Julie Turjoman interviewed 26 knitwear designer/bloggers for Brave New Knits, as well as collecting unique patterns from each one, for a wide-ranging look at the personalities and design preferences of many of today's popular knitwear designers.  Well-established or recently started; self-publishing or frequently featured in mainstream publications; focused on hats, socks, sweaters, shawls (or all of the above)-- these designers run the gamut in every conceivable way! 

BUT they don't include Julie herself, even though she designs knitwear and has her own blog.  So when I interviewed her for this post, I made sure to ask about her own background and how it shaped her design sensibility, as well as about her concept for Brave New Knits and how it came together.

(Pictured--some of my own favorite projects from the book-- all photos by Jared Flood.)

1) I've really enjoyed reading through your interviews of knitbloggers/ designers in Brave New Knits, but one interview is missing-- yours!  You yourself are a knitwear designer, with designs in Interweave Knits, Twist Collective, and on your own blog.  Can you tell me a little about your own design process, and what kinds of patterns you like to design?    

       I love to design, but it can be a challenge to find time for both designing and writing. My eye is very much influenced by fashion, even by clothes I would never consider wearing. A specific detail such as an asymmetrical hem or an unusually placed ruffle will capture my fancy and I’ll sketch different ways those details could be incorporated into a knitwear design. Usually, the end result bears absolutely no resemblance to the original source of my inspiration!
     When I have a drawing that really excites me, I’ll start swatching. I also make an effort to write the entire pattern before I actually knit the sample garment. For me, working through that process is a kind of “insurance” that the pattern will be knittable. Although I have notebooks full of accessory patterns and ideas, my true design love is the sweater, with all its versatility and possibility.

2) Your blog bio states that you are an East Coast native; where did you grow up, and how did you find your way to the West Coast?

     I grew up in a suburb of New York City, and spent most of my life on the east coast until we relocated to the Bay area. My husband was transferred for his job, for what we thought would be a two- to three-year, fun but temporary experiment in California living. Ten years later, we’re still here – and my daughter, who was in elementary school when we arrived in 2000, thinks of herself as a true California girl.

3)   What was your day job before you turned knitwear designer/book author?

     For many years I was an interior designer, and now find that all the training I had in color, proportion, and texture really comes in handy in knitwear design!  

4)   Besides the fascinating interviews, Brave New Knits contains a wonderful and diverse selection of patterns, among them sweaters, scarves, socks, and hats, and featuring lace, cables, texture stitches, Fair Isle, and slipped stitches.  After I agreed to contribute a pattern to the book, you emailed me, "If there is a specific type of pattern you would like to contribute (i.e. socks, a shawl, etc.) that request will be honored whenever possible."  Did you have a goal of a certain mix of patterns for the book from the beginning, or did you allow the design proposals from all of the blogger/designers to dictate the final pattern mix?

     It was always my goal for Brave New Knits to include a 50/50 mix of garments and accessories. Knitters are such a diverse community, with such individual tastes and passions, that I applied my personal rule of thumb to the pattern line-up; that is, when I browse through a knitting book to decide whether to add it to my library, I reach for my wallet only if I want to knit at least half of the book’s projects. I hope BNK is that kind of book for everyone who skims through it.
     However – and this is a big however – this is also an extremely personality-driven book. I wanted the designers’ interviews to be just as compelling as the projects, and for each designer’s personality to come through in both the interview and in the project he or she contributed. So I definitely took designers’ pattern preferences into consideration, because different designers have different specialties; for example, Woollywormhead is known for her wonderful and unusual hats, and Chrissy Gardiner seems to have an endless cache of fabulous socks in her imagination.

5)  How did you make the yarn choices for each pattern?  Did designers suggest yarns they wanted to use?

     Many designers did suggest yarns they wanted to use, and I approached a wide range of yarn companies about providing support for the book’s projects. Again, achieving a balance between mainstream, large yarn companies and small indie dyers was a goal. The response was great; yarn company owners were unanimously generous and helpful. We agreed it was important that the yarn selections be readily available to knitters who purchase the book, because many will want to knit the projects exactly as they are shown. As the yarn selections were being finalized I tried to go with newer additions to each company’s collection (and thus were less likely to be discontinued by the time the book came out).

6)  What was the average number of ideas that each designer submitted to you?  Was it difficult to choose among them?

     Many designers were kind enough to offer me two or more design ideas from which to choose. This made it both a pleasure and a challenge to narrow down the options. Knowing I wanted a balance of projects with cables, lace, stitch texture, and more, I eventually created a spreadsheet that allowed me to track the variety – not that this tool made it any easier to narrow down all those fabulous ideas!

7)  What was your favorite part about writing Brave New Knits?

