Knitwear Designer of the Month
Each month we will feature a knit and a crochet designer (sometimes one and the same) and highlight a pattern from each. You can choose any pattern available for sale directly on Ravelry from that designer and we will give you 15% off the yarn purchased for that pattern and we will buy the pattern for you – it’s a fabulous deal!
We ask that you share your projects with us either via social media or via email and tag the designer so the rest of the world can love them too.
We will have a focus on Black and indigenous people of color (BIPOC) designers. We will not allow algorithms in social media to dictate the beauty we see and will consciously seek out diverse knit and crochet designers when highlighting designs. Why? This is a small act we can make to help counter the imbalance in representation in the fiber world.
Knitwear designer: Jimenez Joseph of London-based JimiKnits
From June 22 to July 21 we’re excited to share that our first featured knitwear designer is Jimenez Joseph.
The earliest Ravelry design in the London-based JimiKnits collection is a pair of socks. Published in 2011, Sakana are representative of JimiKnits patterns: clever, well thought out, beautifully explained, and the best bit… so very wearable.
Jimenez is a graphic designer by profession, but knitwear became the design focus after an accident prevented her pursuing her passion for field athletics in her free time in 2008. Jimenez received a Learn How to Knit kit from her husband at Christmas and three years later started publishing knitwear…a natural progression for this designer, form and function as well as a novel twist!
Jimenez also creates patterns that can be created with the Addi Express knitting machines, which is how I found her, looking for Addi Express in Ravelry. The first pattern I knit was the Choob hat – a slouchy hat with decorative buttons decorating the outside. It was a wonderfully quick project for a family member undergoing chemo that offered style and comfort.
It’s hard to pick a favorite JimiKnits pattern, the gorgeous striped shirt, Byeline? The lighter Pixham top knit in Malabrigo Rios? How about the fabulous Highbury Halter? Perfect for a Tucson summer. And I admit I’ve never been tempted to knit a skirt before I saw the Tower of Strength. So many choices! For our first in this series we’re going to suggest:
- Aggregate Shawl – The Malabrigo Dos Tierras yarn will be spectacular with this design
Aggregate Shawl by Jimenez Joseph
OR
- Castle of Dreams shawl – The Malabrigo Mora yarn has the right luxurious feel for this light airy shawl.
A quick knit light and airy enough for summer evenings with the added bonus of beads to add to the drape. This is a great opportunity to try beads in your knitting if you haven’t before.
Castle of Dreams by Jimenez Joseph
But remember, yarn purchased for any JimiKnits pattern purchasable from Ravelry will be 15% off, and the Birdhouse Yarns will purchase the pattern!
Where can you find JimiKnits?
We can’t wait to hear which JimiKnits pattern you choose.
Up next crochet designer : Toni Lipsey
