Emily Chen has been creative since a young child, dabbling across many techniques. It was when she couldn’t find the perfect polo pattern, that she began designing knitwear patterns.
How did you start designing knitwear?
It started with the Winona Polo which was my first design back in 2022!
I couldn’t find a polo pattern that fit exactly the way I wanted,with a specific kind of garment construction (at the time, most patterns were raglans but I wanted a deep oversized drop shoulder).
I had also just learned a new technique (double knitting) that I hadn’t seen used that often, and I was eager to apply it in a way I hadn’t seen used before.
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When did you first realize you are a creative person?
I tried really hard to pinpoint a specific point in time for this question haha, but I think creativity has always been integral to who I am as a person.
Throughout my childhood and as a teenager, I never really knew a moment where I wasn’t creating or experimenting with something (throughout this time period, I tried crochet, sewing, knitting, making wire jewelry, painting and photography).
I’ve also always had a special interest in fashion design and loved creating clothes. If anything, knitting helped me rediscover I was a creative person as a young adult and it is why designing is so meaningful to me.
Does an idea inspire a new design or does a material or yarn launch an idea?
It’s a bit of both but most of the time it starts with an idea. I’ll often have a specific design element in mind, a cable motif I love, or a technique I want to experiment with. Sometimes though, I’ll see and get inspired by a yarn and envision a garment specifically for it.
Where do you find inspiration for your designs?
Some of my inspiration comes from gaps in my closet, I also take a lot of inspiration from 90s fashion and media.
I’m also always looking to try a technique that is new to me or implement something in a way I haven’t seen before so some of my designs have been developed from that starting point.
Describe your creative space.
It’s a bit chaotic at the moment, I’m afraid I’m not naturally the neatest person. There are a few different colored skeins from my current projects scattered around my desk and yarn scraps tucked into any open spaces.
On one side of my desk, you’ll find a haphazard pile of my current WIPs and on the opposite side, there’s a stack of knitting resource books. The only semi-organized part of this space is a corkboard where I’ve pinned up some swatches.
Do you have an organization tip for your yarns and knitting supplies?
If you have a decently sized stash like I do, I highly recommend organizing and storing them by weight and then tracking them in an Excel sheet (bonus points for adding the total yardage). The Excel sheet makes it easy to see what you have and if you have enough for a project (since you can filter for yarn with minimum X amount of yardage), and organizing by weight just makes the specific yarn you’re looking for easier to find.
Yarn scraps. Saver or be done with them?
Absolutely save them! Scrap projects are some of my favorites since each project is intrinsically unique and I love how they reduce waste. You can even save the little scraps that you trim off after you weave in ends and use it as stuffing.
Do you use a sketchbook, journal, or technology to plan or keep track of ideas? How does that help your work develop?
I have a section in my notes app where I jot down ideas and a sketchbook if I need a drawing (sometimes I’ll also sketch something quickly on my white board and it will live there for 3-4 months).
I usually have to plan designs 1-2 seasons ahead of the intended season so visualizing and tracking ideas helps me decide which ones to further develop and which to leave on the back burner.
How often do you start a new project? Do you work actively on more than one project at a time?
I probably cast on something new at least once a month, but I only start a new design every 2-3 months depending on what else I have going on. I’m almost always working on a few designs simultaneously.
Which part of the design process is your favorite? Which part is a challenge for you?
Definitely the early iteration stage, especially for a cabled garment where I’m swatching a few different cable designs and then trying figuring out how I’d like to arrange them. Grading more complicated designs is definitely the most challenging part of the process.
Do you prefer the kind of project that is challenging and requires attention, or the kind where you get in your meditative zone and enjoy the process?
I think I prefer a happy medium of the two, I like projects that have a bit of a complicated stitch pattern but are still memorizable. I can still get into the zone without it being completely monotonous!
What do you do to keep yourself motivated and interested in your work?
Experimenting and swatching! Even if they don’t lead to completed designs, I find that playing around with new techniques, stitches, or combinations on a small scale helps me stay engaged and excited to design something new.
Where can people see your work?
You can find my work on my website. For more behind the scenes work, you can follow my Instagram @em.knits_
Interview with Emily Chen posted June 2025
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