Around the World Stitch -a-long and some other Work in progress.

 

I took this picture the last time I was traveling by airplane. It has been in the summer of 2019 and I was returning home from visiting my family in Europe. It seems like a lifetime ago. I do not know if and when I will be able to visit my mom again. I hope that it will be this year, but who knows what is still ahead of us. I have realized that these days I travel a lot in my dreams. I am visiting places that are close to my heart.

 

Somehow I have stumbled upon an event named Around the world stitch-a-long. It is an independent knitwear designers knit a long and it is happening all around the world. I am a bit late talking about it here as the fun already started on February 15th. But the whole thing is running through March 28th so there is still plenty of time to participate and win some prizes.

The event is filled with knitting, crocheting, games, and variety of prizes. In the group on Ravelry the chat is filled with traditions, recipes and chat with people from all around the world. 

Here is the link to the group on Ravelry: Around the World Stitch-a-long   

and here is the link to the big bundle of participating designers also from all around the world: Participating designers 

also the event is hosted on Instagram Around the World SAL

One of the participating designers and organizers is Ranee Mueller from Arabian Knits. I had a pleasure get to know her a bit through this Interview with a designer  I did two years ago. 

Join us for this fun event and learn about the other participating designers. In a way it's like traveling to far away places and learn something about people from those different places. 

 In December 2020, after I published Paw Print Heart knitting pattern I announced that for every purchased pattern in the month of December I will donate $1 to our local animal shelter. In December I have sold  9 patterns for the Paw Print Heart. I decided to donate $1 for all of my patterns sold in December. That was 35 patterns and therefore $35. I have rounded that up to $50 and made a check and dropped it at the local animal shelter. 

In December I was approached by a Canadian yarn website and asked if they can sell my knitting pattern for Rockefeller, the owl on their website. 

Here is the link to the pattern on the Canadian Yarn website: Link here

 

Thank you for reading and visiting. 

Keep on knitting, one stitch at time.....

 

Behind the scene...

Crafting

Sometime ago I received an email from Lovecraft that they would like to write about me as a maker and crafter. I was really surprised and honored. Today while working on publishing my latest pattern for Fox Pillow I actually came across the post they wrote about me.
Here is the article link:
Lovecrafts article

 It is based on my entry for their competition for the blogger of the year 2019.
My blog post

Life is good. Keep on creating and crafting, one stitch at the time.
Thank you for visiting.

Interview with a Designer: Crochet by Darleen Hopkins (Darleen Hopkins)

As in the previous years, I have decided to interview some of my fellow designers who participate in the GAL 2019.
I had a pleasure to interview Crochet by Darleen Hopkins, Darleen Hopkins

photo by Darleen Hopkins

Here is the interview:

1. What inspires you to design?

Everything.  An idea will just pop into my head and then will I try to figure out how I can transform it into a crochet pattern.  Or sometimes I get suggestions from others.  For example, my Patchwork Baby Kitty Blanket is one of those.  My youngest son suggested it.  And he helped me with some of the details as well. You can read about it here https://crochetbydarleenhopkins.com/2016/03/20/the-story-behind-the-baby-kitty-patchwork-throw-blanket-crochet-pattern/.

Sometimes a need inspires me.  For example I got tired of my tea getting cold at work and decided I needed an individual mug cozy and voilà, the UNsqured Granny Tea for ME! Mug Cozy was designed.  https://crochetbydarleenhopkins.com/patterns/cozy-mug-tea-for-me-unsquared-granny/

A lot of my designs are silly or whimsical.  I have a goofy sense of humor and I guess that comes out in what I like make.

photo by Darleen Hopkins

2.If you could knit/ crochet one thing - anything in the world what would that be?

Maybe a temperature blanket or scarf or something with that theme.  I love the idea of it. I just haven't had the time to start one.

 https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#sort=best&inline=&craft=crochet&query=temperature

3. Describe your ideal day as a designer, what would you do and what would you prefer not to do?

I would NOT work the J-O-B that I have to go to during the work week.  I would not cook or clean or do laundry or any other household chore.  I would sit in my favorite recliner or maybe out on my screened in porch, and I would crochet and eat chocolate and drink coffee and listen to music.  I'd be able to crochet and work out the pattern for hours without my wrist or forearms hurting. And I'd get great photos on the first try.  That would be an ideal designing day. 

