November 12, 2022

Ritardando by Miki Teragaki

Today we're talking with designer Miki Teragaki about her shawl design Ritardando with its brilliant balance of color and form. Miki's designs are always so fresh and fashionable that you can throw one on to elevate any outfit with ease.

amirisu: What was your inspiration for this design?

Miki: I created the design based on a sketch I made with a bunch of varying triangles arranged together.

Now that I teach lessons at WALNUT Tokyo, I have the opportunity to meet many different knitters and spend more time working with them. I wanted to create something that would be simple and fashionable for beginners, while still being enjoyable for more experienced knitters. I wanted to design something fun at any level of experience and I think this designs strikes a good balance.

amirisu: What, if any, challenges did you encounter during the design process?

Miki: It was important to me to carefully balance the different triangles within the design, so I spent time working on that until I was satisfied. I think I was able to achieve a good balance in the end.

amirisu: If you were to knit this design in another color, what would it be?

Miki: I really like red this year, so I would use a combination with red, or maybe a chic combination of neutrals like black and white or beige and khaki. I'm thinking that kind of combination would be nice, too.

I also really like the idea of being adventurous with an accessory like a shawl, so even combining two loud colors would be fun.

amirisu: How did you start your knitting journey?

Miki: My mother knit for work until she became pregnant with me, so we always had yarn and knitting needles around the house. But as a child, I never looked closely at knitting books, and I don't remember ever having knitted something to completion as a kid. When I picked up a knitting books as an adult I was amazed that it could be possible to knit your own sweater and I have been hooked ever since!

amirisu: Do you have a favorite museum or work of art? Please tell us a little about it.

Miki: I was often brought to the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno Park and the Hakone Open-Air Museum as a child, so I am probably most familiar with those museums.

I loved art by Monet and Van Gogh when I was a small child. I had to draw sunflowers for my summer homework once, and I remember being enthralled in my project as I mixed different colors and painted my sunflowers with yellows and greens inspired by Van Gogh.

As an adult, I really like Corbusier's paintings.

If had to choose, I'd say I enjoy history museums more than art galleries. I often find inspiration for colors and designs when visiting exhibits of minerals and taxidermy insects in natural history museums.

Thank you, Miki!