Summer tops, shorts sewing & got my PhD diploma! // June 2023 - Seedling Stitch Knitting Podcast
Вставка
- Опубліковано 24 лип 2024
- Hello and welcome to the June 2023 episode of the Seedling Stitch Knitting Podcast! I bound off 4 summer tops including 2 from my own design! My Vine Tee has been published and my Vine Top is in testing, and many more vines are growing on my needles and in my head... Kuutar top and Jules Genser were finished - both I love so much! And I finally received my PhD diploma! I shared some thoughts on basically "throwing away my degree" and working towards an indie knitwear designer for the past half year. Hope you enjoy this episode!
🎁If you'd like to make a knitting-related gift to me, please check out my Ravelry WISHLIST: Thank you!! www.ravelry.com/bundles/athen...
Happy knitting,
💚 Athena
{ TIMESTAMPS }
00:00 Intro
02:02 Kuutar Top - Sari Nordlund
15:30 Vine Top - Me
24:26 Vine Tee - Me (pattern released)
26:26 Jules Genser - Sandnes Garn 2202
30:22 Pine and Fir Sweater - Me
35:22 Vine Bralette or Camisole - Me
41:53 The Basic Bra - NakedKnit
44:50 Raffia Crochet Bag - Ronique
46:43 Sewing: Shorts & Skirts
53:10 PhD & Life Updates
01:00:12 Outro
01:01:49 Piano - Clair de Lune
Remember to SUBSCRIBE & TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS if you'd like to know immediately when there's a new video up!
Thank you so much for watching!
💚 Athena
{ SOCIAL }
- Instagram: sd_athena / sd_athena
- Ravelry (patterns, projects): athenaliu www.ravelry.com/designers/ath...
- Ko-fi (donation, patterns & translation help): ko-fi.com/seedlingstitch
- Bilibili (my Chinese channel): 小禾唠编织 space.bilibili.com/3218172
- My Chinese UA-cam channel: @seedlingstitch_ch
- My LYS: Wet Coast Wools wetcoastwools.com/
{ PATTERNS & PROJECTS }
Vine Tee: www.ravelry.com/patterns/libr...
Cropped Vine Tee was made by @karliepaige8269
Vine Top: www.ravelry.com/projects/athe...
Vine Top (cropped length): www.ravelry.com/projects/athe...
Pine and Fir Sweater: www.ravelry.com/projects/athe...
Jules Genser: www.ravelry.com/projects/athe...
Kuutar Top in Knitting for Olive (KFO) Pure Silk in colourway "Quince": www.ravelry.com/projects/athe...
All Japanese books that I mentioned can be found at Etsy store by pomadour24.
Use these search words:
Ronique crochet bag book
Kana's Standard sewing book
Music: Clair de Lune - Claude Debussy, played by me
Dear one I liked all your all projects. Specifically your way of talking- it express your inner honesty & simplicity. Love you. Have a great future.
Thank you so much 😊
Congratulations Dr. Liu, . . . what an acquisition that PhD diploma is!! What an accomplishment! Congratulations again. Thank you for another enjoyable podcast. As more people see your "Vine" patterns they will become popular. I would love to see a series of patterns using the vine stitch pattern. The sweater surgery was a complete success! Your "Jules Genser" is indeed very beautiful!! Really like the pockets on your shorts and the length. Love your modesty and the humour regarding the longer legs on the shorts. With appreciation for the music and the podcast, Sarah
Thank you Sarah! 🥰
I really appreciated your perspective and comments on designers, especially prominent ones from the western world utilizing Japanese stitch dictionaries as the basis for their sold patterns (designs that are not from their own culture, regardless of attribution)! It's definitely food for thought, and it's difficult to track the line between inspiration and commodification in the creative arts when considering privilege and power. A lot to think about
The whole vine series is so beautiful and elegant!! Your designs are really incredibly beautiful. 😊
Thank you so much!
Congrats! Designing is using your skills of engineering. Making things work!🎉
Thank you! I think so too 😃
Congratulations Athena on your educational achievement all that hard work, it will reward you in future employment. Well done with your lovely knit designs I think they’re going to do well, so pretty. So good to hear your joy working in the yarn shop, heaven. 🇦🇺
Thank you 🥰
You are just amazing .
Thank you!
CONGRATULATIONS for your PhD! -
A lot of hard work, and i agree, you have to make use of this wonderful accomplishment in the teck world.
