I asked Lisa McFetridge, lisagmc on Ravelry to help me re-start my blog series on motif design. I admire her color stranded motifs, and thought you all would enjoy a peek into her process.
What is your design process like?
For me, it’s about what I see around me. I visit a place I have never been before, or am out for a walk and see a combination of colors in nature, or on another person. Perhaps in the mall I will see a display of linens or towels with a beautiful color mix. I take a photo or make notes when I see something so I don’t forget.
It can also be a movie, a book, or my own travels where I learn about local customs, colors and folk motifs. I recently traveled to Iceland, read a book that takes place in Iceland (“Burial Rites”) and love the show “Trapped”. Before I left, I looked up the folklore, motifs and runes that are part of the land. Now I have 3 or 4 runes charted up, and a Troll Cross – to protect one from angry trolls. I haven’t yet decided what to do with them but they will turn up in a hat or cowl next season. I have a short attention span, so I make mostly accessories, hats, mittens, cowls.
What was most fun about researching world cultures?
Different cultures fascinate me. I won’t have enough time in my life to document each one in knit. We all know about Fair Isle and Scandinavian motifs as they have rich knitting history but so many cultures have amazing symbols that don’t make it into our knits. Someone on Ravelry commented to me that there were few patterns available with African motifs. Research on many different African cultures and traditions and came up with “Out of Africa” with Adinkra symbols making up the bands. I have since done other cultures without large knitting traditions – Polynesian Tattoos, Native American and Indian.Two of my most popular patterns are the Slovak Folklore knits and the Latvian Team Hat, both inspired by the best of the Olympic Team hats we see during Opening Ceremonies.
Do you make choices about the motifs to make it easier to knit the object or grade the pattern?
Yes, some motifs lend themselves to being graphed, but not all. I can usually find some way to accomplish some version of what I want to produce. Worsted weight is my go-to, so I have 96 to 114 stitches to tell my story around someone’s head. My own personal design standards apply as well. If I can fit only 4 motifs around, I will reject and start again. Odd numbers are more pleasing than even, but 6 is much better than 4. The motifs must also be mainly accomplished in the first 5 inches of a hat. Never put the seam jog at the back of the hat. Put it behind the ear. No one looks there. This is especially important when placing earflaps as well as making sure there is a full motif in the center of the forehead. I could go on….
How do you choose your subjects and name them?
The name often comes at the same time as the idea. A feeling I want to convey brings the name. A recent publication called “The Storyteller’s Gift” is a cowl first created for my friend who lost her son in a workplace accident. I made a cowl that tells the story of her relationship with her son. This is the second winter and she has it on every time I see her. The idea came to me that we all need comfort and what is better than a knit hug? So I created a design with pages of motifs for folks to tell a story of their own. The maker wears it until they see or know someone in need of a hug. They gift it to that friend or stranger and the story goes on. Many of my patterns proceeds go to charity. This one goes to New England Donor Services.
I’ve never tried lettering, do you work with words like you do images?
I don’t use lots of lettering, but sometimes it’s very necessary. My free chemo hats all have lettering “Cancer Sucks”, “Fight to Live, Live to Fight” are two examples. My most famous lettered hat is the “Boston Strong Hat.” I created it in the 3 days after the Boston Marathon Bombing and made one unique hat for the families of each of the victims. A project grew to knit a hat for every survivor who wanted one. They all got one thanks to folks all over the country who knit and donated a hat. All proceeds for sales went to One Fund Boston for the victims and survivors.
How has your teaching experience effected your motif design?
Like all teachers of any topic, teachers learn as much as they teach in the best situations. I have learned that folks feel stranded knitting is harder than cabling or any other type of knitting which I work hard to counteract. Color knitting is all knit stitches! Once folks learn how to carry the yarns then every knit item can be a canvas to tell a story! I always forget student names, but if they tell me what they knit, I will never forget it. I learned that folks hate to swatch but, in fact, once you have swatched in a particular brand of yarn, you can record it and not have to swatch in that yarn again.
When designing motifs, I try to NEVER have more than 2 colors in a row. Carrying 3 colors gets too fiddly. If a third color is needed in a small amount, I tell folks to embroider it in later. I have never had a student fail the class. I will work with them til they are done… and will answer questions forever.
I love to knit, and my only regret is that knitting is still thought of as functional, rarely as art. Museums are full of historical clothing, wood and metal objects, and pottery, almost never knitting. Why? I don’t know. But without woolen items to keep historical figures warm, a lot more great men and women would have frozen to death before becoming great!!! lol.
The END!
Well, almost the end, check out her new pattern, Our Town. I admire this hat from the motif design to the proportions of the finished object!
