Creative Friday: LUI LUI

This week we are featuring a fantastic knit designer LUI LUI. Her designs are really lovely and I was lucky enough to try on one of her new winter collection pieces. The new LUI LUI winter collection is inspired by  Norweigen style knitting. After visiting her I decided to do a little research on Norweign knitting and I have knitted a few little creations myself! She is definitely an inspiring designer!

If you are in Berlin this weekend you should defintely head down to the Weihnachtskater Markt at Kater Holzig. You can find LUI LUI designs there as well as heaps of other Berlin based designers.

Esther from LUI LUI with her sweet little dog           Photo by Michael Dooney

Where are you from?

Actually I’m a small town girl from Franconia in the Middle of Germany but eight years ago I came to the big and inspiring city Berlin. I came here to be anonymous, to be who I really am, to feel free and to feel the pulse of this city full of life. And now I’m stuck here.

What is your art/craft and where can we find it?

I’m knitting. Knitted fashion. At the moment you can find it in a little shop in Berlin/Kreuzberg called A loja. Me and three friends, we are running this little shop which is also our atelier. It’s the place where we are creative, working and you can find these pieces. This shop is full of lovely handmade young fashion pieces and most of the designers are from Berlin. A loja also has an online shop (http://www.alojaberlin.com/) where you can find LUI LUI. And of course it’s also available on Dawanda (http://de.dawanda.com/shop/LUILUILOVE) 
 

What are the positives in buying handmade items?

Handmade items are unique. Every piece looks a different and has its own story. I also love those little faults, they make them so human. You can see the time and work which are contained and last but not least you can feel all the love with which it was produced. And I also like to support young designers with good ideas and creativity.

Where do you find inspiration?

I don’t get my inspiration in fashion magazines or from other designers. Actually I don’t care what is going on in the fashion scene.

On the one hand knitting is like science. It’s all about mathematics, rows, stitches, the single needles of the machine, the different options the machine is giving you.

And on the other hand the different kind of materials with nature is giving us. How they flow and what they feel like on our skin.

It’s my inspiration to combine the rational part of knitting with the emotional. And in the end every single piece is an image of myself.

What motivates you to create?

I don’t do this because I studied or learned it. I also don’t do it for the money. It’s more to do something from the heart. May be this sounds very romantic. Actually this is my way to express my feelings. And I hope to give love to others with the items of LUI LUI.

What encouraging words/advice would you give to someone who is interested in sparking their creativity?

Do it!! Express yourself! There is nothing to be scared of. Take every chance and you will get feedback and love of other people. You only have to believe in what you do. 


<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

This where you can find her this weekend!
 

mahaila knitted shorts...FINALLY

I ALWAYS feel anxious when sending post from Germany. Once I made some booties for my cousin and they ended up flying around the world for so long that by the time it reached the kid, they didn't fit. Then I sent one of my knitted birds to a friend in London and it is still flying around or it died on the journey. 
So when I sent my many months long project, the mahaila knitted shorts to Kaye in Aus, I was EXTREMELY anxious. We decided to take photos just in case they  didn't make the long trip. AND I spent so much time with them that I had to give them a good send off. Michael had access to a photography studio and we decided to take advantage of this opportunity. Plus the weather is still really cold here in Berlin, so I was happy to stay toasty and warm indoors. 

After deciding to take some photos with the shorts, I felt that I needed to make a top for them. I ended up with this little blouse. I am generally not a fan of the 'no waist definition' blouses and I must say I am still not very happy with them, but I did enjoy using the lace curtaining on the yoked section. I am also a fan of utilising tucks and pleats in garments, and I will continue to experiment with these techniques.  I flared the back section and I believe that this was a bit of a mistake. Overall, I think the top turned out OK.

Before knitting the final pair of shorts, I knitted a sample. The orange thing around my neck is what I created. Kind of like a pair or shorts if you were a pole. If you look closely, you can just see the pattern which I later decided to scrap. It was a really nice complicated pattern, but I was scared that it would distort the shape of the shorts and pull in all the wrong places. So I ended up with some more cabling. I LOVE cabling.... makes garments look so interesting and it is so easy to do..... if you can count.

Bye bye shorts. Have fun in Aus with Kaye! Kaye I hope you like them. They look great on you!

Making of the shorts blogged here

Photos: Michael Dooney

THEY'RE IN AUSTRALIA! The Mahaila shorts styled by Kaye

(Knitted shorts: made by Mahaila. Top: Agent Ninetynine. Boots: Topshop. Rings: Fashionology. Sunglasses: Forever New. Cardigan: Borrowed from mum. Necklaces: Fashionology and Etsy)

MAHAILA'S KNITTED SHORTS ARRIVED IN AUS!! As soon as I saw the brown paper package I ripped them open and ran up to my bedroom to try them on! I immediately called my brother and his girlfriend, Brendan and Sarah, and we raced off to shoot them. 

