May 20: A Structural Approach to Knitwear Design with Sarah Solomon

There are probably as many approaches to designing knitwear as there are designers and each person’s process has its own focus.  Without having set out with any particular goals in mind I have found I am usually focused on creating knits that are both pleasing and practical, to knit and to wear.  The process of creating these usually begins with a sense of what the garment or accessory will feel like and where it will be worn, with the more concrete idea of what it will actually look like coming later. The design then continues as a series of goals or challenges that I work to solve and make integral to the aesthetics of the piece. My focus is almost always on end-use, structure, longevity and practicality, beginning with careful choice of yarn and then working with (or against) the innate properties of a given yarn or stitch pattern to make a successful knitted item.  Most recently I’ve been experimenting with alternative hat constructions that guarantee better results when working with drapier and less stable fibers than wool, such as cashmere, yak, alpaca, and cashgora. I’ve also worked on button bands, neckline finishes, edge treatments and shaping sequences in garments to achieve specific structural goals. I’ll be sharing my process and projects with you to illustrate how I merge ideas from engineering and industrial design with the world of fiber arts and fashion.

Biography

Sarah Solomon is a knitwear designer, writer and teacher based in New York City.  Her patterns and articles have appeared in Interweave Knits, Knitscene, knit.wear, Wool Studio, and Vogue Knitting and with collections by Manos del Uruguay, Woolfolk and mYak.  Her interests include everything from traditional techniques to colorwork to fine finishing, with a particular emphasis on garment construction.  She is also an avid sewer and spinner and loves handwork in many forms.  In her design work, Sarah creates garments and accessories from exceptional yarns that are knittable, wearable and designed to last.  Find her patterns on Ravelry and follow her work at www.intothewool.wordpress.com or on Instagram as @intothewool.

​

5:45 Knit Along
6:45 Announcements and Show & Tell
7:00 Program

Mount Pleasant Public Library
Website: https://www.mountpleasantlibrary.org
​Address: 350 Bedford Road, Pleasantville NY, 10570
Phone: 914.769.0548

Read more about our Temporary Meeting Location