What people say :

“As Georgia O'Keefe used her paintbrush to convey the beauty of her world, so has Sasha Kagan with her needles and wools. In her case, the shapes of the garments she produces are her canvas, and she fills them beautifully with colour, texture and her expression of her world. For over 40 years, Sasha has produced an astounding body of work, never tiring in her creativity, never losing inspiration, and never failing to impress with her new designs. She has created a signature look that is distinctively her own, and is instantly recognizable to knitters and knitwear lovers all over the world”   Trisha Malcolm, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Knitting magazine

“Sasha Kagan's designs exhibit a distinctive handwriting. Applying her visual skills, she demonstrates a sure eye for the merging of pattern, scale, colour and texture throughout her many designs, coupled with attention to detail in garment finish and styling. She always aims for ‘beauty, style and craftsmanship’ and for the last four decades has designed garments that have stood the test of time.”   Sandy Black, Professor of Fashion and Textile Design and Technology at the London College of Fashion

“Sasha Kagan's collaboration with Rowan dates back to a serendipitous meeting with its founder Stephen Sheard, in 1984; Stephen recognized that Sasha's designs could be very much at the heart of Rowan's philosophy. Sasha remains one of Rowan's favourite designers and ‘The Classic Collection’ sees garments from four decades reworked in today's softer, more luxurious yarns”   Kate Buller, Senior Brand Manager for Rowan Yarns

“Wales has a proud history of knitting and Sasha Kagan has played an important part in it, through her contribution as one of the leading designer knitters in the UK.”   Moira Vincentelli, Professor of Art History and Curator of Ceramics at Aberystwyth University in Wales


Turkish Carnation Jacket by Kaffe Fassett
Turkish Carnation Jacket by Kaffe Fassett

‘A Quiet Revolution: The Birth of the Designer Knit’

- by Sandy Black, Professor of Fashion and Textile Design and Technology at the London College of Fashion, describes how from the early 1970s a new wave of designers rediscovered the delights of hand knitting.

A knitting pattern from the 1950s
A knitting pattern from the 1950s
In contrast to the raucous 1960s ‘youthquake’ in both music and fashion, pioneered by designers such as Mary Quant, Foale and Tuffin, Barbara Hulaniki of Biba, and Ossie Clark, knitwear remained a largely utilitarian, somewhat staid, element of basic clothing — the commercially mass-produced classics of an older generation. However, during the following decade a quiet revolution in knitwear began. In tandem with a resurgence of interest in handmade crafts and as a backlash to mass production, these designers (mainly self-taught and mainly women) reinterpreted past techniques and joyfully worked with colour and natural materials in a true renaissance of the art.

Despite a wonderfully creative flowering of hand knitting in the austerity years of the 1940s and 1950s, by the 1970s handmade knitwear was considered dowdy and decidedly old-fashioned. As discussed in Knitwear in Fashion (Sandy Black, Thames & Hudson, 2002) knitwear was a parallel industry, a Cinderella of fashion, which had arisen out of the important, but essentially practical, hosiery and underwear trade, and which only occasionally intersected with ‘real’ fashion. In the mid-1960s the advent of miniskirts stimulated a demand for designer stockings and tights, and Vogue began to feature new knitted fashions from companies such as the Women's Home Industries, Jaeger and Susan Small.

“Knitwear was a Cinderella of fashion, which only
occasionally intersected with ‘real’ fashion.”

The front cover of ‘The Knitwear Revolution’ showing Sandy Black's Vase of Flowers coat design
The front cover of ‘The Knitwear Revolution’ showing Sandy Black's Vase of Flowers coat
But it was during the 1970s and early 1980s that a great British burst of creativity occurred, fuelled in part by the strength of its art colleges and higher education in fine arts, textiles and fashion design. The influential fashion writer Suzy Menkes captured the importance of this movement for fashion in her book The Knitwear Revolution (Bell and Hyman, 1983), a rare accolade for knitwear to have been dealt with seriously in terms of fashion. My own Vase of Flowers coat design featured on the cover of this book.

Operating quite separately, but responding to the same Zeitgeist, individual designers brought their fresh approach to handmade knitwear, focused on colour, texture and often quirky graphic design, inspired by decorative arts of all kinds. Some had studied textiles or fine art, occasionally even fashion, while others were completely self-taught. Whatever the route, a new genre of ‘designer knitwear’ was born.

