Butterfly

No matter what climate you happen to live in, a comfortable, classically shaped waistcoat is always a useful addition to a wardrobe. I decided to design a practical, hip-length body warmer that would brighten up winter outfits as well as being good outdoor wear in spring and summer. I also wanted to make this design suitable for knitters new to stranded colour knitting, so I needed to draw a small but striking pattern which would make an easy repeat. I based the design on the small curvey butterflies – Cabbage Whites – which flit around the stream that runs through my mother’s garden. Instead of choosing all pale colours for my butterflies, I started with Hebridean 2ply in Driftwood, changing to Wild Orchid, Clover, Sundew and finally Golden Plover for the wingtips and antennae. They are placed on a background of rich, exotic colours – Lapwing, Bogbean, Mara, Witchflower and Strabhann. The result is a flattering garment which is easy to dress up or down according to your needs. It is also a nice reminder of summer in the middle of winter, though I find it perfect for keeping warm on breezy bike rides. JS

Available only in colours shown.

Valtos

In the Uig district of Lewis, there is a place where the road winds for about a mile along the bottom of a deep valley that was formed by meltwater gushing from a vast ice sheet some ten thousand years ago. The name of this place is Glen Valtos. The steep sides of the glen are bare in many places, and here you can see the tilt of the strata and the scour lines made by immensely powerful forces. I have used this sharp geometry as the basis for a diamond all over pattern, with just a few hints of curve to echo the more gentle, rolling lines of the horizon. Either knit or purl is used to define the background of different panels, and this contrast represents the different textures of heather and bare rock. The long rib and cuffs pull in to create a practical but attractive and unusual shape, which can be styled for both town or country. I used Mountain Hare, which seemed appropriate for my country version, but the mood can easily be changed with a different colour choice. JS

Sand Dance

As I have lived on the Isle of Lewis all my life, I have become extremely fond of its stunning beaches. One of my favourites is Gress Beach which is right outside the window. If I do not have a walk on Gress Beach every evening (even in the worst of weather) I feel deeply unsettled. This becomes slightly problematic when I go "off to the mainland" as it is hard to catch a glimpse of the sea from the clothes shops of the city. I decided to resolve this problem by designing a sweater based on the beach I have traversed so many times. The ever changing patterns created by sea on sand as the tide flows in and out have always fascinated me. From the delicate miniature rivers which create a tracery of lines like tree branches, to the pyramidic coils left by sand worms, there is always something different to look at. The main body of Sand Dance is a knit and purl pattern which evokes the undulating ripples of the sand which stretch outwards when the tide is low. The foreground of the two colour band at the waist and cuffs, which is worked in Spindrift, is made out of interlocking curves and diamonds based on the fine, sharp designs that can be found in the sand after a high tide in stormy weather. The resulting pullover is easy to knit, ideal for travelling and shopping, and lets feel close to the sea no matter where I am. For myself, I decided to knit a cropped version in bold Golden Plover. For those who want a more romantic alternative, I have included a longer classic version, worked in the soft and mysterious Driftwood colour. JS

Glenesk

On Gress Beach there is an intriguing remnant of a small ship that shows the unusual beauty of something man-made being claimed by nature over a long period of time. All that remains of the good ship Glenesk is the boiler and the ribs of the hull, which protrude through the sand to a greater or lesser extent, according to wind and tide. The boiler is obviously made of stern stuff, and is now home to limpets and barnacles, while the sand worms like to make their homes in its shade.

The wood of the ribs is surprisingly well preserved, and on certain days it is possible to obtain an impression of the shape and size of the vessel. The Glenesk is such an old friend that I felt it deserved a design. I created a pattern which incorporates the man-made curves of the boiler together with the gentle waves of seaweed wrapped about it. I used the intense shades of Kelpie, Calluna, Lapwing and Mara to make a stormy background. For the foreground I used the gentler shades of Tormentil, Crotal and Mountain Hare... plus a touch of Golden Plover to give a hint of the sand on which the Glenesk has stood for so long. Modelling the sweater, and also playing a melodic tribute to the vessel, is Aidan O'Rourke of the popular Celtic band, Blazing Fiddles. JS

Available in Hebridean 2 Ply in colours shown - cardigan or sweater.

Leo Tunic

Numerous cultures worldwide regard the lion as the King of Beasts: a creature of nobility and wisdom whose image is used to depict great bravery. This mythology is so firmly rooted that not even wildlife documentaries exposing the lion as a lazy, brutal thief can topple the crown from his head. The reason for this is fairly obvious - the lion has such a magnificent appearance that it really doesn't matter what behaviour he exhibits in reality. The ancient Egyptians certainly didn't let the anti-social aspects of the lion stop them from using the image extensively in their religious art. The majority of the Egyptian gods had the bodies of humans but the heads of animals, each one relating to the tasks and expertise of the god in question. One of the most important of these was Ra the sun god, who in one of his guises wears the head of a lion. Ra controlled the sun and all things related to it, such as harvests. He also had considerable influence in the realms of the dead, so his appearance with a lion's head shows that the beast was held in high esteem. His daughter Sekhmet - also known as the powerful one and generally found on the battlefield controlling the outcome according to her wishes - shared this family characteristic and is shown with the head of a lioness. The image of the lion was also used in the Egyptian zodiac for the star sign Leo.

