Interview with knitwear designer, Nancy Ricci (part one)

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to sit down with a local knitwear designer by the name of Nancy Ricci at Townshend’s Tea Shop on Alberta Street in Portland Oregon.

For the interview Nancy wore a lovely tunic that she whipped out based on the pattern Tubey (found on Knitty). The fiber is Venezia, an affordable merino/silk blend from Cascade. Nancy said that many knitters are familiar with Cascade 220 but most don’t know that there are also affordable luxury yarns offered by Cascade and other makers such as Brown Sheep, Plymouth and Berocco.

Nancy showed some swatches and offered a glimpse into her design process which starts with the fiber and the swatch. I couldn’t believe this swatch looked like a mini-version of the sweater Nancy was wearing. Truly fascinating to a person like me who regularly avoids swatch knitting.

Born in Suriname and raised in Amsterdam, Nancy has been knitting for less than three years but it’s obvious that she’s a gifted as well as a prolific knitter. Marriage brought Nancy to the Pacific Northwest a few years ago and to the Close Knit neighborhood yarn shop where you can find her experimenting with new fibers and techniques.

It wasn’t too long after Nancy began knitting, that she started designing accessories such as these: the Sally Hat and Gloves.

Answering cries from customers for a hat to complement the Sally gloves pattern which was already on sale at Close Knit, Nancy quickly and effortlessly whipped out this lovely beret which comes in both adult and child sizes. The hat features a 1×1 rib with a half twist and then a few rows of stockinette stitch creating a crisp border between the ribbing and the main texture stitch (a variation on the “moss” or “sand” stitch). Both items are knit in the lusciously soft Suri Merino by Blue Sky Alpaca.

What struck me most in talking to Nancy is her utter fearlessness when it comes to knitting and experimenting with different fibers. “It’s only yarn!” Nancy said and we both laughed. Anything can be ripped out and re-knit. Sometimes knitters can be afraid of trying certain projects or using expensive fibers but they needn’t be. Knitting isn’t as scary as you think so just jump on in was Nancy’s advice in a nutshell.

Free patterns are available on Nancy’s blog and more patterns are for sale at Close Knit in Portland Oregon with plans to offer them on Ravelry soon. Stay tuned for more pieces by Nancy in the days to come.