MASH thinks Julie Rivard is cool. And so's her job. She's a sweater designer in Boston, MA. We asked her what that's like.

MM: So for the record, you're going on 30 years old, right?

JR: Yeah.

MM: Where do you work?

JR: The company name is Sigrid Olsen. She's an actual person.

MM: Could you describe a vaguely typical day at work? We'd like gory details, please.

JR: OK. I literally design sweaters almost everyday. If I'm not designing, I'm working with other designers on concepts--brainstorming about what the "look" or "mood" of groups of clothes will be. For inspiration we take shopping trips to Europe--Florence, London, and Paris usually. Those Europeans are always one step ahead of us! I also shop flea markets, and read/look through all kinds of magazines--not just fashion ones, but they are usually European. I knit "swatches" that simulate a sweater concept on a small scale just to see how it may look. I also do lots of hand embroidered swatches because my sweaters are usually embellished.

We're a sportswear manufacturer. That means we design "outfits" that consist of woven product like pants, shirts etc.; knit product like T-shirts, polar fleece; and sweaters. I assume you already know what a sweater is. For each of these classifications there is a designer and we work as a team along with Sigrid Olsen to design groups of clothing. After the concepts are in place and I know the overall "mood" we are going for, I start actually designing the sweaters. That consists of:

• Getting inspiration, like those swatches I was telling you about or from a picture from a magazine, or some sort of old textile. It always changes. No formulas.
• Choosing yarn quality: what type of yarn I should use, like cotton, wool, whatever.
• Creating the spec package. That means writing instructions on how to knit the sweater, giving measurements for the size of sweater--body length, sleeve length, etc.--and instructing the manufacturers on what colors to use.
• Artwork: I usually have embellishment on my sweaters, like embroidery or knit cables/textures, beading--lots of beading. To show our factory how I want the artwork to be, I draw the sweater life size and then draw the images, textures, beads, etc., on the sweater. Then I color it accordingly, and it's done! I make a copy of it and send it to Hong Kong (or Taiwan).
• Then I get back a prototype sample. We fit it on a model to see how it looks, make comments, usually make artwork changes, and send it off again. By this point it's pretty much a done deal. The finished product comes in, I make comments on that, some more changes, and then it's really out of my hands and on its way into the retail store.

MM: Now, how the hell did you get into this industry?

JR: I have a love for textiles, so I went to college and majored in Textile Design and because I couldn't get enough, I double majored in Hand Weaving. When I graduated, I got an interview--through my school--to be a textile designer for a men's sportswear company--Boston Trader's. This job consisted of designing plaid shirts, striped shirts, patterned shirts--paisleys.... I thought it could be cool even though I had no intention of going into fashion. I'd been doing this job for a few months when the Sweater Designer at Boston Trader's quit. He gave me a crash course in sweater design before he left and I fell in love with the art. Then I had several jobs after Boston Traders's where I really learned the whole process. For the past five years I've been an actual Sweater Designer. Very exciting.

MM: That's all well and good, but I refuse to believe any teenager just has a "love for textiles." O, for that matter, even knows what they are.

JR: Well, I was really into art when I was in high school and had a fantastic art teacher named Mrs. Greich. After looking at the first few projects I did, she thought I would be really interested in textiles. I wasn't sure what that meant, but she educated me on the "art" of rug making, wallpaper patterns, patterned fabric...and I was hooked. I just felt a connection or understanding of the whole decorative arts thing, and I've been involved with it ever since.

Oh, and a side note on having a career you love: When I was in college working for a Fine Arts degree, I was convinced my art could never be my career. I never thought I could get paid to be a artist and the realization that I am respected and paid well for my artistic ability gives me a great sense of satisfaction. I feel very fulfilled as an artist and a professional.

MM: Man, you are cool.

JR: Why, thank you.

Check out Sigrid Olsen at www.sigridolsen.com