Get to know the Finnish knitwear designer behind two stunning new sweater patterns, inspired by texture, tradition, and timeless style.
We are sooooo excited to welcome Sari Nordlund to the Hobbii universe with not one, but two beautiful new knitting patterns: the textured Louise Pullover and the colorwork Thelma Pullover. Both designs are elegant, modern, and packed with thoughtful details that intermediate knitters will love exploring. 😍
We had the chance to ask Sari a few questions about her design process, her Scandinavian roots, and what she’s been reading lately. 🌲📚🧶
Let’s Start With a Little Introduction
For those discovering your work for the first time – could you tell us a bit about yourself and how you became a knitwear designer?
“My name is Sari and I’m a knitwear designer from Helsinki, Finland. I started designing when I started knitting, because I couldn’t find the kind of patterns I wanted to make. I have been publishing my own knitting patterns for over 10 years, and I have been working as a full time designer for the past four and a half years.”
Behind the Stitches: The Louise Pullover
What inspired the lace and cable pattern in this design?
“For the Louise pullover, I wanted to create something classic and wearable. I have always been drawn to textured knits, and love combining cables and lace in my work. Cabled sweaters can easily turn out rather heavy and thick, so the addition of lace keeps the sweater lightweight and airy. And I also love how it breaks the cable pattern making it a lot more interesting to knit and to look at.”
You chose Hobbii’s Alpaca Silk for the Louise Pullover – what made this yarn the perfect choice for the design?
“I loved knitting with Alpaca Silk and will definitely use it again for my projects! The yarn has a beautiful sheen to it because of the silk content, so it shows the stitch patterns very well! I also love the drape of the yarn and of course, it feels really soft against the skin.”
Any tips for knitters who might be new to cables or a European shoulder construction?
“Cables are so much easier to knit than they first appear! I also have a whole online course for cable knitting with Domestika if you feel like you need a bit more extra help. For the European shoulder construction, I left the back of the Louise pullover without any cable pattern so it is very easy to increase in just Stockinette stitch. The European shoulder construction gives a beautiful sloped shoulder shape and a really good fit.”
Nordic Roots in Color: The Thelma Pullover
The Thelma Pullover features beautiful colorwork inspired by your Scandinavian heritage – can you tell us more about that?
“Every autumn, like clockwork, I get an itch to knit a color yoke sweater. I think there is something very deeply rooted with the combination of colder weather and colorwork sweaters inside me. For me, this design is both a tribute and a personal expression. It connects me to my roots and allows me to share that heritage in a modern, wearable way. There’s a deep sense of pride and continuity in using traditional techniques to create something new, and I hope that comes through in the finished piece. Although, in Finland the colorwork sweaters weren’t usually knitted in the round, but flat and in pieces, so a round yoke is a bit more modern to our traditional style.”
How do you usually go about choosing colors for stranded knitting?
“I try to choose yarns that have a lot of contrast, meaning one is very light, the second is distinctly dark and the third one is somewhere in the middle between those two. Sometimes it’s nice to pick colors from the same family (for example different shades of blue) or to mix different colors. You can always make a little swatch to see how you like the colors together, or if there is enough contrast for the pattern to show.
A good tip for making sure if your yarns have enough contrast is taking a photo of them together with your phone, then turning down the saturation so that the photo is black and white. If you can still distinguish between the yarns and colors, there is enough contrast, if not then the contrast is not big enough for the stitch pattern to show in the final project.”
The cuffs feature optional colorwork – what inspired this detail?
“Having something fun to look forward to at the cuffs takes away so much of the feeling of never ending sleeves, so that’s why I think it’s nice to have some small design elements at the sleeves as well. But I know not all people want to do that, especially if they prefer a more minimalist look, so that’s why I also wanted to include an option for unicolor sleeves.”
A Peek Into Sari’s Design Process
What usually comes first for you – the yarn, the stitch pattern, or the construction idea?
“The first thing I usually start with is either the color or the stitch pattern. Most often I am inspired by a color or a combination of colors, something that clicks perfectly at that moment. I always imagine how I see the color in knitting; whether it’s glowing and silky, or soft fluffy mohair, cables or stockinette stitch. This is how a design starts taking shape in my mind.
In the end, the yarn I use tells me how it wants to be knitted. Even the best designs can get tossed aside when I realize how instead of lace patterns, my skeins turn into cables and scarves want to become cardigans.”
Do you sketch or swatch before casting on – or just dive right in?
“If it’s a yarn that I’m familiar with, then I usually just dive in! But if I have never worked with that type of yarn before, I want to swatch with it first to see how it behaves, and of course also block my swatch so that I know whether it grows or blooms when washed. I usually start by drawing all the charts and working all the math using Excel, so that I know that I can grade my design idea to different sizes.”
Between books and YouTube, you share your knitting in so many ways – what inspires you to go beyond patterns?
“I have published two knitting books: Softly – Timeless Knits and my new one, Summer Knits. Both are filled with patterns that reflect my love for classic silhouettes and thoughtful details. I also do knitting podcast videos on YouTube where I talk about my designing process and share what I’ve been working on lately. It’s a fun way to connect with fellow knitters and show a bit of the behind-the-scenes of my work.”
Tips for Knitters
What can knitters look forward to learning in these two patterns?
“The Louise pullover has very simple cables, so that would be a perfect opportunity to learn how to knit cables without a cable needle! The colorwork pattern on the Thelma pullover has very short floats of yarn and despite it being in three colors, you only work 2 colors at a time, so it would also be a great pattern for your first color yoke pattern.”
Do you have any tips for keeping stranded colorwork neat and tidy?
“I stretch out the stitches on my right needle every now and then to see that my knitting is not too tight and go back and loosen the floats if necessary. I also prefer knitting colorwork with a bit more rustic yarns because they have a bit more grip and don't stretch quite as much as for example merino yarns.”
Knitting Daydreams & Guilty Pleasures
If you could knit anywhere for a weekend, where would you go – and what would you bring?
“I love people watching, so I really like knitting in cafes. My favorite city in the world is Rome so I would probably go there! And I would probably knit something that has some pattern going on, but not too much so I wouldn’t have to look at my chart all the time. The Louise pullover would be perfect, as the stitch pattern is quite intuitive and easy to remember after a few pattern repeats.”
Books, shows, or podcasts while knitting?
“I often watch Netflix when I knit, but lately I have been trying to reduce my screen time so I taught myself to read while I knit. Of course, I don’t read as quickly as I would without the knitting, but the speed is not really the point! I have been enjoying books by Ann Patchett and Claire Lombardo lately, I especially loved The Most Fun We Ever Had.”
A favorite stitch or technique?
“I love textured knits in general. I get easily bored doing the same thing again and again so I love to mix different things – to add a bit of seed stitch in the middle of a lace pattern or combine cables and lace in the same design.”
What’s your personal knitting color palette?
“I have always been drawn to natural colors – off white, brown, beige and gray, but I also love adding small pops of color every now and then. My favorite non-neutral color is actually hot pink!”
A dream project you haven’t tackled yet?
“I would love to knit a long ankle length cardigan that I could wrap around me when it gets cold! But the sheer length of it feels a bit daunting to me!”
We’ve heard your dog might just be your most fashionable fan – is that true?
“Yes! I have a dog who loves wearing the sweaters I make him. We also have two rescue cats.”
Want to Knit Along with Sari?
You can find the Louise Pullover and the Thelma Pullover as free downloadable patterns here at the Hobbii website. Whether you’re a cable lover or a colorwork enthusiast, Sari’s thoughtful designs are sure to be a joy on your needles. 💛
