I love to read about other designer’s and their stories of how they came to be. Everything looks so effortless on their social media, and then I hear about how they’ve been designing for 3 years, 5 years, 8 years, etc. It’s a great reminder to practice self-love and patience.

So without further ado, here is the story of Naluknits.

THE BEGINNING: DEKNIT

I learned to crochet from a friend’s grandmother when I was in grade school. All I could make at the beginning were hats that were big enough for dolls.

By high school, I always took my crocheting everywhere I went. Being a young person doing a hobby that a grandmother typically does, I got teased (lovingly) by my friends. So I told them I was “deknitting” societal ideas of knitting. So when I started selling my knits, I chose the name Deknit.

I started selling crocheted beanies. They were nothing special, just the usual crocheted up with cheap, acrylic yarn. They didn’t sell well – ha! But I was addicted to fiber arts so I just kept making them.

DISHRAG BEGINNING – LEARNING TO KNIT

Eventually, I took knitting lessons at a LYS (local yarn store). My first project was a dishrag. It was a sad object to look at. I had a hard time with my yarn tension. There were parts that were so tight the fabric would hardly bend and other parts that were so loose that you could see through it. I kept it around for a little while, but eventually took it apart.

For years, I crocheted and knit items. I listed them on Etsy and sold them in stores that specialized in selling items from local artists. The majority of my 20’s was spent trying to survive in a big city: living paycheck to paycheck, having multiple jobs (sometimes up to 5 at a time), and constantly being on the go. So selling handmade items was not a big priority, just something I did when I had a little extra time.

GETTING THROUGH GRADUATE SCHOOL

Fast forward years later, knitting played a vital role in helping me get through my studies in graduate school. I had a difficulty time sitting for long periods to study. So I’d have some mindless knitting to keep my hands busy, while reading from my laptop or textbook.

Towards the end of my graduate studies, I decided to get more serious about knitting so I rebranded to “Naluknits”. The poetic translation of “Nalu” being to go with the flow, I wanted my knits to be versatile and loved by those who wore them. I started an instagram account purely dedicated to being Naluknits rather than using my personal account as I had been.

MY DEPARTURE FROM READY-MADE GOODS

I was still focusing on ready-made items which I would sell on Etsy.

That winter, I was lucky enough to have consistent orders. I did a happy dance every time I got a new order. After that season though, my hands were sore from the constant fast knitting. All my free time seemed to be eaten away knitting the same, mindless thing. I realized selling ready-made goods may not be sustainable.

I tried dabbling into knitwear design by submitting ideas to a few magazines, only to be rejected. So I decided to learn how to make jewelry. It seemed a natural balance. Knitting in the winter when it was cold and jewelry in the summer when it was hot.

Still focusing on ready-made items, determined to make it work, I turned to making smaller items. I started to focus on being eco-friendly and I turned to craft fairs. The opportunities seemed to naturally open up however there seemed to be too many opportunities. I couldn’t keep up with the production needed to keep up with the number of craft fairs I wanted to do. So the following year, I scaled it back to 4 craft fairs – one every season.

But the same feeling of not feeling creatively fulfilled started to creep up again. I spent every free second knitting and crocheting the ready-made items. I realized I had to find a different way. Selling ready-made items was not an effective use of my time and my creativity.

BECOMING A KNITWEAR DESIGNER

So I started to research the process of knitwear designing again. For a few years, I had been thinking it would be the perfect balance of allowing me creative freedom while being able to be compensated. I had been designing beanies and putting them up for sale on Ravelry. Despite the lack of interest, designing had piqued my interest so, I kept putting patterns out there to see what would happen.

On Instagram, one of the designers I was following had a call for test knitters. So I applied and test knit her design. Then I kept applying for more test knits after that one was completed. I enjoyed the peek into each designer’s world, the exposure to different ways of holding a test knit and the vital role test knitting plays when designing a knit pattern.

FINDING MY DESIGNER NICHE

Sweaters had become my favorite item to knit. I was probably a little ambitious with wanting to jump from beanies to sweaters.

Okay, so I was A LOT ambitious.

My first sweater design was beautiful, but it was disastrous… Needless to say, I learned A TON. Any normal person would probably have given up after that one design, but not me! I wanted to keep going!

Read more about my first sweater design in my next blog post!

The Story of Naluknits: Where It Started