Stavanger Strikkefestival 2022

Posted on October 29, 2022 by Linda Marveng

For the 7th time, I held workshops at the knitting festival in Stavanger, organised by “Strikk og Drikk” (and yes, “drikk” means drink as they usually meet up at a pub). Continue reading →

Prescott Pullover Knitted by Gwendy Reeder

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Linda Marveng

Gwendy Reeder, aka mountainlovertoo on Ravelry, knitted the Prescott Pullover in a lovely light blue ColourMart Cashmere DK Piuma in size large to achieve medium for her daughter Rebecca. I love how stunning it looks on her! Gwendy took part in the Knit-A-Long for the Prescott Pullover back in 2018, but has recently finished the sweater and sent it from California to her daughter in Georgia. Gwendy is both a test knitter and one of my patrons, I am pleased to say!

The pullover was knitted using a 4.5 mm/US 7 and a 4 mm/US 6 needle to accommodate the different gauges in rib and stockinette stitch: 24 stitches and 32 rows measures 10 cm/4″ square.

Gwendy writes “Done! It’s a beautiful pattern. Although I’m in love with this yarn, I don’t think it’s the best choice for this sweater because it doesn’t bounce back, and the sweater has grown since I sewed it together.” In the end Rebecca likes it with quite a bit of ease, she told us in the “Finished Objects” thread in my Ravelry group. Gwendy also reveals, in a message to me, that both she and her daughter loves the sweater. Thank you ever so much Gwendy & Rebecca!

The Prescott Pullover emulates intricate iron- and stonework found on historic university buildings. This professional and sleek pullover features soft cabled bell sleeves, and the side ribbing gives it a body-hugging silhouette. The design is worked from the bottom up in pieces, and it is finished with a cozy turtleneck.

The pattern available in sizes XS to 2XL, with a bust circumference of 87.5 to 127 cm/34.5 to 50“ in English in my Ravelry Store and on LoveCrafts. It was first printed in the Interweave Knits, Fall 2018 magazine.

Strikkefestivalen in Fredrikstad 2019

Posted on September 25, 2019 by Linda Marveng

I have been back to the lovely Fredrikstad Old Town; the oldest fortified town in Norway (founded in 1567) and in the Nordic countries, and one of the best-preserved fortress towns in Northern Europe. The Strikkefestivalen/knitting festival is in its 4th year and still going very strong, run by four Knitting Motors: Marit Larsen, Lill Bjørnstad, Mette Bakken and Rita Walter together with numerous volunteers. They offer an impressive program with workshops, talks and including events such as “Knit & Poetry”, “Psalms & Knit” and “Knitting Cinema”. Above you see the courtyard surrounded by the museum, the market hall and the knit café, all held in these magnificent historic buildings dating back to 1775.

Michael and I went down to the Fredrikstad Museum on the day before the festival to mount my exhibition. Above you see a photo Michael took of me and my corner. I am wearing Aylwen next to my blue Vela, behind it is the grey Prescott Pullover. On my other side is the natural Nemetona and behind it the green Rørbye Cardigan. I used the opportunity to check if Makeløs – Remarkable Kristin Elise Halkjelsvik if she wanted to meet us for lunch at Café Magenta and she did! Read more about the café at the bottom. Indeed, she found me several times during the festival too and brought her husband to the Indian restaurant where designer Tove Fevang, Michael and I had our dinner on Friday night.

Lunchtime on Friday, Kristin found Tove and me having lunch at the knitting café. Kristin is a culture stylist and her outfits are magnificent and combines stylish elements with bright splashes of colour here made of tulle around the neckband plus cuffs of this otherwise traditional Setesdal Inspired Kofte (read: stranded colorwork jacket with traditional borders from the Setesdal Valley). Michael captured them better than I did.

I held two workshops on Friday: Flettestrikk Masterclass/Cable Knitting Masterclass and Engelske Mønstre/English Patterns. Luckily, I met both knitters I knew from previously but also knitters I had not met earlier! Above is three of them yarn shopping at the Projo stand.

Of course I also had a chat with the other designers present: Tove Fevang, Helle Siggerud, Denise Samson, Kari Hestens and Annemor Sundbø – the Norwegian knitting legend.

Just like me, Helle Siggerud also had an exhibition in another corner of Fredrikstad Museum. Unlike me, Helle is a sewer and have designed all these lovely outfits, inspired by our national costumes. Yes, Helle also sews national costumes, see more on her webpage: Helles Syskrin.

Yarn dyer Hege Dagestad was there – see above – and so was Karen Walthinsen of Enchanted Forest Fibers, who I had not met before. Below is another yarn photo, as I know I cannot include too many of those for you to look at.

Below is a photo Michael took of Tove and me checking out the stands. I am wearing my Aife knitted in the gorgeous hand dyed Dye Dye Done, Pure Sport and it is currently being test knitted before I release the pattern in English and Norwegian on Ravelry and Love Crafts.

