I have been knitting!

Just in case you thought I'd given up on knitting altogether, I can confirm that I have been working very hard! There have been a few secret projects, and a couple of new garment designs in the works, the first of which is the now completed Ropery Pullover. I blogged about this back in August when I was 2/3 of the way through, but was held up knitting the front - it's construction is highly unusual and required some lateral thinking!

The second garment is a new, flared, almost vintage inspired blazer design featuring lots of horseshoe cables and knit using Blacker Yarns Pure Galway Aran. I haven't knit with Blacker yarns before, their reputation for rustic, earthy yarns is deserved. I almost certainly wouldn't have picked it up in store, in the skein it is stiff and scratchy, but I would have absolutely missed out. The yarn softens immeasurably as it's knit, and still further when blocked. At Knit Nation Judith McKenzie told me that any good pure wool needs a bit of wear and tear to reach it's potential, and I'm certain that this yarn is going to just improve and improve. I was fortunate to get a great deal on this yarn due to a voucher in Knitting magazine this month, so check that out!

The cardigan is knit bottom up in one piece to the armholes, and then split front(s) and back. Sleeves are worked flat (I think). The garment is finished with a large lapel collar and shoulder pads will be recommended - I loves me a huge shoulder!

Thirdly I've been knitting away at the Easyknits.co.uk Mystery X-Factor KAL. I needed a small, non-secret project for Knit Night and the tube, and this seemed like a lot of fun! The socks KAL is nearly finished now, but Jon is planning 2 more mystery KALs for between now and Christmas. If you're interested, check out the Easyknits group on Rabelry for more. This photo is from the end of Clue 2 (of 4) - unsurprisingly yellow - using Easyknits.co.uk Twinkle yarn.

 As a quick addition, I've written the bulk of this post on my phone, using the new Blogger iPhone app. I can see this being very useful, however there's currently no photo placing option, so I've had to come on the PC to move the photos into the right order/place. If in future you see posts with all the photos at the end, you'll know that's how I've written the post!

And finally, yes, I haven't forgotten it's fashion week, I'll do a New York summary in good time :)

Wool Modern at La Galleria, Pall Mall

Long time blog readers will remember that last year, in commemoration of British Wool Week, Saville Row was transformed into a mini-petting zoo and I was treated to a wonderful behind the scenes tour of Huntsman, one of the "old guard" of Saville Row tailors. It was truly awesome, if you didn't read it then, you can check it out here.

This year, a special exhibit of wool usage throughout fashion has been set up in Pall Mall. Entitled Wool Modern, this free exhibit features some fantastic examples of wool use in fashion, art and home furnishings. The website is http://www.campaignforwool.org/woolmodern/ , in fact, the whole Campaign for Wool website is worth checking out.

The exhibit is slightly smaller than I had imagined, however this may be due to it being split across two shop spaces and a small upstairs room. There are a large number of pieces on display, probably about the same number as were at the V&A Yohji Yamamoto exhibit I went to earlier in the year. To be honest, the exhibit is worth the trip for the fantastic free guidebook alone (I do always appreciate free stuff, must be that student attitude still clinging on!). This features photos and descriptions of each of the items on display, and will be a useful reminder for the future.

Think of a well known British designer and chances are they had something at this exhibit, from McQueen, to Westwood to Pringle. Smaller labels such as David Koma were featured too, as well as well known individual items such as Sibling's Knit Monster. Many European labels were represented too, such as this gorgeous wool dress from Lanvin AW10/11.

I love this so much I've already convinced Andrew he needs to make me one!

Other highlights included this gorgeous dress from Galliano AW10/11, sadly obscured in the exhibition by a jacket, but you have to love that skirt shape! To the right is a Sonia Rykiel AW05/06 look in the most fantastic tweedy yarn.

 

 I also love this fitted knit top from Sandra Backlund 2009. I'm always a fan of big shoulders, and these really take that look to an extreme. The stitch pattern is lovely and simple. I wonder if I could try and make my own.....

 Another close up now of some graphic colourwork on this Mughler AW 93/94 catsuit that I think is just great. I don't think even the most patient of knitters would want to knit at this gauge, but I can't help but be inspired.

