JEWELS is the third book in our European Nature book series which we created to share our passion for natural, local, breed-specific, European yarns, beautiful knitwear designs and the stories of the amazing makers who enable and inspire us to create magic with our own hands. JEWELS includes 12 modern knitwear designs for the colder seasons on this planet. From luscious colourwork yokes to drapey everyday sweaters, from a shawl as cosy as a hug to mittens designed to keep your hands toasty warm, all the pieces in this book are designed to be both enjoyable to knit and wearable for years to come. JEWELS wouldn’t be a Making Stories publication though without the stories that inspire us to do our work: We’ve included profiles for every single maker involved in this book, be it designer or yarn company, as well as two fantastic articles on yarn and colour substitution and a conversation on colour between a favourite designer and yarn dyer. Making Stories GmbH is an independent knitwear design publisher based in Berlin, owned and run by Verena Cohrs and Hanna Lisa Haferkamp alongside their small and growing team. Our mission is to spread the love for sustainably, ethically and transparently produced natural yarns, shine a light on knitwear designers from around the world and help knitters create garments and accessories they love and that last them for a long time. We deeply care about our planet and our community. Honesty and kindness are the cornerstones of everything we do. We believe everyone can (and should) make a difference in whatever way, shape or form they can.
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Designs by Amy Gunderson, Becky Sorensen, Emily Greene, Hanna Lisa Haferkamp, Heike Campbell, Imke von Nathusius, Katrine Birkenwasser, Nadya ' Stallings, Sabine Engel, Sarah Shepherd, Simone Bechtold, Vanessa Ewing Yarns by Blacker Yarns, De Rerum Natura, L'ÉchappÊe Laine, Moel View Yarn, Retrosaria, Rosy Green Wool, Tukuwool, Triskelion Yarn, Whistlebare Contributions by Dianna Walla, Katie Green, Melody Hoffmann, Paula Goosen and our designers and yarn partners
ALEXANDRITE DESIGN BY AMY GUNDERSON YARN BY BLACKER YARNS Geometric, jewel-like lines draw the eye to the yoke of the Alexandrite cardigan. The colour combinations here are endless: Choose a lighter version of your main colour for a beautiful tone-in-tone sweater (as shown here) or go bold with a strong contrasting colour that makes the twisted stitch colourwork pop. The cardigan is designed for Blacker Yarns' strong and lustruous Jacob DK, but can be knit up in any of their DK-weight yarns - catch Katie Green's article on yarn substitution to learn more!
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Pattern on p. 82
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DESIGNER PROFILE
AMY GUNDERSON
Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your designs? How did you get to do what you do today? I learned to crochet in my early 20's during downtime at a pizza cooking job. At age 30, my husband and I owned a (different) pizza delivery business, and that’s when I learned to knit. We ran it mom & pop style, just the two of us. I often had extra time as he was out delivering pizzas, and needed something to entertain myself. In addition to knitting, I also with Amy liked to quilt, sew clothing, and weave in between the pizza making. I’ve always been driven to make, regardless of medium. The need to make things my own What’s one of your making “failures” that you still laugh about? and not follow the rules is also a driving force. About a After about 7 years, I’m not sure I’m even to the point I can laugh year after learning to knit, I began submitting designs to about this. I designed and knit a fair isle yoke sweater in fingermagazines and got a job at a yarn company where I am ing weight wool, just for fun. It featured large purple pineapples now creative director. around the body, and then simpler more graphic colourwork in Let’s dive into your design! Where do you draw inspirathe yoke. It was...something. I had very limited knowledge of tion from in general and what inspired your design for fibre at this time, and thought that I could put it in the washing JEWELS? machine on cold, and it wouldn’t felt. I was quite wrong. The Knitwear design is equal parts aesthetic mixed with the sound I made upon opening the lid to the washer to discover technical/construction aspects. I love math, and I adore a my shrunken sweater caused my husband to run toward me challenge. Yoke sweaters are fun, and I really enjoy figuring in serious alarm. So at least I can laugh at having caused out how to make the numbers work between sizes, while that reaction in him. creating a finished item that is also pleasing to look at. I have designed a number of stranded yokes, but I also love twisted Are there any making / crafting challenges you are exstitches. I wanted to combine the two for graphic colorwork cited to tackle? with crisp lines, and I thought this idea fit perfectly with your I have always wanted to weave a fine woolen fabric, full theme. To me, the traveling lines in the yoke resemble the lines it slightly, and sew myself a peacoat. I have the tools and of a cut gemstone. knowledge now, but not the time. Some day! Walk us through the process from idea to finished design. How does your creative process look like? What is your favourite making memory or tradition? This process is equal parts joy and madness. Once I have a glimEvery