Congrats also on your beautiful designs , i'll be waiting for the patterns.
Thank you!
You’re pro. This knitting and crochet suits you. Keep doing nice garments.
Thank you, I will!
I think the whole point of stitch dictionaries are that people and designers can use them. It's like the shape of a sweater. It is supposed to be available. Honestly, I have more problems with designers churning out stockinette sweater after stockinette sweater that all look the same to me. In my opinion that is not original at all.
Oh I agree! Unless they experiment with some interesting constructions with the stockiness sweater, otherwise it is indeed not very original. If Hitomi Shida herself does not reserve the right for her own stitch patterns, then other designers can use and adapt them. But as a designer myself, I just expect a bit more from those big name designers than adapting from a stitch dictionary😜!
@@SeedlingStitch I agree your view point.
Congratulations on your PhD!!! Also congrats on your new designs!! I love all your choices for future knitting. Enjoyed this episode.
Thank you so much!
Your designs are looking lovely. You are so talented, your engineering skill translates so well into your designing. I know you'll do justice to your profession in engineering, and to pursuing your knitting dream... hold on to your dream, though reality has to be considered (cuts into knitting time!)
Thank you! Yes i will keep pursuing my dream!
Congratulations on the PhD. Creativity and creative careers are difficult and fraught with heart ache. But having the cushion of an engineering degree will give you the freedom to pursue your passion in a much more safe and stable manner. That way you can curate designs you want to publish as patterns rather than putting everything out in desperation. Having practical goals is not depressing, its part of being an adult. I wish you all the best.
PS: stitch dictionaries are references. They are meant to be used in designs. I do not think there is anything wrong with having a pattern that takes a pattern and adds it to design that makes it more accessible and beautiful.
Thank you! I have given much thoughts on designing career and stitch dictionaries since the release of this episode, and my view has changed and is leaning more towards yours :)
Well, I think it's perfectly fine if you take a stitch out of a stitch dictionary and modify it (or not) in your knitting. These books have been written for that purpose, aren't they? To get people inspired and be useful. 🥰Congrats on your PhD. 🤩
Thank you! I guess my problem with designing out of stitch dictionaries is that I feel a bit discouraged/imbalanced when I put in the hard work to come up with original stitch patterns while some others just get super popular by adapting a Hitomi Shida stitch pattern. I might be a bit jealous there, but I do want to keep using my creativity and use the stitch dictionaries solely for inspiration, and not for copy and pasting them to a garment. I didn’t mean to criticize any other designers! I just wanted to discuss what my designing principle is, for myself.😊
@@SeedlingStitch If you're capable of making your own stitch patterns, it's great and if that's what you feel you should be doing - you go girl. Someone doesn't have that capacity or time or will or interest, and that's where these stitch dictionaries come super handy, and using the content from them is fine (just like we are all using the content from various other knitting books to create things we like). Everyone has its own way. Creativity is endless. 💖 Or as my zen teacher used to say: everything must come to zero (balance). for every x person, there is his opposite. 🤗
That’s a good way to think about this. Thank you for sharing!
Good luck finding a career that suits you. It can take some time. You might want to watch Sari’s very early episodes. It’s surprising she’s made it so far. It was a struggle. Big congratulations on finishing thatbPhD. Big accomplishment
Thank you! I have been watching Sari’s earlier and later episodes. It’s very inspiring!
Love your knits! I will check out your designs . Your mohair sweater is beautiful. Looking forward to see your next podcast.
Thank you! See you in the next episode!
Thank you for your wonderful video. I really appreciate your refreshing honesty about the reality of being a knitwear designer and original designs.
Thank you for watching!
I love the Vine tee (more than the top). I’d love to get it but I have so many summer knitting I’m working on, you are so talented!
Congrats on earning your PhD!!! That is so much hard work. I wish you had gone to the graduation ceremony… I missed mine and the party in France and I wish I had gone by staying one more month.
I hope you can find a dream job, somehow related with your degree maybe in Canada (I read that job situation is not so good in China). Now learning that even Sari took two years to get in her feet so I can imagine it will be hard to get enough for living.
I followed my degree and working for a non profit, I don’t earn a lot but enough for a living and my knitting hobby so I’m happy.
Good luck! ❤ I’m here just for the first time but I think I’ll stay 😊
Thank you! I went to my Master’s graduation ceremony and it was great - i made more close friends back then and attending the ceremony and after party was really fun. This unfortunately was not the case for my PhD. And I just wanted to put that behind and start my new life ASAP! And so I did!
