Knitting world
Ruby Lee and Alice Sleight’s knitting app
New entrepreneurs on the block – but no strangers to knitting – Ruby Lee and Alice Sleight share a passion for great design. Ruby is an electrical engineer. Alice is a textile designer. Together they have created Made & Worn, a business that helps everyone to get better results. We chatted to founder Ruby and designer Alice on how they became knitaholics, and why they feel combining apps with hand knitting is the way forward.
“My Nan taught me to knit when I was around seven years old,” says Ruby. “I made a garter stitch scarf which turned into more of an hourglass shape by the time I’d dropped stitches and done a few too many accidental yarn overs! I picked up knitting seriously when I was commuting to London for my university placement; I wanted something to do on the train.” Alice also learned the skill through a family member, knitting her way through university. As true knitting enthusiasts, passionate to keep the skill alive, the pair created Made & Worn to help knitters get the most satisfaction from their projects – not just from the glory of wearing their newly finished garment, but from the enjoyment felt during the making of each and every stitch. “After all, are there any sweeter words for a knitter to hear than: ‘I love your sweater – where did you get it?’ – and to be able to answer this glorious question with a simple but magical ‘Oh this? I made it myself’?’” explains Alice.
Made & Worn ultimately puts the fun back into knitting, making it possible for everyone to become knitwear designers with easy-to-follow instructions. “Made & Worn takes a pattern and adapts it to the knitter’s individual natural style and gauge, their chosen yarn and the wearer’s exact measurements so that a perfect fit is guaranteed at the end of the project. It also allows total customisation because it’s possible to create any item in any style – we already have around 30,000 individual combinations!” says Ruby. “It allows knitters to track their progress so they never miss a line or lose their place. It’s intuitive, visual and updates in real-time across multiple devices so, no matter where you are and whether you’re working with phone, tablet or PC, the app knows exactly where you need to pick up again.”
So, how exactly does Made & Worn work? You start by going to the website and choosing a project from a range of patterns. You can then apply di erent knitting stitches and textures to create a garment that is unique to you. Purchase your pattern and add it to your personal online library so that you can revisit it as many times as you like. When you’ve got your yarn and you’re ready to knit, input all your measurements and work up a tension swatch. This will allow you to input your gauge to generate your individual pattern. Then, cast on and work through the easy-to-follow instructions which automatically save your progress as you go so you can pick up where you left o anytime, anywhere.
“What we’ve developed is unique and it’s born out of a love of knitting,” says Ruby. “I understand that some people might find it strange to combine technology with a traditional craft but Made & Worn doesn’t take away any of the creativity involved: conversely, it adds to the creative process by allowing anybody to make something that is totally unique to them.” Discover more about this knitting venture at www.madeandworn.co.uk.