Lumi Karmitsa is living her knitting dream: “The colorwork pattern must spark a reaction”

“A few years ago, I came across some beautiful cat mittens online and decided on a whim to knit them for a friend. That was my first-ever colorwork project. As soon as I cast on the stitches, I realized I could just as easily design the pattern myself. The next pair of mittens I knitted ended up in my first book.

Many knitting designers have been at it their whole lives. I, on the other hand, started with almost nothing. I learned basics like the knit and purl stitches in school, but otherwise, I pretty much dove straight into making a knitting book.

When she was younger, Lumi also read Stephen King’s books. However, these ‘Ihan kiltit pellet’ (“Totally nice clowns”) mittens actually stemmed from a loop stitch she wanted to include in the mittens as a playful tuft of hair on a character.

Lumi dreams of someday putting together an exhibition of her knits, which currently fill her closets. She also has new books in the works. In this photo, she’s holding her ‘Draamattomat laamat’ (“Drama-Free Llamas”) wrist warmers. You can find Lumi’s work on Instagram @lumikarmitsa.

These ‘Tiikerin vuosi’ (“Year of the Tiger”) socks with some Asian flair will keep your feet warm. Lumi doesn’t have a single favorite color, but vibrant shades create a helpful and appealing contrast for colorwork.

Designing new patterns is a very hands-on mental process. I think about what kind of image might suit a mitten or sock, and I draw plenty of sketches. I keep paper in my bedside drawer and sometimes start sketching in the middle of the night when inspiration hits. Usually, though, I use a computer program.

When I design, I have only one requirement: it has to be sympathetic. The image must spark some sort of reaction—whether the socks are cute, funny, or creepy. Depicting a recognizable figure, let alone stirring an emotion, in the space of just 30 stitches is challenging, but it’s what I always aim for. Receiving enthusiastic feedback on my designs is incredibly rewarding. That’s how I know I’ve succeeded.

Lumi listens to audiobooks while knitting and goes through about 60 a year.

Animals are important to Lumi and an endless source of inspiration for her knitting designs. “If I didn’t design animals for my knits, I don’t know what else I’d do.”

Kaaleppi, a twelve-year-old Russian toy chihuahua, is a patient companion and model. You can spot Kaaleppi lookalikes in several of Lumi’s designs, and this little dog grandpa has also posed in all of Lumi’s books, lured in by cheese. There’s also a something familiar in the Mexican-inspired ‘Amigot’ (“Amigos”) socks.

Socks are my favorite pieces to design. The limited space can be tricky, but the socks come together quickly in a satisfying way, and even unraveling them isn’t too bad. So far, I haven’t had the patience to design and knit sweaters.

On the other hand, I can spend a long time refining a particular sock or mitten pattern, aiming to make it as polished as possible. My favorite creation is always the one I’m working on at the moment.

These whimsical Miss Kissinen mittens by Lumi Karmitsa come together as a complete design when you put your hands side by side. Get the pattern here! [in Finnish]

Cat mittens were Lumi’s first colorwork project. These ‘Tuutilullaa’ (“Rock-a-bye baby”) mittens pictured here are her ninth pair of cat mittens.

These ‘Kosiomatka’ (“Courting”) socks are sure to make you smile. For Lumi, stirring an emotion is her top priority when designing. She chooses materials and colors only after that.

Lumi gets new ideas so quickly that she doesn’t have time or energy to knit them all. She spent three years working on Wild Mittens & Unruly Wool Socks 3, which came out in May 2022. It’s her fourth book.

I was hooked on knitting from the start. I’ve always done different types of creative work but things like writing and drawing cause me a lot of creative angst because I’m so self-critical. Knitting doesn’t. From the very beginning, it was blissfully simple and fun, and it carried me away.

Because I love knitting, the boundary between my free time and work has long been blurred. When I first began, I could knit for up to twelve hours a day. Many knitters might not believe you can get tired of knitting, but it’s possible, so I try to keep my knitting times in check. This summer, I bought a SUP board to act as a total counterbalance to knitting.”