About WildernestKnits
Knitting designer Katerina C. Rieckel
Hi! My name is Katerina C. Rieckel, and I’m the face (and brain) behind WildernestKnits designs. Knitting has always been my passion ever since I was a child. I’ve been designing my own knitting patterns since 2017. Before that I also designed crochet patterns and handpainted custom orders such as house portraits under the name Matylda’s Barn and my maiden name Katerina Cepakova.
There is something amazing and endlessly inspiring about creating your own wardrobe. I believe that knitting gives you the power to have full control over what you create, which is a very rare thing in this world. It’s so exciting to be able to choose from so many different materials or even prepare your own yarn!
There is something amazing and endlessly inspiring about creating your own wardrobe.
Notable collaborations
In 2019 my sheep coaster pattern was published in a book by Annie’s Publishing. You can purchase the inidividual pattern in .
In 2020, my pattern Lady of the Lake shawl was published in By Hand magazine, . Thanks to this collaboration I met Mary J. Packer, who owns a local fiber mill where the beautiful Oysters and Pearls yarn I used for the design was spun. You can watch an interview about the design with both of us and the magazine’s editor Hannah Thiessen on the right.
In 2021, I worked with Battenkill Fibers again on a unique new collaboration that involved creating a brand new yarn in the mill and two new designs - Summer by the Lake Top and Summer by the River Tee. Both of these designs were created using the new yarn, Battenkill Fibers Shushan, which was developed by blending locally sourced wool together with linen to better fit the summer season.
In 2023, Quince & Co. supported my Seafoam Top knitting pattern and created yarn bundles for it. The yarn kit is available .
Instagram Live with Katerina C. Rieckel and MJ Packer (Oysters & Purls), moderated by Hannah Thiessen.
My life with sheep and goats
I live in the US., more specifically in Upstate New York, but I'm originally from the Czech Republic.
I love spinning yarn just as much as knitting, although for slightly different reasons. Spinning yarn can be very zen and calming, I feel like I don’t need to concentrate as much. I was taught how knit and spin by my amazing mom, who remains to be my biggest inspiration. She is a very and most of the time she uses her own yarn spun from wool from her own sheep.
Since I come from a small sheep and goat farm, I am very familiar with the whole process of preparing fiber for spinning. My parents would shear wool from the sheep when it’s time, then my mom would wash it and dry it. Then she would clean and card it to perfection. After that, we would often look for natural materials in the surrounding woods and meadows that we could use to naturally hand-dye the wool, that we would later spin into our own custom yarn.
Using natural yarn with a lot of character
My experience with living on a small sheep farm has influenced my view on knitting. I prefer using natural fibers that are locally sourced or European yarns I fell in love with back when I lived there. I love yarns with a lot of character.
Do you feel the same way and would like to collaborate with me on a project?
Don’t hesitate to contact me at .