Knit designer Deborah Newton is also a writer, teacher, gardener, and watercolor artist.
Welcome to the second edition of our Designer Showcase, a series created to celebrate the incredible talent behind Cascade Yarns’ creations. Each interview-style feature offers a closer look at the designers who bring our yarns to life.
This month, we are delighted to highlight Deborah Newton, as she shares her creative journey and the thoughtful process behind her remarkable body of work.
Cable and Eyelet Pullover by Deborah Newton
Yarn: Sarasota Chunky Splash
Pattern Links: Cascade Yarns | Ravelry
Can you share what initially attracted you to knitting and what led you to pursue design afterward?
My first real dive into the possibilities of the craft happened when I found the Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara Walker at my local library. I had been knitting only simple garter stitches since I was a kid. The excitement of being able to try knitted lace, cables, and such unknown wonders as twist stitches was so exciting for me!
Soon after, I designed several sweaters! I noticed that craft magazines featured knitting, and I sent one of my designs. I sold my first sweater to McCall’s Needlework and Crafts, and it was photographed backwards! I didn’t think that was a good sign, but it proved to be good luck because I began to sell regularly to magazines and yarn companies. There were many magazines in the 80s and 90s, and I was very busy. Vogue Knitting was rebooted in the 80’s, and I regularly designed for them. For a few years, I also worked there part-time for them as a technical consultant, helping with pattern writing. That was a real learning experience. I got a better grasp of sizing, and I saw how other designers worked.
Wave Pullover by Deborah Newton
Yarn: Superwash® Aran + 220 Superwash® Aran Wave
Pattern Links: Cascade Yarns | Ravelry
How would you describe your design aesthetic or signature style?
I tend to design towards a more classic style that focuses on pattern stitches and garment shapes. However, I like to think I can design anything. Over the years, I have explored and designed all garment types. I’ve worked hard to learn all I could about how fabric, ease, and silhouette affect a knitted garment. Because I grew up designing for the specific needs of yarn companies and magazines, meeting the needs of others is a big part of my design outlook. It is equally important as my own design focus.
Where do you find creative inspiration these days?
I have always been interested in fashion—from street style and historical costume to folk garments and haute couture. I love details and find it rewarding to try new things. I am not a designer who has a template and reuses it over and over with different patterning. I like to understand shapes and how they fit together.
I love swatching with new yarns. I never ever get tired of that. I always say, and you will read it in my books, that the swatch tells the story of the sweater to come.
I love working with other people, and that inspires me to stay excited about designing, whether it be for ready-to-wear clients, editors, yarn companies, or my students. The community of knitting is very important to me and keeps me thinking and evolving as a designer.
Colorwork Cardigan by Deborah Newton
Yarn: Cascade 220® Sport
Pattern Links: Cascade Yarns | Ravelry
Can you walk us through your design process—from first spark to finished sample?
I start with an idea. Sometimes, a sweater I have seen, usually ready to wear, inspires me to make a version of my own, with my own style and details. Then I choose a yarn and swatch. Or I might start with a yarn and move in the other direction towards choosing a garment shape. Sometimes I want to try a detail or style that I have not done before. But I have to LOVE a concept. That is a rule I have. I never make anything I feel just so-so about. If I can’t make it exciting for myself, then I am not doing my job!
What does your workflow usually look like?
I rely heavily on swatching, and I do a lot of it. It helps me explore the qualities of a yarn as well as decide how patterns will be arranged. I almost always add an edging to my swatch to see how it might look in the final sweater. I always sketch and make a detailed schematic to help me with proportions and pattern layout.
Granny Square Hooded Coat by Deborah Newton
Yarn: Cascade 220®
Pattern Links: Cascade Yarns | Ravelry
Do you typically begin with yarn choice, emotional concept, color, or something else entirely?
Starting a design is often a confusing time for me, and this is something I share with my students to reassure them. Often, I don’t know where I am going in the early stages of a design. When I was less experienced, this confusion often frustrated me. But now I take it as part of the process and try to work through it without anxiety. Being in a kind of limbo goes along with combining design elements successfully!
