I am an independent knitwear designer and sell my knitting patterns on Etsy and other online sites. I studied knitwear design at Art School and graduated with a Degree in Fashion & Textiles. I freelanced in London design studios for the first 15 years of my career. During this time I was fortunate to have the opportunity to design with many yarn types, colour palettes and fashion looks for men, women and children.
I have worked as a freelance knitwear designer for the last 25+ years designing for designer labels, high street stores, and colour and fashion trend forecasting studios and have loved every minute of it. I have also worked as a visiting tutor at art schools teaching knitwear design to students.
I had a dream to set up my own baby and childrens knitwear label. I followed my dream and set up my first knitwear label, rocket clothing back in 1995. I have run rocket clothing alongside my freelance design work for most of my career. My Rocket collection of classic baby knits has sold to adorable childrens boutiques and gift stores across the UK, Europe, and the US. It was a very exciting day when Harrods Knightsbridge agreed to sell the collection.
I have also had lots of fun selling my handknits at arts markets and craft fairs across the UK. I have met some wonderful and interesting people along the way.
In 2009 I started selling PDF knitting patterns of my designs, and currently have 4 knitting pattern collections: Little Pickle Knits, Rocket Clothing London, Jessica Rose Hand Knits and Pure Hands Knits. I am also the designer behind the latest Rowan baby book Cherish which has just been published and is available to buy in March 2016.
I have spent most of my life living in Wimbledon London, but now live in Oxfordshire with my partner and our two highly amusing children.......who, as you can see..... don't stand still for a moment!!
We live in a vibrant Oxfordshire town, that is steeped in England's textile history. We are so lucky to be living in this beautiful listed house that was built in the mid 18th century for the owners of a textile factory. This is our little piece of this textile history.
I work from home and use one room as my studio and another as my yarn store. My studio is the room to the right of our front door. I like to think that in some small way, by running my textile business from this historic house, I have returned it to its roots.
Since leaving London and starting a family, balancing my work and home life is so important to me. I lived and breathed rocket for 14 years and loved every minute of it, working long hours designing my knits, working with a talented team of outworkers, and supplying shops and individual customers with my rocket knits. But.....now that I have my lovely young family I try to create that healthy balance between work and home life that we all strive for. Enjoying this time with my young family is so precious to me that my knitwear business has evolved into a family friendly venture. Arts and craft sites like Etsy have made this possible.
As I just can't stop designing you will see new patterns appearing regularly.........once you've got the knitting bug it stays with you for life!.
Thanks for popping by and hope to see you again soon.
Linda Whaley
You can also find my other knitting pattern collections here at Etsy.
www.rocketclothinglondon.etsy.com
www.littlepickleknits.etsy.com
www.rocketclothing.etsy.com
www.jessicarosehandknits.etsy.com