by Vivian Ng

Columbia University and Creativity? Not two things you often see together. While people often think of academics when they hear “Columbia University”, there is a strong community of creative individuals within our school. Columbia Creators is a series that features members of school that finds creativity in fashion. This article kicks-off this series with Daniel Seizar, a knitter who finds both calm and happiness in knitting. 

Daniel is a junior at Columbia College from Los Angeles studying Biology on a pre-med track. 

Vivian: How did you first get into knitting?

Daniel: When I was 5 years old, I was throwing a massive tantrum and having a bad day. My mom couldn’t figure out how to get me in a better mood and so she sat me down and she taught me how to knit. And that’s how I learned!

V: Do you see your knitting as a hobby or do you see it turning into a small business in the future?

D: I see it as a hobby, but I also see it as something more. I would much rather spend my time knitting than doing my homework, but I don’t like being paid for my knitting. A few people have reached out to me and said “OMG, can you please knit me something? I’ll pay for it.” Being paid makes me feel more obligated to make a certain thing so I don’t have as much creative freedom. Also, since my mom owns a yarn store, I’m more spoiled with my yarn choices. So I do feel bad telling others the price of the materials when I don’t even know how to value myself. In the end, it’s hard to charge my friends. 

V: That being said, what’s your favorite piece you’ve knitted so far?

D: That is such a hard question. Right now, the favorite thing I’ve knit is what I finished today, which is a shawl. I love it because it has so many different components and I love the colors that I ended up with. What’s crazy to me is that I’m following a pattern for this piece and this pattern maker is so prolific. It takes so much brain power not just to create something in your mind but also math to make all the stitch numbers line up. Especially for items that need to be worn, pattern makers must come up with different sizes. 

In fact, a few years ago there were a lot of changes going on in the knitting community. There used to be very limited sizing but lately pattern makers have created more inclusive patterns that go from size 5XS to 5XL. At that point, pattern makers were doing a lot of math and a lot of test making to make sure their pattern is perfect. This always blows my mind and I would just love to be able to make my own patterns in the future. 

V: Who’s your favorite pattern maker right now?

D: Right now, my favorite pattern maker is Stephen West who designed this shawl. He is based in Amsterdam and he is well known for having very intricate designs with many sections. I am always amazed when I look at his patterns. He’s genuinely a genius. 

V: Have you found anyone else at Columbia who shares your passion for knitting?

D: There’s actually a club in Columbia called Gosh Yarn It. Every week I tell myself I should go but I haven’t yet. I know there are a lot of cool people I’ll meet in it, so I’ll definitely go eventually. There are a few of my friends who do knit. Two of my roommates knit and sometimes we just sit, watch TV, and knit together. Many other people have asked me to teach them and I’m definitely willing but it’s very difficult over Zoom. I taught my best friend Julia while sitting 10ft apart and even that was hard, but I definitely am very interested in helping teach new people to knit! There is just so much to talk about knitting to other people about patterns and helping solve issues. While people understand knitting is difficult, it is much harder to truly understand the intricacies of knitting without knowing how to knit. 

V: Do you have any tips for new knitters?

D: Definitely. There’s no need to be intimidated, you can start super simple, and anybody can learn. My suggestions for knitting are: 

1. There is no need to buy expensive yarn, you can definitely buy something from Michael’s
2. Go for bigger needles and bigger yarn. I would say starting with a size 9 or 10 needle would be great for beginners. Bigger yarns and bigger needles are much faster to finish and an easier way to learn. 
3. Knit something that is flat like a scarf rather than something round like a hat 

It seems intimidating at first but there are so many instructional videos on youtube or you can even reach out to me! 

V: You’re inspiring me to pick up knitting again! I used to knit back home in Indonesia when I was around 8 years old because my mom brought me to a yarn store.

It’s so cool that you went to a yarn shop in Indonesia because whenever my mom and I travel we always visit local yarn stores. You can buy yarn that they only make in that city or country. When you start to knit your next project with the yarn, whenever you look at it, it reminds you of the place you visited. 

V: What inspires you for your next projects?

D: There is this social media website for knitting called Ravelry where people upload photos of their projects. I can spend hours on Ravelry scrolling through projects and looking at different yarns, colors, and patterns. It helps to see what other people have done to guide my own color choices. 

V: Did you have any parting words for our readers?

D: I hope more people will start knitting! It’s super fun and a great pandemic activity. The feeling you get when you are wearing something you’ve made is just very different, you feel proud of the product. Research also shows that its good for your brain and dexterity. I highly encourage everyone to try and I’m happy to help anyone!