Tag Archives: Familien Strikkebok

Photoshoot at Villa Malla: Hel

Posted on by

20160601 LM Villa Malla 424Next in the series, is the vest Hel. Here is gorgeous model Alexandria Eissinger/Nordic Model Agency – with beautiful hair & make up by Jens J. Wiker and statement jewelry by Kaja Gjedebo Design – wearing Hel over dark grey silk slacks at the terrace of Villa Malla, brilliantly captured by Eivind Røhne. It was a sweltering day in June, which made the Oslo fjord look more like the Mediterranean Sea. We were having our photoshoot surrounded by people having their lunch but found some unused corners we could use as backdrop. The Norwegian pattern will be published in the special magazine Familien Strikkebok, while the English pattern will be released after test knitting which has recently began in my Ravelry group.

20160601 LM Villa Malla 422Sweeping Cables crown this long a-line vest with vents. The v-neck, framed by an I-cord bind-off, can be worn on the front or on the back. The cables have areas of rib in between hence a high rib became the obvious bottom band. Hel means complete in Norwegian and the Norse Hel ruled over nine worlds.

20160601 LM Villa Malla 436Hel is knitted in the lovely Rowan Yarns Alpaca Merino DK, with a chainette construction made in the following fibre mix: 83% alpaca, 10% nylon, 7% wool, on each 25 ball with 105 m/115 yds. The sample is knitted in Belvoir 107 with a gauge of 22 sts and 30 rows in stocking stitch measures 10 cm/4″ square using a 4 mm/US 6 needle. The cable stretches across a large number of stitches hence a yarn with a hard twist and few plies will make the cables look flimsy.

20160601 LM Villa Malla 450The vest is graded from size XS to 2XL, with a bust circumference of 82 to 126 cm/32.25 to 49.5″. It is knitted back and forth in parts. The short row shaping of the shoulders make it easy to wear with the v-neck on the front or on the back.

20160601 LM Villa Malla 464Here shown the other way around. I first planned a boat neck and smaller armholes but changed my mind to give the vest a more casual look with larger armholes and a v-neck to be worn either way.

20160601 LM Villa Malla 475The sample together with a selection of the photos will be exhibited at the Strikke 2016 Festival at the new gallery at Hadeland Glassverk opening on 3. September to the 30. October. Next in the series is Ronette. So you do have more photos to look forward to.

Share

Photoshoot at Villa Malla: Kori

Posted on by

20160601 LM Villa Malla 359I am delighted to show you the next set of photos from Villa Malla; Kori. Brilliant photographer Eivind Røhne, gorgeous model Alexandria Eissinger/Nordic Model Agency, gifted Hair & Make up Artist Jens J. Wiker, photographic assistant Michael Marveng-Puckett and I moved to the upper terrace at Villa Malla for the next set of photos. Eivind immediately spotted a view towards the fjord, reminiscent of the Greek island of Santorini where it not for the lack of height, on this sweltering summer day. Yes, we did wait for the sailboat to enter into Eivind’s camera lens to make this iconic photo. The beautiful statement jewelry is by Kaja Gjedebo Design while the magic skirt with a train is by Judith Bech Design. Kori will first be published in Norwegian in the special magazine Familien Strikkebok out at the end of August. The English pattern will be test knitted in my Ravelry group, set to begin in November, before its release.

20160601 LM Villa Malla 366Kori is old Norse and means perfect; Kori is the result of a complex mathematical equation that cannot be calculated by the human mind. Just as the intricate cable that crowns this fitted jacket. The intricate cable crossings are filled by seed stitch, hence seed stitch bands and playful tucks at the bottom. The jacket has a shawl collar and ends in I-cord bind offs. It is knitted in parts to give extra shape in the beautiful Rowan Yarns Baby Merino Silk DK.

20160601 LM Villa Malla 339The jacket is knitted using 4 mm/US 6 needles with a gauge of 22 stitches and 32 rows in Stocking stitch to 10 cm/4″. I have graded it from sizes XS to 2XL with a bust circumference of 84 to 126 cm/33 to 49.5″. The body is worked flat in pieces, unlike the long sleeves which are worked in the round to the armhole. Above you can see the stocking stitch side where the decreasing and increasing are done for the fitted waist. The hem and the tuck are worked with 2 sets of circular needles held together.

20160601 LM Villa Malla 393The cable pattern is demanding with inserts of seed stitch/moss stitch, but rewarding in its sculptural beauty. The tucks at the bottom of the body and the sleeves mirror the cables, just as the I-cord bind off I chose for all parts including the collar.

20160601 LM Villa Malla 385I love how this photo captures the tucks and sleeve cables. By working purl rounds in between two tucks the second tuck turned in the opposite direction. I discovered this when I was working on the Indigo Sweater for my Norwegian knitting book.

20160601 LM Villa Malla 377Yes, as you might have gathered by now, I did have a difficult time to choose photos of this. The perfect blue color called Bluebird worked so well against our chosen backdrop. I did consider whether to have the back covered with cable repeats, instead I choose to keep each repeat separately, giving the back several spines and straight lines to relate to. The samples and professional photos of Kori will together with Yellow Golden Pullover, Hel, Ronette and Shalana be exhibited at the knitting festival Strikke 2016 at Hadeland Glassverk from 3. September to 31. October. In the mean time I will show you some exquisite photos from our photo shoot.

Share

Photoshoot at Villa Malla: Yellow Golden Pullover

Posted on by

20160601 LM Villa Malla 246The second set of photos I am going to reveal are the ones taken of the Yellow Gold Pullover, first published in Interweave Knits Fall 2015. Since the pattern rights revert to me at the end of July, I had to photograph it again for my own pattern sales. The English pattern will be released in my Ravelry Store, while the Norwegian pattern will be printed in the special magazine: Familien Strikkebok, available from end of August. I decided I wanted a tone-in-tone background, hence I choose to style it with beige trousers and cream colored shoes. It was not difficult to convince Eivind Røhne to take the photos on the small beach at Villa Malla. He suggested that model Alexandria Eissinger/Nordic Model Agency should be sitting on a rock. Above you see her with make up and hair by Jens J. Wiker, as well as statement jewelry by Kaja Gjedebo Design.

20160601 LM Villa Malla 312Here is my introduction to the pullover: Elegant chain link cables framed by a welt pattern adorn this casual sweater. It is knitted straight from the bottom and up in parts with extra ease for comfort. Spindrift, a fine heathered wool was chosen for its lightness and color. The round neck makes it easy to wear over a crisp shirt or your favorite t-shirt.

20160601 LM Villa Malla 319The sample is knitted in Jamieson’s Spindrift, a fingering/4-ply yarn in 100% wool with 251 meters/275 yards on each 50 g skein, using a 3.25 mm/US 3 needle. The gauge is 23 stitches and 32 rows in Welt pattern measures 10 cm/4″ square. The straight sweater is worked from the bottom and up in parts and then sewn together. The cables are gathered before the neck bind off to keep their volume.

20160601 LM Villa Malla 319 crop3The Yellow Gold Pullover will together with the vest Hel, the jacket Kori, and the sweaters Shalana and Ronette be exhibited at Hadeland Glassverk for the Norwegian knitting Festival called Strikke 2016, accompanied with their professional photos. Their new gallery is designed by the award winning architects Snøhetta, and I cannot wait to see it. The Festival begins on the 3rd September, when I am at Strik Bornholm, but I will be there  holding workshops 17th and 18th of September. More information will follow.

Share