ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

Examples of my work

There it is, I have been blithering on about communication and I missed a really great question from a lovely artist/designer on Facebook. Today I did something I have not done on Facebook before – I checked the tab “Just Others” and there was the question from May 2010.

The question was “Where can I learn more about your method of intarsia freeform knitting?”

Now that should have sprung out and said “Hey, Here I am”!!!, and I missed it.

There are books out there and much on the internet explaining Intarsia, but my free form Intarsia, there is no resource available as yet that I am aware of.

And so there is no single easy answer to the question, although I am working on an answer to it as I am putting together a book proposal.

For the design on the piece I consider the shape of the canvas, which might be a sweater or a cloak, or a jacket; and the person or exhibition for whom this piece is being created, and then I work to the idea or concept. In other pieces I might simply change the colours and yarn types as I feel, as I view what I am creating.

Very very basically, I sort yarns by colour, texture and weight (more or less as I don’t let the weight drive my work) and then I knit (play) always with the idea or concept in my mind or on the sketch.

The biggest hurdle for most knitters is to plan too much, and while I do plan, that is I have a canvas, which is the shape of the knitted piece, and concept and colour group, then I just knit.

I would love to run workshops on working with intarsia generally and including freeform work, or on “Playing with colour and yarn”. I hope I will have the opportunity to do that when I return to New Zealand.

I am working on a proposal for a book which will have basic knit designs, Instruction on working in the Intarsia method, a planned intarsia design for each knit design, as well as exercises to play with the yarns and colours and so go on to work on a free form intarsia design within the knitted design.

There is a lot work even in putting together a proposal as I am sure you all know, and of course I have to convince a publisher that it is worth their while.

No I didn’t knit this multi coloured cape over night. I am working on completing works in progress and this is one of those. It is still a “WIP” because it needs 2 perfect buttons – in two different shade I think.

This cape was born because I bought a hank of Vera Moda Tracey yarn at Spotlight, in New Zealand. It says it is 5% wool, 6% acrylic, 45% polyester, 40% nylon and 4% lurex. Now I think this is a very bizarre yarn for me to have purchased, and I have another in pinks and purples and who knows what, which I will have to knit at some time.

When I started to really look at the yarn I found that it is made up of many different yarns joined together. I don’t like joins or knots in my knitting so I carefully undid the components, how stupid is that – after all it was intended to be knitted as a scarf or shawl – knots and all, and I looked at what I had purchased. Of course I did not record the total number of different yarns in it, and there were quite a few. What I did do, was consider what to do with this rash of very odd and quite sparkly bits of yarn and I decided to knit this little cape which I have done before with many colours. I included wool, mohair, sock yarn, and faux fur yarns.

So it is nearly a done deal this little cape. It just needs two gorgeous buttons and of course my reasonable button collection is in New Zealand. I have purchased a few here, but none are quite right for this cape.

So a “WIP” is nearly off my list.

Link to the pattern for a cape like this is available on Etsy.

Gorgeous elegant and Sexy Cape – created with 3 strands of yarn knitted together. Patons Ostrich, Naturally Mist Mohair and Regia Hand Dye Effect. I used garter stitch, Stocking Stitch and reverse stocking stitch as well as changing the Naturally Mist colours as I knitted the cape. The Naturally Mist colours used were cream, beige and dark brown. I wanted to add an orange (no brand name) colour to this, as well as the Naturally Mist Black. But I restrained myself.

I have changed the pattern shaping from earlier capes as well – so I might create a pattern.

This photo is closest to the real colour of the cape.

This photo shows the whole piece – but is not a good display of the colour.

This picture is so unlike the richness of the colour as it should show. I used the flash, and you can see the colours in the cape and the stitch changes as well.

Great cape for a night out on the town, stunning over jeans and cami, very warm and cosy and very very sexy

Kiwi Cape pattern on UniqueBoutiqueKnits on Etsy

Kiwi Cape