Tag Archives: vanessa jackman

Knit the Look: Bette Franke’s big crimson beanie

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How to knit Bette Franke's red ribbed beanie

I don’t know about you, but I’m in the mood for a quick knitting hit right about now. I’ve been really craving a big ribbed hat with a wide fold-up brim, and am fairly obsessed with that red skullcap I just made for Bob. So can we talk about this excellent crimson ribbed number on Bette Franke? All we need to knit it for ourselves is my own free pattern, the Stadium Hat, adding a couple of inches to the length for the fold up brim. And for the yarn, I’m thinking O-Wool Classic Worsted in Sumac. As they say: Done and done.

See Vanessa’s post for additional shots of the lovely Bette and Sigrid.

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission

Knit the Look: Emily Weiss’s beanie for beginners

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How to knit Emily Weiss's grey roll brim beanie

So many monochromatic looks lately in Knit the Look, I know, but I love how chic Emily Weiss of Into the Gloss looks in this all-black outfit with the simple grey beanie. And I mean beginner simple. Consider this the Knit the Look installment of my beginners series, because even if all you know is the knit stitch, you can make this hat. Beginner or not, you can use Stephanie Pearl-McPhee’s free Roll Brim Hat Recipe and any yarn/weight you like. To get the mini-roll look of Emily’s hat, you could knit it in any sport weight or lighter yarn, but I’d go with something special so it doesn’t wind up looking too plain, like maybe Blue Sky Alpaca’s beautiful Metalico in Silver.

Every knitter should know how to turn a body part measurement and a stitch count (taken from a gauge swatch) into a cast-on count, and this is a perfect place to start. For the true beginners: If you haven’t already, you’ll need to learn to knit in the round on a circular needle (which you can do from this little video, and which will change your life). You’ll just knit every stitch, around and around and around. And by the time you start getting bored with that, it will be time for you to learn the most basic of decreases, which is simply to knit two stitches together (aka “k2tog”). And, once you’ve got too few stitches to stretch around your circular, you get to try your hand at double-pointed needles. All incredibly valuable, foundational skills, acquired one at a time, and at the end, an awesome hat!

Meanwhile, check out Vanessa’s recommendations for recreating the rest of Emily’s look.

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission

Knit the Look: Natalia Alaverdian’s cable sweater

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How to knit Natalia Alaverdian's cable sweater

A sweater and shorts is one of my favorite spring/fall combos. I usually wear mine with dark tights and ankle boots, rather than fishnets and platforms like Russian fashion editor Natalia Alaverdian, but I love what she’s done with the tucked-in sweater, demure white shirt, and the sportcoat thrown over her shoulders. And who couldn’t use a perfect little black cable sweater, to be worn a thousand different ways? The best cable sweater pattern I know is actually the brand new one from Jared Flood, called Bray. You could knit it in the prescribed yarn, Brooklyn Tweed Shelter, in Cast Iron, which is a tweedy near-black. Or for a true black, try Shibui Merino Alpaca in Abyss, which would also make a garment with a little more drape. To top it off, you could even knit yourself a coordinating Bray Cap in Shelter/Fossil.

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

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission

Knit the Look: Sabrina Meijer’s graphic pullover

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How to knit Sabrina Meijer's op art sweater — sort of

This makes me want to reminisce about the pleated mega-houndstooth mini I wore and loved in college, but I promise to stay on topic. Which is Sabrina Meijer, her preppy houndstooth trousers, and the op art sweater she paired them with. I can’t tell you how to replicate it exactly (and is it perhaps a shell, worn with a cobalt cardigan?), but I can tell you how to knit an equally eye-popping sweater of your own. All you need is Julia Farwell-Clay’s Albers Pullover pattern, which, despite the famed color sense of Mr. and Mrs. Albers, I’ve always thought really wants to be black and white. Unfortunately, the recommended yarn from Green Mountain Spinnery, which sounds lovely, isn’t available in black. So I’d suggest Rowan Wool Cotton in Antique and Inky.

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

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission

Knit the Look: Alison Nix’s cabled cowl

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How to knit Alixon Nix's cabled cowl

Really, I am not saying I’m over cowls. (Heaven forfend!) I’m just saying I’m making room in my heart for scarves as well. For one thing, I’ve still never knitted the Burberry-Inspired Cowl pattern that I fell for at Haus of Yarn the week I learned to knit. I don’t remember what they had made their sample in, but it was the best rendition I’ve seen of that pattern — bulky and fuzzy and a beautiful shade of burgundy. And this photo of model Alison Nix has me wanting it all over again. To render it as beautifully as this one, you’d want to use something really wooly with a bit of a halo, such as Rowan Cocoon in Shale. To pump up the volume a little bit, I’d add at least one pattern multiple in each direction. Or, keep all the numbers the same but use an even bigger yarn and needles.

UPDATE: The astute Olga Buraya-Kefelian points out in the comments that another great option is Kristin Ford’s pattern Piega, which actually has the exact same structure as the one Alison is wearing in the photo, but it is written for DK weight yarn. You could knit it as written or, again, go up in yarn and needle size for a bulkier version. Thanks, Olga!

See Vanessa’s original post for tips on recreating the rest of Alison’s look.

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission

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

Knit the Look: Agnes Nabuurs’ deep-V

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How to knit Agnes Nabuurs navy v-neck sweater

This slouchy blue, deep-V, chunky ribbed sweater on Dutch model Agnes Nabuurs reminds me SO much of the iconic Forenza sweaters of my youth. It makes me a bit woozy with fashion nostalgia, frankly. So it seems fitting to recommend a vintage ’80s Drops pattern (free pattern) as the how to. (Check out the hair on that model.) No mods necessary, really, although you might want to knit it with a little less ease than recommended, for a proportion more like Agnes’s — slouchy but not ’80s slouchy, if you know what I mean. For yarn, use the recommended Drops Paris in Navy Blue, or Rowan All Seasons Cotton in Storm.

See Vanessa’s original post for the rest of Agnes’s look.

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission