All my patterns that my mom has knit
Last month when my mom visited me, she brought a bunch of her knits and we did a little photoshoot in my studio. So, please enjoy this round-up of my mom's favorite pieces that she has knit from my patterns, along with some notes from our (text) conversation about them!
My mom taught me to knit in 2011. I had just moved to Virginia to start grad school, and she had flown out to help me set up my apartment. On the morning before she left, we visited a local yarn shop and I picked yarn and a pattern to make a hat. We went back to my apartment with just enough time for her to teach me how to cast on and knit before she had to leave for the airport, and so as she rushed out the door, stuffing her own new knitting project into her suitcase, she said, "purling is the opposite of knitting, figure it out!"
My mom and I, like so many parents and their children — especially queer/fat daughters of straight/thin mothers — do not always have an easy relationship. This feels important to acknowledge because I am choosing to celebrate our relationship this Mother's Day by sharing the thing that has become our most steadfast point of connection and repair: knitting. Sharing knitting with my mom is special not because we have an uncomplicated, Hallmark-holiday-ready relationship; it is special because it is often the thing that reconnects us in moments when other things cannot.
I tried to count how many of my patterns my mom has knit, and I can say that the number is at least 10, and many of these she has knit more than once. I can also say that every time I release a pattern, she gets excited and texts me about it as though she intends to knit it. By this I mean, she doesn't just congratulate me on another release — she has questions, she's reading up on the recommended yarn, she's finding typos in the Ravelry listing, she's envisioning herself in her own version of my new pattern and sometimes deciding to actually make it. She is, honestly, a fan.
This is — there is no other word for it — sooooo sweet. Last month when my mom visited me, she brought a bunch of her knits and we did a little photoshoot in my studio (with my dogs, who LOVE their bubbe). So, please enjoy this round-up of my mom's favorite pieces that she has knit from my patterns, along with some notes from our (text) conversation about them!
MOONCRUSH
Me: Which of my designs that you've knit is your favorite?
Mom: Mooncrush because it's easy to wear, a perfect weight, and so fun to show the two sides. And I love the colors you put together for me!
Me: Did you find the intarsia difficult?
Mom: Not at all, which was super gratifying as I'd never done it before! And your charts are always great! I've done lots of stranded colorwork, but this was so much easier because there's no worrying about floats and tension, ugh to those!
SOL
Me: Have you ever test knit for me?
Mom: Yes, Sol! It was during Covid so I had time to get it done, plus it's sleeveless so not a lot of knitting. I'm not really fast. 🥺
Me: Your Sol is a wool yarn, right?
Mom: Yes, maybe a fine superwash merino. So it's a little clingy, doesn't drape like a cotton or linen would.
Me: Do you find it too hot to wear in the summer because you knit it in wool?
Mom: Not at all, it's plenty cool! I checked: it's Vixen by Little Fox, 80% superwash merino and 20% silk. Really luxurious!
Me: Did you like knitting Sol? Was the lacework hard?
Mom: Yes, I very much liked knitting it. The lacework was easy to follow because, again, your great charts! The bauble-thingies put me off at first because I usually hate doing those but the way you instructed to do them worked great, was reproducible and did not give me any problems.
WATER BEARER
Me: Did you enjoy knitting Water Bearer?
Mom: I found Water Bearer super easy since you knit it for me! 🤪
Me: OH RIGHT 😏
Mom: I wear Water Bearer a LOT in cold weather because it’s so squishy and cozy yet has a really polished look, and I can dress it up or down.
Me: So my time was well spent?
Mom: Totally! What else do you want to make for me?! 😁
Mom (later): Btw, I need to add this re: Water Bearer. I enjoy doing brioche, and I did the headbands (one plain and one with the waves). You might have used them in the pattern because I was making them when you were madly finishing my sweater for the photoshoot at White Sands. So I’m confident that I would be able to knit the sweater. I recommend people try the headbands first if they don’t have brioche experience.
NOTE: Water Bearer is a special pattern for me and my mom, because she modeled for me and we are both Aquarians. Here's the tribute post I made on Instagram about it when the pattern was released in January 2020:
Rift
Me: Did knitting Mooncrush make you excited about color blocking and that’s why you chose to IMPROVE upon my pattern and color block Rift?
Mom: Tee hee, well yes to liking color blocking (I want to do Chroma), but the reason for Rift was I had a single skein of Kelbourne Mojave that I wanted to use. And I had knit a Rift a few years ago that I loved but found it itchy so wanted one on cotton.
Me: But you got a second skein, right?
Mom: Oops, I should have explained: yup, bought 3 skeins of the bright pink but only used 2 so now I have another orphan skein of Mojave! 😳. The reason in my head for 2 colors was I was worried that new skeins of the peachy color wouldn’t match exactly. I was actually quite anxious about how the two colors would look so I’m thrilled that I love how it turned out, so now maybe I can be more adventurous about doing more with color. 🤓
Me: Now you have to get more skeins of Mojave in another color and color-block another pattern!
Hexy
Mom: I was so scared about Hexy because of multiple very challenging techniques! I could never have done it without your videos, and having managed it gave me a fabulous sense of accomplishment! Not too old to learn new tricks?! And it’s given me the confidence to take several techniques, like tubular cast on and bind off, into other patterns.
Me: Awww that’s so nice to hear. 🥲🥰😭
Me: What would you say to someone who has never knit one of my patterns and is on the fence?
Mom: Start with the classics, Ursa or Rift, and you can't go wrong!
Me: Ok thank you mom, you are dismissed. Love you!
Mom: My pleasure! 😍 Love you too!
If you've made to the end here, thank you so much for reading! Wishing you whatever it is that you need this Mother's Day, whether it's connection, celebration, remembrance, peace, or self-care. ❤︎₊ ⊹
With gratitude,