Several key names emerged, each with their own distinctive design repertoire and colourful yarn palettes, including Patricia Roberts, Kaffe Fassett (initially working with Bill Gibb and Missoni and then under his own name), Susan Duckworth, Artwork, Jamie and Jessie Seaton and, of course, Sasha Kagan. As I learnt from personal experience, designer knitwear was initially considered too crafty for serious fashion, and too fashion-orientated for the crafts community. However, designer knitwear quickly found its niche and gained a fantastic following in many countries around the world. Overseas buyers, especially from prestigious department stores in America and Japan (such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Henri Bendel and Bergdorf Goodman in New York) and exclusive boutiques (such as Three Bags Full in Los Angeles and Betsi Bunki Nini in New York), rushed to snap up original knitwear designed in the UK.

Sasha Kagan wearing her Scotty Dog design, 1975
Sasha Kagan wearing her Scotty Dog design, 1975

Designer knitwear owed its distinctiveness to the fact that the complex, multicoloured and multi-textured designs, using many yarns, could only be made manually (on needles or by manual work on the hand frame) and could not at the time be replicated by mass-production methods. (Only the exceptional Missoni in Italy seemed able to translate its creative vision into colourful machine-made fabrics.) Coupled with this design ethos, the legacy of hand-knitting skills, which had continued to be passed down through many generations, enabled a ready-made work force for these fledgling designer knitwear businesses that rose to the challenge of successfully trading in international markets.

Sasha Kagan's designs exhibit a distinctive handwriting, often inspired by the surrounding Welsh landscape, flowers and the changing seasons. Applying her visual skills, she demonstrates a sure eye for the merging of pattern, scale, colour and texture throughout her many designs, coupled with attention to detail in garment finish and styling. She always aims for ‘beauty, style and craftsmanship’ and for the last four decades has designed garments that have stood the test of time.

The front cover of Big and Little Sweaters
The front cover of ‘Big and Little Sweaters’
Several themes are regularly revisited, including floral and interlocking geometric patterns in combinations of lusciously coloured natural yarns — the designs scaled to work successfully when on the body. Early signature designs are notable for witty figurative ‘nursery’ graphics, such as her prowling cats, Scottie dogs and running boys motifs, which although in a simple repeat, flow rhythmically and delight the eye. Strong geometric graphics feature in all the collections and series of five pattern books, but are simpler and more brightly coloured in her second book ‘Sasha Kagan's Big and Little Sweaters’ (Dorling Kindersley, 1990) showing inspiration from the Memphis school. In her more recent compilation ‘Knitwear’ (GMC Publications, 2008), more use is made of stitch structures such as cables and lace, interspersing the floral motifs.

Catalogue from Sasha's 1986 exhibition
Catalogue from Sasha's 1986 exhibition
The general public was greatly inspired by designer hand knitting, and the 1980s saw an explosion of designer knitting pattern books, knitting kits and several exhibitions, including The Knitwear Revue (The British Crafts Centre London, 1983), Knit One Purl One (V&A Museum, London, 1985) and Knitting a Common Art (The Minories, Colchester and The Crafts Council touring exhibition, 1986). The first and last in this list featured Sasha Kagan's work alongside designs by myself, Kaffe Fassett, Patricia Roberts, Susan Duckworth, Carrie White, Susie Freeman and several others. In my own exhibition The New Knitting (The Knitting and Stitching Show, London, Harrogate, Dublin, Knutsford, 1998), I included Sasha's Kikan Cape and Pansy sweaters as key pieces in a survey of designer knitwear. Sasha exhibited at the V&A, London, in 2000 to coincide with the publication of ‘Country Inspiration’ (Taunton Press, 2000) and two of her pieces, a textural sweater and the Hawthorn jacket are in the permanent collections.

Sasha continues to spread her infectious enthusiasm for hand knitting in seminars and workshops worldwide, teaching and writing to encourage new knitters. Even though much has changed technically in the last four decades, with sophisticated technology now available, the depth of colour, detail, richness of texture and personal expression within hand-knitted garments continues to be appreciated. This has great significance in contemporary society, where the mark of the hand and the investment of time in making cannot be mass manufactured.

Catalogue from Sasha's 1986 exhibition
Left: Kikan cape, 1977
Right: Prowling Cats design

‘The Welsh Connection : a gendered perspective’

- by Moira Vincentelli, Professor of Art History and Curator of Ceramics at Aberystwyth University in Wales, discusses how knitting has been a part of Welsh culture for centuries.

