Tag Archives: elisa nalin

Knit the Look: Elisa Nalin’s pink-striped pullover

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how to knit Elisa Nalin's pink striped sweater

I swear I didn’t plan this, and don’t want to seem like I’m waging a campaign. This photo of Elisa Nalin in her striped pullover hit Vanessa Jackman’s blog a few days ago, and I’m going to point you to Jane Richmond’s super-reliable Ladies Classic Raglan Pullover pattern, from which you can easily knit yourself this sweater (just shorten up the body and sleeves a bit). But the fact is, here’s a perfect case of see a sweater, want the sweater, knit the sweater for yourself out of thin air, because you know how to improvise a raglan pullover from the top down. Right? I love this candy-pink and camel combo. To get the same look, I’d suggest knitting with The Fibre Company’s Canopy yarn in the colors Dragonfruit and Wild Ginger. It’s fingering weight, so hold it double to match Jane Richmond’s gauge.

As far as mapping out the color changes, measure from the knob at the back of your neck to where you want the bottom of the sweater to hit you, and subtract the height of the waist ribbing. For stripes placed like Elisa’s, divide what’s left by 6. (This sweater has six stripes, plus waist ribbing in the original color). So let’s say you want your sweater to be 20 inches long, top to bottom, minus 2 inches of ribbing, that’s 18 inches. 18 inches divided by 6 stripes is 3 inches per stripe. So after you’ve knitted the first 3 inches of your yoke (measured down the back), switch colors, then alternate every 3 inches after that. Switch back to the original color for the ribbing at both the waist and neck.

Check out Vanessa’s original post for the rest of the outfit.

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission

Street styling Elizabeth Zimmermann

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From the moment I took up knitting, people began imploring me to read Elizabeth Zimmermann (the Julia Child of the knitting world). “You HAVE TO. You’ll LOVE her!” Not only for her trademark dry humor, but for her preference for simple-yet-brilliant construction techniques over complicated stitch patterns. Everyone was right, of course: I now read her books and patterns as if they were novels. Her infinite wisdom and wit are timeless, and given that she was more descriptive than prescriptive, so are most of her designs. So I hate to think that a single person might ever take a glance at the books and write them off as outmoded. To demonstrate just how relevant the shapes still are, I would like to direct your attention to some of the darlings of the street-style scene, whose looks are easily simulated with EZ’s help:

elisa nalin x elizabeth zimmermann

Stylist Elisa Nalin is known for her constant smile and her bright and kooky ensembles, such as this one captured by Vanessa Jackman. Who but Nalin would have reached for that boxy, blueberry-colored bowling shirt in the middle of Paris Fashion Week? And yet, she looks delightful. As will you in your own knitted version—

Nalin x Zimmermann
pattern: Open-Collared Pullover
book: “Knitter’s Almanac”
yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton in Marine

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natalie joos x elizabeth zimmermann

Blogger and casting agent Natalie Joos loves a sweater, especially where it’s least expected, such as over a red-carpet gown atop the Empire State Building. We’ve seen this outfit here once before, but let’s consider how easy it would be to recreate that covetable vintage DKNY funnel-neck. (Unfortunately, there’s no help I can offer when it comes to availing yourself of the amazing Peter Som dress.)

Joos x Zimmermann
pattern: Hurry-Up Last-Minute Sweater
book: “Knitter’s Almanac”
yarn: Purl Soho Super Soft Merino in Super Pink (held double for the full effect)

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ruby aldridge x elizabeth zimmermann

Model Ruby Aldridge (in another Vanessa Jackman catch) puts a young, punk twist on a traditional Icelandic sweater by pairing it with a biker jacket and skinny jeans. EZ may never have styled hers this way, but she did multiple versions of the seamless yoke sweater.

Aldridge x Zimmermann
pattern: Seamless Yoke Sweater
book: “Knitting Without Tears”
yarn: Un-Spun Icelandic in Spruce, Sage and Gold (imported and sold by EZ’s own company, Schoolhouse Press)

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So there you go. Which will you make first, and how will you be wearing it?