Below I'm sharing a small sampling of Rachel's patterns. Her patterns are quite straight forward and easy to follow and if you find anything that strikes a chord, Rachel has graciously offered a 20% discount to my readers with the code KNITIONARYxUNWIND. Rachel's catalog of patterns can be found here. I've included the patterns links below, and also tried to add links to the music inspiration too, so have fun, queue away, and tell me your favorite!

"Ashmore features delicate colourwork inspired by the concentric pressed flower art by Jennie Ashmore. This design is the first in the Organic Collection, a series of colourwork designs that are inspired by shapes found in the natural world and by artists who explore and celebrate nature in their own work."

"The colourwork of Hoar Frost is inspired by macro-lens photography of frost forming in nature, something that I find mesmerizing and beautiful."

Rachel is not only the designer, but the model too. Here she is modeling Night. "Night is the ninth design of my Einaudi Collection, a series of colourwork designs that each take inspiration from one of Ludovico Einaudi’s musical compositions. Night begins with simple, minimalist motifs, which gradually grow in intensity and complexity to a dramatic climax. Throughout the music, rising sequences of notes creates a sense of radiating outwards, which inspires the focal motif of the colourwork pattern." Rachel's designs are size inclusive, from XS to 5XL.

"Shake A Tail Feather is the eighth design of my Organics Collection, a series of designs inspired by the natural world or by the work of other artists who are inspired by nature. The inspiration for the colourwork came from the pattern of layered feathers that form the plumage of birds. The idea for the design’s name came from the yarn used in the sample: John Arbon Textile’s Yarnadelic colours are named after a brilliant and eclectic collection of modern music, and so I wanted to use a similarly groovy song as the title for this design. Shake a Tail Feather felt like the perfect tribute to this wonderful yarn collection and to the inspiration behind the colourwork pattern."

"Dawn is inspired by a piece of music by Ola Gjeilo of the same name and is the fourth design of my Gjeilo Collection. The music is constructed using a combination of short, quick notes and longer, drawn out phrases; you can see this construction represented in the combination of small, individual stitches combined with longer lines of stitches throughout the design. When I listen to this music I imagine streaks of colour across an early morning sky and the colourwork patterns here are designed to be a geometric, modern take on a beautiful sunrise."

"Nightbook was inspired by a piece of music of the same name, by composer Ludovico Einaudi. It’s music full of drama, tension and movement, and the intention behind this design was to capture the essence of Nightbook through the medium of stranded colourwork. The shapes and patterns used throughout this garment were all inspired by the shapes, tone and textures of the music, then arranged in a way that would create a balanced, aesthetically pleasing creation." Listen to it here. It is calming, mesmerizing and exciting!

Time

Petricor is the fifth design of my Einaudi Collection, a series of knitwear designs inspired by pieces of music by the composer Ludovico Einaudi. The music of Petricor is minimalist yet atmospheric, with simple repeated musical patterns that combine and grow in intensity as the piece progresses to its climax before fading away. In the same way, the colourwork of my Petricor design combines simple repeating patterns that grow in complexity towards the middle of the sweater and then fade out in the lower body and sleeves. The resulting design is sparse yet striking.

"Ola’s Tundra is a top-down yoked colourwork sweater inspired by a piece of music called Tundra by Ola Gjeilo. The music of Tundra is Gjeilo’s homage to the Hardangervidda mountain plateau from his homeland Norway. I wanted to create a sense of the barren and sparse landscape of the tundra that inspired Gjeilo’s music whilst also capturing the beautiful and atmospheric music he composed. With this in mind, the colourwork patterns are deliberately sparse themselves, creating patterns from small clusters of stitches worked on alternate rounds. The repeating individual stitches mimic the two-note ostinatos that continue throughout the composition and the flowing shapes created through the larger combined clusters of stitches reflect the more lyrical vocals." Please listen to this gorgeous version of Tundra by the Marlboro Girl's College, New Zealand. I could have this on repeat and am so grateful I live at a time when this can be in my life.

Days of Beauty  is a top-down, colourwork yoke sweater featuring stranded colourwork. The colourwork design is inspired by a piece of music by Ola Gjeilo, also called Days of Beauty. It features an undulating, repeated phrase on the piano, surrounded by swells of atmospheric vocals.

Run

Delicate cables create Sculpt.

"The Kismet Hat features the same colourwork pattern as the Kismet sweater, which was the fifth design of my Ffrench Collection. Kismet is full of small repeating patterns of music (called ostinati) that dance and flow around each other. This design explores these ideas through the use of both pattern and colour."

I hope you'll visit Rachel's complete pattern library on Ravelry and don't forget to use the code KNITIONARYxUNWIND for 20% off her patterns from now until the end of the month. I'd love to know your favorites.

From Rachel: "I absolutely love designing and creating knitwear. My work as a designer started when I was at home looking after my young daughters; I needed something that would offer a mental challenge and give me a creative outlet. I became passionate about developing my understanding of knitwear design and construction and curating a unique style as a designer. Now my daughters are both at school and my passion for knitwear design has grown into a full time job. This work is something I am immensely proud of and dedicated to.

My knitting patterns are a reflection of my own personal style - I make what I want to wear - but also a reflection of my preferences as a knitter: I aim to create patterns that are interesting and enjoyable to follow, whilst also producing a beautiful and flattering garment that will be loved and worn for years to come."

I asked Rachel about her musical background and while she is not a professional she did have some musical experience growing up with two very musical parents. She studied music at school to A-level (exams taken at age 18), learned to play the piano and trumpet, and sang in choirs. As an adult she enjoys the piano and is now teaching her two daughters to play as well. Her husband bought her a ukulele a couple of years ago and she's having fun messing around with that too! Rachel lives in North Yorkshire in the UK.

Dear reader, I hope you've enjoyed meeting Rachel as much as I've enjoyed introducing her to you. xo Kristen

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