Say hello to Jie (@redjkdesigns)- our new Ribblr of the Week and the designer behind redJK Design
Tell us a little about yourself
Hi my name is Jie (aka Jade as my preferred pronouns). I live in a charming Tudor-style house
in Melbourne Australia. My background is in computer science and worked in the finance
industry for many years, but my real passion is creating something beautify as well
meaningful using my own hands. I love knitting; especially I love travel knitting. I pretty
much knitted everywhere: in the car, bus, train, tram, ship, and plane!
When did you start crafting and how?
Like many others, I learnt knitting from my grandma at very young age.
I was a very shy kid. I remember one day my grandma took me to visit her cousin. To keep
me occupied while they were chatting, the grandaunt gave me a ball of yarn, cast on some
stitches, and asked me to knit. I knitted, knitted… It became a long strip sometime later on,
and then I heard grandaunt say, "Wow, look at your knitting, the edges are so neat and
straight. You will be a very good knitter!" I don't think she had any idea how powerful her words were to a little girl. All of a sudden, I felt I had a secret weapon to make me better than the others. I never stop knitting since.
And how did you start designing?
People often complimented my knitwear and asked me to teach them how to make it, which
I always enjoy doing, but I never wrote them down properly until I discovered Etsy a decade
ago. I recall writing the first pattern down (only had one size) and then clicking the “publish”
button. I could not believe that the pattern was sold within an hour. I have never stopped
since then.
Do you have a favorite craft type and if so - why?
Both knitting and crochet are my favorite crafts, but I prefer knitting a little bit more, simply
because I can knit while watching TV.
What has been the most memorable project you worked on?
My most memorable project was the bridal shawl I designed and knitted as a wedding gift
for my daughter-in-law. It was a crescent-shaped shawl made from a single strand lace
cashmere/silk. I incorporated the couple's initials and their wedding date into the shawl. It is a simple, beautiful, but, more importantly, a meaningful piece to be remembered.
What are you currently working on? Be honest - how many WIP do you have right now?
Surprisingly, I have cleared all my WIPs for creation! However, I plan to write the patterns
for a dozen knitted items that I have already made. I also ordered some yarn and have some
new designs I plan to make.
Which of your makes/designs are you most proud of?
My proudest project was an indigenous color-themed blanket called “Binary Blanket” that I
designed, crocheted and donated to KOGO (Knit One Give One) – an Australia Charity who
collects hand knitted items from volunteers across the country and distributes them to those people in need.
The blanket has 80 crocheted motifs made of yellow and red yarn and joined with black
yarn. These are the colours represent the sun, earth and aboriginal people.
I can’t help but go back to my computer science roots, I used the binary number system to
create 16 motifs with unique yellow and red colour combinations in every two rows.
Crocheting in black yarn was very challenging but the finished blanket was stunning and I am ery proud of.
I named it “Binary Blanket”.
What is your usual process of designing?
Here is my usual design process:
Sketch: a lot of time, I imagine and sketch the end piece in my head.
Swatch: to check the gauge.
Construction: often, I have to unravel many times to perfect the design.
Grading: to multiple sizes. I recent years, I commit to create size inclusive patterns.
Writing: write down the pattern, then,
Tech editing, testing and publishing.
As you can see that making your idea a reality and sharing it with others requires a
significant amount of time and effort.
What inspires you to create/design?
Definitely the people around me: my family and friends. They are always the inspiration for
me to create more and share with others.
Any favorite song, book or movie you would like to recommend?
My favourite song: I long for you by Amy Sky. The song I can listen to over and over again.
Book: The light we carry by Michelle Oaba. Reading about the value of resilience and
optimism, particularly in the incredibly uncertain world of today, is encouraging.
Movie: I like documentary. The latest one ‘The lost children’ on the Netflix. It is an incredible
true story on so many levels.
Share a funny story that happened to you recently!
Here is a rather interesting story.
I visited Japan late last year. On the day we left, I did not realize I had left my knitting tool
bag in the carry-on until the security guard stopped me at the security checkpoint. The bag
contained all my knitting and crochet accessories, including many circular needles with long
metal wires, small size crochet hooks and tapestry needles with sharp tips! I was devastated
that I would lose all my crafting tools. Some are not only pricey, but also precious as they
were given to me by my mum and grandma. The security guard carefully laid out all my
needles on the table and took his time inspecting each one before putting them back in the
bag, scanning it through the x-ray machine. He then
What is your favorite feature on Ribblr?
There are so many. My favorite feature would be smart sizing that allows customers to view
only the size they need. This is especially helpful for a sweater pattern, which usually has 5
to 10 different sizes.
Where can others find you?
You can find me on:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/redjkdesign/
Pinterest https://pin.it/7Cy4Gypq7
Both under handle: @redjkdesign
Would you like to shout anyone out on Ribblr?
Rhyflower Knits: who has many beautiful sock patterns.
Burda Style: I want to work on sewing next year and I love her chic,
timeless styles.
CrochetStudioUSArt: Xmas is approaching, this designer has some
cute crocheted xmas patterns
Third Law Cabled Scarf: This pattern is simple but
stunning!
Thanks so much for being here this week Jie, it’s a pleasure reading about you!
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