What inspired you to begin knitting?
For many of us it started when we were children, seeing our grandmothers (or grandfathers) creating beautiful items, carrying on the hand crafting traditions they learned from their parents or grandparents. Some of us came to knitting later, rather by accident – maybe it was catching a glimpse of someone walking down the street wearing an amazing knitted scarf or hat and asking them where they got it, only to discover that they made it themselves. Perhaps we needed stress relief from our busy lives and turned to knitting on a whim, finding that once we picked it up we couldn’t put it down. Many of our younger knitters are lucky enough to be learning knitting in school as our grandparents or great-grandparents did in their day, bringing the knitting tradition full circle.
For designers Kate Gagnon Osborn and Courtney Kelley, inspiration comes from traditional knitting techniques like Fair Isle, lace, and cables. Their new book Vintage Modern Knits: Contemporary Designs Using Classic Techniques takes these traditions and updates them with a modern style sensibility to create design stories ranging from Vintage Feminine to Rustic Weekend to Winter Harbor, featuring tailored lines, modern fit, and easy to wear style.
With projects from mittens, hats, and shawls to cardigans and pullovers, using knitting techniques from Faroese style lace to Aran cables to Estonian wrapped roositud inlay, each pattern adds an updated twist to favorite traditions to create pieces you’ll treasure for years to come.
So what’s your knitting tradition? What inspired you to start?
Tell us your story for a chance to win a signed copy of Vintage Modern Knits and enough luxurious Canopy Worsted yarn by The Fibre Company to create the Bramble Beret pattern! Then check out our amazing day of events on February 6th. Meet the authors, view the trunk show of garments from the book and attend our workshop. The book will arrive to fibre space™ the first week of February. You can reserve a copy by calling the shop at 703-664-0344.
Leave a comment below with your story – a winner will be chosen at random and will receive their book and yarn on February 6th at the Vintage Modern Knits book signing.
Update: We have selected a winner at random from your great comments! The winner will be notified by e-mail. Thank you for sharing your stories with us!