MDK Field Guides 10 Downtown

Fresh, easy, relaxed—welcome to the world of Isabell Kraemer. A pair of pullovers and a set of cowls that let us play with texture and color. These are sweaters to love and to wear every day. Downtown, around town, everywhere. What We Love about Isabell Kraemer Isabell Kraemer is a prolific designer of sweaters and accessories who has a clear vision.

Knitters recognize her work at a glance, whether it’s a pullover, cardigan, or irresistible wrappy thing. In MDK’s 2018 March Mayhem tournament of patterns, Isabell’s Humulus pullover was the champion. Out of 64 patterns in this crazy competition, each of which was a stone fox of a knitting design, knitters chose Humulus. To see an Isabell Kraemer pattern is to want it: to knit it, and to wear it.

The designs that work so well for Isabell herself somehow work well for a lot of other knitters, too. When Isabell throws a curveball in terms of shaping, proportion, color, or texture, we are open to it. Her curiosity and sense of adventure inspire us to be game for something new. One factor is the distinctiveness of Isabell’s pattern photography and styling. In her self-published patterns, Isabell is her own model, in a light-filled space that could be anywhere but actually is in a small town in Germany. Her hair is short. Her jeans are Isabell Jeans. No muss, no fuss. Just a beautiful, relaxed vibe. We want to be there with her. Our jeans need more pockets.

But it’s more than styling. You can take Isabell out of the photos, as we did, of necessity, for this Field Guide, but she remains right there, clearly, in the designs. As we pondered the theme for a Field Guide filled with Isabell Kraemer designs, we brainstormed all the moods her patterns evoke for us. Cool. Self-assured. Open. Urbane. Downtown. Isabell’s cosmopolitan designs are comfortable everywhere, doing everything. They are casual, but considered. They are garments of confidence and ease.