4. How do you start a project, with yarn, pattern, idea or what?

Usually I have an idea.  I’ll sketch it out with colored pencils and then I'll look to see if I have the right yarn in my stash.  If not, I'll search the web or go to yarn stores looking for the ideal yarn.

5.What inspires you to pick up needles and start on the project?

If I’m not too tired, I pick up a hook and get crocheting.  No special inspiration needed as I have so many ideas and/or projects going that there will surely be something to interest me to work on, if I’m not too tired at the end of the day. J

photo by Darleen Hopkins

6. What do you enjoy the most about the designing and what do you dislike the most?

I LOVE seeing photos of finished projects made from my designs. Please! Send me photos or post them to my Facebook page or make Ravelry projects with photos.  I LOVE it!! 

What I dislike the most is when people do not respect copyright.  So much work goes into publishing designs; whether it is for an online or in print publication or a self-published pattern by an independent designer.  Not respecting designer copyright is just wrong.  You wouldn’t walk into a store and steal a $4 skein of yarn, so please don’t steal a designer’s patterns by photocopying them and sharing them electronically.

7. Are there any particular techniques you find challenging or impossible to work with?

There are a number of different crochet techniques I would like to try.  Years ago I tried broomstick lace and was unsuccessful with it.  I'd like to give it another try now that I'm more experienced.  I think I was just too new to crochet when I first tried.  I would also like to try Tunisian Crochet.  I did a small swatch once but have never made anything using that technique.  Slip stitch crochet has also been a challenge to me.  But I have recently leaned there are special hooks for slip stitch crochet.  I didn't realize this when I first tried it.  I'd like to get one of those hooks and try it again.  

8. What is on your hook now?

I'm currently working on a new design for a blanket.  It's dog themed but that's really all I can reveal at this time. :)  I also have a couple of Mother Bears started and in various WIP stages.  I was hoping to finish them before the end of the year.  I'm not sure if that will happen but I'll keep working on them as time allows.  (http://motherbearproject.org/).  Another current project is my ongoing supply of dish cloths. I keep a bag with dishcloth yarn and a hook. It is great to grab when I'm heading somewhere and think I might have a few minutes to crochet.  They are nice, small projects that I can start and stop without having to worry about following a pattern. 

9. Do you work on multiple projects at the same time or single project?

Oh my goodness, yes, lots of projects at once.  I easily get bored when working on one project so I keep many projects going at once.  Only when I’m either close to finishing a design or have a deadline to meet do I concentrate on just one project.

photo by Darleen Hopkins

10. Is there something else you would like to share with the readers?

Thank you so much for interviewing me!  My name is Darleen and I’ve been designing almost as long as I have been crocheting.  I first learned to crochet was I was around 8 years old but it was short lived.  I re-taught myself in 2005.  My first projects were potholders that I made without a pattern.  I was just “winging it” and although simple, they were my first designs.  Now I have almost 100 published designs with probably 10 times as many ideas.  Most of my patterns are self-published but I have worked with a variety of professional publications, both in print and online. 

I started designing because I question everything.  When I was working on a pattern I’d be thinking, “what would happen if I did it this way?” or “how can I adjust this to be bigger or smaller or whatever”.  When crocheting I found I always wanted to change what I was working on.  Not that it needed to change but I was curious how it would turn out if I adjusted it.  I also like to be challenged.  Coming up with an idea and then figuring out how to manipulate the stitches to transform that idea into an actual object that could be touched was a challenge for me.  Once I realized I could not only come up with unique ideas but I could bring those ideas to life, I wanted to be able to make it so others could duplicate what I created.  And so I started writing patterns.  I believe the best part of designing is seeing the finished objects others have made from my patterns.  I get a rush every time someone posts or sends me a photo of something they made from one of my patterns.

Where to Find Darleen Hopkins:

Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/designers/darleen-hopkins

Website/Blog: https://crochetbydarleenhopkins.com/

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

Instagram: JUST getting started- https://www.instagram.com/crochetbydarleenhopkins/

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CrochetByDarleen    

Interview with a Designer: Knit Equals Joy Designs (CarolEHerman)

 Another interview with a participating GAL designer Knit Equals Joy Designs  (CarolEHerman).

