Guest Blog: Parapet by Fiona Ellis

My latest design Parapet featured in the winter issue of Twist Collective is worked in a gorgeous SweetGeorgia yarn. But if I go back a few years I have to admit that I didn’t work with hand dyed yarns a great deal.

Although I found them beautiful I didn’t work with hand dyed yarns very much until a couple of years ago. This was because I found the multi-coloured yarns fought with the type of stitch work that I enjoy designing. The colours overwhelm the patterning and you lose the definition of all the hard work you have put in to create intricate stitches. Producing what I call “Christmas tree effect” – on a Christmas tree you are probably aiming for a “more is more” look. But in most of what we wear I find that “over the top” look way too busy. I ended up thinking that they weren’t for me.

Then the more subtle tone-on-tone colourways came along and happily I was given some samples to try out. As I swatched with these yarns I discovered that not only did they not fight with the patterning, they actually enhanced the cables.

Cable patterns by their very nature produce really interesting effects of light and shade. The combination of the different textures means that the light bounces off the fabric differently in each area highlighting the three dimensional aspect of the stitches. Similarly the talented dyers that I have worked with which includes SweetGeorgia Yarns also produce enticing effects of pale & dark within their yarns. So I found when I combined these yarns with my cables that these yarns it added an extra dimension of visual texture to the patterning that produced an even more beautiful effect. I fell in love!

Working with these yarns have produced some of the patterns that I am most proud of. I think this is because when working in collaboration with another artist the combination of each of our talents has the ability to produce something really special. I have the pleasure of working with SweetGeorgia yarns for some other designs that have also been featured in Twist Collective.

• Ruddington
• Granville
• Breckenridge (on Twist Collective, Blind Date)
• Blossom Branches socks (And another pattern (not for Twist) but available from my Ravelry store). Photo Credit: ANPT.

A bit about the design process behind Parapet

I am drawn to stair-step-type patterns, the even & mostly equal repetition of the line delights me. They are a no-brainer when it comes to knitting too. We often refer to the way we try to avoid the stair- step look that the knitting produces. But how do you keep the beauty of the repetition with it becoming boring and static? One way is to set them on the diagonal where the lines become a zig-zag. This gives them a dynamic active feel, something that I think of as being almost more masculine in feel than say soft undulating more feminine lines.

I have been trying to incorporate into my most recent design work techniques that we tend to find used more with woven fabric than with knit fabric. What I call dressmaker details; pleats, buttoned cuffs etc. So for Parapet I thought it would be fun to juxtapose the strong dynamic lines of a zig-zag pattern with soft gathers. The gathers in the back give a fullness that leads to the slight swing shape, combined with the stand-up collar (also borrow from woven fabric constructions) it makes it feel more like a softly tailored jacket than a cardigan.

Parapet by Fiona Ellis, photograph by James Brittain

The tiny gathers at the crown of the sleeve also give fullness to the cap while keeping the sleeve slim throughout the arm. The overall silhouette was drawn from empire line gowns which were fashionable around the turn of the 19th century — a style that I love. And if you were to ask me why I based Parapet on this style I would probably have to confess that it’s probably because of watching too many films based on Jane Austen books…especially if Colin Firth happens to be in them. Ahem.

Parapet Inspiration

For a look at my inspiration photos that Parapet is based on check out my Runway post here.