Who is Modern Vintage Knits Co?
Please let me introduce myself. I’m Beth from Modern Vintage Knits Co. I design knitting patterns for the entire family. I’m a mother of 4 and grandmother of 9. My Aunt Marsha taught me to knit when I was a kid. I am not sure exactly how old I was, but I do know that I was very young. My Mom thought I was probably somewhere between the ages of 6-8. My first projects were scarves and pincushions. It was fun to learn with both my Aunt and my Mom.
I knit sporadically up until high school. I remember knitting a couple of sweaters that I found the knitting patterns for in a magazine. They were simple white pullover sweaters—one had the design of a parrot and one had an allover botanical design. Both designs were created with duplicate stitch.
I thought the sweaters were soooooo beautiful; mine, however, did NOT come out like the picture. They were totally unattractive! They were bulky and didn’t fit properly. I never wore them. I had a lot to learn about gauge, yarn types, etc. I didn’t realize that yarns varied significantly and that these variations could make or break the end result of a finished project.
I knit occasionally through the years, knitting a few items for my kids, but became much more serious about knitting in the early 2000’s. I had had an auto accident and developed severe chronic pain. This led to spending a decade on prescription painkillers. I knew I wanted off the narcotics. There were multiple factors that contributed to me successfully withdrawing from these pills, one of which was knitting! I picked up my needles and knit, knit, knit. The withdrawal effects were not as bad as long as I kept busy. It was imperative for me to keep active.
I was knitting fairly regularly in 2019 and had created some amazing knitting projects with purchased patterns. We received the call that our son had been involved in an accident and passed away. This news, of course, was devastating, but as a woman with a strong faith in God, I needed to keep going. . . . . .somehow, some way. I, again, picked up my knitting. . . . . . . . .and haven’t stopped since!
I felt like I needed a very strong challenge to keep my mind busy. I started creating my own knitting patterns, many of which were designed for my own family or for myself. I have found knitting to be very therapeutic. I just lost my father on the 17th of October. I am learning to cope with the loss and going through the grieving process.
I do not want this blog to be negative, but I actually am hoping that after reading this first blog post that you will be inspired. I hope you will actually find it to be positive. We can work through whatever hardships that we are currently going through by the grace of God and by keeping our minds (and hands) busy.
It is the goal for me here at Modern Vintage Knits Co to bring to you trending yet practical designs. I want to cater to those that appreciate high fashion and unique designs. As I enjoy knitting for my family, there will be (and already are) a variety of knitting patterns. There are knitting patterns for adults, kids, personal care and even the home.
I have a strong interest in all kinds of fibers and find myself gravitating towards lace and botanical stitch patterns. I love old Victorian stitch knitting patterns and love to pour through old periodicals and magazines. I am a former medical transcriptionist and piano teacher. I am a DETAIL person. This attention to detail, I believe, is an important part of design and definitely an important part of writing patterns. I strive to make my knitting patterns easily readable and understandable.
I also am a jewelry designer and have had an Etsy shop selling jewelry made from antique and vintage buttons since 2006. I cater to collectors by keeping the button shanks intact, as cutting off button shanks destroys the value of these marvelous pieces of history. I recently combined my love of antique/vintage buttons and beads in this Victorian lace hand-knitted choker knitting pattern. Collectible buttons and beads embellish a lace collar.
My goal is to not only create knitting patterns with fantastic fibers for the entire family but also to create patterns for a range of skill levels from beginner to intermediate and maybe even advanced.
So, again, who is Modern Vintage Knits Co? I am a knitwear designer who loves fashion and fibers and strives to design for all ages. I enjoy experimenting with lots of different types of yarn and stitch patterns. I am a detail person who has found knitting to be very therapeutic and rewarding.
If you, too, find knitting to be therapeutic and are interested in seeing more knitting patterns, learning new techniques, finding unique stitches, etc., please subscribe here to never miss a new pattern release or post!
Happy knitting!