As a special treat, the exhibition houses this 1965 YSL couture gown (if you can call it that). The blurb states that it uses 150 balls of wool, whatever that may mean. Highly impractical to wear, I may just like to have it as my coffin.

 Last but not least, this dress by Mark Fast AW11/12 (so not yet in stores!) I've been playing with pleats a lot lately, and it's nice to see them taken to the extreme in this way. In the past I've been rather vocal in my opinions on Mark Fast's brand of knitwear, but I have to concede that he does seem to be growing as a designer. This dress features only a small section (ableit on the crotch) of his trademark openwork nonsense.

I was fortunate to be able to visit with both Andrew and my friend Ali, who has a very well written craft blog over at In The Making that I highly recommend. It's always nice to get other's opinions on these things, and generally we didn't agree on our highlights! Ali loved the McQueen and the Alice Palmer, while Andrew was more taken with the Rick Owens (no surprise there) and the men's Lanvin.

In short, if your in London between now and the 28th of September, go and see this exhibit!

Hampstead Cardicape

Today, after months of pattern tweaking, editing and testing I am happy to release the Hampstead Cardicape pattern.

You may remember this pattern from my show back in February, it formed the basis of my third look - Autumn Oak:

After the show, myself, my fantastic model Urvi, and our wonderful photographers Rajee and Danmi ventured off into the depths of Hampstead Heath for our very organic photoshoot. Thanks to their wonderful skill and some great luck with the weather we were able to achieve some wonderful shots!

The Hampstead Cardicape is made in 4 pieces, and features a simple yet effective slip stitch pattern to add subtle texture to this unusual silhouette.

The cardicape is fitted closely across the shoulders, and has an oversized shape across the rest of the body. This allows it to flatter both smaller and larger figures.

Originally knit using the sadly now discontinued Patons Shadow Tweed this knit would be suitable for a wide range of heavy aran/light bulky weight yarns, being knit at a gauge of 13sts and 21 rows to 4". During the testing process we used a range of alternative yarns, and results from solid, tweed and varigated yarns were all of interest, in addition to the long stripes of the sample.

This knit is certainly a striking addition to your daily wardrobe, and would make a lovely accessory for special occaisions, and also as a great cover-up during chilly autumn evenings.

This pattern is available for £4.00 and can be found at Ravelry.com. Alternatively, you can buy now.

As always, any queries can be sent to me michaela AT michaelaknits DOT com - happy knitting!

Couture Round Up

I'm a little late to the excitement of the Autumn/Winter 2011 couture shows that were held at the beginning of July, but I thought I'd share some of my opinions with you anyway.

Couture is a special kind of fashion week. It is, in essence, a big publicity drive for fashion brands. The market for couture is incredibly small, many of the labels showing will be happy to sell one or two pieces from these collections. When you consider the price points for these garments (generally over £5000), this is hardly surprising! What a good couture show does do, however, is tell us more about a designer, his skill, propensity for innovation, and his appreciation and understanding of quality.

There were a couple of labels this season that really played to the "big publicity stunt" idea, and gave us some looks that were perhaps a bit wild for most tastes. Most notably, On Aura Tout Vu, with their bizarre legs and arms sprouting from weird places, and Iris Van Herpen, who put out a lovely collection that appears to be inspired by sound waves, using curves, ripples and spikes. I rather like this dress, soundproof rooms are surrounded in this kind of triangular surface. (You can zoom into any of the photos by clicking on them)

 

The week as a whole has left me a little flat to be honest. McQueen is notable by their absence, the injection of sheer decadance is slightly lacking this season, and overall I wasn't as impressed as I have been previously. But their were a few lovely moments. The big winners were those who took couture ideas and made them into something both wearable and beautiful. For me, this was Armani Privé, Stephane Rolland, and by far and away the king was Gaultier.

Armani Privé had a lovely concept (and I love a good concept), mixing traditional Japanese shapes and fabrics with modern formal tailoring. There are some lovely, very wearable pieces at the start of the collection before the arrival of some stunning evening wear. This is a label that will sell couture, so the mixture of wearability and beauty is key. My favourite is this fitted look:

Gaultier also had a very clear concept. Oh, how I would have loved to be in their studio when this was going on. Looking through this collection you step back into the time of Al Capone, and, a few dodgy male model choices aside, the gangster and his moll are very clearly represented. If you check out one collection, it should be this one, go on, look here! There are a couple of knits here (they are almost entirely absent from couture), and as expected, they are very exciting.

