Every knitter needs to knit with neon yarn at least once.
I’ve designed a lot of patterns inspired by music. Usually music that was written 200 years ago or more—I grew up surrounded by classical music and sing opera myself, so it’s only natural.
But another thing a grew up with and haven’t mentioned on this blog? 80’s music. My dad is an encyclopedia of all things 80’s pop culture. Whenever my siblings and I were getting too uptight (which was frequent) my dad would bust out some 80’s hits and throw an impromptu karaoke night. Chicago, Phil Collins, Whitney Houston—the works. Those karaoke nights were the source of a lot of fun (and a lot of laughter); definitely favorite memories for me.
Last winter, as I was mulling over collection ideas for this year, I wanted to do something else music-inspired but couldn’t get anything classical to gel. I wanted to do something different; a little out of character; a little crazy. And the 80’s Night collection was born—3 summer knits inspired by those 80’s hits my dad introduced me to.
Each piece in the collection is inspired by one of my favorite 80’s songs. I chose Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now by Jefferson Starship, Faithfully by Journey, and Shadows of the Night by Pat Benatar; but to be honest, I kind of wanted the collection to be bigger so I could cover more songs. Instead of going for the intricate motifs I usually work with, I decided to go bold and geometric, taking inspiration from 80’s silhouettes, imagery, and, of course, neon. They’re all designed for casual wear, but with fun detailing and techniques to make them pop. You don’t have to make them in neon. But it’ll be fun if you do.
Speaking of being uptight, bringing this collection together was nothing like what I expected. Despite coordinating with dyers last fall, life had other plans for the last nine months. I was more erratic and rushed than I’d like to be. But here we are, and in one piece.
If you’d like to get any of these patterns (or the full collection ebook!) they’re all available on Ravelry and Payhip. The code KARAOKE will get you 15% off any of the single patterns until midnight EST on August 5. (If you’re a newsletter subscriber, be sure to check your inbox for your extra-special discount code.)
- Full 80’s Night ebook (Ravelry)
- Full 80’s Night ebook (Payhip)
- Dream Together shawl (Ravelry)
- Dream Together shawl (Payhip)
- Highway Run mitts (Ravelry)
- Highway Run mitts (Payhip)
- Midnight Angel top (Ravelry)
- Midnight Angel top (Payhip)
And that’s a wrap! I’m super excited about this collection being out in the world, and hope you enjoy. And if you have a moment, I’d love to know which one is your favorite! Because I can’t decide…
