Collection
Botanica
In the spring of 2022, Helga Isager invited 8 knit designers to contribute with a design each to a common collection with the theme, Botanica. The result is a fantastic, colorful collection of designs.
SYCAMORE SWEATER / Design: Mette Wendelboe Okkels (Petiteknit)
Mette Wendelboe Okkels (Petiteknit) writes about the design:
The Sycamore Sweater is worked from the top down. The yoke is constructed with multiple steps of increases to form the fitted shoulder and the sweater is finished with a turtleneck. The design is defined by the organic stripes that are shaped with the technique Japanese Short Rows. The Sycamore Sweater is ideal for exploring color combinations as the stripes are knitted in three strands of Spinni held together with one strand of Silk Mohair. The main color of the sweater is knitted in Jensen held together with Silk Mohair.
MATERIALS
Main colour:
Jensen Yarn colour 0 and Silk Mohair colour 6
The two threads are held together.
Stripe colour:
Spinni colour 61, Spinni colour 39s, Spinni colour 44 and Silk Mohair colour 33
The four threads are held together.
ROBINIA SWEATER / Design: Anne Ventzel
Anne Ventzel writes about the design:
Along with the invitation from @isagerstrik to the joint collection BOTANICA, I received a mood board. The material included a couple of paintings made by Hilma af Klint, that immediately piqued my interest. I saw in her work a way of interpreting nature into geometric shapes while retaining the sense of the organic. This was my entrypoint to what was to become ROBINIA SWEATER.
The ground color consists of three yarns – TVINNI, TWEED and SILK MOHAIR. Together, these yarns give the sweater a lively and nuanced texture that provides a nice contrast to the elegant and soft curves of the bright pattern knitted in ECO SOFT.
ROBINIA SWEATER is worked from the top down. Short rows are worked both on the front and back yoke and on the sleeves to create a beautiful curved fit over the shoulder and arms.
MATERIALS
Yellow version
Main Color:
Isager Tweed colour Lemon, Tvinni colour 22 and Silk Mohair colour 64
One strand of each yarn are held together throughout
Pattern color:
Eco Soft colour E6s
Blue version:
Main Color:
Isager Tweed colour Navy, Tvinni colour 44 and Silk Mohair colour 30
One strand of each yarn is held together throughout
Pattern color:
Eco Soft colour E6s
LUPIN SWEATER / Design: Hanne Rimmen
Hanne Rimmen writes about the design:
The LUPIN sweater is my contribution to Isager’s BOTANICA collection. The design is inspired by the colourful LUPIN, which with its long spire of flowers is both romantic and fascinating. The Yoke is a stitch interpretation of a wild and beautiful bouquet, with its staggered flower stems hanging over the shoulders like a sumptuous jewel.
The sweater is knitted from the top and the bottom edge of the back is shaped with Short Rows so that the sweater has a longer back. All edges are finished with rib and Italian finish. Finally, knit the neck edge to match the ribbing on the sleeves and bottom edge of the sweater
MATERIALS
Main Color:
Spinni, colour 6s and Silk Mohair, colour E0
The main color is made by holding 2 strands of Spinni and 1 strand of Silk Mohair together.
Pattern color:
Spinni, colour 32s,Spinni, colour 28s, Spinni, colour 33s
The pattern color is made by holding 3 strands of Spinni (one of each color) together.
ARONIA CARDIGAN / Design: Helga Jóna
Helga Jóna writes about the design:
ARONIA cardigan is knitted from the bottom up in 1 strand of Isager Tweed and 1 strand of Isager Alpaca 2 held together. The cardigan is knitted in a beautiful structure pattern, it has many fine details and techniques, a soft v-neck, well-shaped fitted sleeve, a beautiful buttonhole and so many more beautiful details. The cardigan gets personal expression with the embroidery, where the possibilities are endless, both with colors and the quantity. Here is the embroidery made with 2 treads of Isager Silkmohair. Perfect way to use your leftover yarn. There are several instructional videos for the pattern.
