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Twist Collective BlogDesign Process: Ahni
One of the things I've learned over the last few years of designing is to pay attention to elements that I like in clothing, and to try to understand why I like them and what feel they impart to a design. For me, this comes in handy when I want to tweak a design to create a specific mood, but it is also useful for any knitter who likes to personalize a pattern with modifications.
The original sketch submitted to Twist. Ahni uses a couple of different elements to achieve various aspects of its overall look. I started with the stitch pattern. I love texture of all sorts, but I tend to knit a lot of lace and cables, and I wanted to explore other textures. In looking through stitch dictionaries, the little scale pattern stuck out to me. I haven't really seen it used much (at all? I'm sure someone somewhere has used it!), and it has a lot of nice advantages: 1) it's easy to work; 2) it's fun to work; and 3) it has a very small pattern repeat which makes it a dream to grade. The third advantage won't matter to many of you unless you decide to tweak the pattern, but believe you me, it makes any potential tweak so much easier. The little scale pattern on its own has a pretty amorphous character. Worked in a sport weight yarn it could be delicate, but at a worsted to aran weight it has a much more substantial, rugged feel.
Check out that lovely textured stitch. I've noticed that designs that really draw me in have an element of the unexpected, even if only subtle. So after deciding on the textured stitch pattern in the heavier yarn with a woodsy feel, I wanted to juxtapose it with some femininity. A good way to do that is with the neckline. Necklines are really important to me. They may not be radical, but they are always purposeful. The scoop neck on Ahni is a perfect example. It's sexy. And do you know why? It's all about the collarbone. Everyone has one, and when showcased properly they are just lovely. The scoop neck highlights your collarbone by creating those long rows of ribbing that all lead to it, while at the same time not revealing a lot of shoulder or cleavage. That means sexy, but yet everywhere appropriate, which is a nice feature. It elongates the neck in a swanlike manner. You can use a scoop neck like Ahni's on just about any pullover and instantly give it a touch of romance. It's a nice tool to put in your arsenal.
With the model's hair pushed back you can really see the neckline. I wasn't quite ready to stop at femininity, though. I wanted just a little more character. Unlike many of you folks, although I love the look of vintage on others, it doesn't usually work out so well on me. (And I prefer to design things I can wear!) There are a few exceptions, however, and one of them is deep waist ribbing. Add deep waist ribbing and you can give a sweater an instant 1950's feel - va voom! - yet still have the piece look modern.
Dr. Steph of ravelry models her finished Ahni. The last thing I decided on was the sleeves. I went with set-in sleeves to continue in the vein of femininity. There is just not another fit like them (well, maybe a contiguous sleeve, but that's another adventure), and when you want to portray a touch of elegance a fitted set-in sleeve is a good way to go. The deep ribbing on the sleeve was an easy choice - that was simply to blend. It mirrors the waist and neckline nicely and doesn't draw attention away from either.
I love this photo - vintage-y and fun. So that was the thought process. If you don't already have a good idea of what you like and why, I highly recommend going into your closet and noticing things like neckline, waist, and sleeves and thinking about what they do for you and how they make you feel. Then the next time you want to change the aura of a pattern up just a little bit, you will have elements in mind to draw on. I had great fun going through this process with Ahni, and I hope that those of you who end up knitting it enjoy the details as much as I did. Win 12 Images for Styling
Twist Style Friday: Zigmund
Every Friday we feature one of the garments from the magazine in a post about styling. We suggest different ways to wear the garment in question using mock-ups from Polyvore. We encourage readers to tell us what they think about these outfits via our Facebook page or Twitter, and if folks want to make their own outfits, please tweet them at us with the hashtag #twiststyle. You can find all of the Style Friday posts here. Snowflakes fell on me this week, fashion fans. Winter is coming to Toronto. I know Canadians do our share of whining about chilly weather, and I am certainly not exempt from this, but my complaining mostly takes place between February and April, by which time I feel like things should be warming up significantly. Decemeber and January though, I love. I love the first few months of layering weather, of wooly sweaters, of snuggly cowls and long coats and cozy boots. So I'm excited about the approaching chill- but even more than that, I am excited to tell you that the Winter issue of Twist is similarly imminent. Barring another natural disaster, this will be our last Fall installment of Style Friday. It's fitting, then, that the garment we are looking at today is bright and cozy, perfect for when the wind is icy and the sun is hiding. Friends, I give you Zigmund.
