Tag Archives: stephen west

Knit the Look: Josefine Nielsen’s plaid scarf

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How to knit a version of Josefine Nielsen's plaid scarf

I’ve been saving this image of Danish model Josefine Nielsen and its time has finally come. Back-to-school season is here, so it’s safe to start dreaming again of trench coats! And plaid! But what if the plaid scarf was knitted instead? To emulate this one, all we need is Stephen West’s Kex scarf pattern and a slight shift in color palette for the Brooklyn Tweed Shelter yarn. In place of the original colors, I’d suggest A) Fossil, B) Long Johns, C) Birdbook and D) Faded Quilt.

See Vanessa’s original post for a better look at the trench!

And for this week’s ICYMI pick, since there are so many new readers since then (hi, everybody!), how about the introduction to Knit the Look.

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission

Ricefield Collective knitting school, Ifugao Philippines

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Ricefield Collective knitting school Ifugao Philippines

There’s a chance I’ve said some version of this before, but my favorite thing about Instagram is being able to travel the globe every morning without even getting out of bed. I stowed away on @lilystockman‘s recent trip to Bagru to visit the artisans who print her scarves (for Block Shop Textiles). I routinely greet the glorious bulls on @benjaminhole‘s breathtaking British farm. I stumbled across the lovely @sarahgenelle a couple of months ago, just as she declared that she was leaving Portland for Uganda, and I soon figured out that she was taking up my friend Doug’s former Peace Corps post (talk about a small world), so now I watch as she meets and works with his old friends, some of whom I “know” through his photos and stories. But the big event lately has been the photos coming from the amazing women behind Ricefield Collective — @sweaterspotter (Anna Maltz) and @weknit4life (Meredith Ramirez) — as well as their guest instructor, @westknits (Stephen West). As promised in their funded Kickstarter campaign, they have been in the Philippines teaching the women of Ifugao to knit hats to support themselves. And between the yarn, the dye pots, the scenery, and the apparently immense good cheer of everyone involved, it’s been an amazing trip to get to witness. Meredith, Anna and Stephen have left the village for Manila at this point, with “a trunk full of hats,” so make sure you scroll through their feeds ASAP, before the village photos get pushed too far downstream. (Just click on the linked usernames within this post and you can view them on the web.)

Also, if you’re not following me on Instagram (@karentempler) today might be a good day to start. I’m doing a little giveaway …

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Photos by Anna Maltz/@sweaterspotter, used with permission