Meet the Designer - Cat Crafty Knits
Meet one of our amazing knitwear designers, Cat! Cat is based in the North Devon countryside where she lives with her husband and two children (not forgetting her dog and six chickens too!). She was taught to knit as a child by her Mum and Nan, but developed more of an interest in sewing while she was at university where she sold some of her creations on Etsy and at local craft fairs. Her chicken doorstops were a huge hit!
In her mid-twenties she caught the bug for knitting, and began designing her own patterns while on maternity leave from her previous job as a midwife. She now releases her own knitting pattern designs under the name Cat Crafty Knits which you can find on her website and social media.
Cat’s approach to knitting is creative and free! She enjoys the challenge of altering existing patterns to create something unique and suited to what she specifically wants, which drove her to begin designing patterns of her own. Her designs are influenced by family life, focusing on creating practical pieces for her children to wear. She describes herself as a ‘perfectionist’ when it comes to planning a design, and says she loves the logical thinking and problem solving that goes into knitting. Cat’s favourite yarns to work with are merino and merino mixes, and she loves hand dyed yarns in every colour! Her favourite pieces to create are socks -for a simpler project, and jumpers - for more of a challenge.
Cat enjoys the relaxation and happiness that comes with knitting, admitting that knitting a few rounds is as good at chilling her out as a glass of wine! She believes this to be one of the biggest benefits to knitting, as well as how it has helped improved her maths and calculation skills. She praises the versatility of knitwear and how brave designers are becoming with new ideas and techniques. Cat’s advice to first time knitters is to be brave! "If you want to start knitting a full jumper as your first project – then do it!" she says, once you’ve learned the basics of how to hold your needles and to knit and purl then you’re good to go. We love Cat’s enthusiasm and positive outlook, admitting that little mistakes made along the way are "what makes handmade things truly special." We couldn’t agree more, Cat!
You can find more from Cat here!
Socials: @catcraftyknits
Website: https://www.catcraftyknits.com/