Kate Oates, aka Tot Toppers (her children’s line of hats and garments) and When I Grow Up (her adult pattern line), is a knitwear designer and PhD in Political Science in South Carolina. She lives with her husband Ryan, their sons Jesse and Charlie, and dogs Cooper and Lou.
In middle school, Kate learned to knit from her aunt; she knitted away through college, and learned to purl when she was pregnant with Jesse.
She began designing to sell hats at a craft fair while avoiding the legal and ethical complications of selling items made from other designer’s patterns. She loves designing for children–especially boys, who are typically left out when it comes to knitwear–and her designs are imbued with whimsy.
Kate’s most iconic design is a tie between Roar, a dinosaur hat sized for babies through adults, and Master Charles, a cozy and elegant cabled hat in all sizes. Roar is knitted in the round, with spikes knitted separately and sewn on, while Master Charles starts with flat-knitted earflaps and is worked in the round thereafter. Both are shown above.
Her most recent pattern is Diplodocus, a dino-yoked pullover for children featuring stranded colorwork dinosaurs, stripes, and the comfortable fit that all of Kate’s garments are known for.
We are thrilled to be debuting Kate’s next When I Grow Up pattern, Antilogy, knitted in Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino. Look for it in our booth at Vogue Knitting Live!
Wondering what this is all about? Check out our blog post about our booth at Vogue Knitting Live and the amazing designs we’ll be debuting at the show.
Tags: blue sky alpacas, kate oates, suri merino, tot toppers, vkl, vogue knitting live, vogue knitting live los angeles, when I grow up
