Ever wondered what inspires knitwear designers to come up with such inventive designs? Us too! We absolutely fell in love with Jen Arnall-Culliford’s baby blanket design, Cosy Cuddles, which features on p12 of Simply Knitting 92. Fortunately Jen (picture left, cr Amanda France) had a few moments spare to answer some questions. 

How did you first discover knitting?

Both of my grandmothers taught me as a child, but I didn't really take to it. I came back to knitting as an adult when my sister-in-law (on my husband's side) was expecting her second child. A yarn shop had just opened in my town, and the lovely owner, Tina, was very patient in helping me through my first 6 months of beginner questions and dropped stitches. Once I learnt to fix my own work, I was away!

How did this lead to a career as a knitwear designer?

Well, although I do design, I'm predominantly a knitting technical editor. I kept challenging myself to try new techniques and more complex designs with every new project. Then a new magazine (The Knitter) was launched, and I wasn't being challenged in my day job, so I applied for the role of Technical Editor. My background in science meant that I was comfortable with the numbers and problem solving skills required, and I got the job. It really just developed from there.

What kinds of things tend to inspire your designs?

I'm mostly inspired by the things I want to make. I start with the yarn, and then an idea of what I need. So here I wanted to make a blanket, and had some lovely Shilasdair yarn, then the rest tends to flow fairly naturally from there. I look through stitch pattern books and see what will work.