One thing I enjoy about the Gift-a-long is meeting new designers. Andrea Sanchez may be found on Ravelry as peatmoss84, her designs are at her design page, and she blogs at http://lifeonlaffer.blogspot.com/.
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?
A new project for me generally begins with a pattern that catches my eye. I tend to look for patterns that I can wear to work (I’m a teacher in my other life!). From there, I do check the stash first to see if there’s a yarn I already have that will do. Once I’ve picked the pattern and yarn I generally have a whole outfit in mind! I am such a progress knitter. I can’t knit the piece fast enough, I want to wear it immediately.
Do you usually finish projects? If not, does it bother you?What aspect of the GAL will make gift crafting more fun for you?
I almost always finish projects. It has to be pretty bad for me not to. A project that doesn’t get finished probably has a problem with it that I can’t remedy. I have to be honest though, I generally do not gift craft any longer. I found that I had a lot of people who weren’t all that grateful, and I also didn’t enjoy my holiday as much. I do make a sweater for my son and my niece (I only have one and her mom is always excited to get something handmade!) each year, but that’s about it these days.
How do you choose a pattern when you are going to make someone else’s design?
If it is something that gets me excited to start knitting and I keep going back to it, then I know it’s a winner!
You as a Giftalong designer: What makes you feel you’ve gotten you money’s worth when you buy someone else’s pattern? Patterns that are well written and thorough, along with applicable charts and schematics (A must!) make me feel like they were worth it.
What have you learned from being part of the GAL? I love getting to virtually meet so many designers that I may not have heard of otherwise.
If you participated last year, how does this year feel compared to last year? It’s definitely more put together than last year! I love how organized everyone is.
If this is your first year, what made the GAL look cool to you?
You as a designer questions:
What about designing and producing patterns are you most adept at, what parts are you most fond of, and what parts are challenging? I’m probably most adept at the knitting first, then pattern writing second. I am really good at finishing knitwear and making sure my knitting looks professional. I have a strong understanding of sweater construction, so if I can find some quiet time I can knock out the grading fairly quickly. As far as photography, schematics, layout, etc. go, I outsource that. I have a friend who helps with my photography, hire a graphic designer to produce my charts and schematics, and most recently started working with a graphic designer to update my layout.
What ideas have your tech editors nixed?
I haven’t had a lot of nixing from my tech editor (who is awesome!). When she sees something that might be a big problem, she points it out to me and gives me a chance to look over it to come to my own conclusion before she just goes ahead and changes something.
When you look at a publisher’s mood board, what aspect makes you know you can put a submission together in time? That’s a hard question! I’m often inspired by mood boards but don’t submit all that frequently. If I have had an idea in mind already that seems to fit a mood board then I will definitely submit. If I’m just inspired and have ideas I may or may not ultimately submit. I like to knit the swatches but if I don’t love the swatch, I tend to just abandon it.