Sweater Dresses

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Linda Marveng

A sweater dress makes you feel both cosy and comfortable. The key is to make the dress in a lighter yarn instead of a thicker one and to choose a bouncy wool or another fiber you like wearing that will also keep its shape. I admit that I have several in my wardrobe that I wear a lot. Hence it did take me a long time to actually design one as I wanted to make it extra special. Now, four dress designs later I can tell you the story of Sigyn, Aibell, Gyro and Keila – coming very soon.

My first and most popular dress is Sigyn made for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk in the fine yarn Sølje pelt wool, modelled by Emma Ross. The A-line silhouette becomes bodycon with the ribbing and has two central swinging cables that are divided, then moving towards the shoulder to make a v-neck at the front.

The second dress I designed was Aibell made for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk this time in the slightly thicker yarn Tinde pelt wool, also modelled by Emma Ross. The balloon dress is shaped by cables introduced one at a time and can be worn as tunic or a minidress.

I did not have to appoint Beth Robinson, aka yarnbeth, as my Aibell Ambassador – she actually volunteered after she had made her first Aibell dress. Beth has made another two, so far..

The third one I designed, also for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, is made in two colours and in two yarns both Tinde pelt wool yarn for the center panel and Sølje for the sleeve panels: Gyro modelled by Olivia Lindtein. This time I wanted to try out an oversized dress with bat sleeves. The center cable panel crowns the dress and ends in a wide neck with an I-cord bind off.

Keila is the latest one and you can guess which yarn company it is made for. Yes, it is for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk knitted in their Sølje pelt wool and modelled by Aksa Mortensen. Honeycomb cables cover most of the dress except for the armhole and half the sleeves. You shape the skirt part into the high bodice part by changing the sizes of the cables.

Wear the dress as a balloon dress or a tunic by inserting a cord into the double hem. I am looking forward to the launch of the yarn kit and the test knit of this pattern beginning in November in my Ravelry group. All the dresses are brilliantly photographed by Eivind Røhne. If you are wondering if I am going to design any more dresses, I can reveal that the next one is already in the works! Enjoy the Sweater Season and your Sweater Dresses!

Eira Pullover and White Mountain Ruana in Vårens Strikk

Posted on April 24, 2019 by Linda Marveng

Vårens Strikk/Spring Knits is a special knitting issue published by the bimonthly magazine Familien in Norway released yesterday. I am delighted to have two designs: Eira Pullover and White Mountain Ruana as well as a brief interview in this magazine. Eira Pullover was made for knit.wear Fall/Winter 2017 and knitted in the lovely The Fibre Co. Cumbria using 4 mm/US 6 needles, while the White Mountain Ruana was made for Interweave Knits Winter 2018, knitted in the divine Shibui Knits, Maai using 4 mm/US 6 needles. Both designs were photographed for the second time around worn by the gorgeous Emma Ross, with hair & make up by Sissel Fylling and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, this time by Eivind Røhne at the Vigeland Museum in November 2018.

The heading is a play on the word “flette” meaning cable in Norwegian, joined with the word “fin” meaning beautiful. Feminine garments with exciting cables is the introduction to the two patterns. The picture text is a short version of my introduction to Eira Pullover: A visually striking center cable named Kanik which is Eskimo for snowflake, adorns the center front and back on this pullover with saddle shoulders.

Here is the White Mountain Ruana, with part of the pattern text in Norwegian. My pages cover a total of 6 page in this special magazine which has a total of 100 pages with patterns for mainly women but also a few for men, children and babies.

The handcraft editor Åse Myhrvold Egeland, sent me a number of questions about my life in stitches such as what is your favourite pattern. I replied: “It is a difficult question. Just now, it is cables designed by the Polish designer Dorota Kowalczyk, aka devorgilla on Ravelry. I have used one of those on Corra, designed for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk and their Tinde Pelsull, which is currently being test knitted”. Åse also wanted a number of photos not only of Em but also of me, so I sent her a small selection she could choose from. Michael is pleased to have his name as a photographer in the magazine. I am wearing Ataraxia, the sample I made that had to be re-knitted since the colour did not fit in together with the other designs in Pom Pom Quarterly Winter 2018 magazine. On the next page you see me wearing the dress Sigyn designed for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk.

