Tag Archives: vanessa jackman

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

Knit the Look: Ilva Heitmann’s waffled toque

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how to knit Ilva Heitmann's rust-colored waffle beanie

Ilva Heitmann looks like she was born to wear this rust-colored waffle-stitch beanie, doesn’t she? Knitting your own requires only that you know how to knit and purl, knit in the round, and work the most basic decreases. In fact, this would be a great project for someone looking to advance their beginner knitting skills. All you need is the Breakfast Waffles Hat pattern (free download) from Rosencrantz Knits, and two skeins of Quince and Co’s Lark yarn in Nasturtium. To make it even more like Ilva’s, stop the ribbing a few rows sooner than the pattern specifies. Then switch to larger needles (US7s or even 8s) and add a few extra repeats of the waffle pattern before decreasing. That’ll give it a little more slouch. (Bonus: You might even have enough yarn left over to knit a pair of Hannah Fettig’s 70-yard mitts, which one can never have enough of.)

See Vanessa’s original post for recommendations on the coat to go with.

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission

Knit the Look: Elena Perminova’s dolman pullover

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how to knit Elena Perminova's boxy, dolman-sleeved sweater

This outfit of Elena Perminova’s is delightfully idiosyncratic, but the sweater itself is easy enough to come by. Boxy, dolman-sleeved sweaters like this have been trending for the past couple of years, so you have some options if you want to knit your own. I’d go with Ririko’s Relax pattern. For the closest approximation of Elena’s sweater, you’d want to knit it out of a yarn that’s classic and slightly crunchy, like Brooklyn Tweed Loft in Sweatshirt, and elongate both the body and sleeves. (Perhaps omitting the edge treatments in both places as well.) Another option is Joji Locatelli’s Boxy pattern.

To complete the look, see Vanessa’s recommendations here and here for stand-out trousers.

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission

Knit the Look: Lindsey Wixson’s easy oatmeal cowl

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how to knit lindsey wixson's infinity scarf


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I’m pretty sure this photo of model Lindsey Wixson in her fur hat and oatmeal cowl is the one that planted the seed for Knit the Look. I remember seeing it on Vanessa’s blog and thinking geez! This is literally Knitting 101 — cast on, knit, bind off. Then seam the ends together to form a loop. If you know the knit stitch — even if you only know the knit stitch — you can make this in no time.

So simulating this one doesn’t require tracking down a similar pattern, and it could be made from any chunky yarn you like. But the key to getting it to look like Lindsey’s is that marl effect, which you could easily achieve by holding three strands of yarn together, such as Cascade Eco Alpaca in Natural, Straw and Silver. To start, calculate what you want the circumference of your cowl to be: Drape a piece of yarn around your neck, estimating how you want the scarf to lay, then measure that length. (For this look, probably something in the range of 36–40 inches.) Cast on 30 stitches on US11/8mm or larger needles. Work back and forth in garter stitch (i.e., knit all stitches), until you have a rectangle whose length equals your desired circumference. Bind off loosely, then use your yarn and tapestry needle to seam the two ends together. Et voilà.

See Vanessa’s recommendations for the hat to go with!

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission

Knit the Look: Jemma Baines’ big black cable beanie

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how to knit jemma baines black cable beanie - vanessa jackman photo

I’m over the moon for the look of Jemma Baines’ oversized black cabled beanie and want to knit it immediately — because it’s adorable and because what’s more fun to knit than cables? I’d go with Eveli Kaur’s Bulky Hat pattern (free), knit in Blue Sky Alpacas’ Bulky Alpaca Naturals yarn in Black Bear, pictured above. Lengthen the ribbing a little bit, and add a pompom at your discretion. For a slightly bulkier hat with a little more complex cabling, try Stephanie Pearl-McPhee’s An Unoriginal Hat knit in Cascade Magnum in Black.

See Vanessa Jackman’s post for the rest of Jemma’s outfit.

(Note to beginners: If you haven’t knit cables before, Kaur’s pattern would be a fantastic place to start. You’ll die when you realize how simple a basic cable is.)

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission

Knit the Look: Hanneli Mustaparta’s sweater, Kate Bogucharskaia’s wrap, and more

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The web is riddled with street-style blogs at this point, but my favorite is Vanessa Jackman’s. Not only does she have a great eye, but she makes it a cross between useful and aspirational with her “recreate the look” posts. So I’m thrilled that she’s consented to let me use her photos for a new feature here on FA which I’m calling Knit the Look — putting a DIY spin on things. I’m kicking it off with pattern and yarn recommendations for a trio of looks, but expect one rec at a time in the future! I hope you love it —

KATE BOGUCHARSKAIA’S SILK WRAP

knit the look kate bogucharskaia's black silk wrap

For a knitted version of Kate Bogucharskaia’s silky black shawl, you could knit Grace Anna Farrow’s Ferrous Wrap or Whitney Van Nes’ Whisper Wrap, using Anzula’s Mermaid silk-blend yarn in Black, (held double for the Ferrous Wrap). Or, for a heftier version of either, use Blue Sky Alpacas’ Alpaca Silk yarn in Night. See Vanessa’s recs for the rest of the ensemble.

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HANNELI MUSTAPARTA’S WINE-SOAKED SWEATER

knit the look hanneli mustaparta's wine sweater vanessa jackman

I think there’s actually some very subtle colorwork going on in Hanneli Mustaparta’s [2019: link no longer available] fuzzy wine-colored pullover. But you could get a similar depth of tone by knitting Julie Hoover’s Garance using Shibui Heichi silk tweed yarn in Graffiti held double with Shibui Silk Cloud mohair-silk yarn in Bordeaux. I might have to do this one. See Vanessa’s recs for the rest of the outfit.

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UNIDENTIFIED MODEL’S GIANT RIBBED SCARF

knit the look giant ribbed scarf vanessa jackman

Child’s play: Using Malabrigo Chunky in Burgundy and 6.5mm (US10.5) needles, cast on 38 stitches.

Row 1: [knit 2, purl 2] across 36 stitches, knit 2
Row 2: [purl 2, knit 2] across 36 stitches, purl 2

Repeat these two rows until scarf measures 72 inches (or your desired length). Bind off in pattern and weave in ends.

Of course, you might need 5 or 6 skeins of yarn to make it that big! See Vanessa’s recs for other elements of both looks.

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Street style photos © 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?