One of the great things about social media is that we can make friends around the world. I came across Cassie Harada a while ago and was struck by her skills at tailoring and knitting. One thing led to another and she kindly offered to knit me a Fair Isle sweater as I'd told her how much I like these traditional designs of knitwear. Jamieson's of Shetland (link below) kindly supplied her with the wool and you can see the final product below. [Ed. Please note that Cassie has now published a pattern for this sweater - link below].
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| Cassie Harada |
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| Fair Isle - photo by Chris Morphet taken in the 1970s |
Cassie Harada is a highly skilled maker and passionate about all aspects of wool production, tailoring and knitting. I'm so grateful to her for her generosity in making this jumper, which I treasure as an example of the best of a great tradition of design and craftsmanship.
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| Wearing the finished Fair Isle jumper |
I asked Cassie to tell me more about her work:
GF: Please introduce yourself.
CH: My name is Cassandra Harada. I am from Illinois, USA, but have resided for most of my adult life in Tokyo, Japan. I have a small family here and work in the hand craft/ tailoring universe, but I am mainly a knitter. I’ve been knitting since I was about 19 years old, rarely taking any breaks. I have a Bachelors of Fine Arts in printmaking, drawing and painting but turned to textiles for utility.
GF: We first met on Instagram and I know that you have a wide portfolio of interests - would you tell us what you do in terms of your tailoring and knitting interests?
CH: I’ve been studying tailoring with Japanese masters for about 2 years now. I’m strangely, mostly interested in making trousers, but making anything with woollen cloth is exciting. I knit all sorts of things, but really enjoy traditional patterning and structures from the British Isles. The British were really clever about making functional workwear for fishermen and working people that has built in room for movement. It’s very utilitarian, and I love that!
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| The colours selected from Jamieson's of Shetland's wools |
GF: You also own sheep - tell us about that please.
CH: My family has a flock of about 30 Cormo sheep. They’re a breed from Tasmania, originally, but were brought to America in the 1980’s. They’re a clever mix of superfine merino and Corriedale. I take their yearly clip and send it to a spinning mill I love in Wisconsin. Sadly this was their last year of production so I’m forced to search out a new place to spin! This coming year we’re making tweed fabric instead of the usual sock yarn! I love seeing it through from hoof to finished product. Wool is a magical thing. We take dirty, greasy animal hair and can turn it into something incredibly luxurious in just a few processes.
GF: You kindly knitted me a Fair Isle jumper - was this your first Fair Isle - do they have particular challenges for knitting?
CH: I’ve knitted many fair isle sweaters. They’re my favourite thing to knit. It’s been so nice seeing that jumper pop up from time to time on Instagram! I love having made a part of your wardrobe! I think the part of fair isle everyone is afraid of is “cutting the steeks”. Taking scissors to something you carefully knitted feels so dreadful, but because shetland wool is so gloriously sticky, there really is no harm in it. Especially if you’ve done all the work to secure it properly. Aside from that, weaving in the hundreds of ends is at times tiring. The sweater I’m working on now is quite simple and doesn’t have nearly as many loose ends to weave so it’s coming along much more quickly!
GF: What is it that you enjoy about knitting and tailoring?
CH: I love making things with my hands that people can use. It feels like a tiny piece of control I possess in a world where no one has much control over anything. I can actively move and push wool into shapes and then sew it down, boss it around with an iron, or a needle. I can then keep someone warm, and covered. The modern world is so full of fast fashion and “trends” that we rarely think about clothing as a “basic need”. But providing for that basic need…that feels like a true version of love.
GF: You used wool from Jamiseon's of Shetland - are they a favourite wool supplier?
CH: I like Jamieson’s of Shetland very much. Their colour palette is very broad and allows for me to do a lot of “playing” in gradation and contrast. I like making beautiful and complicated colour changes in simple patterning. I also love that they’ve got history, and they ONLY work in their little niche business. Jamieson’s IS shetland wool.
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| Wool courtesy of Jamieson's of Shetland |
GF: What tailoring and knitting projects are you involved in now?
CH: I’m taking a tiny break from tailoring but still making trousers. I’m making a sweater for a lovely man called Ethan who own’s a store in Jingumae Tokyo called “Bryceland’s”. It’s a stylised replica of the duke of Windsor’s famous fair isle sweater in his portrait. I’m also making some hats for their store. It’s fun to work with them. I’m processing lots of ideas at the moment though, including a vicuna sweater I’d like to get started on soon.
GF: What would you like to be doing in five years time?
CH: I think I’d like to be doing exactly as I’m doing now…. Studying new skills, searching out perfection, and loving the people around me with hand made clothing…. Fingers crossed for a bit of travel too! I also plan to open a small gallery later this year called "Made To" where I can sell things and share my love of photography, philosophy, psychology and hand crafts.
GF: Many thanks, Cassie. I treasure my Fair Isle jumper - hand made it took many hours to knit and I really appreciate the skills that have gone into its making.
Links:
You can follow Cassie Harada on Instagram. Cassie is able to knit a very limited number of bespoke projects and can be contacted through Instagram or her website, Harada Wool.
She has published the pattern (which is free) here on her website.
The pattern is also available on Ravelry (you can register for free to access this pattern).
Jamieson's of Shetland where you can buy their yarns, patterns, books and from here you can buy their completed Shetland knitwear.
Please also follow me, GreyFoxBlog on Instagram.
