“I enjoy it when knitting tests my nerves”: knitwear designer Johanna Ärje welcomes lengthy projects
Knitwear designer Johanna Ärje, also known as Anna Johanna, is known for her romantic style. For her own enjoyment, she chooses challenging, even painfully difficult projects. That’s why she calls herself a masochistic knitter.
“The best part of knitting is starting a new project. The moment you cast on new stitches is always filled with hope. You get to begin a piece that could turn out truly wonderful.
Knitting isn’t always meditative, of course. Sometimes the swear words start flying, and I can feel in my whole body that it might be wiser to do something else. Still, I usually finish even the toughest projects, because I’m just that stubborn.
I draw most of my inspiration from yarn. When I run my hands over them, they tell me what they’re meant to become. Yarn shops really should have sample skeins for everyone to feel.
How the yarn is spun determines what it’s best suited for. In carded yarn, the fibers are randomly arranged, while in combed yarn, they’re brushed in one direction. As a result, carded yarn is airy, and combed yarn drapes beautifully. Roving yarn, which is only partially spun, must be worked with a gentle touch so it won’t break.
I personally prefer carded yarn for its rustic wool feel.
“As a teenager, I was unsure of my abilities in every way. I gained tons of self-confidence when I managed to create a wearable garment with my own hands.”
I became interested in knitting in junior high. As a teenager, I was extremely insecure about myself and my abilities, and it felt like I had no tangible skills.
In our school’s craft classes, we knitted sweaters. I chose yarn that was too variegated, and the stitch pattern muddled the colors even more. My friend, on the other hand, knitted cables in natural white yarn, which looked gorgeous in that specific yarn. I got fired up, convinced I could make something equally lovely.
At home, I knitted a new sweater in a solid color. It turned out amazing, and I gained tons of self-confidence when I managed to create a wearable garment with my own hands.
From that moment on, knitting swept me away. My passion truly took off when I moved to Jyväskylä in the early 2000s to study. That was the first time I could really visit yarn shops, and around the same time, I started discovering online knitting communities and patterns.
Even as a child, I dreamed of becoming a fashion designer. At some point, I began to imagine knitting for a living. In 2016, I put my first pattern up for sale on the knitting site Ravelry. It was a brown cardigan with lace in the yoke. By the end of that year, 18 copies of the pattern had been sold, which felt huge to me. That same fall, I listed my next pattern.
Around that time, I was working as a statistics researcher at the university. A friend suggested that I apply to Ravelry as a statistician because there’s a lot of analytics involved. She reminded me that dreams never come true unless you at least try to pursue them. I interpreted that in my own way, realizing if I’d been dreaming of being a knitwear designer for so long, I had to be bold enough to go for it.
I started a side business selling knitting patterns in 2018. When my fixed-term contract at the university ended the following year, I became a full-time entrepreneur.
My style as a knitwear designer is timeless and romantic. I want my designs to look great now and in fifteen years. Knitting them should also be pleasant and accessible to people of different skill levels.
Sometimes I take a break from designing and knit purely for my own enjoyment. At those times, I look for patterns that really test my nerves. I love challenges and enjoy it when knitting is laborious, even downright agonizing. That’s why I call myself a masochistic knitter.
“I unraveled my lace blanket and started it over four times. I like the fact that it takes a while.”
Not long ago, I finished a blanket for our living room sofa with four different lace sections. I unraveled and restarted it four times. My Instagram followers were horrified, saying they wouldn’t have the energy to keep going. But I like it when a project takes time. With patience, the blanket turned out really well.
I usually have only one project going at a time. If my hands are free, there’s rarely a moment when I’m not knitting. Once I pick up my needles, I calm right down, and I can even focus better on conversations or movies.
Doing this for a living has been the greatest dream of my life. I’ve never been this happy. I hope it can go on forever.”