Welsh landscape with two women knitting, by William Dyce
Welsh landscape with two women knitting, by William Dyce

In the summer of 2010, the National Museum of Wales acquired the ultimate romantic evocation of Welsh knitting. Dating from 1860, William Dyce's painting shows two women knitting out on the mountains of Snowdonia; the standing figure is dressed in the iconic Welsh costume with red shawl and tall black hat. What kind of reality does it represent? Their passive demeanour chimes with a gender stereotype for knitting but the isolated and rugged setting for this domestic craft is more surprising.

Yet, in the nineteenth century knitting was to be seen outdoors. The eminent portability of the craft meant it could be done while minding animals or walking to market. Furthermore, while knitting is firmly established in the popular imagination as a female activity, men also knitted, especially where there was an economic benefit.

Welsh spinners and spinning wheel. Spinning and dyeing wool were skills that were passed down through families
Left: Welsh spinners and spinning wheel. Right: Spinning and dyeing wool were skills that were passed down through families.

Wales was known for knitting probably as early as the sixteenth century, which is suggested by the name of a type of male beret. The Monmouth cap or Welsh wig, a precursor of the bobble hat, was gathered at the crown and sometimes had flaps over the ears. Knitting was widely practised in upland areas in Wales, where sheep's wool was readily available and could even be collected from bushes and fences. Women would spin and dye the wool and children learned to knit at an early age. By the eighteenth century the knitting of stockings had become a major industry, first developed by Welsh drovers who carried the knitted goods as an additional product to sell in England. However, later English hosiers visited the markets at Llanrwst, Bala or Tregaron specially to buy the stockings.

Edward Llwyd of Bala, pictured circa 1875, was a local stocking knitter
Edward Llwyd of Bala, pictured circa 1875, was a local stocking knitter

The eighteenth-century topographical writer and antiquary, Thomas Pennant recorded the market in Bala, in his ‘A Tour in Wales’, 1773, which was “noted for its vast trade in woollen stockings and its great markets every Saturday morning when from two to five hundred pounds worth are sold every day.” He went on to describe another aspect of knitting : “During winter the females, through love of society, often assemble at one another's house to knit, sit round a fire and listen to some old tale or some ancient song or the sound of a harp, and this is called ‘cymmorth gweu’ or ‘the knitting assembly’.”' Such sociable occasions have found a modern manifestation in the ‘Stitch'n'Bitch’ groups of the twenty-first century.

In spite of the apparent geographical connotations of ‘raglan’ sleeves and ‘cardigan’, both names are derived from aristocratic generals of the Crimean War (1854—6) and have no real connection with Wales. Nor has Wales given its name to any sweaters associated with the fishing industry, such as Aran or Guernsey, but a photograph from the National Museum of Wales records a Barmouth fisherman wearing a distinctive jumper with a heavy knitted yoke to give warmth to the upper body. The textile designer, Ann Sutton, reproduces this in her book The Textiles of Wales (Bellew, 1987) and designed an updated version with more specific Welsh references. By the late nineteenth century and the development of machine knitting, the hand-knitting industry in Wales was in decline. In the summer of 2010, the National Museum of Wales acquired the ultimate romantic evocation of Welsh knitting. Dating from 1860, William Dyce's painting shows two women knitting out on the mountains of Snowdonia; the standing figure is dressed in the iconic Welsh costume with red shawl and tall black hat. What kind of reality does it represent? Their passive demeanour chimes with a gender stereotype for knitting but the isolated and rugged setting for this domestic craft is more surprising. Yet, in the nineteenth century knitting was to be seen outdoors. The eminent portability of the craft meant it could be done while minding animals or walking to market. Furthermore, while knitting is firmly established in the popular imagination as a female activity, men also knitted, especially where there was an economic benefit.

For much of the twentieth century most women learned to knit whether at home or at school: for some it was torture, for others a joy. The everexpanding market for women's magazines fed the interest in domestic prowess and romantic dreams and published knitting patterns for useful and decorative items from baby clothes to bathing costumes; teacosies to twinsets. From a certain feminist position, knitting, so strongly associated with women and the domestic arts, is also a symbol of female oppression — the classic activity of women in unpaid labour. But the new knitting of Sasha Kagan and fellow designers reclaimed the activity as something that was much more fun.

Sasha was part of the early 1970s movement of people that sought a more rural, self-sufficient way of life
Sasha was part of the early 1970s movement of people that sought a more rural, self-sufficient way of life.

In 1972 when Sasha Kagan settled in Wales, the move represented an idealistic choice for the time. The hedonism of the ‘swinging sixties’ began to give way to the more thoughtful ideologies of the 1970s and harder times leading up to the ‘winter of discontent’ in 1978—9. But in those years Wales offered the prospect of a better quality of life on a modest income. London salaries could quickly pay for interesting old properties, house prices were low and farmers preferred new bungalows to their old farmhouses. You could grow your own food, do up your house and buy beautiful pieces of pine to strip. You could have the best of the old alongside the modern amenities of running water, electricity and telephones.