Without doubt I would just live in that second one.

Third of my favourite collections was Stephane Holland. A much smaller label, this collection, like Armani's, mixed in a lot of formal tailoring into what was overall just a beautiful, feminine and interesting collection. I absolutely love this oversized jacket:

So film noir!


Lastly I couldn't not show you this knit, as you're bound to see it at some point. Harking back to "couture for publicity" this gown of cables surely fulfils that brief!

All photos from catwalking.com

Post Knit Nation doings

 Since the chaos that was Knit Nation I've been taking a bit of time to catch up on all of the things that were postponed during all that crazy (and what wonderful crazy it was!) It was only this morning I was reminded that I have yet to give you an update on what I bought and what I've since been up to.

I did get a couple of bits...

 Such as this lovely skein from Habu! When Habu were announced as once of the vendors for Knit Nation I danced around the room, very excited to get to see more of their yarns in person. As the time grew closer and circumstances changed I knew I wasn't going to be able to indulge myself as much as I may have liked. As such, I carefully searched through their beautiful stand before coming across this fantastic skein of 100% cotton bouclé laceweight. This really was my only real treat to myself at Knit Nation (frozen yoghurt aside), and I have no idea what will become of it as yet!

 The next skein was bought with the complete opposite of intentions. This gorgeous skein of Old Maiden Aunt 80% Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon sport weight is destined for a special design coming up soon. The colourway, Baobhan Sith, is a really deep wine, with a lot of subtle semi-solid texture.

 I was very lucky to receive 4 skeins from Tash, one of our fantastic crew members at Knit Nation (you may have seen her calling the bingo!). Tash runs yarn store Holland Road Yarn Company in Wellington, New Zealand, well worth the trip if you're in the area. She was handing out samples to all sorts of important people and somehow I managed to persuade her to let me try some yarn too.

The top photo is of some Zealana yarn, which is made with possum fur and merino. I'd heard alot about the use of Possum in yarn production, and the debate around it's usage (Possum fibre is reclaimed from the pelts of culled possum in New Zealand). Many of you know that I am and have been a vegetarian for many many years, and as such I did read around this issue carefully. Ultimately I cannot object to the use of what would genuinely be an otherwise wasted product, and, unlike the leather industry, the possum fibre industry is not impacting the decision to kill these animals.

The yarn itself is far more unusual to the touch than I expected. The closest analogy I can make is that stroking it feels like stroking my cats. Which I guess makes sense when you consider that the possum fibre is hair and not wool. I can't wait for a spare minute to start swatching with this, it's going to be so much fun!

Tash also has her own range of hand dyed yarns under her label Knitsch. I highly highly highly recommend you check these out, her colours are amazing. I don't have any photos of them in the skein because the first thing I did upon returning from Knit Nation on Sunday night was wind them. I just needed to feel them properly, and they feel amazing! The ball on the left is Auburn, and by the end of the weekend I was boring all of the crew by continuously showing them how great it is. This is going to become a bright winter cowl (I think). The ball on the left is Heart of Glass and will be perfect for socks. You can buy yarn from her website, and she does ship internationally!

Tash also wrote a very lovely post about me and my designs (and my incontinent cat) that you can check out here, she mentioned the schematic for Koho being what attracted her to the design, so I have now added that to the Ravelry pattern page here.

The final 3 skeins of yarn that I bought at Knit Nation (of the 5 total) are already well on their way into my new design, the Ropery Pullover. As you can see, progress has been speedy, I've already finished the back and sleeves, although the front is where the fun really is. I'm using Easyknits.co.uk Merino/Cashmere/Nylon (which I suspect may be the same base yarn as the OMA I bought, but don't quote me) in colourway Gun Metal.

Please don't mock the sketch. The only A I ever got in art was for drawing a shoe. :)

I'm hoping to publish this pattern by the end of August, leaving the perfect amount of knitting time before the cold weather really starts. The pullover is unique in it's deep and flowing cowl front, making it a perfect second layer in the autumn, or a great shape for accessorising with handknit scarves and shawls. It is an exercise in short rows, and uses the Socktopus Shadow Wrap technique extensively, so makes a great tutorial piece too, although any short row technique can be used.