You have so many talents, Dr. Liu, and so much productive energy! Congratulations on receiving the PhD and all your beautiful designs. Thank you for sharing and inspiring us.
Thank you 🥰
Congrats on getting your PhD! Its good to do it while you are young. After 25 years as an ADN i got my BSN at 55. Unfortunately, i will be saddled with student debt until i die. I wish i had done it earlier.
Thank you! ❤️
Congrats on your phd 🎉 and do keep designing you have some great ideas and I look forward to trying one of your designs….. and I agree better to do both, use your degree and design and grow as you can…. See where life takes you. Goodluck
Thank you 🥰
Congratulations on your PhD, Dr Liu! 🎉
Do you look at fashion trend forecasts to help you plan designs likely to appeal to more people? I watched a very interesting and entertaining youtube video from Kathleen Illustrated yesterday. She is a former designer for Abercrombie and Fitch, I think, turned youtuber because of her sustainability ethics and she recently made a ‘trends for 2024’ prediction video. It’s fun and might be useful to you. I think some of the themes she predicts chime with your design aesthetic and some work by other current designers creating elevated classics. For example, she talks about a trend towards ‘unified creative expression’ - i see an example of that in Rebecca Clow’s Tolsta - one design but a foregrounded invitation to adapt and create. All very interesting. Good luck in your design career!
Thank you! (The last name is Liu, not Lui😜.) I don’t actually look at fashion trends, but your recommended video sounds interesting. I’ll check her out! There are designers that follow and get inspirations from, but I generally design out of my own aesthetics. It’s great when my ideas chime with the trend!
@@SeedlingStitch Whoops, sorry! I corrected my spelling. Love to hear you march to the beat of your own drum. 🌟
i would love to hear more of your chinese yarn recommendations and how it compares to popular "western" yarn brands!!
Yes I will share more about this when I work a bit more with these yarn!
PhD🥳🥳🥳
Vine tee🖤🖤
🥰😘
Love your vine top. Cant wait for the pattern to come out 😊
Thank you! Stay tuned!
Hi there, I'm new to your channel ;) I'm also Canadian, in Ontario. I enjoyed your video and absolutely loved your vine top & tee, great job designing!! Thanks for sharing .... I'm going to go back and check out some of your other video ;) We are cooking in our temperatures out here, so I'm been in the AC doing some knitting lol. Have a great day, Sunshine
Thank you! See you in another episode 😉
I agree though that new patterns that incorporates someone’s personality and culture is always refreshing to see!
Another great video, Athena. I really enjoyed hearing about your struggle with "what's next?" A gap year is a great idea and it's wonderful that you have the education background to help you get some kind of higher paying job in case the knitwear dream is very slow in becoming reality. I like that you are staying grounded but dreaming big! You are amazing.
Thank you ☺️
15:53 ❤❤❤. And many congratulations on your PhD! Actually, ALL your projects are beautiful; you’re a very gifted designer!
Thank you so much!
Does your PhD count as an acquisition? You bet!!! BRAVO. You never throw away that knowledge! Do what makes you happy and if one day you are employed in the field of Mechanical Engineering and that makes you happy that’s good too!
Haha thank you 🙌🙌!
While I'm sure its possible to knit pants, I'd think it might be less than ideal. But if someone wanted to have that pattern on pants, maybe they could do the design as a ribbon/trim strip that gets applied to the sides?
Also Grats!
Thank you! Oh yes this is totally possible! But maybe people wouldn’t like lacy holes near the panties.😅 The vine pattern need to be placed strategically, but is doable! There may be a Vine Shorts in the future .
@@SeedlingStitch haha i was picturing it being applied on top of fabric so the underlying color showed through
:)
@@laurawilliams7782 haha one could sew a inner lining to the shorts!
Congrats on your PhD! That's a huge accomplishment! I empathize with wanting something more creative in a job, but one nice thing about having an "unrelated job" is that I get to save up all my creative juice for things that have nothing to do with work. I destroyed one of my creative outlets by trying to make it my job, so there can be a downside. Just a little peek at the flip side there. Regardless, congrats on your diploma! You absolutely should do something to celebrate your hard work. You deserve it! Thanks for another great episode!
Thank you for sharing!
Congratulations on your PhD and all of the designs you've been creating! I really enjoy seeing different interpretations of stitch patterns, as well as new ones.