This special issue is for sale in newsagents and in selected super markets in Norway. If you live abroad you can order the Norwegian special magazine by e-mailing kari.bachke@egmont.com and then transfer payment into their bank account.

Sigyn Knitted by Georgette

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Linda Marveng

Georgette, from Canada, is one of my skilled test knitters who took part in the test knit of Sigyn and made this beautiful version of it. The dress is not fitted but figure hugging due to the ribbing on each side of the centre cables, so I did wonder if anyone would volunteer for sizes above small. I am delighted that Georgette did and that she was not the only one. Georgette modified the dress to be a size large at the bottom and size medium at the top. On her project page Georgette has written in detail what she did on her ravelry page, see Gemzones’ Sigyn: “Cast on size L quantity of stitches – added the difference in stitches into the first 7 purl sections on each side closest the outside seam, one extra purl per purl section, for a gradual decrease…”. Georgette knitted her dress in Knit Picks Preciosa Tonal Fingering (now discontinued) in Stormy with a 3.5 mm/US 4 needle and alternated two skeins for an even colour by working 2 rows in each colour throughout. See her start in the bottom photo.

The cables move only on the front part of the dress, while they follow your spine on the back as you can see in the photo above. I love the fit on Georgette! Thank you so much for test knitting for me!

Here is my introduction to the pattern: Sigyn is Norse for victorious girl-friend and ideal for this a-line dress with a central swing cable, surrounded by ribbing to make it figure hugging. The cable is divided and moves towards the shoulder to make a v-neck at the front. Decreases are made in the purl sections to emphasize the silhouette of Sigyn. The dress is knitted in the bouncy Sølje from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk.

Sigyn is available in sizes XS to 2XL, with a bust circumference of 88 to 130 cm/34.5 to 51″, in Norwegian and English on Ravelry and on Loveknitting. Yarn kits are available from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk and in selected yarn stores in Norway.

Sigyn Pattern Released

Posted on November 24, 2018 by Linda Marveng

The test knit of Sigyn is coming to an end and I am in awe of all the gorgeous versions that have been made. Several of the 22 test knitters have modified it, some have just changed the length while one decided to move the front v-neck shape further up. You can see photos of a number of the finished dresses on the pattern page, and more will be added as soon as they have been finished. Thank you to all my test knitters for helping me correcting and improving the pattern. In addition I had help from my Technical Editor Barbara Khouri to make the schematic and to check my calculations. Above you see the gorgeous model Emma Ross, with hair & make up by Sissel Fylling and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, captured by Eivind Røhne at Villa Malla at the end of May. Both the Norwegian and the English pattern is now available at Ravelry and will shortly be coming to Loveknitting.

Sigyn is Norse for victorious girl-friend and ideal for this a-line dress with a central swing cable, surrounded by ribbing to make it figure hugging. The cable is divided and moves towards the shoulder to make a v-neck at the front. Decreases are made in the purl sections to emphasize the silhouette of Sigyn. The dress is knitted in the bouncy Sølje pelt wool from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk.

Sizes: XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL)
Shown in size Small
Skill level: Experienced

Finished Measurements
Bust: 88 (94, 100, 110, 120, 130) cm/34.5 (37, 39.5, 43.5, 47, 51)“
Bottom width: 116 (122, 128, 138, 148, 158) cm/45.5 (48, 50.5, 54.5, 58.5, 62)”
Length: 118 (119, 120, 121, 122, 123) cm/46.5 (46.75, 47.25, 47.75, 48, 48.5)“
Sleeve length: 49 (50, 50, 50, 51, 51) cm/19.25 (19.75, 19.75, 19.75, 20, 20)”

Yarn: Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, Sølje Pelsull (100% pelt wool, 350 m/383 yds, 100 g). The sample is knitted in Grass Green 2134; 5 (6, 7, 8, 10, 11) skeins; 1732 (2012, 2292, 2761, 3230, 3699) m/1894 (2200, 2507, 3019, 3532, 4045) yds.
Note: The model is wearing size S and is 173 cm/5.8” tall.
https://www.ull.no/produktkategori/garn/nyhet-solje-pelsu…

Yarn alternatives: Cascade 220 Sport (100% wool, 50g, 150 m/164 yds).
http://www.cascadeyarns.com/cascade-Cascade220Sport.htm
Tosh Sock (100% wool, 100 g, 361 m/394 yds).
http://madelinetosh.com/tosh-sock/
Berroco Quechua (60% merino wool, 20% alpaca, 20% yak, 50g, 150 m/164 yds).
https://www.berroco.com/yarns/berroco-quechua
Or another Sport/5 ply or Fingering 4/ply yarn.

