This time we're sharing our interview with designer Helga Isager about Virginia, her elegant design for Issue 23 with its unique pearl-like colorwork. She also tells us a little about how she started knitting and became a knitwear designer.
amirisu: What was your inspiration for this design?
Helga: I was inspired by the earthy colours and loose silhouettes from the wardrobe of Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman) in the movie ‘The Hours,’ directed by Stephen Daldry in 2002.
amirisu: If you were to knit this design in another color, what would it be?
Helga: I have just knitted the same sweater in a light blue Merilin and Silk Mohair, and with the slip-stitch pattern in an ivory coloured Jensen Yarn. I love this combo as well. It reminds me of sweaters I’ve seen my grandmother wearing on photos from the 50s.
amirisu: How did you start your knitting journey?
Helga: My real interest in knitting began in the early 90s. I was in high school, and I was very interested in fashion, but lived in the countryside, far from fashionable shops. It was the grunge era, and catwalks were filled with oversized, handknitted sweaters. My mother is also a knitwear designer, and it just came natural to start knitting my own sweaters with a little help from her. I must admit that I didn’t really enjoy the process at that point, but I was eager to wear the sweater, so I got the job done.
It wasn’t until 2005 I realized that I wanted to follow in my mother's footsteps and make knitting my living.
Today we own the Isager company together, and I couldn’t think of a more privileged worklife!
amirisu: What is your favorite movie genre?
Helga: I love epic dramas, but also low budget indie-movies. My husband is a documentary filmmaker, so I’m watching a lot of documentaries as well.
amirisu: When and where do you typically knit?
Helga: When I make designs, it involves a lot of swatch knitting, but also a lot of focus, so I’m usually knitting during work hours in the daytime. I also love to knit when I’m travelling by train between my home in Copenhagen and my second home in Northern Jutland, where the company is situated. It’s a six hours train ride, and gives me time to knit a sleeve or two.
Thank you for taking time to talk with us, Helga!
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今日は、パールを繋いだような模様のハイネックプルオーバーをデザインしてくれたHelgaさんにインタビューしています。編み物を始めたきっかけについてもお話してくれています。
amirisu: このデザインのインスピレーションはどこから得ましたか？
Helga: スティーブン・ダルドリー監督の作品『巡り会う時間たち』（2002年）でニコール・キッドマン演じるヴァージニア・ウルフの、ゆったりとしたシルエットのアースカラーの衣装にインスパイアされました。
amirisu:好きな映画のジャンルはなんですか？
Helga: ヒューマンドラマが大好きですが、低予算で作られたインディーズ映画も好きです。夫がドキュメンタリー映画を作っているので、ドキュメンタリーもたくさん観ます。
amirisu: 普段の生活では、いつどこで編み物をすることが多いですか？
Helga: デザインを考える場合は、たくさんのスワッチを編むこともしっかり集中することも必要なので、日中の仕事時間に編むことが多いです。
コペンハーゲンの家から、会社が位置するユトランド半島北部にあるもう一つの家に向かう電車の中で編むのも大好きです。６時間かかるのですが、セーターの袖を片方、もしくは両方編み上げられます。
Helgaさん、ありがとうございました。