Which part of the design journey brings you the most joy?
I love the entire design process! I love going from one step to another until it is time to knit.
I always write a full pattern before I begin to knit. Then I can check the pattern as I go. This really helps me. When I am done with the sample garment, my pattern is complete and corrected. No need to go back and try to remember what I did!
Oversized Vest with Asymmetrical Front by Deborah Newton
Yarn: 220 Superwash® Aran
Pattern Links: Cascade Yarns | Ravelry
What part of the design process challenges you the most, and how do you work through it?
For me, the most challenging part of designing is making all the elements work together— great fabric, silhouette, and fit. But by working in stages with a good swatch, a strong sketch, and schematic drawing, everything gets solved. I hate to rip, and I don’t like to waste time. Life is too short! There are too many knitted projects yet to be designed! So careful planning is crucial for me.
What do you look for in a yarn when starting a new design?
I find working with any yarn both challenging and rewarding. Finding out the best way to make a yarn shine is so much fun for me, whether it is a low-cost synthetic or a high-end luxury yarn. I have always tried to avoid “like” and “not like” when it comes to yarn. I take each yarn for what it is. Each yarn has its innate potential, and it is a designer’s job to uncover that!
Slightly Oversized Color Yoke Pullover by Deborah Newton
Yarn: Cascade 220®
Pattern Links: Cascade Yarns | Ravelry
Do you have a Cascade Yarns favorite? What makes it special for you?
I adore Cascade 220® and Cascade 220® Sport. They each have amazing color ranges, and they are perfect for both colorwork and textured fabrics. They are soft, reliable to knit with, and create wonderful, soft, drapey fabrics. If you told me that I could only design with these two yarns for the rest of my design life, I would be very happy!
But all the Cascade yarns I have worked with have been rewarding. I also love all the wonderful ECO+ wools and smooth, drapey Cantata. I also LOVE luxurious Heritage Silk, a wonderful blend of wool and silk with a great color range.
Where did the inspiration for your Cascade Yarns project(s) come from?
I always try to design visually interesting projects for Cascade that will still be fairly easy to make. I also like to show the best qualities of each yarn. And I like to incorporate details that make a sweater a little bit different. I have used Cascade yarns in many of my book projects as well.
Luxe Hoodie by Deborah Newton
Yarn: MeriKash
Pattern Links: Cascade Yarns | Ravelry
What tips do you have for makers working through your patterns?
I think it is important to read through every pattern before beginning to knit. And to start with a sleeve to double-check your gauge. Sometimes, the gauge in an early swatch is different than when you are familiar with the pattern, in a larger piece!
If you could tell every new maker one thing, what would it be?
Work with yarns that excite you, but that are also reliable. Choose yarns that are easy to knit, hold patterns well, don’t stretch out, or require extra care. Buy yarn to work engaging swatches and keep the swatches as a reference for the future. I always tell my students that we don’t always need to be making a project. It is a learning experience to buy yarns to make great, big, wonderful swatches to learn new patterns and refine our skills!
What inspires you about the creative process?
Every day for me is different. And I love that. I try never to repeat myself, and when a project is done, I am eager for a new design to take its place. I love the process. I also love to teach and pass on what I have learned over the years. I teach both design-oriented classes and knitting techniques.
Oversized Cabled Raglan
Yarn: Friday Harbor
Pattern Links: Cascade Yarns | Ravelry
What excites you about the future of fiber arts?
The most exciting thing about the time we are living in is that makers are no longer isolated! It is easy to learn, and we share a huge, connected community. And communities overlap! This can only continue and get even better. Learning is easy, and we are there to support each other. I would love to see the return of more local yarn shops where people could get hands-on help and see and feel yarns directly. Fingers crossed!
Stay tuned, more stories from our Designer Showcase are on the way. Until then, you can dive deeper into Deborah Newton’s creative world by visiting her links below.