Designing can be a bit obsessive, I get into things and work it over and over in various ways until I am done with it... or perhaps it's done with me.
ELI is the latest example of basketweave, a very exciting new development that we've been working on for a while to get it just right.
Basketweave is the most transparent of weaves as you can see exactly what is going on, it's pretty basic actually.
Essentially plain weave, only with more than one yarn combined, woven one over one.
Also known as PANAMA, like in straw hats and baskets, the crossover pattern is more visible, organized and repetitive in its regularity. The challenge and excitement is always exploring what you can do within the constraints.
There is a long straight line in the evolution of our basket weaves, mostly I have used linen but there have been both cotton and alpaca over the years as well.
ELIN (2007) was a really thick linen, indestructible, we had mostly throws and pillows as there was a limitation in the fabric widths. The very first batch was made in the Czech Republic.
EDITH (2010), a lighter weight more versatile version of ELIN in throws, pillows and blankets in lots of colors. This was a super exciting program when it came out, vibrant colors pre-washed. I even made a few color block blankets.
CLARA and RUBEN (2010) came together, both of them Panama type weaves, clearly they got South American names.
CLARA was an amazing hand loomed cotton blanket made in Peru. Unfortunately, the yarn quality declined after a few years and we had to give it up.
Then came JACK (2012), a cousin of sorts to RUBEN but in alpaca. This piece has everything. It's unique, classy, goes with most colors and decors, it's exclusive yet understated.
SHOP JACK
That gave inspiration to ELLIOT (2015), originally a striped multicolor blanket where every color looked so good that it turned into solids. Dropping the stripe made the blanket more exclusive looking. Two colors mixed to create a third. This is still a favorite of mine, it's on sale so I reserved a few for myself before it's gone.
SHOP ELLIOT
Later in 2017 came NORTH. Missing CLARA, we tried hand loomed heavy alpaca. This was very lofty and thick but finishing a hand loomed heavier piece presented too many challenges to be sustainable.
In 2018, ELIAS blankets, throws and pillows were introduced to replace EDITH. It was made of heavier yarns always mixing two colors making them more muted. The color range is really great but the weight makes them quite expensive. Stay tuned for developments here, ELIAS is not done yet.
SHOP ELIAS
This brings us to 2020 and back to ELI, washed linen 55% cotton 45% mix with a pronounced texture in colors milk & cloud. It has weight without being too heavy, it's soft and like most basket weaves it's simply perfect!
