Clearance sale

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Worth knowing about my clearance sale

You will find the items included in the discontinued sale in the Sale category. Prices are valid while stocks last and are subject to any minor stock counting errors. I generally try to keep an overview of the inventory on an ongoing basis.

The reason for the good and very low prices is that I have leftover stock from the yarn shop that I closed in the spring of 2024. Now I want to look ahead, so it has been decided that from 2025 the shop will only have my patterns, online courses and the hand-dyed yarn.

Everything must go

"Everything" does not include hand-dyed yarn and courses or patterns, but everything else. This includes knitting equipment, commercial yarn and other accessories.

The prices are reduced by a minimum of 50% from the original price and this is valid until December 15, 2024. After that, everything will be removed from the shop.

I hope you will help me get rid of the storage - please pass it on to others who might be interested. Thank you so much for your help, love Dorte

Vispa Clutch

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Vispa Clutch is a cozy pattern to knit and ideal for using up leftovers from the stash. The bag uses about 40 grams of sock yarn and 20 grams of silk mohair and has pearl stitch on the sides and bottom and a beehive pattern on the front and back. 

For those of you who want to buy lining fabric, zipper and yarn, I've made some kits that also include the pattern. You can find them here

If you already have yarn and fabric for the project, all you need to buy is a zipper and the pattern.

 

 

 

The pattern itself is not beginner-friendly, but if you have good experience knitting with knit and purl stitches, it's a great way to practice following a pattern and reading a pattern report. There are links in the pattern to video tutorials, but because the project itself is not large, it may be the first "difficult" project that can give you some pattern practice.

You can read more specific information about the knitting pattern and materials here

You are always welcome to contact me if you want guidance for your yarn purchase and you should know that every order makes me happy ❤️

Summer scarfs in Norma from Lang Yarns

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Whether you prefer the Sophie Scarf, Scarf No 1/2/3 or something else entirely, I simply have to share my excitement with you immediately.

I realized that the summer yarn Norma is absolutely ideal for exactly that kind of work. I was spontaneous on Saturday and cast on the delicious color Poppy Cherise on needle 4 and by the end of the day, I had myself a beautiful summer scarf - it's soft as velvet, knits up beautifully and is not too hot for summer.

 

 

 

 

A single skein is all you need to finish a Sophie Scarf. I knitted the large size and there's enough yarn in the skein to knit it slightly longer.

You can click here to see the gorgeous Norma colors I have in the shop

Sophie Scarf yarn alternative

Sophie Scarf yarn alternative

You can easily knit on needle 3.5 with the yarn too, but I think it becomes flexible in a wonderful way when knitted on needle 4.

You are always welcome to contact me if you want guidance for your yarn purchase and you should know that every order makes me happy ❤️

What you might not know about knitting...

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sorbet cardigan mille fryd knitting Dorte Bak

I get asked this question on a regular basis, so here's a little bit about why the knitting is so often with me and what I experience as a relatively new knitter.

The knitting thing is a funny thing. Besides being a relaxing process for me, even in a completely different way than anything else, it also opens doors. It's an ice breaker, a community and an involuntary awakening when others see or realize that you knit. I've only been knitting for about 10 months, but already I feel like a good knitter. Sure, I still have a lot to learn, but I'm more than happy with my results and with the pleasure of sitting with my knitting, and I've surprisingly ended up in a place where I like to take it with me everywhere - just in case an opportunity arises, right?

Knitting is a kind of mindfulness for me, and it even makes me better at sitting still for longer periods of time, which I can't otherwise put on my CV as a core competency. I simply feel more present when I'm sitting with my knitting, but of course that requires that I've reached a point where I don't need to look at the pattern all the time. Can you relate to that? That's why the knitting is also mean in Hong Kong, and I knitted on the plane, just as I sat and knitted for a while in a coffee shop in the middle of the vibrant city. It's pretty special, I must say... as if I become a counterpoint to the busy life around me.

sorbet cardigan mille fryd knitting Dorte BakDorte Bak at knitting

Sometimes, as I knit, it occurs to me that this craft is something women have been doing for hundreds of years. Sure, it was part of the job because they had to mend and knit socks, but I have no doubt that it was the work they did when they needed to gather their thoughts and take a break. It's certainly often what I do myself, and there are quite a few things that get processed during my knitting time.

