What started out as a bit of a joke between two sisters quickly transformed into a business idea when they realised the local yarn shop was up for sale. Nearly a year into the business, we caught up with the new owners of Garnstuen in Bergen, Norway to talk about all things knitting-related, from needle preferences (it’s all about the round needles) to their adventurous customers.
The Norwegian Knitters: Dreaming up patterns
A bit like the great musicians who wake up with songs flowing out of their dreams, Pia Marlene Øye Amundsen behind the popular brand Guttenogstrikkemor (‘The Boy and the Knitting Mum’) wakes up with fresh knitting patterns streaming out of her mind, and quickly scribbles them down on a piece of paper – or her good old phone.
A project bag for the modern knitter
After a summer holiday where she spent more time untangling yarn rather than knitting, creator of Plystre Knitwear, Warunee Bolstad, decided to create a solution to her tangled problems. This is how the idea of The Project Bag was born – a bag that was sold out within 30 minutes of launching.
The Norwegian Knitters: A chat with Hanne Orlien
Despite her first knitting project being so tight that the jumper she was excitedly making for herself ended up a more appropriate fit for a 10-year-old, Norwegian knitter and Instagram influencer Hanne Østby Orlien doesn’t easily give up.
Knitting for beginners
Always wanted to start knitting, but never quite had a clue where to begin? In this series, we aim to take you back to basics, by starting where every knitwear project normally starts: in the yarn shop.