Entwined by Meiju Kallio Is Filled with Emotion and Skill
Meiju Kallio is an internationally acclaimed Finnish knitwear designer known for her skillfully crafted and beautifully finished knits. Her new book, Entwined: Cables, Lace and Knitted Textures, features 20 patterns that invite you to explore enchanting stitch patterns. Meiju lives in Helsinki with her three sons.
We talked to Meiju about her work, her book, and how knitting helped her through a period of major life changes.
Is your new book a sequel to your debut, Contrasts, published in 2021?
“Yes and no. The book carries my recognisable style, but at the same time, I always try to create something new — I don’t like to design the same sweater over and over. Learning something new is one of the best things about knitting; it helps keep my mind alert. There’s always a new technique I haven’t thought of before, or a stitch pattern I can start developing further.
In terms of techniques, the new book includes a broader variety of textured stitch patterns than Contrasts. There are also more vest patterns than in my previous work.”
You worked on the book while going through major life changes: you had just gotten divorced, bought a new home, and even found new love. How did knitting help you during that time?
“Knitting has always been a way for me to find calm. When your hands do these simple, repetitive movements, your mind starts to process and organise things. Even though knitting is very mechanical, it’s also a creative space. I might come up with new designs while I’m knitting.
Besides bringing me peace of mind, knitting gave me financial security during those transitions. Knitting has become a big part of my identity, and I’m grateful that it allowed me to, for example, buy a house for myself and my kids. When I started designing knitwear about 15 years ago, it was just a hobby — something I thought might help cover my yarn costs. Especially at this stage in life, it’s been empowering to see how knitting has carried me through.”
In the book, you also write about the emotions that surfaced during that period. Did you always know you wanted to share that side of yourself?
“No, I didn’t. It was more of a process, and I struggled with it for a long time.
For me, one of the hardest parts of designing knitwear is often naming the patterns. While writing the book, I was still very much processing the divorce and my life situation. That’s why it felt natural to give the knits names based on the thoughts I was working through. At one point, I thought, oh no — should I just name these after some random trees instead? But in the end, I decided to stick with my original idea. Since I don’t keep a diary, I wanted the book to serve as a testament to this period in my life.
In the book, I write about divorce and relationships in a general, universal way, without going into personal details. But I know that readers will always read between the lines. I’m not the kind of person who usually worries much about what others think of me, but with this book, I did wonder whether people would find it relatable. That’s why I’m a bit nervous about how it will be received.”
What would you say to someone currently going through a similar life change?
“It feels like a cliché to say that you’ll get through it — but I’ll say it anyway! A major life change — especially a divorce — is incredibly hard, no matter if you’re the one who initiated it or not. But if you give it time, things will gradually get easier.
It’s also worth listening to yourself, figuring out your needs, and holding on to them. One of the best things about getting older is that you begin to understand certain things more profoundly — things you may have been aware of when you were younger but didn’t fully grasp. For instance, I now have a much clearer sense of what I need in a relationship.”
Goddess by Meiju Kallio, Entwined
You work full-time at a magazine publisher, focusing on crafts. In your free time, you design knitwear. But your original career wasn’t related to crafts. Could you briefly describe your career path?
“I have a Master’s degree in Social Sciences, majoring in social psychology. After graduation, I started working at Statistics Finland, where I stayed for 18 years. I focused for a long time on the development of data collection, researching whether people interpreted survey questions the way researchers intended them to be understood.
I’ve now been working for two years as a producer at A-lehdet, a publishing house where I’m responsible for craft-related content. At first, I wondered whether I’d burn out from being surrounded by crafts all day, but that hasn’t happened. In fact, this is a kind of dream job for me. As a counterbalance, I also exercise and pursue hobbies outside of knitting!”
In your previous job, you researched how people understand things. Do you also find it important to make your knitwear patterns clear and understandable?
“Absolutely. I recently attended a meeting with several other knitwear designers, and we discussed different aspects of the profession — like creating social media content or videos. But my greatest passion in this work is actually writing the patterns and making them as understandable as possible. It’s important to me that people can recreate every detail of the garment so it looks exactly as I designed it.
There’s no industry standard for writing knitting patterns. People often get used to a particular style — depending on whose patterns they’ve followed in the past — and that has a huge impact on how they experience a new pattern they come across.”
You’re especially known for your skill with cables and textured stitch patterns — something the title Entwined also refers to. What fascinates you about those techniques?
“When it comes to cables, I’m fascinated by the challenge of writing and grading the patterns — how to create cable knits that fit people of all sizes. From the knitter’s point of view, cables also make for a lovely process — it’s especially rewarding to watch the work grow on your needles. With textured stitch patterns, I’m drawn to the meditative rhythm, especially in designs where the same texture is repeated throughout the garment.”
Your designs feature many thoughtful details. Do you think that reflects your personality in general?
“I’m meticulous in some areas but not all — and I don’t think you need to be. Still, I do care about my knits looking neat. If there are cast-on, bind-off and shaping techniques that help give a piece a polished look, I’m happy to use them.
But I can have mercy on myself, too. For example, right now I’m knitting a shawl with my 15-year-old son, taking turns — and it’s full of mistakes, but I don’t mind. And when it comes to pattern writing, the goal is, of course, to make them flawless. However, some errors might slip through even with the most careful proofreading. I’ve learned to accept that, too.”
How natural is the mathematical side of knitting for you?
“Math was one of my favourite subjects at school, and I also enjoy solving mathematical problems in knitwear design. The math behind knitting is actually quite simple: just addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and a little equation solving.
My process is that I always grade the pattern for all sizes before I start knitting. Designing a sample first and only then handing it over to someone else for grading would feel backwards to me. That’s certainly a valid approach, but I personally like to make sure all the details work in every size before I cast on.”
Have you worn any of the designs from your new book a lot already?
“I usually don’t wear my knits much until they’ve been published. But I believe I’ll wear the Spell and Flutter sweaters a lot — and definitely the shawls and hats in the winter.
However, my absolute favourite from the book is the Gentle Longing lace cardigan. Even though I always have a clear mental image of a garment before it’s finished, this one still surprised me — it turned out so lovely! The cardigan has a modern, relaxed fit and is incredibly versatile: casual yet elegant. I’m sure I’ll wear it a lot, both at work and for special occasions.”
Gentle Longing by Meiju Kallio, Entwined
What do you hope your book will offer its readers?
“Of course, that sense of reward when you finish a project. But also the joy of knitting and plenty of happy knitting moments. For me, the process is everything — sometimes I almost feel sad when I cast off a knit! That’s why I always try to design in a way that makes the knitting experience enjoyable.”
Learn more:
Entwined: Cables, Lace and Knitted Textures
Contrasts – Textured Knitting