Apr 15 2008
Introducing Norah
Norah Gaughan’s meticulous design work has inspired countless knitters to pick up the needles and cast on. Her unique vision and style make many of her designs instantly recongnizable. Her work is often characterized by geometric shapes and natural forms, 
often with detailed cabling or twisted stitches. Her designs have appeared in many of the well-known knitting publications, and in 2006, she published her first book, Knitting Nature. She is now the Design Director for Berroco, and continues to develop new and amazing techniques and patterns.
Recently, Knitting Daily, Interweave Press’s daily newsletter, asked readers to choose some of their favorite designs published in Interweave Knits magazine to supplement 
their recent book, Best of Interweave Knits. With dozens of stellar designs represented, readers chose their TOP 5 favorites. …and guess who had not one but TWO designs represented? Ms. Norah Gaughan! The Top 5 design patterns are available now through May 14th for FREE download in a PDF. To promote this Readers’ Choice Award, Knitting Daily is setting up the top designers with some bloggers for a little one-on-one.
I had the great opportunity to chat with Norah and find out some interesting details about her work, her inspirations, and what else she likes to do with her time…
As a designer who is inspired by nature and natural forms, how much time do you actually get to spend in nature? Can you share some of your favorite outdoor activities and / or memories?
Well, I live in New Hampshire Thursday night through Monday morning, and the Contoocook river is in my back yard – that’s nature. I grew up in the country too, climbing trees, walking through the woods to school, catching frogs in the brook. I nearly went crazy my first few months at Brown longing for the smell of Fall leaves. Turns out, crazy as it sounds, that the best place to commune with nature on the East Side of Providence is in the Swan Point Cemetery. As far as favorite memories go, I love being in places that feel like another world to me, where the flora is alien to someone who grew up in the northeast. For this reason I am fascinated by the Sonoran Desert in Arizona with all of the Saguaro cacti and desert scrub. Likewise, I am totally enamored of Iceland. Geysers, waterfalls, moonscape like lichen covered lava flows, hexagonal basaltic rock formations, gorges, and glaciers – it’s so amazing.
Norah’s trip to Iceland, photo by John Ranta
At the beginning of the year, you wrote a couple of blog posts about your Top 10 indispensable knitting books. Can you share some of your favorite general titles and authors? What was your favorite book growing up? Do you have (or make) time to read for pleasure now?
The book I read over and over as a child was The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. My grandmother (who lived with us) remembered loving it as a girl and bought me a beautifully illustrated edition original to her era. I also read a lot of Andre Norton. I had a writing correspondence with her too. My father illustrated Science Fiction and that’s how I made the contact. The best book I’ve read lately is The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan and I’m currently making my way through Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea by Carl Zimmer. It’s so well written that it’s is easy to read, despite being a science book. It’s going slowly only because I’ve been knitting an awful lot lately and I can’t do both at once. I did ‘read’ Freakonomics on tape while knitting – that worked out really well and recently I listened to all three autobiographical books by food writer Ruth Reichl. I love hearing works in the author’s own voice.
Norah knitting, age 17
When you have a concept for a new design, do you think in terms of lines and measurements? or do you sometimes have a color or texture in mind first and build a design around that? With the Tweedy Aran Cardigan, the texture of the tweed seems to be a large element in the design. When you design for Berroco do you choose the color and/or texture of yarn? 
Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? It all depends. With the Tweedy Aran cardigan, the textured fabric came first. Then I had to dream up the best silhouette for that time and place. Color is almost always secondary for me, as a vehicle for showing off the pattern stitch or structure to it’s best advantage and to be wearable. There are times when the structure and shape of the garment comes before the swatch for me, like with the Sand Dollar Pullover from Knitting Nature. When I design for Berroco everything begins with the yarn – after all, [the reason] I’m there is to sell yarn and really, the same is true for editorials in Interweave and Vogue Knitting. I’m just luck that I get to express myself at the same time. [Photo: Alternate sketch using the sand dollar motif]
After a design is submitted and sent in for the photography shoot, possibly goes out for a trunk show exhibit, makes the rounds at the expos and markets, do you actually get to see it again? Do you know where the original Nantucket Jacket is now? Do you ever have the opportunity to wear your own designs?
At Berroco, after a design is photographed it first spends time with the tech editor and the pattern checker, then it’s shipped off to the TNNA trade show.
After a few relaxing week’s sitting about the office it travels to yarn shops for 6 months, a year, or more. We are having second samples made in a larger size these days so many of the trunk shows have both the model size and the size that fits me. So, after the pieces have made the rounds, I do occasionally get to wear my own designs. I have no idea where the original Nantucket jacket is now, but somehow I managed to snag the Tilted Duster
[Photo: Original sketch for the Nantucket Jacket]
Many thanks to Norah for sharing her art and design in so many mediums, and for taking the time to answer my questions!
…and be sure to check out the other stops on the blog tour!
Mon. April 14: Sandi Wiseheart interview on Smoking Hot Needles
Wed. April 16: Kate Gilbert interview on Moth Heaven
Thurs., April 17: Stefanie Japel interview on Chez Aristote
Fri., April 18: Evelyn Clark interview on The Panopticon
Have you knit one of Norah’s patterns? are you currently working on one? Tell us about it! Leave me a comment and let me know!
Loved the questions AND the answeres!
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Great questions, Lauren. This (and Kate’s interview tomorrow) were the ones I was most excited to read. Thanks!
