Desperate Knitting: June 2010

THE RED WARRIORS

I WENT TO ITALY WITH MY CLASS IN FEBRUARY TO VISIT THE IMMAGINE PITTI FOLATI YARN SHOW, WHERE WE GOT GIVEN A NEW DESIGN BRIEF BASED ON ANY INSPIRATION WE FOUND WHILST WE WERE THERE.

SO, BEING IN FLORENCE, WHERE THERE ARE BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS, AMAZING FOOD, GORGEOUS PEOPLE ETC ETC ETC, WHAT ON EARTH WOULD I CHOOSE TO BASE A 6 WEEK PROJECT ON?

THIS

AFTER ABOUT THE SECOND DAY ALL THE PIZZA AND GELATO STARTED TO GET SLIGHTLY OLD, TIL I SAW THIS EXPERT EXAMPLE OF ITALIAN GRAFFITI ON A WALL SOMEWHERE. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE REST OF IT SAYS, BUT THE IDEA OF THESE 'RED WARRIORS' RUNNING AROUND FLORENCE IN MATCHING RED NINJA OUTFITS AND BANDANNAS SEEMED VERY EXCITING, AND I COULDN'T WAIT TO GET BACK TO LONDON TO START DESIGNING SOME KNITWEAR FOR THEM!

I STARTED RESEARCHING SAMURAI OUTFITS, STUDYING THE WAY THE METAL OVERLAPS IN ROWS AND FORMS COOL PATTERNS.

THE SAMPLES ARE A MIXTURE OF HAND KNIT, DOMESTIC MACHINE KNIT, INDUSTRIAL DUBIED MACHINE KNIT, AND HAND CROCHET.

MY WARRIORS ARE SLIGHTLY MORE GANGLY AND BUG-EYED THAN THE REAL RED WARRIORS, I DON'T THINK THEY WOULD DO VERY WELL IN COMBAT. BUT AT LEAST THEY'RE WEARING FABULOUS OUTFITS!

OLDIES

SOME PHOTOS OF WORK FROM MY FIRST YEAR AT CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS

PPQ PROJECT PHOTOS

HAT KNITTED BY ME ON DOMESTIC KNITTING MACHINE AND BY HAND

VELVET POM POM KNICKERS WITH KNIT TRIM MADE BY ME

KNIT T SHIRT MADE BY ME

(I ALSO MADE THE PATTERN FOR THE LEOTARD UNDERNEATH)

THE PPQ PROJECT

SO WE HAD A PROJECT WHERE WE HAD WORK IN GROUPS OF 10 INCLUDING PEOPLE FROM KNIT, PRINT, FASHION DESIGN AND MARKETING AND FASHION COMMUNICATION AND PROMOTION TO DESIGN A MINI COLLECTION TO PRESENT TO AMY MOLYNEAUX AND PERCY PARKER FROM PPQ.

THEY GAVE US A CHOICE OF 3 STYLE ICONS AND 3 PLACES TO CHOOSE AS INSPIRATION- SOPHIA LOREN, SHARON TATE AND DAVID SUCHET (THE GUY WHO USED TO PLAY POIROT ON DAYTIME TV I THINK), AND A CASINO IN MONACO, SAILING IN CAPRI OR SKIING IN AUSTRIA.

AFTER MUCH DELIBERATION (YEAH RIGHT!) WE DECIDED ON SHARON TATE SKIING IN AUSTRIA.

SHARON TATE TURNED OUT TO BE A REALLY GOOD CHOICE THOUGH, THERE'S LOADS OF AMAZING PHOTOS OF HER ON THE INTERNET THAT WERE REALLY USEFUL INSPIRATION.

ONCE YOU GET PAST THE 2 MILLION PHOTOS OF THE MURDER SCENE THAT COME UP WHEN YOU GOOGLE HER NAME.

MEGA HOTNESS

AT THE TIME WE DECIDED NOT TO INCLUDE ANYTHING IN THE COLLECTION THAT REFERENCED HER MURDER, IT DIDN'T REALLY SEEM APPROPRIATE FOR A BRAND LIKE PPQ TO HAVE A COLLECTION ABOUT PREGNANT FILM STARS GETTING STABBED TO DEATH BY THE MANSON GIRLS.

ALTHOUGH NOW I THINK ABOUT IT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN INTERESTING TO HAVE A JOHN WATERS- STYLE APPROACH TO IT AND DO SOMETHING IN REALLY BAD TASTE! MY JOHN WATERS OBSESSION WASN'T DUE TO BEGIN FOR ABOUT ANOTHER THREE MONTHS THOUGH.

MY BROTHER FROM ANOTHER MOTHER

I WAS REALLY LUCKY WITH THIS PROJECT AND GOT PUT WITH A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ALL PRETTY MUCH SHARED THE SAME WEIRDO AESTHETIC AS ME. THE END COLLECTION WAS LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF A TRIPPY BARBARELLA KIDS TV SHOW, BUT WE WERE ALL REALLY HAPPY WITH IT. AND WE WON SECOND PRIZE IN THE COMPETITION!

WE DIDN'T WIN A BOTTLE OF CHEAP CHAMPAGNE EACH LIKE THE ACTUAL WINNERS (SERIOUSLY, EVERYONE KILLS THEMSELVES FOR 10 WEEKS DESIGNING AND PRODUCING A COLLECTION, FASHION VIDEO, PRESS PACK AND LOOKBOOK AND THE WINNERS GET A BOTTLE OF FIZZ FROM LIKE COSTCUTTER OR SOMETHING....) BUT IT WAS FUN.

AFTER I STOPPED HAVING BREAKDOWNS OVER KNITTING A HAT. BUT SERIOUSLY, DID YOU SEE THE SIZE OF THAT THING???????