Blog Tour: The Klee Collection

I have been favoriting East London Knits designs on Raverly for a while now and I was really excited that I had the chance to meet the woman behind ELK in person during the Yarn in the City Pop-Up Marketplace this past September. I so enjoyed speaking with and getting to know a bit of Renée's story. She has a background in knitwear fashion design and a passion for art history which she has brought together quite expertly in this first collection. So when I was asked to be part of the blog tour for The Klee Collection I said "of course!"

FIrst off a bit of information about the collection from Renée herself:

The Klee Collection consists of six patterns: three garments, each with a matching accessory, inspired by the paintings of modernist artist Paul Klee. The pieces are named for the works of art that inspired them: Angel in the Making, Twilight Flowers, and Angelus Novus.

"Each design features unique geometric lace knitting inspired by the strange and wonderful shapes that run like a language through Klee’s work, providing interest and detail on extremely wearable garments. Selfish knitting at its best, this collection is intended to be worn and loved for years to come."

If you know me as a knitter, then you know I have a slight obsession with fingerless mitts so of course the first pattern I checked out is the elegant Twilight Flowers Mitts. This such a clever and beautiful design. The pattern is written for one size but the 1x1 ribbing will make these very stretchy and versatile. The lace pattern running up the back of the arm and hand gives these long mitts a very romantic vibe, I'm totally in love.

The corresponding garment pattern, Twilight Flowers, is a fantastic sweater design. It's an everyday sweater with a twist. The lace pattern running the length of the sleeves as well as the lace inset on the neckline lend interest to both the knit and the finished garment. Either of these patterns would be a hit in the new Walk Collection MCN Sport in Zen.

I'm also head over heels for the Angelus Novus Shawl. It's a DK weight shawl, so perfect for this time of year and the geometric lace design is stunning. I could imagine a more rustic version of the shawl in baa ram ewe Dovestone or a a super soft squishy version in The Fibre Co. Acadia. Both yarns would lend themselves well to this design and have equally drool-worthy colour palette's to choose from. I envision throwing this shawl on to go for a brisk Sunday walk with Peaches and then settling into the pub for a pint after.

Renée's use of color in the Angel in the Making pattern is perfect. The colorblock yoke and sleeve stripes is the perfect way to show off the lace details. It's another great example of a wearable garment that will be fun and interesting to knit. The detailing along the sides of the body are clever and flattering as well. This is knit in a fingering weight yarn, so it will be a great all season sweater. I'd love to knit this in Townhouse Yarns Grafton 4ply in Menace and Ripped Jeans or Shibui Knits Staccato in Abyss and Ash.

All-in-all an inspired and brilliant collection that is full of wardrobe staples for years to come. You can see the paintings that inspired the collection in the first stop on the blog tour with Curious Handmade. Next up is Plutonium Muffins tomorrow and then you can read what Blacker Yarns and Yarn in the City have to say on Thursday and Friday.

The collection is currently available through Ravelry but a hard copy booklet will be available soon and you'll be able to find it here in the shop. Hope you enjoy the collection as much as I do. 

-Carmen