a rib, then into stockinette stitch in the sides. Named after Helka the prosperous one, it has a deep v-neck and a double button band, leaving all the glory to the cables. Use it with a belt or adorn it with beautiful buttons like these jewelry ones by Siri Berrefjord.

Helka is knitted with a gauge of 20 stitches and 28 rows in stockinette stitch with both yarns held together. Both the yarns were generously sponsored. The Woven Cable has cable crossings on every second row, so it is time consuming, but also very rewarding to knit. I also wanted to add the most beautiful buttons I could think of, so I ordered bespoke buttons by Siri Berrefjord. You can study the details in the photos, Siri herself took of them in this blogpost. There are 14 buttons attached on the jacket, but you can easily adjust it to your own preference.

The body is knitted from the bottom and up in 3 parts, back and forth, while the sleeves are worked in the round. The Woven Cable pattern ends in a rib at the sleevecap and at the v-neck shaping on the fronts, as well as on shoulders at the back. The sleeves have one cable pattern repeat and rib on the remaining part.

I did consider making the sides in rib too, but realized that the Woven cables only need a frame and that stockinette stitch would highlight them more than a rib would. Hence the sleeve could easily have been made with stockinette stitches on the inside instead of rib.

The neckband was picked up and knitted the evening before the photoshoot, so I did not have time to adjust the number of stitches in the back neck to the rib below, but I have decreased a number of stitches in the pattern to make it lie flat. The brilliant idea to wear Helka only over the tulle skirt – intended as an underskirt/petticoat by dress designer Judith Bech – was Sissel’s since it did not work out as I had hoped with any of the wedding gowns I had borrowed. I am ever so thrilled with the resulting photos, and extremely grateful to be able to work with such a magnificent team!

New Design: Adoe

Posted on January 6, 2016 by Linda Marveng

I am pleased to present the last of 4 designs that will be published in Norwegian in the special magazine Familien Håndarbeid in March. Adoe means time and it seemed entirely appropriate for this delicate jacket with wavy lace focus and garter stitch edging. The deep v-neck is adorned with scallops made by the wavy lace patterns. It is knitted in the stunning chainette yarn: Truesilk by Rowan Yarns, and intended for those special times. Use a beautiful brooch to close the jacket. I knitted the body of this jacket straight and in pieces, while the sleeves are knitted in the round. The English pattern will be released after test knitting in my Ravelry group late this fall.

The wavy lace pattern is a variation of the well known Feather and Fan pattern, with garter stitches inside the lace it became an obvious choice for the bands and also as a divider to the stocking stitch in the sides as well as next to the side seam and the fake seam on the sleeves. The silk yarn fits the lace pattern and highlight it, in addition to making it wonderful to wear. The chainette construction of the yarn keeps the knitted silk yarn from dropping as silk yarns usually do. The Rowan Truesilk yarn has 150 m/164 yds on each 50 g skein and using a 4 mm/US 6 knits to a gauge of 22 stitches and 32 rows in stockinette stitch to 10 cm/4 inches after blocking. The yarn was generously sponsored by Permin, Rowan’s Scandinavian agent.

I have graded the jacket in sizes XS to 2XL, with a bust circumference from 83 to 124 cm/32.75 to 124″ and a length (which can be adjusted easily by adding or removing a pattern repeat) of 54 to 59 cm/21.25 to 23.25″. Above you see me wearing size S, photographed by my husband a few days before our photoshoot in October. The jacket looked best with Judith Bech’s fringe skirt in beige, and not with any of the intended wedding gowns. That is my fault and not Judith’s since I had chosen only 5 from her extensive collection since she lives a plane ride away, much further north in Norway. Anyway, it looks fantastic on Alexandria Eissinger, and I cannot wait to show you the photos Eivind Røhne took…

New Design: Helka

Posted on January 2, 2016 by Linda Marveng

I was instantly captured by these intricate cables that look woven with such a sculptural feel to them. They needed a lot of space so I decided to make a long straight jacket with those diamond shaped cables covering all central parts of the jacket. I loved the idea of the cables vanishing first into a rib then into stocking stitch in the sides of the body and into a rib on the top of all the parts. The sleeves are made in cables and rib, but the increases could easily be made in stocking stitch if preferred. Named after Helka the prosperous one, the jacket has a deep v-neck and a double button band, leaving all the glory to the cables. Of course, I wanted bespoke buttons and Siri Berrefjord obliged. I initially planned to make this long jacket to go with a wedding gown with a straight skirt hence I choose white Dreamline Soul from Du Store Alpakka and held it together with the Huldra Kamgarn from Hifa for a slight tweedy structure to it. With cabling on every second row and round, I need help to knit the sample and Grete Jenssen, aka ma9 on Ravelry, was ready to assist and knitted it to my utter satisfaction. The Norwegian pattern will be published in the special magazine: Familien Håndarbeid out in March, while the English pattern will be test knitted in my Ravelry group late spring before it is released.

