Founded in 1974, WEBS is one of the premier yarn shops in the US. They produce their own line of yarn, Valley Yarns, patterns, and classes. I'm SO EXCITED to be able to interview Kirsten, the mastermind behinds WEBS' collection of patterns, in this 2 Part Series and peek behind the scenes into my favorite store!
For Part One, in which Kirsten discusses her upbringing, early exposure to knitting, and life at WEBS, click here.
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One of Kirsten's first designs- the
Deep Breath Sweater.
For the record, my first design was
a washcloth. I'd just like to point out
the disparity in our skill set... |
When/How/Why did you start designing patterns? What are some of the first things you designed?
Well, as I briefly mentioned earlier, I started designing for myself with Barbara Walker and some stitch dictionaries, which I still say are all you really need to design your own stuff. The very first sweater I designed myself, sometime in high school, was actually a prototype of the Deep Breath Sweater I designed for Valley Yarns: a top-down boat neck pullover with relatively straight raglan sleeves. I used some weird, thin, fuzzy gray yarn (again with the fuzzy! I'm starting to sense a pattern here - funny, since I don't usually think of myself as being partial to fuzzy yarns). I think it was also when I realized that I could make a whole sweater out of just a few skeins of thin yarn if I knit it at a really loose gauge. I think I still have it somewhere, though it's gotten a little snagged and stained over the years.
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The first pattern Kirsten put to paper.
Mine was...oh, that's right.
Another washcloth. |
For the first pattern I've ever written, hm, I want to say that I wrote some scarf and shawl patterns for my parents' store. But I really can't remember them. But the ones I do remember were for Webs. Our previous designer / education director had left a year or so previously and I think Webs wanted to get back into the pattern publishing saddle for Valley Yarns. I was in customer service, but I had a few ideas, offered them, got the green light and went for it. I think the first one out of the gate was the Marianas Pullover - a top-down pullover out of Berkshire Bulky with a slit neck and lots of ribbing at the collar. I think it still holds up pretty well, though I'm almost scared to look at the directions after these years of learning how to write better and better patterns. Don't really get any questions about it, though, and the projects for it on Ravelry look great, so I must have done something right.
What inspires you when you’re working on a project, or thinking up new ideas? (It’s such a cliche question, but I’m dying to know!)
Not cliched at all! After designing a whole bunch of stuff, you kind of have to ask yourself that question - what do I need in order to come up with new ideas? I think a lot of the inspiration comes from the yarn itself. Each Valley Yarn has unique qualities that I know will work differently with different kinds of stitches. Some are springy and stretchy, some are languid and drapey - those kind of qualities immediately bring some different kinds of sweaters to mind. I'll also sometimes get really into a stitch pattern, maybe it looks complicated but actually has very simple directions, or it's reversible, or has shapes that could easily work into the shape of a sweater. Since the patterns are really there to sell the yarn, a lot of my designs are adult women's garments. Keeping a balance of different constructions, pullovers, cardigans, often helps. And, of course, my coworkers are always brimming with great ideas, showing me new, exciting patterns or store-bought sweaters. I've found that Pininterest has been a really fun way to get inspired as well.
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| I'd make this for my sister... |
What is the most challenging aspect of designing knitwear? The most fun? The easiest?
For me, the biggest challenge is definitely fit. I come from kind of a design-nerd perspective of wanting to make the overall shape of the object connected to details, of having a cool stitch pattern built into the shape or a surprising construction. But sometimes those shapes aren't necessarily flattering on some body types, or they aren't considered flattering or popular right at the moment. Since I'm not much of a shopper and pretty much live in t-shirts and jeans (the better to go under sweaters!), it's been a challenge for me to get up to speed in the fashion world and trying to focus on fresh new silhouettes, design a garment as well as a project.
To what extent are you “guided” in what you design?
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And I'd make this
for my mom... |
Well, it's a changing, growing sort of position still, so the amount of control I have vs. the amount the catalog committee has is kind of a fluid thing. I like to have more designs in any given catalog than the same one last year. For the spring and summer, I need to focus on the cotton yarns, the fall and winter for wools. There are lots of different tastes out there, and lots of different tastes here at Webs, so I try to suit the variety. But Kathy definitely holds veto power. Probably for the best!
As a professional knitter/knit designer, do you ever knit just for fun?
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| Oooo...I'd make this for me.. |
Hah! Oh, how slippery the definition of "fun" can be! I do still knit a lot for myself, and I do still enjoy knitting, though I like to make sure everything I knit, be it at home or at work, can be made into a pattern. I guess so the knitting isn't "wasted," as if that could ever happen. But if a pattern sizing problem is standing between me and finishing a garment I really want to wear, I'll relax that standard and just knit it how it needs to be knit and let go of the pattern.