Mid Wales has an important place in textile history. Llanidloes and Newtown had developed as centres for Welsh flannel production moving from cottage industry to industrial production by the first decade of the nineteenth century. The enterprising mill owner, Pryce Jones, established the first mail-order business at Newtown based on the new communication networks of the period: canals, railways and the postal service. After the 1960s the area became the headquarters of another major textile and design business: Laura Ashley. Echoing the values of the ‘drop-out and back-to-nature movement’ it promoted an alternative ‘feminine’ image. Aspects of this can also be seen in Sasha Kagan's inspiration taken from natural form and floral designs and the suggestions of new family values. Such designs are so different from the humble hand knits of 1950s childhoods. Her enterprise was a model for the times – eventually an international business working with many knitters from all around the country. Its reliance on the postal service and new communications makes an interesting link with Pryce Jones.

For Sasha Kagan the most exciting aspect of the work has always been the designing rather than the knitting itself but her knitting patterns, packs and workshops have brought pleasure to thousands of women (and some men). Knitting is a fulfilling activity in itself: the rhythmic handwork is therapeutic and soothing and feeds into the pleasure of seeing the patterns emerge and the delight in surprising colour combinations and varied textures. Knitting for babies, for children or for loved ones are further satisfactions and the bonding involved in learning to knit is also important. According to one of the many blogs on the subject most people seem to be learning from their grandmothers these days. All this represents the traditional, feminine side of knitting.

Guerilla knitting started in the US, but has also become popular in Wales. The cover of Stitch and Bitch, the book that started the worldwide knitting sensation

Above left: Guerilla knitting started in the US, but has also become popular in Wales.

Above right: The cover of ‘Stitch and Bitch’, the book that started the worldwide knitting sensation.

The subversion has also taken on the form of reclaiming the sociability of knitting. People come together in public places to reclaim knitting as a contemporary craft and a pleasurable group activity where the chat and mutual learning creates networks, cutting across age and gender. It harks back to the old ‘cymmorth gweu’ (knitting assembly). For some this may be simple knitting in expensive yarns, for others the challenge of more advanced patterns. There are ‘stitch 'n' bitch’ groups across Wales but the movement goes one step further when it takes on the urban landscape. Guerilla knitting, also known as yarn bombing, started in the USA but Wales was quick to take up the challenge. On Valentine's Day, 2010, some Swansea citizens awoke to find their street decorated with knitted hearts and other woolly confections. Yarnarchy is a Swansea-based group who use knitting to leave their mark or tag. They vow never to make anything useful but aim to make people smile. An important extension to contemporary knitting, digital technology (such as Twitter and blogging) has become an essential element in the new knitting.

Wales has a proud history of knitting and Sasha Kagan has played an important part in it. Her career echoes aspects of the wider history of her times — from moving to a rural community in the 1970s to developing innovative marketing techniques and, above all, through her contribution as one of the leading designer knitters in the UK.


‘A Stitch In Time’

- by Jill Piercy, Curator of the ‘My Life In Textiles’ Exhibition, summarizes Sasha's early years and extensive career.

Twilley's pattern 1971, and Woman's Own cover, 1974

Above left: Twilley's pattern 1971.
Above right: Woman's Own cover, 1974.

Sasha Kagan originally trained as a painter at Exeter College of Art and then studied printmaking at the Royal College of Art. “I made prints filled with pattern, woodcuts, lithographs and silk screens based on natural forms and various knitting stitches. My mother was a great knitter and professional needlewoman and an inveterate hoarder of scraps of yarn and fabric. From her I learnt to believe that knitting in many ways represents the ultimate in endeavour and application, and I feel lucky to have taken up the craft in our increasingly technological age at a time when it is becoming more appreciated and sought after.” Sasha's knitwear career began while she was still at college. Her 1960s-style tank top designs were snapped up by Twilley's, and Woman's Own magazine commissioned her colourful 1940s retro sweaters. After college she designed costumes for The Black Box Theatre Company, continued to explore knitting and taught printmaking. When the theatre company moved to the Welsh borders she decided to move too and has lived in Wales ever since.

Sasha Kagan wearing her Optical Silver design, 1974
Sasha Kagan wearing her Optical Silver design, 1974.