I have to admit, I have been in love with this Autumn Spice Pumpkin for some time, so it was wonderful to learn more about the designer behind this particular pattern.

photo Knit Equals Joy Designs

1. What inspires you to design? 

In truth, I am always looking for design inspiration!  I love to see color, texture, and pattern everywhere.  In particular, though, several times a year I spend time alone at the Oregon Coast.  The beach and the ocean provide so many interesting, unusual, or beautiful textures and colors.  A seashell may supply the inspiration for a knit stitch.  The time alone also allows design ideas that have been percolating in my subconscious to surface and become more concrete designs. 

2. If you could knit/ crochet one thing - anything in the world what would that be? 

I absolutely love Kaffe Fassett’s designs.  I swoon over his use of color, pattern, and design in his Foolish Virgins Scarf, and that would be the one thing I would love to knit.

3. Describe your ideal day as a designer, what would you do and what would you prefer not to do? 

This ideal day is built in a theoretical life in which I would be a full-time designer…

I would start the day with a cup of coffee and browsing through IG and Facebook, looking at what folks are currently liking in the knit world.  As thoughts occurred related to my own design aesthetic and process, I would make notes and sketches for future designs.

I would next spend time knitting prototypes for designs currently in process and swatches for ideas next in line. 

Next would be writing time.  I envision a couple of hours set aside for sitting down to write pattern text, working on garment grading, and creating charts and schematics.  This time would also be spent submitting designs to various publications.

Finally, with the afternoon cup of coffee, I would update social media and interact with knitting friends.  This would be the time to answer any questions by test knitters or customers, as well.

I love working out the math and engineering aspects of design.  I’ve also always loved writing.  There’s nothing I would prefer not to do – but I do wish I were a faster knitter!

 Whimsy Tree

photo Knit Equals Joy Designs

4. How do you start a project, with yarn, pattern, idea or what? 

Well, this is a tough one!  But I would say that most often, it’s the yarn itself that tells me what it wants to be.  My first design, the Hood River Cowl, came directly from some beautiful local natural wool/silk yarn I found at the Hood River Fiber Festival in 2013.  This year, the Bridgetown Cowl was designed directly in response to some gorgeous Zen Yarn Garden Artwalk Series yarn.  I wanted to use a stitch that would show off that beautiful variegated yarn to best advantage.

5. What inspires you to pick up needles and start on the project? 

Often it’s a deadline that inspires me to get started on the project; for instance, I had a Christmas design idea and Christmas was just six weeks away (i.e., Whimsy Tree).

photo by Knit Equals Joy Designs

6. What do you enjoy the most about the designing and what you dislike the most? 

I really love almost everything about designing.  Not only do I love the design process, I love the people that I have met through design.  I have met amazingly creative knitters, designers, and even other media designers, whom I now consider friends.  I love seeing how knitters interpret my designs and make them their own.  At this time in my life, I dislike that I don’t have enough time to really implement all the ideas…but someday I will retire, and then there will be time!

Topiary Fingerless Mitts

photo Knit Equals Joy Designs

7. Are there any particular techniques you find challenging or impossible to work with?  

I have found that I don’t like to design anything that is not fun to knit.  This means I may have an idea that I think is great, but then I start swatching it and find I don’t enjoy knitting it, so that’s the end of that idea.  I really don’t like short rows, so that’s the only technique I can think of that I’ve consciously avoided.

8. What is on your needles now?

I’m currently working on a GAL project, the Adult Modular Cardigan by Loraine Birchall.  I also have an upcoming cabled poncho design for which I’m finishing up the pattern sample.

9. Do you work on multiple projects at the same time or single projects?

 I have multiple projects on the needles right now (three hats, the poncho, and the GAL sweater), but that’s because sometimes a current design in process gets interrupted by something that takes on more urgency and needs to be finished sooner.  The danger is that when I get back to the older projects (those three hats), I’ll forget exactly what I wanted to do next!

