98
LIFE ON
THE GRID
My knitalongs are very informal. Just join in
with your knit.love.wool WIP and knit along
with others! Anyone can join and there’s an
Instagram hashtag each time so everyone can
find each other’s posts. There’s also a thread
in my Ravelry group where people can chat
and share pictures. I love knitalongs because
they bring us all together and new friendships
are made. I think my favourite knitalong was
one of my first. I was thrilled to see so many of
my sweaters made all over the world!I love designing because I enjoy the artistic
aspects of it. I used to love to draw when I was
younger and designing colourwork sweaters
gives me the opportunity to ‘draw’ in a way, with
yarn and needles. A lot of my designs are
nature-inspired. I’d say they are mostly
botanically themed but I also find inspiration in
architecture from time to time. I’m a big plant
lover so I like to incorporate them into my work.
The pattern above is Telja, and there is a hint of
nature in that one, some melting icicles.I’ve had the opportunity to teach both
domestically and abroad. I even got to visit
Europe for the first time ever! The workshop
pictured above, at Harrisville Designs in New
Hampshire USA, was one of my favourites
because it was several days long and knitters
cast on to knit an actual yoke sweater while in
the class. It was so much fun to watch their
jumpers come to life! My workshops have all
focused on stranded colourwork, from classes
for beginners to yoke sweater design.
I love designing yokes because it’s like art
but with maths. There are moments when I
feel doubtful; there are a few patterns that I
almost quit part way through the yoke, which
have proven to be some of my most popular.
Knitters have taught me to doubt myself less
and to just keep putting one foot in front of
the other. My favourite part is designing
colourwork charts. They all start with just my
pencil and graph paper, and it’s exciting to
watch the design unfold as it’s knitted.I absolutely love seeing people wearing my
designs. It is one of the most rewarding aspects
of my job for sure! I love seeing knitters’ colour
choices and unique interpretations of my
patterns and I also really appreciate the
photography itself. It is also so nice to hear
when people really enjoyed creating one of my
designs – it makes me happy to be able to help
bring others joy through knitting. The design
pictured above is called Arboreal and it is one
of my most popular designs.@kknit.love.woolLiked by @letsknitmag@knit.love.woolLiked by @letsknitmag@knit.love.woolLiked by @letsknitmag@knit.love.woolLiked by @letsknitmag@knit.love.woolLiked by @letsknitmag@knit.love.woolLiked by @letsknitmag@knit.love.wool ravelry.com/designers/jennifer-steingassHi! I’m Jenn Steingass. This is me wearing my
Gardengate design. I live in coastal Maine and
I’m a mom to two boys. I started knitting about
ten years ago when my first son was an infant
because I wanted to learn how to knit cloth
diaper covers. My mother-in-law taught me the
knit stitch and I learned the rest on YouTube
and blogs. I often ask myself why I love knitting
so much. I think it’s because the repetitiveness
feels meditative, but then I also think, “What
compels me to want to knit thousands of tiny
stitches over and over?” HAHA!
CELEBRATED US KNITWEAR DESIGNER JENN STEINGASS TELLS US ALL ABOUT HER
NATURE-INSPIRED CREATIONS, POPULAR KNITALONGS AND GORGEOUS SWEATERS