Vogue Knitting Live Launches Small Business Launch Pad

Knitting industry events are a great way for designers, instructors, yarn and accessory makers to meet and get to know each other in real life. They can be important for sales, name recognition, getting featured in magazines and more.

But the barriers for entry are high for many small business owners. Booth space is expensive, as is travel to events, getting goods to the venue and more.

Vogue Knitting Live recently launched a program to make it a little easier for small business owners to vend at their events, called Launch Pad.

The program will offer resources and support for new and marginalized small business owners, including webinars, weekly assignments and lectures, which will culminate in an opportunity to sell at Vogue Knitting Live in New York in January at a discounted rate.

Launch Pad is especially aimed at addressing problems of diversity in representation at such events, so BIPOC small business owners are being prioritized in selections. Applications are being accepted from business owners regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or socioeconomic status (though there is a cost both to the program and to selling at the event).

Applications are due by Friday, Nov. 15, and the program will accept 20 people. The fee for participation is $125, and booth space is $175.

This sounds like an amazing program and I can’t wait to see what comes out of it.

[Photo: Vogue Knitting.]

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Beautiful people and beautiful sweaters combine in Lasse L. Matberg’s Viking Knits. The book includes more than 40 Scandinavian inspired knits for men, women and children featuring textured stitches and colorwork.

Matberg is known as The Viking and has worked as a chef, naval officer, fitness instructor and model, as well as being on a couple of reality TV shows. He comes from a long line of makers and his book was first published in Norwegian in 2021 and has since come out in an English version.

The book is divided into sections including everyday sweaters, knits for the great outdoors, stylish knitwear, Norse sweaters and accessories. Some of the patterns use the same designs in different versions for men, women and children. I counted seven projects rated for beginners, 19 for intermediate knitters and 17 for experienced knitters. The more difficult patterns tend to have allover colorwork or stitch patterning.

The pattern stitches and colorwork are shown in charts, with a little bit of text to tell you how to make the garment. Most of the book is sweaters, but there are also hats (sometimes coordinating with sweaters), scarves and a couple of sitting mats.

You can check out all the patterns on Ravelry. Some of my favorites are the more basic ones, such as the Power Sweater, a close-fitting (sized for men) ribbed sweater; the Heart Sweater, a raglan with allover lice stitch; and the Midsummer Sweater, with textured stripes and a henley neckline. I also like the Breeze designs (there are versions for men, women and children) that have colorwork diamonds on them.

Sizing on the garments varies, but there are six sizes for the men’s patterns (noted as small through XXL and then Lasse sized), six for women (XS to XL) and three for children (age 2-4, 6-8 and 10-12).

The yarns used in the book aren’t available in the United States but you can find suppliers here if you want to use the same yarns. Otherwise the book gives a lot of details about yarn content and gauge so you should be able to find good substitutes wherever you live.

If you have Norwegian or Scandinavian heritage or just like the look of cozy textured or colorful sweaters, this book is a lot of fun, and the eye candy is pretty great, too.

About the book: 192 pages, hardcover, 43 patterns. Published in English in 2023 by Search Press. Suggested retail price $29.95.

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