You as a designer questions:
What is your design process?
I begin with an idea, and then a swatch. From there are a lot of calculations and then, finally, the fun part of casting on! I do sample knit all of my own patterns, as I have discovered that despite how many drawings I make or how much I love my swatch… it doesn’t always translate into a larger piece. It’s fun to watch the patterns come together, and, yes, for every pattern that was perfect from the start there are a half dozen that I’ve either had to revamp over and over again or else scrap altogether.
What influences your style?
My style is influenced by a ton of factors, and I feel like it’s constantly evolving. My design ideas have been inspired by nature, fashion, friends, and even anime.
I’d consider my personal sense of style to be a mixture of comfortable, cute (leaning towards cutesy), quirky, bright, and neutral. I feel most comfortable with myself when I wear what makes me happy. :o)
What about designing and producing patterns are you most adept at, what parts are you most fond of, and what parts are challenging? (Pattern Grading, the last week of editing, coming up with a name for a project, self promotion?)
This is a tough question! I have become more adept at doing layouts for my patterns; at the beginning, I can say there was a very high learning curve. I would have to say that my favorite parts of designing include the actual sample knitting because I *love* seeing the idea in my head actually unfold. Naming my pattern always takes forever, and I’m always checking and rechecking my math. Thank goodness for tech editors, as it’s so much harder for me to catch my own mistakes.
You as a Giftalong designer:
Were you surprised at how big the giftalong became?
Yes! There are so many designers involved that it is almost overwhelming! It was hard to narrow down which patterns I wanted to choose for myself!
Were you skeptical of the “abundance” ideas, or did they seem just right?
I feel that the only problem with the abundance of ideas is that it can be a lot to wade through. However, there are so many tastes out there, that I feel that it’s a great thing to have a variety available!
What have you learned from the promotion?
Honestly, I think the best thing I’ve learned from the promotion is just how many great people there are in the knitting community. The awesome designers who put their patterns on sale, as well as the amazing knitters who are knitting gifts (for their family, friends, selves, or even as donations)! It makes me happy to see such a happy caring community.
You as someone who likes to make things questions:
What is your usual process on a fiber project, for instance, do you start with a yarn, a cute pattern, a need you’ve noticed, something exciting you saw in a movie you want to copy, or a technique you want to learn – then what do you do next and then what?
I feel like I should start with a pattern and then find the perfect yarn to match, but I typically start with a yarn/fiber and move outwards from there. It is even harder now, adding designing into the mix, as I am so much more capable of buying yarn without a pattern in mind with the thought that I’ll design with it. One might say my stash is a bit out of control. ;o)
Then, once I have the perfect yarn, typically I will know what I want to do with it. These days, it leans more towards designing, but that also doesn’t stop me from searching Ravelry to see what else I could do with it! The advanced search options are awesome!
Does anything intimidate you in knitting or crochet?
While I wouldn’t say anything intimidates me, I will say that intarsia and entrelac are not my favorite techniques out there. ;op And, as far as it goes, working crochet does not intimidate me, but I’m still feeling out writing crochet patterns. Because of that, I currently only have one crochet pattern, though I’m trying to work on more! :o)
When you want to learn something, do you look it up in a book, on U-tube, or seek a real person to teach you?
My mom taught me how to knit in person (CO, knit, purl, BO), and from then I used Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book to help me learn how to make a cable, yo, etc. These days, I have used YouTube and online picture or video tutorials for some techniques, but will still grab resource books, as well.
Any repetitive motion disorders due to knitting or crochet? How do you deal with them?
I have had “tennis elbow” and general hand pain when I’m knitting too long/much. Most of the time, the thing that helps the most is just taking a break from knitting or crocheting (as difficult as that is!).
Do you frequent a particular yarn store?
Working at a LYS has it’s perks! I work at The Fiber Gallery in Seattle, WA, so it is my most frequented LYS. It is always fun checking out other stores, though, and I make a point of going to as many of the LYS on vacation as I possibly can.
Do you usually finish things? If not, does it bother you?
Haha! I laugh because I probably have around 50 UFOs laying around, and every year I try to make it the “year of the UFOs” and every year I fail. ;o) I use #theufoproject on Instagram to help encourage me to work on UFOs and finish up some more. If anyone else would like to join me on this, please feel free to use the hashtag along with me!!
The opposite is said about designing, though. While I may put my self-published designs on hold sometimes, I don’t like to let collaborations and submissions sit unfinished.
Do you get to do any “selfish knitting?”
I try to get some “selfish knitting” in throughout the year, to make sure that I get in some “fun, brainless knitting” to mix in with designing. In addition to publishing 12 patterns so far this year and working part time at The Fiber Gallery, I also work part time as an optometrist. When I find myself having any extra free time, I will make a decision to either work on my UFOs, gift knitting, or else some completely selfish knitting! It is a great way to get to “zone out” and recharge. :o)
Is knitting a seasonal activity for you?
Never! Even when I lived in Austin, TX, I would knit year round. It’s too much fun to give up just cause it’s hot. Socks, shawls, and other smaller projects are great to swap to when it gets a bit warmer.
What makes you buy a pattern (lovely photo, the story of the project, it looks do-able, it looks slightly challenging…)
A combination of everything! I do have to say that a good photo is worth wonders, but the pattern also has to be interesting enough without being too fiddly. As I said earlier, I knit other designers’ patterns to be able to zone out and relax a little, so it is going to be unlikely for me to invest time into patterns that I would not enjoy making.
What gives you the feeling that you got your money’s worth out of a pattern?
A well written pattern that is easy to follow. One of my biggest pet peeves is to purchase a pattern only to find out that I need to do a lot of the work. I once purchased a pattern only to find out that the sweater tells you to “decrease in lace pattern until you feel like the v-neck is deep enough.” No help on how to decrease in lace pattern and there wasn’t even a suggestion of how many repeats the designer did for her model sweater. Very disappointing. On the other hand, I’ve had some patterns so well written that it was a breeze. Those are hard not to love! :oD
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