Laine 22 features eleven patterns by an international group of designers: Anna Daku, Inés García Suárez, Maria Gomes, Gudrun Johnston, Pauliina Leisti, Yukie Onodera, Eri Shimizu, Megumi Shinagawa, Karoline Skovgaard Bentsen, Ayano Tanaka and Maaike van Geijn.

Anna Daku – Amisk

Amisk is an oversized cardigan knitted in unspun yarn, which creates a light and warm fabric. The seamless garment is constructed as a combination of contiguous saddle-shoulder and set-in sleeves. The pattern was named after Amisk Creek, a small winding tributary near Anna Daku’s home. This is reflected in the simple lace pattern that follows the length of the sleeves.

Inés García Suárez – Bokeh

This light, triangular shawl was inspired by the bokeh effect in photography, which creates bubbles of light on a blurred background. They are represented in the easy-to-memorize lacework. The shawl is worked from the bottom up, with in­creas­es integrated into the lace pattern. To ensure that the edges are not too tight, extra yarn overs are worked and then dropped in the next row.

Maria Gomes – Stripes not Stripes

This pattern could be described with the slogan “simple is not boring”. Maria Gomes wanted to give a classic striped sweater a unique twist with a slip-stitch pattern. It is simple to knit — only one colour is used at a time — but the five colours also offer excellent opportunities for playing with yarns. The sweater has a boxy fit and some positive ease. It is worked from the top down, first flat and then in the round.

Gudrun Johnston – Luumu

Luumu is a classic cardigan featuring stockinette and reverse stockinette stitch. Gudrun Johnston wanted to highlight the beautiful combination of Shetland wool held together with a lace-weight silk mohair and have that set against a simple background. The cardigan is worked from the bottom up using a seamless saddle-shoulder construction. Extra rows can easily be worked if additional length is needed in the body.

Pauliina Leisti – Aalya

Aalya is a relaxed garment with an interesting stitch pattern and well-thought-out details. The loose, drop-shoul­­der sweater is knitted from the top down, featuring a cable pattern, 2 x 2 rib and reverse stockinette stitch. Pauliina Leisti wanted to highlight the ribbing by making it an essential part of the design. Once you get past the neckline increases, the sweater is intuitive to knit, and the cable pattern is easy to memorise.

Yukie Onodera – Braids

This endearing little triangular shawl features cables resembling braided strands of yarn and long cabled “tails” on both edges. It is worked from the right edge to the left, first with increases and then with decreases. The body is worked in a wave stitch pattern created with elongated garter stitches. The shawl is knitted with two yarns held together, and it uses only a small amount of each.

Eri Shimizu – Walking with Nala

This irregular trapezoidal shawl is worked sideways. It features lace and garter stitch and is knitted with two yarns, a DK and a lace weight. Two samples are photographed: the brown is made in Kokon’s yarns, while the white is knitted in various yarns from Eri Shimizu’s stash. Eri was inspired by the contrast between different materials and yarn weights and the simple and more delicate stitches.

Megumi Shinagawa – Aika

Aika is a timeless lace pullover worked from the top down. It has a relaxed but elegant fit, making it versatile and easy to style. The sweater is knitted in a loose gauge, and it is easiest to work with mohair or a similarly fluffy yarn. The eyelet lace combines traditional patterns with Megumi Shinagawa’s creations. The neckband, hem and cuffs feature spiral ribbing.

Karoline Skovgaard Bentsen – Hyeja

Hyeja is a relaxed, textured sweater worked from the top down with three yarns held together. You can knit it as a monochrome version or use more colours. The deep yoke features an intricate textured pattern that only uses knit and purl stitches. The body and sleeves feature reverse stockinette stitch. To minimize the amount of purling, one German short row is worked every time the pattern shifts to purl sections, and the work is turned inside out.

Ayano Tanaka – Morning Mist

For this sweater, Ayano Tanaka was inspired by a morning mist rising from the river. She arranged the soft cable patterns to create a similar, feathery effect. Morning Mist is a cosy, oversized sweater that still hugs your body just right. It features a crew neck and dropped shoulders. The back and front are worked flat and bottom-up in pieces. After seaming the body, stitches for the sleeves and neckband are picked up and worked in the round.

Maaike van Geijn – Grafiet

Grafiet is a warm yet airy sweater with marled colourwork details in the saddle shoulders, the V-neck and the upper back. The sweater has an oversized, boxy shape. It is made in a fun and fascinating way: you start with rectangular pieces — the saddle shoulders — and build the whole sweater from there, both flat and in the round. The sleeve and body lengths are easy to adjust.