Inspiration
Knit Your Own Words
Long before I started working as a graphic designer, I was drawn to two materials: letters and yarn.
Both have a quality of endless potential, making me want to start a new project. It’s no coincidence that, while knitters tend to have huge yarn stash, graphic designers have a digital equivalent: the font stash.
After I wrote a book combining my two favorite fields, Typographic Knitting, I thought it wouldn’t take long to see a typographic movement in knitting. I imagined Ravelry would burst with typographic blankets, mittens, and pillows. But as I have often experienced, knitting takes its time. Meanwhile, I discovered the world of knitting workshops.
Shortly after my book release, I received friendly mail from Loret Karman in Amsterdam, inviting me to present my work in her knitting academy (I didn’t know such a thing even existed). Soon I found myself surrounded by a group of curious and very virtuous knitters.
After an overloaded presentation on how to knit letterforms with patchwork, slipstitches, or illusion knitting, one of them gave me some advice: “At one point, you have to shut up and let them knit!” (It was Nancy Marchant.)
I realized two things.
One: I had written a book full of ideas and inspiration, but had little to no clue about how to guide knitters through it. A book is not a class. A book is more like a building while a class is a well-planned stroll through that building.
And two: Less is more! Learning a new technique needs time and space for personal adaptation.
Building an Entrance
I continued giving Typographic Knitting classes at knitting festivals (Swiss Yarn Festival, Barcelona Knits, Knit Eat Lyon) and museums (Zurich Design Museum, Letterform Archive San Francisco). Each time I was surprised by the mix of backgrounds showing up: people from the writing field, knitters, school educators, some architects, and a few graphic designers.
I enjoyed this clash of perspectives while facing a challenge: am I focussing on teaching basic typography principles to knitters or am I showing graphic designers a knit stitch? Should I give step-by-step instructions, or show freely adaptable design principles?
I developed exercises that can be used in different ways, yet aim at the same outcome: holding your first knitted words in your hands. Within a 3-hour workshop, I wanted my participants to experience “I can knit my own words!“
Stitch by stitch, what started as a workshop exercise slowly grew into a typeface: Knit Hello!
Knit Your First Hello
So what is Knit Hello? It’s a typeface (or font) for hand knitting. What’s that? You choose a font every time using a text program, like Courier, Arial, or Times New Roman. You can install Knit Hello on your computer, and write your own words and sentences as a knitting pattern.
“But what about the knitting grids?” you may ask. They are already IN the font! So as you are typing words, you are also typing the grid. No layout program needed.
Knit Hello is made especially for beginners: knitters without previous knowledge in typography and graphic designers who are just entering the wide wooly world of knitting.
To make this easy, it’s based on simple principles: Garter ridges—knit stitch only, slip-stitches—no long floats, and a simple 8-shaped letterform grid. It’s easy to memorize, sketch, or modify (remember the numbers on your old calculator? Just like that!).
You can explore Knit Hello in many ways. For your first words, get the Knit Hello Specimanual as a printed booklet or ebook. It contains background thoughts and visual inspiration, knitting details, a complete character map, “Hello” patterns in several languages, and sketching paper.
If you prefer more concrete projects, check out the simple Knit Hello United Fanscarf or the more advanced Knit Hello Variations Scarf with eight modifiable layout themes. In both patterns, you can easily insert your own words. If you want to go straight to writing, get the free trial fonts.
Write with Wool
Some ideas: If you have a knitting club or workshop, try knitting name tags. If you are planning your next big gathering (like, say, Nash Yarn Fest) why not knit name tags by hand? Or if your neighbor is a graphic designer or writer, team up for a collaborative knitting session.
Knowing how much the feedback of my workshop participants has shaped my way of designing exercises and patterns, I am very curious what you, the readers of MDK will make of it.
Whatever you make of it, please share some impressions of your stroll though the world of knitted words!
Welcome Rudiger!
I’m going to be new to knitted fonts but very glad to see you join this fold! While NOT new to either knitting or graphic layout, I do see wonderful possibilities in your font system & am eager to play. I’m especially eager to try mixing some into my playful explorations with Franklin Habit’s workshop on Shadow Knitting! I’ll be sure to let you know what I find when/if I finally get to it (SOO many things on my plate beyond “just” WIPs, project wishlists & friend/family requests on my knitting time & stash!)
Thanks & again, welcome!
I have the ebook and as several other folks have said, I’m looking forward to the workshop in March and exploring words and projects!
This is fascinating to me! I’ve bought the ebook and look forward to playing with this. I’m ready for your workshop on MDK! Thank you and as J Diane said, WELCOME!!!
In these fraught times, I went straight to words and phrases that held meaning :
Walk in beauty
Of by for
The people
Resist
And a few swear words depending on circumstances.
If I cast on 21 stitches, I can knit words into a headband.
Thank you for this amazing font, it allows me to be a knitting activist!
How is it that the first thing that came to mind was a different sort of melt hat? Or scarf? One that uses words to do the melting. One that speaks your mind
This is a genius idea, and would be a perfect second lesson for beginning knitters. It’s a colorful, and quick introduction to decoding a pattern, which provides the instant gratification of having a completed project to show off immediately. I made mini versions at Christmas. Love this new classic!
Oh I have gone down a rabbit hole on this one. It’s so much fun!
Guten Morgen!
I am so excited to learn how to use the Knit Hello font in the class from MDK!
Bis bald!
I purchased the e-version of the Specimanual. I have looked at the multi-font chart on page 12 multiple times. I see row upon row of letters, numbers, etc.. What I don’t see is the Knit Font with the “<“ denoting slipped stitches related to each letter. Am I missing something? Thanks ever so.
Hi Barbara,
Every letter and symbol is not charted with the slipped-stitch symbol, but once you’ve knit the word HELLO using the chart and written Knitting Instructions, you’ll know where to slip stitches for all the letters. It becomes intuitive after the first word! Several other versions of the word hello are also charted with the symbols, but you’ll get it after one!
Kay
I concur! I was also confused but just decided to try and I got it!
I love this so wholeheartedly ! The excitement of communicating techniques, the introduction of design ideas to the people who will take it and run with it ( LOL, ‘…shut up and let them knit!’) the movement in the stitches as they curl around the letters, the very dynamic-ness of it all ! And the imagining of the fun things to make with our new knowledge ! Ack, I just love coming here and finding people that speak my weird language, really.
This looks like fun! Great way to practice knitting letters.
I love this approach to communicating. I’m a little sorry this didn’t happen last fall when I was teaching a class of college students how to knit. This technique would have been fun for them. I bought your book, inspired by Kay’s enthusiasm! I’ve only knit my first Hello so far (a newborn is waiting for his wool blanket in this Michigan cold), but i can’t wait to try more.
This is fascinating! I studied Typographic Design at the London College of Printing several decades ago and this totally resonates with me … and my knitting!! Thank you!! I have out-of-country visitors for the workshop in April so I hope that your recording will be available after the fact. Please confirm so I can sign up. Thanks!
Yes, we record all our classes to watch or re-watch at your convenience.
Hello! Knit Hello! I love this, and have your ebook and have played with it a little. Looking forward to your workshop so I can learn more ways to put it all together!
Thank you for sharing!
Typographic knitting is one of my favourite knitting books I own. I’ve experimented with all the techniques and had so many swatches I sewed them all together into a big fabric book.
Hi Rüdiger! And welcome!! I bought your e-book and have had a lot of fun experimenting. I’ve signed up for the class and look forward to learning more. I am not a graphic designer by in the olden days I worked with them as a production manager in an advertising agency. I’m so old that I remember waxed type sheets.