Kathleen Dames

I live and knit in New York City and Bath, Maine, with my husband (my very own Frederick Wentworth) and our three children, getting my style fix in the one and my New England (Red Sox/cranberry bog/lobster roll/chilly nights in need of a sweater) fix in t’other.

Though I didn’t realize it at the time, I’ve been a knitwear designer from my first large-scale knitting project, a poncho for which I wanted to use a different yarn than called for, as well as a different stitch pattern. The LYSO helping me with yarn looked at me like I was crazy!

I’ve always wanted to make things the way I want them. Is that so wrong?

But it wasn’t until I read Elizabeth Zimmermann’s books that I found the confidence to really start designing. I prefer working in the round/all in one piece to take advantage of knit fabric’s flexibility. Sweaters are my main interest, but I also like accessories and other small projects that allow me to explore new techniques and stitches while watching my children play at the park.

Before diving into knitwear design, I lived in Boston, where I learned to knit, and worked as an art director in book publishing. Happily, the building blocks of design translated from graphic to knitwear for me. It’s like writing a sonnet: there are strict rules about form (book covers should display the title and author, sweaters should have openings for head/hands/body and be constructed from knitted fabric), but within those forms there is boundless room for creativity.

You can see more of my work on my blog.

You can also find me in all these places:

Craftsy
Etsy
Flickr
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
YouTube

And, if that’s not enough, there’s a group here on Ravelry: Kathleen Dames Design! Join us for KALs and pattern support.