I took the other photos above on Saturday morning before the Market Hall became too full and before my third workshop. The festival had booked all the workshops holders into the same hotel so we all met up for breakfast on Saturday morning. That was a nice treat.

Above is the sign and the outdoor seating for my favourite coffee shop in the Old City, Café Magenta – where the captives of the fortress were held back in 1731. The owners have come to love the knitting festival. Back in 2016, they had no idea what caused the invasion (of mainly female vistitors that is) during the first knitting festival. This year they were prepared and their meny was found printed to take away, inside in the Market Hall.

After my workshop on Saturday from 3 to 6 PM, Michael and I drove home. While I was finishing up my workshop, Michael dismounted my exhibition. I had a fab time, as always! Thank you to the organisers, to all the knitters I met and all my designer friends!

Prescott Pullover Knitted by Marianne Skatten

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Linda Marveng

For the second time around, I am showing one of my designs that Marianne Skatten has knitted, the first one was Halli, which she wore to the Strikkefestivalen/Knitting Festival in Fredrikstad. Instead of making the Prescott Pullover, Marianne decided to modify it into a dress, by adding more ribbing in the sides and purl stitches in the ribbing for waist shaping. Marianne told us about her plans in the Prescott Pullover Knit-A-Long thread, I set up in my Ravelry group last autumn, just after the pattern was published in Interweave Knits Fall 2018. Marianne made size medium but used a different yarn, Holst Supersoft Wool held together with the discontinued Holst Samarkand Uld/silke, that resulted in a different gauge, hence she had to re-calculate the pattern as well. I have seen Marianne wearing the dress, at Wenche Roald’s book launch at Cappelen Damm, and it looks stunning on her. Marianne has inspired others to make a similar dress too.

Marianne has written a detailed description of her modifications on her project page: Here is one of her points: “I like to knit in the round, so that I don’t have to sew together the sleeves and front and back pieces. I have therefore reworked the pattern for both the sleeves and the body, to be made in the round. I did not knit the sleeves together with the body, which is what I would normally do, but made set in sleeves as the pattern calls for.”

Marianne also wanted a close fitting turtle neck. She explains: “To accomplish this I moved the front neck line 5 cm upwards, compared to the front neck line in the pattern. I did not make any adaptions when placing the back neck line”. Thank you so much, Marianne!

The gorgeous cable is designed by Dorota Kowalczyk, aka devorgilla on Ravelry. The English pattern to the Prescott Pullover is included in the Interweave Knits Fall 2018 magazine and available in a digital edition as well as a print edition.

Prescott Pullover Knitted by Patricia Bell

Posted on February 27, 2019 by Linda Marveng

Let me introduce you to Patricia Bell, who lives in Canada, and has knitted my Prescott Pullover with yarn spun from her own homegrown Llama. Pat took part in the Prescott Knit-A-Long that is still running in my Ravelry group and showed us a photo of both her and her Llama, which you can see below. So it all makes sense that her Ravelry name is Bellllama. On her detailed project page you can read: “The llama is from Anna K a lovely black coloured girl. I’ve included her photo from a time when both she and I were much younger!” She continues: …”I do like the yarn, it will make for a cozy sweater and there’s no itch!”. All these lovely photos are taken by her husband.

Patricia made size Small with the following modifications:

Shorter body length – 38 cm to underarm
Shorter sleeve length – 40 cm to underarm
Front length to neckline – increased by 3cm
Collar – picked up stitches called for in pattern, but did not increase. Knit collar as per pattern.

With these modifications, the pullover has perfect fit on Pat! She ends her project page with these words: “This is a stunning patterned pullover. The pattern is easy to follow and the cables are lovely to knit.” Thank you ever so much for making such a gorgeous version of my pullover, Pat! And for showing us Anna! Pat has also taken part in several of my test knits to my delight. So you can expect to see more of her project here on my blog in the near future!

The Prescott Pullover pattern was published in Interweave Knits Fall 2018 and it is available in a digital edition as well as a print edition. Here is how Interweave introduced it in their Pattern of the week blogpost: “This brilliant design by Linda Marveng is everything I want in a sweater! The cables, which emulate the iron- and stonework found on historic university buildings, are gorgeous and give the pullover texture and interest. The fit is very figure flattering but not too tight, and the long sleeves and turtleneck give it just the right cozy feel. And the yarn is a dream! Supersoft and warm, The Fibre Co. Acadia makes this an extra-comfy sweater you’ll want to wear right next to your skin.”

I am so thrilled that the pattern made it to the very top of the most knit Interweave Knits Patterns of 2018. Here are the Top 5 Interweave Knits Patterns of 2018.

