In Knit&Note, you can find knitting patterns by many talented designers, and we want you to get to know them even better! Every month, we will interview one of our designers, get to know them a little better, and maybe learn a few things we didn’t already know. The designer of the month in October is Ane, better known as Novemberknits.
Who are you?
I’m Ane! I’ll be 34 in November and live with my partner Peter in Trondheim. I’m a professional flutist, working as a freelance musician and knitwear designer. I lead a life that’s both structured and unstructured, flexible and inflexible, and I love good food and drinks, everything salty, and 90s romcoms.
Tell us a bit about your knitting journey
I learned to knit from my mom, grandmother, and paternal grandmother when I was young – I have an old photo of me sitting with my grandmother, knitting what I think was a tiny sock for a doll. I only knitted simple things until I was 22, when I tried my hand at mittens and sweaters. Neither turned out well, I remember, with the first being an oversized sweater and then THREE right-hand mittens in a row (tough on the motivation, but surprisingly, I completed all pairs!). I only knitted small items off and on after that. It wasn’t until lockdown that I really got my needles going.
What made you start designing?
In 2020, I was in my final year of a master’s program at the music conservatory in Trondheim, but then lockdown happened, and I found myself knitting slippers at the cabin. That’s when I discovered ‘knitstagram’ and made a profile without any particular ambitions. All my music gigs and projects were naturally put on hold, finances hit rock bottom, and I got the wild idea to try designing something myself. It turned into a simple, white raglan sweater I called the Ebba Sweater. I knew nothing about knitwear design or test knitting (having never test-knitted myself), and little about knitting in general, so things took time. But it was fun, so I continued the circus (and I’m SO grateful to everyone who has chosen to follow along!!).
What inspires your design process?
Oh, so much. Of course, knitstagram – people take such beautiful photos and share so many lovely things, it’s always inspiring to see. Even though I’m perhaps not a very colorful person myself, I’m very inspired by colors and seeing others’ color and yarn combinations. Otherwise, it’s totally random things I see in daily life: various shapes, colors, films, music, interior design, and what not.
What do you do when you’re not knitting?
The majority of my time goes into playing and practicing the flute, and otherwise, I try to work out a bit, meet people, tackle all the admin that comes with running a business, watch 90s romcoms, and play a bit of Playstation (in 2D, otherwise I get motion sickness…).
What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future?
In November, the pattern for the Eun Sweater Mohair is coming out, and then I have an exciting new series in mind, which will be called Fjord. Hopefully, a hat will come first, followed by a cardigan. Plus a digital product I’m working on. That’s the plan, at least! Although plans sometimes change.
5 quick questions
Describe yourself in 3 words: curious, introverted, efficientFavorite candy/snacks: potato chips and salty licoriceFavorite TV series: Gilmore GirlsGuilty pleasure: singing along to bad YouTube karaoke videosDream travel destination: Seoul
Find all her patterns in our app, Knit&Note 🌸
