If you’ve had a look at Jeanette Sloan’s social media recently, you’ll know she is a knitter and designer who is operating right on the edge of what seems to be humanly possible. She’s heading up panels, giving key note addresses, teaching with Knit Stars, carrying on her work with BIPOC in Fiber (which she founded) and, oh, producing some of the most beautiful designs you can imagine for some of the most recognisable publications in the knitting industry. Given her jam-packed schedule, we were so happy when she agreed to come on board for Confident Knitting!
Photo © Jesse Wild.
Jeanette has such a way with colour, texture and detail, all of which are on show in her design for Confident Knitting, the jaw dropping Patina Scarf. One of the things I love most about this design (aside, of course, from the embroidered motifs which are the pattern’s featured technique!) is the scarf’s delicious texture. To a casual knitter-observer, it’s not immediately obvious how such a fabric is achieved … it has an almost woven appearance. Dive into Jeanette’s design back catalogue, and you’ll find plenty more designs that reference other textile crafts.
From Left to Right: Up To No Good and Sweet Brown by Jeanette Sloan. Photos © Jeanette Sloan.
Jeanette’s recently released Up To No Good pattern (above left), for instance, also makes use of slip stitches to defy easy stitch pattern identification while making a squishy, warm and modern looking hand warmer. Her Sweet Brown hand warmers (above right) achieve an almost crocheted appearance, with beaded detailing adding even more interest.
For every terrifically and densely textured pattern in Jeanette’s oeuvre, you’ll find another that is delicate, air and open, as exemplified by her designs for the MDK Field Guide of the same name! Her wear-any-way Mood Cardigan:
Mood Cardigan by Jeanette Sloan, from MDK Field Guide No. 15: Open. Photo © Jeanette Sloan.
And trapezoid-tastic Clerestory Shawl:
The Clerestory Shawl by Jeanette Sloan from MDK Field Guide No. 15: Open. Photo © Elysa Weitala
… are both still high on my personal “Want-To-Make-List”. I have also fallen hard for the amazing details in her [Ravelry link] Maida Vale sweater, originally published in The Knitter Issue 135. If you have an issue, lucky you! I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that Jeanette releases it as a standalone in due course.
The way those lace panels come together though! Maida Vale by Jeanette Sloan, from The Knitter magazine. Image © Immediate Media.
We have given you a small taster of Jeanette’s beautiful work here today, but do head over to her website (jeanettesloan.com) to learn more about her fabulous designs and books. You’ll find the option to subscribe to her newsletter over there as well, and she can also be found on both Instagram and Facebook, where her cooking will also be a treat for your senses!