In 1977 she was awarded a Welsh Arts Council bursary to set up a dye workshop and began organizing her cottage industry with four outworkers. The business quickly grew and soon she had outlets in london, Milan, Berlin, New York and San Francisco, and by 1984 she had 130 outworkers all over Britain knitting her designs. In that same year her first book of knitting patterns ‘The Sasha Kagan Sweater Book’ (Dorling Kindersley, 1984) was published and she had her first solo touring exhibition. The book became so popular that it was re-published the following year in the USA, Japan and Spain.

“I feel lucky to have taken up the craft
in our increasingly technological age
at a time when it is becoming
more appreciated and sought after.”

Her next book ‘Sasha Kagan's Big and Little Sweaters’ (Dorling Kindersley, 1987) included patterns designed for children as well as adults, and featured more of her witty and whimsical designs, such as the flower girl and cowboy, as well as florals and the Memphis-inspired geometrics.

She continues to produce two collections of new knitwear designs each year, exhibits widely, has regular international lecture tours, is a contributor to many knitting magazines and makes kits to enthuse knitters. Her textile career has been regularly punctuated with the publication of innovative pattern books. Inspiration for designs comes from many sources, ranging from vintage knitting patterns to the flowers and leaves she sees from her studio window, to embroidered textiles she finds on her travels.

Sasha's early geometric designs were inspired by her love of Fair Isle sweaters from the 1940s and the rich and intricately patterned cardigans and slipovers crafted by her mother and aunt. Her designs began as small squares, triangles, spots and zigzags and she went on to explore the three-dimensional shapes that had been a recurring theme in her art-school days. Her love of geometry can often be seen as a subtle sub-layer in many of her patterns.

An early Memphis-inspired geometric design, 1969, and Front cover and pages from ‘The Sasha Kagan Sweater Book’

Above left: An early Memphis-inspired geometric design, 1969.
Next right and right/far right: Front cover and pages from ‘The Sasha Kagan Sweater Book’.

Sasha's passion for both gardening and the countryside has inspired many of her designs across all four decades of her career. ‘Country Inspiration’ (Taunton Press, 2000) contains an extensive collection of 45 nature-inspired pieces and was accompanied by an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum. As the colour of leaves alters through the seasons Sasha selects yarn to reflect the changes, from the vibrant lime greens of spring to the rusts and mellow yellows of autumn.

Her palette is very versatile and a collection is often based on a particular range of colours and yarns. Many of her patterns are based on her interest in folk design and traditional peasant costume. Tiny all-over repeating motifs, borders that lead into geometric scatterings of flowers, paisley swirls and floral fantasies are set in bright shades on a dark background, giving each garment a richness and depth.

The front cover of ‘Knitwear’, Sasha Kagan's 2008 book
The front cover of ‘Knitwear’, Sasha Kagan's 2008 book.

Delving into the world of ‘how-to’ books, Sasha wrote ‘Knitting for Beginners’ (Carroll & Brown, 2004). Crochet had always been present in Sasha's work as a way of finishing garments with an accent of colour or with a picot or shell edging. It came into its own with the book ‘Crochet Inspiration’ (Sixth & Spring, 2007) where Sasha explores techniques and shapes that can be combined to create many garments, wraps and decorative motifs. ‘Knitwear’ (GMC Publications, 2008) followed, with a collection of re-worked favourites and new designs.

Her latest retrospective exhibition ‘Sasha Kagan — My Life in Textiles’ began its tour in autumn 2010. It became obvious very early on that the exhibition needed to be based around Sasha's main recurring motifs rather than be chronological. Together, we identified them as geometrics; her ‘witty and whimsical’ figurative designs; folkloric based on ethnic designs and traditional costumes; florals, leaves and the new range of abstract designs based on the close-up studies of mosses, lichens, slate and crystals.

In exploring Sasha's vast collection of garments and designs, it became clear that the majority of her designs are based on timeless shapes and the patterns, which can be interpreted in many colourways, can easily adapt to any decade and remain fresh and classic in the ever-changing world of fashion.


‘A Vogue's-eye View’

- by Trisha Malcolm, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Knitting magazine, shares her personal and professional retrospective of Sasha's career.

‘Anemone’, from ‘Country Inspiration’, 2000; ‘Floral’ camisole from ‘Vogue Knitting’, 2003; ‘Tiny Flower’ from ‘Knitwear’, 2008

Above left: ‘Anemone’, from ‘Country Inspiration’, 2000.
Above centre: ‘Floral’ camisole from ‘Vogue Knitting’, 2003.
Above right: ‘Tiny Flower’ from ‘Knitwear’, 2008.

