As I looked through the GAL designer introduction thread this year, I looked for new (to me) designers to interview, and pattern photos that spoke to me. Meaghan’s photos were so clean and cozy. Her Ravely name is notsorryknitter and that has a story.) She blogs at unapologeticknitter.com
You as a designer questions:
What is your design process?
I think I’m far more of an analytical designer than many of the creatively talented designers out there. I tend to, once I come up with an idea in my head, sit down and work out the math before anything else. If the math makes sense, I immediately move to charting and writing up the pattern, all before I sit down and get the yarn on my needles. Once the yarn is on my needles and the project is coming to life, I start to think about how and where to photograph the design for the final pattern.
What influences your style?
Comfort beyond anything else. Working from home affords me the ability to wear clothes that are comfortable (whereas when I worked in a corporate office I wore dress slacks and blouses which, to me, weren’t comfortable). Now that I spend much of my day being comfortable, I want to carry that into what I wear when I leave the house. Sweaters, shawls, hats, etc., all need to be comfortable, which to me largely means “not fussy”. That tends to translate into my design aesthetic as well – I’m a fan of simple, repeating patterns that are as comfortable to knit as they are to wear.
What about designing and producing patterns are you most adept at, what parts are you most fond of, and what parts are challenging? (Pattern Grading, the last week of editing, coming up with a name for a project, self promotion?)
I’m someone who very much appreciates attention to detail so when I write my patterns I like to make sure that there is consistency throughout, detailed written instructions (assuming that what I’m sharing with a knitter is something they haven’t done before) and, where I can, I provide links to video or photo tutorials.
I rather like creating video tutorials for my patterns as it creates a sense of a complete experience. When a knitter purchases an Unapologetic Knitter pattern, they often get Unapologetic Knitter tutorials. There are, of course, some exceptions as there are some incredible tutorials out there that are already perfect and don’t need to be recreated, but more often than not, I like to show a knitter using my pattern how I work a technique.
The most challenging aspect of being a designer, for me, is definitely self-promotion. Despite my business name, The Unapologetic Knitter, which was created out of jest having grown up Canadian (who famously apologize for everything), I do quite often feel that too much self-promotion is something to be apologized for. I certainly never feel like other designers promote too much, even if I get multiple emails from them in a week or a a month, so I’m not particularly sure where this notion comes from. I’ll ‘blame’ my Canadian-ness. 🙂
What do you find most important in photography?
I think seeing the entire project in its “worn” state is very important. Of course, close up shots of a portion of a pattern are wonderful and necessary, especially if a stitch pattern is detailed, but I think seeing how the shawl, sweater, cowl, etc., are “meant” to fit, is the most important.
You as a Giftalong designer:
What have you learned from the promotion?
I think what I loved the most (also learned the most) and appreciated the most, was the cross promotion between other designers. I was honored to have a couple of designers that I admire include some of my patterns on their wish list and promote it publicly. It’s hard not to be flattered by that. In turn, it encouraged me to look more closely at what every participating designer had to offer (I did, truly, look at each knitwear designer – sorry, I don’t crochet!) and found some spectacular designers I’d never heard of. I purchased half a dozen patterns that spoke to me and promoted them across social media as a way of not only saying thank you to those who did the same for me, but to encourage good will. A rising tide lifts all boats – I think it’s important that the design community does the same.
You as someone who likes to make things questions:
What is your usual process on a fiber project, for instance, do you start with a yarn, a cute pattern, a need you’ve noticed, something exciting you saw in a movie you want to copy, or a technique you want to learn – then what do you do next and then what?
Ooh – I LOVE this question.
As someone who is new to garment designing this year (previously I focused on accessories and socks) I’ve learned a great deal about my body proportions. I’m not particularly tall, I have very narrow shoulders and, dare I say it, I’m rather bottom heavy! So, when I look at other designs that I’d like to knit, I now have a reference of what might be most flattering on my body. That tends to influence of WHAT to make.
And because I think that making is a huge part of our learning journey, I tend to truly consider the fiber that the designer created their project with. Is it something new and exciting for me? If it is, I’ll likely try to purchase that fiber. It helps me learn what blends of fibers do what. If it’s something I’ve used before, I then look to what my closet needs. Do I like the drape of a particular garment? If yes, do I need it in a different color… once I suss out what’s needed/desired I generally jump on it as quickly as I can. I’m not particularly known for my patience; I want to make it NOW. So generally, I do!
Does anything intimidate you in knitting or crochet?
I’m not sure ‘intimidate’ is quite the word I’d put to it, but working with non-stretchy fibers like cotton or linen often make me pause, largely because I can’t, yet, fully predict what the fabric will do a) as I’m knitting it (is it going to hurt my hands? is my gauge going to be way off?) and b) what it will do when it’s blocked. Thankfully I’m not someone who hates swatching and I’m happy to play with a fiber before I commit to a project.
Also – pretty much everything about crochet intimidates me! 
When you want to learn something, do you look it up in a book, on U-tube, or seek a real person to teach you?
I’m a big user of YouTube video tutorials. As someone who creates her own video tutorials, I have a strong appreciation for how much work can go into them. I find, more often than not, that seeing the skill manipulated in real time vs in a book is more helpful to me. I especially love when YouTube creators are able to show the technique in both English and Continental styles. That always blows me away!
Any repetitive motion disorders due to knitting or crochet? How do you deal with them?
Unfortunately, my left shoulder, as of late, has been causing some pain. I think (and I’m completely guessing) that it’s because I’ve been knitting larger items more frequently and a lot of the weight is held in my left hand. That, or I have terrible posture when I knit on my sofa. Or a combination of both.
To mitigate it I see a chiropractor once a month to get all pushed and pulled back into shape, and ice it frequently. I cannot overstate how important the icing is. I know some injuries go far beyond that but I’m always amazed at what a difference it makes. Because, let’s be honest, NOTknitting isn’t really an option, right?!
What makes you buy a pattern (lovely photo, the story of the project, it looks do-able, it looks slightly challenging…)
Probably a little bit of all of the above, really. A captivating image is generally what makes me click on a pattern, to be sure, but looking at how the garment fits, and deciding whether a) it will flatter me, and b) will I enjoy knitting it, are my two main purchasing deciders. As I’ve mentioned above, I’m a big fan of being comfortable, and that means with a pattern, too. I don’t like what I think of as fussy knitting (this often also translates into ‘truly stunning knitting’) and while I am physically capable of doing intricate work, I don’t often enjoy it.
Thank you so much for asking me to participate in your GAL interview. I loved sharing and promoting the work of my fellow designers and hope it was a success for everyone! I’m excited for next year already!
