ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

Over these past months – in fact it is since the end of July 2011 I have not had the right situation to be creating in yarn as I love to do. I have been creating a garden, an orchard, taking care of our grandson and so on.

I just have not had the time nor the head space to be knitting – well not too much that is. I have knitted a few beanies for people who needed them and created a piece which is still a secret. I managed that only because there was a completion date.

Now the weather is much cooler, the garden earth is very wet, and I need to be creating something new, something different and to start my brain off on this task I have been doing research on the internet.

Now you may remember that I am Danish born and that in the last 3 years while we were living in the Netherlands (till end July 2011), I have visited Denmark a couple of times and I attended a workshop by Danish knitter/designer/artist Christel Seyfarth in de Afstap in Amsterdam.

Why am I telling you this?

Well I have been looking at knits for 2012 / 2013 autumn and winter and I have been looking at the Missoni collections in particular and those collections are full of Danish shawls. Now that is a real surprise to me. Danish shawls in an Italian knit collection! And I may not have realised that had I not been to Denmark and seen the Danish Shawls at the Gamle By (The Old Town). Danish Shawl at the Old Town

The Danish shawl does have a wide triangular shape – true. The Missoni Shawl doesn’t – but what is in common is that the shawl is wrapped around and tied at the back. The true Danish Shawl ties the ends of the shawl together at the back, the Missoni shawl has a clasp attached which holds the shawl in position at the back.

Isn’t it great that the old Danish Shawl has a new lease of life as a fashionable modern garment on the runways of the world?