Purly Queen

Natasha Cobbold talks to talented hand knit designer, Jane Ellison, and discovers how seemingly complicated knitting can be easy once you know how...

Jane Ellison's CV is a very impressive one; designing for magazines such as Woman's Weekly and Vogue Knitting, she has also worked for Twilieys and Rowan Yarns, and produced designs for Debbie Bliss the leading UK hand knit designer. Yet despite her obvious talent for knitting and established career, Jane is adamant that the craft is not just for the professionals, but that anyone can learn it. In CB's brand new series of easy-to-follow projects, Jane has produced for us a variety of stylish knits from simple patterns, and her new book, Simply Noro, contains exciting but easy patterns using Noro yarn, written with beginners in mind. We spoke to the lady herself to find out the inspiration behind her designs and her views on how knitting has changed.

Taught by her mother and grandmother, and encouraged at primary school at the age of seven, Jane was always knitting. The thing I remember most about my grandmother is that her knitting never looked like the picture!" says Jane. "She was always adapting patterns to suit what she wanted to make, or changing the colours for example. That sense of creativity always stays with me, the idea that a knitting pattern wasn't a formula that you followed, but something that you added your own individuality to."

That philisophy has certainly influenced Jane, who is a firm believer in adapting instructions to suit the knitter (and the wearer) more. Studying art and design at college, and then completing a BA (Hon) in fashion and textiles, Jane first started setting knitwear trends by using a new denim yarn for her final degree show, long before denim became the new 'in thing'.

I knitted with denim yarn, from a company called Indigo. This was before this whole denim revival I like to think! It's yarn which is surfacedyed an indigo colour, but on your first wash it fades, just like denim. It's beautiful, it really picks up textures."

From there, Jane worked for Envy Designs, sold a few projects such as bags, scarves and cushions on a stall at Greenwich - "just trying to get my things out to people. Loads of people were enthusiastic, I had one lady who kept coming back for more" - and worked for Rowan before becoming design consultant to Debbie Bliss, leading hand knit designer in the UK Jane now works for Debbie's company, Designer Yarns, and recently moved up to Yorkshire to work more closely with them. So what is it like working with Debbie Bliss? "Really good. Debbie has very unique designs, she thinks about the fabric, the textures she's using. There's no-one else like her at the moment. She has very high standards and she only uses the best."

Simply Suitable

One of the main challenges for designers, Jane believes, is trying to write patterns from the angle of the novice. To beginners it is a real foreign language. Patterns needn't be complicated, it's just that they've been like that for so long. Sometimes designers and knitters don't 'meet'. I didn't really learn about writing knitting patterns until I worked for Rowan. I already knew how to compile a pattern but I learnt so much more because I could visualise it from a knitter's point of view." This ability to compile instructions which are jargon free and suitable for people of all abilities was compounded by talking to others and discussing the most common problems. When she worked as a design consultant at John Lewis, Jane frequently organised and held classes for people wanting to learn about knitting.

Learn to Knit were daily hour workshops I found it beneficial because it was really good to meet customers and get to see how they approach knitting, what they find complicated and what isn't.

To see it interpreted by someone who's new to knitting, I could see where they got stuck. I really understood patterns inside out in a way that helps me to make the instructions more clear. I try to make it so it's as easy to knit as it is to wear it, and still look good. Often it's just changing something slightly which you wouldn't really notice when knitting, but it can make the world of difference when you're wearing it."

Jane has a theory that knitting patterns don't need to contain pages and pages of complex knitting language, in fact she believes that you can knit anything from just one line of instructions. "One line can create 100 different items. It doesn't have to be complicated in itself, but what you've created is something very unique and individual. Although she concedes that instructions are just one part of it. Final results have a lot to do with the yarn and other things as well but knitting doesn't need to be scary or complicated. A lot of people pick it up really quickly. But the majority are really critical of themselves and beat themselves up if they drop a stitch or don't get it right first time. The thing is, as with anything you're learning, practise is essential. Just as with writing, it took you ages to learn to write but people forget that. You can learn to knit in five minutes, you just need to know the basics.. I taught two of my friends to knit, and I just say take it slowly. Don't try and run before you can walk. Try something small - like a cushion or bag. Don't be worried if you make a mistake."

Inspired By Life

Jane gets her inspiration from looking at what she terms 'street culture', seeing what would work with peoples' lifestyles and wardrobes today. I don't really watch the catwalk any more, more at what people wear. When I lived in London I looked at passengers on the tube, I think about what's being worn at the moment and getting an idea of today's fashion, seeing what I could add to it." But not all her influences are modern. "Sometimes I look back through old patterns from the30s and '40s and take inspiration from there. I love that whole era, it was responsible for such lovely fashions, and patterns which really emphasised texture. I love history too particularly the Tudor times when rich fabrics were commonplace and embroidery was very popular. I'm inspired by those times."

Another of Jane's inspirations is yarn which has to be of the highest quality. I love the yarn Noro, as used in the book I've just finished, Simply Noro. It's a really colourful Japanese fibre, which is just fantastic. There are all different colours in it, and so it's like striped knitting in a way - when you knit with it, you don't know what colours will come up. There is also little shaping as the yarn does all the work. Yarn definitely affects the knit - you can't do a pattern that's really complicated in texture on something very colourful like the Noro, whereas you can on something that's very smooth and plain."

Did she enjoy working on the book? Yes, it is my favourite project to date. There are so many garments in there that 1 like, and would wear myself It was written with novices in mind but is perfectly suitable for any knitter, from beginner to experienced. The patterns are simple and straightforward, with clear instructions."

Knitting Revival

Although knitting has always been around, it has exploded into the limelight recently, as everyone from famous actresses to accountants have taken up the traditional craft. Does Jane think there's a specific reason for this revival? 1 think that people have always knitted, but because famous people have started doing it, it's become cool. Maybe it's because patterns have become better, so many more people have become interested and that's had a knock-on effect."

At the moment it is very big in the States, with famous 'knit outs' where people, old and young alike, are knitting on street corners and at big, organised events. This theme is catching on here in the UK too as a great way of learning and bringing the community together. But does the younger generation have the same interest in knitting as their parents and grandparents? Jane thinks they do. There is a lot more choice in the US, more yarn, more patterns, more yarn stores, more workshops, more teaching. But in Oxford Street I had young people coming up to me all the time wanting to talk about knitting and learning. Now that I've moved to Yorkshire I've been trying to influence the retailers up here and generally spread the word that young people knit."

Making Waves

What would she say to people who dismiss knitting as boring? I think the craft may be perceived as mainly oldfashioned because of the patterns that were available. Now you can create really amazing things and there are expert books available, with contemporary photography. People who say it's boring haven't really looked. Or it could be that it's perceived as complicated and they don't know how to do it! There is the whole stigma about knitting - loads of people are doing it but are scared to tell, which is a real shame. But it's like the whole cooking revival. Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver bring something different to it and suddenly cooking is trendy."

So from the complex, boring patterns and outdated view of knitting, the craft has come a long way to become an international phenomenon, taken up by people from all walks of life. And with designer hand knitwear by people such as Debbie Bliss and Jane Ellison ensuring that products are fashionable, comfortable to wear and above all, incredibly simple to knit, knitting looks like it's here to stay. CB

Photographer Lisa Payne