ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

Clapotis

whatever shall I use to create my Clapotis?

Sunday just over a week ago I was extraordinarily lucky.

Why?

Well; a few weeks before I was making a purchase at De Afstap in Amsterdam when I noticed on the counter a reference to an upcoming workshop/presentation by Christel Seyfarth.

Now you know where I am going from here, don’t you?

I have seen Christels work on the internet as many of us have, and I never thought I might see her work and hear her speak.

And now I have.

And what can I say – WOW!!!!! the photos don’t do her or her creations justice. But still WOW!!!!!

It was magic to hear her speak of her design process, her colour use, and the drivers from her natural environment on the island of Fanø off the coast of Denmark, and in particular the sea.

And of course I love that she starts something and is not always sure where it is going. Now that I really understand as that is very often what I do.

I also knit in the round.

I also knit with many many colours.

I have also said “not sure if it is working – then add some more colours, just keep going”

That however is as close as I get.

I never ever knit in the round and cut my work and finish it in the way that I saw on Sunday. STEEKS – EEEKKK.

I have never ever created a piece with a steek.

I have never ever cut my work.

I don’t even knit fair isle. That is nearly untrue, in the past I have knitted fair isle – when I had a knitting machine, ever so long ago. I also tried hand knitting fair isle when my kids were still kids, again a very long time ago. I abandoned it as a method when I discovered intarsia.

I did knit a waistcoat with facings, again many many years ago. I have never done that since.

But Christel is so passionate about her creations, her methods, her colours, and the sea that she might even draw me towards facings and steeks (eeekkk), but not fair isle. I already love the sea and colour.

And then there is that reef knot. I am not going to tell you about that though.

Do you know that even the shawls are knitted in the round with steeks? I am amazed by her skill, her finishing, her trims, edges, facings and the colours. I love the colours.

If you ever get the chance to listen to Christel speaking, and to see and touch and marvel at her designs, as well as to view her wonderful photographs of her island – Fanø, and of China and other places and things which have triggered designs for her. Then you must take up that opportunity. I am so glad that I did.

But then I have been a very lucky person.

but steeks…..

Christel Seyfarth gallery and Fanø Knit Festival 23-25 September 2011

I have a real passion for the cloak and cape. They are elegant garments and can be dressy, sexy or plain comfortable. If they are created with a flowing shape they will move well with the wearer and can be created with a yarn or fabric that suits the personal style of the wearer.

Here in winter of 2010 there is still a fashion trend for the cape, and this gallery contains some of the capes and other creative coverings that I have created.

If you want to buy yourself a cape

If you would like to knit yourself a cape

Examples of my work

Right now I am working on a vest for myself. It is so unusual for me to create a piece for me, but I am. I am deciding just how I shall include the intarsia. I have all the yarn (many colours). I am already knitting a k2 p2 rib band and constantly looking at the yarns out of the corner of my eyes, wondering how will I use it.

That started me thinking about my very first intarsia knit. It was a sweater for my son. It was so cute, it was in two colours, chocolate brown and cream. The intarsia (a word I had never heard of) was so simple and it started me on the wild wild world of free form knit intarsia. Prior to that my intarsia work had all been in crochet.

I crocheted shawls and vests in the main. And I created all sorts of weird and unusual shapes with the yarn that I had available to me.

My very first crochet commission was for 3 crocheted shawls and a poncho. They were many coloured, but formal – that is no free form work at all. The patterns if I remember correctly, might have been from the Mon Tricot magazine which I just adored. Yes, I created for sale shawls from someone elses patterns, and I was even paid to do it.

Shock, horror now.

That was in the very early 70′s. I knew nothing of copyright at that time.

BUT back to the first knit intarsia.

It was a bought pattern and it may have been a Shepherd pattern, I simply can’t remember. But it was a straight forward sweater (jersey or jumper). The cuffs and a band of about 10 or 12 stitches straight up the front were in cream and the remainder of the sweater was chocolate brown.

I had to learn how to twist the yarn so there were no holes at the join of the two colours. It was knitted in pieces – back, front, 2 sleeves, something I rarely do today. But it started me exploring knitting and the excitement was probably not immediate but it slowly simmered and very soon I was creating wild, wonderful and wacky intarsia sweaters, jackets, vests and cardigans.

I still love my wild and wacky knits.

And now I am going to knit a wild and wacky vest for me. I still haven’t decided in what way I shall incorporate the intarsia but I will.