Saturday Spotlight featuring Jeanette Sloan

Hey family I am back with another Saturday Spotlight. This Saturday I present Jeanette Sloan.

1. Tell me your story. What is your name? Where do you design from?

Hi GG, I’m so flattered to be featured in your Saturday Spotlight. I’m Jeanette Sloan and I’m a knitwear designer based in Hove, a coastal town  next to Brighton on the south coast of England. I think I was always meant to be a maker as both my parents were very talented creatively. Back in Barbados where they’re from Dad used to make shoes for Mum and when they came to live in the UK Dad made furniture and Mum knitted and sewed for me and my three siblings throughout our childhood

2. Well you had not choice it seems being an awesome maker is in your DNA. What is your craft of choice? Do you knit, crochet or both? Who taught you and how long have you been creating?

My craft of choice would have to be knitting but I also crochet although knitting comes more naturally and I find it more relaxing. My Mum was an excellent knitter and I was so fascinated watching her when I was a little kid that I asked her to teach me and she did back when I was seven. Even back then I was adapting things, Mum knits using the Scottish method to hold the needles but this drove me so mad she said I insisted on holding the yarn in my left hand as I found it easier. Of course I was too young back then to understand this was Continental,  it was just easier and I found it more natural. I still knit like this even now. 

I taught myself to crochet many years later when I was working as a freelance designer and I often combined the two techniques in designs. My first garments were knitted in my teens and probably started playing around with design ideas then too. Even back then I loved working from charts as they gave me a graphic picture of how the garment would look and I’d use them to create my own intarsia and cable designs. My ideas generally start with charts now.

THe Beginning

3. Wow! you started at seven! Amazing! Those charts scare me though. I know you have a company and you sell patterns and ready made items. How did that come about? How is that going?

Over the years I’ve really alternated a lot between machine and hand knitting. I studied knitwear design at university where I learnt to machine knit and worked for many years as a technician on a BA (Hons) degree course. At the same time I worked freelance selling knitwear and embroidery designs through an agent to a number of fashion companies. Over the last 20 years I’ve written 4 books and designed for several UK knitting magazines and been fortunate to work with several yarn companies most recently the brilliant Erika Knight. My website Jeanette Sloan Design is where you’ll see my patterns and my ready made accessories.

When I lived in Scotland I used to have a small label under which I designed & produced ready made bags, scarves and hats and a couple of years ago I had brain surgery which meant  I had to drastically address my work / life balance. I found the actual process of making was really therapeutic so I came up with the idea of my SLOANmade range. The items are all one offs and I really take a lot of pleasure in making every one. I’ve designed quite a few hand knitted, felted bags but with these my customers tell me that they love the colour combinations and textures and what’s nice is that they don’t look like your typical knitted bag.

4. I read about your surgery on Instagram and I am so very happy you are well. I also noticed a lot of your work is featured in magazines, what was your first published design?

Wow that takes me back a bit! I think my first published design was a cute summer bag for UK brand Rowan in their All Seasons Cotton yarn. My work has appeared in Knitting, Simply Knitting and The Knitter which are all published here in the UK. It’s always a real buzz to see your work on the cover and I’ve been lucky enough to have that happen a few times. My most recent design to feature in a magazine is a wrap called Riley Stripe which appeared in issue 122 of The Knitter. I love it because it’s an unusual mix of yarns (one end wool and one end viscose/linen) and of course the colour combination is right up my street. Yellow and orange, a colour I lurrvve and I believe you have a bit of a soft spot for it too GG!

THe Patterns

5. Wait, did you say orange? hahahahahahaa! What is your best selling pattern?

I’m honestly not sure whether it’s my Edie Infinity Scarf which I particularly love because at first glance you can’t quite tell whether it’s knitted or crochet (it’s knitted) or Miss Galloni which is a Missoni inspired shrug knitted in a fingering weight yarn. That said my best selling pattern last week was a DK weight cushion called Oistins.

6. What advice would you give someone looking to start a business in this field?

There are so many designers producing patterns to sell nowadays. I feel it is important to find your signature style as this will set you apart from everyone else.  I tend to be known for my love of colour, unusual stitch details and love of embellishment and I tend to design with a woman like me in mind.  Basically design what you love.

7. How can my readers find you in this cyber world?

There are lots of places where your lovely readers can find me.

My website http://www.jeanettesloandesign.com

On twitter https://twitter.com/@jeanettesloan

On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jeanettesloan/

On Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jeanettesloandesign/ 

Well folks wasn’t that a treat?! Head on over to her website and see what else she has to offer.

Knit on my fiber friends….knit on

GG