I’m always interested in new up and coming designers, simple style, interesting stories, and those folks to watch for their future impact on fiber arts.  Some of you may already know Stephen West, but if you don’t he’s one to watch.  He’s a young designer who has a great blog, showcasing his designs and is quickly rising in popularity on Ravelry.  We caught up with Stephen to talk a little about his background, his work, and what’s next for him.  Check it out and check out his work!

Can you tell us a little bit about how you got started knitting and designing?

I started knitting in high school after a couple friends taught me, but my knitting looked as awkward as I felt doing it. Despite this rough first attempt, I was still interested, so I got a knitting book and learned all the basics. My first projects were acrylic scarves and hats until I went to college and found my LYS, Klose Knit in Urbana, IL. I discovered wool, alpaca, and other wonderful fibers and then there was no looking back. I brought projects with me everywhere and worked almost strictly from patterns for about a year. During that time I would often modify patterns to fit my taste and my 6′2 height. After modifying more and more patterns, it wasn’t too long before I started designing my own. By designing my own patterns, I can get exactly what I want or I end up with something completely different and weird, which may spark another design idea.

Shawls, shawls, and more shawls. They seem to be on everyone’s mind and you have some amazing shawl patterns in your line up. What is it about shawls that inspires your creative juices?

I love making them as much as I love wearing them. I particularly love smaller shawls that can be worn as scarves around the neck because they are easy to wear and they also look fun and stylish. Shawls as scarves or neck pieces are also quicker to make, often taking just one skein of sock yarn. Fingering weight yarn is one of my favorites because it drapes beautifully and the colors can be breath-taking. I don’t knit socks much, so shawls are another wonderful use for sock yarn. Shawls also have multiple functions. They can be wrapped around your neck, positioned several different ways, or draped over your shoulders. There are many different ways of constructing shawls. Most of mine start at the neck edge with just a few stitches and then gradually increase outwards. I love this method of construction because you quickly see progress and by the time rows become painfully long, you’re almost done. I am humbled by responses I receive from knitters who love my shawl designs. So, it is easy for me to develop shawl patterns when there is so much interest in them.

Where does your inspiration come from? Are their any designers out there today that are really inspiring you or you feel are on the cutting edge?

Sometimes my inspiration comes from images I come across or structures and objects in my environment, but mostly I am inspired by yarn, color, and the act of knitting. So, my designs often utilize simple stockinette and garter stitch, showcasing beautiful yarns. Simple, clear lines mixed with some interesting detail or shape appeal to me. I am always inspired by what other designers like Jared Flood, Ysolda Teague, Gudrun Johnston, and Kirsten Kapur come up with. I can tell that they are all passionate about knitting and I think their work has the ability to evoke a strong mood or emotion. All of them also take gorgeous photos, which is something I’d like to learn more about.

What’s up next for you?
A lot, actually. I am going to start working on a website soon and hopefully get my blog updated and going again. I’ve taught a few classes in my local area, but I am interested in expanding my class repertoire and traveling to different shops this year. I have been designing a lot of new patterns recently, which I am very excited about. Some of these new patterns will be part of a Westknits pattern collection that I’m planning to release later this year. I just started working with Deep South Fibers, who now distributes my patterns wholesale to yarn stores, which frees up more time for me to play with new design ideas. I’m also working on some knit art installations with Chicago-based fashion designer, Katrin Schnabl, These installations will be presented in Chicago and New York this spring.

Quick Facts:

On your iPod right now: Spring Awakening soundtrack. I can’t stop listening to it.

If you were a yarn what yarn would you be? Right now, I would be Malabrigo Twist because I can’t stop knitting with it.

Favorite place to knit: Outside in the shade

Current project on the needles: Farmer’s Market Cardigan by Connie Chang Chinchio, Chevalier Mittens by Mari Muinonen, Expedition by Todd Gocken, a new sweater design and scarf design.

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Before I left for vacation, we were so lucky to host Sharon Brant from Rowan for an amazing workshop on how to “Suit a Garment to You”. It was a fabulous experience for all who were able to attend.

Sharon started us off with a discussion about how we should approach a pattern and think about how it might fit around areas of “focus” for each one of us.

