What, if any, challenges did you encounter during the design process?
For this textured pattern, I expanded the idea from the image of vertical grids—like latticework or shoji screens. Although the motif is constructed from straight lines, I wanted it to have a soft and calm atmosphere, so I spent a lot of time swatching.
Using two different yarns held together also added depth to the fabric.
Since it is a raglan cardigan designed top-down, I knew the calculations would be complicated, but even so, the repeated fine adjustments were more challenging than usual.
If you were to knit this design in another color, what would it be?
I originally thought of knitting it in warm, subdued colors like red or yellow. But after seeing the test knitters’ versions of Hidamari in gray and black, I’ve started to change my mind.
How did you start your knitting journey?
I first tried knitting briefly as a high school student using my mother’s tools, and then began knitting seriously after I started working.
During the golden age of blogs, I read knitting posts that inspired me to pick it up again, and later discovering the vast knitting world on Ravelry became a major motivation to continue.
Thinking back to my very first attempt at knitting, it began when I found an old knitting book on our home bookshelf. I enjoyed deciphering the structure of charts and trying the techniques listed at the back of the book using only the limited needles and yarn we had at home. I think it felt like “solving a puzzle.”
What made you decide to become a designer?
The turning point was participating in a design event hosted by American designer Shirley Paden in 2011.
Before that, I had been shaping ideas into garments, but I wasn’t yet turning them into formal patterns. Later, she accepted the piece I created for that design event into her book, and I think that was the decisive moment. I am also grateful to the friend who encouraged me to take that step.
Among the patterns you have designed so far, which one do you like the most?
I have affection for all of them because each one carries memories of the time it was created.
But for some reason, I especially love five-finger gloves. Whenever my hands are free, my mind drifts to glove designs, and it has become something like a lifelong project. For that reason, pieces like Dots Gloves and Seijaku Gloves are among my favorites.