Schiap Scarf

During my visit to New York City in July 2012 I visited an amazing exhibition at the iconic Metropolitan Museum of Art. The exhibition was entitled 'Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations'.

Though I had heard of Schiaparelli, I really did not know too much about her fashion. Well, let me say it was an education! I was totally blown away by the intricate details, the art and style on show. I was actually moved to tears.. a first for me at fashion exhibition.

Schiap as she called herself had used hot pink in her 50s designs and branded it as her Shocking Pink.

Recently while looking at some vintage fashion I came across a scarf designed by Schiaparelli and decided to create my own tribute to this exciting fashion designer.

Handknitted in pure Australian wool I designed these scarves using a crimson stripe, shocking pink and then a cerise stripe based on an original Schiaparelli scarf knitted in Mohair.  This tri-colour winter rainbow is such fun and the perfect pop of colour against winter grey and black.

As illustrated above, I have knitted two styles of this Schiap scarf.

Style 1: Adult scarf with Fringe

Style 2: Toddler scarf with contract colour Pom Poms

Both available through my Etsy or What Jane Knits store.

Make a statement this winter and show your true colours with a nod to one of the fashion greats.

J'taime Jane

What's in a name?

I guess that's what the lovely people at Jane The Agency are hoping to reveal with Jane The Project.

I was lucky enough to be involved in a photographic and multimedia project the Agency has been working on for about a year.

They have gathered a range of women named Jane from around Australia, photographed us, interviewed us and are now preparing to launch an exhibition featuring the images.

I've just heard that 60s model/actress Jane Birkin -she of the Birkin Bag fame and singer of steamy sex pop song J'Taime will be contributing towards the project! Perhaps even visiting Melbourne.

You can follow the Instagram account here to stay up to date if you are interested.

Meanwhile enjoy this <3

BETTER THAN BLACK FRIDAY KNITS - CHOOSE GREY KITS!

Henry Ford the inventor of the automobile is often quoted as saying

“Customers can have the car in any colour they like, so long as it’s black.
”

— Henry John Ford

Melbournians seem to follow that credo. Black is the 'go to' colour in this fashionable city. A sea of black suits and coats flood our city streets.  For the fashion set; black seems to be a colour that looks good on everyone and goes with everything.

However, knitting with black yarn is another story. In fact you may find your eyes will not share your love of black.

Knitting with black yarn can be tiring and frustrating. Especially if most of your knitting is done in the evening. The stitches are tricky to distinguish and your eyes need to work harder. One night I found myself sitting on my couch wearing all black and knitting with black yarn, I even had black nail polish. I thought I might go blind!

Walking into a wool store you are often greeted with a wall of vibrant and exciting colours. A beautiful palette of yarn to choose from. This is always so very tempting, but my practical nature always wants a neutral colour that will match my wardrobe and be more wearable.

The answer to that is Grey!

Pale grey, charcoal grey, smoke grey, school grey. Grey is MY knitting colour of choice! I might go crazy and add a pop of colour but Grey is usually the main event.

I even wear Grey nail polish.