Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton, Knitting Expert, Author,…

Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton, Knitting Expert, Author, Teacher and Yarn Brand Owner has been in the fiber industry for decades but is surprisingly young for the amount of experience she shares with us! She started very young, at 24 began as a designer, for a shop in NYC that was avant garde and progressed to commission work. While she was living in Manhattan, she visited a friend in Sweden who was looking for someone to rent her place… she took it and became a International Designer! She had been designing for magazines and looking for backing, mostly Vogue Knitting when she approached a publisher to do a book. Inspired by Knitting in America by Wendy Fallick, she put together what she thought would make a great book , and they said they would like a book of design and ‘would you like to work with Noro’? Really, who could say NO to Noro? She did 8 books with KFI.  Other companies include Universal and their Poems Yarn, Malabrigo and Plymouth.

Computers, the internet, the social media website for yarn-crafts Ravelry have changed a lot of things, but has not really been reflected in a designer’s income or wages. Cornelia has embraced these as tools to promote her designs and encourage others. She has a website: https://www.hamiltonyarns.com/ where she begun to offer yarns Heaven’s Hand by Hamilton Yarns, currently showing three lines of yarn, the worsted weight Wool Classic, which is 100% Corriedale/Highland wool, https://www.hamiltonyarns.com/collections/yarns/products/heavens-hand-wool-classic, another worsted weight Silke, which is 100% mulberry silk https://www.hamiltonyarns.com/collections/yarns/products/heavens-hand-silke and a lace weight, Shaman which is 100% hand-spun hand-dyed Raw Silk, These can be purchased through these links at her website, but also Her yarns are available at various stores.

She now has a Ravelry group for her design work https://www.ravelry.com/groups/designer-cornelia-tuttle-hamilton and another for her yarn. ww.ravelry.com/groups/heavens-hand-from-hamilton-yarns  Cornelia is also new to blogging and doing a newsletter, both are linked through her website, but also tools she looks forward to using more.

Really, though, she enjoys Facebook much more: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cornelia-Tuttle-Hamilton/97925624462 is her pro page and her yarn lines have a page also  https://www.facebook.com/HeavensHandYarn.

It was in Facebook that two recent patterns became known to most of us through Jimmy Beans Wool, Chutes and Ladders (their links to the kits!) https://www.jimmybeanswool.com/knitting/yarn/Anzula/AnzulaLimitedEditionChutesandLaddersScarf.asp?showLarge=true&specPCVID=57128 and then, working in collaboration with them, a huge promotion of her Sherlock Scarf, 

which they combined with theme named yarn colorways and other items like project bags that made it a lot of fun. Here is the link to the Dr Watson Scarf Kit with them: https://www.jimmybeanswool.com/knitting/yarn/LornasLaces/LornasLLESherlockScarf.asp?showLarge=true&specPCVID=55621 and also Sherlock, of course, called Sherlocks Secret:  https://www.jimmybeanswool.com/knitting/yarn/LornasLaces/LornasLLESherlockScarf.asp?showLarge=true&specPCVID=55622 which they put together in Lorna’s Laces. By the way, both of these patterns are available for purchase in her Ravelry store:   https://www.ravelry.com/stores/cornelia-tuttle-hamilton-designs

Coming up in Vogue Knitting are two unique designs using Geometric Openwork in a lattice design that she wanted to create in such a way that does not require weaving in lots of ends. They will appear in the Early Fall 2014 edition.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How did Cornelia get started as an international designer?

So here’s the thing… Cornelia started designing very young, at 24, for a shop in NYC. Then, she visited a friend in Sweden, rented her place, and became an international designer! She was already designing for magazines and looking for backing, which led to her working with Noro for 8 books.

What kind of yarns does Cornelia offer under her own brand?

Honestly… she has a yarn brand called Heaven’s Hand by Hamilton Yarns. Currently, she has three lines: Wool Classic (a worsted weight 100% Corriedale/Highland wool), Silke (a worsted weight 100% mulberry silk), and Shaman (a lace weight 100% hand-spun, hand-dyed raw silk). You can find them on her website!

Has social media changed how designers like Cornelia promote their work?

Yes! Even though computers and the internet, like Ravelry, haven’t really changed designer income much… Cornelia has totally embraced them as tools. She uses her website, Ravelry groups, and even blogs and newsletters to promote her designs and encourage others.

Where can I find Cornelia’s patterns, like the Sherlock Scarf?

Great question! You can find some of her patterns, like the Sherlock Scarf and Chutes and Ladders scarf, through kits at Jimmy Beans Wool. Plus, both of those patterns are available for purchase in her Ravelry store. It’s always fun to find new patterns, right?

What’s next for Cornelia’s designs?

Well, the article mentions she has two unique designs coming up in the Early Fall 2014 edition of Vogue Knitting! They feature a geometric openwork lattice design, and she specifically created them so you won’t have to weave in a ton of ends… which is always a plus!

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