Bridgetown Cowl

Where to find Knit Equals Joy Design:

Knit Equals Joy Designs on Ravelry

Knit Equals Joy Designs Ravelry Group

Knit Equals Joy Designs on Facebook

Knit Equals Joy Design on Instagram

Knit Equals Joy Designs on Pinterest

Knit Equals Joy Designs Blog

Interview with a Designer: Artefacts Crochet Design (Artefacts)

Here is another interview with a fellow participating designer, this time it's crochet designer Artefacts Crochet Design (Artefacts).

I have learned how to crochet as a little girl, but I have never understood the patterns. I just crochet on rare occasions, but I admire the beauty that crochet can create. 

Fan Dance Capelet Shawl

photo by Artefacts

1. What inspires you to design? 

The need to create something new or different is what inspires me to design. I have no need of all the things I make, but I have to have a reason to make things, and designing patterns that other people might benefit from gives me that reason.

2. If you could knit/ crochet one thing - anything in the world what would that be? 

 For me, the ultimate thing to crochet would be an enormous sculptural object that could be strung between trees or rocks, like a giant web or cocoon. But that would take a long time and much more dedication than I have!

3. Describe your ideal day as a designer, what would you do and what would you prefer not to do? 

I think I’m like most designers in that the making is the most enjoyable part of my designing day. The creative challenge is what drives me, even if that means I have to ‘frog’ parts of my work. Writing up the pattern can be a tedious job, but it is also satisfying in its own way because once it is finished, it is a thing of beauty in and of itself, especially if there are no errors! Then there’s the self-promotion and bookkeeping which are a long way down the list of my designing day.

 Cable Hottie Cover

4. How do you start a project, with yarn, pattern, idea or what? 

If I am making up a design for myself, I start with an idea. If I am designing for the company I design for, they send me the yarn and a photo of the type of project they want as inspiration, and that launches me into the designing process. I find it helps when I am given some limitations or suggestions, because if I’m left to make my own decision on what to make, the choice of possibilities is so huge that I’m overwhelmed by it.

5. What inspires you to pick up needles and start on the project? 

Getting the yarn is what inspires me to pick up my hook and create. The desire to try a different type of yarn and a new project always draws me into that creative vortex.

6. What do you enjoy the most about the designing and what you dislike the most? 

 I most enjoy starting a new project, and I least enjoy grading garments – that is why I haven’t made many fitted garment designs…

7. Are there any particular techniques you find challenging or impossible to work with? 

I love new techniques. I get bored quickly, so trying something new and different is exciting, and coming up with something new and different myself is even more exciting. Then I like to work out how I can use those techniques in future projects.

8. What is on your needles now? 

The project on my hook at the moment is a cactus/succulent garden for the company I work for. I am really pleased with the design of one of the cactuses because I have not seen anything like it when I have made a search. I also have a highly-textured motif throw (that I will publish under my own name) on the backburner at the moment.

9. Do you work on multiple projects at the same time or single project? 

 I always work on a single project, generally because I have a deadline to work towards, but I do think and plan for future projects at the same time.

Peacock Shawl

Where to Find Artefacts Crochet Design:

Artefacts Crochet Design on Ravelry

Artefact Crochet Design Website

Interview with a Designer: Alison Makin (KnitsandWords)

I love to learn things about fellow designers, their approach to designing process and what inspires them.
As always it was my pleasure to interview another participating GAL designer. Here is the interview with  Alison Makin  (KnitsandWords)

I have to admit, I am not a sock knitter, but I would love to try her Flexuous sock pattern.

photo by Alison

1. What inspires you to design? 

Quite simply, I love to create. Being able to take yarn and needles and turn it into something useful is wonderful. 

I learnt to knit as an adult while sitting in a textile design studio, so I was surrounded by creativity. I was spending hours there most days and the studio artist offered to teach me to knit, amongst other things. I never looked back. Knitting basic items soon became knitting more complicated things, I took on test knitting and editing and then I decided I wanted to create my own designs- so I did.

