Conversation Pieces cowl
Give any jumper a cowl neck with this wearable and asymmetric little piece. Premium, extra-fine merino yarn is used for a silky-soft handle.
Design
The colour-shifting motif is in part inspired by Anni Albers’ manipulation of a restricted palette to create further colour. Here, three yarns give six colours.
Browse other pieces in the Conversation Pieces knitwear collection.
Materials & manufacture
- 100% extra-fine merino wool
- Knitted and hand-finished by skilled local craftspeople in the Shetland Islands, Scotland
Size & fit
Sizes available: one size.
An off-set seam gives an asymmetric cowl. Some have been known to wear these around their heads, for a quirky, wide headband.
- A (width): 28cm
- B (height): 24cm
Conversation Pieces textile in the Nielanell studio.
Design inspiration & process
Conversation Pieces is a celebration of friendship, and particularly the big ideas that we discuss with our friends. In the Covid era these in-person meetings have been suspended, so this collection is in a sense a time capsule of life before Covid.
I met with two artist friends, who both live in different countries, in London in early 2019. This was a trip for exhibition-going, an annual event, with one of the shows being Anni Albers at Tate.
I was so inspired by Albers' use of colour in her textiles
Albers work became the inspiration for a colour-shifting collection, worked in a restricted palette, which I combined with my ideas about discussion and debate. On these trips there is a great deal of debate! Our ideas on subjects can be so different, but they can also overlap—and be changed through discussion.
One of my linocuts produced during the design process, with Conversation Pieces swatches: the printed motif made its way into the textile.
I reached the final textile design through various steps, including linocut printing to create a motif.
Christmas 2022
Last order dates
For Christmas delivery, please make your orders by/on the dates below:
- Australia & New Zealand: Monday 28th November
- USA & Canada: Monday 5th December
- UK: Monday 19th December
Please get in touch if you need any further information.
We'd encourage you to order as early as possible. Alongside the variable Shetland weather, this year there is Royal Mail strike action during December.
We do also have gift vouchers, which are redeemable in store or online.
Shipping costs
- UK P&P: £8 per order.
- International (EU deliveries currently suspended) P&P: £20 per order.
- Please note: customers outside the UK are responsible for any customs or tax charges applicable within their own country.
- Collection from Nielanell, Hoswick: free of charge (choose this option at checkout).
Suspension of deliveries to the EU and EEA
From January 2021
Due to the uncertainty regarding the end of Britain's transition period with the EU, we are now suspending deliveries to countries in the EU and the EEA. We are so sorry for this inconvenience and will update the information when we have it.
Delivery
- Most items should be available. If not, we will contact you to tell when the item will be available.
- We aim to send out your order just as soon as possible and within a week of ordering (at the moment we are shipping once a week). If you need an item sent immediately, just let us know and we will be delighted to try to help you.
- We send out UK items using Royal Mail, items over a value of £100 will be sent by way of special delivery. This is a signed for, insured service.
- Please note, you can also choose to collect your order from Nielanell, Hoswick, using the click-and-collect option. This option is not available during holiday periods.
Nielanell knitwear is designed to last
Here are a few recommendations to help ensure your garment lives a long and happy life:
- Less is more when it comes to washing, many people find quality knitwear can be worn without washing for a long time (feel free to use our advice as a reason to do less laundry!).
- Handwashing your garment is recommended.
- We suggest that you hand-wash your garment using liquid for woollens, or flakes at 30 degrees or less. Harsh detergents are likely to ruin your knitwear.
- You may wish to wash in the machine on a very gentle hand-wash wool cycle at 30 degrees or less, using a small quantity of detergent specifically designed for delicate/wool items—but you need to ensure your washing machine uses a very gentle cycle. You must be confident in using your washing machine for woollens. We will not be responsible for items which shrink or felt by inappropriate machine washing or are damaged through use of regular detergents.
- Do not wring.
- Do not tumble dry.
- Dry flat on a rack or in the fresh air, and steam/press very lightly*.
- Alternatively, you can dry clean the garment.
*Don’t iron Rigg pieces. We also recommend that you do not stretch out the textile when drying. Lie the piece flat, but with a bit of a crumple to allow for the natural spring in the fabric to contract. No need to steam or press.
Each piece of Nielanell knitwear is individually knitted by local manufacturers here in Shetland, and then finished by hand in-house.
Many of our collections are made in very small edition colourways, with a constantly changing selection.
If you’re looking for something in particular, that you can’t see on the website, please do get in touch—we often have more colourways in stock that don’t make it onto the website!
NB Please treat garment measurements as approximate, knitwear can be difficult to measure and each item will differ slightly.