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Miki Zanini, Sister to Santoni’s Marco Zanini, Is Such a Talented Knitter, She’s Got Her Own Waiting List

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    Photo: Courtesy of Miki Zanini
    1/13

    Here is part of my messy stash of yarns . . . where I shall put it all is a mystery. It takes so much space for a fashion and yarn shopaholic like me. I wonder why I have so many projects in mind, so that I buy huge amounts of wool that I cannot knit in a lifetime? Oh right: passion!

  • Image may contain Clothing Apparel Rug and Sweater
    Photo: Pasquale Abbattista / Courtesy of Miki Zanini
    2/13

    This striped cashmere sweater was, I think, the very first one I ever knitted. It was for my brother’s birthday, when he turned 40. I was a beginner at that time, and it was quite a premature project for my skills. I was at the scarf stage, where to finish you only need to keep knitting and purling till the end. No increases, no decreases involved or other tricky things to know. The proportions of this sweater are improbable and kind of ridiculous, and when Marco tried it on, I was bewildered. Let’s say that flaws are the beauty of a handmade craft and they make it special and sweet.

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    Photo: Courtesy of Miki Zanini
    3/13

    My coffee table.

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    Photo: Pasquale Abbattista (left) and Emilio Tini / Courtesy of Miki Zanini
    4/13

    I knitted these traditional Icelandic sweaters for myself. They are made from the same pattern but in different wools. I was curious to see the final effect when you use various materials. The dark brown one is made with Icelandic Létt Lopi wool, and the gray one is in a very soft and airy Norwegian alpaca yarn. Here, I’m wearing the brown version, a scarf in a Kauni yarn, and a pair of striped socks with a vintage John Galliano skirt and Rochas croc, lizard, and napa accessories from the time Marco was creative director there and we used to work together.

  • Image may contain Clothing Apparel Human Person Sweater Cardigan and Female
    Photos: Pasquale Abbattista (left) and Emilio Tini / Courtesy of Miki Zanini
    5/13

    I recently finished this cardigan for myself. It’s from a ’40s pattern I found in a book I bought some time ago called Knit Vintage, written and designed by Madeline Weston and Rita Taylor.
    Photo: Pasquale Abbattista / Courtesy of Miki Zanini