It's Gift Making and Light Season

Yes, everyone, it is year five of the Indie Designer Gift-a-long! I am absolutely stunned
that we've hit year five, and that I have participated in the last four gift-making paloozas. 

I made several gifts last season, and this year will be no different; however, I am hoping to get a few of my personal works-in-progress (and so, outside of official GAL submissions) done, as well as perhaps a gift or two for my very self.  Below you'll see the beginnings of several projects, including an epic blanket that is part of a blanket throw down with a fellow designer. I am a lot farther along on the four projects shown below, and I'll update the blog in the next few weeks with my progress and (hopefully!) several finished pieces.

However, because we are celebrating five amazing indie designer gifting seasons, I thought I might go back in the archives and reprint a few of my previous interviews with fellow indie designers. 

So, kicking off this mini trip down interview memory lane, I am reaching back to 2014 (the first year I participated in the GAL), and am reprinting my interview with Mindy Wilkes, human being extraordinaire. 

The Artfully Voie de Vie Questionnaire

With Knit Designer Mindy Wilkes

Mindy (on right) with her sister Tracy
at Rhinebeck in 2014.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background before you started to design knit accessories? 

I was a microbiologist for a consumer product testing company for several years.  I have a degree in Biology and went to graduate school for Microbiology. After my son was born, I went back to work part-time for a few months then made the decision to be a stay at home mom full-time.

When was the moment you knew you wanted to become a knit designer? 

After finishing and releasing my first design (which came about only because I couldn't find an existing pattern for what I wanted to make), I was completely hooked on designing.

Please describe your personal knit design philosophy? 

I don't design things I wouldn't like to knit. It's why I haven't done any sweater designs. I'm just not much of a sweater knitter; I like small projects.

What is your greatest knit (or design) memory? 

I think it would be when I received my first acceptance from a magazine. I'm pretty sure I embarrassed the hell out of my husband when I read that e-mail. We were eating lunch out, and when I saw my acceptance e-mail, I was really excited and I may have done a little dance. Maybe. (insert happy face)

If you could have dinner with any three designers, dead or alive, who would they be, and why?

I'm going to cheat and pick 4 designers. My dinner dates would be Heather Zoppetti, Corrina Ferguson, Katherine Vaughan (who is also my tech editor), and Barbara Benson. We're all friends in real life, and I don't get to see them very often, although I did see Heather and Corrina at Rhinebeck back in October.  I'm guessing our next dinner will be at TNNA this coming summer.

Throw or pick? 

Throw.

It’s your last object to design (or make). What is it, and what fiber do you use? 

A big, epic, extremely difficult lace shawl in a lace weight wool, cashmere, silk blend.

What trait do you most admire in designers? 

The ability to think outside the box. You know when you see a new design and you think it's the cleverest thing out there because the designer did something totally interesting with the construction or with the stitch pattern but it's not at all difficult? That.

Wilkes' latest shawl design, Brunswick, a sister design
to her popular Holden shawl

What trait do you most detest in designers? 

I don't know if detest is the right word, but I have a pet peeve or two. One of my biggest pet peeves is not using a tech editor for whatever reason. I work at a yarn store and I have seen some patterns that have very clearly not been tech edited, and it's so very, very frustrating to try to convince a customer that not all patterns are as confusing, incorrect, etc. It's hard to hear that a customer will never buy a pattern again because of one bad experience with a pattern. 

You are recommending a design gift in response to a friend’s inquiry. Other than your own designs (which, as everyone knows, are quite beautiful – especially your moon shawls collection!), what would you recommend? 

Right now, I'm really enamored with Hilary Smith Callis' shawl-cowl hybrids: Starshower, Luna Viridis, and Adama. I also really like a lot of Melissa Thomson's patterns. It's so hard to choose. There are so many really awesome patterns out there!

*****************************************************

I expect that a lot has happened in Mindy's design career since this interview, so I hope (if she reads it), that it will make her smile with fondness. 

All of Mindy's designs, as well as the designs of 310 other indie designers (including yours truly), are eligible to be made during our gift-a-long. So do join me in the Ravelry group with almost 10,000 other makers and get into the holiday light and gifting season, won't you?

