Test Knitter of the Month - December

Each month I feature a test knitter from one (or more) of my designs!

My hope for a part of this blog is to feature the knitters who spend their time helping me execute a hand knitting pattern. Test knitting, especially garments, are a critical part of the design process and I wouldn’t be able to do it without their valuable feedback.

It’s been important for me to connect with knitters, and people in general, on a human level. My hope is that these introductions will help us connect to others that are more than what we see on the surface.

What other making superpowers do you have? I come from a long line of very crafty women. My mom taught me all the crafts her mom taught her, and then some, who learned from her mother, who learned from her mother. . . . I've dabbled in beading, cross stitch, quilting, painting, mixed-media collage, but the crafts that have stuck with me are knitting, sewing, and spinning. I even ran my own little crafty business on the side through most of my 30s, sewing strange plush creatures, like zombie unicorns, yetis, and sea monsters. I was also a farmer for 5 years, raising suri alpacas and rare British Soay sheep. I sold all the animals in 2018, but I still have a mountain of their fiber to spin!

Where can readers find your makes? I'm on Instagram as northernheritagefarm (I really need to change that now that I don't farm anymore!) and Ravelry as Pucky, though I haven't posted there since their redesign caused accessibility issues.

What other aspects of life are you passionate about besides making? I'm a voracious reader (favorite fiction book of 2020 so far is Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse; nonfiction: Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby) and love playing tabletop board games (desert island game: Agricola). I would also own all the animals if I could, but instead, I have two silly dogs and I volunteer at a wildlife rehabilitation center in the animal care nursery every week (or did, pre-Covid; I miss all the critters and can't wait to go back!).

Test Knitter of the Month - December Feature: Jessica

How do you identify? She/her, living in the Twin Cities, MN

How many years have you been knitting? What’s your knitting origin story? My mom first taught me to knit when I was about 8 or 9. I have a vague recollection of knitting a mauve scarf (it was the 80s, after all) and feeling like it took forever. I didn't knit another stitch until I was in my mid-twenties and all my friends were taking up knitting. We would meet at a coffee shop weekly to chat and decompress and at first, I really resisted this "fad," bringing along small sewing projects instead. But then the maker in me took over and I re-taught myself how to knit from books. The first time I knit with my mom as an adult, she exclaimed, "that's not how I taught you how to knit!" Seems she had taught me continental style, and I re-taught myself in English! I can knit in both styles now, but English is always most comfortable.

Which pattern did you test knit? What size, if garment, and yarns did you use? I've been honored to test 3 of Tina's designs so far: Eleven Twelve Sweater (size 3, Hello Stella Basic Sock), Sun and Solace Tee (size 9, Moondrake Fiber Company Merino Linen), and Wavelength Sweater (size 4, Serendipitous Wool Agni and Agni P).

What is your favorite thing about test knitting or why do you test knit? I like trying new techniques and stitch patterns to stretch my skills, and it may sound strange, but I find it especially satisfying to work on a pattern before it's fully polished. Helping the designers I love work through any errors or inconsistencies while bonding with other testers and deepening my understanding of knitting math and pattern construction are all very rewarding.

Test Knitter of the MonthTina TseDecember 22, 2020test knitter