TOOLS
TOOLS REVEALED
TOOLS
TOOLS REVEALED
A series dedicated to the tools of our Venetian workshop. Each edition isolates an object, a step, a gesture that go into making a Tricot. What the craftsperson's hand knows by heart, and what usually stays unseen.
No.
1
THE TEMPLATES
On the wall of the Venice workshop, metal silhouettes hung by the dozens. Necklines, sleeve heads, shoulder widths, body hems.
Each template corresponds to a line of the pattern. The numbers indicate the size. The knitted piece is laid on the form, adjusted, then steamed. The knit relaxes, takes its proportions, cools.
The template guarantees that the same style will always have the same silhouette, from one production to the next. It is one of the oldest tools of the manufacture.
No.
2
THE SCALE
On the workbench, an old mechanical scale. The prototype is placed on the plate. The needle shows a few hundred grams.
It is used in development, before any manufacturing. Several prototypes of the same style pass over its plate, one after another. Weight reveals the density of the knit, the amount of cashmere used, the overall balance of the garment.
If the figures diverge, the knitting, the yarn count, or certain finishes are adjusted. We weigh again. We compare. Until the knit is dense, soft, and perfectly balanced.
No.
3
THE THREAD CLIPPER
A classic scissors cuts lengthwise: it pulls slightly on the material, and does not always come down as close as needed. On cashmere, on knit, that millimeter matters. The thread snips are designed for this gesture. 105 millimeters. Two fine, very sharp points.
A light, handy tool, made for places a wider blade cannot reach. The points slide under the thread without touching the material. The cut is clean, flush, without fraying. Leather, fabric, knit: the same precision, the same gesture.
In the hand of a Venetian craftsperson, this gesture is repeated dozens of times per piece. These finishes give Tricot seams their neatness.