“I found I could say things with colour and shapes that I couldn't
say any other way — things I had no words for.”
Georgia O'Keeffe

Cable leaf coat, Vogue Knitting, 1993
Cable leaf coat, Vogue Knitting, 1993.

As Georgia O'Keefe used her paintbrush to convey the beauty of her world, so has Sasha Kagan with her needles and wools. In her case, the shapes of the garments she produces are her canvas, and she fills them beautifully with colour, texture and her expression of her world. For over 40 years, Sasha has produced an astounding body of work, never tiring in her creativity, never losing inspiration, and never failing to impress with her new designs. She has created a signature look that is distinctively her own, and is instantly recognizable to knitters and knitwear lovers all over the world.

Floral lace shawl featured in Vogue Knitting, Fall, 2006
Floral lace shawl featured in ‘Vogue Knitting’, Fall, 2006.

Sasha learned to knit aged four at her mother's knee, as I did. I completely understand how she was mesmerized by the hypnotic stitches, the dance of knitting hands, the regular flow of yarn, the intricate patterns and textures and, of course, the colours. She spent hours of her childhood poring over needlework books and old patterns, learning the nuances of her craft and developing an innate understanding and a deep appreciation of the beauty of textiles.

Later, with the encouragement of her parents, Sasha attended art school, where she honed both her painting and printmaking skills. It was during this early period that she discovered the beauty and cadence of design repeats. She was influenced by the work of William Morris and this is very clear to me. She found repeating pattern to be soothing and therapeutic, and the sum of the whole made up by these repeats to be visually calming. This discovery of repetitive calm has been a mainstay in Sasha's work — and she has perfected her art so that her motifs tumble in a pleasing and cohesive manner.

Sasha wearing her ‘Kikan’ cape that was originally designed for Browns in London
Sasha wearing her ‘Kikan’ cape that was originally designed for Browns in London
Sasha's early work was influenced by the traditional knitting of the Shetland Islands, and by vintage patterns from the 1930s and 1940s. Her first book, ‘The Sasha Kagan Sweater Book’, a coveted possession of mine since it caught my eye in the mid-1980s, is a testament to those images. When I compare it to her later work, I find it somewhat geometric and the repeat patterns more static. At the time, though, it was groundbreaking, and very indicative of the fashion and harder edge of those years — think big shoulder pads, shapeless jumpers, and squared-off edges. It also reflects a more ‘citified’ sensibility, one that Sasha moved on from in her later work.

As a young mother, Sasha relocated from London to an idyllic location in the lovely Welsh countryside. The influence of her new environment has made itself known, or shown, as the years have gone by. Her colour palette is now more natural and muted, her motifs more organic, her shapes more feminine. Her repeats flow with more fluidity, reflecting the seasons she sees outside her windows (notwithstanding the piles of snow she is dealing with as I write this).

‘Leaf’ pattern vest from ‘Vogue Knitting’, Holiday issue, 2007
‘Leaf’ pattern vest from ‘Vogue Knitting’, Holiday issue, 2007.
In Sasha's early work she relied heavily on her pattern repeats and on the sweater as her canvas. As her art has evolved, it has become more knitterly, and she has added more texture to her pieces, drawing from the dearth of stitch patterns that are our knitting heritage, and from the technology that has created more textural yarns. Now, instead of just repeating motifs, there are often instances of repeating motifs combined with stitch patterns: cables mixed with tumbling blossoms or falling leaves interspersed with panels of lace. Blocks of motifs might be interrupted by alternating blocks of trinity stitch; seed stitch might be used to separate sections or bobbles added to create dimension.

At one stage, Sasha's fascination with the allure of chenille was a strong presence — she often used it for edgings and motifs. At other times, a touch of angora might be added, but primarily, her love for natural wools and tweeds, and for soft and pretty cottons has won through. It's very rare to find hand-dyed yarns in her work — she is the colourist and chooses each hue with great care — and the accidental nature of hand-dyes would not fit her sensibility at all.

Sasha wearing her ‘Anacat’ jacket, designed for Joseph, 1972
Sasha wearing her ‘Anacat’ jacket, designed for Joseph, 1972.
While at college, Sasha also studied antique textiles and embroideries. Every now and then she will enhance her work with embroidered features, and the innate femininity of these textiles has come through in later years as Sasha has designed pretty tank tops or cardigans with pleated, fluted or lace edgings and exquisite buttons and ribbons.

