My Favorite Hat: Conifer Beanie

It was 2020, and like so many people whose jobs evaporated because of the pandemic; Seth Richardson was looking for his next act. Having worked as an actor, in real estate and non-profit administration, he had no way of knowing he was about to go pro as a knitwear designer.

But when he received an email from Sandy Barnes from Shibui Knits about designing a project for an upcoming collaboration with Madelinetosh, he jumped at the chance, having never designed anything before in his life. That piece was the gorgeous Cedar Hill Cowl in Tosh Merino Light & what is now Tosh Silk Cloud (formerly from Shibui) Lovegrass. 

“I was really worried about putting something out there,” he said. “When you design something, you’re putting your creativity out there. I was nervous people would hate it or think it wasn’t special or find mistakes even though it was tech edited. It’s been almost four years now and the design process has become much easier.”

Since that first piece, Seth’s designed for Brooklyn Tweed, Hudson + West Co., Yarn Citizen, Farm & Fiber Knits magazine, the Rose City Yarn Crawl and under his own label Seth Richardson Knits. He also continues to be a go-to design resource for Madelinetosh.

A lifelong East Coaster, Seth and his husband relocated to Portland, Ore. about seven years ago where they live with their 107-pound dog Miles.

What is your knitting origin story?

I’ve been knitting since the early 2000s. My best friend from high school – we were roommates in New York – she taught me. I had done needlecrafts and crocheted as a kid and always wanted to learn to knit.

How did you start designing?

Covid changed everything for me. I was working as the head of volunteer services at the Portland Art Museum and when everything shut down, a lot of organizations went through major transitions. Because there was no need for volunteers, our department was eliminated, and I was laid off.

What that did was it gave me a moment to figure out what was next. That’s how the design thing started, and Madelinetosh was part of that original story for me. My very first pattern was with the Madelinetosh-Shibui collaboration in early 2021. 

I was friends with Sandy Barnes from Shibui on Instagram and out of the blue she asked whether I might be interested in designing something? She offered to send me yarn and asked me to play with it. They had already planned their first pattern launch but were doing another release to give three other designers an opportunity. 

It was a fun moment, and I also didn’t know what I was doing. Sandy connected me with a tech editor, and I ran to every book I could find. It was a very quick course in learning how to become a knitwear designer. 

That was the Cedar Hill Cowl. It’s a long cowl that can be worn doubled or loose and combines Tosh Merino Light with what used to be Shibui Silk Cloud and is now Tosh Silk Cloud held together throughout. It’s still one of my most popular pieces.

So what is your relationship with hats like?

So here’s the weird thing. Portland is a very beanie-centric town. It’s part of the local uniform. So while it’s clearly cold enough for others, I don’t wear hats very often, because it doesn’t get cold enough here to wear one. I prefer to be on the cold side anyway, and I don’t like to mess up my hair! But when we’re in the mountains I’ll wear a hat.

What makes a great hat?

I have definite preferences in the look of a hat. I love a sailor’s watch cap. When I was working in real estate in New York as an agent running around the city, I’d be on the subway making watch caps in a very simple, straight-forward pattern and would sell them on Etsy for fun and to make some spending money and make something that I love.

I have these images in my head of Jean Paul Gaultier’s sailor cap. It’s a little smaller, lies close to the head. I like a short beanie. I would never wear anything really tall. If it’s going to be cold, I want the hat to do its job and have that military-naval look. That’s a sexy look to me.

So the Conifer Beanie?

How this concept came together…it started from the yarn. Libby (from Team Tosh) sent me a photo of yarn. The color I chose – I always gravitate to green –it was named Tannenbaum. So it was hard to stop thinking in terms of trees. Where I live there are these Douglas Fir trees around my yard, and it got me thinking: Where do you find the architectural component of trees? Couple that with a watch cap fit and it developed from there.

What do you love about it?

It’s always about the lines for me. That’s something that I include in many of my looks. I find comfort in parallel lines. When I look at a big piece of fabric or architecture like an Art Deco building, there are parallel lines that create angles, and I’m intrigued by how the angles work. 

There’s also something about giving an edge to something that’s inherently soft.  You’re creating something that’s really soft to touch, how can I find a way to add a bit of hardness to it? 

With Conifer the look of the tree is created with cables or traveling lines. If you look at it from the side, it’s almost got an A-frame look and there’s this wide-wale of stockinette where each line intersects and the cabled lines zigzag around the cap.

It’s knit at a tight gauge and with the ribbing and cables for structure it’s more fitted. I love the fit, how it’s an expression of nature, of architecture, and has the brim styling (that’s my favorite part even though it’s the rest of the design that really sings). The brim is the foundation of the look. 

How do you respond to the phrase, “Knitting is the answer”?

I think what drew me to knitting and design was the ability to make things with my own hands that I’m proud of and that I get to wear. The best compliment I can get is when someone compliments something I’m wearing, and I say, “I made it,” and they’re surprised. “You didn’t buy it? That’s wonderful.”

Finding this new path as a designer has given me a piece that’s been missing for years. It’s given me a creative outlet that allows me to express myself in something that’s visual that I can  carry with me that’s tangible. I get to share my perspective and hopefully people want to go along for the ride.

Also, I’ve never had a chance to connect to a community like I’ve had through knitting. I have a whole community I wouldn’t have had without doing this. It’s so easy to start a conversation. If I see someone knitting in the park, I’m going to talk to them. And they do the same to me.”