For my Leo design I have used sandy golds set on a hot background of russets and reds to depict the lions. This background changes to increasingly intense blues as it passes through the band of scarab beetles who are industriously pushing the sun across the sky above the watchful lions. The tunic is a highly versatile garment which can be worn to stunning effect on both casual and formal occasions. I also decided to use this pattern for an extra long scarf which can be found in our accessories section. JS

Laleli

In modern society we tend to judge a person's status mainly by their home and car. In seventeenth century Europe there was a slightly more organic way of displaying wealth and taste. A garden filled with tulips instantly proclaimed... deep purse, height of fashion. The European craze for tulips reached its zenith in Holland in the 1630s, when bulbs changed hands for fortunes. Those who could not afford the actual flowers would commission a prominent artist to paint them as a cheaper alternative.

It is a little known fact that other countries also had their periods of tulip mania. One such episode was in the reign of Sultan Ahmed III of Turkey (1703-30), which became known as lale devri - the tulip era. Ahmed and his court were so enamoured of the tulip that nightly parties were held throughout the blooming season. Not everyone was so enraptured by flower power and Ahmed's subjects rose in revolt over the vast amount of money being spent on tulip festivals. These entertainments were described by one Monsieur d'Andresel, the French ambassador to Constantinople during the early eighteenth century. He wrote:

At every fourth flower, candles are set into the ground at the same height as the tulips, and the pathways are decorated with cages of all sorts of birds. All the trellis-work is bordered with flowers within vases, and lit up by a vast number of crystal lamps of various colours.

The images conjured up by these descriptions are so appealing that I decided to design a garment based on the particular tulips favoured by the Turkish court at the time. Laleli is Turkish for "place of the tulips". For my canvas I created a shape with a simple V-neck and then filled it with an exotic garden of tulips which grow into one another. I have chosen a dark and sumptuous background of Mara, Selkie and Limpet, which beautifully highlights the reds and purples of the main flowers while blending softly with the greens of the stems. I hope the elegance and sophistication of this design does justice to a flower which has inspired passion, madness and economic turmoil on such a grand scale. JS

Zauberflöte

I have always greatly admired the flute for both its soft clear music and its elegant understated looks, and I have long wanted to design a garment suitable for a flautist. The fashion of the second half of the eighteenth century seemed the ideal inspiration for such a design: this was the period during which Mozart wrote The Magic Flute. Unfortunately Mozart and his contemporaries - who could obviously appreciate beautiful music - seemed completely blind to the fact that they were wearing some of the most grotesque and pompous clothing ever to adorn the male form. This particular mode of dress is best described by publications of the time:

We found the young gentleman sitting in an elegant chintz gown tied over the breast with a rose coloured ribbon; his hair was en papilotte; he had a white dimity waistcoat and a pair of white dimity breeches.
Gentleman's and London Magazine, 1777

A suit of Pourpre du Pape, silk stockings with broad blue and white stripes, and lace ruffles and frill...His hair was dressed in curls on either side with an immense toupee and finished with a small bag (a particular type of wig).
Nollekens and his Times, 1772

After much reading about ruffles, ribbons and coxcombs I finally discovered a style which I could use. Serpentine patterns of undulating ribbons and flowers were very popular on both men and women, so I decided to design my own. I used natural flowers together with gently curving lines to create a repeat which contains virtually no straight geometry. Instead of running the repeat lengthways, which is the way this pattern was usually displayed, I made it horizontal, echoing the gentle flow of sheet music. I changed the slightly acidic colour schemes in vogue at the time to the more subtle tones of Limpet, Erica and Capercaille with a touch of the more daring Wild Orchid. This became my background. The pale foreground is in Driftwood and Pebble Beach. The latter contains almost imperceptible traces of the oranges, yellows, blues and reds so favoured at the time. For the shape I chose a long, slim fitting cardigan with a simple round neck, which can be worn fully buttoned or open from the waist (as shown). This particular style is similar to the sophisticated gentleman's frock coat, popular from 1750 to the turn of the century and by far the most flattering mode of dress of the period. It is also a comfortable style as evident from the writings of a gentleman resident in Paris:

I was so damned uneasy in a full dressed coat with hellish long skirts... I frequently sighed for my little loose frock which I look upon as an emblem of our happy constitution; for it lays a man under no uneasy restraint but leaves it in his power to do as he pleases.
Arthur Murphy, Gray's Inn Journal, 1752

I realise it is unlikely that modern men - being considerably less adventurous in terms of fashion than Mozart's generation - will aspire to knitting Zauberflöte, so this design is aimed at ladies only. It is comfortable and flattering to all shapes. Don't feel obliged to learn an instrument in order to wear it. JS