Sharon then helped each one of us create our own custom template to use to modify any pattern to our own individual shape.  We figured out how to look at the width of our shoulders, length of our torso, etc and tweak the pattern measurements to best fit each frame.  It was fantastic!

Seed Stitch was a busy place that Tuesday night.  We not only hosted Sharon, but we had two of our regular session classes running, beginning knit with Cindy and My First Sweater with Sumner.  So we were all a bit squeezed but it made for a fun, festive, and inspiring night.

After a fantastic workshop, but one filled with quite a bit of math as we measured and modified, we ended the night with a celebratory sip of champagne!

Also check out Sharon’s project journal from her trip to Seed Stitch on KnitRowan.com

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We are blessed in so many ways at Seed Stitch and are always looking for ways to give back whether it’s plans for our holiday giving project for this year, our participation in the 3/50 project where we committed to support other locally owned businesses wherever possible, or in this latest endeavor.  A customer recently brought in a new publication out of the UK called The Knitter Magazine.  It’s an amazing magazine geared toward the more experienced knitter, with phenomenal patterns, great articles, and nifty product spotlights.  Seed Stitch will be carrying this magazine as of the next issue due out and we’re working to get back issues (especially issue & with that fab Zauberball sock pattern).  So stay tuned for that.

I was super excited to read about a how The Knitter Magazine has teamed up with Rowan and Macmillan Cancer Support for this event called the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning to be held on September 25th.  The event is designed to help improve the lives of patients suffering from cancer.  Not only is this a great cause because we all have someone in our lives affected by cancer, but they’ve also given us an excuse to knit!

Rowan and The Knitter have asked some of the amazing designers that we know and love to design afghan squares, which are so beautiful. So here’s the deal. We thought that at Seed Stitch we could knit a square or two. We’d also like you to join us on Friday morning September 25th if you’re available. Stop by our fantastic neighbor’s Front Street Cafe to pick up your cup of coffee (or tea, I’m a tea drinker), thus supporting a great local business along the way, bring your knitting and we’ll work on a square or two together — a very informal gathering. We all know how our knitting projects can linger, so best to put a deadline on ourselves and shoot for getting our collective squares done by October 25th. We should be able to do that right? A square each in a month. Download square patterns here.

For those of you that are not local to Salem, we encourage you to pick up your needles as well and feel free to send us your square and we’ll add it in, or start up your own group, share a cup of coffee together, and find a local cancer charity to which you could donate your lovely work.

Just some of the beautiful afghan squares are shown below.

Also as a reminder, later that evening on the 25th, Seed Stitch will be hosting a free lecture with Leslie Scanlon of Mac & Me. Pre-registration is required so please give us a ring or let us know on your next visit.

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We all know just what knitting is capable of.  It can create a cozy and homey blanket for snuggling on the couch, a treasured and well worn sweater for a new baby, or an amazingly shaped and intricately stitched garment for your night out on the town.  However, much of society still sees knitting as an “old bitty’s” craft and imagines scratchy lanolin heavy wools knit in poorly lit rooms sitting in a rocking chair.  Now don’t get me wrong, there is most definitely a place for lanolin heavy wools and I’ve been known to sit in the rocking chair to knit a stitch or two, but knitting is evolving.  We know it and Lexie Barnes, notable accessories and knitting bag designer, is working to elevate knitting presence in the fashion world.

Fashion Week is upon us this week, hosted by Mercedes Benz in NYC.  Lexie is hosting comfort lounge outside of Fashion Week in Bryant Park to offer a bit of relaxation to Fashion Week participants but also showcase just how amazing knitting can be.  She’ll also be offering mini knitting lessons so folks can be exposed to this amazing art and craft that we all love.  We all have an opportunity to help Lexie Barnes host this event as she’s holding a donation drive to help offset the cost of this great event.

Seed Stitch contributed and I can’t wait to see what comes out of this event for Lexie Barnes and for our entire knitting community.  I’ll be looking to see what comes out of Fashion Week in terms of knitted garments and how that might inspire what we do at Seed Stitch.

