The Journey to Knit-So-It-Fits
❤️ I first learned to knit and crochet under the tender tutelage of my mother and grandmother. I remember loving the feel of the yarn clicking through the needles, but never being brave enough to actually wear anything I made because it looked so fake. Then I discovered wool yarn. I was immediately in love with natural fibers and have not touched acrylic since.
I discovered handspinning in the late 70's. I spun my first beginner's yarn on a wheel at a friend's house and was immediately addicted. Knowing I couldn't afford a spinning wheel of my own, and frustrated with trying to pedal and draft at the same time, I got a handspindle and taught myself to spin. I then built a spinning wheel for myself out of an old bicycle wheel. Even though it clunked vigorously as I spun, I had great speed on it and started a small business spinning yarn to sell.
My biggest problem with my yarn was in making garments that actually fit people. So I began devising methods of creating garments with easy shapes that I could change to whatever gauge I happened to get with my handspun yarn.
In the early 90's I tried to publish some of my patterns in national knitting magazines and discovered that they wanted nothing to do with my design and calculation techniques. I wanted nothing to do with their set gauge techniques.
There was only one thing to do.
I began publishing my own patterns in a subscription newsletter which I initially wanted to call The Handspinner's Craft Pattern Newsletter, but shortened to SpinCraft Pattern Newsletter. To date I have published over 100 patterns that are timeless creations and shapes.
SpinCraft is a small business run by the author. I intend to keep it small, homespun, and simple.
When you get a SpinCraft pattern you get a little bit of hand made creativity in this world of high-tech commerce. You will appreciate the simplicity in reading and understanding my patterns.
WEAVING
Like most handspinners, I am also addicted to weaving. Unfortunately I live in a very small house and could never fit, a large, expensive loom. To make up for that I have used a small Louet 4-harness loom, and lots of little rigid heddle looms. I used to drive myself crazy wanting a big loom so that I could design weaving patterns until, all the sudden one day, I realized that I am not alone in the world. Most of us fiber addicts cannot afford a big loom or ever hope to fit one in our houses! And yet, most weaving patterns are written for giant, expensive looms. So I decided to specialize in fun things that simple people, like myself, can do on their little looms.
KNITTING MACHINES:
I have the same attitude about knitting machines as I have about looms. I would love to have a thirty thousand dollar knitting machine hooked up to my computer, but it is never going to happen. Instead, I have an old-timey, bulky knitting machine that doesn't even have a ribber. It has grooves worn in the bed from the pressure of running my handspun yarn through it's needles.
Sometimes I like to knit on it, but most the time I prefer to snuggle up on my couch with a good video and knit mindlessly and happily away with my hands.
When I design patterns that can work on a knitting machine they are really nothing more than an interesting shape which can be done easily on the machine. I know that my patterns will work on anybody's machine.
My machine designs are like a blank pallet on which the real knitting machine guru's can paint their gorgeous pictures.
KNITTING PATTERNS
My favorite thing in designing knitting patterns is to create an interesting shape which can be knit in a three dimensional whole to fit the body. I hate to sew seams or have complicated finishing work to do on a sweater when it is done. I want to just put it on and go dancing! Most of my garments are created this way with about half of them started at the bottom and the other half knit from the top down. I even have some that are knit from side-to-side in one continuous piece. I am always coming up with new ways to make knitting old shapes more fun.
In appreciation to all my customers who make my knit designs possible.
Love & hugs
Connie Delaney