Needles: 3 mm/US 3 straight needle.
3 mm/US 3 circular needle (40 cm/16”) for neckband.
Adjust needle size as needed to match gauge.

Notions: Stitch markers (removable), cable needle and yarn needle.

Gauge: 24 sts and 32 rows in st st measures 10 cm/4” square.
26 sts and 32 rows in rib measures 10 cm/4” square.
10-sts Right/Left cable swing measures 4 cm/1.5” wide.

Notes: The dress is worked back and forth in pieces and seamed. The decreasing for a-line is done in the purl sections of the rib. The cables are moved towards the shoulder on the front, beginning 10 cm/4” before the armhole and ending just before the neck shaping. You can easily adjust the length of the dress if you prefer, for instance by shortening (or lengthening) it with up to 7 cm/2.75” before the a-line shaping begins. For a tunic, reduce the length with a further 17 cm/6.75” by working 1 cm/0.5” less between each of the decreases.

Oslo Design Fair August 2018

Posted on September 1, 2018 by Linda Marveng

The summer came to an end and the Oslo Design Fair opened its door on last Wednesday, at Lillestrøm. It is a day to catch up with designer colleagues as well as yarn producers, and this time was no exception. First on the agenda was a visit to the Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk stand to see my latest collection exhibited and look at the new retailer brochure they have made. Above you see me talking to Øyvind Myhr with the sweater Lofn and the dress Sigyn in the background. Both are knitted in the lovely Sølje pelt yarn. Øyvind and Anette did want me to design 4 new designs and I am delighted to do so. Yes, I am wearing my Harding Cardigan, knitted in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter, first published in Interweave Knits Summer 2016.

Here is another photo of the mannequins with the yarn kit and brochure at the floor. When Michael and I arrived at the stand, designer Kari Hestnes and co-author Hege Dagestad were there. They have recently written the book: Garnmagi med Plantefarging (Yarn magic with plant based dying), recently launched by Cappelen Damm. Kari to the left, next to Berit Løkken and Anette Toft both from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk and Hege.

I also met up with Thomas Kvist of House of Hobbies. He is now the agent for Lana Gatto and the American Distributor Knitting Fever. Designers Iselin Hafseld and Tove Fevang, as well as Dagfinn Sigridson Skoglund – Works Manager at Oslo National Academy of the Arts – were also there and I had coffee breaks with them all. It is such an amazing and inspiring day!

There was no fashion show but House of Yarn did have a video of their fashion show running on their large stand. There were plenty of new yarns to look at and fondle. As you can see I was way to busy to take photographs so I am lucky that Michael did.

Finally I wanted to show you one of the photos Michael took of the Japanese inspired coffee shop in hall C named Scandinavian Design & Lifestyle. The Coffee shop is designed by Anderssen & Voll, with furniture from Japanese Ariake and food from Happolati. In addition I took one photo of the glass gate (read: the floor to ceiling glass wall is on the left hand side), where new exhibitors were presented on one side and exhibitions between the food outlets on the opposite side. For the first time at Oslo Design Fair, Hall C will be open to the public, today Saturday 1. September. So if you are tempted and nearby, this is your chance. You can find more information on the website: Oslo Design Fair.

Photoshoot at Villa Malla: Sigyn

Posted on July 21, 2018 by Linda Marveng

Model Emma Ross’ favourite garment of the ten designs to be photographed at Villa Malla, was the dress, Sigyn made for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk. It was cloudy when Em, Michael and I met up with photographer Eivind Røhne and makeup & hair artist Sissel Fylling in the morning at Filtvet by the Oslo Fjord in late May. I decided to style Sigyn with Evalina boots by Monica Stålvang and borrowed jewellery from Kaja Gjedebo Design. In addition I wanted to show the dress with a belt and also beneath the long jacket Irpa. The Norwegian pattern and kit will be launched at Oslo Design Fair at the end of August, while the English pattern will be test knitted in my Ravelry group beginning on the 10th of September before it is released.