I'm excited to see the rest of your planned designs for the 'Vine' series! I'm so happy that I had a chance to test the Vine Top(and thank you for sharing!!)and love how it turned out! That bralette/camisole looks sooo good!
Beautiful piano playing, too!
Thank you!! I was glad to have you test knitting my design too!
A Phd is certainly a huge ‘acquisition’ 😃 Hopefully you will find a job you enjoy on that side of things that will also balance well with your designing & creative life! On Heritage Day I was exhibiting & demonstrating spinning, knitting, natural dyeing & such, and wore the Pine & Fir sweater I test knitted- people loved it! Definitely keep up the beautiful design work 😊
Thank you Susan! The Heritage Day sounds like a lot of fun! I’m glad people loved the PnF sweater 😃
Congratulations on the PhD, it is a real accomplishment even if the process was disenchanting. I think it is a good plan to combine knit design with a reliable engineering career. Both practical and creative, good luck!
Thank you!
I also think that designers that make a living from designing knitwear have to produce designs regularly to make a living, especially if supporting a family. You did address this a little bit at the end of the episode… congratulations on getting your phD by the way🎉! It seems impossible in those circumstances to start from a blank slate most of the time. I also see creativity when someone envisions a stitch pattern combined with a garment construct and everything comes out in a cohesive manner and on to of that is stylish. Maybe not 100% creative but in 2023 there is not much complete innovations, we always rely upon our previous knowledge, gained from pur peers and ancestors and start from that. Just my 2 cents on that subject.
Your FOs are all very beautiful, thank you for this inspiring and fun episode!
Yes I agree! If making a few designs out of stitch dictionaries can help designers get more exposure and income (so that eventually they’ll have the financial stability to make original designs), I’m all down for it! I just don’t like it when all their designs are based on Hitomi Shida’s stitch patterns, which is the case for a few designers. It just feels like taking the easy way out to me… (Or maybe I’m just jealous that they get famous by making stitch pattern based designs while I’m struggling to make ends meet by only making original stitch patterns.🤷🏻♀️)
You could knit one of those basket bags to put your knitting in to carry your projects with you where ever you go. Do you like mechanical engineering? You could work with robotics, that sounds interesting. Maybe after all that hard work in school your mind needs a rest from mechanical engineering. This is your belated gap year, to do and create anything you want to!!
My track of mechanical engineering is quite far away from robotics, and neither am I interested in it. (I study fluid mechanics.) But I think I’ll find some job related eventually!
非常棒！喜欢那件Vine top
谢谢支持！也欢迎关注我的中文编织节目“小禾唠编织”～
Congratulations on your Ph.D.! It's no easy feat but, you made it! No matter what you decide to do with it, you should be proud.
Thank you! I am very proud 🤓
I'm a new viewer and I can't wait to make the Vine top! It looks so beautiful and drapey in that linen yarn. And I'm really glad it's size inclusive, it's pretty hard to find summer tops that are. Beautiful designs, and congrats on your PhD!
Thank you! 🥰
Great video! I started watching late last night, and finished the rest today 😊
Hope you have had a good yarny dream last night😉! It was great meeting you in store today!
I'm like you, I found pure silk IMPOSSIBLE on wood - I only knit pure silk on my chiaogoo.
Looking forward to the camisole version of the vine series!
🙌Thank you!
Your designs are beautiful. Keep going, you rock girl! Also congrats on completing/receiving your PhD 🎉🎉🎉
Thank you so much!!
Thank you beautiful knits. 🙏🏽🕊💚👏🏽
Thank you🥰
Congrats on your PHD graduation! I wish you the best in this knitwear designing journey ! I loved the little piano part at the end 🥰 . I used to play a long time ago. Anyway, looking forward to your next video and to where this knitwear designing will take you !
Thank you! 🌱🥰
Your English is very good! I love that vine pattern, going to check out the tank pattern. Most creative jobs mean doing something else for stability and money.☹️ think of actors waiting tables! The problem is getting overwhelmed with life and skipping the creativity. All too easy. So congratulations on taking a gap year!
Thank you! I am lucky that my family can support me for this gap year, but eventually I’ll have to face the hardship of a creative job.😔 I hope the “stable paying job” that I’ll find won’t suck the creative energy out of me!
Very nice podcast and congratulations on your PhD! Just a correction, Sari Nordlund is from Finland and Kuutar is Finnish not Danish. :)
Thank you! Oops sorry for mixing that up!
Congratulation on earning your PhD. .
Thank you!