An interview with designer Lee Meredith of leethalknits

When I was deciding on my various projects for the Indie Designer Gift-A-Long KALs, I came across a pattern for modular mitts constructed from the thumb across.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the pattern for Either/Or included instructions for multiple yarn weights, as well as multiple styles from short, fingerless mitts to full mittens. I liked them so much, that I asked Lee Meredith (aka leethal on Ravelry) to do a little profile for this blog.

She has a variety of patterns and constructions that are quite compelling.  I am enjoying the pattern and will post about it separately.  Without further ado, my profile with Lee Meredith:

Lee Meredith aka leethal

Tell us a little about yourself and where you are from.

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      I grew up in Southern California, and moved to Portland, Oregon in 2007, the same year I wrote my first knitting pattern! I have a degree in art (emphasis on photography) and I’ve been self-employed doing mainly knit design and also lots of other assorted craft-related things since 2008. I’m currently back in school to learn graphic design.

How and when did you begin designing?

·        When I learned to knit (in college, around 2002) I started improvising right from the start. What I liked about knitting was thinking up something I wanted to make and figuring out how to make it, or experimenting and seeing what would happen. I was already knitting for a few years before I even tried a pattern, or learned how patterns worked. So, basically I was always designing, but once I starting learning how patterns worked, and once ravelry launched so I started seeing a lot more patterns, that’s when I took the step into writing down what I was doing in a way other people could follow. The first pattern I ever wrote was published in Knitty in Fall 2007, and I’ve been obsessively writing patterns ever since!

You have such interesting construction on some of your patterns. Where do you find your inspiration?

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      Ideas usually come out of other knitting projects – knitting one thing gets me brainstorming about a new idea. Or seeds of ideas will just pop into my head, and then I’ll sketch and swatch until they develop into something. I don’t go seeking out inspiration; I have no dearth of design ideas.

Do you have a favorite item that you enjoy designing?

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      Hats are what I always come back to and could design over and over and never get bored. I do like jumping around to other items, but if I had to choose just one item to design forever, it would be hats.

What advice would you give to a budding designer?

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     Umm, it depends what said budding designer is aiming for. I’m currently back in school for a career change, so if they were asking me about how to be (financially) successful, I’d have no answer ;) I also wouldn’t advise doing it only for the love with no goal of making money, because it’s hard work that deserves compensation. So I’d pretty much avoid giving advice to anyone. Sorry that answer was so honest, hah!

Do you have a website, blog or newsletter that you would like to share?

·         My knitting pattern website is leethalknits.com; I’m leethal on ravelry; I’m most active on twitter @leethal and I’m leethalknits on instagram and leethal.leemeredith on facebook.

Full Mittens from Either/Or

Short Fingerless Mitts from Either/Or

Long Fingerless Mitts from Either/Or