MATERIALS
Main Color:
Alpaca 2 in colour E7s and Isager Tweed in colour Walnut
Embroidery:
Scrap yarn. Here Silk Mohair in colour 19, 22, 28, 33, 44, 56, 59, 62, 64 and 100.
EFEU SWEATER / Design: Lene Holme Samsø
Lene Holme Samsø writes about the design:
The Efeu Sweater has a chunky leaf pattern at the yoke, which is created using decreases, yarn overs and a few cables. The sweater is worked from the top down. Both pattern and shape are formed when simply following the chart. Thus, the Efeu Sweater is an easy and amusing knit. After finishing the leaves at the yoke, short rows and raglan increases are made to create a good shape for the neckline and the armholes. The body and sleeves are then worked separately.
MATERIALS
Eco Soft colour 6s
ROCKROSE BLUSE / Design: Midori Hirose
Midori Hirose writes about the design:
I designed a sweater using Roosimine technique, a traditional Estonian inlay technique (Roosimine means roses in Estonian). The flower motifs that look embroidered are made by passing yarn between stitches as if you weave in yarn while knitting. I disposed them asymmetrically on the front and shoulders like corsages. Their placement makes it possible to knit them in a single color. You can of course use more or fewer colors to your liking.
MATERIALS
Main Color
Highland colour Chocolate and Alpaca 1 colour 60
Both yarns are held together throughout the pattern.
Pattern colour
Alpaca 3 colour 0, Alpaca 3 colour 1 and Alpaca 3 colour 42
BLOOM VEST / Design: Camilla Vad
Camilla Vad writes about the design:
I have always been fascinated by gradient colours and use it often in my designs. The mood board for the BOTANICA collection had a beautiful painting with a lovely gradient red colour and some bubbles. I have tried to turn that inspiration into a cosy vest made bottom up with my dip dye technique and embroidered bubbles that blooms up from the bottom hem.
This a warm and very soft vest made using Eco Baby a silk mohair held together. The pattern is made so you can place the bubbles as you like and even add some later on or leave them out for a more simple look.
I hope you will enjoy making it as much as I did.
MATERIALS
Main Color:
Eco Baby colour 0, Silk Mohair colour 28 and Silk Mohair colour 0
For the embroidered bubbles:
Eco Baby and Silk Mohair.
MIDSUMMER FLOWERS CARDIGAN / Design: Marianne Isager
Marianne Isager writes about the design:
My inspiration for MIDSUMMER comes from all the beautiful flowers which bloom at midsummer. I have used the technique hexagon, where stitches are slipped loosely, and then knitted again a few rows later. In this way the round forms are shaped. These are filled with colors to form a flower pattern. The cardigan is knitted with to strands of yarn. One Isager Tvinni and one Isager Alpaca 2. The flowers are knitted with Isager Spinni and Isager Silk Mohair. You can use your left over yarn, and preferably in many different colours.
MATERIALS
Main colours:
Isager Tvinni colour 37s and Isager Alpaca 2 colour Forest
Flowers:
Isager Spinni colour 17 and Isager Silk Mohair colour 19
5 buttons with diameters of either 17 or 25 mm (3/4 or 1 inch)
LAUREL BLUSE / Design: Helga Isager
Helga Isager writes about the design:
In the 90s my best friend and I were huge fans of the Japanese brand Comme des Garçons, who made fashinating and beautiful collections with references to Punk and Romanticism.
I remember a particular dress with abstract velvet flowers shattered on the smooth fabric. This dress was the inspiration for my Laurel Pullover.
The main yarn is Isager Tweed and the leaf pattern is knitted with Isager Tweed and a strand of Spinni held together. I have let the leaf pattern continue in the ribbings to create the illusion that it is printed on the finished pullover.
Laurel Pullover is knitted in on piece, from one sleeve to the other, and the neckline has a wedge on each side , which gives the pullover a great fit.
MATERIALS
Main colour:
Isager Tweed in colour Autumn
Leaf pattern:
Isager Spinni in colour 44
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