It's been a while since I last shared a blog post, and today I suddenly felt like writing about one of my favorite designs, the Kvitebjørn Sweater! I've received a lot of questions about how to increase stitches on the sleeves when there's a pattern, and I'll explain that here as well.
Photos from this winter! Photo: Marte Stensland Jørgensen
In the autumn of 2019, I started on my second book, "Wilderness Sweaters 2 – warm sweaters for little and big adventurers". I must honestly admit that I found it very scary to start book 2. Suddenly, I felt pressure to deliver since my first book had sold so well. I therefore decided to work non-stop from autumn until the book went to print. My working days became extremely long, and I didn't know what free time was. After the book went to print, it took many weeks before I "landed," but when I held the book in my hands for the first time in August, I felt that it was worth every single hour! I was so proud that I had to shed a few tears. I must also add that I had incredibly good help from my test knitters!
Two of the Kvitebjørn Sweaters I knitted this winter! I knitted the red one for myself, and I'm really looking forward to wearing it :D
One of my drawings of what the bear should look like. This picture was taken in our home, and I have also decorated the dining room door with a polar bear :D
When I finished the first sweater, I was so pleased that I had to knit another one right away! Over the winter, I ended up knitting 7 or 8 Kvitebjørn Sweaters.
I really wanted one of the pictures of Kvitebjørn in the book to be taken in Svalbard. So I sent a Kvitebjørn to Melissa Schafer, who has published a book about polar bears with her boyfriend Fredrik Granath! They were going to Svalbard to work and planned to take some pictures while they were there. This was just before the municipal borders were closed due to Corona. I received a message from Melissa that they had so little time before they had to leave again, but they managed to take some pictures! I felt really stressed! because I really wanted to include the pictures from Svalbard in the book. But fortunately, it all worked out.
One of the pictures Melissa Schafer sent me before they had to leave Svalbard due to coronavirus restrictions. Photo: Fredrik Granath
The Kvitebjørn Sweater is a fairly straightforward sweater to knit, even for beginners. But there are a few things I've been asked about that I'll explain here :D
Long Floats and Gauge
One is that you have to twist the yarns when there are long floats. Twisting the yarn is exactly what it sounds like. You just have to catch the long yarn with the yarn you are knitting with. There are many videos on YouTube about how to do this, and you can search for "how to catch floats in knitting". It's also very common to knit tighter on patterns, so you may need to use a larger needle size than the recommended one.
How to Increase when the Entire Sleeve has a Pattern
This is what the inside of the sleeve looks like.
Increase on the right side of the center stitch:
See where you are in the chart. So let's say you are on row 10 and stitch 3 when you finish the round and are ready to increase (right picture). Use paper to mark where you are in the chart. Slide the paper one stitch to the left. As you can see in the picture, you should increase in dark pink (left picture).
Increase on the left side of the center stitch:
How to Knit the Bears
Yarn for Kvitebjørn
Which yarn you should use depends on the intended use. I prefer Lettlopi, Vidde lamullgarn, and Varde pelsullgarn, which I have listed in the book, but you might want a sweater with other properties and appearance. Here is an overview of some of the alternatives 🐧
🌲🐑 Lettlopi
🐑🌲 Platulopi
🐑🌲 Vidde lamullgarn
🐑🌲 Varde pelsullgarn
🐑 Pure merino from mimilano – A yarn for those with very sensitive skin. 100% merino. Suitable for everyday garments.
🐑 Alpaca tweed from DSA – A tweed yarn of alpaca and wool. I react to alpaca, so unfortunately, I cannot say much about this yarn other than that it looks lovely. Garments made from alpaca get wet very quickly outdoors, so it is not suitable for outdoor activities.
🐑 Drops Nepal, Alpaca wool from Sandnes garn, or Big sterk from DSA (these yarns contain alpaca and wool) – Suitable for everyday garments.
Faerytale from DSA, Drops Air, or Drops brushed alpaca silk – Brushed alpaca. This gives the garment a somewhat "fuzzy" appearance (suitable for indoor use).
🐑 Drops Alaska
Left picture: Marte Stensland Jørgensen.