Meet Harry Wells: Knitwear Designer & Instructor

Handwork has always been part of Harry Wells’ life. He took up knitting around the age of eight when he taught himself from the Childcraft companion to his family’s World Book Encyclopedia set. “My volume only taught me the knit stitch,” he says. “I made lots of garter stitch headbands. Then I saved my allowance to buy a ripple afghan kit at Woolworth’s and I suddenly realized there was a lot more to knitting than just the knit stitch.”

Above: Knitwear designer Harry Wells started knitting at the age of eight and now teaches for Interweave. Image source: Harry Wells.

“What I love best about knitting is the combination of calming rhythm and the potential of creativity simultaneously. That it can be a calming and centering activity while at the same time it has all the potential of creativity,” he says.

Harry Wells’ Design Career

Harry started designing in 2009 when he helped organize one of Cat Bordhi’s visionary retreats. “I was thinking I would edit a book of men’s designs by other men designers. And I’d already started on this book of men’s patterns,” Harry explains. “Then Cat said to me, you need to be designing. Just start simple. And I did.” That is how his first design, the Woven Cable Fingerless Gloves, came to be. This pattern became very popular and is still available.

Many of Harry’s designs came out while he was managing a yarn store. Harry would listen to what knitters wanted to knit and then design it. He says, “The experience of bringing about a functional piece of beauty that springs from inspiration is what I love best about designing.”

Based in the beautiful redwoods of far northern California, Harry can look out over the ocean as he designs knitting patterns and prepares his knitting courses. Harry teaches about knitting and knitting techniques on the national circuit and loves it. He was a university professor for 22 years where he honed his ability to teach well. The best teachers show students step-by-step how to master a concept. And Harry does just that with his courses. You can find Harry teaching all over the US at events and venues such as Stitches West, Stitches Southern California, DFW Fiber Fest, John C. Campbell Folk School, Interweave Yarn Fest, Yarn Con, and more.

What’s Next for Harry

In one of his most popular classes, which he is teaching as an Interweave @ Home workshop in January 2023, Harry teaches knitters how to achieve vertical stripes. He explains, “You are only working with one color at a time on a round or a row. That makes it really attractive because you are not having to strand by carrying an additional yarn. And it produces this wonderful, thick, flexible, warm fabric.” It’s a great technique that can carry over into all sorts of projects.

Related: 5 Reasons to Love Learning Remotely with Interweave @ Home

Harry will continue to teach on the national knitting circuit because he loves it, and he can feel an explosion of designs and projects coming when he has more time. You can learn more about Harry Wells’ courses and designs on his website good for a boy knitting.

Tamara Moots has more than 130 patterns available through Ravelry, Tallgrass Knitting (her Etsy shop), Interweave, yarn companies, magazines, and books. When she’s not designing, knitting or writing, she raises two teens and travels whenever she can manage. Find out more about what she’s up to on her Instagram or her website.