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Every issue at the beginning of the Debbie Bliss Magazine, Debbie give us little snip its of inspiration.  In the fall issue she showcased some vintage end papers from knitting books of the 20s, 30s, and 40s.  Well we got so excited.  Michele, one of our very own Seed Stitchers, has been collecting books from this era and Odhams Press Ltd. and had many of the same end papers featured in the magazine.  I can’t tell you how amazing it is to leaf through these old books and see the fashions, read the funny nuances of the text, laugh at some, and think “oh that one I could really make”.

My imagination is alive with the possibilities of how we might be able to leverage these end papers at Seed Stitch.

However the inspiration does stop there!  We loved these old patterns so much we’ve decided to create a vintage knit along from these oldies but goodies.  We are going to be working out the logisitcs of the knit along over the next few weeks and will chat with you all about it as Fall gets rolling.  Ooooohhhhh so exciting!

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Veronik Avery is a fantastic designer who has been inspired by classic fashion trends. She’s teamed up with Classic Elite to launch her first yarn line and it’s due into to Seed Stitch in a matter of days.  The new line is called Nordique by St. Denis and is 100% wool, knits at 24–28 sts/4 inches on a U.S. size 2.5 -6, making it a fingering to sport weight, with 150 yards per ball.  This yarn has a wonderful luster and hand-feel and I think it destined to become a classic.  Veronik was kind enough to give us a little insight into the product, her design inspiration, and what we might expect next.

How does it feel to launch your own yarn line?

Frightening and exciting at the same time – I have been working on this for over a year now and while I love having creative control over every aspect of the line, I’m also terrified about what kind of reception it will have.

I think we’re all becoming more and more conscious about where our products are manufactured. Can you talk about your decision to have your line produced in North America?

It just doesn’t make sense to me to have products manufactured abroad when we have the raw materials and the ability to do so right here. It’s also often difficult to know where exactly our products come from even when they are clearly labeled – for instance, it is perfectly legal to say that a product is produced in a particular country even if only the last step in manufacturing was completed there. It could have been spun in China from fleece imported from New Zealand, but the label will simply say ‘made in Italy as it was plied and balled there. Not to mention that a product with that much mileage should be more expensive – the fact that it isn’t adds another concern to the equation.

Can you give readers a little synopsis of the magazine to accompany your yarn?

The magazine’s goal is to inspire and educate as well as present patterns. I think many of us have heard references to being either a product knitter or a process knitter – well, I think many of us are a bit of both. So, while the yarn line is intended to be a real knitter’s material – durable, crisp yet soft enough to be worn next to the skin – the magazine aims to showcase what we love about this craft.

How have your designs evolved since you started designing?

That’s difficult to say because of the way that I work – I studied visual arts through my teenage years and for a while in university and that has had quite an impact on how I approach design. It isn’t so much an evolution, as each collection and each piece within that collection is treated as an unit rather than part of a whole. I don’t love one silhouette, technique or construction method above all others – it all boils down to what I’m doing at the moment.

What designers have inspired your work?

Pam Allen, Marc Jacobs, Stanley Kubrick , Claire McCardell, Janet Morton, Issey Miyake, Paul Smith, Sonya Rykiel, Meg Swansen, Vivienne Westwood, Frank Lloyd Wright, Elizabeth Zimmermann (to name a few).

What’s up next?

I’m working on the second issue right now and waiting for the spring yarn samples to arrive. I’m also working on fall of 2010 – since my yarn is spun to my specifications rather than picked from a selection, I have to determine what kind of fleece will be used and how it will be spun and that needs to happen far enough in advance so as to have samples in time to knit with.

QUICK FACTS:

On your iPod right now:
The The

Item from your yarn stash you’re dying to use:
CEY silky alpaca lace

If you were a yarn, which yarn would you be?
Nordique!

Favorite place to knit:
anywhere but in the sun.

Current project on the needles:
Many swatches for book 2!

The yarn and the magazine will be in the store within a matter of days and I can’t wait to get my hands on them. I’m looking for your feedback as well, but I’m guessing it will be positive.

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As you know we are big fans of the Debbie Bliss Knitting Magazine (NOW AVAILABLE) and we’re lucky enough to be able to give you guys a sneak peak of the upcoming Fall Winter 2009 issue due out in September.

