knitting through the back loop
looking at knitting from a different angle
In this first part of New Season Knitwear, I look at the trend for oversized sweaters on the catwalks- and give suggestions for how knitters can be inspired by this trend, including some pattern suggestions. Oversized sweaters continued to dominate the designer knitwear collections for winter 2018-19. Whether boxy, slouchy, highly textured or elegantly simple,… Continue reading New Season Knitwear: Playing with Proportion
After an unexpected summer hiatus, I’m really glad to be back writing again. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, September is the perfect moment to be returning to the topic of knitting as this really heralds the start of the most active knitting season, aka ‘sweater weather’! I have a number of articles… Continue reading New Season Knitting
Like an '80s mullet, many tops this season are business in the front and party in the back! Buttons, bows, lace panels, cut-outs, contrast fabric and architectural folds all transformed the backs of otherwise simple knitwear into more dramatic pieces. DESIGNER: Clockwise, from top, 3.1 Phillip Lim Open Back Ribbed Wool and Yak Blend Sweater… Continue reading Trending: the new back
Knitted and crocheted lacework designs are a big trend in knitwear this spring/summer 2018 – and are a fantastic source of inspiration for knitters. This lace trend is quite literally big, with many designers featuring large openwork designs of eyelets and other motifs, which often spread across garments in all-over designs. These lace designs are… Continue reading Trending: openwork lace knits
‘I’m not wrong, I’m just knit that way.’* We learn from an early stage of knitting that one side of our fabric is the right and the other is wrong. This sounds strangely moralistic - as though one side is innately better in its qualities- when, in fact, the designations are simply a way to distinguish… Continue reading When wrong is right: a celebration of the wrong side of knitting
What is the Penguono?: A pattern by the fantastically colourful and innovative designer Stephen West, the Penguono is a kimono style, short sleeved jacket that you can also flip upside down and wear as a long coat. Why is it a sweater of the season? Penguono was published by westknits in 2014 but embodies many… Continue reading Sweaters of the Season: Penguono
Intarsia, also known as picture knitting, was a big trend on the catwalks for Autumn/Winter 2017. This technique allows designers to precisely apply and play with colour. Unlike stranded colourwork, intarsia can be used to place blocks of colour anywhere and in any shape within a knitted fabric, using as many colours… Continue reading Trending: picture knitting
There were embellishments galore on the catwalk for autumn/winter 2017- many of them appearing at Gucci, which embraced the sentiment of more is more with some abandon. Tassels, fringing, pompoms, lace and feathers were all left hanging at hems and cuffs- see more at my article Spotlight: Dangly Bits (here). The fabric of garments… Continue reading Trending: more is more
Knitted socks are hugely popular amongst knitters, but rarely feature much in mainstream fashion. But this autumn/winter season, the knitted sock has been elevated to the catwalk. Or at least they were at British fashion brand Mulberry (here.) Mulberry's A/W 2017 collection featured an array of fuzzy mohair socks - some above the knee, others… Continue reading Trending: designer socks
There were a lot of things left hanging on the catwalks this autumn/winter 2017. Opulent feathers, playful pompoms, dramatic fringe and pretty lace were all added to the bottoms of cardigans/jumpers or the underside of sleeves, adding a touch of quirkiness to otherwise simple pieces or bringing another element to already flamboyant garments. … Continue reading Spotlight: dangly bits
knitting through the back loop 