Elsebeth Lavold is the only Swedish knitwear designer with her own yarn label. She personally decides which yarns to include, their properties, and colors. Spinning companies in Europe and South America take her visions from requirements to delightful yarns.
Spring/Summer 2011
posted February 17, 2011
A new season, a new book and a new yarn!
The Lazy Days Collection is a collection of easy summer knits, mostly the kind that does not demand constant attention, although there are a few of those, too. The designs are mostly classical with a twist, many of them on the feminine side. For a lot of them, the main part of the knitting is very straightforward, but with a more demanding detail, i.e. the neck edging of the design Dee, the neck treatment and cap sleeves of Mae and Jenna, the unique shell pattern on Shelley & Sheila or the rounded hemline of Glenda. Once you're done with the beautiful and unusual lace pattern, the rest of Dinah knits up quickly and Norah offers the choice of a regular symmetrical pattern or adding your own creative touch in the placement of the little bars of holes. All of these designs are displayed at both this website and our own, www.ingenkonst.se.
My new yarn was an instant love affair. Visilk is, as the name indicates, a blend of viscose and silk, where the viscose provides softness, drape and sheen, and the silk adds character in the form of raw silk slubs. This makes for a yarn that is lovely to knit with (just don't knit too loosely) and creates a cool, elegant and sensual fabric.
I've chosen a color range of naturals, classicals and a few tangy pastels.
In addition to ViSilk, the book also features designs in Hempathy, Cool Wool, Bambool and Silky Wool.
Now, to me, lazy days are not necessarily days of doing nothing, but rather days of doing what I feel like doing, instead of what I ought to do. And what I nearly always feel like doing is - knit.
I'm looking forward to having a wonderful knitting spring and summer. I certainly hope you will too.
Happy Knitting!
Elsebeth
Fall/Winter 2010
posted November 16, 2010
Fall is the time for drawing back, slowing down and preparing for winter hibernation, especially for me living so far north (actually at the same latitude as Skagway Alaska). It's getting dark earlier and the nights are longer. What can be nicer than settling down in the couch with a cup of hot tea and good knitting.
This season's book, The City(e)scapes Collection, is larger than usual. Here are 16 extra pages of urban dressing with the comfort of country clothes.
In this book I'm happy to introduce a new member of my yarn family; Silky Wool XL. This is an aran weight wool/silk blend with the same kind of look as Silky Wool and with beautiful knitting properties. A yarn with enough character for both women's and men's garments. There are also designs in my tried and true Silky Wool, my Favorite Wool and my gorgeous Silky Flammé.
As the title suggests, the collection includes sporty garments, suitable for a walk in the woods, as well as dressier garments, like the cover sweater, that would work well for the office or a dinner on the town. You will also find a couple of designs for men as well as a children's sweater and a cute one for the pooch. There are also a number of caps, scarves, shawls and wristwarmers, and even a few bags.
As always, most of my designs are at the intermediate skill level, but, as always, I've tried to make knitting the garment as easy as possible at that level. There are also a few easy pieces, as well as a couple of more challenging designs.
So I hope that you will find something that takes your fancy so that you too can look forward to a fall full of wonderful knitting.
Happy Knitting!
Elsebeth Lavold
Spring/Summer 2010
posted February 4, 2010
It has arrived! It's the middle of the coldest winter in many years here in Stockholm, so the arrival of my latest book, The Just Kidding Collection, is a treat. It carries with it the promise of summer, of sunshine, and of leisure and play.
It introduces a new yarn in my yarn line, Cool Wool, a lovely yarn that looks and feels like cotton but has the knitting properties of wool. It is actually half and half. And it is machine washable. I've created a happy color story, mostly strong bright colors with a few naturals for balance. It's my first book of all children's designs and I wanted it to be both happy and playful and with the help of our cute models, I think we managed that. Half of the garments are knitted in the new Cool Wool and the rest in Hempathy, Silky Wool, Bambool and Bambouclé. I started off with animals in mind, and most of the garments do have animal patterns. There are birds, fish and worms. A rhinoceros, a dinosaur and dogs and hares, but then I just had to branch out and include some flowers too. As usual with my designs, most of the garments are at the intermediate to advanced skill levels, but several of the designs have an easy knit option too. I ended up with a lovely bouquet of sweaters and cardigans, dresses and accessories and my first knitted toy - a turtle. So, all in all, a collection I feel very happy about and I certainly hope you will find inspiration for some happy knitting for your little one. Happy Knitting! Elsebeth
July 2009
posted September 24, 2009
Summer is always a strange time for me. It starts off with a spurt of activity to get the new fall books to the printer. Then (in most cases) a couple of weeks to recuperate before starting on the book for the following summer, and then the summer ends with a spurt of activity, shooting that summer book. In between I try to spend time with friends and family and do some gardening.
This year was stranger than usual, because I didn't get time to recuperate. Right after sending off the books, I went on to the States to set up our travelling exhibition Knitting along the Viking Trail at the Vesterheim Museum in Iowa.
On my return, I found the first advance copies of the new books waiting for me and I must say that I am very happy about them.
