Courtney Spainhower - Elemental Knits

For my girls, as always. My light, my life. In loving memory of my grandmother, my biggest fan: Jeanette Russo, 19312018.

This book is for those who aspire to be less wasteful, more comfortable, and ever stylish. It achieves this by providing knitting patterns that enhance a capsule wardrobe, arranged by season. This type of wardrobe asks us to look within, be honest with ourselves about our needs, embrace less excess, and craft an outward appearance that truly reflects our inner spirit. Crafting a capsule wardrobe is an ongoing trend that speaks more about the minds of women today than about their closets.

Conceived in the 1970s by Susie Faux, a boutique owner in London, the capsule wardrobe is a set of versatile basics that wont go out of style, work well together to fashion many different outfits, and can be organized by season. A capsule wardrobe likely includes timeless blouses, pants, skirts, and coats that wouldn't be considered trendy; think straight slacks and buttoned blouses in a neutral palette. The capsule wardrobe was brought into the mainstream in America by Donna Karan in the 1980s. Since then, the concept has been gaining momentum, with many people embracing the concept of less is more and shifting from a wholly consumerist approach of owning many poorly made garments to possessing fewer garments but of superior quality.

Slow fashion is gaining impetus for good reason. Theres a shift in our thinking about whats important in fashion and how we can adjust our day-to-day lives to honor those sensibilities. As you make your way through this book, youll find haikus inspired by the four seasons. Japanese culture has, over time, cultivated a love for expression that follows a path of least resistancea deceptively simple way to communicate through a few words of prose or a few strokes of ink. The haikus found within these pages are a tribute to the art of pruning back large, complicated ideas to their core, and theyre where I drew a lot of inspiration for this collection. Ive designed versatile cardigans, timeless pullovers, and handsome accessories that supplement a capsule with their simplicity and versatility, and with details that ensure you wont find anything like them on racks in stores. These pieces wont be forgotten about in your closet.

In addition to focusing on patterns designed for daily wear within a curated, pared-down wardrobe, the core focus of this book is seasonal garments made with seasonally appropriate fibers. As knitters, were not simply garment technicians; were textile creators, and our textiles should be suitable for the season theyre meant to be worn in. Beyond appropriate fibers, Ive carefully selected yarns from people and companies that are in tune with the state of our world today and who go to great lengths to produce materials that are ethical and sustainable. Though it wasnt easy to source all plant-dyed and organic fibers for a collection of this sizetwenty projectsand within the color palette I created for each chapter, I chose each yarn with those criteria in mind. Some yarns are produced by independent dyers, some are from companies that provide living wages to women in developing areas, and many are from businesses that use sustainable and organic farming practices or recycled materials. After some of the patterns, youll find a company spotlight in which I share information about the yarn company, its founder, and their mission. The spotlights also dive deeper into my reasoning for choosing each of the yarns and why I feel the companies deserved a place on the stage.

Im grateful to have you on this journey into the slow capsule wardrobe with me, sharing the new breed of thinking it represents. May you enjoy these knitted pieces for seasons to come.

When you begin to dive deeper and with intention into the construction of garments that have purposeones that are practical and get the most wear each season, and that youll reach for year after year no matter the trendsit requires getting down to the details of pattern features and fiber content.

The collection in this book provides multiple patterns for each season, and the recommended yarns for each one take the guesswork out of fiber content for you. The garments for the transitional seasons of spring and autumn contain blended yarns that include sustainable superwash wool and silk so that they breathe but are also warm against cool air. Plant fibers dominate summer items for good reason: cotton, linen, and plant fiber blends in fine-weight yarns stay cool and are ideal for wearing against the skin. The winter garments, not surprisingly, are packed with wool or wool blended with warming fibers like alpaca. These are worked in heavier-weight yarns or in colorwork as an added shield against the cold.

Each piece is designed with specific pattern features in mind that encourage a certain fit, such as stretchy shoulder seams or clean, reinforced hems. But the collection also offers patterns that range from unfussy pieces with simple lines for easy styling to garments made for layering, constructed with unfastened fronts or ample ease for wear with tees, thermals, or button-up blouses. Many of the pieces will appeal to those of you who love adding color and texture to their basic capsule wardrobe.

Over the next few pages, you'll see the sketches I originally drew of the patterns I wanted to make for this book. As I knitted up the samples, they sometimes changed in small ways, but the silhouettes remain unmistakable. Before I designed, I made lists of the words that each season evokes for me. These pages also include photos of the fibers I selected, and some of the swatches I knitted up to test whether the yarn would work in the stitch I planned to feature. I gave each chapter its own palette, as every season speaks a different language, emits its own odor, and sings its own song.