Meet Ryan DeBonville | Chief Knitting Officer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan DeBonville and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I never had a thought process! And that’s really part of my problem today.

I’m working on systematizing the tasks I do to create a piece and looking for ways to scale the business. For right now-that means having someone other than myself make the inventory while I focus on creating hand-knitting patterns and content for social medial

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have been knitting for 35 years, starting to seriously think about it as a career path sometime in 2009.

While running my own business I had always had a regular paycheck coming from another job-until the Pandemic. I’ve now gone back to school at Los Angeles Trade Tech for an Associate’s Degree in Fashion Design and my full time job is knitting!

I have a studio in LA that I work out of, I consult for anyone who wants to develop a piece of knitwear (adult sweaters, baby sweaters, hats, home goods and…even hats for cats)!

None of this was easy and it all takes time. I’ve been sidelined many times by the allure of a regular paycheck. I’ve learned to keep my costs down and take control of my finances so that I’ll still be able to pay the bills when maybe there isn’t a lot of work to do.

If there is anything I want people to take away from my work is that I make pieces that bring people joy. I want them to say “WOW!” When I see that reaction out of clients I know that I’ve done my job.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Ohhhhh. Tough one! I also split my time between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

San Francisco:

Parker Potrero-incredible breakfast/lunch/dinner spot on the top of Potrero Hill run by Fred and his wife Ryan. This is always our first stop when we drive back into town. This is also where we hosted an Engagement brunch, and my partner and I had our first date 7 years ago down the street at Mochica.

Los Angeles:

Margot at the Platform, Culver City

The place looks like an incredible movie set. Think furniture showroom on steroids with plants everywhere and heat lamps blasting during the winter. (It does get cold in LA sometimes!) The food and the service are always impeccable, even on a busy night when I would expect one or both of those things to be lacking.

Gather DTLA inside of The Last Bookstore, DTLA off of 5th & Spring Streets

I have been going to Gather since 2015 and before I lived in LA, would make this one of my very first stops. Tiffanee Taylor has run this business as a labor of love and is always welcoming. It still blows my mind that she’d also recognize me with a mask on! We’ve had some great conversations over the years and she has always been supportive of the work that I’ve been doing.

Guisados (just down the street from The Last Bookstore)

Some of the best tortillas I have ever had. Show me a better one and change my mind! Light and fluffy, and made by hand every single morning at each location (they have only a few in the LA area).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
SO MANY PEOPLE!

Off the top of my head: I had a chance encounter with Julie Gilhart who was instrumental in discovering some huge fashion designers in the late 90s and bringing them into Barney’s, Beth Pickens and her book “Make Your Art No Matter What”, and my friend Meighan O’Toole who is an Online Business Manager and is constantly putting out incredibly helpful content for anyone running a business.

Beyond that, my very patient partner, Kyle. He knows more about yarn than he ever thought he would!

Website: https://www.ryandebonville.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryandebonvilleknitwear/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandebonville/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryandebonvilleknitwear

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl37XAipvGAGDMbwddf62-g

Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ryandebonville/

Image Credits
Jane Srisarakorn (@donutyjane on IG) took both photos of me in the green jacket/white sweater and of me without the jacket on.