Indie Design GAL2014: Interview with Jenny Faifel

I'm thrilled to be able to interview another designer who is participating in this year's Indie Design Gift-A-Long on Ravelry. Today, I welcome Jenny Faifel, aka SweaterFreak, to my blog. In looking over Jenny's catalog in preparation for this interview, I realized that I have seen and really liked several of her designs. Her desert flower is a top that is on my list of things I really want to knit. It uses Susie M's Contiguous Method, which I tried once for a doll sweater and have been wanting to try on a sweater/top for me. I also remember when she released loopdigan because it has such a neat construction: a cardigan with an attached infinity scarf. Genius! I really love the yoke design on her my inner viking sweater. And her newest release, city blocks, is a cowl that can be worn with either side facing out for two completely different looks. Go check out her other patterns too for some great options, both for gifts and for yourself!

desert flower (photo copyright Jenny Faifel, used by permission)

loopdigan (photo copyright Jenny Faifel, used by permission)

Onto the interview!

Karen: I see that you've been knitting since childhood. Who taught you how to knit and what was your first project?

Jenny: How observant! Yes, I have been knitting since I was 7. I was taught by my maternal grandmother who was a skilled crafter. I expressed interest in what she was doing and she showed me how to crochet and knit, knitting took on right away! Something about wool moving through my fingers - it’s that satisfying feeling that's impossible to describe, you know. I remember one project – a pink acrylic scarf I crocheted but I don’t think it was my first one.

Karen: I read about your "obsession sweater" on your blog. You mentioned that the original sweater was ruined. What happened to it? How did it feel to be able to recreate the sweater (and use some newer techniques that you had learned in the meantime)?

Jenny: The sweater, Collarlicious, deserves a special blog post because it essentially made me pick up my needles after a 10 year hiatus. I made the original from elann.com Highland Wool and after few years of wear I accidentally used too hot of water to wash it. Of course, I was devastated because I poured so much energy and time into fitting it. I actually learned Barbara Walker’s top down short row sleeve shaping when knitting it! So years later I re-created the sweater with new elann.com wool and a new Contiguous technique – it’s amazing how much one simple garment can teach us!

collarlicious (photo copyright Jenny Faifel, used by permission)

Karen: It looks like you frequently use Susie M's Contiguous Method. (I've only done one small project with it so far but I really liked it and want to do more with it.) Why have you decided to use it in your designs? What do you feel it adds to sweater construction?

Jenny: Well, I like three things – top down construction, no seams and set-in sleeve. Contiguous combines all three! I was a slow comer to this method and had to tweak it a bit to make it work like I intended it. I like that you can try the garment on as you go, you can even partially block it and then try it on, so you know the fit is right and it saves a lot of time. I am a huge fan of top down no seams for that reason only!

Karen: Do you have a favorite among your designs?

Jenny: Of course, I love them all – they are my babies! But v-lace has a special place in my heart! I love 60’s and 70’s inspired hippie fashion and this sweater was my interpretation of these trends. Throw on your bell bottoms, platform wedges and hoop earrings and you are good to go! It makes me think of summer (which is my favorite season) and 60’s (my favorite decade) so it just plain makes me happy!

v-lace (photo copyright Jenny Faifel, used by permission)

Karen: Do you have a favorite yarn that you like to work with?

Jenny: That’s a tough one with so many options these days! I love traditional wool but I also love the handdyed colors that are relatively new to the knitting world. Right now, my two favourite wools are on the opposite side of the spectrum: I love Dia Twist DK by Colour Adventures. Elena’s handdyed colors are awesome and it does not pill or stretch while being soft! I also love Kauni Effektgarn which is a Shetland wool type of yarn with gorgeous long color repeats. It’s super warm and it’s simply delicious to knit with. One of my latest designs, Biased Transitions, was made with this wool and it won’t be my last.

Karen: How has the GAL been going for you? Are you doing some gift knitting yourself?

Jenny: The past few months have been very busy for me in terms of designing and sample knitting so I was not able to participate in the GAL. Being a very organized person, I am usually done with my gift knitting in October – beginning of November so I can enjoy the holiday season fully and savor the month of December slowly.

