In this deeply personal, highly impersonal world we call the Internet, relationships blossom in the most unexpected ways. Deep in the middle of winter, I received the loveliest email out of the blue:
Dear Elisabeth,
We have just been in the USA, teaching at Vogue Knitting Live and in Washington DC and we’ve mentioned to everyone we will be at SQUAM and we have only heard amazing things about your retreat, so now, considering your excellent reputation, we are looking forward to this even more than before!
– Arne + Carlos
Seriously! First, I love that they spelled my name a la francaise with an “s” but mostly— are you kidding me? These two Scandinavian rock stars are not only best-selling authors of knitting books, featured on the cover of Nihon Vogue’s Keitodama and have their textile designs on permanent display in two museums in Oslo, Norway (The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design and the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History), but they are truly living the artists’ life per my total fantasy.
- Dreamy remote home replete with studio and garden? Check.
- Success on their own terms? Check.
- Healthy balance between a vibrant online business and a creative life grounded in playfulness, wild originality, and genuine authenticity?
- Check. Check. Check.
And they will here with us at Squam in September? How lucky are we?
What I didn’t know before our chat was the trajectory of their careers. Do not be fooled by the whimsical nature of their projects, Christmas balls, bunnies, granny squares writ large. As I learned in our conversation above, Arne and Carlos walked away from the high fashion world where they designed for many prestigious international brands, including high-end Japanese fashion label Comme des Garçons.
As Carlos explains, one day they realized their day was “80% marketing, sales and admin and only 20% creative.” In a bold and decisive move, they decided to take a year off to regroup.
And wouldn’t you know, even though it was a very scary move, it paid off in spades. That September a book of Nordic knitting patterns they had put together was published and quickly hit the bestseller list where it sat for a formidable 44 weeks.
Wow. Game-changer.
Once again, I am humbled by the power of what happens when you truly listen to your heart and trust that if you are doing something that doesn’t feel in alignment with your highest self, you can change course. As terrifying as it feels to let go of the “known” it’s only in the letting go you get to arrive at something that connects you to your best self.
Today, Arne + Carlos design for and work closely with Rowan, Shachenmayr and Regia yarns. And they have a fabulous YOU TUBE CHANNEL where you can hang out with this wildly creative duo while they share all sorts of ideas and projects with you.
Check it out here: ARNE + CARLOS YOUTUBE CHANNEL
bisous, Elizabeth
PHOTOS courtesy of Arne + Carlos
