designer : the knit kid

Knitwear is in a strange place. If you browse knitwear patterns online, you feel like you've been transported back to the 1970s or 1990s and can never escape. But then if you find yourself on Sandra Backlund's site viewing her portfolio, you think knitwear has a chance - but it's still too experimental for everyday wear.

When my friend Elyse texted me this morning asking if I had heard of this Etsy designer, I was beyond excited to see modern, fashion forward and wearable knits that are as beautiful as they are minimal and clean - not overly fussy, covered in too many techniques - just speaking for themselves.

Just simple enough not to scream "my grandma made this for me" - the clean lines, color blocking, and fresh hues erase any sentiment of that.

Gorgeous!

Source: http://www.etsy.com/shop/theknitkid#

knitwear : final project

At the moment this is just me wearing it, but I plan to do a real photo shoot this summer with my favorite model Elyse! These beautiful photos are courtesy of Mallory and her amazing photography skills!

The tank, using the threadlace technique, is made of nude thread and periwinkle blue baby mohair/silk. The sweater is a merino wool/silk yarn.

knitwear : patterns

Ever wonder what a machine knitting pattern looks like? Here are the two I designed and used for my knitwear final.

 

Intarsia pattern for the honeycomb graphic

 

Tuck pattern for the honeycomb texture

These are knitting machine punch cards. The machine (though not truly a "machine" as it does not run on electricity, it is all manual) reads the holes on the cards to determine where the needles will be placed on the bed. While we have learned how it works, it still seems like magic to me. 

3/15 photos of the week and some updates

Sorry for the lack of updates everyone!! I have been so busy with work (and am on a fitness kick so lots of running to prepare for a 5k, knitting to finish up some projects, and general studying about how to begin a fashion brand) so I haven't totally been focused on blogging lately.  But here are some images that have been inspiring me recently!

 In love with this neon orange layer over a simple tank and shorts.

 Again, another entrancing detail - an alluring, exotic cuff with casual jeans.

 Minimal beauty at its best.

 A gorgeous use of color and pattern.

High-rise jeans lend themselves well to a peek of skin in the back - demure and sexy.

Tomorrow, I have my last day as a graphic tees co-op at Abercrombie & Fitch.  And oh my goodness, how wonderful an experience it has been.  I have learned so much about the ins and outs of a successful company - from organization and production, to execution and review.   A few weeks ago I ordered a book off Amazon called How to Set Up and Run a Fashion Label and it has definitely gotten the juices flowing in my head... 

This summer my university transitions from a quarter system to a semester system - unfortunately for our class, we end up getting the short straw and have a mini co-op period over the summer (7-ish weeks) and then our first "semester" co-op back to back with the summer one, for 15 weeks I believe.  Some of my classmates are rolling this into one long co-op, but I have chosen to break it up and use that short period to my advantage to do an entrepreneurial quarter, in which I develop and execute a mini collection (7 weeks is much nicer to go without pay than 15, and good thing I work fast!).  I am very excited about this - I think this opportunity will allow me to better formulate my ideas about my future. During the summer I will be able to have this experience to compare to the others I have had, to understand if I truly want to be my own designer and live out my own aspirations, or work in a collaborative team much like that at A&F, to which I will return in the fall for my semester co-op.

So, there is much to think about!  With the book I have been reading, I have been doing a lot of ideations on branding, where I would want to take a line if I had one, etcetera - so during the next quarter at school I will be doing a lot of background thought on what kind of line I would like to do over the summer with the potential of further developing that brand into senior year when I do my senior collection. It isn't that impossible to get contact with a factory for production - you just have to do all the pre-production work and send it to them in a format that is clear. However, I think this is something I could definitely achieve.

In other news... my CFDA portfolio has been selected to move on to the competition!  A panel of professors reviewed the class portfolios and selected the few to send in for the scholarship - each school has a limited amount of portfolios that can be sent in for the final judging.  I am eager to find out what happens next...!

Stay tuned for more! I am ready for a relaxing spring break and the start of knitwear!

jil sander fall 2012

Big news for one of my favorite designers - Raf Simons will be leaving Jil Sander.  The fascinating part is that Jil Sander herself will be taking his place.

With that, I leave you with my favorite detail from his last Jil Sander show.  Interestingly, this favorite detail is not minimalistic at all - but I am still predictable, because it is neon pink and knitted.

 Style.com

knitting a sweater, and gorgeous knits of the season

Hey, what's that Rachel?  Oh, just a sweater I'm knitting in my un-air conditioned apartment in August!

A little sneak peak.  Almost 75% done, but it knits up really fast.  Is that a neckline?  An armhole?  You will find out!

But really, knits have been on my radar.  And after a lot of thinking, and a huge revelation that knitting really truly makes me happy, I've decided that for next summer I will take an "entrepreneurial quarter" (in which you develop your own line in place of a co-op).  I'll take the time to swatch my little heart out, design a few pieces, and knit them (in the summer).  I am beyond excited for this.

So, since I always get excited too far in advance (is a year enough?) I've decided I'm going to try my ways at my first knit design.  Because I've never designed a hand-knit piece before, I'm going to do a scarf so I won't have to worry about shaping (necks, arms, etcetera).  Yet the masochist in me is all oh let's combine millions of complicated patterns in cool stripes but one color so you have this textural difference so before I know it, it's not going to be easy at all.  But hey, that's part of the fun - knitting is a puzzle, and that's why I love it.

I have this week off work, so I will take some time to visit various knitting shops and find some yarn for swatching samples.  After years of avoiding swatching, I've finally realized it is somewhat important.  (Funny how it happens that way.  Same as pre-shrinking fabric.)  But because of all this knitting going on, I've become obsessed with how they're being used in high fashion.  Knitwear gets a bad rap for being dowdy or mumsy, or very conservative.  And yes, those patterns exist.  But then you could say that all shorts are inappropriate for work, which isn't true.  It's just about finding the right ones (length is a big factor, no doubt). 

It's fun to browse high-end designer sites to see where knits are.  And as knitwear grows in popularity with the DIY trend, it's easy to see why more and more people are becoming interested in knitting their own things.  Some gorgeous knits at Net-a-Porter:

 Stella McCartney and Rick Owens (look at the similar textures - popcorn stitch)

Rag & Bone and J Crew

Paul & Joe Sister and Stella McCartney

If you can knit, you can make these things.

**Disclaimer** It will not happen overnight.  Knitting unfortunately takes time and patience.  However, it does not come with a $935 price tag!

designer : nanna van blaaderen

 From the "Species, a Tribute" and "More or Less" collections, sculptural knit pieces from textile designer Nanna an Blaaderen.

nannavanblaaderen.com