year since I began crocheting, I’ve made lacy mer of an idea, I like to let it stew for an hour, a day, a week. Evensnowflakes for my mother’s christmas tree. The collectually I come to a place where I can no longer stand the noise of tion is quite large at this point, and it’s so fun to pull this idea, and begin to develop it. Depending on the nature of the them out each year and cover the tree in them. In true design, I might chart before swatching, or just sketch, often going snowflake fashion, each one is different, and some back and forth between all of these things. are three-dimensional. We’re focusing on local, sustainable, if possible breed-specific yarns for JEWELS. How does this relate to your design philosophy and what do you look for in a yarn when designing? Most of the time I knit with yarns produced by the company I work for. Our mill is quite large, and does not focus on breed-specific fibres. It was a real pleasure to knit with Blacker Yarns on this project. I am an all-around fibre lover, and felt generally more connected to...I don’t know – the world? The sheep? Nature? It’s so easy to feel disconnected from the world. I love the idea that I know where that tomato I just sliced came from just as I do the wool that I just knit with. It makes life and the world less hollow and more personal. Instagram: @amyyounggunderson Ravelry: Amy Gunderson
knit night chat
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KATIE of BLACKER YARNS
YARN PROFILE
Could you tell us a bit about your company and yourself? How did you get to do what you do today? Blacker Yarns has been making luxury, breed-specific yarns from our mill in Cornwall for almost thirteen years. We specialise in rare and British breeds, unique blends and classic and contemporary patterns to bring the best out of the different fibres. I have been with the company for 18 months, and I am now leading the Blacker Yarns team. Before that I worked freelance as an author and illustrator, and I have a degree in Biology, so not the most logical career progression! W hat do you love most about your job? What is your favourite stage of your work process? Actually, I love that my job is different every day. One day with Katie I might be working at a yarn show, the next working on our pattern collection. I love picking the colour palettes for our yarns, and getting inspired about a new base or blend. There What do you do when you knit - watch a movie, read is always something new to discover and learn about wool and a book, nothing, …? about knitting, and the community is so inspiring. Mostly I have TV or video podcasts on in the backWalk us through the process from “growing” the fibre to the ground, but I also knit when I’m travelling, usually finished yarns. Who is involved and how does your production listening to an audiobook. process look like? We buy all of our fibre from small producers at prices that help What is your favourite knitting spot? sustain their livelihoods and the rare breeds they keep. Those On the sofa, beneath my dog, with a pot of tea beside fleeces are brought to our mill, where we sort, scour, card, spin, dye me. and finish all under one roof. We are quite a small team really, and we work closely together to bring the best out of whichever What’s one of your making “failures” that you fibre we are using. We pick colour palettes carefully to complement still laugh about? the natural fleece shades, often blending our bases so that we do not I laugh about it because I still do it frequently! dye much over pure white, lending depth and subtlety to our colours. I knit a lot of swatches, getting excited about Finally we design ball bands, commission knitwear samples and work future projects, but I forget to label them with with our photographer to show the yarns at their very best. which size needle I used. Three months later We’re focusing on local, sustainable, if possible breed-specific yarns when I am ready to cast on, I have to swatch for JEWELS. What’s the story of the base we’re using in the book and all over again… how does it relate to that? Our Jacob is a breed-specific yarn, made with the finest Jacob fleeces from small UK producers. We sorted the fibre by colour, and selectively blended it into four natural shades, delicately marled, which we the overdyed to produce a subtle gradient of colours. Instagram: @blackeryarns Website: blackeryarns.co.uk
knit night chat
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MORGANITE
Pattern on p. 88
DESIGN BY IMKE VON NATHUSIUS YARN BY MOEL VIEW YARN A round of diamonds, getting smaller and smaller, flowing out of a line of twisted rib and upwards into a pompom. Twisted stitches standing out on a reverse stockinette fabric that lets the yarn shine. The Morganite hat is not only sure to become a wardrobe staple, it's also a "just one more round" project, just the way we like it. Coupled with Moel View Yarn's beautifully natural dyed yarn, we can't wait to wear it all winter long.
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TANZANITE DESIGN BY SARAH SHEPHERD YARN BY RETROSARIA Shorter days, longer nights, colder winds - and a cowl to keep us warm. Around our neck, once, twice, over our head; designed to beautifully marry form and function with a crossed stitch pattern that not only stands out, but also creates an extra-warm fabric. Knit up in inimitable Retrosaria's Beiroa, the Tanzanite cowl takes you from crisp, early mornings to late nights out in town.