I was able to see some of the model garments at TNNA.  There are some fantastic patterns and projects including “The Brit Home” which give the issue some English elegance with six  patterns including Union Jack cushions, a Welsh blanket and an Argyle dog bean bag.  There is a whole section on tweeds, some patterns from the Bears, Blankets, and Booties book, and patterns for toddlers showcased including hats, gloves and scarves in playful animal themes.

Some glamorous knits for a night out on the town using elegant and luxury fibers.  As well there is a feature called the “Big Softie” using bulky yarns — four patterns, including two for men.

The Fall Winter 2009 issue will feature Donegal Tweed, Alpaca Silk Aran, Rialto, Cashmerino Aran (one of our shop favorites), Baby Cashmerino, Como, and others.

Debbie Bliss doesn’t disappoint in this issue and I think they just keep getting better and better.  We’ll let you know when it arrives and will surely have samples knit up to inspire.

Updated August 24th 2009: This is now available at our online store. Buy it Now

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Many of you may know Jared Flood from his blog, Brooklyn Tweed, or you may know him from his amazing designs that have been featured in publications like Vogue Knitting.  If you don’t know his work you simply must get to know it.  His designs are elegant and timeless and we’re about to see even more from this talented designer as he teams up with Classic Elite for his first book. A Yarn Tale was lucky enough to get an interview with Jared in advance of Made in Brooklyn’s publication, which is expected out soon.

Where does your design inspiration come from?
That’s a tough question to pin down — design inspirations are very unexpected and can come from the most odd and varied places — traditional knitting of Scandinavia, finland and japan are all solid inspirations for sure - the urban landscape too is totally fascinating and inspiring, both in texture and light in this environment, as well as the styles and attitudes of all the people you invariably come across every day. With so much activity, it’s hard to go too long with out something interesting gnawing at your imagination.

As you know, we’ve seen an increase in the 20-30 something set picking up needles and learning the craft. How do you think this rising demographic is affecting the art of knitting?
I’m inspired by this group because it seems that there is a genuine desire and hunger towards technique and mastery. I feel strongly about the benefits of traditional handknitting techniques and am fascinated by how we can bring those into a contemporary context. I think a good percentage of the 20-30 somethings, especially those who are ‘plugged in’ to the online community have a desire or at least an appreciation for ways in which they can become more well-rounded craftspeople. The internet is wonderful in that way as well - it connects people doing similar things and raises the overall level of creativity and challenge that goes along with any discipline - and knitting definitely falls into that category.

How did you get hooked up with Classic Elite for your first book?
Pam Allen, the artistic director for the company is a friend of mine and the book idea was an organic idea that we formed through various conversations about the current state of publishing models/independent designers, etc. The model for the book is unique in that the sharing of rights and benefits with both yarn company and designer are very balanced. Our intention was to come up with a collection of designs that was accessible to both the online savvy knitter and the LYS shopper alike. The patterns will also be available as single online downloads, which to me is important so that the designs can outlast whatever printing limitations may occur in the future. It’s been a great process - one forged on mutual respect which feels very good.

What can we expect to see from Made in Brooklyn?
This was a great project for me because I was given complete creative freedom — a 9 month period and access to an amazing array of yarns from CE. You can expect a nice variety of projects from garments to lace to accessories. When designing I think a lot about the process of handknitting and how designs can best utilize the unique strengths within our field. I hope knitters find these patterns to be rewarding experiences - intuitive and interesting while still giving a wearable result. I really enjoyed knitting all of them!

There is one hat from the book that I fell in love with while out at TNNA –simple garter stitch combined with a beautiful decrease and fascinating construction. Can you tell us a little bit about this hat and what inspired the design?
Yes - Quincy. The hat is really a fun knit and deceptively simple. I was thinking about ways of putting a twist into a simple piece of knitting to make something unexpected and versatile. The interesting thing about this hat is that the look totally changes depending on how you wear it - twist in the front, back or on the side all have different looks. But either way, it definitely has a little attitude, which I like.

The hat is knit as a flat rectangle of garter with built-in I-Cord along both edges. When it reaches sufficient length, put a half twist in the fabric and graft it together. From there you pick up sts along one I-Cord and close up the top. Super simple, but really entertaining!

