Did you get a chance to glance at Quiet Days, a collection of 5 adorable designs by Andi Satterlund?  It’s a very special collection from a well-known designer we love. But in case you’re not familiar with Andi and her lovely design work, we wanted to ask 5 fun questions, to learn a bit more about her!

1. Hi, Andi! Tell us a little bit about yourself! Where are you from? How long have you been knitting, and how did you start?

Hello! I’m originally from Northern California, and that’s where I started knitting when I was in middle school. I was a movie lover, and I began knitting to have something to do with my hands. When I moved up to the Puget Sound area for college, that’s when knitting really cemented itself as a large part of my life. We have the perfect weather up here for knitting, and the longer I’ve lived here, the more my life has started to revolve around knittin!

2. Your style is often a bit retro, but with very modern construction. What is you like about the “vintage vibe” and why do you feel that seamless is so often the way to go?

My interest in vintage fashion grew from going to Psychobilly and Rockabilly shows as a teenager, and my interest in fashion history came later from those roots, so for me, the aesthetic has always stood out over the construction. I’ve never been a purist about a vintage look (that’s why I tend to describe my work as having a retro or vintage vibe), and I don’t see a reason to trade the convenience of modern knitting techniques for the sake of authenticity. I love the ease of seamless construction, and when I make a project, I want the bulk of it to be knitting. I hate taking the time to seam things when I could actually be knitting, and I suspect that a lot of knitters feel the same way.

3. Quiet Days contains such lovely garments and accessories. What was your inspiration for this collection?

A lot of my inspiration came from my aunt’s garden. My aunt and uncle live in Seattle near me, so I spend a lot of time in their home, and I always find myself taking photos of my aunt’s flowers to use for designs. Nosegay was based on two of her rose bushes, and that piece set the tone for the rest. The Sunshower Cardigan followed the garden theme and brought in Seattle’s normal summer rain, and the Conservatory Cardigan picked up on the simple shape of petals and leaves.

4. Tell us a little about your process – how do you go about designing the patterns in Quiet Days?

My process isn’t very exciting. I choose the yarn to match an idea, instead of trying to find an idea to work with the yarn. Usually, design ideas pop into my head almost fully formed, and I sketch a few variations to sort out the details like sleeve length, but there isn’t much that changes significantly there. Once I have my idea sketched, I try to pick out the right yarn for it and Knit Picks has such a wide selection that it was easy to find the best yarn for each idea, and I didn’t have to modify anything to make it work with the yarn available to me. Next, I knit swatches to make sure everything really does work as well as I think it will, and from the swatches I can run the numbers and write the pattern!

5. What do you like to knit the most (sweaters? accessories?), and what fiber is your favorite? What are you working on now?
Sweaters are definitely my favorite to knit! I love planning outfits based on the things that I make, and that’s what keeps bringing me back to sweaters. Right now I’m working on a cream, cabled pullover. It seems like such a classic that I can’t believe that it’s taken me this long to make one. I’m using a nice wool for it, and wool is definitely my first choice for knitting sweaters. That said, alpaca is my favorite to work with. It’s so buttery soft and delightful to knit with! I think 100% alpaca is way too warm for garments, but it’s perfect for accessories.

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Thanks, Andi! You can find her on Ravelry HERE or all of her IDP patterns HERE. We hope you’ll try a pattern from Quiet Days, and for only a few more days, the printed book is 40% off!