north star snood

During our Hebridean break last week, we took the opportunity to photograph the results of my latest ready-made knitwear project: the North Star Snood.

I loved designing my snoods last year, and also really enjoyed the process of working with William Lockie. Last year I used stitch patterns which had been previously featured on my Caller Herrin and Epistrophy designs, but for this year’s snood pattern, I decided to develop a new motif, modifying a familiar six-pointed star.

I did a lot of swatching (by hand) and we produced a couple of machined samples before I was totally satisfied with the way the motif was working. I am really pleased with the end result, and love its strong lines and bold reflections.

This is the harbour colourway and I honestly don’t think you can ever go wrong with a palette of simple blues and neutrals. That said, I was keen to try some different shades this year as well. First I selected a palette similar to one I’d previously really enjoyed working with for Tom’s Oa hoody

This colourway is buoy / charcoal and that deep, vibrant orange just looked so good in the pattern that I decided to produce a higher-contrast version – buoy / silver.

My final palette is one I had considered producing last year, and later regretted not doing.

The seafoam colourway is a soft, complex, slightly heathered greeney-bluey-grey. Its the colour of a very particular kind of traditional tweed jacket in Scotland, often referred to as a lovat tweed. It’s a popular Scottish shade, and looking at textiles woven or knitted in it, I’ve often felt that they somehow carried light within them. I love this colour anyway.

I’m finding that my “new” grey hair has the (unexpected) benefit of helping me to experiment with different palettes in what I’m wearing (or styling).

Perhaps this effect will start to tell itself in what I design as well!

The slightly muted, soft seafoam snood really works against the bright, almost neon hues of my favourite Helly Hansen jacket.

And the buoy / charcoal colourway not only looks great with my favourite windproof walking staple, but tones in with the weather!

I styled the buoy / silver colourway against a cool grey top, and have found that this snood looks great against most greys, immediately lifting them with a pop of colour.

These snoods are knitted from beautiful, soft, Yorkshire-spun lambswool. They are made using an innovative tubular method at Lockie’s mill in Hawick (in the Scottish Borders). Each snood is carefully hand-linked so that the pattern neatly matches. Lockies take great care with their production, and if you have seen or handled or worn one of these snoods, you’ll know that their feel and finishing is impeccable.

Here’s a North Star snood worn full length . . .

Though, as it is really designed for the chill winds and cool weather in which Scotland abounds a this time of year, I find I generally wear mine wrapped twice around my neck.

I am quite proud of my new knitwear designs, but I am even more proud of being able to produce sustainable, traceable pieces made from quality materials by suppliers I like working with, and whose high standards I respect. And really, the only reason that I am able to produce these things that I believe in at all is because last year’s snoods found an appreciative market, and enough of you supported my endeavours. Thankyou!

If you’d like a snood, you’ll find them in the knitwear section of the KDD shop.