We are delighted to welcome Therese Chynoweth as our featured fiber artist for this month’s Designer Showcase, a new series that spotlights the amazing talent bringing Cascade Yarns designs to life.
Read on to discover her creative journey and process for creating timeless pieces that are a joy to knit.
Therese Chynoweth, a lifelong knitter with a passion for creative expression,
brings deep expertise as a knitwear designer and technical editor to every pattern she creates.
What first drew you to the craft and later designing?
Although I don’t remember if I was keen on learning to knit after watching my mother, I learned how to when I was about 8 years old. My mother took my sisters and me to a local yarn shop to learn. Otherwise, I’m mostly a self-taught knitter.
After a couple of years, I set it aside and never wanted to look at it again. In junior high, I picked it up again when I wanted a sweater, and I’ve been knitting ever since.
The designing came when I started looking at patterns and thinking, “I like it but…”. At the time, I was working in the Sweater Department of a women’s better sportswear manufacturer, so I had already learned the technical
parts of designing and grading patterns.
Retro Cardigan
Yarn: Ultra Pima
Download Pattern
How would you describe your design aesthetic or signature style?
I would have to say that my signature style is one of classic elements used to create sweaters you’ll want to keep in your wardrobe forever. I like incorporating elements from other knitting traditions and recombining them to add a unique touch you won’t find in ready-made items.
Where do you find creative inspiration these days?
Inspiration comes from all over, and there really isn’t any one source I can point to. When I’m designing for a client (such as Cascade Yarns), I use the list of what they’re looking for as a starting point. I’ll often look at the company’s web site to see what patterns they’re already showing, then branch out from there. If it’s a design I’m planning to self-publish, I frequently spend time on Ravelry and Pinterest to get an overall idea of what other people are doing, though consciously do not directly copy what others have created.
Timeline Pullover
Yarn: 220 Superwash® Merino
Download Pattern
Can you walk us through your design process – from first spark to finished sample?
Sometimes it starts with a yarn, whether it’s the fiber, the color, texture or weight (such as sport, DK, fingering). Sometimes it starts with the desire to knit a particular type of project, such as a pullover, throw or shawl. Sometimes it starts with a sweater or other item I see someone wearing. I’ll make a note of details I see or want to use and draw a very crude sketch
just to get the idea onto paper.
Then I add more specifics in terms of measurements and how I see it being constructed (though that may change once I begin knitting) and start searching through stitch books to see if there are any specific stitch patterns I want to include.
Of course, there’s swatching; it’s not something I really enjoy doing but know how important it is to find the right combination of yarn, needle size and stitch patterns.
Somewhere during the initial phases of this process, I get out graph paper and draw up a basic schematic, and start adding in target measurements, though those are adjusted once my swatches are knit and I have a better idea
what the gauges are for the different elements of the design.
After I’ve got the gauge, I’ll start filling in the numbers on the schematic, including the number of increases and decreases for any shaping, then write up a basic draft of the pattern that I’ll begin working from. The initial draft of the pattern is always written with pencil in a notebook because it helps me think through the process. That draft pattern is obviously subject to change if I don’t like how something is turning out. I’ve been known to rip out the better part of a sweater body and tear the pages out of the notebook and rewrite the draft pattern if I’m not happy with it.
Classic Cables Pullover
Yarn: 128 Superwash®
Download Pattern
Which part of the design journey brings you the most joy?
For me, the design journey itself is like a jigsaw puzzle, and where I get the most enjoyment from it is working through the whole process, though swatching and photography are not really what I like doing. Being a technical editor, I sometimes sort of geek out over the math, though on occasion the math can also give me headaches.
What’s the most challenging step and how do you tackle it?
I’d have to say choosing a yarn and color have been the most challenging. When it’s something I’m going to self-publish or is for a magazine, lately I seem to find a yarn I like but not a color, or I can’t find a yarn in a fiber or weight that I think will work. Most frustrating for me is finding a great color in the weight of yarn I’m looking for, but it’s not the fiber content I want to use.
Desert Hideaway Pullover
Yarn: 220 Superwash® Merino
Download Pattern
What do you look for in a yarn when starting a new design?
Fiber content, yarn weight and color are three obvious starting points. Another is whether it’s a non-superwash wool because items knit with non-superwash wools hold their shape better than superwash wools. For cotton and linen yarns, is it 100 percent or a blend with another fiber that might reduce the bulk of the yarn (and weight of the finished item)?
Then there are times when I already have a yarn on hand that I’m trying to come up with a design for. Sometimes the ideas come really quickly, but other times I need to wait for the yarn to tell me what it wants to be.
Do you have a Cascade Yarns favorite? What makes it special for you?
I’m not sure I have a single favorite Cascade Yarn. Cascade 220 is great because it’s so versatile and comes in an amazing color range. I really like Woolpaka® and Woolpaka® Lite too. Ultra Pima is a classic and comes in a great rage of colors.
I love how all of these yarns knit up.
Fence Row Raglan
Yarn: Cherub Aran
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Where does the inspiration for your Cascade Yarns projects come from?
First off, I take a look at the list of what you’re looking for. Then, I check out your web site to see what is already offered and if there are any “holes” that I can fill. If the yarn that I receive is one I’m not familiar with, I knit a tiny swatch (about just 10 stitches by about 10 or 12 rows) just to get an idea of how it knits up before starting on any more ambitious swatching.
What tips do you have for makers working through your patterns?
Firstly, for less adventurous knitters, feel free to play with other colors and don’t feel as if you need to make a pattern exactly the same as shown in photos.
I’ve done a lot of sewing in the past, and that has really helped me with visual construction as I’m writing up a pattern. My goal is to write patterns so that, if you don’t quite understand the instructions, just go through them step by step, and you should be able to work it out.
And finally, designers, tech editors and reviewers are human, and mistakes in instructions can occur, even after being tech edited and reviewed, and even test knit. There’s always a chance that someone along the way accidentally deleted something, mistyped something, or even copied and pasted something to the wrong spot. Knitters sometimes misread instructions as well.
Cropped Cardigan
Yarn: Friday Harbor
Download Pattern
What advice would you share with a new maker?
Knit those gauge swatches. Though once you do start on your project, make sure to occasionally check your knitting to make sure you’re on gauge. Don’t be afraid to rip it out if things are not working. After all, it’s just yarn and can be reknit. It’s better to take longer to finish a project that turns out than to have one you finished in a hurry but you’ll never wear/use because the fit or results are not good.
What’s lighting you up creatively these days, or what are you excited to work on next?
I’ve got a book coming out this fall through Landauer Publishing/Fox Chapel Publishing called Knitting Cozy, featuring a blanket worked in Cantata. I also have a series of designs that came about earlier this year. I’m hoping to self-publish one a month for a year. Each design is named for a positive attribute and accompanied by a quote related to the name. The series is called A Single Candle, and half of the money received from the sale of each pattern will be donated to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Little Checks Pullover
Yarn: Woolpaka® Lite
Download Pattern
What excites you the most about the future of fiber arts?
Although it’s disheartening to see some yarn companies that have been around for a long time being acquired by large companies (and who knows how much some of these new owners actually know about yarn and the fiber arts), it is great to see all the small farmer-owned natural fiber yarns on the market that are domestically spun and dyed. It’s also great seeing younger people embracing not just the knitting/crocheting/needle arts in general but also becoming indie dyers and designers.
Take a closer look at Therese Chynoweth’s creative world using the link below.
More Designer Showcase features coming soon!
In the meantime, explore the creative journeys of other designers behind your favorite Cascade Yarns patterns.