Sasha's recent retrospective of her work categorizes her pattern motifs into recurring themes: geometrics, folklorics, florals, leaves, abstracts, and the witty and whimsical. For me, it is the flowers and leaves that are the most alluring. Her love of nature and her home really resonate, and it is those that I have commissioned most from her over the years we have worked together. And while most of us know Sasha for her knitting, she has explored many of these areas in crochet as well, again showcasing her talent and versatility.

‘Heath’ cardigan from ‘Knitwear’, 2008
‘Heath’ cardigan from ‘Knitwear’, 2008.
While devoting her life to her art, Sasha carved a path that enabled her to support herself and her family with her work. Early on, she created a cottage industry in Wales where the sweaters from her collections were knitted for high-end boutiques all over the world. As well, she is a prolific author, a well-travelled teacher and a favourite contributor to many craft and knitting magazines in both the UK and the US. To top all this off, Sasha is an accomplished theatre costume designer — again testament to her talent as a needle artist, and her work is featured in the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

To me, what makes Sasha unique is that while she has made a wonderful name for herself with her striking design collections, she has never forgotten the hand knitter — those of us who knit at home for relaxation and to create our own unique garments. Sasha has always made patterns available for the key pieces in her collections and has influenced the designs of many others who design in this industry. Since 1986, she has been a regular contributor to Vogue Knitting, and I thank her for adding her unique flavour to our pages.

Women, and men, have been knitting for centuries, and I pay homage to the creativity and artistry of Sasha Kagan. She has made a tremendous contribution to ensuring that knitting does not stop with this generation. She has inspired us all with her individual expression of her artistic point of view, producing a stunning body of work that will go down in knitting history as a unique and very special collection. Congratulations Sasha!


A selection of vintage Rowan shade cards
A selection of vintage Rowan shade cards.

‘Yarn Matters: Sasha and the Rowan story.’

- by Kate Buller, Senior Brand Manager for Rowan Yarns, looks back over the last 30 years at how Rowan and Sasha have worked together to produce some timeless designs.

front cover of Rowan Book 1, 1986
front cover of
Rowan Book 1, 1986
Sasha Kagan's collaboration with Rowan dates back to a serendipitous meeting with its founder Stephen Sheard, in 1984 at a trade show in Brighton, where Rowan was showing one of its first collections of hand-knit yarn. Stephen recognized that Sasha's designs could be very much at the heart of Rowan's philosophy. He says, “The British Designer Knitters were a phenomenon of the great push for freedom, creativity and expression of our generation [the 1960s]. We wanted to build an alternative life away from big business, back to a gentler way of living based on creativity and designer artisans. Sasha was in the vanguard of this movement five decades ago.”

At that time, Sasha had been prompted by enthusiastic feedback from knitters to publish a book featuring multiple-size classic shapes for the whole family, following the success of ‘The Sasha Kagan Sweater Book’ (Dorling Kindersley, 1984), which primarily featured Shetland 4-ply wool.

‘Triangle Sweater’ from Vogue Knitting, 1986, uses Rowan Fleck DK Tweed
‘Triangle Sweater’ from Vogue Knitting, 1986, uses Rowan Fleck DK Tweed

‘Under/Over’ design from Rowan Book 1, 1986
‘Under/Over’ design from Rowan Book 1, 1986

As a result of the meeting with Stephen, she decided to choose Rowan yarn for her second book ‘Big and Little Sweaters’ (Dorling Kindersley, 1987). Using Rowan's 4-ply Botany as a solid colour, in contrast to the 1950s-feel flecked backgrounds, enabled Sasha to give a sharp graphic quality to her designs.

Alongside her new book, Sasha was commissioned by Rowan to design the ‘Under/Over’ sweater for Rowan Book 1 — a classic Memphis-inspired colour statement. Another commission soon followed for Rowan Book 2 (‘Vinca’).

front cover of Sasha's Flower Book, 1989
front cover of Sasha's Flower Book, 1989
From the use of grainy silks and silkstones in this design, ‘Sasha's Flower Book’ was born, a Rowan publication containing nine sophisticated, luxury womenswear pieces. This collection explored the use of soft, feminine colours and textures using the silk blends for backgrounds, fine cotton chenille for velvets and mulberry silk for reflective surfaces.

The relationship between Sasha and Rowan now cemented, she went on to contribute to many of its magazines and books over the years. We cannot discuss every design, but some of the most memorable ones are mentioned here.

