How long have you been knitting?
I started knitting in 2005. I was raising two small people at that point and had very limited free time. To begin with, I was only able to carve out a few minutes a day to practice the movement of the stitches to help build muscle memory.
How long have you been a knitwear designer?
I started modifying knitting patterns pretty quickly after I started knitting. And that was the beginning. Each step I took to learn to modify a pattern to better fit my needs and available resources was part of learning how to write and design my own patterns. I released my first official knitting pattern for sale in 2011.
Where can I find your patterns?
My patterns are available on Ravelry, through Knit Picks, through WEBS, through Love Crafts, and in various magazines and books.
Are your patterns charted and written?
Almost all of my patterns include both!
What do you mean when you say measure the upper body?
This is a great question. This can vary greatly between patterns and designers. I’ve written a blog post about my process here.
Do you provide pattern support for your patterns?
I’m happy to provide pattern support for my paid patterns. If you have a question, please feel free to contact me using the email address provided at the bottom of each page of my patterns.
What do you love best about designing?
As a designer, I love to provide knitters with clear, concise knitting patterns with a flattering fit for many body sizes. And I always want knitters to finish with a project they love or would love to gift. I love taking inspiration from the natural world and turning that into a knitted garment. And I love using classic shapes and construction.
What else do you do?
I’m also a freelance writer. I hike. I read. I travel whenever I can. And I took a day job that currently occupies 40 hours of my week while we are helping two young adults through college.
How can we hire you to write for us?
Reach out. Please! I love to write. And I especially love to write about knitting and travel and knitting travel. If you’ve got an event or a knitting topic that you would like me to write about for you, I’d love to hear about it.
How do I know which needles will work with which project?
The suggested knitting needle sizes in a pattern are always a suggestion. The size of needles that you will need changes drastically for a lot of different reasons. I’ve written a blog post about it here. I always say something like this in the Pattern Notes of my patterns:
Test your gauge! These are recommended needle sizes but you will need to use the size of needle that gives you gauge in pattern. If the fabric feels too loose or the stitches lack definition, you likely need to go down a needle size. If the fabric feels too dense or the stitches are hard to work, you likely need to go up a needle size.
What is a test swatch?
The answer to this question changes depending on who you ask. I know some knitters feel like a test swatch is a soul-sucking tiny piece of knitting. And other knitters feel like the same tiny piece of knitting is the most important first step to knitting any project (especially large ones like a sweater). I fall very firmly in the second group of knitters.
Too philosophical? I’ll try again. A gauge swatch is a tiny piece that you knit in the yarn and with the needles you intend to use for a given pattern. I generally cast on about 20 stitches and knit about 20 rows for my gauge swatches. Once finished, you lay it flat and measure the heck out of it. How many rows per inch did you get? How many stitches per inch did you get? Do these numbers match the ones the designer has called for in their pattern? How does the fabric feel? I’ve written a blog post about swatches here.
Why do designers really want you to get gauge for your project?
I’ve written an entire blog post about this here. The short answer is that designers want you to end with a project that you love or that meets your expectations. Tiny differences in gauge can make a big difference over a large project. Larger differences to gauge will make an enormous difference in a large project. I’ve written a blog post about this here.