I’ve been working on versions of this design since “the before times”- first as a sketch idea in December 2019, then finally on the needles as of February 2020, after a particularly eye opening realization about trusting my gut with my designs. It’s been with me through emotional times, and also had its share of time outs as I process other elements of life.
I’m cautiously optimistic about today, though, as I’ve completed a 3rd sample, and had the opportunity to try the 2nd sample on folks earlier this summer, and create some needed modifications. The pattern needs some work, for sure, but then again, I’m proud to have made it this far. Thinking back to the optimism I felt the first day I started this design, and thinking of everything that’s come between then and now, I breathed a sigh of relief, as this finally feels right.
With this photo and this post, I remind myself that things take time. We’re all works in progress. And it’s ok.
(Editor’s Note: Ha! That’s funny to think there’s an editor here! Really just a note from me, Shana, after I’ve written the whole post. Some of you know me in real life, and some of you just know me through the screen. I tend to tell long, seemingly random stories, but as one of my students once said, “trust her. She always brings it back around”. So yes, this is a long post. If you’re here just to see my new sweater, just scroll on down to the bottom.)
Given a multiple choice option, I think many of us would say we prefer to write our own story vs. follow a prescribed path… but do we all follow through?
I’ve mentioned here before that I spent some time in higher education teaching architecture design studios. I truly loved this work, and I think my skillset is tuned in to working with others to develop their own design personality. I’ve always felt pretty strongly about working with a design student to help cultivate their own personal strategy. It doesn’t — and in many cases, shouldn’t— align with my own preferred aesthetic. I viewed my role as coach and guide, helping the designer become the best version of themself. I vividly remember solidifying this idea in a group grading session with other design professors. We had all evaluated our students on the same rubric, and spent an afternoon sharing our students’ work with each other to make sure our metrics were fair across the board. A colleague showed off a project that he identified as one having strong execution. He showed the study models, the drawings, the concept diagrams… and then said “I know what you’re thinking, I don’t really like it, but the student did a great job executing their vision. It’s a top project.”
I really appreciated this statement out loud. It’s not for me, but it’s done well. It sets out to solve a problem and it follows through. I’m not sure I had ever said this out loud up to this point, but it resonated so clearly with me. That student created a cohesive body of work that answered the prompt, and whether or not I actually like it, I see the value in work well done. It’s like getting food from a nice restaurant. You can value the quality of the product but perhaps not enjoy the taste. You can recognize that it’s good, just not your taste.
This is a hard concept sometimes. I think we all struggle with wanting to like the “it” thing. We struggle with wanting to fit in, with wanting to be part of the “in crowd”. Especially in this age of not being able to see each other in person, we get wooed by photos on the tiny screens of our phones. We set reminders to make sure we don’t miss out on the new products. We want the same things as others… or do we really want them? I don’t even know anymore.
This has become a longer post than I originally intended…hope you’re still with me.
There’s a balance between fitting in and standing out. In my recent creative ventures, I’ve observed this happening a lot within the fiber arts community I consider myself to be a part of: the struggle between making the same thing others are making vs creating something that feels uniquely you.
With all of that in mind, here’s a recent finished object. I followed a pattern but I created the color sequence all on my own. The pattern itself is straightforward- it’s the Westknits Go to Raglan (Ravelry link) by Stephen West. I appreciate and admire his creativity and writing style. He suggests how to blend colors for different outcomes but encourages the maker to make it their own. Most of this sweater is marled (that is, 2 thinner strands of yarn held together to make a thicker weight / gauge) and I’m proud of the result. I ripped back a few times to get the right proportion of color and dimension of stripe. I reknit one entire sleeve and knit the bottom band twice in order to get just the right color. Here’s a link to my version on Ravelry, which lists the colors I used. I used partial skeins leftover from previous projects and some yarn I received as gifts.
My version of Westknits Go-To Raglan that ended up perfectly mine. Let me know if you have any questions about the sweater.
The final result is a bright, bold garment, and no one else will have the same one. I hope you can appreciate my color choices without necessarily wanting to wear them yourself. I think you can see the quality of execution without wanting to have an exact replica. Maybe it inspires you to make something of your own. Do a good job, and make it your own.
A ‘knit drawing’, if you will. I created this ‘architectural drawing’ out of yarn / knitting rather than graphite or in. I knit the ‘paper’ and built on top of it. The ‘paper’ size is similar to a sheet of Arches, my favorite for actual drawings. It’s a basic section of a house, filled with architectural lines, including a ‘highlighter’ line, all covered with a ‘veil’ of something else… something both trying to suppress and allowing some to escape. The lineweights are thick and thicker– the essence of true shanalines– with 2 sneaky thin ones.
Eponymous, 2019. Shana S. Cohen, all rights reserved.
So it’s me, sort of, as the architect slash knitter. The technical slash free form creative expressionist.
I love asking for input on my knitwear designs. I recently gathered information on sizing for an upcoming design. I will update this page as the design continues to develop! If you are interested in a sneak peak, take a look at the video I created to explain sizing:
This is my first version of the design. It is an open ruana created with marled yarns. The title of this design is “Semantics”. Shana S. Cohen, 2020. All rights reserved.
I have been starting to share videos on my IGTV channel so you can see how to style some of my knitwear designs! Here is Moduloncho, a fingering weight modular poncho (get it?). I have loved knitting and wearing big shawls for a long time, and came up with this adaptable design to fit a range of bodies with the same amount of yarn. For me, it bridges the gap between shawl or accessory knitting and sweater knitting, which has a lot more places to fit. I share 3 different versions in this video.
And here is Wrapezoid! This trapezoid shaped wrap (I’m telling you, I thoroughly enjoy making up words) is knit with fingering weight yarns held double OR with DK weight yarn. I came up with this idea after looking at elementary school geometry lessons. It fits the bill for my design strategy as it can be styled in multiple ways. I share 2 different versions in this video.
While we can read the suggested pattern gauge and yarn for a design, I do think it is helpful to see how the knit fabric moves in a design. I plan to continue sharing these videos of my other designs. And yes, I’m aware that I pointed to the wrong corner to indicate the Linktree link. Hush.
Make sure you follow me on Instagram to see when I share designs!