For Rowan Book 10, the famous ‘Swallows and Amazons’ collection, Sasha came up with ‘Hawthorn’. This William Morris-inspired piece was later reworked in Magpie Aran and Chunky Cotton Chenille as a coat for the Victoria and Albert Museum. Demand for big statement pieces continued and Rowan Book 16's ‘October Leaf’ is a good example of a simple mirror image print brought to life with the rich velvety texture of Chunky Cotton Chenille knitted on a Magpie Aran background.

In 2000, a landmark show was held at the Victoria and Albert Museum celebrating 10 years' worth of designs using Rowan's finest yarns. Sasha exhibited a collection of hand-knit pieces at the show and also published her third book ‘Country Inspiration’ (Taunton, 2000) to coincide with the occasion. The exhibition continued in Japan the following year with the Mitsukoshi British Fair. The influence of Japanese patterning can be seen in Rowan Book 32's ‘Snowberry’, using Rowanspun 4-ply and DK. Floral sprays decorate the yoke balanced by a tiny border at cuff and welts. The relaxed twist of this 100% wool quality provided a perfect foil for the elegant berry branches.

One of the recurring themes in Sasha's work is mixing together geometric texture and intarsia motifs, which enables the design to work on two different levels. In Rowan Book 33 Sasha used this technique with fine 4-ply cotton to create ‘Diagonal Flowers’, a classic navy sweater with diamond ribs mirroring at centre back, front and sleeves.

‘Tiny Flower’ from The Yorkshire Fable book
‘Tiny Flower’ from The Yorkshire Fable book
2003 saw the introduction of Yorkshire Tweed and ‘The Yorkshire Fable’ book of designs. Sasha came up with two clever designs to emphasize the delicate nature of this lovely fibre. ‘Cable Rose’, was a chequer board pattern of cables and roses and ‘Tiny Flower’ used a vertical play of random cables and minute flowers.

The first example of vertical panels of lace and motifs used together appeared in Rowan Book 34 as ‘Rosebud’. Rowan's 50% wool 50% cotton was ideal for this design as it relied on stitch definition for the full effect. It also worked beautifully for ‘Diamond Leaf’, which explored a self-coloured lattice pattern with leaves worked in Summer Tweed and Chunky Chenille.

In 2004, feeling the need to encourage the next generation to pick up yarn and needles, Sasha authored her first ‘how to’ book ‘Knitting for Beginners’ (Carroll & Brown, 2004). Rowan's Big Wool and Polar were ideal for this publication, which offered patterns that could be finished in hours. In the same year Rowan ran a vintage 1970s story in its Book 36, and Sasha contributed ‘Daisy’, a homage to Mary Quant's famous logo, Ossie Clark's sharp tailoring and a nostalgic reminder of student days spent on the Kings Road.

Scottish Tweed was another of Sasha's favourites and she used Rowan's cleverly blended Shetland Wool in ‘Scottish Island Knits’ and her next book ‘Knitwear’ (GMC Publications, 2008). The ‘Harlequin Leaf Coat’ is a good example. The possibility of using two ends of 4-ply to make a DK weight enlarged the colour palette, which, for a designer like Sasha who sees yarn as paint, opened up fantastic opportunities. The blending of colours in the Tapestry range of long print soya protein and wool provided a vehicle for ‘Pebble’ and ‘Laurel’, and Rowan's Summer Tweed gave the required desert feel for ‘Baluchistan Stripe’.

‘Rosebud’ is the frst design to show vertical panels and motifs used together
‘Rosebud’ is the frst design to show vertical panels and motifs used together

Rowan's 30th anniversary in 2008 was celebrated with the publication of Magazine 44, which showcased seven designers, including Sasha and her signature design, ‘Rosebud’. It was re-knitted and coloured in Felted Tweed and Wool cotton and modelled by Sasha herself in the Yorkshire Dales. To celebrate, Rowan also launched an exhibition that travelled all over the world showing the very best of Rowan over the last three decades. The important part that Sasha has played in Rowan's achievement was recognized in the exhibition along with other renowned designers such as Kaffe Fassett, Jean Moss and Kim Hargreaves. As Stephen Sheard says: “Today she is one of the very few still expressing their distinct personality through their design and their craft. Kaffe Fassett and Marion Foale are two others in this, now rare, pantheon. It has been a great privilege to have worked over so many years with Sasha and been inspired by her design integrity.”

Sasha remains one of Rowan's favourite designers and ‘The Classic Collection’ sees garments from four decades reworked in today's softer, more luxurious yarns: Kid Silk Aura for ‘Sweet William’, Silky Tweed for ‘Tulip’ and Baby Alpaca DK mixed with pure silk for ‘Oriental Flowers’.