Part two of the “Frosted Petals Poncho” in comment 104:
https://furlscrochet.com/blogs/crochet-tutorials/free-crochet-poncho-frosted-petals
This link includes both part 1 & part 2.
Tom Hanks sweaters for Mister Rogers movie took 9 weeks to knit
Yasemin Esmek has fixed Adrienne Warrens costumes in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, dressed Rockettes for Radio Citys Christmas Spectacular and altered Glenda Jacksons suit in King Lear. But with A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, the new Tom Hanks film about the beloved public-television host Fred Rogers, her handiwork practically has a starring role.
Esmek knitted all the sweaters Hanks sports in the film: re-creations of Mr. Rogers signature zip-up cardigans, which he wore for every episode of his show, including the bright red version housed at the Smithsonian.
Im a big fan of Tom Hanks, the Maplewood, NJ, resident tells The Post. And knitting for a movie, it just sounded like so much fun. I knew I had to do it.
Esmek, in her 50s, was altering calico dresses and aprons for Broadways 2018 revival of Carousel when she heard from costume designer Arjun Bhasin, who was looking for an expert knitter to take on Hanks sweaters for the Rogers film.
It was of the utmost importance that Fred Rogers sweaters be hand-knit and duplicated perfectly, Bhasin tells The Post. The cardigans have become inseparable from the TV hosts persona, a symbol of his humility and down-to-earth sensibility. They had zippers instead of buttons making them easier to take on and off and were hand-knit by Rogers mother, who would give her son a new variation every Christmas. Rogers wore them until they were almost threadbare, and in later years, after his mothers death, his crew finally found a suitable substitute for his moms originals, from the company that supplied the sweaters for the US Postal Service.
Yasemins artistry is undeniable, he adds. Im so happy to have been able to collaborate with her.
Esmek grew up in Hanover, Germany, and learned how to knit in first grade.
She studied knitwear design at Manhattans Fashion Institute of Technology where she met her husband, a fashion production manager and even had her own line of woolens that she sold at Barneys in the early 1990s.
Esmek took a break in the 2000s to raise her children ones now a biologist, the other is studying shoe design at FIT, and both knit but began working in costume shops as a tailor. Six years ago, Esmek took a job altering fashions at the Metropolitan Opera, eventually landing gigs at the New York City Ballet as well as several Broadway shows.
She wasnt very familiar with Mr. Rogers before she began knitting those cardigans. My kids watched a little bit, but theyre almost a little too young for it, she says. So she had to do a lot of research, studying photos and watching the 2018 documentary Wont You Be My Neighbor?
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