Kōhō

The third pattern that I was able to release at Knit Nation is Kōhō. This vest top incorporates details inspired by Japanese fashion with a completely new and unusual construction.

A couple of months ago I was fortunate enough to visit the recent Yohji Yamamoto exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum, accompanied by Pippa of Sweet Clement Yarns and Ruth aka Rock and Purl. For those of you who don't know this designer, over his 30 year career he has really pushed boundaries and challenged preconceptions of traditional silhouettes, and was a key inspiration to much modern deconstructivist fashion. One of my favourite things about him is the subtle integration of traditional japanese dress into beautiful modern garments.

Specifically, in the construction of Kōhō, I was inspired by his use of back detailing, layered armhole edgings and texture combinations. Additionally, and with help from my boyfriend Andrew (who knows about these things) I was able to develop a pattern piece that could be transformed into a unusual knitted garment.

Kōhō begins with a wide knitted hem, that uses a simple 7 stitch twisted rib pattern and which is shaped between hip and waist. The strap is then bound off and the right front and back are worked as a single piece to the armhole.

The back is then worked and the knit is continued in one piece over the shoulder and down to form the left front. As such, the knit is worked both bottom up and top down.

The next stage is finish the right front. This is knit up and over the shoulder and finished with a decorative shoulder detail.

The piece is finished with two sewn in edgings, which provide a subtle double layered effect around the armholes.

There is one side seam to sew, and in order to achieve symmetry pseudoseams are used on both sides. This enables the real seam to be hidden inside a purl ridge, so even those with less than perfect mattress stitching skills can achieve a professional looking finish.

Kōhō is a new twist on traditional garment construction and provides a challenge for experienced garment knitters wanting something different. That being said, in terms of stitches and techniques used, this knit should not be beyond the ambitious intermediate knitter. The garment uses twisted stitches, extensive shaping, grafting and requires a degree of sewing skill in setting in the edgings.

Kōhō is knit using Sweet Clement Beloved yarn and requires between 3 and 4 skeins depending on the size knitted (pattern is provided as 30"- 44" in 2" increments). It is a great pattern for semi-solid yarns due to the regularly changing stitch count reducing any pooling that may occur. 

Kōhō is a lightweight summer vest inspired by the twists and turns found in modern Japanese fashion. Using a unique one piece construction including knitting both bottom up and top down (indeed, Kōhō is Japanese for “backwards”) this knit will have you thinking about the way you knit garments in a whole new way. It is available for £6.00 and you can buy now.

Tumbledown Set

I mentioned briefly yesterday that I was fortunate enough to be able to sell patterns at Knit Nation this year at the Sweet Clement Yarns stand. If you were at Knit Nation you may well have seen the samples, I do hope you liked them!

The patterns were released exclusively at Knit Nation but I can announce that they are now available for download via Ravelry, and due to the genius of Ravelry even non-members can now use the site to make their pattern purchases.

Firstly there is a pair of patterns based around falling leaves in mid-flight - the Tumbledown Set. The first is a wristies pattern, first seen at the UCL MODO show back in March, but reworked in Sweet Clement Besotted lace yarn.

In Sweet Clement Besotted

The original pair

The wristies are perhaps unsurprisingly a quick knit, and a pair can easily be made over a weekend. They make great gifts, and the simple lace insertions add a layer of elegance and a great way to practice lace knitting skills. They are great for travel knitting, and have a very effective stretchy rib cuff, providing the wearer with confidence that they will not be lost. As a bonus, the pattern has instructions for knitting the wristies both flat and in the round, allowing you to choose based on your skill level or personal preference.

Since making the first pair in March I've been wearing the first pair rather a lot, they are a fantastic finish to a great winter coat, or spice up a simple summer outfit. This pattern is available for £2.50 and you can buy now.

The second pattern is the Tumbledown Scarf. This pattern was specially developed to compliment the wristies and the two patterns share many features. The inspiration for these patterns was that of leaves falling from trees at the end of autumn, and I feel that the modular nature of this scarf does a pretty good job of representing that.

