25/04/2026
The history of a design can be short or long. The history of my latest design Grå Pastellgenser / Grey Pastel Sweater is a model with a very long history.
It often starts with me gathering skeins of yarn in colors that I want to use in a new model. Then I add colors and remove colors till I have decided which colors to start with. Sometimes they can be there for quite a long time if it is hard for me to make a decision.
When I want to try out some new techniques or style I prefer to knit the designs myself, in order to experience along the way. Very often I do a lot of unravelling when I am testing out my ideas on a new design.
Sometimes I am stuck and leave my knitting for a while trying to sort out how to solve a problem.
Grå pastellgenser is a kind of sweater that has been laying around for long periods so I am really glad I managed to solve the obstacles I met on the way.
I have unravelled part of the sweater many times. Because of the shape, of colors that I didn’t think fit in, ribbing that looked weird etc….
If there is something that I am not completely happy about I do not continue before I have unravelled.
The most difficult patterns to write is when I have knitted a model myself and experimented while knitting it. And I am not always very good at making notes along the way. This sweater was such a sweater 😳🫣😅
I don’t know how many hours I have used on this model but there are many.
I don’t even remember when I started, but it must be over 1,5 years…😅
It is strange how a design evolve and change along the way.
Good thing that not all the models take as long time to finish as this one did.
I hope it was worth it 😉
The sweater is knitted in the round bottom up and there is an atypical kind of raglan on top of each shoulder.
The pattern is in Norwegian right now but will be translated to English, German and Dutch soon 🙂
Design&photo: Sidsel J. Høivik / sidselhoivik.no
Model: .fridhild
You can buy the kit in my webshop sidselhoivik.no in this link:
https://www.sidselhoivik.no/produkt/garnpakker/med-oppskrift/pastellgenser-i-gratt
