A place to slow down
The Journal is a new space for telling another side of the creative story: the ideas, the yarns, the technical choices, the trials—and everything that happens before a pattern reaches your needles.
· 2 min read
I have been sharing my work on Instagram for many years. It is where you discover my new patterns, see the finished pieces being worn, meet the yarns that inspire me and catch glimpses of the design process.
But behind every post, there is still so much of the story left untold.
Before the beautiful photographs and the finished pattern comes a succession of ideas, calculations, trials and changes of direction. A design may begin with a yarn whose colour stops me in my tracks, a construction I want to explore, or a detail noticed somewhere—a texture, a neckline, a particular way of shaping volume.
Then come the questions.
What gauge will give me the drape I have in mind? How can I construct the garment so that it is as enjoyable to knit as it is to wear? How low should the neckline sit? How much ease should I allow? Is this really the right finish?
I knit. I unravel. I recalculate. I begin again.
Some ideas work straight away. Others need to be set aside for a while before they find their shape. And some will never become patterns—but they will still feed into whatever comes next.
Since 2014, more than 350 MarGueNée patterns have come to life. That means a great many stitches, of course, but also a great deal of experimentation and learning. The way I design has evolved, and so have my patterns. Yet I am still looking for the same balance between simplicity, technique, comfort and the pleasure of knitting.
This is the story I wanted to tell here.
The Journal will give me room to slow down: to revisit the birth of a pattern, explain a construction choice or a finishing detail, talk about a yarn beyond its colour, and show you the stages that usually disappear behind the finished piece.
I will also share the behind-the-scenes work of a knitwear designer: size development, testing, corrections, collaborations and the tools I create to improve the way I work.
It will not replace Instagram. It will simply be another space, with a different rhythm and a little more room to go into things properly.
I do not yet know exactly what shape it will take over time. Perhaps that is what I like most about the idea.
Like a new project on the needles, I know where it begins—but not yet every stage of the journey.
Welcome to the MarGueNée Journal.