The photos in this post were taken by the talented Malene Porup, who is a photojournalist and has been kind enough to agree to be my photographer from time to time. How special is that?

Hugs from Dorte ♥

Sorbet cardigan in beautiful colors

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If you want to knit an airy summer knit, you might want to try the Sorbet Cardigan by Mille Fryd Knitwear. The great thing about it is that you decide how many colors and stripes you want your cardigan to have. That is, if you can control it! Because the decisions are suddenly difficult when you have free rein like that.

I love knitting on this sorbet case - the colors and mohair yarn make it a joy to knit, and you're constantly driven to knit more because you start to look forward to putting the next color on the needles.

You'll find super soft silk mohair from Gepard in all sorts of colors right here - and if you want to make something extra fun, mix with hand-dyed silk mohair for beautiful color changes

Have fun with the stripes and remember that you can always catch me if you need inspiration for color choices. Hugs from Dorte ♥

Use your silk mohair scraps for a Simple Raglan Tee

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left

Today I want to draw your attention to the Simple Raglan Tee that I released in the spring in connection with my Online Knitting School. I wanted to develop a really simple pattern that could form the basis for step 2 of the online course, where several of the super cool students finished knitting Chunky Dream Sweaters (I'm still so excited about their projects!!)Anyway, the Simple Raglan Tee is a great basic blouse that you can easily choose to knit longer sleeves on if you wish, but I have only knitted it as a short-sleeved one.
Simple raglan tee knit with leftover silk mohair

I start with one strand of Drops Baby Alpaca Silk in the color natural/powder* (off-white) and then silk mohair, which I knit 1-2 strands of at a time. I have let 2 colors of silk mohair overlap in several places, so I don't pay much attention to whether there are 1 or 2 strands of silk mohair.

I continually assess what color mohair I want to weave in and just break off a piece to knit with. I don't staple the ends on the back, instead I just cut them off and rinse the blouse. You could also choose to make a mohair skein with the leftovers, but I have far too much need for control to work with that, ha ha.

The downside of working with a lot of leftovers is that you don't always have the project in your bag. On the other hand, there's something nice about having a bowl full of beautiful colors that you can sit down with when you really have time to relax with your knitting ♥

Knit and support Save the Children

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So you can simply knit (maybe even a Christmas present) and support Save the Children at the same time.

Save the Children is dedicated to creating safety for children around the world and I am extremely proud to repeat the success from 2020, where my knitting pattern was sold on Save the Children's portal and thus brought in a hefty donation to the value-creating work.

You can say that knitting is good for many things, but the fact that you can knit and support a good cause at the same time is something that deserves its own time, I think. In any case, I must confess that I am filled with joy and pride to present this particular collaboration that I have entered into with Save the Children.

For a period until the end of the year, Save the Children has been allowed to sell my knitting pattern for Chunky Dream Sweater (go to the knitting pattern on Save the Children's webshops here), where the amount goes to the good cause. You decide the price yourself, but you must pay a minimum of 39 kr when you buy the pattern, which you receive in the form of a pdf.

Any amount becomes a valuable part of the good cause, but if you support with, for example, SEK 49, it equals a week's worth of food for a needy and malnourished child. If you donate $85, it will be converted into a tarpaulin that can provide warmth and shelter to an entire family on the run.

If you don't knit or want to buy the knitting pattern, you can of course support Save the Children with a donation or by purchasing some of the other items from the Save the Children webshop. For example, you can buy to- and from-cards for a minimum of 19 kr.

It's great that you can support a good cause while keeping yourself busy with something nice that you might have intended to do anyway. Maybe you can even knit the sweater as a Christmas present!

What do donations to Save the Children go towards?

Save the Children works for children's rights and safety. They do this both in Denmark, where they engage in bullying prevention, establish holiday camps for children living with few resources, as well as helping abroad, where they provide food, water and medicine in disaster-stricken areas. They fight child sexual abuse, child marriage and help children on the run...

If you want to know more about the different concrete initiatives Save the Children is involved in, take a look at their website, where you'll find far more information than I can fit into this post (which I'm really passionate about sharing).

