The Finnish brand bringing its Nordic yarns to Britain
Finnish brand Novita is bringing its Nordic yarns and design flair to Britain to coincide with its 90th anniversary
NOVITA IS a huge name in Finland and the Nordic countries, but it is little known in Britain. That’s about to change, as the Finnish yarn brand is to begin selling its yarn ranges through John Lewis. British knitters will be able to explore Novita’s ‘New Nordic’ style - a philosophy which pays homage to Finnish culture and heritage, while offering a modern aesthetic. Eleven of the company’s most popular yarns will be available to buy at John Lewis department stores and also through its online shop from the beginning of September.
Classic yarns
Novita runs the largest yarn spinnery in the Nordic region, and ten million balls of yarn pass through its mill each year. “All of our wool comes from the northern hemisphere,” says Erika Appelström, Novita’s brand director. “Most of it comes from the Nordic countries - predominantly Norway - and the UK. Our British-sourced wool is mostly from Down breeds such as Shropshire, Hampshire and Dorset Downs. There are also Southdown, Suffolk and Cheviot fleece in some blends. Because these are all classed as fine wool, they are perfect for hand knitting.”
One of Novita’s most popular yarns with Finnish knitters is the 7 Veljestä (7 Brothers) family of yarns. Now more than 45 years old, the yarn is named after the first major novel written in Finnish,
Seitsemän veljestä by Aleksis Kivi. It’s an aran-weight blend of 75% wool and 25% polyamide, which Finnish knitters like to use to make thick socks and sweaters to keep warm during the long winters. “At first, the yarn came in seven neutral colours, each named after one of the brothers in the novel,” explains Erika. “Today, it is known for its bold and vibrant shades inspired by nature’s wild gifts, such as lingonberries, sea buckthorn, cloudberries, blueberries and raspberries.”
As well as these solid colours, the range now includes multi-coloured self-patterning yarns such as 7 Veljestä Napapiiri (7 Brothers Polar Circle), 7 Veljestä Pohjola (7 Brothers North), and 7 Veljestä Polaris (7 Brothers Polaris).
“Another Novita classic is Nalle; having been production for more than 50 years, it was also the inspiration behind the development of Novita 7 Veljestä,” says Erika. “This versatile wool-blend yarn,
whose tension is close to DK, has the same fibre content as 7 Veljestä. It’s machinewashable, and is ideal for socks, accessories and traditional colourwork. Its name translates as Teddy Bear - it was named after the King of the Finnish Forest and our national animal, the brown bear.”
Other Novita yarns that will be sold in the UK include Nordic Wool, a DK-weight pure wool that’s perfect for stranded colourwork, and Natura, a single-ply 100% wool yarn that felts easily and is well suited to Icelandic-style sweaters. British knitters will also be able to try the Baby Merino 4ply, the machine-washable pure merino Baby Wool, and the soft Wool Cotton DK.
Family pride
Novita is proud to be a fourth-generation family-owned business, and this year it celebrates its 90th anniversary. “The story of Novita began when Ernst Gylfe, the company’s founder, set out to fulfil his dream of providing Finns with knitting yarns of finer quality than ever before,” explains Erika. “He left for Britain to study the making of worsted-spun yarn in Bradford, which is known as the birthplace of European yarn and textile industry.
“On his return to Finland, he founded his own company and started spinning yarns in Helsinki in 1928. Once worstedspun yarn had found its way onto the needles and into the hearts of Finns, the company acquired land for its own factory in Helsinki’s Lauttasaari in 1935.”
Today, its spinnery is situated in Koria, south-east Finland, and the company strives to be as energy-efficient as possible, repurposing the heat generated by its dyeing process, and sourcing renewable electricity from wind power.
The team at Novita work hard to inspire knitters with their pattern collections capturing the essence of Nordic style. “Our passion is to combine traditional knitting techniques and modern design in order to create knits which are refreshing but also timeless,” says Erika. The company publishes seasonal pattern magazines and booklets, and offers a range of downloadable patterns on its website. Novita also runs a popular online knitting community, called Novitaknits.com, which has members across Scandinavia.
If you’d like to experience the New Nordic for yourself, check out the Novita range at John Lewis. Natural fibre yarns such as the Nordic Wool will start at £4.90 for a 50g ball, while 100g balls of wool-mix yarns will start at £6.90. – Discover Novita’s yarns and patterns at www.novitaknits.com/en/en/yarns – For Novita yarns at John Lewis, visit www.johnlewis.com or call 03456 049049