QUICK FACTS
Favorite book:
The answer to this question changes all the time. Right now I’m reading “The Gift” by Louis Hyde and am completely inspired by it — so that one’s right up there currently.
On your iPod right now:
I’m on a bit of a Sam Amidon kick right now. Bon Iver and Sun Kil Moon are also currently in regular rotation.
Item from your yarn stash you’re dying to use:
2 bags of J&S Shetland Aran in a light heathery grey, waiting to become a lace blanket.
If you were a yarn, which yarn would you be?
A Woolen-Spun 2-ply!
Who taught you to knit?
Originally my mother, as a child. But for the most part I’m self-taught — in college I was taken by a sudden desire to learn the craft and just went for it.
Favorite place to knit:
My apartment - to music and documentaries.

Stay tuned for updates on when Jared’s book arrives in stores.  We hope we’ll be able to have him visit us at SSFY on one of his trips to our area.

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Updated on Auugst 11, 2008: Made in Brooklyn by Jared Flood now online and in stores. Enjoy!

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As you may know we are totally smitten with the new Spud & Chloe line from Blue Sky Alpaca.  The Spud & Chloe blog is being moderated by Susan B. Anderson of “Itty Bitty” fame.  Susan has created some super cute free patterns for the yarn and I think both make great fun summer projects.  They are portable, in bright colors, quick to finish, and totally rewarding.  You could start them now and have Christmas gifts ready before the summer even ends.  Wouldn’t that be great?

This pattern called Ribbit is so great.  It’s made with one skein of Grass Sweater weight Spud & Chloe.  Here is the true genius….The frog’s body is a tennis ball!  If this is what Susan has come up with for this little guy we can only image what great patterns will be in her upcoming book Itty Bitty Toys due out this fall.

The first free pattern Susan dreamed up for Spud & Chloe, the cupcake is just good enough to each. It’s knit around a standard tomato pincushion you can pick up at almost any craft store and it’s made with 1 skein each of Sweater color Ice Cream #7500 and Watermelon #7512 and a small amount of Popsicle #7501 for the cherry on top.

See two great, can’t miss summer patterns!

Note: Both photos are courtesy of Susan B. Anderson and the Spud & Chloe blog.

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As many of you know we were lucky enough to host a workshop with Louisa Harding a while back.  At the time I was not able to attend, but I was lucky enough to meet Louisa while at TNNA in Columbus a few weeks ago and she was just as lovely and gracious as you all said she was.   I also spent an afternoon this week with our rep, Jeff, from Euro Yarns who distributes her yarns to us here in the U.S. and we ooh’d and ahh’d over her products.

We carry several yarns in the store now and you can expect a few more lovely gems and color showing up in the coming weeks and months.   I asked Louisa if she might be able to give Seed Stitchers an update since her last visit to our store and she was kind enough to do so.

‘June 09

It is just 6 months since I visited at Seed Stitch Fine Yarns and it feels
so fresh in my memory, but yet so much has happened since…..

The Spring Summer 09 collections are in stores and the Fall Winter
collections are being ‘put to bed’, the final ‘tweeks’ being made before
sending the books to the printers. Soon to embark on the Spring Summer 2010 collection. I have lots of ideas swirling around in my head.

I have just returned from the US where I was showcasing the new fall
collection of books and yarns to retailers at TNNA, Courtney and Robbie came and introduced themselves. It was lovely to meet with them and know that Seed Stitch has such enthusiastic new owners. TNNA is a great opportunity for me to talk to those working with my collections day by day, giving me feedback and passing on customer comments.

As you know Designers work in isolation for most of the time so all comments are greatly appreciated. Now looking forward toSping Summer 2010 I have many ideas buzzing and fluttering around that it is like sitting in the garden watching the bees and butterfly’s, I just need to catch them and get them down on paper before the summer rushes past to fast, especially with the children soon on holiday.

Now, back to ‘tweeking’ the fall books, I had so much fun working with the new yarns, the designs and photography, enjoy the summer and watch this
space..’

Kind regards
Louisa

P.S. I swear that I didn’t put Louisa up to saying such nice things about Robbie and me. I’ll update the blog again soon with more insight and tid bits about the new Louisa books and yarns as we get closer to getting them in the store.

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