Tag Archives: Ormøya

Bowery Tunic Again

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The time has come to show you the photos – well, a selection of the best ones, really – that my husband took of me wearing the Bowery Tunic just before I sent it off to Interweave in July. The pattern was released in the latest issue of  knit.wear Spring/Summer 2017, which is available both in a digital and a print edition. We photographed the tunic close to the beach at Ormøya, in walking distance to our old house at Bekkelaget in Oslo. It was not a sweltering July day, so I had no problems wearing boots and the tunic knitted in hand-dyed merino wool – madelinetosh, Tosh DK to be specific. The yarn comes in 100 gram skeins with 205 meters/225 yards and knits with a gauge of 20 stitches and 30 rows in stocking stitch to 10 cm/4″ square using a 4 mm/US 6 needle. The shade chosen by editor Meghan Babin is a stunning medium grey called Tern.

I wanted to make sure that the different length on the back and the front plus vent was easy to see: A cable panel with electronic vibes, not unlike Jean Michel Jarre renown music – hence the Jarre working title – is the focus point for this a-line pullover with a longer back ending in a vent in the sides. The collar, just like the bottom edge, is in garter stitch and crowns the garment ending in an i-cord bind off.

I am wearing the sample, made in the third size with a bust circumference of 105.5 cm/41.5″, with 15.5 cm/6″ of positive ease. The tunic is graded into 6 sizes with a bust circumference from 85 to 136 cm/33.5 to 53.5″. The back is one cable pattern repeat longer than the front, 11 cm/4.25″. Here is a presentation of the Leather & Lace  Story in the knit.wear Spring/Summer 2017 issue.

We also wanted to have a go at photographing it sitting down so here is one of those photos. I did look for a high stone that could work, but could not find any in the correct position nor size.

Last but not least, here is a detail of the back and the sleeve. The sleeve has a center garter stitch panel since the cable was too dominant to add to the sleeve. I also wanted more texture than what plain stocking stitch can provide, but this can easily be omitted if you prefer to work it plain. Now that we have moved to Ørje, we are on the look out for a new place to photograph, but is bound to be close to Rødenessjøen.

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New Design: Embrae

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I am proud to show you my new design called Embrae. I initially submitted the design to SweetGeorgia Yarns awhile back but it was rejected – while the second submission was chosen instead – so it was left aside while I contemplated its future. I have for a long time wanted to test the American yarn Anzula, especially their yarn called Squishy, because of its fibre mix and its beautiful hand-dyed colours. My choice for the sample was Iris, that only took a few seconds to decide. Embrae, a fitted cardigan with a lace collar, is like a flowery embrace. A lacy leaf pattern adorns the sleeves and the back of the cardigan. The garland at the center of the lace pattern continues on each side of it and covers the collar. The collar can be worn flat or overlapping and pinned together or folded. The Norwegian pattern will be published in the magazine Familien, the date to be confirmed, while the English pattern will be released  on Ravelry, after test knitting beginning in mid-August.

Anzula Squishy is a luxurious fibre mix of 80% superwash merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon with a generous 352 meters/385 yards on each 114 gram skein. I ordered the yarn from Jimmy Beans Wool online store, and had it shipped from the US. I choose a 3 mm/US 2.5 needle and found a gauge of 24 stitches and 32 rows in stocking stitch measuring 10 cm/4″ square. The cardigan is worked flat in pieces and then seamed to give the best fit and structure to the garment.

The leaf lace pattern is easy to knit and to learn by heart. Part of the lace pattern is a garland pattern which I choose to use on the collar. There are two pattern repeats on the back and only one on the sleeve. The collar is knitted at the same time as each front. The pattern is graded from size XS to 2XL with a bust circumference of 84 to 126 cm/33 to 49.5″, and waist circumference of 74 to 116 cm/29.25 to 45.75″. The sample is knitted in size S and worn on me with no ease at the bust.

I chose garter stitch for the bands, even though it does flare a bit at the back, due to the stretchy lace pattern. The stocking stitch parts show off the semi-solid colour of the yarn. The photos are taken by my husband in late November, less than a week before our photoshoot, at Ormøya by the Bunnefjord, close to where we live in Oslo. The last photo is the arty one. I cannot wait to show you the stunning professional photos of this cardigan, styled with Judith Bech’s cream silk dress, taken by Eivind Røhne. But there is one more new design to show off before I begin to show off the professional photos taken at the end of November at the Architecture Museum in Oslo.

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Brewster Cardigan Again

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I wanted to show you how the Brewster Cardigan, published in Wool Studio 2016, looks on me and the different ways you can wear the loop. My husband photographed me wearing it at Ormøya by the Bunnefjord just before I sent it off to Interweave, back in July. The English pattern is available in the digital pattern collection; Wool Studio 2016 by the knit.wear editors. Above I am wearing the loop hanging around my neck once.

Here in this picture, the loop is crossed at the front. The Brewster Cardigan is knitted in Valley Yarns Northfield using a 4 mm/US 6 with a gauge of 22 stitches and 30 rows measuring 10 cm/4″ square. The lush yarn is a mixture made of 70% merino wool, 20% baby alpaca, 10% silk with 113 meters/124 yards on each 50 gram ball, and has a divine stitch definition.

The third way of wearing it is with the loop crossed and twice around the neck, so that it pulls in the whole cardigan. The cardigan is worked back and forth in one piece to the armholes, and then the fronts and back are worked separately. The sleeves are worked in the round, with the sleeve cap worked flat. The loop collar is made in two pieces and joined using a three-needle bind off.  There are no cables on the fronts, since the wide loop collar is made of the several cable repeats with garter edges and attached along each front with the extra loop hanging loose.

