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Xiaowei Hu is a Chinese-French knitwear designer living and working in Lille, France. She specialises in clean, modern knits, many of which are sized for both women and children for bonus twinning fun.
For Xiaowei, knitting is her daily life and has been since she learned to knit at six years old. She was born in northern China, where winter temperatures could drop down to -20º. From childhood, all the women around her were knitters, her mother, her aunts, her neighbours. At that time in China, knitting was the main activity after work for many women. Before winter came, women would knit sweaters and pants for all her family members. Xiaowei particularly remembers the woollen pants that were worn under regular pants, they were essential to getting through the cold weather.
Xiaowei dreamed of becoming a stylist and being a knitwear designer has allowed part of that dream to come true. Her studies in fine arts also helped her on the path. She always records the interesting elements she sees, be it a colour, a shape, or a pattern, then composes them in her own way.
At the start of her design career, she only created adult patterns, but after the birth of her daughter, she started also making children’s garments, and mother-daughter patterns. Her daughter is a strong source of inspiration for Xiaowei, and she always imagines the render of a pattern on her daughter when she designs an adult model or vice versa.
We are lucky to have four lovely Xiaowei Designs samples to share in October: the adult sized Huangshan Sweater and Tiyuan cardigan, and the children’s sized Little Molis and Little Môme. While the store is currently closed, we will be featuring each design on our Instagram feed. You can find more of Xiaowei’s work on Instagram @xiaowei_design, and her website and on Ravelry.
Orlane is a knitting designer who lives in the North of France with her partner and their two daughters. Like many crafters, she learned to knit from her grandmother when she was a child, but she says the craft finally became serious for her when she realised that knitting is a super power!