Thanks for posting this interview, Lolly! Great questions and answers. I’m such a Norah Gaughan fangirl, I was really thrilled when I saw that two of her patterns made the top five on the Reader’s Choice Awards!
Great interview, Lolly! I love seeing the sketches. It’s amazing what they transform into in the end
thank you for this interview, so we get to know Norah even better. I love her designs and finished my second tilted duster recently, now I plan to cast on something from Knitting Nature for summer. I am looking forward reading the next interviews.
Very good job! Lolly
I loved your questions – they let Norah show us even more about herself!
Whenever I’m flipping through a magazine or book and stop suddenly to oo and ah over a design, I’d say that 8 times out of 10 it’s one of Norah’s! I’m seaming up her Architectural Rib sweater right now (and hope to wear it at least once before it gets too warm!)
Thank you for this great interview and I loved the questions which gave Nora the opportunity to really share some personal aspects of her life and designing for knitwear.
Great questions Lolly! I’m afraid I’d be so starstruck I wouldn’t be able to figure out what to ask. As a big fan of Norah’s I, of course, know that she finds a lot of inspiration in nature yet her response about the desert and Iceland was like a lightbulb moment for me as to how an unfamiliar environment is such an inspiration. It makes so much sense, I just never thought of it that way. Plus it’s an encouragement to me to try to see my own everyday environment with fresh eyes (if Spring would arrive that would help too).
There are SO many patterns of Norah’s that are on my list to knit. As soon as I finish the last of my UFO’s and gift knits I will allow myself to start one of her designs. There’s a good chance it will be the Tweedy Aran Cardie.
Not only is Norah an awesome designer, but she’s so nice and accommodating to all of us fangirls. My finished results from the Swirled Pentagons Pullover are now up on my blog, and I have many more of her designs in my queue. In fact, I may get Volume 2 with your b-day present. xoxo
I have only knit the ‘Target Wave’ mittens–I was instantly smitten by the unique structure and design. I am so excited to know that Norah is a fellow Brown grad!
pretty cool lolly! i always enjoy these interviews, and look forward to the others as well. i’m not sure if i have knitted a norah gaughan design, but know i love most all her designs.
to me, she IS a designer, vs. other names (i won’t name) that have lots of patterns in print.
Great interview! Thanks!
Neato, Lauren. I love the alternate sketch. It’s so much fun to get a peak inside those creative brains! I have knit the Aran cardigan, and I love it like mad. The textures and the shaping are all so flattering. Norah really knows how to designs for those of us who are not petite.
I made the Tilted Duster in August right after I got my issue of IK. I absolutely love it. And I’ve had the Nantucket jacket queued for what feels like forever, but I’m hoping to start it this spring. And I’m so glad the Tweedy Aran was released so that I can add it to the queue as well!
Thanks for this Q&A! I love Norah’s designs and this was just a wonderful insight into her design process.
I love Norah’s stuff, too, but recently I realized that I’d never knit anything of hers, so I used my tax return to spring for the yarn for Joyella. I’m converting it to a cardigan, and it’s such a wonderful yarn and easy pattern that it only took me a week to knit! (the seaming up and working out the button bands is taking me another week… still great for a whole sweater!). I’ve also cast on for the shell tank from Knitting Nature, but I have to put it off until I finish a jacket I’m making to wear to my brother’s rehearsal dinner next week… (but you can see my Joyella in progress at Ravelry:
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/jdsjazz/joyella )
Thanks for a great interview with Norah. She is my favorite knit designer! I am currently working on the Snapping Turtle Skirt from Knitting Nature. I’m making it with the new Noro Matsuri, and I love it! No two hexagons are the same, because the yarn has long color changes. I have plans (and yarn) to make a couple more Norah tops before the summer is over.
Thanks for the fun interview. I’m a big fan of Norah and am shocked to realize I haven’t knit any of her designs. YET. Must get on that right away!
Darnit, Lolly. Your interview is so darn polished! And good!
Great interview, Lolly! I love knowing that she knits a sample for herself. Makes me very confident in picking up her designs – I’ll be more comfortable and know it will fit a REAL girl! Maybe that’s why I love my Tilted Duster so much! It’s very flattering!
:O)
Thanks for the interview Lolly.
I’ve been drooling over Norah’s designs for quite a while now. I knitted the tilted duster last winter and was very pleased with it There was just something about that design that grabbed me. Even though I don’t have a trim and lithe physique I thought it looked pretty good on me especially when I left it open and with the collar turned down. — I also love the Nantucket Jacket — one day I’ll get around to it too.
Norah is my most favorite designer these days. And I hardly ever even have a “most favorite”, because I like many different styles and techniques.
I am making a long jacket comprised entirely of Norah’s hexagons, the ones she used to trim the hex coat in Knitting Nature. It’s a project that will take me a while, but you can see the beginnings of in on my blog.
I think I will call it “Ode to Norah”! I hope to have it done in time for the NYS sheep and wool festival in October.
Have a good day, and thanks for the interview. I am glad I found your site.
I’m knitting the Honeycomb Henley from Knitting Nature right now. Thanks for this profile and interview. The brilliance of the designs in and the idea behind Knitting Nature “grow” on me the more time I spend with the book. In particular, the motifs Norah generates from observation and exploration remind me of the Arts & Crafts movement. She stylizes natural phenomena in a similar way to beautiful effect.
I’ve been looking forward to this blog post since I read about it on Knitting Daily (I’m catching up on my blog reading). Great interview Lolly! You came up with some really interesting questions