Prescott Pullover and Cambridge Cardigan Again

Posted on September 8, 2018 by Linda Marveng

I wanted to show you how the Prescott Pullover and the Cambridge Cardigan – designs published in Interweave Knits Fall 2018 – look on me. Michael took these photos indoors, due to the extremely wet weather outside and also because the final pick up time for FedEx at Mail Boxes in Oslo was approaching too fast. I did make it, I am pleased to say. The Prescott Pullover is knitted in the divine Acadia from The Fibre Co.; a luxurious mixture of wool and alpaca with silk noil. The sample is made in the third size and measures 99 cm/39″ around the bust. I am wearing it with 11 cm/4.25″ of positive ease, while I recommend about 5 cm/2″ of ease.

The cable is time consuming to knit, but rewarding. The sample is knitted in Mountain Ash colour way and took 14 skeins to make. The gauge is 24 stitches and 30 rows in stockinette using 4 mm/US 6 measures 10 cm/4″ square due to all the cabling, while the rib gauge is 21 stitches and 30 rows. Here is the introduction to the design: “The Prescott Pullover emulates intricate iron- and stonework found on historic university buildings. This professional and sleek pullover features soft cabled bell sleeves, and the side ribbing gives it a body-hugging silhouette. The design is worked from the bottom up in pieces, and it’s finished with a cozy turtleneck.”

“The Cambridge Cardigan is the quintessential collegiate cardigan. Inspired by Scottish tartans, this preppy, oversized cardigan is ready for a chilly library, reading on the quad, or a beer at the local pub. The body of this project is worked in the round and steeked at the center and armholes.”

I secured the steeks using a crochet hook and slip stitches despite it being knitted in a pure Shetland untreated wool, Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift – 100% wool, 105 m/115 yds on each 25 gram balls – before I cut it open at the front and at the armholes. If you are new to steeking, make a swatch in the round and cut that open first in order to gain confidence to do it on a larger project. The sample is made in the fourth size with a bust measurement of 111 cm/43.75″ and modelled with 23 cm/9″ of positive ease, while I recommend around 10 cm/4″ ease. The Cambridge Cardigan is knitted using 3 mm/US 2.5 and 3.25 mm/US 3 and with a gauge of 24 stitches and 33 rounds in stranded colourwork pattern on larger needle measuring 10 cm/4″ square. As you can see of the back photo the vertical lines in the contrast colour 2 (CC2) are made of duplicate stitches/swiss darning using a darning needle on the fronts and at the center back at the end.

Pattern of the Week: Prescott Pullover

The editorial staff at Interweave has blogged about both designs to my utter delight and you can read the blogposts by clicking on the inserted links.

Interweave Knits Fall 2018: Cambridge Cardigan

The Interweave Knits Fall 2018 issue is available in a digital edition or print edition. In Norway you can buy the print issue at larger Narvesen stores or order it at your local one. Do join the Prescott Pullover KAL or the Cambridge Cardigan KAL in my Ravelry group if you are interested and join the party.

Prescott Pullover KAL and Cambridge Cardigan KAL

Posted on August 15, 2018 by Linda Marveng

One of my Ravelry group members suggested a Knit Along (KAL) for both of the Prescott Pullover and Cambridge Cardigan published in Interweave Knits Fall 2018. There were several that wanted to take part even before I came around to setting up the threads, so of course I did. I asked Katja, one of my group moderators, to help me out since she has a lot more KAL experience than me and we decided on a joining prize for everyone, then a work in progress (WIP) monthly prize for one knitter each month and finally a finished object (FO) prize for four knitters at the end of the year. One knitter wrote that she did not want to miss this party and joined even before she had the magazine with the pattern nor any yarn ready. It has turned into a large party already with 29 knitters in the Prescott Pullover KAL and 7 knitters in the Cambridge Cardigan KAL. Do join us as we are talking about yarn choices and other related or un-related topics.

Join the Prescott Pullover KAL here: www.ravelry.com

Join the Cambridge Cardigan KAL here: www.ravelry.com

Cambridge Cardigan and Prescott Pullover in Interweave Knits Fall 2018

Posted on August 4, 2018 by Linda Marveng

I am so thrilled with the presentation of my two designs: Cambridge Cardigan and Prescott Pullover in Interweave Knits Fall 2018. Especially since they were both time-consuming and difficult at times both to design and knit. The story began when I submitted two design proposals for the fall issue in response to the submission call. To my surprise editor Meghan Babin wanted both and suggested stranded colourwork on the body not only on the sleeves of the Cambridge Cardigan. I accepted the challenge, because it has been a long time since I have knitted any colourwork, but soon came to regret it since it seemed to take forever and I only had five weeks to complete the two designs due to slow postage. The lesson learnt was one; that I can only knit until 4 AM before I start making too many mistakes, not throughout the night (read: as sample knitter Grete Jenssen can) and two; that I need at least four hours of sleep to function. Michael helped by taking a few pictures of me wearing the garments before he took me to Oslo to send them off, while I was sleeping in the car. I ran into the Mail Box Etc store with a few minutes to spare and shipped it off to Interweave with UPS. Epilog: Afterwards, I did have a proper rest (read: I could only knit small swatches) and the package did arrive on time. Above is the cover of the issue with the Follins Pond Pullover by Moira Engel.