Again the scarf is knit using Sweet Clement Besotted, a laceweight yarn, and like the wristies, uses a simple 8 row lace repeat that is fantastic for improving lace knitters, or those looking for a pattern great for traveling or social knitting. The scarf is cresent shaped, forming a full half-circle when complete, and as such forms a very comfortable curve around the back neck. This is a scarf that wants to stay wrapped around you!

The pattern is great for topping up your winter wardrobe, but is also delicate enough to be worn as an accessory in itself. The pattern is available for £2.50 and you can buy now.

As a special treat, I am offering the Tumbledown set for the discounted price of £4, saving 20%, when both patterns are purchased. Simply add both patterns to your cart and the discount will be automatically applied.

Knit Nation Post (sort of)

Last weekend saw the return of London's most international of knitting expos, Knit Nation. Last year I was a mere visitor, but thanks to some fortuitous seating in Anne Hanson's class, the wonderful Hayley was able to introduce me to my near and dear knitting group. Now, I'm not a soppy blogger, or one to gush, but this really was one of those life changing moments. Thanks to meeting this fantastic group I've been able to forge relationships with some funny, passionate and loving knitters, as well as been able to get to know many of the real movers & shakers in London knitting. Without this, I couldn't possibly have had the confidence to make this push into designing as I am at the moment, and as such I am very grateful. (Gush over.)

As part of this new foray into the world of London Knitting I was able to forge the close friendship with Alice, aka Socktopus, who I have mentioned on this blog before. As half of the Knit Nation team, I was able to persuade her to let me get elbows deep in Knit Nation organising, and as such ended up as Crew Coordinator. If you attended Knit Nation you probably would have seen me running around making sure everything was going smoothly!

As a consequence of all this running around I didn't get a chance to take a single photograph over the 3 days of the event, and as such won't discuss it too much further, except to say a super duper thank you to all of the crew for making my job super easy, thanks to the vendors for being really lovely, thanks to the visitors for really getting into the spirit of the event, and making my life really easy, and super thanks to Alice and Cookie for letting me be involved. There have been a few really good posts gone up about the event, I'd strongly recommend In The Making's report on being a Crew Member, Knitspot's review of being a Teacher, and VisaLisa's photogallery.

Additional and super duper thanks go to Pippa of Sweet Clement and Emms and Lou of Loumms who allowed me to sell 3 new pattern designs through their stall (and did all of the hard work of actually "selling" them for me). This was really generous, and really awesome. Thanks guys!

The list of people I was able to chat to is almost endless, if someone was at Knit Nation, we almost certainly crossed paths. Of the teachers, the only 2 I missed were Susan Crawford and Julie Weisenberger (Cocoknits), which was a shame as I find her patterns really inspiring. Highlights included Judith MacKenzie complimenting my spinning, Anne Hanson giving me her phone number, Juliet Bernard (editor of The Knitter) saying she couldn't wait to hear from me regarding submissions, and Jon Dunn-Ballam (of EasyKnits) agreeing to come to our Knit Night. I could go on, but you'd think me a terrible bore!

I do, however, have photos from Thursday. This was the "calm before the storm" so to speak, and was spent first in the V&A, on a tour given by Judith MacKenzie, and later enjoying a delicious afternoon tea. Judith's tour was fantastic, I don't think I've ever met someone so genuinely passionate, knowledgable, and without ego. She would spot textiles from across the room and before we'd even got close she'd tell us how, where and when they were made, and a story of how she knew (mostly involving a visit to tiny cottage industries in exotic locations). For example, I must have walked past this rug in the Islamic exhibit a hundred times,

And never thought much about it except "blimey, that's massive, imagine the picnic you could have on that!" But with Judith's guidance we learnt about how the fibres were extracted, how it was woven and the knots tied, how it would wear (did you know a good wool carpet takes 20 years to reach it's peak condition? Walking on it slowly shears off some of the wool scales giving it greater lustre. In some Muslim countries babies were given carpets, so that by the time they were old enough to marry it was of the highest quality) and how the museums had restored it.

We also saw some fab Muslim Menswear (I have to get Andrew into some of these):

And the creepiest thing I've seen in ages (even Judith couldn't explain this):

Just for Alice, we found a pug dog in the hideously beautiful ceramics gallery:

After the tour we went for tea. We had tea (duh), sandwiches, cake and scones, and a glass of bubbly. Twas awesome. In this terrible picture you can see Steven West, Marjan Hammink (Yarnissima) and Judith MacKenzie, but I was also sat with Merike Saarniit, Ysolda Teague, Elise Duvekot and Alice. (Non-knitters note: This is awesome).