     My favorite part was definitely getting to know so many talented designers. Technology makes it so easy to have face-to-face conversations with people all over the world, so when I couldn’t physically travel to meet some of the designers, we were often able to Skype. That’s how I did the interviews with Ysolda Teague in Scotland and Mari Muinonen in Finland, for example.
     I traveled within the U.S. as much as possible in order to see the designers in their studios, and to get a real-time sense of their design process. For instance, Shannon Okey was just setting up her new design studio and classroom when we met in Ohio, Norah Gaughan gave me a tour of Berroco Yarn’s headquarters in Massachusetts, and when we met at his apartment for coffee, Jared Flood gave me a sneak preview of the projects in his not-yet-published Made In Brooklyn pattern book for Classic Elite Yarns. It was fascinating to see how the blog personalities matched up with the real people.

8)  Your least favorite?

     As much as I enjoyed working with my editor at Rodale on finalizing the interviews text, the technical editing was difficult. My math skills are mediocre at best, and so I always hire an outside tech editor to work on my personal patterns before I release them. Having to review 26 patterns at least 4 different times throughout the process of creating the book (I hired an independent tech editor, and then Rodale brought in both another tech editor and a technical illustrator to spiff up the final version of the patterns) was enough to give me nightmares of giant numbers invading my house and demanding that I recite the multiplication tables.

9)  Any plans for a sequel?

   I have some ideas for a follow-up, but nothing I can talk about yet!

(Projects in order pictured:  Tulip Peasant Blouse by Connie Chang Chinchio; Milk Maiden Pullover by Teresa Gregorio; Seaweed Vest by yours truly; Koukla Cardigan by Hilary Smith Callis; Origami Shrug by Melissa Wehrle; Orchid Thief Shawlette by Ysolda Teague.)


 

Julie is the author of Brave New Knits, subtitled "26 Projects and Personalities from the Knitting Blogosphere."  This subtitle pretty much sums up the book, which will be released next week.  But since I am one of the blogger-designers featured in it, I received an advance copy.  I've had a chance to read through it, and I can say that even if you are not really interested in finding out more about knitwear designers such as Ysolda Teague, Mari Muinonen, Connie Chang Chinchio, Norah Gaughan, Jared Flood or Grumperina (to name a few), you should consider buying this book just for the patterns! 

I will be posting about the design process for my contribution to the book, the "Seaweed Vest," in a couple of weeks, but first, I will be posting an interview with Julie Turjoman, the author of Brave New Knits, and a blogger-designer in her own right.  I found her answers to my questions very interesting, and hopefully you will too!

 The other day I read an article in the New York Times entitled "Fashion Tries on Zero Waste Design," about several clothing designers who are experimenting with different ways of eliminating the scraps of fabric left over after the pieces of a garment are cut.  

"Zero-waste design strives to create clothing patterns that leave not so much as a scrap of fabric on the cutting room floor. This is not some wacky avant-garde exercise; it’s a way to eliminate millions of tons of garbage a year. Apparel industry professionals say that about 15 to 20 percent of the fabric used to produce clothing winds up in the nation’s landfills because it’s cheaper to dump the scraps than to recycle them."

How do they try to accomplish this?  

"One way to eliminate waste is to create a garment pattern — with gussets, pockets, collars and trims — that fits together like a puzzle. Another method is to simply not cut the fabric at all, but drape it directly onto a mannequin, then tuck, layer and sew."

Hey, I have an idea: how about KNITTED GARMENTS? NO COMPLICATED CUTTING OR DRAPING, NO WASTED FABRIC.* What a concept!!  (Okay, so knitted jeans probably wouldn't work....)

*You could even recycle the yarn used in swatches.

Last week I stopped in at Sage Yarn, in Falmouth, MA, in search of some buttons.  It's my favorite yarn store on Cape Cod (Ravelry group here).  I didn't find any buttons, so naturally I had to console myself by buying some yarn instead!  I got a skein of Berroco Inca Gold (merino/silk-- I had assumed it had alpaca in because of the name, but it doesn't) in a nice loden green, for swatching.  I got a few skeins of Berroco Seduce, a rayon/linen/silk/nylon blend, in an interesting color:  a bronzy base with light blue flecks.  It wasn't until I got home that I realized how well it coordinated with a fabric I am using for some accent pillows. (Not planning on making any home accessories with it, though.) 

And I got a single skein of a lovely homespun wool/silk.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it, but the colors were so pretty that I thought I would figure that out later.  

On the counter was a stand with issues of the latest Interweave Knits, and I couldn't resist telling the salesperson that my design was on the cover.  So she actually asked me for my autograph!  She took out an issue and put it down on the counter for me to sign.  I was so thrilled, my hand was shaking a bit-- I was afraid I was going to mess up my signature, have to buy that issue, and sign another one.  Made my day!  