How do you organise test knitters? Do you think it is necessary to have a test knit for each size of a project?
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| And totally this for me... |
I'd love to be able to get every size test-knit, but unfortunately there are only so many knitters, so much yarn, and so much time. So I can usually only get one size for every sweater. My test knitters are an awesomely skilled team of employees and local customers who can knit quickly, reliably, perfectly, and patiently. Since most are prototypes and don't have photos to check the work against, they may have to rip it out if I've made a mistake in the pattern or if they made a noticeable mistake in the knitting. I try to keep tabs on who likes what kind of project, but I'm toying with new ideas for posting available test-knits for employees who might be up to the task but might be too shy to ask.
Many beginning knit designers, it seems to me, have trouble mastering structure and sizing. Were these difficult for you when you started designing? Are they easy now? Do you have a few basic structures that you return to regularly?
Definitely an ongoing battle. It's one thing to design a sweater that fits you. It's another thing entirely to make that sweater design work, mathematically, for 5 or more very different sizes, not to mention making them all look okay and proportional. The neck shaping that there's plenty of room for in the 40" sweater may not fit in the 32" sweater. The sleeve cap shaping method that looks clean and comfy in the 34"-36" range might get way too huge in the 50"-52" range.
I often think of design as mediating between the Design Gnomes and the Fit Fairies (which exist solely in my head). Making that cool stitch pattern, construction idea, knitting concept, work cleanly with the shape of the garment, and hoping that it actually looks good on a human body. But then, you open up W and see women walking down runways in geodesic domes or dressed like hairbrushes and you wonder how hard and fast the rules of "flattering" really are. They've certainly changed a lot in the knitting industry the last 20 years. Back in the 80's, when knitting was seeing a big resurgence, a sweater was outerwear, and it had at least 4 inches of ease and at least a 9 inch armhole. Now those boxy outerwear sweaters are considered by some to be terribly unflattering. For some, the role of knitwear has shifted to very close fitting, next to the skin sweaters that need to fit every bump and curve, and armholes for set-in sleeves can be smaller than 6 or 7 inches and still be considered wearable. My goal is to be able to design a wide variety of fits for all these different generations, while still trying to innovate in my own small way. I've certainly designed some sweaters that I look back on and think "oooh, should have made that armhole a little smaller or the sleeve a little longer" but thankfully I can apply those lessons and make each garment better than the last.
What is your favorite sweater construction?
I started off designing everything top-down, so that always has a special place in my heart. But I've had to grow beyond that and design a variety of different constructions, because there are some people out there who really dislike top-down, or bottom-up, or different things. So, diversity is the key. I've come to appreciate bottom-up designs, both in pieces and in the round. Designing in pieces isn't necessarily just a mimicry of sewing patterns. Sometimes, it can be a lot easier to write a pattern for four separate pieces, all worked in rows throughout. So, really, each construction has its
strengths and weaknesses.
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My version of Kirsten's
Turquoise Pullover, a very
simple, very pretty 3 tube
construction. |
But, for myself, if I'm writing a pattern for my own imprint, I indulge myself with the simplest of possible shapes - the 2 or 3 tubes or the 4 rectangles constructions. Straight sleeves, drop shoulder, and some awesome stitch pattern that's usually too big or too complicated to put on a fitted garment. I have pretty wild curves, so I can usually wear closer fitting, unshaped sweaters that stretch to fit the larger bits. And it's just so easy to write.
What’s your least favorite aspect of the knitting process, or something that you try and avoid?
Seaming's definitely no fun for me, and purling - while I've adjusted my purl stitches so that they don't take any longer than my knit stitches, but I still feel proud if I can design something with more knits than purls. Like avoiding left turns. It's just one of those little goals that can inspire new ideas.
Do you have a favorite project/design that you’ve made?
Whew. Wow. That's really hard to figure out. My most recent FO for myself is a top-down saddle-shouldered cardigan with cables just all over it. It inspired a Valley Yarns design, though I had to make a few major changes to it to make the pattern writeable. For the longest time I only had plain, bulky pullovers for myself since they didn't take as much time, could be worked in the round, and I didn't need to think about them too hard. But I wanted a chance to show off my skill and really make a "wow" cardigan. And in something other than gray, my go-to color. It took a long time, and I had to rip out both sleeves to make them smaller (just like what you did with the Totem pullover!), but now I just love it and I'm practically living in it.
