S.E.H Kelly

[WDD_Blog]

instagrams account, woveninthebone

You can hear Sam Goates of Woven in the bone on Garmology podcast episode #51 (Season 3, episode 2). And indeed you can hear the dulcet tones of Paul himself on episode #51 (Season 2, episode 16).

 

[illiterate]

I'm interested in ordering Peacoat and have a question on sizing. My chest is measurement is 42.5" (108CM) - 36" waist around my bellybutton, would you recommend sizing up to a XL? I'd probably layer up to a thicker wool sweater. Also for any Canadians who have ordered before, did you get hit with a sizeable duty charge on top of HST?

Let me know if you do end up ordering what the duty/tax situation is like for Canada

 

[sehkelly]

Here — some snaps of the Ulster in the lighter of the two sheep.

 

[rslu94]

Here — some snaps of the Ulster in the lighter of the two sheep.

When will it be on sale? And does the above mean you’ll have two colours available ?

 

[swift.lion3933]

Am I correct in seeing one would be able to hem the Ulster's sleeves slightly as long as you do not get too close to the strap? What about the coat length?

 

[sehkelly]

Am I correct in seeing one would be able to hem the Ulster's sleeves slightly as long as you do not get too close to the strap? What about the coat length?

Absolutely, yes — a tailor or alterations expert would make short work of it, and could easily move the cuff tab, too, if needed.

The length of the coat could also be shortened, but would be a trickier job, mostly on account of an inverted pleat up the back.

 

[sehkelly]

When will it be on sale? And does the above mean you’ll have two colours available ?

Hopefully within a few days it will be available.

And yes, here's a darker colour, too, although very (very) few have been made.

 

[Nakedsnake]

Paul,

Any photos of the back and the belt? (I'm assuming it's belted?)

 

[RozenKristal]

Paul, what makes a good knit, good knit? Is it the yarn quality? Thickness? What about the drape of the completed knit on body? How does the knitters give, say, cardigan some structure in certain areas instead of it falling flat or frumpy?

 

[sehkelly]

Paul,

Any photos of the back and the belt? (I'm assuming it's belted?)

Here's a couple!

 

[sehkelly]

Paul, what makes a good knit, good knit? Is it the yarn quality? Thickness? What about the drape of the completed knit on body? How does the knitters give, say, cardigan some structure in certain areas instead of it falling flat or frumpy?

I guess there are lots of different styles of "good knit" and I can only speak of the style that I love and know half an iota about, which is chunky, hand-framed knitting in the British tradition.

Our knitwear is the result of old-fashioned, hand-framed, hand-linked, and fully-fashioned knitting, using the (cliche but true alarm) finest of luxury yarn -- whether superfine merino wool or cashmere or ring-spun cotton.

Very experienced people hand-frame and hand-link every garment, and when you see it in person — the great level of precision and care — you see why it is very slow compared to modern-day automated knitting (such that it really doesn't bear much resemblance). Each piece is made one by one in very limited quantities. A single crewneck or shawl cardigan takes a full day to produce. They are made to precise patterns unique to the given style in a given yarn, so each time we change the weight of the yarn or the fibre itself, it has to be redrawn and resampled.

Hand-framing means each piece is shaped with the expertise and precision you might expect from a pattern-cutter / maker developing a jacket. In fact, unlike a tailor or pattern-cutter, the knitters must also work with multiple weights of stitch. In our case, we have styles like the cardigan which has an unusual shoulder construction, elbow patches blended into the knit itself, and the seam-to-seam pockets: it is all quite complicated, with lots of panels which must all be linked together by hand.

All of these pieces are knitted and shaped separately, so e.g. the sleeve is made with precise curvature and pitch for the given style. The pieces are then handed over to a team of hand-linkers who align the stitches on e.g. the front and back, before linking them together. To my eyes the linking is a horribly intricate and dexterous job. It takes months of training. There is careful easing and shaping involved here, too, to provide structure and shape on the body, ensuring there is the right amount of tension within the individual piece / panel itself and in relation to the piece next to it.

There's also durability — because each item is knitted to fit the body more like a cut and sewn item of clothing, they tend to hold their shape very well over the years. The quality of the yarn helps here, too, as (though another cliche, sorry) it gets better with age so long as it is properly loved.

There's the intangible aspects to a "good knit" as well which don't really get talked about. The knitwear is made with a sense of continuing a certain tradition and heritage, very uncommon now in the Western world, and a tribute to workers who have done these hand-framed and hand-linking methods in the same part of the world going back generations.

Phew!

 

[sehkelly]

The Ulster is now online (after the folks on the waiting list had all had chance to take a look).

We've also released the peacoat in camel, which casts a nice light on its lines compared to the very dark dark navy version.

 

[happydayz1]

As a point of interest (and not criticism in the slightest as I prefer this approach) but what is the thought process / determining factor when it comes to fully lining vs half lining coats?

Separately, can we hope to see “As Worn” photos of the shawl cardigan in the coming week or two? Thanks, as always.

 

[sehkelly]

As a point of interest (and not criticism in the slightest as I prefer this approach) but what is the thought process / determining factor when it comes to fully lining vs half lining coats?

Separately, can we hope to see “As Worn” photos of the shawl cardigan in the coming week or two? Thanks, as always.

Our use of lining is determined in large part by what is going on inside the coat.

I really do not like exposed pocket bags, no matter how neatly they are finished. I cannot abide having them dangling around inside like floppy elephant ears. So we try to cover them with lining (or facing — i.e. the affected panel sandwiched between two layers of cloth).

Some unorthodox styles of shoulder construction are also very difficult to finish neatly. It is fine to bind the armhole of a standard set-in sleeve, but not with the likes of the field jacket, which has what we call a Magyar sleeve. You would end up with binding going this way, going that way, and it would look messy in my view. So we cover those sections with lining or a facing, too.

In general I prefer an unlined or partly lined style, so that is our house style, in the main. A partly lined back can also be designed in lots of different ways, so it becomes part of the design of the garment rather than just a throwaway "let's line the back" decision. For instance, the SB jacket has overlapping quarter-circular cuts of cloth; the shopcoat has one piece of cloth pleated in the middle; the engineer jacket has great big curved sweeps of fabric meeting in the middle ... and a few others besides. It is fun to treat the inside of the jacket with as much perspicacity as the outside.

And the shawl — a week or two, yes!

 

[happydayz1]

Very interesting insight - thanks!