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Remembering Annie Modesitt

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The losses just keep piling up this year, and it was announced that knitwear designer, teacher, yarn maker and proponent of going your own way with knitting, Annie Modesitt, died October 1.

She had been battling cancer for years, and she last posted on her blog late in August that she as undergoing a last-ditch chemotherapy treatment. Since that time she had entered hospice care.

Annie was a self-taught knitter who used what’s known as the combination style of knitting, which allowed her to knit very quickly and with even tension. She says in her book Confessions of a Knitting Heretic that her first project was a colorwork sweater from Vogue Knitting designed by Deborah Newton that involved 37 colors of yarn (despite the yarn store owner’s insistence that she start with something simpler). She finished it in less than a week.

Her mantra can be summed up by other words from that book: “If you are getting the fabric you want from your knitting, then you are knitting the Right Way for you!”

This is why she called herself a heretic, because at the time most teachers insisted on what’s known as the Western method of knitting and the word “wrong” was thrown around quite a bit. She felt the most important thing was to empower new knitters to find their own way of doing things and to understand how knitting works so that their interest could be ignited into a passion.

As a designer she gravitated to feminine, colorful and technical designs. She called on her millinery experience to knit amazing hats that might have been seen at a tea party at Downton Abbey.

She trusted knitters to use their intellect to be able to knit patterns, rather than suggesting that some patterns are better for beginners. (See that 37-color sweater for instance.)

She was the author of seven knitting books and contributed to many books and magazines through the years. Her flip books showing knitting techniques are delightful, and all her designs encourage knitters to try new things and be a little fearless.

She also launched ModeKnit Yarn, an independent yarn company producing vibrant colors that look great together.

She will be missed.

[Photo: ModeKnit Yarn staff selfie, via the ModeKnit Yarn website.]

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Comments

  1. i met her many years ago when our LYS had her teach a couple classes. i found her to be a delight and hilarious. she will be missed in the community of true knitters. she had a pov but it didnt interfere with her knitting.

  2. My heart breaks hearing this. My schedule never allowed me to meet Annie or to participate in one of her classes. She will be missed. Condolences to her family.

Have you read?

Review: The Knitting Pattern Writing Handbook

I know not all of you are interested in writing patterns, but for those of you who are (or who already do), The Knitting Pattern Writing Handbook by Kristina McGrath and Sarah Walworth is a great guide to things you need to consider as you are designing, writing and preparing your pattern for publishing.

While a lot of this information (such as grading patterns for particular sizes, the importance of size inclusivity in patterns and common sweater design pitfalls) is specific to designers or garments, this information is important for designers to think about and for knitters to look out for when purchasing patterns.

The book covers the basics and beyond of writing a knitting pattern, including:

  • foundations of a good pattern
  • components of a pattern
  • gauge
  • charts
  • sizing
  • common sweater pitfalls
  • working with a tech editor

The goal of all this is to get designers thinking about how they want to present their patterns, from how abbreviations are handled to when charts are used, how many sizes are included and how elements of the pattern might need to change as garments get larger (such as increasing at a different rate on raglans so the armhole is not too deep when accommodating a larger bust size).

McGrath and Walworth are professional tech editors who host the Tech Tip Talk YouTube page, and their aim is for patterns to be clear, consistent, correct, size inclusive, accessible to a range of knitters (both in terms of physical ability and skill level).

They definitely have opinions about how knitting patterns should be written, such as how to convert from inches to centimeters and that measurements for sweaters should be taken from the upper bust rather than the full chest. But they also note that a tech editor’s job isn’t to be dogmatic or make changes without good reason.

The book also covers other subjects of importance to designers such as the difference between tech editing and test knitting, why you might want to do both and in what order. Each chapter includes a checklist of things to think about when writing you pattern and questions and answers to common questions they come across in their tech  editing businesses.

The back of the book includes detailed guidelines for where and how to measure bodies, plus standard size charts for kids, women and men. There’s also a sample style sheet for use with a tech editor and plenty of resources for learning more about design, accessibility and more.

This book is a great resource for people thinking about getting into knitwear design (particularly garment design), or for designers who want to make their patterns better and their editor’s job easier.

About the book: 176 pages, hardcover. Published 2023 by Storey. Suggested retail price $20.

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