After Chris de Longpre “retired” from a career in information technology she decided to make the most of her free time.

She started knitting – a lot.

And Chris, of Kentwood, Mich., wasn’t content to follow a pattern, so she kick up the degree of difficulty and started writing her own patterns. She kept designing and taking notes.

Within months of her retirement, she launched a pattern business, called Knitting at KNoon Designs featuring eight original. Eight years later de Longpre has amassed a strong following for her pattern collection that features designs ranging from stuffed toys, socks and shawls to knitted garments for babies, children and adults.

Now her designs are stocked by 700 knitting shops across the country as well as in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.