AllegraNoir.com | Creating the Chanel Cardigan

Creating the Chanel Cardigan

In Fashion by Cinnamon McCullum

Last year, one of the courses I took at F.I.T. was Knitting Machine 101. The studio was full of intermediate and advanced hand knitters, and we were all reduced to head scratching, frustrated novices with giant question marks over our heads.

It’s humbling when you think you have a decent grasp of your preferred craft–at least, until someone puts a heavy manual machine with 200 hooks in your face. It was a challenge, to say the least. So, I was definitely in awe while watching this video of  the creation of a classic Chanel cardigan. These women handle the machine with such grace. I’m not sure where the video came from or what it was for, but it gives you a good idea of how they mass-produce these pieces in Scotland, alluding to the fact that every step–from sheep to finished product–happens in house. I’m reminded of the legacy that Coco created and one of many reasons why she is one of my favorite icons.