The jacket is knitted with the 2 yarns held together using a 4 mm/US 6 with a gauge of 20 stitches and 28 rows in stocking stitch measuring 10 cm/4″ square. The body is knitted from the bottom and up in 3 parts, back and forth, while the sleeves are worked in the round. The Woven Cable pattern ends in a rib at the sleevecap and at the v-neck shaping on the fronts, as well as on shoulders at the back. I have graded the jacket from size XS to 2XL, with bust circumference from 84 cm to 124 cm/33 to 48.75″. The length is from 79 cm to 84 cm/31 to 33″, but it can easily be adjusted to preferred length. I am wearing size S (sample size) in these photos taken by my husband on our terrace on a cold November day. Both yarns were generously sponsored by Hillesvåg and Du Store Alpakka.

I was uncertain how many buttons I wanted. Personally, I would probably only use 3 around the bust area, but also loved the idea of of filling the double button band with Siri’s jewelry buttons to adorn the jacket even further. In the end I reasoned that it was better for me to calculate too many buttonholes and for the knitter to remove those not wanted. First, I thought 13 buttons would be enough but ended up adding all the 14 buttons Siri had made. The rib at the top of the back also required that I decrease the number of stitches of the button band at the back neck. This was not done on the sample since I was knitting the button band the evening before the photo shoot and had no time to undo the more than 400 stitches and re-do. The pattern has been corrected to decrease 8 stitches, and is now in a queue with my American tech editor Corrina Ferguson of Picnic Knits. I ended up choosing 5 of Judith Bech’s wedding gowns for the photo shoot and which one suited the Helka best? The tulle petticoat/underskirt which I preferred to use on its own and not under any of the wedding gowns…

New Design: Elora

Posted on December 26, 2015 by Linda Marveng

The luxurious softness of the Mondial Gold yarn, a mixture of wool and cashmere, together with its crisp stitch definition made it a favorite for this bridal collection I have made to match Judith Bech’s stunning bridal gowns. So this time the yarn came first and the stitch pattern second. I opted for the beautiful reversible lace pattern called Obstacles, and want to emphasize that the meaning of its name does not reflect the knitting experience of it. Like my previous bolero Hennika I wanted a scarf collar but this time decided to add its width to the width fronts so that it can hang folded like you would wear a scarf. The bolero is named after the giving of the laurel; the crown of victory. Perfect, when you see model Alexandria Eissinger wearing it over Judith Bech’s “Secret” wedding gown in felted wool. The Norwegian pattern will be published in Familien Håndarbeid, a special issue, out in March, while the English pattern will be test knitted in my Ravelry group late spring next year, then released.

Mondial Gold is 80% wool, 20% cashmere with 175 meters/191 yards on a 50 g skein with a 26 stitch and 34 rows gauge in stocking stitch using a 3 mm/US 2.5 needle. The yarn was kindly sponsored, and it is Grete Jenssen, aka ma9 on Ravelry, who knitted this bolero in just a week, in time for the photo shoot. The body of the bolero is worked in pieces, while the sleeves are worked in the round, all from the bottom and up. I wanted seams to make it more tailored, and for it to hold its shape. The sample is knitted using Annie Modesitt’s Lovely Left Decrease method, see videolink on this page: anniemodesitt.com/videos/.

The bolero is slightly tapered. The collar width is in additon to the front and bust circumference so that it can be folded and pinned as desired. It is knitted in two parts that are joined and then attached around the neck, with extra length to hang loose. For sizes L, XL and 2XL, I suggest adding a pattern repeat to the width of the scarf collar to make the proportions work better. The bolero could easily be adjusted in length if you would prefer a longer version. Above you can see me wearing size S over a black tube dress – photographed by my husband – but it does look gorgeous on Alexandria worn over Judith Bech’s wedding gown. You wait and see!

New Design: Shinju

Posted on December 5, 2015 by Linda Marveng

I wanted to make a whole series of designs to go with the stunning wedding dresses by designer Judith Bech. Initially it was Judith’s idea, and it was too brilliant not to accept. The series was first accepted by the Norwegian magazine Made by Me, but since it ceased production shortly afterwards, I am delighted to reveal that 4 of the designs will be published in the special issue Familien Håndarbeid/Handcraft due out in March. Shinju is one of these designs, and if you went to the Wollness Weekend or the Knit Café in Vienna (or spot me in Isabella’s car for that matter) you did see me knitting it, desperate to finish it in time for the photo shoot on the 28. October. I did!

