Our sixth pattern in The Almanac Series II is a fun, fisherman’s style hat from designer Maren Odenthal!
In this interview, we chat with former Senior Art Director turned Knitwear Designer Maren Odenthal, on her minimalist yet stylish Orbital Hat design. As well as discussing her passion for knitting, we discover why the rustic look of Lore was best suited for a fun and practical hat design!
Could you tell us a bit about yourself: how did you get into knitting and designing knitwear?
“I am a Designer at heart, education, and profession. I started to study design at the University of Fine Arts in Brunswick and later took part in the Master Programme at the FH Duesseldorf to focus on Exhibition Design.
I have been working as an Art Director for several years, creating brand experiences for global players. While on parental leave, I taught myself to knit and became obsessed with yarn and needles.
In the summer of 2019, I decided to start with knitwear design, signed up for coaching programs, and founded Knitterista.“
Tell us about the inspiration for the Orbital Hat.
“Following the topic of astronomy, I envisioned watching the stars and dreamed of being a fisherman on a boat in the middle of the pitch dark ocean. The universe unfolded in front of my eyes and gave me the picture of a swirling galaxy. The Fishermen’s Twisted Rib Hat design was born by combining those two ideas.
Lore turned out to be the perfect yarn for this idea. It has a rustic look, which suits the design very well but isn’t itchy, essential for me as I have sensitive skin.“
What makes your design special?
“Honestly, I don’t know. There are so many designs out there, and I doubt nobody has ever come up with a similar idea, even though I haven’t seen one hat which is precisely like this.
It is 100 percent me. It has a classic base, one many people – provenly – like to wear over and over again. I love minimal designs that fit perfectly on your body (or head in this case) and seamlessly fit in your wardrobe. It’s practical as the stitch pattern creates a very dense structure and truly keeps your ears warm. In my opinion, it is unisex, although it has a masculine inspiration, but the twist makes it a bit more elegant than the original. Another difference is the geometric crown, which rounds up my design perfectly.“
The Orbital Hat by Maren Odenthal is a fun, fisherman’s style hat, with a folded double brim and a spiralling texture created with simple cables. Needing just one hank of our lofty Lore yarn, this hat makes a perfect gift and is a fantastic way to add a pop of bright, cheerful colour to your handmade wardrobe.
This hat is knitted bottom up seamlessly in the round. Starting with a double brim, the body’s swirling texture gets created with simple cables. Orbital can be worn with the brim folded up or down as you prefer.
About The Almanac Series
The Almanac Series is based on the original farmer’s Almanac guide to the seasons, this collection acts as a seasonal guide to knitting with The Fibre Co. and celebrates each month of the year with an ascribed Yarn of the Month, paired with a new design launch in that yarn. For this year’s series, we looked to the heavens for inspiration, letting the beauty and grandeur of the night sky guide us. In the first half of this year’s series, we cover the Autumn Winter season, where each month’s yarn has been specifically chosen for its qualities to compliment colder conditions in the northern hemisphere. Erika Knight’s Zodiac Sweater was the first design in The Almanac Series II collection, in which you can read our interview with Erika here.
What inspires and influences your designs?
“Generally, I am inspired by artificial things and environments – unlike most of my colleagues, who draw inspiration from nature. I am fascinated by Art & Architecture, I need city surroundings to feel alive; I like to look at voguish and avant-garde fashion; I love geometric shapes and minimalist designs.
Pop culture is another big inspiration and works as an opposite for me. It’s a dreamland, a space to create superlatives. I love costume designs with all their textures and higher impact to set up the right environment and stage for telling the story. I listen a lot to movie soundtracks and I always get a kick out of dance moves and movies. There is no limit to creativity and it touches me often at my core.
Purl Soho has been a significant influence from the beginning as they taught me to knit. I hope I can make that up one day. I admire the perfect garment designs from the Julie´s – LOL! (Julie Hoover and Julie Weisenberger.) I am fascinated by Stephen West’s approach, and I am in love with the style of Max the Knitter.”
What is your favourite type of knitting project?
“First of all, it has to be relaxing. For that, I need a well-designed pattern in every aspect: explained very well, with steps that make sense. I have no tolerance for mistakes; I want a great layout and lovely pictures.
I also like to learn something new. Whatever it is, a new construction, a new stitch pattern, a new graft technique. I am well aware that this can turn into the opposite… It is a struggle.
I am not a huge fan of super small circumferences (no socks, please), and I also don’t like very long rows. I hate knitting with the smallest size, but my hands start to hurt while knitting with the big needles… I guess anything between 4mm to 6mm is excellent.
Last but not least: something I want to wear.”
Could you share your design process with us.
“I like to try, but it is tough to explain.
I feel like many things are tossing and turning in my mind. I like to wear some items in a knitted fashion more than others, like hats, cowls, vests, and cardigans.
So, I know I have a look at every person that crosses my path wearing a hat, for example. (Yep, that can be creepy!) I focus on how I like to wear a cardigan: how it feels, where it has to sit to be comfortable, when it slips, how heavy it can be… I want to understand how specific shapes get constructed and how I can control and improve them. Garter stitch is my favorite stitch for this process as it helps me focus on creating the form only.
When I decide to work on a particular design there are already a lot of thoughts inside of me. I pick what feels good together and it somehow forms a wholesome idea. I usually start to knit right away. I need to try out and literally craft my ideas. While knitting, I take notes on my iPhone (on the app notes). When I am satisfied, I write the pattern in the proper way.
There are lots of other paths I sometimes take, too. I might swatch and sketch only and ask for yarn support first. I change that idea when it doesn’t work in the yarn. I might write up the pattern first, at least in some stages, and then knit and try…
Quite honestly, it’s a creative mess, and while I struggle with that a lot, I also love it like crazy.“
How does the yarn influence your design?
“The yarn influences my designs much more than I like. As a yarn company, that is probably your dream. As a designer, I would rather have lots of yarns appropriate for my patterns.
However, I changed design ideas completely because the yarn I got as support didn´t fit. It is something I struggle a lot with. The yarn with all its characteristics is one of the main design elements. Shape, texture, and fit are others. They all need to work together. If the yarn is too heavy it can mess up the fit and won’t feel comfortable. If it is too drapey it won’t hold the shape. Certain textures need great stitch definition and if the yarn doesn’t provide it, the design won’t work. While I love hand-dyed yarn, I believe those awesome artistic variegated colorways deserve to shine and only the basic stitches are able to do that. For textures I would always choose a solid colour.“
What is your favourite knitting technique and why?
“I am not only a fresh knitwear designer, but I am also still new to knitting. So, it’s quite honestly knits & purls and all the necessary increases & decreases for shaping, which lets me create already a lot and suits my minimalistic design approach.
I am slowly learning the more advanced techniques though. There is a colorwork collection on my needles. This hat for you is my first cable design. Ask me in 5 years again and I might say brioche…“
What is your desert island knitting project?
“This is a very depressing thought for me: being alone on a godforsaken island and having to knit the same thing over and over again! The answer is nothing. I absolutely hate doing the same thing twice, let alone in the same way, e.g. I always try to walk in circles, taking another route home, just to mix it up.
Let me have all the tools and a never-ending yarn supply, and I will make up whatever I need there. It seems to be the sensible thing to do anyway.“
Knitting the Orbital Hat?
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