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Leonida Sweater with Jill Thompson Beach
With the release of the beautiful Leonida Sweater in our lofty and warm yarn Lore, we speak with designer Jill Thompson Beach about her inspiration behind the sweater!
Jill Thompson Beach is a knitwear designer focusing on cosy, approachable, enjoyable, and carefully considered designs. She lives in New England with her husband, Aaron, and two dogs, Evie and Mae. Her designs remind you to take pleasure in the love and joy of making.
Could you tell us a bit about yourself: how did you get into knitting and designing knitwear?
“Since I was little, I’ve always loved making things. My Granny had a project ready for me when I would stay with her for a few weeks each summer. Throughout my childhood, I remember making things pretty regularly and enjoying it immensely. After going away to college, living abroad for a year and then coming back to graduate school, I found myself missing something, but I didn’t quite know what it was.
I started knitting not so long ago at a local yarn shop in Salem. I had known for a while that I wanted to try knitting out – so when I picked out my yarn and needles and casted on during a Knitting 101 class I knew I had found something that I would enjoy doing long term. That garter stitch piece eventually became a cowl I gifted my Granny.
After about 5 years or so of knitting patterns that caught my eye, I realized there were not patterns for things I wanted to knit. And I knew deep down that I could learn to make them. This is when I knew that I wanted to transition from my day job into something more creative.”
“Then I attended an art workshop (Squam in New Hampshire) a few summers ago and it really encouraged me. I met so many amazing and creative people! I took inspiring classes! In one of them, it was suggested to read “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert. Once I read “Big Magic” something sparked. After that, I had to learn as much as possible about designing.
From there, I just started trying to sketch some rough ideas. Then came the knitting portion. And then learning the best ways for me to write them up. I knew what I liked in a knitting pattern and what I didn’t. I wanted to provide the knitter with as good of a pattern as I possibly could!
Since I started designing at the end of 2019, I’ve taken several classes, bought countless books, and have done so much trial and error. I don’t believe there is just one way to design a knitting pattern. And there are plenty of lovely and helpful folks/resources out there. I’m always learning. I’m always trying. And I’m infusing my designs with love and joy as much as possible.”
Tell us about the inspiration for the Leonida Sweater.
“Leonida is inspired by the fantastic and fleeting Leonids meteor shower that appear in a particular evening’s sky. I chose to design a garment around meteor showers because even though they are commonly brief, they are spectacular and provide us with such a dazzling display that incites excitement and joy.
I used The Fibre Co. Lore for this design in two colors. Lore is quite soft and feels wonderful after washing. I loved working with it for this colorwork design. The two colors, Knowing and Happiness, reflect the evening’s sky with the evanescent meteor showers streaked through it.“
What makes your design special?
“One of my favorite details of Leonida is the special little bobbles that are worked periodically throughout the yoke. I also really love the deep and thick hem trim detail at the bottom. These small details change a colorwork yoked design into something a little more modern and trendy for your wardrobe.“
This cropped, yoked sweater is knitted from the top down, seamlessly in the round. After the rib neckband is knit, short rows are worked. The yoke is worked following a colourwork chart to the shoulders where the sleeve sts are put on hold and the rest of the body is worked to the hem. The sleeves are resumed and worked in the round knitted top down. Throughout the colourwork yoke section, small bobbles are worked periodically.
About The Almanac Series
The Almanac Series is based on the original farmer’s Almanac guide to the seasons, this collection acts as a seasonal guide to knitting with The Fibre Co. and celebrates each month of the year with an ascribed Yarn of the Month, paired with a new design launch in that yarn. For this year’s series, we looked to the heavens for inspiration, letting the beauty and grandeur of the night sky guide us. In the first half of this year’s series, we cover the Autumn Winter season, where each month’s yarn has been specifically chosen for its qualities to compliment colder conditions in the northern hemisphere. Erika Knight’s Zodiac Sweater was the first design in The Almanac Series II collection, in which you can read our interview with Erika here.
What inspires and influences your designs?
“Oftentimes things around me inspire my designs. Nature is a big inspiration for me. The other big inspiration for me is travel. I try to get inspired by the things I see and the textures and colors around me. If I’m lucky and I have my phone I’ll snap a picture or if I’m extra lucky and I have my notebook I’ll do some quick, rough sketches.”
What is your favourite type of knitting project?
“I truly just love knitting. If I had to pick one type of knitting project, I think I would say sweaters (primarily colorwork yoked sweaters), but shawls would likely come in second.”
Could you share your design process with us.
“I don’t have just one design process. I do enjoy designing for prompts, concepts and ideas. Sometimes I’m inspired by something I see outside on a walk that I want to translate to a pattern. Typically, for a prompt or submission, I will make a sort of mood board or collage with my ideas and then get out a sketch pad and do some rough drawings for a few minutes. Once I have the pad and pen in hand I usually know what the design will be right away, a shawl, cowl, hat, sweater, etc. After I have a rough idea of the type of garment I’m making, I try to find the perfect yarn for the design.
From there, I will use the stitch pattern and make a swatch. Depending on how many sizes and such, I may create a spreadsheet to make the pattern writing simpler. Then I write out the bones of the pattern. And then I get to the fun part – the knitting! After all this, comes the photoshoot, tech editing and testing.“
What is your favourite knitting technique and why?
“Colorwork is my absolute favorite thing to knit. It feels like painting with your needles. You get to pick out the yarn colors you want to use and you may have a good idea of what the garment will look like, but seeing it all come together is just magical and very exciting for me.“
What is your desert island knitting project?
“Oh, this one is a tough one for me. I tend to NOT knit things more than once. Part of the excitement for me is creating something new and trying to make something I haven’t yet made. I love the aspect of solving the puzzle of constructing a new garment. If I had to say one item that I’d take with me, it would likely be a multi-coloured shawl. That way I could use the yarns over and over again and possibly rework them in different ways and constructions.“
Knitting the Leonida Sweater?
If you are knitting the Leonida Sweater, please do share it with us!
We would love to see it. If you are sharing on social media, please use the hashtags #MadeWithTheFibreCo and tag us @thefibrecompany so we don’t miss it. You can also follow us on social media by clicking the icons below.
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