WOOL AND sweaters sur-
round Janice Tsuruda,
above left, and Chery!
Wagner, co-founders of
Knitwear Architects. At left
and right are just two of the
sweaters available throught
the company that sells
designs, instructions and
materials in a unique
package. The two women
think of the sweaters as
fashien collectibles.

| Fashion
& video

Page
18

17 - Sunday, June 23, 1985 - North S

1a KNITWEAR Ar-

chitects provide the
material and blueprint
to construct a designer
sweater.

DAWN BURKE

The brainchild of Cheryl
Wagner and Janice Tsuruda,
Knitwear Architects is a new
company marketing a unique
knit-it-yourself sweater
package. Based in North
Vancouver, the company of-
fers original designs, zasy
directions and natural fibres
at a reasonable price.

Tsuruda calls the sweaters

‘fashion colectibles. Design-

ed by Wagner, the sweaters,
in contemporary designs, are
meant to complement any
wardrobe for years to come.

The partnership, only six
months old, has already
spawned the knitting
packages, a catalogue and a
Knitwear Architects knitting
book. |

Tsuruda and Wagner met

‘while taking classes at

Lafleur School of Design.
Wagner, already in the fash-
ion business, runs Cheryl
Wagner Designs, a company
that manufactures her own
designer garmets.(check this)
Tsuruda works full time as
an interior designer.

No sooner had they
discovered a mutual love of
fashion and design, then
Knitwear Architects was on
its way.

The retail package, -
available by mail order only,
includes easy to follow in-
struction, all yarn and no-
tions. Needles are not pro-
vided because, as Tsuruda
says, repeat orders will only
pay again for tools they
already have.

The instructions were
designed by Tsuruda and
Wagner, who believe stan-
dard knitting instructions are
made more compiicated than
necessary. Tsuruda likens
the instructions to
blueprints: they lean to the
gruphic rather than the
printed word.

The sweaters are designed
with the fabric in mind and
the fabrics are as close to
natural as possible. Wagner
says the cotton, wool, silk
and mohair are the fabrics
of choice. And all the
sweaters are machine
washable.

See Knit
Page 21