Karen: What's coming up next for your designs? (I took a peek at your group and saw some test knits going on--looks like some great things coming up!)

Jenny: Thank you! I am very flattered! I don’t want to disclose too much but I will say that my plans are to concentrate on garments that can be worn for most of the year as well as occasional accessory here and there. And while I am continuing to stick with my present geometrical themes, I will also be incorporating other motifs in my designs. Thank you Karen for interviewing me, it was a pleasure!

Karen: My pleasure! Thanks so much for joining me today, Jenny! I'm going to go shopping for yarn for desert flower (the Madtosh store is having Black Friday yarn sale so I just might have to run over there and find something!) and will be keeping my eye on your upcoming designs.

Find Jenny online:
Ravelry: SweaterFreak
Ravelry designer page
Ravelry group
Blog
Twitter

Indie Design GAL2014: Interview with Sarah Ronchetti

Today as part of the Indie Design GAL, I'm delighted to be talking with Sarah Ronchetti, who designs patterns under the name Sezza Knits. When I first looked at Sarah's designs on Ravelry, I was excited to see a new-to-me designer. I was even more excited by what I found--it looks like several of her designs are going to be added to my queue, such as Umberto, Feathered Mitts (which I'll be knitting myself as part of the GAL--in fact, I cast on last night!), and Zigging Hat. Her tagline is "Knitting Designs for the Whole Family" and that is most definitely the case. And if you have a little girl to knit for, you've got to see Zagging Skirt. So cute! Onto the interview!

Feathered Mitts (photo copyright Sarah Ronchetti, used by permission)

Zigging Hat (photo copyright Sarah Ronchetti, used by permission)

Karen: When did you start designing and what got you started with designing your own patterns?

Sarah: I started designing at the end of 2011. I couldn't find a pattern I wanted so I decided that I would have to design it myself.  At the same time I saw a call for designs for Petite Purls and had my submission accepted, so those 2 (Zipped Up and Tango Tank) were my first designs and it gave me a real boost to keep going.

Karen: Getting two designs accepted for a third-party publication early on sounds like a great boost to keep you going! Where does your design inspiration come from?

Sarah: Everywhere! It started out with my children, designing items I wanted to knit for them, or that I thought would be cute. I take inspiration from all over the place though, places we visit, family members, yarns.

Karen: You live in New Zealand. Although Ravelry is a worldwide community, it does skew more heavily toward the Northern Hemisphere. Do you find that your knitting/designing aligns with your own Southern Hemisphere seasons, with the Northern Hemisphere, or a mixture of both?

Sarah: I try to keep the Northern Hemisphere in mind when releasing patterns, but I have a large following of Australian and New Zealand knitters, and my own preference is to knit warm things in Winter and smaller things in Summer. Its a mixture of both, but more heavily skewed towards Southern Hemispheres seasons when designing.

Karen: Speaking of mixtures, you have a great mix of patterns for the whole family. Is that something you've set out to do or has it just happened that way?

Sarah: It just happened! I started with my children, and then moved onto myself. And then my husband. Now I try and keep that up and think about where the gaps might be when thinking of new designs. Most people like to knit for those that they love as well as for themselves, whether that be friends, nephews, Parents, or children!

Karen: Looking at your Ravelry profile, it says that you're getting back into teaching after staying at home with your children for several years. How has that been going? Have you found it difficult to balance work, family, and designing?

Sarah: Yes I am finding it difficult to balance. I have very recently returned to teaching full time and I LOVE it, but it means my brain has less room for designing right now, and I can usually only manage a little knitting in the evenings. Luckily with teaching we get some non-contact time (others call this holidays) and I plan to stock up a few prototypes then. Family life has always been a bit of a balancing act, but I'm very lucky to be working at my children's school so I get paid to see them participate in their daily lives.

Karen: Sounds like you have a lot on your plate, but it must be so nice to be at the same school as your children. Do you have a favorite out of your designs?

Sarah: Oh its like picking a favourite child! Tallulah is my newest, so probably my current favourite!

Tallulah (photo copyright Sarah Ronchetti, used by permission)

Karen: That is a very nice pattern! Is there a particular favorite yarn that you like to work with?

