E. J. (Joy) Slayton learned to knit from her grandmother at age 9. Her serious involvement with knitting and designing came after encountering Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Busy Knitter series on PBS. Since then, she has studied under Elizabeth and her daughter, Meg Swansen, Nancy Bush, Lily Chin, Sally Mehlville, Mary Walker Phillips, and Alice Starmore, as well as Paula Simmons and other well-known instructors.
Joy’s designs have appeared in many publications, including Vogue Knitting, Knit ‘N Style, Knitter’s, Creative Knitting, Knitting World, Knitting Digest and Crafting Traditions. Brown Sheep Company and Plymouth Yarn Company have featured her designs in numerous pattern collections, including “Serendipity Tweed Cardigan” for Brown Sheep, which also appeared on the runway of the fashion show at TNNA in June 2007.
She shares a home in the Missouri Ozarks with her husband (49 years and counting), 1 dog, 2 cats and way too much stash, and publishes her own line of booklets and stand-alone patterns, Joyknits designs, including Ribbing – Plain & Fancy, which can be found on her website, www.joyknits.com
5 Comments
February 27, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Joy, it is a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for leaving a comment on my blog… I’m still surprised to see that someone even looks at it. I have subscribed to yours thru my Google Reader and will keep tabs on you. The Missouri Ozarks are a beautiful place, I have been there in the Rolla area and once thought to retire there. Cheers,
Roberta
March 17, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Your blog may be new(ish), but your name is familiar. Probably from various knitting websites. Hello & welcome.
August 8, 2008 at 1:12 pm
I finally made it out here. You were right the flowers were beautiful and it’s a shame they were flattened by the storm.
January 3, 2009 at 9:44 am
I recently found your free pattern for the Little Christmas Stocking. It is adorable! I would like to make them for NEXT Christmas. What type of yarn (size) and size needles would you use to make these. I don’t knit enough to know how to figure that out.
I too learn to quilt and embroider from my great-grandmother and treasure those memories. I have had the oppotunity to share all these including knitting with my daughter and daughters-in-love. Thanks you for your help.
January 3, 2009 at 10:42 am
Thanks for stopping by – I’m so glad you like the pattern!
I love “daughters-in-love” – what a neat way to say it! One of our daughters (who’s also taught some knitting classes) and the oldest granddaughter handknit; the other daughter and her kids do some loom knitting.
The Little Christmas Stocking pattern will work for any size yarn, just use needles that give you a fabric you’re happy with. I usually use Size 1 (2.5mm) needles for sock weight yarn, probably 3 (3.25mm)-4 (3/5mm) for sport, and 6 (4mm)-7 (4.5mm) for worsted weight, but I’m a fairly loose knitter. The size of the stocking will change with the different yarns, but you’d use the same directions. Happy knitting!