Designer Insider: Inspiration

Caumsett is a comfy piece in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter which makes it cozy, yet very light.

I’m often asked where I get my ideas. The unsatisfying, but truthful answer is - everywhere. It can be the yarn, something I’ve seen on the runway or in a store, what I see people wearing on the street, something in my closet that is so comfortable and well-fitting that I have to make one like it, a stitch pattern, nature, art, or an idea that someone brings to me.

For these two sweaters, it was definitely the cable that I first fell in love with.

A snippet of my “secret” cable board on Pinterest.

I often go to Pinterest, just to browse around. It’s kind of like a rabbit hole or a “time suck,” but often I find interesting things to explore and catalog. It gets my brain working. Some of my boards are public, and some of them are “secret.” I like to collect cable patterns and lace patterns, especially.

When I found this cable pattern, I knew I had to use it. I wanted it to be center stage, so I designed the Greta Cardigan for Knitscene magazine. The cable’s only on one side and runs up one shoulder and down the back.

After this one came out in the autumn of 2018, I knew I had to do it again. This time as a pullover! And so I took the basics of the design and reimagined it…same yarn, same shape with a bit more ease, same great cable. You can see I really liked this one because it’s the only time I’ve ever used a stitch pattern twice.

Now that I’m looking at both of these together, it’s given me another idea - maybe I’ll take some of my many pullovers and turn them into cardigans!

See??? Inspiration can come from anywhere.