I recently interviewed Hannah Fettig, author of Closely Knit, about her experiences with writing and promoting her first book.

She also shared with me her personal knitting history and gave me a sneak peek at what she’s up to now. If you don’t have a copy of Closely Knit yet, be sure to check one out. We’ve also given away some patterns from the book here on MyCraftivity, including the Vintage Knee Socks and the Heart Pin. Also be sure to check out Hannah’s blog for additional patterns and pictures of what she's up to now.

MyCraftivity: What kinds of responses are you seeing to Closely Knit as you do book signings and such?

Hannah Fettig: Based on the feedback I get from going around and meeting different people, at the different yarn shops so far, it seems like everyone’s really connecting with the sentiment of the book.

MC: I’m so glad to hear that. I think it is helpful just as a reader to look through and say, “Yeah, I could make this for this person in my life.”

HF: Yeah, it’s sentimental without being gross, you know what I mean?

MC: Do you have any favorite patterns from the book?

HF: I love the cap-sleeved eyelet top. I loved that top from the beginning and I had designed it actually before the book and it wasn’t originally in the book proposal. And then I had put a picture of it on my blog and you were just like “Well, you can put that in the book.” And I was like “Really?” At that point I didn’t even think it was that good. But honestly, it’s everybody’s favorite. Everywhere I go with the book and with the items that’s what everybody likes the best. In fact, at Knit Wit there are five ladies doing a knitalong with it right now. When I’ve taken it to the different shops, everyone wants to try it on. That’s definitely my favorite and just from the response I think it’s a really good one.

MC: I saw the pictures on your blog about the knitalong. That’s really neat.

HF: I know, it’s exciting. I mean it’s flattering, for sure. And it’s fun to see it evolve in different colors and sizes for different people.

HF: I love the part with something like that how I tell them please, keep me posted and people do. I love that about this. It’s so accessible online to do that like with Ravelry and just get as much feedback and be as involved as possible. I think it’s just a win-win for everybody.

MC: Definitely.

HF: So I love that, I love the Bird’s Nest Pincushion. That’s a favorite. And I think I have to say I love the heart pants because in my mind that’s what I’d say “got me the job.” Because that’s the first thing I made.

MC: And they’re really so cute.

HF: That kind of lead the way, I guess, and set the pace. Those are some of my favorites.

MC: Was there any project that was kind of the most difficult to figure out?

HF: Yes. Um, let’s think about what it was. Well, I think I would say it was the wall hanging because originally that was supposed to be a tree of life afghan with the idea that you could embroider on it. Because my friend Darlene is really into embroidery, and I was hanging out with her a lot, so I was especially thinking about embroidery. And so I was thinking that it would be nice to have something you could add to as time went on. And that was an example of having too much time to plan up front. Because I designed it and gave it to my aunt to knit who lives really far away, so I didn’t see the progress. Because if I had I would have like nipped it in the bud long before she finished.

But she brought it to me finished and it was terrible because I hated it. I hated it. More than I’ve ever hated anything. It was such a terrible feeling and we took it out of the box and laid it out and I’m standing there looking at it not saying anything and Abe’s standing right there too and then he finally says, “That’s cool.” And I’m like, “No, it’s not! Don’t even lie.” [Chuckling.] At that point I was just like, forget it. we’re just going to have to think of a different idea.

MC: And that’s what you felted, right, for the bathmat?

HF: Nope. That was another—I had to pick between the two nightmare projects. But this one, I think, wins. So that just because I really like the end result so much. So I was going to do a completely different idea, but then I was like, no I really like the tree of life idea. I ended up thinking about my grandmother always makes kids or just anybody at any kind of significant point in their life, she’ll make them a quilted wall hanging. I got thinking about doing a wall hanging and decided to give that a try and that’s what ended up being the wall hanging in the book. And I made it specifically for my cousin who I still haven’t given it to. He lives in New Jersey and I keep using it to go to yarn shops. The idea being that they can add names to it as they have children. But I added their wedding date on the bottom. And their names. And I love the end result. And I feel like sometimes that’s how it goes. You have to give credit to something that lead you to another place even if it was so terrible.

MC: So what happened to the blanket?

HF: We have it and we use it in the winter to keep warm. It’s so ugly. I just feel bad because there’s really, really nice yarn in it. It’s too bad. Maybe someday I’ll take the time to rip it out but for now we actually use it.

MC: At least it’s useful.

HF: It’s humbling every time.

MC: What was the most fun part about making the book?

HF: All the yarn that gets shipped to your house. That was definitely—and continues to be—a super fun part. Since I’ve gone to the last TNNA, people just continue to ship you yarn. And it’s really fun.

And I like that part of it, kind of feeling like you get to build these relationships with the different yarn manufacturers cause I really am enjoying the industry is I guess what I’m trying to say. It’s a pretty cool industry, it is an industry but it’s so unique. It’s pretty small, but it’s just so interesting.

MC: It makes you a part of the community in a really direct way.

HF: Yeah. It does. That’s a good way to say it. I enjoyed that part and kind of realizing that. Yeah, I think that was kind of my favorite part.

MC: When did you learn to knit and how did you learn?

HF: I learned to knit from my grandmother when I was younger. I don’t remember exactly when, but definitely when I was younger. I was always interested in knitting because she was such a big knitter and talked it up all the time.

MC: What did she say about knitting?

HF: Well, with my grandmother things are either wonderful or awful, that’s her rating system. So knitting was wonderful. And so all crafts, actually, were wonderful. She was a big crafter—quilting was the other big one. But knitting, especially with all us grandkids, she was always making things for us. And so it was just a part of the culture of the family. And then my mom was a big crafter, too. She did knit, but that wasn’t her main craft. She did more like constructive things, like involving a hot glue gun or something. When I was a teenager I would knit just in the wintertime sometimes just because I knew how, but it wasn’t until I was in my 20s that I really started going for it. And I think especially because around that time there were so many hip knitting options coming to the surface, and I was realizing what it could really be. It wasn’t just the box sweater that my grandmother cranks out—she pretty much makes the exact same sweater for every single person—child, woman, man.

So that’s when I realized, oh, you can shape things and you can make cute things. Once I realized that, then I really started to get into it. And it was still a few years before I even became anything remotely close to good at it.

MC: Did your grandmother ever say to you or describe what she thought made it wonderful?

HF: I don’t think she did, because she’s not that specific. She liked conversation, and I think it was something that she could be doing but we could all be having a conversation.

MC: I think it sort of leads to conversation, the same way taking a walk does.

HF: Exactly. Exactly. Anyway, I think it was a way to be all talking but nobody had to be looking at each other.

MC: I think that’s helpful, it really is.

HF: It was a means to conversation, we can say that.

Read more of my interview with Hannah Fettig here.

Hannah designs and knits from her home studio in Portland, Maine. Here are some pictures of her lovely studio for you to lust after. I want one just like it!

* Jessica *