As I mentioned yesterday, this is the week of 5’s: 5 Interviews with 5 Designers, each asked 5 questions! This is in honor of Sockupied Spring 2015 – to highlight the Designers, Patterns and Yarns involved in getting this issue together.
Today we’re talking with Kate Atherley, author of Pattern Writing for Knit Designers, tech-editor for Knitty, and sock-sizing expert. She’s so good at socks, she’s got a new book coming out this year, Custom Socks Knit to Fit Your Feet. I worked with Kate when I had my Octopodes socks in Knitty, and I can tell you she’s detail-oriented, meticulous, and knows her stuff. Kate was taught to knit as a child by her grandmother, Hilda Lowe. Family legend says that Hilda used to earn a penny turning the heel of socks for knitters in her neighborhood. I can only imagine that Kate has come by her love of socks naturally!
Kate’s socks in Sockupied Spring 2015 are the lovely Washington State Knee Socks, knit in Lorna’s Laces Sportmate, which I’ll talk about in a bit. But let me just give you peek:
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| © Sockupied/Harper Point |
But enough background, let’s get to the questions:
If you were to describe your socks as an animal, what would it be? Why?
Kate: Socks are like a beloved Labrador Retriever: they go anywhere with you, they keep you warm, and they’re all about love. Giving someone a pair of handknit socks shows a lot of love!
You’ve published over 209 designs, including 69 pairs of socks (33% of your designs have to do with feet!). What draws you back to socks?
Kate: I love the portability of socks, and I love the mathematical nature of sock design. It’s all about proportions and formulas and thinking about it makes me very happy. I also have very cold feet – I suffer from a neurological issue called Raynaud’s Phenomenon, wherein my extremities get very very cold. Hand knit socks help with that a lot, on a practical level. I do tend to prefer working top-down: it’s easier to design that way. I figure the patterning first on the leg, and then sort out how to divide it for the foot. And I like the Dutch/band heel, as the math is easiest for that.
All the designers were working on our socks during the Summer of 2014. What else were you working on or thinking of as you created your pattern?
Kate: I’d actually just finished submitted the final samples and patterns for my upcoming Custom-Fit Socks book – being published by Interweave this summer. I’d said that I needed a break from sock knitting – and yet the first design submission I sent into a publication was for a pair of socks. And knee socks, at that. Sometimes I wonder about my sanity!
Did you run into any problems or challenges when you were working on designing the socks or writing the pattern? What did you do to overcome it or problem solve it?
Kate: Because I’d just finished up the book, sock knitting and sock designing and sock pattern writing were at top of mind. I think the problem might have been in trying to do anything else…
What are 3-5 things you are loving lately?
Kate: I was given an Aeropress coffee maker as a gift this past Christmas, and it’s changed my life. It makes absolutely fantastic coffee. I love coffee dearly, and it makes a damn fine cup of coffee.
Music is an important part of my life and my workday, and I adore the new Decemberists’ album.
Speaking of sock knitting, I recently got my hands on some Little Gidding Farm Suri Alpaca sock yarn, and it is absolutely wonderful stuff. So warm, and the colors are amazing. Love it.
As I mentioned before, Kate Atherley’s socks in Sockupied are titled Washington State Knee Socks, Sportmate. Knee socks are great transeasonal socks – perfect to wear under pants or boots on cold days, or to wear out for everyone to see with a cute skirt!
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| © Sockupied/Harper Point |
knit in Lorna’s Laces
Because the socks are knit with Sportmate, they are not the marathon that knee socks can sometimes be! Kate has an article in Sockupied explaining how to customize the fit of knee socks legs.
Today’s blog post is sponsored by Lorna’s Laces, who contributed 2 skeins of Sportmate for the drawing. Kate Atherley has also donated a copy of her book, Knit Accessories.
To enter the contest, use the Rafflecopter widget below! You can enter the contest multiple times by doing different things – so have fun with it. We will have three winners to the drawing, be sure to scroll through and see all the great prizes!
