Hi there!
As a designer it's not often I do this, but the To Russia with Love Coat was knitted totally off the cuff. The pattern was invented from my imagination as I knitted, so it really is a one-off! I just couldn't wait to get started with the gorgeous saffron chenille I had invested in, so I improvised and wrote the hand knitting pattern as I went along.
Normally I will come up with ideas for the design, design it in my software with all the correct measurements for the sample size, translate and write out the pattern from the software graph, print off the pattern, then knit. This routine is the same for hand knits and machine knits alike.
As a designer it's not often I do this, but the To Russia with Love Coat was knitted totally off the cuff. The pattern was invented from my imagination as I knitted, so it really is a one-off! I just couldn't wait to get started with the gorgeous saffron chenille I had invested in, so I improvised and wrote the hand knitting pattern as I went along.
Normally I will come up with ideas for the design, design it in my software with all the correct measurements for the sample size, translate and write out the pattern from the software graph, print off the pattern, then knit. This routine is the same for hand knits and machine knits alike.
For the stitch pattern I used squares to build up the design on the back of the coat. Having an Art Deco image in my mind, it just grew as I went along...which worked out really well.
The back was knitted in two parts so matching up the squares was fun ;)
The over large collar represents the fur collars of the typical Russian fur coat which gives both warmth, and at the same time, an enormous amount of style and sex appeal. Remember James Bond 007 and Tatiana Romanova in the movie To Russia with Love?!
The back was knitted in two parts so matching up the squares was fun ;)
The over large collar represents the fur collars of the typical Russian fur coat which gives both warmth, and at the same time, an enormous amount of style and sex appeal. Remember James Bond 007 and Tatiana Romanova in the movie To Russia with Love?!
The Catwalk Show
I went on to show the coat on the catwalk at the All Women's Achievers Awards Ceremony. It was a great evening and plenty of money was raised for the charity involved. All the models worked so hard throughout the evening. I was very proud.
There were six designers showing some fabulous designs on the catwalk. Above is a pic of the designs I used for the show. The To Russia with Love Coat was among 8 designs I showed altogether...a mix of hand knits and machine knits. I ended up with the award for Fashion Designer 2016!!
I went on to show the coat on the catwalk at the All Women's Achievers Awards Ceremony. It was a great evening and plenty of money was raised for the charity involved. All the models worked so hard throughout the evening. I was very proud.
There were six designers showing some fabulous designs on the catwalk. Above is a pic of the designs I used for the show. The To Russia with Love Coat was among 8 designs I showed altogether...a mix of hand knits and machine knits. I ended up with the award for Fashion Designer 2016!!
If you'd like me to write a piece about any of my designs in particular and give you a bit more info about them, then just shout!
Happy knitting!
Marianne x