Meet Heather Dixon of "Army of Knitters" & Enter to Win 1 of her Patterns!

Congratulations to Miki! She was randomly selected and now has 24 hours to contact me to receive her free pattern!

In late December 2010 I had the privilege to meet the UK designer Heather Dixon of "Army of Knitters" and I was overjoyed at the opportunity to bring you her sophisticated & sexy pattern line.


Each season Heather's collection includes garments and accessories that will take you through the entire season in style, be it causal or dressy, her pieces mix & match with each other and your existing wardrobe with ease. And judging by the amount of traffic her patterns have received on my website I think I was spot on in my assumption that you would love her work as much as I do!

For this official introduction Heather has kindly granted us an interview and donated one of her patterns to the lucky winner of this blog giveaway, more on that later....

Meet Heather Dixon: Born and bred in Nottingham, England, Heather Dixon taught herself to knit at an early age. She designed clothes and accessories for her toys, herself and various family members before graduating with a degree in Knitwear Design from The Nottingham Trent University.

Heather freelanced in the UK and Italy before moving to New York City in 1999, where she worked with indie designers as well as corporate companies whilst honing her craft. After a couple of years designing Sweaters and Embellishments for Urban Outfitters, Heather decided it was time to run away to the country where she could turn her hand-knitting obsession into her full-time career and give Army of Knitters all the energy it needed to become a roaring success.

Heather now lives in a converted barn in the Catskill mountains of New York with her actor/artist/chef fella and Lucky, the sweetest dog in the world.

1. Hello Heather, please tell us about yourself and what got you interested in knitting and designing knitwear.

I learned to knit and sew when I was quite young. Designing seemed to come naturally to me as I made clothes for my dolls, then myself and family members. It wasn't until my friends asked me to make things for them that I realized that I was really good at it as well as being a hobby that I thoroughly enjoyed. I studied Fashion Design then specialized in Knitwear at the Nottingham Trent University. After graduating, I spent over 10 years designing for various companies in the NYC fashion industry. It's a dream come true that I can now design my own collections and publish finished patterns.

2. Who or what inspires you the most in your design process?

There is no one place where I find inspiration. I design my collections with a theme in mind, each season I'm drawn strongly to a story that I express through my knitting. For the collections I'm working on at the moment my stories are Flamenco for Spring and the film, Pretty Baby for Summer. I'm currently attracted to all things connected with the late Victorian era, especially the under garments so my Summer collection is heavily inspired by corsets, bustles and nighties.

3. What direction do you see yourself heading in as a designer?

My ambition is set to "high". I'd like to start producing finished product to sell worldwide. Editorial spreads in high-fashion magazines and catwalk shows in Paris. Why not?

4. How have the advances in technology and the internet helped you (or hindered) you as a knitwear designer?

I would not have attempted to do what I do without the internet. It's where over 90% of my business comes from. I'm constantly hooked up to my internet connection. I don't have a television, or time to read newspapers and as I live in the mountains, it's how I stay in touch with the rest of the world.

5. Your website is fantastic and your photography is very sophisticated but I'm really intrigued by the name you selected, how did you come up with "Army of Knitters?"

Thank you. I stole the name from the 80's dance band Army of Lovers. I loved how Army of Knitters can be shortened to AoK. It just makes everything seem all right.

Heather thank you so much for taking the time to talk to with us, it was a pleasure getting to know you.

One lucky winner receive an Army of Knitters' pattern of their choice, rules for entry are below, and the winner will be selected on Feb. 28th. Sandrasingh.com carries Army of Knitters' Winter & Fall 2010 Collections.

Winter 2010: Precious
Linger a while over a glass of mulled wine.
Dance beside the roaring flames of an open fireplace.
Taste the warming flavours of a berry flambe.
Envelope yourself in layers of rich, deep jewel tones.
Because baby, it's cold outside.

Howlite

Tanzanite Stockings & Shorts

Onyx

Malachite

Garnet Hat & Headband and Sparkly Wristlets

Citrine Cowl

Fall 2010: Sugar & Spice
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice and all that's nice,
that's what little girls are made of.

Parfait Dress

Nougat

Toffee Apple Vest and Armlets

Parfait Tunic

Pumpkin Pie

Rhubarb & Custard

Chambord Truffle and Hat

Enter this Giveaway:
The more ways you enter, the more chances you have to win and make sure to leave a comment telling exactly what you did to enter. And please make sure to include your contact information. Winner will be announced Feb. 28th and the pattern will emailed to them as a PDF.

1. Leave a comment about your favorite Army of Knitters' pattern, under this blogpost.
2. Blog about this Giveaway on your blog and link it, leave a comment under this blogpost with the link back to your blogpost.
3. Join my Ravelry group Sandrasingh.com and introduce yourself in the "Welcome Tell us About Yourself..." thread.
4. Announce this Giveaway in your Ravelry group or in another Ravelry group that allows you to announce Blog Giveaways.
5. Friend me on Facebook: Sandra Singh and say you "Like" my post about this Giveaway.
6. Announce this Giveaway (with the link) on Facebook
7. Follow me on Twitter: Sandrasingh
8. Announce this Giveaway (with the link) on Twitter.
9. Sign up for my Newsletter on my Home Page.
10. Sign up to "Follow my Blog."