It's a Stitch Up

I’ve started thinking about what my next tailoring project will be and I’m feeling inspired by two very different trends I’ve spotted this season. The cocoon coat is a loose but structured shape that narrows at the hem. It has wide sleeves, often gathering at the cuff, drop shoulders or raglans and a funnel collar [...]

I had a quick nose around Topshop yesterday and noticed a lot of interesting lace knitwear in an earthy palette of pale grey, cream, camel, dusky pink and muted peach. The ‘cobweb top’ is a particular favourite, it reminds me of the Sea Tangles sweater pattern. If you like what you see, there are plenty of [...]

It’s amazing how quickly it happens, the last rays of summer sun fade to an autumnal chill sets in and I’m overcome by a sudden urge to cover myself in knitwear. Happily this coincided with the beautiful Toast autumn/winter catalogue arriving on my doorstep. The snowy cover alone is enough to make one reach for [...]

I’ve been in love with Pringle of Scotland‘s chunky cashmere handknits ever since the A/W 06 collection, before I even learnt to knit. The cabled swing jumper pictured was a particular object of desire, and I didn’t realise I could make my own for a tenth of the price, settling instead for a slightly itchy [...]

Things I’ve been looking at on the web… Inspiration There’s just about time to catch the Tsars exhibition at V&A before it closes this weekend, worth a look for the fantastic military jackets. I’ve long been interested in military inspired fashion, epitomised by Jimi Hendrix’s over-the-top brocade. Military themes have also inspired knitwear design - the ‘Heroine’ oversized felted coat from Twist Collective, [...]

Delicate mohair, lightweight cashmere, and pastel hues take a soft spin this autumn… That’s according to British Vogue, and who are we to argue. The November 2008 issue features the photo-story ‘Postcards from the edge‘, presenting pale, dreamy knits juxtaposed with a backdrop of stark, Hungarian architecture. Downy textures are complemented by simple, classic silhouettes.

Winter is well and truly on the way, which thankfully means the high street is full of lovely knitwear. Many of the current trends translate easily into hand-knitting. Shape French Connection are going boxy – chunky, unstructured pieces are adorned with geometric patterns. Over-sized belts balance out what would otherwise be a difficult silhouette to [...]