About Different View Designs
Different View Designs is a knitwear design company with a unique approach to knit and crochet patterns. Our patterns are focused on ease of use. We want every garment made from our patterns to be easy get on and off for individuals with limited mobility or dexterity, disabilities or illnesses or caregivers taking care of loved ones.
Every pattern from Different View Designs uses standard knit and crochet techniques, from beginner to advanced levels. Some patterns are designed simply using these stitches to make sure out pieces meet our standards. For designs that require a little more structure we use easy fasteners. No buttons, zippers, or snaps that can be difficult to use.
So we have functionality. But we also passionately believe that each piece has to be beautiful. That is non-negotiable. We don’t think form and function should be an either or. No one should have to choose being clothing that works for their body and clothing that makes them feel amazing.
Every Body deserves to feel beautiful.
10% of proceeds are donated to ALS research and support.
About Me
I’m Liz, the designer behind Different View Designs. I’ve been knitting, sewing, and generally crafting since as long as I can remember. My parents happily indulged my habits. I had weaving looms, rock tumblers, bedazzlers, sewing machines and more! My grandmother taught me to knit when I was 7 and, as they say, the rest was history.
My Why
A few years ago, my mother was having trouble controlling her foot fall while walking. She was diagnosed with ALS. She fought bravely for 3 years before succumbing to the disease.
ALS slowly weakens the body. People with ALS slowly lose muscle function. They can have trouble walking and using their arms and hands.
As my mom’s disease progressed, I struggled…to say the least. Watching ALS take someone you love is heart wrenching. Among a host of things that I struggled with, I found that I had limited options when it came to gifts for birthdays and during the holidays. But my mom couldn’t use her hands very well and was limited in how she could move. After a time, she was confined to a wheelchair, and eventually couldn’t leave the house.
Being a crafty person, I longed to create something that my mom could use given her disease progression. But it was really difficult to fine knitting patterns for pieces that took limited mobility or dexterity into account.
At some point I was collecting some clothes to donate and ran across an old faux leather jacket I had that was in pretty poor shape. It had a removable faux fur collar. (I know, I was quite the fashionista! Don’t judge me!) I got rid of the jacket but kept the faux fur collar. I took 2 magnets and hot glued them under the lining of the collar. Voila! A faux fur scarf! My first design was born! The magnets were easy to manipulate! She could snap the 2 magnets together around her neck and she was done! Not gonna lie that it was my mom’s favorite thing ever. She wasn’t really a faux fur kind of gal, but she loved that I had created something for her that didn’t make her feel like ALS limited her.
The next steps…eek!
Still, I didn’t think about trying to create more designs like that until a few years later. I finally learned to crochet and became enamored with the arcade stitch. My first design was a piece that incorporated knitting and crochet. At the time, I didn’t realize I had created a piece that my mother would have loved and would have been easier for her to use. So that piece became the first inclusive pattern. I named that design after my mom.
My business started out from my individual experience with ALS. I started to wonder who else might benefit from my designs. There are so many diseases and disabilities that millions of people live with and they were being dramatically underrepresented. My designs are for everyone that wants to see themselves inspiring people to create something beautiful as well as functional. Each piece is designed with love in the hope that my mom is watching and loves each piece as much as I do.
Learn more about ALS
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerve cells that helps the brain control muscle movement and eventually leads to death. If you are interested in learning more I encourage you to click through and read more about the disease and what you can do to help.
Are you a crafter and want to help? Check out my Sunflower Blanket Project.