rani long cape

rani long capeOur lovely, a line cape has slits in the arms to keep your hands free. Nice and long, and with a swing as you move, this is more of an outer garment than other pieces we make. Design features Front and back are different, with the double sided fabric reversed for an interesting contrast. The design of the textile is a Nielanell play on tradition: deconstructed Fair Isle, mixed with photographic imagery for a collection inspired by the idea of home.

Our lovely, a-line cape has slits in the arms to keep your hands free. Nice and long, and with a swing as you move, this is more of an outer garment than other pieces we make.

Design features

Front and back are different, with the double sided fabric reversed for an interesting contrast. The design of the textile is a Nielanell play on tradition: deconstructed Fair Isle, mixed with photographic imagery for a collection inspired by the idea of home.

Colour

Nearly a blue-black in the darker areas of pattern, our Rani knitwear goes well with both black and blue clothes...and particularly denim or indigo.

Sizing & fit

Sizes available: one size

• A (neck): 34cm
• B (neck to longest point): 80cm
• C (width at widest point): 128cm

All knitwear is individually made, so measurements given are approximate.

Materials & manufacture

• 100% extra-fine merino wool (Oeko-Tex Standard 100)

Manufacture

We are committed to sustaining and being part of UK knitwear manufacturing – and Shetland’s place in this.

• We design Nielanell knitwear in our Hoswick studio, with initial concepts carefully translated into the flat panels needed to make up each piece.
• Currently, for this garment, we are working with specialist knitters in Mainland UK to make these panels.
• The garment itself is made in Shetland. Our in-house team in Hoswick transforms the flat panels into a wearable piece of knitwear using linking (a skilled knitting process) and hand-finishing.
• Our knitwear is made in very small batches, slowly. Each piece of Nielanell knitwear can take approximately 12-16 weeks (often longer) from weighing out the yarn needed in our studio to the garment being ready to wear.

Inspiration & design process

Where was home then, and where is home now?

This photo is a wee Niela, when she was growing up in Canada. Looking through old childhood photographs brought the idea of bringing this past into the present.

A photo is made up of dots, here in two colours. Dots (stitches) and mini pattern in two colours are what make up each row of Fair Isle knitting.

And so a childhood in Canada has been brought into a different, later life as a knitwear designer in the Shetland Islands.