Sarah: I love knitting with local indie yarn whenever possible, I have a few favourites, and they are incredibly talented dyers with a gorgeous product. My Favourites are Little Plum Yarns DK Superwash Merino, Red Riding Hood Cherie Gold Sock and Vintage Purls Sock.

Karen: I keep seeing ads for the Red Riding Hood yarn; I should give that a try soon! Why did you decide to join the Indie Design GAL? Did you participate last year? If so, what was your favorite part about it? What are you looking forward to this year?

Sarah: I did participate last year and really enjoyed it. It is like a party that last for weeks, and its great to get a chance to chat to new people, to make connections and to see what so many people are knitting. I am modding the Sweater KAL again this year.

Karen: That sounds great! Any hints on what's coming up next with your designing?

Sarah: An adult version of Tallulah is next on my list, I really really want one for me! And then I think I might need to knit some more socks :)

Karen: I'm definitely going to keep my eyes open for that one as I really like Tallulah!


Thanks so much, Sarah, for stopping by my blog today to chat. You can find Sarah and Sezza Knits online at the following places:
Website/blog: Sezza Knits
Ravelry: Sezza
Facebook: Sezza Knits
Twitter: @sezzaNZ

Indie Design GAL2014: Interview with Alex Tinsley

I am thrilled to be able to share Alex Tinsley's designs and an interview with Alex on my blog. Alex is very active on Ravelry (and other social media) and she's a designer that I've been following for a while. If you look at her extensive catalog (over 100 designs), you'll notice a lot of hats. Some of my favorites are Fructose, Rimple, and Sproinger.

Sproinger (copyright Alex Tinsley, used by permission)

But she does more than hats; for example, I really like her Chevzam cowl, Myrta Mitts, and Northern Line short-sleeved sweater. She's also the mastermind behind the very popular Howlcat, a convertible hat/cowl design.

Chevzam cowl (copyright Alex Tinsley, used by permission)

Onto the interview!

Karen: Hello, Alex! It's great to have you on my blog. To start off, let's talk a little about your own start--how and why did you decide to begin designing knitting patterns?

Alex: I started knitting regularly during college as an attempt to keep myself awake during early lecture classes (success rate: mediocre.) Etsy had just blown up at that point, so I started selling off a lot of my creations on there to make a little extra moola. Soon I noticed that some folks were selling knitting patterns there (this was before Ravelry) and thought, hey, I could do that! So I started selling them alongside the finished objects, and eventually transitioned completely to patterns.

Karen: You've had designs published in several third-party publications, but you also do a lot of self-publishing. Do you prefer one over the other and why?

Alex: I'm horribly impatient. Self-publishing has the benefit of allowing me to crank a pattern out, get it tested/edited quickly, and get it out into the world while I'm still excited about it. Publishing for magazines involves a much longer timeline and a lot more patience. Still, few things compare to the thrill of walking into a bookstore and picking up a magazine with your design in it!

Karen: I hope to someday have that bookstore experience myself, but I agree with you about self-publishing. What influences your designs? How do you come up with new ideas?

Alex: Oh geez, always a tough question... a lot of times I'm riffing off a particular silhouette or structure or stitch pattern that I'm currently interested in. My advanced-beginner/ "relaxing tv knitting" level patterns sell best, which is nice because it allows me to explore one or two interesting design elements at a time--an interesting brim, an idea for a cable--without feeling like I need to combine a ton of them all at once. I also love poking around fashion photos on Pinterest, so sometimes I'll borrow, say, a cuff from a Helmut Lang sweater and see how I can tweak it to serve an accessory.

Karen: Anyone looking at your design portfolio would obviously notice you like hats. But you do have plenty of designs for other items. What makes you decide to work on something that's not a hat?

Alex: Sometimes you just need a change of pace ;-) Occasionally an idea pops into my head fully formed that isn't a hat, so I go with it. Lately I'm more and more interested in garments (though very few have been published yet) at least partially because, well, I want to wear them! And then sometimes I have an idea for a stitch or something that will work better on something flat, or I'm asked to be a part of a shawl club. The one thing I really don't ever design is socks--I love to wear handknit socks but I'm very slow when I'm knitting them and I get a bit bored.

