Made in America

Elana Collection, located in Huntingdon Valley, PA has been quietly making knitted dresses and suits in the U.S. since 1987.  Elaine Vinikor, a master knitter, started the company with her mother after emigrating to America from Russia, in 1978.

They first started out hand knitting sweaters.   Then they developed a following by opening a store.  Soon they were employing a number of women to knit for them by hand.  Finally, they opened a factory in 1987.   As other factories were starting to close their doors all over the country, in the early 90's-- Elaine and her mother were bucking that trend.

 

Huntingdon Valley Factory

Over the years Elaine has developed a following of boutiques and stores all over the country.  Her product is a wool/rayon knit that is much the same as the fabrication used in the first sportswear designed by Coco Chanel in the early 1900's.  A fabrication in natural fibers that is still used in fine knitwear world wide.

Current Production

Elana Knits has been able to compete in the marketplace because of Elaine's relentless effort to sell to stores via trade shows, continually refreshing the line with new designs and fabrications and also investing in technology that allows faster production.   

Shima Knitting Machine

This is one of the machines that knits the main body of each garment and is able to be programmed in an almost infinite variety of stitches and patterns.  

And that perhaps is why Elaine is still in business.  By being an early adopter of technology she has been able to manufacture at a price point that allows her to be competitive with other companies manufacturing a similar product overseas. 

 

Paul Moore, Shima USA

One of the most important "members" of
Elana Knitwear is Paul Moore who is a technician from Shima Seiki, USA.  His company manufactures computerized knitting machines and apparel design systems. Paul troubleshoots issues and recently helped to upgrade the programmability of the machines.

Finished Knitwear

 





The raised stitch in the rectangles of this dress  are an example of the capability of the computerized knitting machine....infinite possibilities!



 






 
After the garments are knitted on the big machines they are finished and detailed by hand.  A staff of seamstresses specialize in a variety finishing techniques that are proprietary to Elana Knits. 

Elaine holding up a dress from current production

According the the American Apparel & Footwear Association:   97% of all clothing sold in the US is imported....manufactured in other countries.   As a proponent of manufacturing in America, this statistic to me, is both shocking and sad. 

Elaine gives me hope.  She continues to design, sell and manufacture in a business that is extremely hard to be viable in.  In the last year her daughter Emily has come on board.  She becomes the 3rd generation in this family-run business, that continues to be- Made in America.   Proudly! 

It's in the details

As a continuation of the H. Hankin quilt project we are breaking down a group of knitwear that is in a color group-- raspberry to pinks to cream whites. When getting ready to cut apart a wool hand knitted jacket, in this group, we noticed how wonderfully this particular jacket was made by Harriet.  She not only was a master knitter but was also and accomplished seamstress or.... she knew someone who was.

Raspberry Knitted Jacket with Mitered Knitted Facings

The photo below shows the knitted facing sewn to the main body of the jacket.  Knitted on a diagonal and sewn with an almost imperceivable seam line.

Jacket Facing

Interfaced interior

Classic tailored pocket sewn through and through all layers create the placket for the mitered welted opening.

Mitered Welted Pocket

Raspberry knitted jacket sewn with traditional tailoring details from a bygone era.

 

Hand Knitted Handmade Details

Giant Knitting

Another of those crafts that I will probably never do, but have great admiration for is:  knitting.  I was into sewing at a very young age, and though my mother taught me the basics of knitting, the knitting bug never got me. 

My friend Jean, on the other hand, is what I would consider a master knitter.   

A small throw, knitted in a chunky, very soft wool.

Over the last 20 years,  I've watched her create the most amazing knitted garments and blankets.  There are always multiple projects going simultaneously,.... and they are all different...Jean is constantly exploring what she hasn't tried yet -- and so has worked with a wide range of yarns and knitting patterns.

Fabulous dress knit by Jean...love it!

The other day she sent me photos of a new project she was working on, I didn't notice that she was knitting in a completely different size of needle...serious jumbo size!

Close up it looks like regular size knitting

Pictured on the sofa...those cushions are probably 2 feet wide!

Knitting needles: 2" diameter...3 and 1/2 feet long!!


Giant knitting needles are definitely all the rage with the knitting crowd.  In fact, they were featured at a knitting convention in NYC that we went to a few months ago.  And though I didn't try it, I watched as people were trying it out.  It didn't look like it was easy to do.

This throw blanket was knit with:  Knit One Share One, K1S1 yarn which is made in New Zealand from high grade merino wool.  The yarn is like bump, which is a inner lining in well-made drapes...it is soft and lightweight.

So after approximately 6 hours of knitting...Voila! a blanket large enough to use as a throw on a queen size bed, seen pictured above.  Jean said it gets very heavy towards the end---handling all that weight while the knitting is still on the needles,...leading me to believe that it is probably good exercise for the arms!  Maybe, just maybe, I may try it..