In search of more inspirations for
cardigan edging, I went through the 2009 and 2010 collections of superstar
designer, Naeem Khan. Every one of his designs is
like a little jewel. And not surprisingly, he uses jewels to edge his cashmere
sweaters.
http://www.naeemkhan.com/
I think sometimes we knitters & designers try too hard to make projects exciting and original. The result is a lot of fuss—complicated lace and cable patterns, sideways or grafted construction. All the fuss becomes the focus of the garment instead of simple lines that show our figures off to the best advantage. Look at the simplicity of Naeem Khan’s cashmere designs:
Just a
fitted silhoutte in black or grey, made with high
quality fabric. All the glamour comes from the fit, the quality of the yarn, and one exceptional accent at the collar of
the sweater. Naeem uses mirrored glass as a collar
for the first sweater and a jeweled bead tie in the second. But one could
replicate the look of the bead-tie sweater by finding the right necklace to wear
with it. And perhaps one could get a similar look to the mirrored glass collar
by using a lace inset in the same color yarn. Or you could knit the beads into a collar for the sweater, if you dare.
http://www.naeemkhan.com/
What most strikes me about Naeem’s sweaters is the way that their understated elegance highlights the beauty of the model’s face and figure. It’s not a case of the sweater wearing her. The jeweled trim and sweater shaping are all designed to make her shine.
http://www.naeemkhan.com/
The high quality materials and the finished look of the pieces doesn’t hurt either. My greatest pet peeve with the
ultra-complicated knitting patterns that seem to be in vogue right now is how high the bar is to producing something that looks like a finished garment. The problem with patterns that require a lot of craft from us is that they often end up looking like craft projects. I’m not saying
that we knitters shouldn’t experiment and have fun playing with colors and
patterns and yarn. But there’s something to be said for this collection of Naeem Khan’s, which masters one basic design that brings
out the best of a woman’s figure and then explores variations on the theme for
added glamour. The shape of the neckline or the beading changes, but the important elements remain the same. Without the perfect fit and the smoothness of the cashmere
fabric, these bead-trimmed sweaters would be garish instead of glamorous.
http://www.naeemkhan.com/
I think back to the interview with Kristenlynnea, who has been making her own clothing since
the age of eleven. But the sweater designs she chooses now haven’t become more complicated. Instead, she seems to have distilled the handknitting
process into the basic elements of single-color, smooth-textured, fitted
garments with one design element to add drama. Perhaps knitting a simple
sweater isn’t about mastering the basics—it’s about mastery itself.