It’s June, which brings with it warmer weather, summer holidays and summer knits and it also brings us Pride Month!
At YAK we support and celebrate every crafter no matter who they are. This month we will be embracing and highlighting the makers who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community!
In this post we will be shining the spotlight on some amazing queer creators, who we think you should be following too.
Pride Month Designer Spotlight
Stephen of Stephmadethat
Stephen is a fashion designer and pattern creator. He not only crochets and knits but also designs Tunisian crochet. He has a range of patterns on Ravelry including shawls, hats and crocheted bags.
This year, Stephan is taking part in the “PRIDE END AIDS KAL”, he is designing a beautiful garter stitch shawl in pride rainbow colours!
Follow Stephen’s Instagram here.
Xandy Peters
Xandy is a knitwear teacher and designer showing off innovative creativity and unique colourwork techniques.
Xandy’s crafting philosophy is centred around “KNIT BOLDLY”. This is broken down on their website into phrases such as “you can knit anything” , “mistakes make you a better knitter” and “if you like it, it’s right”. It’s this kind of positivity and encouragement that is sometimes lost in knitting trends and perfection centred projects. Xandy’s posts remind us to focus on the joy of knitting and not worry about mistakes.
They also address important topics such as designer pay, equal pay and gender equality within the craft industry. These topics are not often spoken about, so it’s refreshing to hear someone be open and honest and encouraging us to remember the worth of our crafts!
Follow Xandy’s Instagram here.
Chinua ‘Chin’ Matthews
Chin’s knitting patterns range from classic hat designs to intricate all over colorwork sweaters.
With an incredible 17 sizes available in his patterns, Chin has managed to cater to a large audience. His patterns are unisex, size inclusive and interesting. Chin’s designs are modelled on a large range of people so you will be able to see how the design will look on a range of body types.
Follow Chin’s Instagram here.
Ash Alberg of Sunflower Knits
Ash Alberg is a natural dyer and knitwear designer. They use homemade, natural dyes to create beautiful earthy tones of yarn and fabric.
Not only do they teach sustainable textiles practices, they also sell their own knitting patterns including tens of sock patterns, shawls and sweaters.
Ash focuses on making their craft more accessible to everyone – “queer theory is always at the base of my work, with it’s foundations in deconstructing and destabilizing the status quo, and in tackling the many complex layers of oppression and privilege within society”.
Ash’s passion for representation shows the shared support throughout our craft community!
Follow Ash’s Instagram here.
Pride Month Pattern Suggestions
Why not celebrate pride with some colourful socks? These could be a really fun accessory if you have a uniform or dress code to stick to. They’re perfect for using up scraps or gift knitting, the effect of these sock patterns is so loud and joyful its perfect to show how proud we are to be Queer Knitters!
Walk With Pride Socks – Suzi Ashworth
Progress Pride Socks – Jen Gall
Pride Heart Keychains Amigurumi – Julia Simpson
Have you got even smaller scraps? These keychains are a cute and easy small project that could use up those couple of meters of hand-dyed yarn. Be proud of your flag and show it off on your keys!
We hope you all have a joyful Pride Month! Until next time.. Happy Knitting!
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