C5 - Sunday, June 24, 1984 - North Shore News El fashion © > ee Designer patterns for home knitters FROM the Heather Wanless Handknit collection for Fall’84, the kimono sweater made from pure angora and cotton/ rayon to create tex- tural interest. Colors come in white/grey, plums/pinks and brown/creams. The approximate” retail price for the luxury sweater is $400. Become a Friend of BC's Childrens Hospital. will, RY co. CRIMPERS SALON 545 CRIMPERS Photo submitted From page C1 talent just develops. It’s hard at the beginning to come up with new and orig- inal ideas, going away from the standard. But, it just comes. | take wools home and work on a tension piece, getting wools to work together, complementing yarns. And then I work from there using different stit- ches.”’ When Heather started out she worked out of her home. Now, she runs three stores: Fraser St. and 10th St.in Vancouver, and Brentwood in Burnaby. Among her staff, Wanless has 50 manufacturing knitters and eight special order knitters. Heather Wanless sweaters were only available in special shops, until Wanless’ newly published pattern book made her designs accessible to the home knitter. So- meone suggested that Wanless should write a book. ‘‘l thought of a hardcover around $45 or $16, and thought no way. Then last August I woke up with a_ brainwave--a_ soft cover pattern book.”’ With a brother-in-law working at Evergreen Press, Wanless received lots of advice on how to go about her new publishing venture. ‘*People in the business are all pulling for me. No one in Vancouver or Canada has really done what I have. Most patterns are all done by wool companies trying to sell wool. I’m not trying to sell wool. I’m_ selling designs."’ Being a mother of three, running three stores, order- ing yarns through different distributors and travelling on business makes Wanless’ life a little hectic at times, but she loves tt. SALON 545 is pleased to announce that Victor Amato is joining the team. The leading force in pro- gressive hair design on Georgia 545 West Georgia St. Street since Early morning and evening appointments 683-5855 It wasn’t always like this, though. Wanless started out her career as a_ psychiatric nurse, working at Riverview, Lions Gate Hospital and Okala. She says, ‘‘the do- gooder part of me really enjoyed it, but after awhile | couldn’t hack it anymore. It was depressing and the ten- sion was unbelievable.’’ Coming from a family of knitters, Wanless naturally kept up the habit in her spare time and inbetween working at Lions Gate and Okala, she owned a wool. shop for two years, and then sold it. When = she left psychiatric nursing, she spent five years at home, and had a daycare, ‘‘but there was not enough challenge .”’ She started knitting Indian sweaters out of her home, but her creativity motivated her to take on more artistic challenges, so she tried her talents at high fashion knit- ting, and from there it grew. And now Heather Wanless is teaching her seven-year- old daughter Amber how to knit, and who knows what the future may hold for her? What are you Halt h Lauren =SPRIT 9 oencyU REV for? renée tener (JE ANNE PIERRE ) WW {Te SiN. \) N (> S PP () | JONES NEW YORK R \ and many more. 10-50% off your favorite designers at Ff ASHION LTD 2463 Marine Drive West Van 926-0712 STARTS SUNDAY, JUNE 24