Hi! I’m Teresa Gregorio – knitwear designer of bold, feminine, unique pieces. I’m collaborating with fellow designer Leah Coccari-Swift to create Great Northern, a collection of sweaters, accessories and housewares all inspired by the cult tv show, Twin Peaks.
One of the first things Leah and I did for this collaboration was brainstorm knitting patterns. And there’s something of a risk in that; if you come up with an idea you’re very excited about but can’t find a yarn to make it happen, it can lead to great disappointment.
Fortunately, Berroco had the answer to three of my design dreams!
The first, and the one I was most concerned about locating, was a yarn that would have the qualities of warmth, heavy weight, a neutral colour and interesting, fluffy texture – near impossible to find, you’d think. But North Star fulfilled all these requirements! The design I’ve chosen to use North Star for is a collar. Based on the cozy look of a sheepskin jacket, this design embraces an undulating, double-sided texture and uses the alpaca/nylon blend to simulate that sweet, cozy warmth of a vintage sheepskin coat.
Fantastic! I thought. One tricky-to-fit project selected. But on my journey through Berroco’s yarn catalogue I came across a group of yarns that were so diverse, I was able to find fantastic pairings for two more designs.
The colour options, fiber content and weight of Comfort DK were perfect for a set of mug cozies I have planned. The lighter weight creates stitches small enough to render clear graphics when creating colourwork, and the fiber content is ideally suited for a piece that’s intended to be in such close proximity to liquids and thus needs to be washable.
And Peruvia Quick jumped out at me as a great choice for a wall hanging. Replicating the look of vintage wall hangings, the colours, twist and bulky weight will make these quick, attractive knits.
Want to help make Great Northern happen? We’re raising funds on Kickstarter in order to create a print version of the collection and do this fantastic, rich, subject matter justice.
Visit the Great Northern website for details on the collection and to contribute to the Kickstarter.