Karen: Do you have a favorite design of yours?

Alex: Hmm... well I have a hat called "Fave" because it's my favorite to wear ;-) I'm also quite fond of Corone, and A Most Bespeckled Hat (which I've worn to raggedness. I'm one of those naughty designers who wears her samples, eep.)

Karen: I like all of those, but Corone is definitely one I'll have to put in my queue! Looking at your website, I see that you are a full-time designer. What did you do before full-time designing? How long did it take you after you started designing to be able to do it full time? Was the transition difficult?

Alex: During college, I started working at an LYS (Twisted in Portland, OR) and after I graduated, I stayed on there for a little over a year, designing part time as well. Eventually me and my now-husband decided to move back to our home state of Michigan, and I took the opportunity to switch to designing full time (so that would've been 2010.) Money was a bit tight there at first (especially when we accidentally moved into an apartment that couldn't get internet access. Um, bad decision!) but we were used to living like broke college students anyway, so it worked out alright. On one hand, working at home can be very isolating...but I'm a bit of a hermit anyway, so it suits me.

Karen: An apartment with no internet access!? Yikes! What can you tell us about your upcoming designs?

Alex: At the moment I'm working through a bit of a backlog - I'll give you a hint, there are some hats ;-) I'm also toying with a new larger "themed" project, but I haven't yet decided if it's going to be a book, or something else.

Karen: I'll be sure to keep an eye out for your upcoming designs. Do you have a favorite yarn that you like to work with?

Alex: Malabrigo and Madelinetosh tend to be my go-tos. I love soft wools with subtle colorings--semisolids and "glazed" dyes especially. There are tons of gorgeous indie dyed stuff out there that fits that category too, I tend to hoard one skein here or there, especially when I'm travelling.

Karen: Those are my two favorite yarns as well! Speaking of Malabrigo, you work as a design coordinator for Malabrigo. How did you land this gig?

Alex: I had worked with Malabrigo yarn quite a bit with my "Go Go Malabrigo" ebooks, and I saw that their coordinator was leaving, so I jumped on it and sent them an email basically yelling "OMG PICK ME PICK ME!!!" And they were kind enough to give me a shot! They are a lot of fun to work with, though sometimes I wish I was in Uruguay handling the yarn itself ;-)

Karen: It sounds like a great experience, or at least as great as can be without getting to roll around in the yarn all day. You seem to be open to sharing about yourself on social media, but I'm sure there are plenty of things about you that people don't know. What's one thing about yourself that people don't generally know or that might surprise people?

Alex: If you follow me on twitter you've probably seen me babble about everything under the sun, heh. Ummm... people might not know that I have a semi-secret witchy-fashion blog (linky- http://stregamoda.tumblr.com/)... or that I once got fired from a house-cleaning company run out of a trailer. (I maintain it wasn't my fault, and it was awful work, but it was also probably the most fascinating job I've ever had--who else gets to see all the shameful nooks and crannies of rich people's houses?)


Thanks so much for joining me on my blog today, Alex! You can find Alex online at the following places:
Website/Blog: Dull Roar
Ravelry: alextinsley
Twitter: @alex_tinsley
Instagram: bombasinedoll

Indie Design Gift-A-Long

This year, I'm participating in the Indie Design Gift-A-Long on Ravelry, as both a designer and a participant. I'm so excited about this as it looks like it is going to be a lot of fun.

Here's the basic rundown:

• There are 293 indie designers participating.
• The GAL runs from Thursday, November 13 at 8 PM (EST) through December 31 at 11:59 PM (EST)
• The GAL sale runs from November 13 at 8 PM (EST) through November 21 at 11:59 PM (EST)
• For the sale, all GAL-chosen patterns are 25% off by using the code giftalong2014.
• Each designer has chosen somewhere from 4-20 patterns to include in the sale.
• That means there are 3822 patterns on sale!
• The GAL itself has lots of games and prizes.
• Games include trivia/scavenger hunts
• Prizes are given not just for finishing items but also for posting WIPs and other types of things
• Prizes include electronic coupons for a free pattern from a certain participating designer (1866 of these prizes!!!)
• Prizes also include some really amazing physical prizes
• All paid patterns, not just those are on sale, by participating designers are eligible for prizes

You can get more information (and participate) in the group on Ravelry. I'll also be sharing more information on this blog and through my other social media channels (including interviews with two of the participating designers). And four of my patterns will be on sale during the sale period (all but Criseyde are eligible for GAL prizes):

And you have absolutely got to go here to see the amazing infographic (this link has a countdown; I'm posting the static one below) put together by 80skeins.