THANK YOU for reading this far - I know you've made it to the bottom of the post because you are also passionate about making a difference ♥

Frequently asked questions for the Chunky Dream Sweater

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beginner-friendly knitting pattern chunky dream sweater

Here's a summary FAQ with answers to the questions I get most often about the Chunky Dream Sweater. The sweater is a beginner-friendly knitting pattern, but it's easy to get stuck with doubts and questions when something is new. I'm sharing more info about yarn usage, color selection and knitting the neck opening.

I get a lot of inquiries from many of you who have bought the pattern and started working with the Chunky Dream Sweater. I can sense that many beginners have been tempted by this particular pattern, which I'm really happy about - it's a pattern that can help new knitters get started.

As with anything new, questions will arise about this and that, so here are some general explanations and references that will answer most of your questions. And if not, just ask me, of course.

 

Colors and number of balls of yarn

beginner-friendly knitting pattern chunky dream sweater

Several people ask what colors I used for my striped version. Below I list the color codes for Gepard Puno, which gives you the same colors as the Chunky Dream Sweater shown:

  • 414 Pale pink
  • 720 Sky blue
  • 230 Peach
  • 125 Brass
  • 422 Old rose

To answer the question about the distribution and number of skeins, I have to admit that I never weighed the individual colors. I had some left over from other projects, so I just bought extra of the pink color to add to my stash. The weight of yarn needed for a whole sweater is stated in the pattern itself, and if you want to knit in more colors of stripes, you will need to buy more yarn than what is stated in the pattern, as there will be some leftovers to make it work. The leftovers can then be used for a vest, a hat or something else later.

Feel free to contact me in the store if you want to be guided more thoroughly

Challenges with knitting the neck

Although this is a fairly beginner-friendly knitting pattern, there are parts of the process that require a bit more concentration, including the neck and shoulders.

How the neck opening fits is individual. Even though I'm aiming for a fairly wide neck opening, some people choose to knit it smaller because they don't like oversizes. Some also unintentionally end up with a smaller version, simply because many beginners knit tighter due to concentration.

If you haven't started knitting yet, it's a good idea to knit a square and measure if the gauge when you knit matches the gauge given in the pattern. If the gauge doesn't match what I've given in the pattern, you risk being left with a smaller (or larger) sweater and neck opening.

Note that I have an online knitting school based on this sweater, so if you are a beginner and want to be followed along with the opportunity to spar along the way and lots of video guides, check out the course here

When you get as far as knitting or sewing the shoulders together, take a critical look at how the neck opening looks for you. If you think it looks small, knit fewer of the shoulder stitches together. For example, if you need to knit 19 stitches across the shoulder, you can choose to knit just 17 (on either side of the neck opening of course) to get a larger neck opening.

By the way, I've seen several people get scared by a "hole" that appears when you cast on stitches in the neck for your rib. This hole can be sewn together at the very end when you also need to fasten off all the ends. If you're a more experienced knitter, cast on a few extra stitches where the back and front are joined and then knit them together on the next round to get the stitch count right.

I hope that this post has answered your questions and that you enjoy knitting the Chunky Dream Sweater - and especially enjoy snuggling up in it ♥

Gepard - Danish quality since 1989

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Gepard was established in 1989 by Sus Gepard and is a Danish brand characterized by Scandinavian style. Gepard works with a number of small, Italian family spinning mills that have a long tradition and experience with yarn and dyeing - so much experience that they are among the leaders in Italy when it comes to both trend and classic yarns.

Sus Gepard has created an entire knitting universe where you'll find both quality yarns and inspiring pattern collections.

The history of Gepard is the story of a craftsman's passion, vision, creativity and desire to create the best yarns that can be used for beautiful and durable knitted products. Yarn is not just yarn, not just the soft thread - history, culture and technique are - and always have been - part of the development of new yarns.

Each fiber has its own characteristics and it is a unique and exciting challenge to blend the different fibers together into a harmonious balance, so that the yarn provides comfort both in the knitting experience and in the finished product.

Throughout the production process, Gepard focuses on quality products and consideration for nature and people. This also means that Gepard yarn is mulesing-free.

Gepard works with a number of small, family-run Italian spinning mills that have a long tradition and experience in yarn and dyeing - so much experience that they are among the leaders in Italy when it comes to both trend and classic yarns.

See the large selection of Gepard yarns here