It seems like knitting came into Kelene Kinnersly’s life exactly when she needed it. Several years ago, she was diagnosed with a muscle disease that meant she was unable to continue running – a longtime passion. Then, a friend’s pregnancy prompted her to try knitting…and she never looked back.
Kelene transitioned quickly from a self-taught knitter to a successful knitwear designer. Her Aibell Pullover is a feminine cable sweater that can be dressed up or down. The design features a large horseshoe cable down the center with smaller twist cables on either side. It works up quickly in our Vintage Chunky yarn. The body is knit in the round from the bottom up, while the sleeves are picked up around the armhole and knit down.
Any interesting stories about your design process?
Aibell was my first sweater idea – it only took me 18 months to develop! The first version didn’t hang well, the second was better and the finally, the third version met my expectations. It was a journey I thought would never end.
How did you decide on the yarn?
I wanted to recommend a reliable yarn that’s easy to find. Vintage Chunky definitely fits the bill. It’s my go to yarn.
If you could knit something for anyone in the world it would be…?
My mother. My whole life she tried to teach me to crochet and I didn’t take to it. In February 2009, when I started to knit, she was so proud of me, and then she passed suddenly that July. I never had the chance to knit her anything. She would be my biggest supporter in my pursuit to becoming a knitwear designer.
What’s your favorite thing about knitting?
It calms me down and gives me purpose. Knitting led me down the road to designing, enabling me to redefine myself.
Do you have a cool design you want to share? Or did you recently finish a project with Berroco yarn? You can email Ashley: apalumbo@berroco.com or post it to the Berroco Lovers forum in Ravelry.