2. If you could knit one thing - anything in the world what would that be? 

I actually purchased a kit earlier this year for a colourwork vest- it was a gift to myself on my 40th birthday. It is something I haven’t attempted before and I really want to do something to challenge myself in a different direction. Besides, steeks sound scary so I need to do them so I can prove to myself I can. 

photo by Alison

Azurean

3. Describe your ideal day as a designer, what would you do and what would you prefer not to do? 

My ideal day as a designer... I actually sat down one day and typed this up, so I could reflect on it occasionally. I have no idea where that is now, so I’ll start again.

I would wake early and take our dog (Tess) for a walk, come home, cook breakfast and get ready for the day. Check in briefly with email and Ravelry (I usually have a test running there). Do any tech editing work for the day so that is done early while my brain is fresh. Take a break to do a bit of knitting and have lunch. After lunch I would do some pattern writing and more knitting. Do social media check-ins, etc and be finished for the day. More knitting after dinner, though.

Photographs are probably my least favourite part of the whole process and I know that is an area I need to spend more time on.

4. How do you start a project, with yarn, pattern, idea or what? 

I usually start with a stitch pattern and then think about how I can modify it so that it works for multiple sock sizes. Because I really have a thing for symmetry, I generally have to chart a slightly different stitch pattern for every size. This means I don’t go too much further until I work out how to modify it for every size as my goal is maintain the essence of the design across all sizes. After that I have to work out how all of the elements will flow- that means choosing ribbing and heel patterns that allow the pattern to transition smoothly. The next part is choosing the yarn that I think will work best with stitch pattern. I usually write the pattern before I start knitting so I can make notes on the pattern as I go, but I have been a bit lax with that lately and it does make me feel less organised.

I do start with the yarn occasionally, but that is pretty rare. I generally take that approach if I am working with a dyer and they have a specific colourway in mind.

Once I designed with a person in mind. She’s Got a Way was designed for my Mother in Law on our way home from her funeral and was named for one of the songs we played at the service.

photo by Alison

She's got a way

5. What inspires you to pick up needles and start on the project? 

I want to see how the design comes together, to make sure that the vision in my head and on paper will actually work.

6. What do you enjoy the most about the designing and what you dislike the most? 

The part I enjoy most is seeing other people knit my designs! That someone has spent so many hours of their time working on my design and is so proud that they want to share it with everyone makes me happy. 

My dislike is probably the nerves when I release a new pattern and I worry that no one is going to like it. 

7. Are there any particular techniques you find challenging or impossible to work with? 

Not yet, but when I learnt to knit I wasn’t told anything was difficult- “It’s all just knits and purls”. My first project was a cowl (that I had to graft), my second project was a full-length coat and I was knitting socks within a few months of learning to knit. 

That doesn’t mean I have done everything I want to, but I also know that I can find the instructions and learn. I used to be absolutely terrified of cables (goodness knows why, I just had this idea in my head), but found lace easy. I knew someone else who loved cables but was scared by lace. That was when I realised that I could learn anything I wanted.

photo by Alison

Garden bench

8. What is on your needles now? 

Two sock designs (one is in white, so it stays at home), and two GAL projects. One of those is El Unico, a shawl pattern, and the other is Flattery Bay, a sleeveless tank. Oh, and I also have a sweater that just needs the collar finished... and I’m positive that I have a couple of shawls stuffed in bags somewhere. And a sock project for my husband. And I just remembered the colourwork socks for me. Maybe I should stop thinking about the extra projects.

9. Do you work on multiple projects at the same time or single project? 

Always lots. I think you worked that out from my previous answer! I like to have different things to work on for different moods and places. Sometimes a project isn’t at a point where I can easily take it places with me, but I need something in my bag for those moments of waiting. For instance, I have spent lots of time in waiting rooms over the last couple of weeks and I really needed something small I could work on easily and put down at a moment’s notice.

photo by Alison

Where to find Alison Makin:

Alison Makin on Ravelry

Ravelry Group: Alison Makin Design

Alison (Knits and Words) on Instagram

Interview with a Designer: Ranee Mueller (Arabian Knits)

Another week, another interview:

 It was my pleasure to interview Ranee Mueller (Arabian Knits). Ranee is another participating designer in this year Gift-a-long.