 So yes, all in all, twas a fantastic weekend and I am a very lucky girl!

Men's Fashion Shows

There's been a lot of talk in the blogosphere of late about the pros and cons of "Fashion Forward" knitting. It seems that this happens almost every time a new issue of Vogue Knitting hits the stands, and it's such a shame to see this fantastic resource being blasted simply for showing some creativity.

I agree, there are times when knitters have been presented with patterns more suitable for Lady Gaga than your small town mom, but I think that's missing the point. So many times have I heard "I'm not interested in fashion, it doesn't cater for me". Now listen to this, as it's important:

There is no such thing as being too old, large or impoverished for fashion, as long as you're buying clothes you are in some way influenced by the High End world. 

When was the last time you bought boot-cut jeans? Or a scrunchie? Or those formerly ubiquitous "combat trousers" of the late 90's? You couldn't find them if you wanted to, because, whether we like it or not, these clothes don't fit in with our modern aesthetic.

As such, I can't help but feel that it's of interest and importance to be aware of what's going on in the wider fashion world when designing knitwear and choosing which patterns to make. Yes, that top down raglan pattern you've had for 20 years may fit you very well, and you may well have memorised it for speedy easy knitting, but if it clashes with everything else in your wardrobe is it really worth it? 

Of course, surely one of the the main benefits of making things ourselves is being able to create things that are unique, personal, and otherwise unavailable to us. Surely that's one of the reasons why cable and lace insertions into knitted garments are so popular, creating an effect so different to what we can buy on the high street? The difference for me perhaps, is that rather than taking the cardigan off the high street and putting in that lace insertion, I'd rather play around with the vast array of shapes and silhouettes we see in fashion, and take inspiration from the fun twists on traditional ideas we find there.

So hurrah to Vogue Knitting, for giving us something fresh, and hurrah for fashion week, for expanding our horizons. You're far from perfect, but I wouldn't have it any other way.


As such (and thanks blog, for letting me vent), I wanted to share some of my highlights from the recent Men's Fashion shows for Spring 2012. There's only space for a few, but I'd direct anyone interested to take a peek at Vivienne Westwood's Olympic themed collection, Givenchy's fabulous digital prints, and the rest of the John Varvatos collection, which is just awesome.

Firstly I wanted to share my favourite piece from all the shows, this gorgeous sweater from Bottega Venatta. I don't know how clearly you can see, but it's knit using similar techniques to Barbara Walker's Mosaic Knitting, and there are different patterns in the saddle shoulders (obviously!) across the top of the chest and down the arms, giving a subtle textured effect. I'm so hoping this will be stocked in London so I can go look more closely!

One of my favourite collections was from Burberry Prorsum, who have been fantastic for the last few seasons across the board. Excusing the ridiculous crocheted hats, these Aztec inspired sweaters, particularly the first one, are simply fabulous. I may have to have one!

I can't even believe I'm saying this, but this sweater from Giorgio Armani is awesome. I can readily imagine it knit in some really slowly colour repeating yarn. That wouldn't quite have that same dip dyed effect, but would possibly be even cooler! (For some varigated yarn usage, check out Missoni and Pringle, Missoni in particluar has some great pooling effects)

Not a knit, but this jacket from John Varvatos is fabulous. I love assymetric fronts, and this buttons way up into and across the shoulder. I may get Andrew to make me one of these! Plus the trousers are sexy too.

Last but not least a couple of jerseys from Lanvin. I can really see this kind of jersey cutting taking off in handknitting, particularly as the use of fingering weight and sock weight yarns increases in popularity. This first top has an unusual collar construction, but we've made a few t-shirts like this at home already, so maybe one day I'll show you how it's done. Notice also that contrast across the top of the chest, similar to the Bottega Venatta top. I found a few more examples of this, so it's possibly a trend in the making.

That second top is rather feminine in itself (you'd be amazed how many female models were used in the men's shows!) but I love the layered twisted neck. There were a few lovely layered jerseys, I just don't have space for them all.

Hopefully you've been inspired to have a look at some shows, the best place is Style.com