I hope you'll join me in participating in the GAL. Even though we have two days before the official start, the group is already quite active with lots of chat and planning, so go join now!

Woolee Winder Fun

I'd been considering getting a Woolee Winder for a long time. On of my reasons not to get it was because of the three wheels that I had, they were all different enough (double drive, single drive, and a Joy) even though they were all Ashfords, that I would have to get three different Woolee Winders. Since that's not really a good budget option, I had to pick one wheel for the Winder and I just couldn't decide.

Then I sold my Traditional. Now with only two wheels, it cut the decision making down a little. But I still wasn't sure I even truly wanted a Woolee Winder. Then one of the women in my knitting group brought in her espinner with a Woolee Winder for someone else to try. After seeing the Winder in action and talking to her about it, I decided to make the plunge and get one, but I still needed to decide which wheel. After reading a bit on the Ashford forum on Ravelry, it seems like with the Joy, the Woolee Winder doesn't fit when it is folded up and in the bag and people carry the Winder separately. Since I do like the sliding hook flyer (and the bobbin size) on my Joy and I don't want to have to carry the Winder separately, I decided to go for one for my Traveller.

I wasn't sure how long it would take to get the Winder. But not too long after I placed my order, I received an email about my order--they wanted to make sure that they got the right one to me so asked a couple of questions about my wheel (in particular the whorl). After we determined which type of Traveller I had, I got a shipping notice. Excitement! I checked several times a day until I saw the expected delivery date. On that day, I listened and listened for the mailman (always come mid to late afternoon) and when I heard him, I waited at the door until he got to my house and then met him halfway up my driveway (I think I surprised him!).

Although I had several editing jobs on my desk, I wanted to take the Woolee Winder for a spin. So I opened the box, pulled out the beautiful piece of equipment, and grabbed my wheel. I took off the flyer and went to put on the Woolee Winder. Oh no! I forgot one important bit: I had ordered the larger size of Woolee Winder but the place where the orifice of the flyer sits on the wheel was set up for a standard size flyer. I quickly jumped to my computer and found the part I needed (just $2.95). Too bad I didn't still have my Traditional as I had a jumbo flyer for it so would have had the right part.

Then it was time to wait for the mail again. Yesterday the part arrived. Once again, I dropped everything and got my wheel out. I added the new part and then tried the Woolee Winder again. It fit perfectly. Well, almost perfectly. The big wooden knob that is used to adjust the tension gets in the way if it is unscrewed too much (and it looked like where I needed the tension set was right where the flyer would hit that knob). I was eventually able to remove the knob part but kept the screw and used a pair of pliers to adjust the tension (I'll have to figure out something else later).

So I started spinning. I had a single that was all ready to be chain plied so that's what I loaded onto my lazy kate. It took a while to get the tension right (and I kept adjusting it quite a few times), but I was spinning. And the Woolee Winder was working just as advertised. But I ran into a snag. Apparently I had overspun the single and there were some really tight corkscrews in there. With the combination of trying to find just the right tension and trying to get those corkscrews out, it was not quite the pleasant spinning experience I wanted. But in the section that weren't overspun, I could finally get into a rhythm and I saw the beauty of the Woolee Winder--once I got into that rhythm, I could just keep going. I didn't have to worry about stopping to move the yarn to another hook and then try to find the rhythm again. I think that if my single had been prepared better, I would have had a lovely time spinning.

But I did get through the single and got yarn:

Overspun in places and definitely not completely balanced, but that was an issue with my original spinning, not the Woolee Winder. I know that I made the right decision in getting it (and getting it for the Traveller as it is in plying that it will be most handy for me), so I'm looking forward to my future plying experiences.