Calivert: the Dawn of a Vertical Stripes Era
Calivert {limited release pattern for Nutiden yarns}
please read to the end of this post before purchasing!
One of the discrepancies I’ve long been aware of between my knitted and non-knitted wardrobes, is that the latter is strongly dominated by vertical stripes. As part of my everyday ‘look’ I wear a lot of pinstripe button-down shirts. My favourite dresses and blouses as of late feature vertical stripes. I am also partial to pinstripe blazers, trousers and coats.
Over the years I have tried to carry this over to my handknits. But alas it’s not easy.
Broadly speaking, there are two methods to achieve vertical stripes in handknits:
(1) colourwork, and
(2) sideways construction.
And while technically both of these methods work, but they also have downsides.
Rustic Pinstripe Mittens
unpublished design c. 2020
The problem with using stranded colourwork to achieve vertical stripes is that it produces a very particular, very dense fabric. Whereas a typical stranded colourwork chart alternates which stitch is worked in which colour according to a motif, with vertical stripes the same stitches are always worked in the same colours, with the floats likewise always being in the same locations. This creates a rigidity in the resulting fabric that - while a welcome feature for outerwear items such as mittens and jackets - is unsuitable for sweaters, where the fabric needs to be more fluid and stretchy.
For a wider vertical stripe motif - and especially if the stripes are only occasional - the technique of intarsia can be used as an alternative. However, managing separate yarns in the way intarsia requires is something not all knitters can cope with (myself included!), especially considering that the stripes will need to be worked for the entire duration of the garment. For this reason I worry that intarsia would be quite limiting in terms of accessibility and knitters’ interest.
my daughter’s 4th birthday dress
{unpublished design}
Finally, there is the much simpler solution of sideways construction. If you simply knit a (horizontally) striped piece of fabric, alternating colours every so-many rows, and then turn that piece of fabric on its side… Voila! You get easy-peasy vertical stripes.
But of course when knitting garments, it is not enough to knit-up a piece of fabric and then fold it like a pillowcase leaving holes for arms and neck. While knitting the fabric we would also need to simultaneously shape it to have neckline shaping, shoulder shaping, sleeves, etc!
From a designer’s perspective, this part is admittedly a bit of a challenge. We are so accustomed to top-down and bottom-up construction, that employing increases and decreases to shape the shoulders, neckline, etc., is fairly intuitive. To shape a garment whilst constructing it sideways, and grade it accurately across sizes, requires donning a very substantial thinking cap and starting from scratch!
For this reason, you may notice that many sideways construction designs are fairly simple, without articulated neckline or shoulder shaping. This makes the designing a lot easier, but of course at the expense of fit and wearability.
Egon Schiele, 1914
‘Edith in Striped Dress’
Up until a year or so ago, I was frankly not a sufficiently experienced designer to tackle sideways construction without resorting to such compromises (which I did not want to do). But now… Well, I am.
I became aware of this rather suddenly, when confronted with an Egon Schiele poster in the vestibule of an office I happened to be visiting. The painting in the poster was one that I knew well, and it depicted a woman in a vertically striped dress.
Upon seeing it, the first thought that flashed across my mind was ‘Goddamnit, I would love to knit a dress like that.’
This was followed by an alarmingly detailed visualisation of exactly how I would go about doing that. In the 4 minutes before my appointment I jotted down a ‘note to self.’
And while I certainly don’t follow through with all of the many ideas I have in the course of a day, this one stuck. Later that evening, I started planning several design ideas employing vertical stripes.
Calivert {limited release pattern for Nutiden yarns}
please read to the end of this post before purchasing!
I decided to start with Calvert (an anagram of ‘vertical’) because for me to knit this sort of design and then immediately determine whether the idea was worth pursuing, was the easiest and quickest method.
Calivert is knitted sideways, with extensive shoulder and neckline shaping.
But unlike the typical sideways-constructed garment, it is knitted in the round. It is then turned on its side and steeked across the top and bottom.
While the process itself is almost lightening-quick and easy for anyone who can use a pair of scissors, it does require a fairly specific type of yarn. Which is why I did not release this pattern to the general public, but kept it as a special edition release for Nutiden patrons in the first instance.
To explain in a bit more detail: The yarn used for this design does not merely need to be suitable for steeking. It also needs to be exceptionally lightweight, and suitable for knitting above gauge without distorting. The reasons for this are two-fold:
1. The garment is steeked at the hem. And to have a hard, bulky fold of fabric at waist or upper-hip level, would be not only visually suboptimal but also uncomfortable.
2. I am not sure how well this garment will drape in a heavier/ denser yarn. If the fabric is too heavy and consequently ‘pulls’ downward, the stripes will distort.
So, basically I need to experiment with a range of yarns in order to determine whether this particular method is suitable.
At this stage, I can only say with confidence that the design will work with Nutiden and similarly airy, steekable yarns. For example, I am pretty sure that mohair and (woollen-spun) cashmere will work. Lettlopi will probably work, but I haven’t tried, as I’ve developed a sensitivity to it. Donegal tweed I highly doubt will work; it is too densely spun. Jamieson and similar, I am honestly not sure and would need to try.
If you either have Nutiden, or are comfortable experimenting with a different yarn, based on all of the above information, the Calivert pattern is available here.
And if not - not too worry. There are several other vertical stripe designs coming out that do not involve steeking.
Thank you for reading, and in helping me articulate my design process.
