Mellis

“I tried to imagine that mass of life as it once had been, hundreds of thousands of herring moving in shimmering unison, like starlings in the sky. The light of the moon drawing them closer to the water’s surface, the light glancing on their bodies so that it looked as if the sea was burning with white flames.”

Threads – The Delicate Life of John Craske. Julia Blackburn.

Cromer Orange in stock now! (06.06.2024)

From the Olive and George collection, drawing inspiration from the Norfolk fishermen’s Gansey jumpers and also from the art of Margaret Mellis, Mellis is a unisex cardigan which comes striped or in solid shades of blue and is knitted in a traditional fishermen’s rib.

Margaret Mellis was a collage artist from the 20^th century who began her career with the St Ives set in Cornwall but who later came to live in Southwold where she created art from driftwood and other found objects washed up on the Suffolk coast. This cardigan is directly inspired by the bright and joyful colours found in her work – in particular by her “Blue Lighthouse.” Painting of 1952-54.

This cardigan is tightly knitted in a chunky 100% organic cotton yarn which holds its shape to create a wonderfully voluminous silhouette, especially when the sleeves are scrunched up and the front body is buttoned to create a blouson effect.

As always in my designs, there is a nod to the Norfolk fishermen’s Gansey knits in the “herringbone” motif which continues above the ribbed hem and cuffs. Herring were the main catch on the Norfolk coast during the first half of the 20^th century before they mysteriously relocated to different waters just before the outbreak of the Second World War.