The Hard Work Behind Five Good Design Days A Year

For the third in my series of designer interviews for the 2015 Indie Gift-a-Long, I looked to my curated design ideas Pinterest board, and this choice became rather clear. Jenise Hope (nee Reid) designs things I (and a lot of other people, it seems) want to make. Personally, I have been in love, love, love with her Persian Dreams Blanket forever. For anyone thinking about designing or those newbie designers, I would urge you to read and really internalize this interview - Jenise gives it to you straight, no chaser! I am beyond thrilled to present:

The January Pullover designed by Jenise Hope

The Artfully Voie de Vie Questionnaire with Knitwear Designer Jenise Hope

1.    Can you tell us a little bit about your background before you started to design knit garments and accessories?

Through my teen years (starting at 14!), I worked at my Dads accounting practice during tax season.  I was the receptionist, organizing and keeping everyone’s papers running through the system, and did bits of bookkeeping or the odd (easy) tax return on the side.  It was a small office and so I really got to see all the parts of what goes behind the scenes in a small business.  After I graduated, I began to study (sewing) pattern drafting and did custom work sewing.  I was honestly very devoted to sewing.  In the midst of that, I picked up knitting needles for what may as well have been the first time, and learned to knit.  It took a year or so, but soon I preferred knitting to sewing (even though, to this day, I still sew a good portion of my personal wardrobe).  It was a natural move to “write” my own knitting patterns. (For me, a knitting pattern only for myself is a page of paper with a stream of numbers and minimal explanation of what they actually mean, not a real pattern that someone else would be able to follow.) Once I was happy with what I was turning out, it was also very natural, not easy, but it just happened almost on its own, to write a handful of knitting patterns just for fun and put them up for sale.  Since I had experience working with exacting sewing patterns and all that, the technical and business side of knit design was relatively easy.  A lot of designers start into designing knit patterns while they work in a completely different day job and try to make it all fit.  My life more or less flowed smoothly to it, and starting at my age, before I was married or had a “real” job, I had the huge advantage of being able to jump into giving it a full time try.

2.    When was the moment you knew you wanted to become a knitwear designer?

When I was young, a lot of the parts of knitwear design were things I thought would be fun one day - photography, design, modeling – and I have always had a huge amount of patience doing fussy jobs.  My Mom has in her photo albums these pictures of my third birthday and this story about how I wanted to decorate my own cake that year.  She iced it and gave me a plate of candies to stick on top.  I only vaguely remember it myself, but apparently I didn't even ask to eat a single candy till the end and very carefully placed them on the cake.  From the photos, I can see that I made it symmetrical; it was a butterfly shape and the right and left wings match.  Truth be told, the only part I really remember is digging through the plate of candies and finding matching ones to place on each wing (I think I ate all the leftover single candies at the end).  I'm not sure why.  I am around a lot of little kids (my 12 nieces and nephews) and while it seemed normal to me before, thinking about all the 3 year olds I know, I can't imagine any of them doing that.  No wonder my Mom thought it so noteworthy that she bothered to write the story out, I seem to have an inborn sense of order. 

I don't think I ever specifically wanted to be a knitwear designer, it was more one day I realized I already was one and I loved it.  I don't mean I realized this the first times I made sweaters for myself – it finally occurred to me that this was what I was somewhere around my first 1,000 or 2,000 pattern sales.

 

Jenise Hope's X&O Cardigan

3.    Please describe your personal design philosophy?

For garments, I try to work out the simplest way to make a good fit.  This usually involves complex increase/decrease rates to make curves, and they are a pain to calculate and write, but I think the end result is worth the time.  It is such a relief when I finish writing a pattern and I can relax and just knit from the directions.  I like to design the kinds of garments I like to wear, generally in finer yarns (with the odd exception for really cold days), lots of stockinette, carefully fit, no/minimal seams, and precise finishing.  They probably wouldn't be my favorite to make, but I enjoy a challenge and I have learned to love mindless stockinette, grafting, and sewing.

