Meg Swansen

Your biography?

Meg Swansen: Being the daughter of Elizabeth Zimmermann, perhaps I learned to knit in the womb. My first published designs were in various magazines… I joined my mother's established mail order business (now Schoolhouse Press) in 1966 or so and have been motoring along ever since…

Anna Zilboorg: I was born one morning at the break of day . . . no, I just can't do it. Born and reared in New York City; educated at Harvard; taught at MIT. Fled from the madding crowd's ignoble strife until I found myself in Big Stone Gap, VA. Got religion. Returned to my childhood love of knitting; became a hermit. Half-way back into the world now: feet on the mountain, hands grasping knitting needles, heart, I trust, with God.

Sasha Kagan: I learnt knitting from my mother at the age of four, and each day I learn a little more about how to do things. I have had a tough life—keeping track of my ideals, looking after my children, earning the money whilst living in a lonely farmhouse two miles and five heavy gates down a muddy lane. It was the colours in the summer and the big empty space that lifted my heart and made the rolling years possible…. I design knitwear and have a dedicated team knit for me.

Lily Chin: I was born in New York City and have been involved in some aspect of the fashion industry since age 13. I design for magazines and yarn companies and do fabric development and knitdowns for "Seventh Ave," from the Gap to Isaac Mizrahi. Being a token "young person who knits and crochets," I've been featured and cited in several newspaper articles across the US for bashing the "granny" image of handcrafts.

Sally Melville: I was taught to knit in Brownies, and I felt as if I had been born to do this! All the while, I sorted out my own ways of doing things—as most knitters do. Somewhere along the way, I made a Total mistake garment, but I embellished the mistake to make a feature out of it, and everyone wanted one! I made a bunch of them and found myself with a career! I feel very, very fortunate…

What is your knitting mantra?

Meg: Keep on knitting.

Sasha: Never lose faith in the product. There is bound to be someone out there who will love it.

Lily: Swatching is your Friend. Steam the daylights out of it. If I can draw it, I can knit it.

Sally: The process is more precious than the product.

What inspires you?

Meg: A variety of things, but especially the surrounding countryside.

Anna: Prayer. That's the truth. It's the only way I come up with anything since, basically, I have no visual imagination.

Sasha: Anything from nature except slugs. William Morris, the whole art nouveau movement. Bob Dylan, Nelson Mandela, Tina Turner, Andy Goldsworthy, and my partner, Tony.

Lily: Everything, from RTW [ready-to-wear] clothing to art and architecture to furniture and, yes, even bathmats! I enjoy reading lots of psychobabble design theory tomes like Visual Form and Language, and I am even inspired by computers! Yarn inspires me a lot, so I must get more of it—hee hee!

Sally: Life is full of inspiration, and it all works for me: the simple and elegant, or the seductively ornate; the power and beauty of nature, or the wonders of the human psyche; the yarns and traditions of knitting, or the tools and techniques of other artists. Everything is grist for the mill! (I have to say, however, that the students in my classes teach and inspire me incredibly!)

Confess— ;when it comes to hiding your yarn, what are your secrets?

Meg:   Aha! — being in the wool business, my stash is on constant display all over the house and warehouse.

Anna: No secrets. Who's to know or care? I have it all over the place, wherever I like.

Sasha: I don't hide yarn, I have converted an old hay barn for the excess; discontinued colours are useful for tying up roses and runner beans.

Lily: Lily Chin's Top 10 Ways to Hide the Stash":
1. Tape a bag of yarn to the underside of all chairs—who'll know? 2. Put a slipcover over a bag of yarn, stick it on the couch, call it a pillow. 3. Remove the cushions of the couch, stuff with yarn instead. 4. There are narrow books that don't reach all the way to the back of the bookshelf. That "dead" space behind such books is good for several skeins. 5. Do you wear all your shoes at the same time? No, stick a skein of yarn in each unworn shoe (boots are great for this very reason). 6. Everyone has clothes in the closet that are never, ever worn. Sew up the bottoms of the garments, insert yarn. Do not forget to sew up bottoms of sleeves. There's enough in each sleeve for more than a bag's worth. 7. Never cook, only order take-out or go to restaurants. You've now got the whole oven! 8. Look to the china cabinet. That large soup tureen? Maybe a bag. Large teapot? A few balls. Covered dish? The same. 9. The freezer is advantageous for fuzzies such as angora or mohair. Make sure to place in plastic bag first. This is known as the high-fiber diet! 10. Get a really large box and fill it up with lots and lots of yarn. Put a tablecloth over it. Voila, instant dresser…

Sally: I don't hide my yarn: I hide my credit card receipts—especially when coming through customs. It is an astute customs agent who knows what this stuff is really worth!

What is your idea of knitting heaven?

Meg: Being right here on the Bluff, in my knitting spot with a few cats next to me and a pot of tea. Sounds so sedentary, but there you are.

Anna: Sitting near my wood stove with the fire burning and the snow falling outside. (I spend a lot of time in heaven.)

Sasha: Financial stability, children, land well cared for, and space to be creative.

Lily: Money in the bank, 52 hours in the day, all the yarn in the world, and I do as I please.

Sally: Well, Camp Stitches is pretty close to ‘knitting heaven!' Imagine a sunny day on a lake, then a lodge with a huge porch and 50 rocking chairs, then imagine the chairs all filled with good friends, knitting. Doesn't get much better than this. But ‘heaven,' you say? Meaning I can fill any fantasy? Okay, so put a mountain out back with the most perfect snow in the world, light the hill so we can ski or snowboard all night, and then make us creatures who don't need sleep.

How many Ufo's (Unfinished Objects) do you have going at once?

Meg: I like to keep a few around, so I may choose the one I'm in the mood to pursue.

Anna: I don't count

Sasha: Too many to count. But then maybe more because I am sometimes not satisfied with what I have done. I rework a design or colourway until I get it just right. Once it is printed in a book, I can leave it alone.

Lily: It's no doubt nearing three figures at this point.

Sally: Oh, this is really mean! Probably seven… and I could try to excuse myself by saying that much of this is work towards a new book, or by repeating my knitting mantra, but I'm also usually in the middle of reading seven books at the same time! Is there help for me?

What knitting commandment do you most like to break?

Meg: What "Knitting Commandments?"

Anna: The one that says, "You can't do that."

Sasha: All of them, at times. Mostly, "Not using yarns of different thicknesses together."

Lily: "Thou shall not tie knots."

Sally: "You're not ready for that yet." We should all challenge ourselves outrageously every once in a while!

What do you want your knitting epitaph to say?

Meg: Nothing comes immediately to mind except a quote attributed to Dame Edith Sitwell. She is supposed to have said of Virginia Woolf, "I don't much care for the way she writes, but I hear she's a great little knitter!"

Anna: "She knit the way she lived."

Sasha: "She continues to inspire others."

Lily: "The creative has gone to the creator."

Sally: "She learned from her mistakes!"

There's lots more to enjoy on Knitter's Profiles—from "A," Allen, Pam, to "Z," Zimmerman, Kathy. And if you're a designer, author, teacher, or colorist, tell us about yourself. We'd all love to get to know you better:

knittinguniverse.com/athena/pros.taf.