This Mother’s Day as part of our Mothers Who Make series, we’re celebrating the powerful threads that connect creativity, memory and motherhood across generations.
In this interview, we speak to Janette from Elizabeth Larsen Knitwear, whose love of knitting began at her mother’s side and continues to shape her work today. From childhood stitches to machine knitting holidays, and from grief to rediscovered purpose in the Scottish Highlands, Janette shares how craft can carry heritage, resilience and connection – becoming not just something we make, but something that quietly makes us who we are.
1. Knitting is such a personal and reflective craft for you – can you tell us how your mother influenced your love of creativity?
I have such fond memories of knitting with my mum as a child, but also when I was an adult and had my own children too. It was a shared experience, a time for us to learn from each other and create something to be worn, admired or played with. Knitting was our shared passion, so much so that in the late eighties when knitting machines were a big thing we both bought one and before we knew it we were going on lots of machine knitting holidays across the country. They were fun times and to spend that time with my mum evokes such happy memories.
2. Are there particular memories of crafting alongside your mother that still influence your work today?
We were both so different in our knitting styles, mum was more interested in knitting toys and sweet little sweaters for the grandchildren where I was always interested in more design led knitwear. I think that as a typical daughter I was influenced to do something that was quite different to what my mum created, but I still think of my mum when I create a new design, would she like the design, the colour, would she be proud of me?
3. You returned to knitwear design later in life after a break, I suppose my first question is what inspired the break and then what was it about picking up your knitting machine at 50 that reignited your passion?
Oh gosh, hitting 50 and living in a remote part of the Highlands of Scotland was a big turning point for me. I always carried on knitting but life, like for many women, just takes over, children; work, so many demands on us. My machine knitting days disappeared and before I knew it I stopped knitting for a living and just kept on knitting with two needles for my family and myself. I had moved to the Highlands of Scotland, a scattered remote part of the Highlands where work was sparse and one day I saw a knitting machine for sale locally and it just reminded me of the times I spent enjoying knitting, creating something from what looks like a piece of string to something that you could enjoy wearing. I was also grieving the loss of my mum and it’s only recently that I’ve tied the two actions together, this was a way I could hold onto my happy memories of our time together sharing our love for knitting.
4. What role/responsibility do you feel a mother (or both parents) has in passing on creative/practical making skills to their children?
Being creative and expressing yourself in different ways and mediums was something I wanted my children to experience. It was important to me as a parent for them to explore the creative world be it crafting, music etc. There’s such a positive thing about giving children the autonomy to explore and decide for themselves what they love to do and what they don’t enjoy as much. It helps them to grow and develop decision making skills in a practical but also fun way. Creativity runs through my family and I’m proud of my children who pursue, and have developed their own creative paths; my daughter is a qualified costumier and she’s used her skills to run her own businesses and my son is a professional videographer who documents trail running and has developed a biodegradable alternative to storage zip bags. I honestly believe by encouraging them to create and explore as children as given them the skills that transcend any profession they would have gone into.
5. Do you see your knitting as a way of passing on heritage or stories to the next generation, whether family or your wider community?
My passion for knitting is deeply rooted in my heritage, it allows me to connect with my past and celebrate the joyful memories of knitting alongside my mum. As I’m getting older I’m finding that touching on those memories whilst I knit is becoming more frequent and poignant. Elizabeth Larsen Knitwear is my personal brand, showcasing my distinctive style and part of my identity – Named after my maiden name, Larsen, which connects me to my Nordic heritage and personal story. I’ve always been interested in ‘people and place’ and living in rural areas you feel the importance of this connection. At the heart of my knitting designs lies a deep belief of the connection between people and the land and I translate that into knitwear pieces. My way of telling a story that connects the person wearing my knitwear with the colours and textures of the landscape.
6. Mothers who make on Folksy are often returning to craft after a break to have children, what would you say to people picking up their craft again today after a sizable break from it?
Just do it, enjoy it and see where it takes you. Will it take you on a journey as it has with me? Or, is it that just by crafting you feel more relaxed, present and proud of your achievement. Whatever motivated you to start again, hold onto it as that’s your driving force, the one thing that will help you when you make mistakes, or if you’ve lost your motivation. Don’t expect to take up where you left, re-learn if you need to, have some refresher classes or join crafting groups with like minded people. Just remember to enjoy what you decide to do.
7. Looking back at your own journey, what role has crafting alongside your mother played in shaping who you are today, both as a maker and as a person?
It’s played such a fundamental part in my life and in my children’s life and I didn’t realise it until recent years. We’re influenced more than we realise by our parents and fortunately for me, my family was a crafting family; if we wanted something we tended to make it. But, knitting was my favourite craft and my mum played a major role in my knitting journey, she was part of it from the beginning and I’m conscious that she’s still spurring me on today. I often wonder what she would think of the latest design, or a colour as I know that she would have been so interested in my knitwear business. I do think that my mum instilled in me a resilience, in life generally as well as business, not to be defeated by the hurdles that get in the way, and how to find practical solutions to your problems which I utilise to this day.
8. What advice would you give to mothers (or any parent/grandparent) who wants to keep craft alive in their home or family life?
Share your craft, share your enthusiasm and encourage them to try. Lead by example and involve them as much as possible. If they’re not interested in your particular craft, show them other ways to be creative, and open their minds to all the creative possibilities that are available to us. Let them use their hands, their eyes and all their senses and give them the skills to express their own identity through creativity.
Janette’s journey celebrates the beauty of returning to craft at any stage of life, the importance of encouraging creativity in the next generation, and the enduring thread that runs between mothers, daughters and the things they create together.