I really love the design of her cowl Rabi photo bellow:

photo by Ranee 

     1.  What inspires you to design? 

          My design inspiration is at its heart my ethnic heritage and background. My parents are from Saudi Arabia, I was born and raised in the United States, and my designs are much like me in that sense. They are American/Western, but formed on Middle Eastern genetics and culture. So, the art and architecture of the Middle East can often be found mimicked in my work. Likewise, weather patterns are interesting to me, and I have done a series of accessory patterns themed on the Trade Winds found in the Middle East and North Africa. Trade Winds Collection: Texture

     2. If you could knit/ crochet one thing - anything in the world what would that be? 

      

          Ever? Or just a dream project? If it was ever, it would probably be cowls. If it were a dream project, I think a lace wedding veil for each of my four daughters. One day, I hope, they will want something like that from me. I would work with them and incorporate the traditional designs of their heritage, both Saudi and German (their father is predominately German, with a bit of English and French, and then a little of everything else), in the knitting. 

Mariam

photo by Ranee

      3. Describe your ideal day as a designer, what would you do and what would you prefer not to do? 

      
          My ideal designer day begins with coffee or tea in one of my collection of knitting themed mugs. If we are talking truly ideal, it would be set on either the Adriatic coast (I recently visited Croatia and fell deeply in love), or the southern Mediterranean coast. I would be outdoors, knitting in sunshine, by the water, with my notes and a laptop or iPad so I could check in with other knitters on Ravelry and IG. I love to cook, so I wouldn’t mind breaks for food shopping and cooking, but if I had a day entirely devoted to design, I would definitely skip cleaning! 

       4. How do you start a project, with yarn, pattern, idea or what

        It depends on many things. Often I have a theme or title already in my head. Sometimes I see a pattern in nature, or on a comforter or even a shower curtain that sets me off designing. Recently, however, I purchased a few skeins of what I can only describe as a cloud in yarn form. It gave me the idea to make a soft, fluffy, thick cowl, using cables, which are some of my favorite things to knit. A cloud for one’s neck. However, I realized that clouds were so much not a part of my Arab culture and language, and I didn’t remember the Arabic word for cloud. We used it so rarely. I had to call my father and ask him what the word was! (It’s sah’aab, by the way).

5. What inspires you to pick up needles and start on the project? 
 
 Often an immediate need. We have eight children, and someone will need socks or mittens or gloves or a hat or a scarf or ankle warmers (we have ballerinas) or something like that. Designs, however, often tell me which direction they need to go. I really dislike stuffing dolls, but when I went to design a pattern inspired by the name of a child we lost, no matter how many ideas I brainstormed, I came back to a topsy-turvy, lovey doll. I struggled with that design, but in the end, it was exactly what it should have been, and permitted me to remember that child along with my other children who have patterns named after them. Rayan

 Rayan

photo by Ranee

     6. What do you enjoy the most about the designing and what you dislike the most? 

  I love the creative process of coming up with design elements and ideas and knitting them up to see how they work together. I hate writing the “romance” text describing the design. It always seems a little precious to me.

7. Are there any particular techniques you find challenging or impossible to work with? 

  Intarsia! I have still never done it. Also steeking, but that is just plain fear. I need to conquer that. Other than that, I really can do just about anything I want in knitting, though some things take more time and concentration than others.

     8. What is on your needles now?

    

          Actively? I have a pair of socks from the GAL almost finished. My designs get put on the backburner each year so I can focus on the GAL and take a little vacation from the work of designing. I have lots of projects that I have set aside for the moment, including a design for a set of hat and mittens that interprets the Eye of God Nebula with color and short rows. Lots of swatches are waiting for my attention, too.

Sharqi

photo by Ranee

     
     9. Do you work on multiple projects at the same time or single project?

   

         I get more finished when I work on one project at a time, but like any other knitter, I am often distracted by a new idea or pattern. However, I try to limit what I am actively working on to three, or four at the most. Usually, that includes something small or simple that I can knit while talking to people or out in public, something larger or more complicated that I work on at home, and something of another designer’s work that I knit on my weekends.

Amira

photo by Ranee

Where to find Ranee Mueller:

Ranee Mueller on Ravelry

Ravelry Group: Arabian Knits Design

Arabian Knits on Instagram