Who would have thought that a crochet sweater could harmoniously bring together the past and present? Meet the person making it possible: Kine Ulvestad. By adding vibrant colours and fuzzy edges to classic designs, Kine has figured out how to take both your common knitted sweater and bucket hat to a new dimension. Her brand 2mpressure may look like it belongs on the runway, but it is, in fact, a one-woman project she tends to during the hours that are not spent studying for her art degree. The 21-year-old makes these intricate designs in her bedroom in Bergen, preferably with a glass of prosecco in hand and in the company of a good friend.

We chatted with Kine about the survival of craft traditions, trendsetting and how she approaches sustainability in her work.

Quick-fire

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Favourite piece you have created?

“The first patch-sweater I ever made. It’s orange-ish with different patches in between.”

What colours do you prefer to work with?

“I really enjoy working with red, orange, pink, yellow and green. But, I honestly do not have any limits when it comes to colours. I love them all.”

Where do you find yourself creating the most?

“Home, on my sofa or at school.”

If you could time-travel, when/ where would you go?

“Maybe around 1000 years forward, it's so far from this lifetime. Maybe the earth has pressed it’s “reset button” and there are no humans left? I really wonder how that would feel and look like!”

Favourite fashion trend at the moment?

“I am not very updated on trends, but I’ve seen that people wear sneakers with lots of colours now right? I really like that as it’s an easy way for people to wear more colours!”

Kine, 2mpressure and everything in-between

It is no secret that Kine’s pieces have a lot of personality to them. But how did she find her unique style? She explains that the personal touch that makes her work stand out is a result of mere intuition: “Very often I come up with new ideas while creating. I usually know what my next project will be before what I'm working on is finished. I’m also easily inspired by colours in nature, buildings, and everyday experiences.”

Kine was introduced to crocheting by her grandmother at the age of six and her level of interest has shifted throughout the years. Despite this, there was always something about the craft that sparked a feeling of curiosity within her, that eventually turned into a time-consuming passion project.

“I like the idea of making the whole textile/fabric myself, not just forming it into an article of clothing from an already made fabric. It’s exciting to never really know how it will end up looking. The rhythm and pace of the work is calming, and I end up making things while unwinding.”

Although old crafts like crochet are handed down through generations, Kine emphasises that there is no need to be stuck in old ways or feel restricted by tradition. Trends within the craft are meant to come and go and there is value in experimenting with old techniques and giving them a new life. Kine uses ‘grandma-squares’ as an example: “People often think of them as a 70's trend in orange, yellow and brown. If I make them in pink, yellow and blue, the result is very different from what you typically associate with the squares.”

Another example is making clothes out of old white cotton crochet-cloths: “I think it's cool to use old things and make it new, just by using it in another setting or adding something new to it.”

As the flaws of the fashion industry have become an increasingly hot topic, Kine has been looking for ways to incorporate sustainability in her work.

“I think it's very important that we make clothes that can last for longer than half a year. The ideal would be to make them last a lifetime. We all have a knitted sweater from our grandparents or parents that has been looking the same for over 20 years, right? I hope that the focus on sustainability and climate is not just a trend, but something that we carry with us into the future.”

While producing hand-crafted pieces is a step in the right direction in terms of sustainability, Kine admits that not every part of the process is as environmentally friendly as she would like. The main challenge for a start-up business like 2mpressure is the high cost of yarn. For Kine in particular, another dimension to that challenge is that she needs to use different types of yarn to create her well-known designs.

“It feels terrible to say, but I use all sorts of materials when I crochet. I would like to see more experimental yarn in the future though, not the micro-plastic kind, but something made out of natural materials. It would be a lot easier to stay true to my values if a wider range of cheap but sustainable yarn was available.”

In other words, 2mpressure relies on the unison of traditional craft and a contemporary twist. Kine describes the core of the brand as «colourful, fun and without limits or rules», but how did she go forward when trying to find a name that would capture the spirit of the brand?

In 2017, Kine had her first photoshoot and got help from one of the friends she had made online to create a logo. “He told me to come up with a name so that he could make a logo. My reply was something along the lines of ‘Ohhh man, that's too much pressure’ because having to figure out a name for my brand was stressful. A few minutes after, he made me a logo saying ‘2mp’ (too much pressure). I felt the name was so relevant and catchy. I also liked that I kind of figured out the name by myself, without giving it any effort. There was really no pressure put into it!”

As with any creative business, motivation and work-flow is vital, which is why Kine is focused on not overworking herself: “I suffered from art block a lot before, but I haven't in a long time now. I try not to push things too hard, so if I am in a total block where I feel like I can't do anything, I just try to do things that make me feel good. Such as being social, watch an inspiring movie or play the violin! When I do things that make me feel good, the block usually disappears naturally.”

But despite Kine’s pledge to not wear herself out, a lot of her time goes into crocheting. Before heading to school to attend workshops or work in the ceramic department, she crochets while watching Gilmore Girls. She has even gotten some of her friends hooked and meet up with them in the evening to crochet together. “We crochet together pretty often, and at the weekends, me and one of my friends Miriam drink prosecco or beer while we crochet - favorite activities!”

After COVID-19, her routine has changed substantially, but she admits that there is a silver lining to this new way of life: “I definitely crochet a lot more than usual and hanging out less with friends. I go for walks every once in a while. I kind of enjoy it! I can crochet a whole day, a whole week, a whole month without feeling that I should be somewhere or do something else.”

So, what does the future look like for 2mpressure? Up until now, things have happened naturally, with people occasionally contacting her to sell her pieces or exhibit them, but Kine explains that the studies are her priority at the moment. “The hard promotion work and business part come after my studies,” she says. In the meanwhile, she will continue to be open-minded about her ideas, work on improving her skills and let the clothes change with it.

“For now, I just try to make the most out of my studies, crochet while I can, both in the studies and outside, and we'll see what the future brings!”