Krysten Ritter interview

Actress and yarn fanatic Krysten Ritter on designing her first knitting kit for We Are Knitters...

When she’s not defending the earth as Marvel superhero Jessica Jones, actress Krysten Ritter likes nothing better than grabbing some yarn and knitting up a storm onset.

In fact, We Are Knitters were so impressed by Krysten’s devotion to yarn and all the knits she posted on her Instagram they asked her to design a pattern just for them to add to their growing collection of on-trend patterns. The result was Oversize Infinity Scarf Knitting Kit, which is both stylish and snuggly!

We caught up with Krysten, who has also starred in Breaking Bad and more Hollywood movies than you can shake a needle at, to find out where her love of knitting comes from and how her collaboration came about…

Hi Krysten, tell us more about your collaboration with We Are Knitters.

I LOVE We Are Knitters! Their garments are all things I’d wear in real life anyway, but I think everything is cuter when you make it yourself. The quality, the textures, the kits, the yarn colours – even the most basic stitch and easiest patterns look chic and fashionable with We Are Knitters. Our collaboration came together very organically because I actually use and love all their yarn. I starting posting my projects and tagging them on social media. I created the design for the snood myself, after a little trial and error, to get the size perfect. I wanted it to be big and overstated and chic while still being low-maintenance and practical.

When did you first pick up the knitting needles?

My Grammy was always an avid knitter. She taught me how to knit and crochet when I was a little girl. I used to knit on the subway going to my auditions when I was in my 20s and living in New York. Then, about a year ago, I found myself in Los Angeles and, needing to make a little room in my closet for my dude, I came across not only my old supplies and knitting needles, but a note from my Grammy, too.

I was feeling stressed and saturated by technology at the time like I think most of us are, and I just curled up and gave it another go. I had to reteach myself a few things via YouTube videos. I was constantly emailing the owner of my favourite yarn store in Los Angeles, The Little Knittery, every time I got stuck.

Where do you find inspiration for the garments you make?

I love to design my own! I also love to modify patterns to make stuff that I would want to wear. Lately, I’ve been getting inspiration from Instagram and Ravelry.

What’s on your knitting needles right now?

A few different sweater projects! I tend to always have about five projects on the go at any one time. My absolute favourite thing to do is making gifts for other people. Made with love, one stitch at a time.

Do you knit in the comfort of your own home or on the go?

Mostly, I knit at home. I do always have a project or two that’s easy just in case I find myself killing time on set or on the train.

OK, we're all dying to ask… Are you a yarn hoarder?

Yes! I've got enough yarn in my house to knit a blanket to cover a football field. I have a lot of We Are Knitters yarn. I recently fell in love with Meriwool from their The Wool range. I also got a bunch of Gentle Giant from Purl Soho for my birthday that I can’t wait to use. I also keep a bunch of Lion Brand Thick & Quick on hand because it’s really fun to work with and my other favourites are Loopy Mango and Plump & Co.

I'm also the owner of a healthy selection of knitting needles. I’m a little obsessed with my circular needles at present and I have some needles from Plump & Co that are actually the size of baseball bats – they're so fun!

The oversized infinity scarf by Krysten is available from www.weareknitters.com for £79.
The kit contains:
• 3 x skeins of 100% wool
• 2 x 15mm knitting needles
• The scarf knitting pattern
• Knitter's needle
• Embroidered label

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