I'm amazed with the amount of detail that has gone into these bad boys. Mahaila has even added an invisible drawstring made out of wool so that you can tighten them around the waist.... they fit like an absolute dream - and they are so comfortable! I have no idea how she did it, but she did. After challenge number one, number two, and with the knitted shorts being challenge number three, I think we have reached a new bench-mark! What's next??? I think it might be my turn to create something :)

I wore the infamous shorts out to The Garden with my girlfriends the other night and I received mixed reactions........ "Are they.... knitted shorts?" I simply replied with a huge grin on my face, "Yep, my sister knitted them for me". Not too many girls can say that :)

Kaye xx

The story of the mahaila knitted shorts: a labour of love..... and tears

After months of knitting, unravelling, constructing, elation and tears I have completed the mahaila designed shorts. They are now on a journey, travelling from Berlin to Perth. Kaye, consider Challenge number 3 complete!

THE STORY OF THE SHORTS

Making these shorts was a complete challenge for me. OK so I can knit, but to design the garment was quite tricky for the amateur knitter. I ended up making 3 pairs of shorts (2 were unravelled) 

In late June, Kaye suggested that I knit some shorts for a challenge. Starry eyed mahaila accepted the challenge with enthusiasm.

In July 2010 I went to my favourite yarn store in Berlin, Loops. I bought a few balls of GGH Java black yarn and was very excited to start the challenge. I struggled to find a pattern, but eventually found a 'rainbow shorts pattern'.  

 After completing 1/4 of the rainbow shorts, I came to the conclusion that perhaps they weren't going to work out as well as I had wanted. So I searched and found another pattern by the knit designer Craig Hunter, Gam shorts. 

After realising that I needed more yarn, I discovered that the GGH Java yarn had been discontinued. So I searched a number of stores in Berlin with little luck. At this point I was desperate to find the right yarn. Luckily a lady at loops searched and searched for black Java yarn, where she found the last 3 balls. YAY!

As you can see from the photo above, I had nearly completed these shorts when I came to the conclusion that perhaps these shorts were too big. The shorts had taken me weeks to make and I learnt the hard way that you have to keep trying the shorts on every so often. But I did learn a lot with this pattern. E.g. shortening rows and working in the round. With much regret, I unravelled these shorts.   

I then searched and found the studio shorts pattern on ravelry by Elisha Laubacher. After reading articles by knit designers I decided to have a go at making something based on the pattern I wanted, to ensure that it would work. So I ended up making a coral neck brace thing (which you will be able to see in a later post).I then utilised the studio shorts stitch count when creating the ribbing at the bottom of the legs. I added 10 stitches on each leg and started on my cabling/moss pattern. I was concerned that they would not fit because I did not know how the cabling would effort the fit of the shorts. I frequently placed the stitches on salvage wool, so that I could try them on. Luckily everything seemed to go along smoothly. 
 In January 2011, the shorts were completed in Berlin! YAY!. 
Today I they were sent via registered post to Kaye in Perth. Fingers crossed they get there!

Wrapped up and ready to go

PLEASE get there in one piece mahaila shorts!

I definitely had a love hate relationship with these shorts. I feel that I have learnt a lot from them and I am currently working on a 1930's knitted swim suit. Fingers crossed these will work out as well as the shorts!

Watch this space: Soon we will both be posting our photos with the shorts.

CHALLENGE NUMBER 3............. in progress

THE FRONT SECTION

 

THE BACK SECTION

Yes we have had a challenge drought. It has been a long time since the first two....but I feel that I do have an good excuse. 

The challenge set by kaye for mahaila was to knit some shorts inspired by stolen girlfriends club....admittedly this was more then a few months ago.  After a number of failed attempts I have finally found myself on a winning path....(kaye I promise to finish your Christmas present soon....see! you can now see the progress)

So I feel confident in sharing with you the shorts in their current unfinished state. My first knitted mahaila design. 

I will fill you in on the entire story when I finish these .... hopefully that won't be far off.

Booties and Birds

This spring in Berlin I started knitting again..... The last time that I picked up the old knitting needles was when I was 15 and I knitted my Aussie Football team, The Dockers! scarf. This time round I was motivated by the fact that everyone has decided to breed in 2010. So I decided to knit some little baby booties. I love this pattern for the booties as they are really quite simple and require little thought (which is fantastic for when I have the sewing blues).  After pumping out the many miniature shoes I decided to make some toys to send home for presents. I love this Knitted Toy Box blog. It is very nice of her to share her creations e.g. the birds. I have knitted a milk carton... I just need to sew it all together and knit the biscuit. I also love the mochi mochi land blog where she also shares some of her patterns.

P.S. An up coming challenge will involve me knitting a garment... which shall not be named at the present moment. And believe me.... this is a challenge for me!