Maybe the Interweave Knits editors chose the name "Inversion Gansey" because the lace patterns used on the body are inverted on the sleeves, since they are worked from the top down?  But that is typical gansey construction....   

BUT WHO CARES?!  It made the cover of the Interweave Knits Fall 2010 issue! How cool is that?  (And okay, my working title-- "Girly Gansey"-- was really kinda silly.)  I thought it was styled very nicely, worn over a white blouse and trousers (photos here).  

I managed to get a few quick photos myself before I sent the sample in to IK.  This was a very pleasant project to knit, with a few different stitch patterns to keep it interesting, and an area of simple stockinette that helped move the lower body (always a potential slow spot when worked in the round) along at a nice pace; plus the yarn, Louet MerLin, is a worsted weight, which works up pretty quickly.  I decided to make things a little easier for the beginning lace knitter by keeping the lace with pattern stitches on all rows confined to the hem and cuffs, where working entirely in the round means all pattern rows are worked from the RS.

I did a LOT of swatching for this pullover.  First, I decided to design a sweater using typical gansey construction methods, but using decidedly nontraditional lace stitch patterns.  I searched my stitch dictionaries looking for lace patterns that would look good worked both up (on the body) and down (on the sleeves), and eventually settled on several possibilities.  I then swatched using Cascade 220, Manos del Uruguay (a silk merino blend) and Dream in Color Classy; the color of the Cascade was too light, and seemed to wash out the relief of the central lace cable, while the Manos del Uruguay was too shiny.  I ended up submitting the Dream in Color swatches-- I used the Deep Seaflower colorway, which not only seemed aptly named for a fisherman's sweater, but has lovely subtle color variations which didn't obscure the lace patterns.  (I ended up using this yarn in my Cambia Capelet pattern.)  But I'm not unhappy that the final yarn choice was Louet MerLin-- it's an unusual mix of linen and merino wool, with a nice drape and gorgeous colors.  

In the last photo you can see a bit of the underarm gussets.  For some reason I found these really fun to knit!  I definitely have to use them again in another pattern.

Last week we went on a family vacation to the province of Apulia (Puglia) in southern Italy, and one of the obligatory stops there is Alberobello, home of the trullis (for more info about these round stone huts, check out the Wiki in English or Italian).  They are as cute as can be, although (as one of my guidebooks reported) at this point, many of them are gift shops.  But not all; some are still private homes. 

I noticed that many of the gift shops were selling simple knitted or crocheted ponchos like these.  (Not nearly as cute as the trullis, if you ask me!)

Sferruzzare Mondiale!

The scarf uses a lace cable stitch pattern of my own design-- it was inspired by the cable Norah Gaughan created for this lovely sweater, but I wanted something that was reversible.  Most cabled scarves are definitely NOT reversible, which is too bad-- some of them are really gorgeous.  But what really bothers me about cabled scarves is that when these scarves are photographed, they are always carefully arranged to show only the right side, which IMO borders on false advertising. 

By the way, I love this yarn.  It is Misti Alpaca Tonos Pima Silk (83% pima cotton and 17% silk); they call it "Hand Paint Tone on Tone."  It has a really soft hand, a nice weight, and the color variations are subtle and pretty.

La sciarpa usa un modello "pizzo-treccia" che ho disegnato-- era ispirato della treccia che ha creato Norah Gaughan per questo maglione bello, ma volevo qualcosa reversibile.  La maggiorparte delle sciarpe trecciate NON e' reversibile-- un peccato, perche' qualche di loro sono veramente bellissimo.  Ma la cosa piu fastidiosa e' che nelle foto di queste sciarpe, sono sempre sistemate per far vedere solamente la faccia "giusta."

Allora, amo questo filo.  E' Misti Alpaca Tonos Pima Silk, e molto morbide, con un peso piacevole, e le variazioni dei colori sono sottili e belle.

Go U.S.A.!  Go Italy!

Forza U.S.A.!  Forza !talia!

(This post is going to be long on photos and short on text.) 

Last week I spent a couple of days in NYC, courtesy of the husband, and took the opportunity to meet up with my friend Connie.  We took a sunset sightseeing cruise:  highly recommended! 

(Unfortunately the photo of us is rather blurry-- the seas were a little choppy!)

On Saturday, I was able to check out the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF), which was well worth a visit; it even included a couple of knitted rugs! 

Some of the cool stuff I saw, in no particular order:

That dress is actually a dressER (above). 

These prints were so gorgeous:  

Quilling on a grand scale!

A rocking...bed?!

On the way out we flew past the island, and I shot this photo:

I'm kind of surprised small planes are allowed to fly so close to Manhattan...anyway, the construction site in the lower right part of the picture is Ground Zero.

And finally, a photo of Wood's Hole, on Cape Cod.  It was a lovely day for flying!

Pattern now available!  This top-down pullover has endured a lengthy process from conception to completion (I will do a future post about the design process), and in the end has become one of my own most-worn designs.  

