Shawl Book One by Kirsten Kapur

From one of Loop’s favourite designers, Shawl Book One is a selection of Kirsten Kapur’s greatest shawl designs. Many classics (and some of her all time favourites) feature in this collection of gorgeous to knit and wear wraps, neck warmers, stoles and scarves.

We caught up with Kirsten to find out more…

What was the catalyst for publishing your first book?

When I returned from my trip and told Gale about my conversations with Joanna it suddenly started to feel very doable. Finally, my good friend, Beverly Mazzarella, who owns a yarn store in New Jersey told me that she’d love to have a book with a group of my most popular designs, and thought that other people would feel the same way. Bev’s encouragement, and her idea of a book of my shawl patterns was the final piece that seemed to make everything fall into place. So I called Gale and said, “Let’s do it!”.

 

If people haven’t come across your designs before, how would you describe them in three words?

Color, texture, balance.

From the images in the book, the photo shoot looks like it was a lot of fun! Can you tell us a little more about the look you wanted for the book and working with Gale Zucker? 

I have always felt that my most successful blog posts have been those where my kids and I got a little silly, and had a bit of fun. There are a couple in particular that come to mind. I wanted to capture that sense of whimsy, but with a bit more sophisticated appeal since our subject matter was shawls. I created a Pinterest board where I pinned photos that captured the lighthearted, whimsical look I was after and shared it with Gale. She was a dream to work with.

She immediately understood the feel I wanted for the photos, and started building on my ideas. My models also made a huge contribution to the overall feeling of the book. Ariana, Katrina, and Sofia were all amazing and didn’t bat an eyelash when they were asked to walk barefoot across razor sharp shells, or wear a vintage bathing suit while eating a popsicle in March. The series of shots of the books falling off Katrina’s head, crack me up every time I see them. That was totally spontaneous but she somehow managed to look adorable in every one of them.

It must be almost impossible chose, but do you have a favourite pattern that features in the book?

Cladonia, the cover shawl is definitely a favourite of mine. From the moment I put in the last pin to block my original Cladonia I have loved this shawl. The fact that knitters have been so enthusiastic about the pattern makes it even sweeter.

I also adore Laight Street. There’s something about lace knit in heavier weight yarn that makes me very, very happy. It’s cozy and elegant all at once. Laight Street is a decadent shawl that you can wear to a special occasion, and trick everyone into thinking that you are a sophisticated jet-setter, while only you know that what you’ve actually got tossed around your shoulders is just this side of a cuddly blanket.

You are also involved with our new book to celebrate our 10th anniversary which is due to be released in September. You’re designing one of the patterns, and although everything is still top secret, can you give a few hints as to what you have planned?

I was honoured to be asked to contribute a design to Loop’s 10th anniversary book. The shawl I created is a half-pi using two exquisite colours of Dye For Yarn’s Merino Silk Fingering in shades specially designed for Loop’s anniversary. With yarn this beautiful, I wanted to make something really special. My goal was to select stitch patterns that would allow the gorgeous yarn to shine, but still hold a lot of interest for the knitter. In my design work I love to contrast lacy, feminine details with more structured and graphic elements — and this shawl is a great example of that

You have free rein in Loop to chose some yarn for one of the shawls in ‘Shawl Book One’, what would you choose!?