Don't worry, cute chickens are not a requirement for looking great in this sweater (though their head-combs really to pick up the vibrant colors..). I wanted to play with the ways that this sweater could look awesome in a more urban context. I call this set "Ziggy in the city", and I owe some serious credit to my dear friend Sue who helped me brainstorm outfit ideas. I think Zigmund is a wildly beautiful sweater, but it's shape and proportion are pretty outside my wardrobe comfort zone, so I am greatful for Sue's fashionable eye.
I really hope that lots of you feel inspired to knit this one- I can't wait to see what it would look like in different colour combinations. I think it's worth noting too that this could be a really gorgeous layer for warmer climates if you made it in hemp or linen instead of wool. Me, I love bright colors, but I would make mine in black and a few shades of grey to keep it really simple and graphic, and then you could literally wear it with anything. I think it would also be super beautiful in a pale-on-pale combo, like oatmeal and dusty rose. Seriously, look at this colorwork and imagine the possibilities.
However you knit and wear you Zigmund, it will carry you happily into next season. See you in Winter, dalings. I can't wait!! Designer Process Double Feature: Capriccio and Zahedra
Capriccio is in the fall issue of Twist Collective. It is worked in lovely Zara Plus Merino wool from Filatura di Crosa. When I design a sweater, if there is a lot of patterning, I like all the elements to be related and to reference each other in a way. It allows you to have variety without discord.
I wanted a simple, wearable silhouette in which to showcase my big beautiful lace panel. I chose raglan style sleeves, because I love the look of fully fashioned decreases in ribbing, and there are more decreases and they are very prominent on this style of sleeve. The eyelets of the main lace pattern are reiterated in the ribbing pattern at the hem, which is a mix of rib, garter rows, and eyelet rows. This same combination appears in bands on the lower sleeves, and on the cowl collar. However, I remix it so that it does not appear in the same configuration, thereby avoiding the formulaic repetition of “same edging everywhere syndrome,“ nearly as fatal as “OMG different edgings everywhere syndrome,” which you also want to steer clear of.
Notice how when the cowl falls forward, the pattern on the inside is equally as attractive as the pattern on the outside. A small detail, maybe, but I think that it makes a garment nicer to wear when you don’t worry if your collar is folded the wrong way. Of course my opinion is totally biased, but I think this sweater is nice to knit, and even nicer to wear.
This lovely piece is Zahedra, a cable and textured long cardigan knit in Briggs and Little Atlantic. I can’t wait to get this garment back, I can picture it as my fall cardigan-coat of choice for right now. The weather is at that perfect temperature, the leaves are just starting to change, and I find myself craving a nice robust wool cardigan. With pockets, because I admit, I am a chestnut-and-acorn-collector. I can’t help it. When Fall comes, my pockets are full of nuts, seeds, leaves, and pine cones. For a longer or heavier garment, I prefer to construct in pieces and then sew them up, rather than knitting in the round. I find that the garment keeps its shape better. I usually set in the sleeves using backstitch, it makes a very professional-looking finish. I love finishing, and I want my garments to look handmade, not homemade.
Backstitch provides the neatest finish when you are joining pieces worked in a stitch pattern other than Stockinette. Sometimes I set in sleeves using mattress stitch if the garment is worked entirely in Stockinette stitch and it won’t be worn very often. But, backstitch is better if there are stitch patterns involved, and/or if the garment will be worn a lot.
I design a lot of garments, and it is sometimes tough to come up with interesting names for them all. Also, working as a production assistant for Twist Collective, I help name other people’s garments as well, so that adds to the list of names. I must confess, I named this garment after my favourite World of Warcraft character. And yes, I did grind out Netherwing rep for that mount. If you know me personally this will not surprise you!
Designer Process: Horatio and Oren
Today's entry is brought to you by Barbara Gregory, designer of many wonderful Twist patterns, including these other whimiscal mittens- Perianth and Ringo & Elwood. She shares where she got her inspiration for Horatio and Oren, adorable owly mittens for hands of all ages. She also gives you a sneak peek at just how she got those owls to look so darn cute. Keep up with Barbara on her website.
The turning point was realizing that I could show the whole owl: by adding little wings,
For fun I’ve made a short animation using some of the charts I saved as I went along. It
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