Love, affection and beautiful are all parts of the Japanese word for pearl and was perfect for this lacy shawl knitted in a luxurious fiber mix with both mohair and silk with beads attached on an Italian yarn from Mondial called Perle (meaning pearl in both Italian and in Norwegian). Ruffled bell borders grace each end of the shawl. I wanted to show that it does not necessarily have to be made for a wedding dress, nor in cream since the yarn comes in six other equally beautiful colors. The photos above are as usual taken by my husband. The shawl is made in one size but can easily be adjusted by adding or removing stitch pattern repeats. It is made from one short end to the other with no sewing required, except for the sewing in of ends, and knitted using a 4.5 mm/US 7 circular needle. The yarn Mondial Perle is made of 55% polyester, 30% kid mohair, 15% silk and with beads attached on a separate thread next to the yarn on a 25 g ball with 85 m/93 yds. It has been kindly sponsored for this project. In Oslo you can find it at the yarn shop Tjorven, but also in other yarn shops around the country. All the ones that have seen the yarn so far has been bewitched, and felt an urge to touch it but also get their hands on it. You can look forward to seeing the divine photos taken of model You can look forward to seeing the divine photos taken of model Alexandra Eissinger – wearing one of Judith Bech’s wedding dresses – by Eivind Røhne.

Newly Released Norwegian Patterns

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Linda Marveng

I have just released 4 of my patterns in Norwegian: Nora Sweater/Nora Genser, Tyrol Jacket/Tyrol Jakke, Regal Purple Jacket/Kongelig Lilla Jakke and Lace Ridge Top/Hullkant Topp on Ravelry and on Loveknitting (shortly). All were first published in Norwegian in Familien Håndarbeid, a special edition in March 2014. Beautifully modeled on dancer Francesca Golfetto and brilliantly photographed by Kim Müller. The patterns have been tech edited and test knitted prior to their release on Ravelry, and they all include detailed schematics, video links and charts. The Nora Sweater, available in sizes S to XL, is knitted in BC Garn, Semilla Fino an ecological 4-ply/fingering yarn using 3 mm/US 2.5, can be knitted with puffed sleeves or with set-in sleeves. It is knitted in the round to the armhole, then flat to the end.

A mélange taupe in a delicate fingering weight yarn was chosen for this slightly fitted stylish cable sweater with a shawl collar. I chose a Missoni shaped puffed sleeve for a modern twist but you can chose a set in sleeve option if you prefer. A voluptuous small cable encased by side cables, reverse stocking stitch and double seed stitch was the beginning of this design.

The Tyrol Jacket, available in sizes S to XXL, is knitted flat in two different dyelots of the stunning hand dyed Tosh DK – a pure merino – using a 4 mm/US 6 needles: Inspired by the mélange soft pink color – not unlike the evening sky – and adorable Tyrol cables with their flower-bud shapes, I have designed an elegantly fitted jacket with a V-neck. The saddle sleeves allow the cables to flow all along the shoulder. A loose scarf with cables sewn into a tube works as a second shawl collar and adds textured volume.

The Regal Purple Jacket, available in sizes S to 3XL, is knitted flat in the lovely Hifa Perle using a 3 mm/US 2.5 needles: This vibrant rich purple is regal to me. I choose a lace pattern called Flower Wave, which is half lace and half garter stitch, hence easy to memorize. The Regal Purple Jacket has an A-line shape with added garter stitches in the side for decreasing, short sleeves and a V-neck with a garter stitch then stocking stitch band. It is knitted flat, in a divine 4 ply/fingering cotton called Perle from Hifa, and then sewn together to give stability to the garment. Optional 3/4 length or long sleeves patterns are included in addition to a stripy stocking stitch cowl, knitted in the round and grafted together, to accentuate the lace pattern.

The Lace Ridge Top, available in sizes S to XXL, is knitted in the same Hifa Perle held double using a 4 mm/US 6: A casual, stretchy long sleeveless top in an open lace ridge pattern, with a boat neck and a high twisted rib over the hips. The top is easy to knit in the round. It is worked in a divine mercerized cotton from Hifa, called Perle which is held double to emphasize the structure of the lace pattern. The cable cowl accentuates the design and gives the top a more dressy look.

Linda Marveng

Knit wear designer and author

Tag Archives: Familien Håndarbeid