Working in this industry, we are lucky enough to be surrounded by beautiful knitwear design every day. However, there are some designs that simply take your breath away. The Kaapa Shawl is one of those designs.
Designed by Inese Sang as part of our Yarn Support Programme, the Kaapa shawl is a large triangular shawl knitted in Luma. How a stitch can be both organic and geometric at the same time is beyond us, but Inese has worked her magic here in these two contrasting textures. We can imagine this shawl being a real workhorse in the warmer months; something to be thrown on to protect you from the Summer breeze.
In this blog post, we interview Inese about herself, her design career and how she created the Kaapa Shawl pattern.
Interview with Knitwear Designer, Inese Sang
Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I was taught to knit as a child by my mom, who is an amazing knitter, just like her mom. Latvia, where I grew up, has a long and rich history or knitting, and is especially known for its diverse and beautiful mitten knitting tradition that is still thriving today. My mom instilled in me the value and love of handmade along with the patience, dedication and ever evolving skills to make it.
However, it was only after I became a mom, I seriously returned to knitting. Having worked in a fast-paced and demanding environment as a translator and interior designer for most of my life, I suddenly found myself in a creative void. Knitting was a perfect way to fill it while taking care of my newborn.
Initially, I started out designing and knitting custom requests for friends, but I knew deep down that the repetitive nature of such work would soon lose my interest. I like an environment that is always changing and motivating me to take on new challenges. Knitwear design offered a creative outlet along with the freedom of inspiration, expression and time I was lacking before.
I now live in Canada with my family and when I don’t knit, I most probably read – books are my first and foremost love.
What is your design philosophy?
I design around the inspirations derived from my own experiences, therefore making each piece very personal and close to my heart. I love to explore texture and experiment with levels of contrasts within my patterns. I strive to create designs that are engaging, easy and fun to knit, but also practical to wear.
I am highly selective about what I fill my closet, living space and life with, which translates into my designs that are easy to style and can be worn often. I strongly believe in quality over quantity and I take time to design only the pieces I would (and do) wear. I’ve read somewhere that the cost of everything is the time we give for it, so I try to design pieces that are worth the time spent making.
What inspired your Kaapa Shawl?
Kaapa Shawl was inspired by the untamed natural beauty of sand dunes along the coast of Baltic Sea. The word, Kaapa, is a variation of a Latvian name kāpa, meaning a dune.
Having grown up living next to the Baltic Sea, I saw the shoreline through the eternal cycle of changing seasons. I found peace and solace in the sandy steps, sea breeze and smell of the pine forest, so the very first images for a summer design brought my mind back to the sea.
I wanted to knit that serenity and lightness into a shawl that would evoke memories of the sea I loved so much.
What is your favourite part of design process & why?
I was thinking about this question for quite a few days and I am relieved to have come to the conclusion that I can’t find any part of the design process that I favour over others. I really love every step of it.
There is always that indescribable excitement of drafting the idea, working around the inspiration and swatching. Then, the quiet meditation of knitting it up and seeing it grow, row by row. Binding off and blocking is always a bittersweet moment for me – I’m so thrilled to have seen the project from an idea to a finished object, but because all the inspiration for my designs come from very personal experiences, I have a hard time parting with the projects.
In this particular design, I’m extremely fond of the little wavy twisted knit stitch rows that meander and divide the lace parts. They add such a rich texture without being overpowering.
What yarn did you use?
The yarn we chose is the perfect match for this project. Luma, a blend of merino wool, cotton, linen and silk, has the perfect, crisp stitch definition, whilst maintaining a rich and flowing drape.
The unique blend makes this yarn very soft against the skin and comfortably warm to wear on cooler Summer nights. It’s my first time working with Luma and I’m pleasantly surprised by how light it feels, despite being a DK weight yarn.
Also, I’m very drawn to the soft, earthy colour palette of Luma. Kaapa shawl uses the Cornsilk colourway – the perfect, understated hue that resonates with the sandy coastline of the Baltic Sea.
What advice would you give to knitters wanting to cast on for this pattern?
I’ve learned my lesson the hard way and since then, I always stress the importance of keeping an eye on the stitch count, even if that means recounting them after every row. Spending extra seconds on double-checking the counts will save a lot of time down the road.
Wise word from Inese, there! Lace does have a funny way of losing or gaining stitches along the way, so it’s very helpful to keep an eye on those stitch counts.
You can download a copy of Kaapa Shawl in Inese Sang’s Ravelry Store. You can also follow her design journey on Instagram – her feed is a feast for the eyes.
Details of your local or online Luma stockist can also be found on our Stockists page.