Tif Neilan's knitwear designs are rich in texture and color, and timeless in style. We are excited to be featuring her easy-breezy  Beachcomb top as the knit pattern for our Spring 2022 Giving Project.

Tif recently answered some questions we had about her journey as a knitter and a designer.

When and how did you first learn to knit?

I learned to knit about 6 years ago. I am self-taught and learned through a combination of online tutorial videos and lots of books. Funny story: The day I decided that I wanted to learn, I did not yet have any knitting needles in my home, so I used my daughter's colored pencils and yarn she had received from a weaving loom. It was an experience for sure! Three days in, I finally went to a craft store and purchased a set of needles.

You come from an Interior Design background. What made you decide to pivot to designing knitwear? (We’re so glad you did!)

I suffered a pretty major medical event (bi-lateral pulmonary embolisms) which caused me to have insomnia. I started knitting as a way to cope with my stress and for a mental distraction. It very quickly became something that I couldn't live without. Soon into my knitting journey I started writing my own patterns and a friend kind of jokingly said to me, "You know, most people don't just write their own patterns. I think this might be your calling." I had been starting to feel like I needed a career shift which would allow me to work from home and be more available for my children, and knitwear design kind of seamlessly filled that need. Mentally and developmentally, I think I am approaching my knitwear designs in the same manner I did for Interior Design in terms of building layers of color and texture while also balancing proportions of both.

What is your favorite thing about designing knitwear?

I feel that knitwear design is very similar to fine art. It's an opportunity to express myself and while we always want to design pieces that we think will appeal to others, it's really about designing for myself first. It's therapeutic and mentally stimulating but also very calming. Like other art forms, I feel that knitwear designing is "speaking without words."

Herringbone is a recurring element in many of your patterns. What do you love about that stitch?

I love everything about Herringbone, haha! This is certainly a design element that I feel has strongly carried over from my love of Interior Design. Herringbone is seen a lot in hardwood or tile floor detailing, in woven products like baskets (I love baskets!) blankets, pillows, etc. Herringbone has a vintage aesthetic to me. I think about how older homes used to have herringbone floors in the foyer, and there's just something really charming to me about the look of it. It's beautifully structured and orderly...timeless, really.

What’s inspiring you right now?

I am very often inspired by nature and also architecture. More recently I have been drawing inspiration from paintings and photographs that I love. There's a lot of beauty in "ordinary" things.

Can you give us any hints about what’s coming next?

On my needles right now is a spring sweater tee. I have a couple of short sleeve tee designs in the works that I am super excited about and my biggest secret is that I am working on a sweater for the fall to coordinate with the Strata Hat pattern I designed last year for the WORSTED book by Aimee Gille of La Bien Aimee.

Anything else you would like to share?

I love love love the Beachcomb tee for a warm weather knit. Be sure to swatch the herringbone stitch and adjust needle size if / as needed.

Follow Tif Neilan on Instagram  @tifneilan_handknits!

Check out our planning guide for Beachcomb! Your yarn purchase for Beachcomb by June 30, 2022 will help support Homefront in their mission to break the cycle of poverty!