For “fancy” stuff (like colorwork blankets or accessories with more decoration), I try to come up with a key element, and then enhance and elaborate on that theme through details everywhere else.  The hard part is predicting if something will enhance the central theme, or distract from it before completing the item, and don't look to my work for great examples of how this should play out.  I am still very much learning! The most beautiful things I have admired and analyzed all share this quality. There is much detail and texture, and yet what you see is one to three primary elements that are built up out of this mass of little unnoticed details.  If I am honest, part of the reason I like skinnier yarns is to give me more “resolution” for more detail.

4.    What is your greatest design memory?

Probably a year from when I started writing those very first patterns, standing in the kitchen with my Mom and one of my sisters.  Casually checking if I had any sales, as I did most days, there was this flood of sales of one of my few published patterns, I think around 60 that day.  If you recall from before, I wasn't thinking of myself as a designer, I did it just for fun not expecting any sales at all.  I was dumbfounded and hardly believed it, but I showed them and my mom was all excited and I realized I had actually made a pattern that other people liked and wanted.  It took a while to sink in!  The success of that particular pattern was the push I needed to decide that I would give this pattern-writing thing a serious try and see what happened.  Apart from that incident, I would never have believed it would be possible to do it for a living.  I was the only one shocked.  I had a year or two of coming to my friends or family in absolute awe and surprise when any pattern was doing unusually well, and them saying back to me things along the line of “well, I would be surprised if my pattern was doing well, but of course you can do it.  I'm not surprised at all.”

 

The amazingly wonderful Persian Dreams Blanket.

5.    If you could have dinner with any three designers, dead or alive, who would they be, and why?

Since it wasn't specified, I am going to “cheat” and say Madame Vionnet (there is so much technical genius in the structure of her bias cut dresses), Paul Poiret (because I just love his harem pants and hobble dresses; turbans less so...), and any of the ladies who designed Bohus Stickning sweaters.  They all worked in ready to wear rather than patterns, but I take more inspiration from ready to wear than other knitting patterns/designers.

6.    Picker or thrower?

Is “Scrambler” an acceptable term to use?  Having taught myself to knit, sticking my fingers where ever made it easiest to get yarn through yarn and on the sticks, I don't follow either method!  I am working on learning to pick – I challenged myself to give it a try earlier this year to speed up my stockinette, so I sometimes pick in a long stream of stockinette.  Otherwise, fingers are everywhere.

7.    It’s your last object to design (or make). What is it, and what fiber do you use?

It is a colorwork sweater, in laceweight cashmere that I have to purchase in white and dye myself to get the exact shades I need.  I am picky about colors and struggle to find the ones I want. Alternately, I might be similarly satisfied with a rectangular lace stole in cobweb weight merino.  Hard to decide!

8.    What trait do you most admire in designers?

Fortitude.  If you are going to make it, you need to be willing to do the most mundane and picky jobs (like checking over your numbers again), you need to learn a variety of new skills, and you need to keep slogging at it for at least a year or two before you can expect any substantial reward for all the effort and cash you put into it.  The fun stuff of designing is something like 5 days a year, and all the rest of the days are hard work doing confusingly complex or painfully dull tasks.  Satisfying when done, but not necessarily the things you wake up wanting to do.

9.    What trait do you most detest in designers?

Impatience and carelessness.  Either will prevent you from moving on anywhere.  You need to take the time to learn to do it all well, and you won't be rewarded till you do.  Be that side things (which you could hire someone to do for you if you have the cash) like photography and writing descriptions, or the actual design itself (figuring out what yarn is going to say what your design is saying, working out proportions and balance to get the effect you want, and picking stitch patterns and how to use them)

10. You are recommending a design gift in response to a friend’s inquiry. Other than your own designs (which are quite lovely!), what would you recommend?

For adult stuff, Jenny F If only I had the time to knit it, I would love a shawl like Breezy Skies. For baby/kid stuff, Jenny Wiebe. Those are the cutest kid cardis ever!

And no, I didn't plan to choose two Jennys, they are just the two whose patterns I would knit if I had time.  Right now I don't even have time to knit all my own patterns, which is very sad; besides, I do get a lot of patterns designed and published, even if my knitting is mostly just swatching. :)

What Do Five Kids, a Working Farm, and Yarn Equal?

