rani cape

rani capeThis cape is shorter over the arms, so that you can easily wear it under a coat. Our capes are such popular, useful garments: this one covers your back, shoulders and tummyand there's a subtle swing from the drapey merino. Design features 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

This cape is shorter over the arms, so that you can easily wear it under a coat. Our capes are such popular, useful garments: this one covers your back, shoulders and tummy—and there's a subtle swing from the drapey merino.

Design features

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

• A (neck): 30cm
• B (neck to longest point): 76cm
• C (width at widest point): 79cm

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

Materials

• 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.