Great Northern Blog Tour

Last week, I mentioned the Great Northern kickstarter and instagram challenge.  Could you tell I was excited about this collection?   I’m so driven by nostalgia.  Today, I want to share some design sketches from Teresa and Leah, along with some Twin Peaks inspiration I dug up.

Twin Peaks was a big deal when I was a teenager.  A big deal.  Just hearing the theme song again, when I started re-watching the series, gave me eery deja-vu.  The thing I remember most about it, besides Bob, was the strong visual element in the show.  It just wasn’t filmed like anything else at the time.  It was image-heavy, and these images were as integral to the story as the odd characters and the dialog.  Re-watching the series, I see how much of the plot is similar to The Killing: how it begins with a murdered girl and follows the investigators as they sift through the lives of the entire community, revealing more about themselves and the victim with each episode.  The long story arc is something we take for granted in tv today,  but it was novel to me then.

And then there’s the wardrobe.  At the time,  I wanted Donna’s hair and her sweaters.  I remember getting a Sassy magazine for it’s Twin Peaks fashion layout.  Yeah, I did that.  And I found it today, below.   I totally had that first look down in tenth grade.

But, I’m seeing Twin Peaks through different eyes now.  It’s such a hoot.  One minute it feels almost sappy, like a soap opera, then the next minute there are these incredibly beautiful location shots or there’s a weird, greasy haired guy hiding behind the furniture.

You never know what to expect.  You remember the scene where Leeland Palmer “dances” around his living room with his daughter’s photo, to his wife’s dismay.  My son heard this scene from the next room, and actually got angry with me for how weird and long it was.  I told him next time I want to punish him I’ll make him watch one of Agent Cooper’s dream sequences.

So, where was I?  Oh, yes, sweaters.  There are so many gems in this show I could take cell phone screen shots through the whole series.  I didn’t, but here are a few, along with some of Leah and Teresa’s sneak peeks.  I can tell this collection will reflect the visual appeal and quirkiness of it’s inspiration.

Lucy.  I knew there would have to be a Lucy-inpsired sweater.  She is the sweater queen of Twin Peaks.  Her closet would make Bill Cosby weep.  Oversized, dolman sleeves, cables, fair isle….

and, in Great Northern, there will be cables and toggles.  Sigh.  I love toggles.

Then there’s Donna’s oversized color work sweaters.  This one has bobbles, no less.

Maddie, Laura’s twin cousin(?), whose glasses rival my husband’s, in the eighties, for being the biggest ever.  But she seemed like the only normal teen in Twin Peaks, when she wasn’t having scary visions.

The most feminine wardrobe belonged to Audrey.  Super retro.

Last, but not least, is the Log Lady and those Cowichan color work cardigans.  They are glorious and I want one.  If ever you’re bored, google Log Lady Halloween costumes.

We have to see these patterns into print, friends.  There are still lots of great incentives (patterns from much-loved designers, ebooks, hand knits, yarn, project bags, and more) on the Great Northern Kickstarter page.  I love the idea of knitters supporting print knitting books!

There’s more about the collection, here.  You can also keep up with the design process, incentives, and cool Twin Peaks-related subjects on Teresa and Leah‘s blogs.

So, I am left with only a few thoughts:

When I say I like Twin Peaks, I mean the tv series, not the movie.  (That one’s a stinker.)
once I finished Twin Peaks on Netflix, I wanted to listen to Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game?, Mazzy Star, or Lana Del Rey.
Can Ray Wise look any creepier?
Apparently, Twin Peaks is the new buzz word for selling just about anything on Etsy and Ebay- think “90’s Leo work shirt.”
After seeing Bob, will you ever look at denim on denim the same way again?