Designer of the Month:
Chris de Longpré

• Chris de Longpré

One of the great pleasures of editing this newsletter (and reading it, too, I hope!) is learning about the amazing breadth and depth of interests among Patternfish designers. Chris de Longpré, better known under her company name, Knitting At KNoon, is certainly no exception. She and her husband are amateur astronomers and astrophotographers who travel the world to photograph eclipses.

Another thing about designers; they are frequently talented in many different directions; again, Chris is no exception. A quick scroll through Chris’s first e-book, Timeless Knits for Kids, appearing here for the first time, leaves one simply bowled over by all she does so well: writing poetry and prose, designing knitwear, writing clear and instructive pattern directions, photographing her grandchildren. We’re delighted to be introducing this new e-book with this newsletter.

Three phrases come to mind when looking at Chris’s quite astonishing range of patterns: “funny and fun” for her wonderful toys: “comfortably wearable” for her cardigans, sweaters and vests for adults and children: “sweet classics” for her baby clothes. Read on for more about Chris.

What’s your design process? When designing, I first think of the shape, whether a garment or, more lately, a stuffed toy. Next I need a name for the pattern; I can’t proceed without one. Then I look for suitable yarn. Since much of my business to date has been wholesaling patterns to the trade, I tend to stick with basic yarns that are widely available. After swatching, I need a week or two (sometimes more) to subconsciously mull over the engineering. At some point that process finishes itself and the design just flies off my needles.

When did you start designing? When my grandchildren were on the way, I began designing little things for them to wear in their first months. The Wee-one Welcome Set was my first wholesale pattern (in 2003) and it thrills me to know that thousands and thousands of babies have worn a Wee-one Welcome Set home from the hospital.

What inspires you? What are you passionate about? My grandchildren continue to be my biggest inspiration. I have two granddaughters and two grandsons and they often let me know what I should be knitting. They inspired my first book, Timeless Knits for Kids (Size 4-14). I mostly like knitting things that are fun, that make me giggle, like my patterns for stuffed toys.

Which is your favourite design? It’s hard for me to identify one favourite, but near the top is Tembo, the elephant from “Safari Friends.”

My customers’ favourite is the “Wrap Me Up” shawl. I was completely surprised by this and still am. I made a rectangular sampler shawl in some discontinued worsted weight yarn from Noro and wore it at The National Needle Arts Market (TNNA) for several years. When retailers asked me for a pattern I thought, “It’s a rectangular shawl. Does it need a pattern?” But I did rework it (in four different worsted weight self-striping yarns) and put the Paint Box version on the runway at the 2007 TNNA Yarn Group fashion show. Also very popular is Wrap Me Up’s little brother, the scarf, made with sock yarn.

(The Wrap Me Up scarf has been added to the Wrap Me Up Shawl pattern especially for Patternfish customers. If you’ve purchased Wrap Me Up previously, you’ll find an update in your Stash. - -ed.)

When did you learn to knit? I learned to knit from my Mom when I was 11. She also taught me to sew, and for 35 years I honed my designing skills on the sewing machine. I grew up in a rural area, but had fashion magazines to show me what young people were wearing in the cities. With nowhere to purchase clothing like that, I ordered fabric from Sears or JC Penney catalogues, bought notions at the nearest five and dime and went to work designing clothing for myself.

Describe the way you knit. As a knitter I’m a thrower, not a picker (much to the chagrin of many friends who knit much faster than I). I turned to knitting instead of sewing when my daughters were in high school and not interested in wearing handmade anymore. I could take my knitting with me, or knit in the family room – still in touch with activities and family, but always with busy hands. Some of these first efforts were atrocious, but I kept at it.

Tell us about building your business. I’ve concentrated on building my wholesale business and it was more than a full-time job. My pattern company, Knitting At KNoon Designs, is better known than I am as a designer. I do not yet fall into the “celebrity” category of designers, as the first 7 years of my 8-year business plan were spent promoting my company. I recently sent information about my workshop and retreat offerings to my retailers for the first time. I’ve taught three workshops and a Wrap Me Up retreat so far this fall and it’s so much fun to meet the knitters in different shops!

I have at least three more books I would like to publish. Over the next ten years I think my pattern sales will be more on-line and less wholesale, and my time will be devoted to writing books. The wholesale pattern market has definitely dwindled since a high for me in 2009. Luckily this means I am at my desk fewer hours and have more time for teaching and writing. I have a corporate information systems background and am no stranger to the “business” aspects of this job; however, desk and planning time is far less creative than designing, and I prefer to be designing.

Which designers do you admire? My favorite designers are Cat Bordhi, Janel Laidman, Lorilee Beltman, and Cookie A. I’ve had the great pleasure of working with them over the years and their boundless creativity and drive are inspirational to me.

Describe your perfect day. My perfect day is cloudy (so I don’t see the dusting that needs to be done), and starts when I naturally wake up (between 9:00 and 10:00 AM). I settle into my studio to knit and work on designs. My husband answers all phone calls and prepares lunch and dinner for me. I take a brief nap in the afternoon and, after dinner, we watch a movie together. Just lately, I’ve been able to limit my days in the office to two or three each week, so I can have a perfect day quite often.

In what ways do you spend your time that would surprise people? My husband and I are amateur astronomers and astrophotographers and have traveled the world to Curacao, Romania, Zimbabwe, Egypt and China to photograph solar eclipses. We’ll be in northeastern Australia in November 2012.We go exploring, rock collecting, bird watching, and photographing wildflowers and the night sky with great regularity.

I am never bored and there is no subject about which I can say I am not interested. Spontaneity was a learned trait for me, but the portability of my designing life makes it possible for me to pick up and go quite easily.

Where do you think the knitting/crochet/fibre world will be in 10 years? I’ve seen a resurgence of making things. Even sewing, which is no longer economical, is gaining favor. I certainly think this will continue into the next ten years and beyond.

How did you decide to list your designs with Patternfish? Julia Grunau visited my Knitting At KNoon booth at TNNA for two years before I made the decision to sell my patterns on Patternfish. I was initially concerned that selling my patterns on line would compete with my retailers. When I was ready I chose Patternfish because the look and feel of the site is worlds above most others. I appreciate that the pages are not cluttered with ads competing for attention. The PDF watermarking used by Patternfish is not offered elsewhere either and it adds a measure of comfort to selling e-patterns. Patternfish is a nice “family” in which to be included.

Find all of Chris de Longpré's Knitting At KNoon patterns here.