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Pattern on p. 92
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CITRINE DESIGN BY EMILY GREENE YARN BY DE RERUM NATURA Boxy, cropped, with close-fitting sleeves, an incredibly flattering neckline and bold lines accentuating the shoulders - we're pretty sure Citrine is going to become a go-to sweater for this colder season! We'll wear it tucked into highwaisted pants and over dresses. Choose your favourite bold colour out of De Rerum Natura's line-up to stand out or a neutral one so that you can pair the Citrine sweater with everything in your wardrobe - we really think you can't go wrong with it.
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Pattern on p. 96
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TOPAZ
Pattern on p. 102
DESIGN BY KATRINE BIRKENWASSER YARN BY TUKUWOOL Handfuls of gemstones, scattered on a piece of fabric, forming symmetric, yet beautifully organic patterns, designed to make you shine. The Topaz sweater is an exercise in stunning stranded colourwork, allowing you to play and combine colours until the pullover feels truly yours. Designed for Tukuwool, the color selection shown here - deep, dark blue with heathered dusky pink and citrusy notes - can be worn just as well with a pair of jeans and winter boots as with a beautiful full-length skirt.
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GARNET
Pattern on p. 106
DESIGN BY HANNA LISA HAFERKAMP YARN BY TRISKELION YARN Light reflecting on the multitude of facets in a dark red, almost black gemstone, every once in a while resulting in a bright sparkling moment - the inspiration behind the Garnet socks can be seen in the twisting and flowing of the stitches and the eyelets that let the tiniest amount of skin shine. Paired with Triskelion Yarn's luminous yarn that provides an incredible depth of colour, these socks deserve a special place in your sockdrawer.
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PARAIBA DESIGN BY NADYA STALLINGS YARN BY ROSY GREEN WOOL A cardigan like a hug, full of textured stitches and knit out of soft, bouncy yarn - a cardigan like that will keep you warm all winter. With its all-over stitch pattern and open front, Paraiba is the one garment we think you're going to grab from your closet to throw on over your PJs to have your morning coffee and your black turtleneck when you meet your best friend for dinner. Rosy Green Wool's Merino d'Arles yarn provides the perfect backdrop for this classic and timeless silhouette.
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Pattern on p. 110
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SPINEL DESIGN BY BECKY SORENSEN YARN BY TULLIVER YARN What would a fall and winter collection be without a pair of mittens? The Spinel mittens are not only super fun to knit because of the colourwork involved; it also makes them extra warm and cosy. Select four different colours to create a gemstone-necklace-like effect, one main colour and three gradients for a gentler transition, or even just two - feel free to play as your heart desires. Tulliver Yarn's naturally dyed colours work so well with each other that we believe all combinations will be gorgeous.
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Pattern on p. 114
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TOURMALINE DESIGN BY HEIKE CAMPBELL YARN BY L'ÉCHAPPÉE LAINE Colour blocking with a twist - and tiny jewels as inspiration. The Tourmaline pullover combines an elegant dark upper half with a vibrant band of dark pink, set apart by a line of small turquoise diamonds that are echoed in the zig-zags of the colour block border. The woolly, rustic Shetland yarn by L'Échappée Laine is the perfect match for this sweater - well-suited for colourwork and with a beautiful bloom after blocking.
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Pattern on p. 120
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HELIOTROPE DESIGN BY SABINE ENGEL YARN BY WHISTLEBARE Elegance meets multi-purpose - there's no better way to describe the Heliotrope shawl. Its wide diagonal stripes transition into a border with thinner lines that wraps around the entire square. You can cuddle up in it like a blanket, fold it up into a classic triangular shawl shape, and the best part? There's no wrong side. If you want to highlight the contrasting instead of the main colour, you just flip the shawl to the other side, and wear it "inside out". So make sure to pick two of your favourite colours from Whistlebare's selection!
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Pattern on p. 124
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DIOPSIDE DESIGN BY VANESSA EWING YARN BY TRISKELION YARN What is better than a top-down raglan pullover with beautiful details like a bit of lace and a curved hem to make a wonderfully drapey yarn shine? Not much, if you ask us. The Diopside sweater adds extra-long and snuggly cuffs as well as side panels to the mix, and has the potential to become your new favourite sweater for cosy winter nights. Especially if you knit it in one of Triskelion Yarn's fabulous deep jewel tones!
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Pattern on p. 128
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RUBELLITE DESIGN BY SIMONE BECHTOLD YARN BY DE RERUM NATURA Which cold weather collection would be complete without a colourwork hat? Rubellite is going to keep our heads warm in the upcoming cold season - and we suspect it might do the same to our hands as it's one of those projects you can't put down. Its distinct geometric shapes flow into each other and the pops of vivid pink on a dark, neutral background put a smile on our face every time we pull the hat out of the drawer. De Rerum Natura's yarn is a perfect woolly match for this design!
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Pattern on p. 132
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