About
Hei, I'm Janne
I spend my working days helping and supporting creative knitwear designers get their patterns ready for publication and reach more knitters around the world.
As a designer, you want to share your new design at its very best and you also want time to create new designs, not spending all that precious time doing pattern support for confused knitters. You want happy knitters and happy customers. And what makes happy knitters? Your fabulous design, and a pattern to go with it that is clear and correct. A pattern that can be trusted and that is a total joy to knit from.
Pine Forest Knits was born out of a passion for knitting and creating, and a desire to help others follow their passion and dream of publishing their creative designs.
I am all about clear and consistent instructions that are easy to follow and therefore make knitting more joyful.
My aim is to help you create the best possible version of your pattern and to share it with a wider audience.
Welcome. I’m so glad you are here!
Janne's friendly and professional approach put my mind at ease, and made the whole process feel like working with a best friend.
Maya Davis
Designer @thewoolbarn
My Story
Like so many others in the fibre industry, I have left a career that was no longer working for me, to forge my own path, start my own business and follow my passion for all things knitting, fibre and creating.
For me, all of this started when I moved to England in 2018. Not wanting to do the same type of job here as I had in Norway, I was forced to look outside the box. I also finally allowed myself to “just follow my joy” for a bit to see where that would take me, and not try to think my way into what my new dream job would be. That of course led to a lot of knitting… (duh), more natural dyeing, and doodling a bit with designing my own garments. This again led me to research what this “tech editing thing” that I kept hearing about actually was.
I quickly figured out it was the perfect match for me at this time of my life – combining my love of knitting and creating with being of service and helping others, as well as being a very detail-orientated person, with an ability to visualise, stay organised, calm and focused just as I needed to be in my previous nursing career. This background also helps me better see the whole picture, pay close attention to every detail in your pattern, make sure the writing is clear and concise, and that all necessary information is present and presented in a way that others can follow and easily understand. I also think I’m pretty friendly and approachable. I want to help and I want to support and lift others up.
I love the feeling of being in flow that I get from this deep brain work while diving deep into a pattern to do good work. And I especially love that my skills and support are in turn helping you follow your dream of publishing amazing designs and well-written patterns.
My mom taught me how to knit when I was a child, and knitting has always been a natural part of my life. Most of the women in my family were skilled at numerous crafts like knitting, crocheting, sewing, embroidery, cross-stitching and weaving. It was, however, not until my sister was pregnant with her second child that I truly got bitten by the knitting bug myself. I all of sudden felt this intense urge to knit something for the baby. And I did. That was over a decade ago now, and I pretty much have not put the needles down since!
One of my favourite parts of knitting is that I constantly learn new things – new techniques, new stitches and new ways of doing things. Once I realised that tech editing sounded like a fun and good fit for me, I signed up for and completed a course from Joeli Kelly at the Tech Editor Hub on learning how to tech edit and how to do it well.
I have always knit from patterns in both Norwegian and English and am equally comfortable with both, and with living in the UK and being fluent in English – it seemed to make sense to add pattern translations to the list of services that I provide. And I really, really, like doing them! I use my tech editing background to make sure the translated instructions are just as helpful, clear, concise, correct and consistent as in the original version of your pattern, as well as keeping your voice as a designer throughout.
I live amongst the green rolling hills in mid-England, UK with my partner James, in a house filled with lots of books, yarn and plants. There is always a pair of hiking boots ready by the door, we have a little greenhouse in the back garden plus a guitar in almost every room of the house (but those I cannot take the credit for!). A warm beverage, wool and the sound of music being played are all never far away, and a good nature hike or bike ride is always a good idea.
I am here to work with you to make sure your pattern is as good and polished as it can be and help you reach a wider market.
As for the name, Pine Forest Knits – I grew up on a farm in southern Norway surrounded by tall pine trees. I love their beauty and they will forever remind me of home and my connection to the natural world that is so important to me, so I named my business after them. It only seemed fitting to me that the online home of my business should have that connection. It is also said that pine trees symbolise peace, wisdom, fertility and longevity.
Questions?
Whether you’re curious about the process or interested in a free quote for your pattern, I’m here to answer any questions.
Spørsmål?
En norsk versjon av nettsiden vil komme etterhvert. Dersom du har spørsmål, ønsker et gratis prisoverslag, eller ønsker informasjon på norsk, ta kontakt så skal jeg hjelpe så godt jeg kan.