The dress was perfectly knitted by Grete Jenssen, aka ma9 on Ravelry in the shade Grass Green using a 3 mm/US 2.5. Grete knitted size S with 28 stitches gauge due to the time pressure (instead of 24 stitches) hence the sample measures 88 cm/34.75″ across the bust instead of 94 cm/37″. I have graded the dress in sizes XS to 2XL, with bust circumference of 88 to 130 cm/34.75 to 51.25″.

The dress is worked back and forth in pieces and seamed. The decreasing for a-line is done in the purl sections of the rib. The cables are moved towards the shoulder on the front, beginning 10 cm/4″ before the armhole and ending just before the neck shaping. The swing cable is the same I used on the sweater Vaga and found in Norah Gaughan’s inspiring Knitted Cable Sourcebook.

You can easily adjust the length of the dress if you prefer, for instance by shortening (or lengthening) it with up to 7 cm/2.75″ before the a-line shaping begins. For a tunic, reduce the length with a further 17 cm/6.75″ by working 1 cm/0.5″ less between each of the decreases.

Here is the cool shot of the Irpa jacket worn on top of the Sigyn dress. More photos of the jacket is coming next in this series.

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New Design: Sigyn

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Linda Marveng

I know some of you have waited years for a knitted dress from me, well, here it is: Sigyn. Now, I just hope that you do not feel you have waited in vain. The reason it took me so long time is that I had so many conceptions of how to design a dress that is comfortable, flattering and that will suit most body types. In the end I choose a classic look with ribbing, an a-line silhouette and with a central cable that makes a v-neck at the front but follows your spine at the back. Sigyn is Norse for victorious girl-friend and ideal for this a-line dress with a central swing cable, surrounded by ribbing to make it figure hugging. Decreases are made in the purl sections to emphasize the silhouette of Sigyn. The dress is beautifully knitted in the bouncy Sølje from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, by Grete Jenssen, in size S but with a tighter gauge 28 stitches instead of 24 stitches, hence it has the bust measurement of size XS 88 cm/34.75″. So I am wearing it with zero ease in these photographs taken by my husband at the beach in Ørje in a sweltering 26 degrees Celsius/78 degrees Fahrenheit. Yes, there were a couple of women sunbathing next to us, wearing only their bikinis. They smiled at me wearing a woolly dress, then even more as when I put on yet another woolly cardigan on top. Yes, a long cardigan that can be worn casually on top is the next new design. The swing cable is the same I used on the sweater Vaga and found in Norah Gaughan’s inspiring Knitted Cable Sourcebook. I mirrored it and added 6 stitches in rib in between the two swing cables. The dress will be available in six sizes from XS to 2XL with a bust measurement of 88 to 130 cm/34.75 to 51.25″. The suggested length is 118 cm to 123 cm/46.5 to 48.5″. You can easily adjust the length of the dress if you prefer. I suggest shortening (or lengthening) it with up to 7 cm/2.75″ before the a-line shaping begins.

I decided to work the dress back and forth in pieces and then sew it together to make the fit even better. The reason I choose to move the cable towards the shoulder is that I did ponder on whether to make it a v-neck, but realised it is unpractical in Norway. The grass green colour of Sølje was ideal in my opinion and I knew it would suit the red-haired model Emma Ross well. Sølje is made of Norwegian pelt wool with 350 meters/383 yards per 100 gram skein and comes in 30 colours. The dress is knitted using 3 mm/US 2.5 needles and with a gauge of 24 stitches and 32 rows in stockinette stitch per 10 cm/4″ square.

The central cable continue straight up to the neckline unlike the front one. The neckline is lower at the front than at the back. And yes, the back of my legs are very white compared to my face and hands that has been in the sun these last weeks of Mediterranean summer temperatures in Ørje.

I like wearing a belt on my knitted dresses and picked a narrow leather one (read: not the same we used for the photo shoot). It is just hanging loosely around my waist. The English pattern will be test knitted in my Ravelry group in early September, before it is released. The Norwegian pattern and yarn kit will be available launched by Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk at Oslo Design Fair at the end of August. I will show you the dress looks with a long cardigan soon as well as how it looked on model Emma Ross at Villa Malla.