"If you can knit and purl you can do anything!": CraftWorld Awards winner Chloe Birch chats colour, musicals and knitting with bra elastic
This month's featured knitting designer is Chloe Birch. This young talent is already taking the knitting world by storm, with her distinctive designs and thoughtful approach. It's easy to see why she won a CraftWorld Award! We sat down for a good chat about all things woolly, to find out how she's built her career in such a short space of time.
Hi! What are you up to today?
Hi! Today is a busy day finalising a collection of makes for the second chapter of a book I am writing! So, lots of sewing in ends, taking measurements and double checking everything before I send all the garments off tomorrow. Once they are all packed up, I am planning an afternoon snuggled on the sofa with my best pal Meeko, my gorgeous cat, whilst sketching designs the next chapter and working on some samples, with maybe a movie or two.
How did you get started in knitting?
I learnt to knit whilst studying Textiles A Level. I decided I wanted to knit a section for the art piece I was working on, so went home that evening and asked my mum to teach me. I learnt how to cast on, knit, and cast off. The next day at school, needles in hand, I went into the store cupboard and picked up an assortment of bra elastic we had donated, along with some wire and continued to knit it up to go on my art piece! As you can imagine, it wasn’t the easiest to knit, however it worked rather well! Though possibly unsurprisingly, I have stuck to actually knitting with yarn since then.
And how did that develop into a career in knitwear design?
It was while studying Fashion Design at university when I realised my love for knitwear.
I spent most of my beginning years mainly working with fabrics, though I always felt there was something missing, I felt like a fraud just going and buying a fabric to work with and always felt like I needed to make my own, which is why knitting makes so much sense to me. You are literally building a garment from almost nothing and are able to personalise every section of the garment.
Throughout my studies I also learnt a lot about how detrimental the fashion industry is to the environment, I found this very difficult as it was the industry I loved but also I couldn’t let myself work in a place that was having such a negative effect on our world. This is another reason I love hand knitwear so much; it is fashion at one of its slowest and most ethical practises. I knew then that this was the career for me. I began to specialise in knitwear in my final years of University and I haven’t looked back since!
My mum is an incredible tech editor and pattern writer, starting her career with Hayfield’s in the 80’s, so as soon as I decided to take my first steps into the world of knitwear she was right there with me being my teacher and mentor.
I felt like a fraud just going and buying a fabric to work with and always felt like I needed to make my own
You’ve done some fabulous work with brands like WYS– how did these collaborations come about?
During my final year at Uni I had become quite the instagrammer, sharing my design process and final collection. Early on in my final year I had reached out to WYS for yarn sponsorship for some of my designs which they very kindly helped me with. After that, they began following me on Instagram and one day, when my collection was complete, I received an email asking if I would like to do some designing for them! It was my absolute dream to work for them, and as you can imagine, was quite a shock! I created my first designs for them just before graduating and it just went from there really. I now have 3 pattern books with them and am grateful every day that they saw something in me, and gave me my first break!
What does a typical day look like for you?
First job of the day is always coffee! I like to try and get a walk to the beach in with my mum and dog Bella first thing, however haven’t managed to do this as much recently due to work deadlines and the winter weather. After that is usually pattern writing with Radio 2 on in the background and my assistant cat, Meeko, watching over me making sure the maths is right. Then an evening of knitting for deadlines while watching a good box set, and maybe a glass of wine.
What do you do outside of craft?
I love musicals and try to get up to London as often as I can, I have seen Wicked 4 times, and most recently went to see Hamilton which was incredible, and I have been singing the soundtrack ever since. I also really enjoy reading, I’ve got quite the stack of books at the moment on my “to be read” pile, so much so I’ve had to put myself on a book buying ban until I have read a few. I have just finished reading ‘Midnight in Everwood’ by M. A. Kuzniar which takes inspiration from the classic story of the Nutcracker, it is such a beautiful read that really takes you to a different world, I highly recommend!
What makes you excited to work on a new design or collection?
Everything and anything really! I just get so excited to work on something new! I love creating moodboards to get my creativity flowing and begin my design process. My inspiration usually comes from a variety of places, like an inspiring image/ piece of art or simply the nature around me.
What’s been your proudest moment as a designer?
Definitely winning Knitwear Designer of the Year! Thank you again for that! I was honestly so surprised to be nominated, I never thought for a second I might actually win! When I got your email saying I had won I had to go look up the winners on the website to make sure, as I was certain the email must have been sent to me by mistake. There were so many incredible designers also nominated that I felt so honoured to have my name alongside theirs. I do have trouble with my confidence sometimes and question if I am good enough to be in this industry, so getting that award gave me a real boost and confidence in what I’m doing.
And what’s been the biggest challenge?
I have dyslexia, which can make things a bit tricky sometimes, especially when it comes to pattern writing. I always make sure to triple check everything, and ask my family to proof read anything I have written, like this interview, to make sure it reads okay and makes sense, spell check is a huge help too!
I also struggle with depression and anxiety which can be challenging at times, however, slowly but surely, I am learning to appreciate myself and also realise my limits and give myself a break. I try to listen to my body and make sure I am being kind to myself. Knitting is a big help with this too, it takes me out of my head and into the present moment, letting me just focus on my craft rather than my spiralling thoughts.
Your colour palettes are always so unique – how do you choose the colours for your designs?
Thank you! I love playing with colour combinations! I One of my favourite things to do when designing is, once choosing what yarn I am using, to get a picture of each of the shades and then just play around looking at what colours work against each other, my phone is filled with collages of yarn colours! I also take a lot of inspiration from interior design and expressionist art. Whenever I find an image that particularly inspires me, I print it out and put it on my wall behind my desk, so I always have some inspiration right in front of me for whenever I may need it.
Try 3 of Chloe's Patterns FREE
We've chosen three of our favourite patterns that Chloe has designed for Knit Now Magazine to share with CraftWorld Premium members this month.
What’s the best piece of crafting advice you’ve ever been given?
‘If you can knit and purl you can do anything!’ My mum said this to me when I was first learning to knit and it has always stuck with me. Whenever I am trying a new technique or knitting a particularly difficult stitch pattern, I think of this!
Who are some other designers you think we should all be following?
There is truly so many amazing designers out there! Some of my favourites at the moment are Georgie Farrell, her new collection Abstract with Rowan is incredible, I want to knit all of it! I also love Anna Nikipirowicz, I am always in awe of her designs!
Any exciting plans in the pipeline you’d like to share with our readers?
Well… as I mentioned, I am currently writing a book at the moment which I am so excited about! It is my absolute dream to be able to publish a book! I don’t think I am allowed to say anything else about it yet, but it is set to be released autumn this year and I am so pleased with how It is coming along! I can’t wait to be able to share it with you.
I have also collaborated with the amazing designer Sarah Hatton, on a new pattern book for WYS that is being released at the end of the month which is full of spring/summer patterns in a gorgeous new yarn of theirs!