Book 18 is The Third Viking Knits Collection (the Vikings continue to inspire me) and and features several garments that have been requested for a long time, such as Sigrun, Skade and Tyra. Most of the designs are new; Solveig a lovely A-line dress, Logi a dramatic sleeve grown into a shawl and, my personal favorite, Inggun a vest with an unusual construction.
In Book 19, The Wellington Collection, I introduce two new yarns:
Twice Tweed, an Aran weight tweed yarn made from recycled fibers (basically the pieces that are left over when they cut garments) using a new process that saves water and doesn't discharge toxic dyes or other chemicals. In other words a step towards sustainable production. The yarn is soft, knits up easily and looks great.
Eucool, a cool yarn that is a blend of wool and eucalyptus (whoever heard of Eucalyptus yarn?). It feels like no other yarn I have ever seen, and although the wool stands for 75% of the contents, the yarns feels almost papery. It knits up at the same gauge as Silky Wool and is a boon for the uneven knitter, it truly helps make the knitting look more even.
The yarns decided the mood of the collection; rural, slightly nostalgic, with touches of the 1920's, 30's and 40's, but still very modern and wearable.
So, as the cooler part of the year approaches, I hope you will find inspiration for the season's knitting, and garments for many seasons to come.
Have to run, I have to get on with the next book, so we'll have time to photograph it before the end of summer.
Happy Knitting!
Elsebeth
Small Things Matter ...
posted June 23, 2009
The most intense part of my regular working year is May through August, when the weather allows for photography outdoors. During that time we have two books to photograph and finish for printing and, directly after, a new collection has to be designed, knitted and photographed.
This past summer I had planned to skip a book, to allow myself a summer vacation (I haven't had one in over 5 years). But I let myself be tempted, when KFI suggested I do a book of smaller projects, and here it is, The Small Things Matter Collection.
It features an eclectic gathering of projects – scarves, mittens and caps of course, but also a pillow, several bags, a pair of socks, a tea cozy and even a knitted container.
I have mixed elegant and rustic, rural and urban, items for everyday wear as well as a set suitable for bridal wear. And I have, for the first time, included some Viking Knits designs.
All the projects are in Silky Wool and many of them are trans-seasonal. Any of them could be that perfect gift for a loved one, a dear friend or the person who has everything.
I actually knitted several of the projects myself this time and I hope you will find something you'll enjoy knitting as much as I did.
Happy Knitting!
Elsebeth Lavold
Fall-Winter 2008
posted November 11, 2008
Fall is here and gone, we've entered the twilight time of no longer fall and not yet winter. The only good thing about it is that it is perfect for curling up in the couch with a cup of tea and a good knitting.
Elsebeth
Summer :)
posted September 19, 2008
This year I am allowing myself a summer vacation, the first in five years. This is a boon for my garden, our table (I grow lettuce, tomatoes and lots and lots of herbs) and my spirit.
And when I'm tired of gardening, I knit. In the beginning of summer, I've knitted simple things. I did knit Malina from the Dreamweaver Collection. I knitted it in Wine-colored Bambouclé. I've also knitted a top in Hempathy, some small gift items and other stuff where my hands can do the work without too much interference from my mind. Now, I am beginning to get rested and I feel like knitting more challenging things. I've started on another Fibonacci-type garment (same principle as Dilga in The Dreamweaver Collection) , a top in Bambool, one of my new yarns for fall. Maybe you'll be seeing that in a future collection. Later this summer, I may try some color work. Not my usual kind of thing, but you've got to try to expand your limits once in a while.
It is a strange kind of work. When summer is at its hottest, I have to start thinking about winter, not this winter but the next. I have to select new yarns and colors. Luckily, the world is full of inspiration. This summer our garden has been full of butterflies in all different colors, sizes and patterns. Some I have never seen before; some have returned after being scarce for at least a decade. They are lovely, though I doubt that you will ever see The Butterfly Collection.
Have a lovely knitting summer!
Elsebeth
A wintry hello
posted January 22, 2008
Here in Sweden, it is still winter. The snow is grey and so is the sky. Luckily, there's always knitting to keep my spirits up.
The stuff I knit for work is always full of challenges, many swatches are the size of half a front or so. And I often have to rip large sections out and re-do them. And still, what do I do for recreation? I knit!
When I'm not working, I love to curl up in the couch with a cup of tea within reach. And then I'll knit and read or maybe dream. And this time of year I dream of summer...(sigh).
My dream is for pared down, perfectly wearable pieces that are fun to knit, and my collection for the coming spring, The Dreamweaver Collection, is full of such pieces.
My personal favorite is Dilga, just because it is so much fun seeing how the pattern will come out following the Fibonacci sequence (read more about it in the book), but also because the sweater is classical and feminine, just in line with my personal style of dressing. The design is for Hempathy, one of my favorite yarns. It is a joy to knit with and to wear.
And I just might pick Malina as a project for social knitting (I have to be able to talk and knit at the same time). The yarn is my newcomer, Bambouclé, which contains bamboo and linen so it's cool, rustic and elegant at the same time. The yarn is for US 8 needles, and the sweater is mostly stockinette, so if I can just choose a color (there are fifteen, and I love them all) I can have the sweater done before summer.
Go for your dream, and Happy Knitting!