This side view shows the faux side seam and the garter stitch edging, as well as the cable panel on the sleeve. Here is the introduction to the cardigan from the webzine: “Alluring cables and a draped loop cowl create the unusual but captivating silhouette of the Brewster Cardigan. The generous loop cowl can double as pockets, or the extension can be omitted entirely! Either way, the stunning cables and comfortable fit will make this cardigan a favorite for years to come.”

The sand cables cover most of the back. They give a lovely texture to the back just as the loop does to the front. I am wearing the sample which is the third of six sizes and it measures 101.5 cm/40″ around the bust and is modelled with 10 cm/4″ of positive ease on me. Recommended ease is around 5 cm/2″.  The smallest size measures 89 cm/35″ and the largest measures 136 cm/53.5″. If you have not had a look at Wool Studio 2016, I recommend you do. It is: “a capsule collection for the modern knitter. Wool Studio is a digital lookbook featuring clean, accessible knitwear designs for every woman”.

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New Design: Aylwen

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I am excited to show you my new design; Aylwen. Again I have been playing around with what appear like a short loop but actually is the overlapping fronts joined together. A divine alpaca and silk mixture yarn, Du Store Alpakka Baby Silk, was chosen for a soft stitch definition but a luxurious feel to the skin. The jacket is slightly shaped at the waist. While I was busy knitting another project, the skilled knitter Airin Hansen, aka Teodor on Ravelry, made this. The Norwegian pattern will be published in the special magazine Familien Kreativ and published in March, while the English pattern will be test knitted in my Ravelry group in July before its release.

Here is my introduction to the pattern: A reversible tuck pattern with the wrong side out, and garter stitch edging adorn this  elegant jacket. It has overlapping fronts which are joined into a short loop that can be worn once or twice around the neck or tied around the waist or as you like pinned together with a shawl pin or brooch. For a more flattering look it is slightly shaped at the waist and wider at the hip than at the bust.

It is knitted in Du Store Alpakka Baby Silk made of 80% baby alpaca, 20% silk on 50 grams balls with 133 meters/145 yards in the shade Beige 347, using 3.5 mm/US 4 needles with a gauge of 24 stitches and 32 rows in stocking stitch measuring 10 cm/4″. The yarn was kindly sponsored by House of Yarn.

Here you see me demonstrating how difficult it is to style a garment on yourself, with cold fingers, as if you did not know that already. All parts are worked back and forth, then sewed together at the end. The loop parts are joined at the end. I am wearing size Small but it will be available in sizes XS to 2XL with a bust circumference of 86 to 126 cm/33.75 to 49.5″.

Above is a back view with the overlapping fronts hanging around the neck. All bands are worked in Garter stitch. In the top photo you can see a bit of the wrong side of the stitch pattern creating bobles. All these photos were taken by my husband in November, on a cold clear day with no snow at Ormøya by the Bunnefjord in Oslo, close to where we live.

Here is the arty shoot of my inside the covered benches. Again demonstrating that this is a lot easier in front of a mirror. I also discovered another way of wearing it during our photoshoot when I could drape it around the model and not on myself.

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New Design: Hanasa

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mmp-xt1b5069Du Store Alpakka Baby Silk yarn is a divine mixture of alpaca and silk I wanted to test. I fell for this strong olive green colour and decided to make another a-line sweater with a split cable at the bottom of the body and sleeves. The yarn gives the pullover a lovely sheen. It is beautifully knitted by Grete Jenssen, aka ma9 on Ravelry, using 3.5 mm/US 4 needles and a gauge of 24 stitches and 32 rows. The yarn is made of 80% baby alpaca and 20% mulberry silk and comes in 50 grams ball with 133 meters/145 yards. The sample is knitted in Green 307, and the yarn has been kindly sponsored by House of Yarn. The Norwegian pattern will be published in Familien Kreativ in March, while the English pattern will be test knitted in my Ravelry group in June next year.

mmp-xt1b5079Here is my introduction to the pattern: Named after the Norse godess with gorgeous hair tress remiscent of this cable. This a-line sweater has a cable vent on both the body and the sleeves. A high round collar finishes off the pullover. Why not add an extra cowl to feel extra cosy in. Hanasa is knitted in a divine silk and alpaca mixture for that lovely feel and sheen. You may have noticed that the cable on the sleeve is a smaller version of the one on the body and does not have the bordering garter stitches on each side.

mmp-xt1b5075As usual I have chosen to knit it in part and sew it together for a better fit. The vent at the bottom is made by making each part and each sleeve in two parts before they are joined together. Part two is made first, in order for part one to be worked first when they are joined together. The collar became more generous than I initially had planned so I had to make a cowl to go with it with four of the central body cable. It was finished just in time for the photo shoot so it has only been photographed indoors so far and the colour is so off it does not even look green. You will just have to wait and see the stunning photos of model Silje Andresen/Team Models wearing instead. The cowl I only made in one size but you can easily adjust it if you want to. The sweater is graded in sizes XS to 2XL, with a bust circumference of 84 to 126 cm/33 to 49.5″ and a hip circumference of 98 to 140 cm/38.5 to 55″. I am wearing size S.

mmp-xt1b5089My husband photographed me wearing it in late November at Ormøya by the fjord. It was his suggestions that we take som arty shoots in this boxed in bench. Above you see the result. Unfortunately the shadows of the tree covered the whole bench on both sides, so I could not escape.

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