Life brought me from knitting scarves for my teddy Brunhilde to studying Fine Art to Theatre Costume Designer to Art Teacher. My knitting casts a wide bow around all of these and ties them together.
“Patent” (or tuck stitch or fisherman’s rib or Brioche) cardigans and jumpers with their squishy softness and deep texture were always my favourite. Colours blend together and shimmer through the deep layers of the fabric, which seem truly magical.
People sometimes say “That looks so complicated. How do you do that?” I always answer that if you can knit and purl, you can brioche. I do not worry about knitting conventions or unusual stitch combinations. Brioche is an architectural, 3-dimensional stitch and the more you experiment with it, the more satisfying it becomes.
Someone once told me that “creativity lives where art and crafts meet at a fork in the forest”. This can truly be said for my work. I try to create “Brioche with a purpose” – wearable art with sculptural aspects, which sets itself apart from simple pattern repeat. Line drawings of plants and waves, woodgrain or even circuit boards show up in deep relief in brioche fabric. I have become most interested in pushing the boundaries of Brioche – from inventing new stitches to part-felting, or by “hijacking” traditional stitches to be adapted to Brioche.
For inspiration, sources are all around me, from William Morris and Karl Blossfeldt to my garden or conversations with my students. My garments are designed for you to invent, re-design and develop, with instructions to combine and extend.
And most of all – enjoy! 🙂
Anja Sammon 