It goes well with jeans or can be dressed up, and the slightly elongated sleeves and body are flattering for most figures. 

Sadly, it appears that the Tilli Tomas Fil de la Mer yarn I used has been discontinued-- but I did do extensive swatching of other yarns and was able to find a number of them that, although not an exact replacement in terms of fiber mix and properties, should work well.  

The first and third photos show the sweater with the scooped neckline worn in back, which I think I may prefer to wearing it with scooped neckline in front (second and fourth photos).  I purposely chose a lace pattern that wasn't too open, so an underlayer wouldn't be necessary--- all photos show the sweater worn over a bra only.  

See the pattern page for more details about sizes and yarn requirements.  The body-skimming fit is due to the rib stitch pattern and the drape of the yarn; there is no waist or sleeve shaping.  This means that it is VERY easy to customize body and sleeve lengths to your liking, since there are no bust, waist, or sleeve shaping decreases or increases to recalculate.  I found the top-down yoke a lot of fun to knit-- the raglan increases, casting on the stitches for the center front, and dividing for the body and sleeves all keep it interesting.  After that point, well, it is great semi-mindless knitting!  (If you see this as a travel or commuter project, I recommend doing the sleeves before the body, to keep the bulk of it down for as long as possible.)

Since the yarn I used for the soon-to-be-published Lace Cable Rib Pullover has been discontinued, I have swatched with a number of possible substitute yarns to make sure the proper gauge can be achieved. When substituting yarn, it is especially important to knit a good-sized gauge swatch and measure it after blocking.

I chose possible yarns based on ball band gauge and fiber content, hoping to find yarns with similar drape and weight.  This proved to be rather difficult!  The Tilli Tomas Fil de la Mer is in a sort of in-between class, on the light side of DK and on the heavy side of sport.  My comments are below.

Clockwise from top left:

Debbie Bliss Prima, 80% bamboo, 20% merino wool, 100m/50 g skein, color #35704, using US size 4/3.5 mm needles.  Nice luster and drape, quite splitty (as Ysolda pointed out in a comment on an earlier post), a bit on the heavy side (it has 100 m per 50 g, compared to the Fil de la Mer at 128 m per 50 g). 

Misti Alpaca Tonos Pima Silk, 83% pima cotton, 17% silk, 327 yds/100g skein, using US size 5/3.75 mm needles.  Gorgeous subtly variegated color, a bit of sheen, really nice to knit with, not quite as drapey as the Fil de la Mer, but I really liked this yarn a lot.  It also comes in solid and handpainted colors (although my preference would be for the subtly variegated or solid colors for this pattern).

Classic Elite Allegoro, 70% cotton, 30% linen, 152 yds/50 g skein, color #5650, using US size 5/3.75 mm needles.  Quite lightweight (a good thing, in my opinion), nice dry hand, moderate drape, a matte surface without much luster, knits up a tad loosely (I first tried US size 6/4 mm needles, but then went down a size, and I wouldn't be surprised if a US size 4/3.5 mm needle was required for some knitters to get the proper gauge).  I liked this yarn, but it is quite different from the Fil de la Mer.

Patons Grace, 100% cotton, 136 yds/50 g skein, color #62246 Leaf, using US size 6/4 mm needles.  Nice stitch definition and sheen, but the fabric has a crisp feel and lacks drape; I ended up not including this as a suggested substitute in the pattern, even though I achieved the correct gauge.

Frog Tree Picoboo, 60% pima cotton, 40% bamboo, 116 yds/50 g skein, color#1000, using US size 5/3.75 mm needles.  Nice sheen and soft hand, a bit on the heavy side, moderate drape.

Mirasol Nuna, 40% merino wool, 40% silk, 20% bamboo, 191 yds/50 g skein, color #1009, using US size 5/3.75mm needles.  This is a very lightweight yarn with a lot of luster; a pleasure to work with; more bounce and less drape than the Fil de la Mer, but this and the light weight will actually help the sweater hold its shape (as I state in the pattern, with the Fil de la Mer you can expect the body and sleeves of the sweater to stretch an inch or more in length while worn--this may not be the case if using the Nuna).  This swatch wanted to be a tiny bit small, so if you decide to use it, block heavily and make sure you can get the right gauge.  Lots of lovely colors. 

I also swatched with Louet MerLin sport weight, a merino wool/linen blend (I used the worsted version of this yarn for a recent unbloggable project and liked it), but it knit up at too fine a gauge.  Finally, after I did all this swatching, I noticed the tempting Madeline Tosh Pashmina on a website somewhere, and I think this could also work nicely.  As always with MT, the colors are just amazing.  It's 75% wool, 15% silk and 10% cashmere, so it would probably be less drapey than the Fil de la Mer.