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| Kirsten's Oriel Lace Cardigan |
As far as patterns that you can actually buy, I think my favorite so far has been the Oriel Lace Cardigan. Even though it's in cotton, which isn't my favorite fiber, I think everything just came together well in that sweater. The proportions, the lace, it just looks right to me. And that's a good feeling.
Who are some of your favorite designers?
Norah Gaughan totally rocks my world. I find myself saying "yes!" to so many of her designs. I love her scientific inspirations, her boldness in trying new constructions, shapes, motifs and techniques, and her originality. It's always a thrill when I "get" one of her designs at a glance.
Cirilia Rose, a former coworker of mine, and of Norah's, has such an exuberant sense of style. She's one of those people who inspires everyone around her, and she sort of showed me that everyone has a sense of style, all they need to do is examine it, identify it, love it and run with it. Her designs are always adorable, but surprisingly traditional, and with fun touches and unexpected color combinations.
I think Jared Flood's photography has totally changed the way people feel about knitting patterns. They have so much aesthetic appeal that I think it makes people feel more beautiful just for owning it, just for knitting it. He's totally raised the bar for indie designers and how they photograph their designs, which is a definite challenge for someone as clueless about photography as I am. But in the same way, he's created so much excitement and cachet for independent knitting patterns that he's probably helped to make it a more viable career for many.
Ysolda Teague is just a superwoman. I boggle at how professional, yet personal, helpful and whimsical her pattern layout is, and how awesome her self-published books look. I think she, like Jared, has really raised the bar on how good, clear, and pretty a pattern should be. No slouching with these two on the field!
In what ways are you a compassioknitter?
I've donated all or portions of my personal pattern sales to Doctors Without Borders in the past during crises. But it doesn't feel like enough. I've had some really awesome ideas in the past for designing a specific pattern for a specific charity, then having some or all of the profits going to that charity, but they haven't gotten off the ground yet.
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| Beautiful woods near Kirsten's home |
Do you find your charitable knitting tends to get waylaid in favor of work/private projects? What are some ways we can avoid this?I think by making my plans too big and complicated, I've kept them from coming to fruition. Like I had this idea to make a white, unisex cabled sweater pattern and donate some of the profits to White Knot, which is an organization working for marriage equality. But then I started thinking I should spin the wool too, wool I could then sell, and oh god, do I make kits? What do I call it? Do I really want to spin white yarn every weekend? And so, the simple, cool idea gets too complicated to survive. What I should just do is get a good commercial yarn that I enjoy working with, like many of the Valley Yarns, and make it happen.
What are some great examples of charitable knitting that you’ve seen?
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Kay Gardiner's Mitered Crosses Blanket, available
here. |
I thought the Mitered Cross Blanket pattern donated by http://www.masondixonknitting.com/ was (is) a brilliant idea. So often, when disaster strikes, people want to be able to help using the things they do best. But if the thing you do best is not necessarily helpful to relief efforts (like, say, baking cupcakes), the best thing to send is cash. When the earthquakes and tsunami hit Japan, so many people wanted to send comforting knits over to keep people warm. But, like earlier with the earthquake in Haiti, when a disaster strikes, the postal system and infrastructure can get totally destroyed, and relief teams need every inch of cargo space for essentials like water and medical equipment. So, while I applaud the sentiment and effort behind knitting care items for disaster-struck areas, the best thing to do is to sell those knitted goods or those patterns and give the proceeds to organizations like Doctors Without Borders or the Red Cross.
How can people get more involved in knitting for charity?
Once you know who you want to help, think of what you can sell. Pick a project that's quick and easy for you, or something that only has to be made once, then sold automatically, like a pattern. If selling finished objects from someone else's pattern, be sure you have the permission of the designer first, and keep in mind the cost of your materials, packaging and shipping when pricing your item and deciding how much to donate.
What does Webs do for charitable knitting? Are there examples of projects or groups that people could start in their own communities, either by themselves or through their local yarn store?
I know we frequently run drives for the Food Bank of Western MA, the Cancer Connection, and Dakin Animal Shelter. If an organization sends us a donation request for yarn, we are sometimes able to fill it.
Any other tips/comments/advice?
Above all, be adventurous with your knitting. One of the best things about the craft is that you can always re-do it. If you have an idea, go for it! And always keep in mind who you can help with your skills. We can help ourselves best by helping others.
Thank you so much for the wonderful interview, Kirsten!
Come back on Monday, May 23rd to see Kirsten's beautiful new pattern, donated to TheCompassioknitter, with all proceeds to benefit The FoodBank of Western MA.
