Welcome back Sarah Lund

I don't think I have ever been so excited for a television programme. Ever since I witnessed the final episode of The Killing a few weeks ago, I have been eagerly awaiting the much anticipated second series of the cult Danish detective drama, The Killing II.

Slowly unraveling over the course of twenty hour-long installments, The Killing has become one of the most critically-acclaimed TV shows of the last few years. I've tried my hardest to convert skeptics into believers, using my limited marketing skills to encourage friends and family to buy into this crime phenomenon.

Many seem to be put off by the fact that the dialogue is in Danish and they would have to read those dreaded subtitles. Now, this didn't affect me as I actually prefer foreign films with subtitles to Hollywood blockbusters (I would also like to state, for the record, that this is not because I'm a pretentious culture hog. Films not in the English language are, for me, so much more gritty and real than their million dollar budget counterparts).

But The Killing is so gripping that after a couple of views, you forget all about the subtitles. Both the storyline and the characters pull you in, in a way I have never experienced before. It's like a book you cannot stop reading, wanting to turn the page but also never wanting it to finish.

Now Forbrydelsen II has hit our screens, with our heroine Sarah Lund back to solve another mystery. Unfortunately, this series is only in the form of ten episodes. I guess this means we'll have to savour every second that little bit more.

A sweater to die for

If, like me, you've been gripped by the Danish crime phenomenon 'The Killing', you could not have failed to notice the hype surrounding the star of the cult series (and no, I don't mean leading lady Sarah Lund!). I am, of course, referring to THAT sweater.

In almost every episode, the cream and navy wolly takes center stage, with Lund seemingly just as much in love with her knitted masterpiece as the rest of us. Unfortunately, for those of us without a television production budget, it will be difficult to get our hands on the original. Made by design duo Gudrun & Gudrun and hand-knitted with the finest organic Faroese wool, it's no surprise that the sweater will set you back a whopping €280.

Luckily for us, however, the high street appears to have cottoned on to the trend, with an abundance of winter knits in Fairisle and Navajo patterns gracing the rails of our favourite retailers. While I was scouring the stores in search of my Nordic fix on a budget, I found the perfect Gudrun & Gudrun imitation sweater from the newbie on the British high street block, Forever 21. Granted, it's not identical, but what high street copy is? But what it lacks in design, it makes up for with its beautifully soft feel and bargain basement price.

And it is with bated breath that I now wait (warm and snug, of course) for November 19 and the arrival of Forbrydelsen II on my TV screen. Let's just hope that along with Lund, that sweater makes a triumphant return.