It's December 5th, folks. Just twenty days to Giftmas, even less to the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere. We're now into the gray, rainy dog days of winter here in the Pacific Northwest, so for my next designer interview, I went to the southern hemisphere - New Zealand, to be specific. This designer/indie dyer is still relatively new to the design world, and she is feeling the way most new-ish designers feel: like, am I really a designer? Can I actually do this? Of course, Holly has a farm and a menagerie of little children to make the brew oh-so-much-more interesting! So, grab a quick cup of your favorite beverage, and get to know Holly Stevens of Hollyberry Designs/Yarns, with the next installment of:

The Artfully Voie de Vie Questionnaire

with Designer and Indie Dyer Holly Stevens

1. Can you tell us a little bit about your background before you started to design knitwear and dye yarn?

Before I started to dye and design I was still super busy being a mother to my 5 little people. We also have a farming business so I do the admin, calf rearing and often help with milking. It’s generally chaos in my house but I don’t think I would have it any other way. I have a bachelor of education in primary teaching and hope to one day get back into it but that won’t be until all of my wee birdies have left the stay at home nest and are at school themselves.

The adorable Chloe Slouch from Holly Stevens

2. When was the moment you knew you wanted to become a designer?

To be completely honest I never thought I would. I remember not long after I had had my youngest, Grace, I mentioned to a friend who was great at improvising knitted fruit that I just didn’t think I could do it and following patterns instead of writing them was more me. After the years of baby brain started to clear I bought a lovely knitting magazine that included a pull out section about designing your own hat – it kind of spiraled out of control from there! I did get a bit of an “I told you that you could do it” message from my friend a while back!

3. Please describe your personal knit design and dye philosophy?

I very much design and dye things that I love. I have a set of colourways that I did based on Game of thrones (which I love) - it was very popular and from then on I decided that I would dye based on my preferences - that way I would form my own style that was unique to me. I tend to lean towards darker and muted colourways but sometimes I pop out of my little box and do some brights. I went through a fluro range just recently and that was quite fun! As far as knits go having so many models at home to use makes it easy to check as I go that things are functional and the fit is correct. I design a lot on necessity based on what I or my kids need at the time.

An example of Hollyberry Yarns' gradient dying

4. What is your greatest design memory?

It probably goes back to when I first started and I was doing my first garments, Toby and Gracie-pie, I did all the numbers first on my trusty excel sheet working out stitch counts and gauge and then started knitting. It felt like such an achievement and almost a light bulb moment to have all the numbers and maths translate into actual knitting that worked and fitted!

5. If you could have dinner with any three designers, dead or alive, who would they be, and why?

Wow - that is a tricky question! I would love to meet up and pick the brains of Justyna Lorkowska and Georgie Hallam about kids knits. Oh, and definitely Andi Satterlund as I love all things vintage inspired and would love to chat to her about adult garments as one day I would love to try my hand at that - but I just don't feel confident enough quite yet!

6. Thrower or picker?

A thrower most of the time, but I pick and throw if I am doing colourwork.

7. It’s your last object to design (or dye). What is it, and what fiber/color do you use?

Oh definitely merino cashmere, it's my absolute favourite. I would love to wear it every day of the week (sometimes I do!) and it would HAVE to be red, a deep dark red, if it wasn’t I would not be very true to myself!

The Bobby Hoodie designed by Holly Stevens

8. What trait do you most admire in designers?

The ability to be able to write the most complex and innovative design characteristics, some things that people come up with are truly amazing!

9. What trait do you most detest in designers?

See answer 8! I am actually rather jealous of some of the things that people can design, I don’t feel like I'm quite there yet a lot of the time, but that comes with practice for me – a lot of people are amazing naturally. I have to try extremely hard to be above average haha!

10. You are recommending a design gift in response to a friend’s inquiry. Other than your own designs (which are quite beautiful!), what would you recommend?

For an adult garment I would fully recommend Chuck by Andi Satterlund, I just made myself one and its such a quick knit and so versatile over skirts and dresses, I love it! I plan to make many for myself in lots of different colours.

On Float Planes, Symmetry, and Great Gift Ideas

Happy Cyber Monday everyone! This is the last big day to get those online savings, so I hope you are filling your cyber carts and getting in on the action.

Over in the Ravelry Indie Gift-a-long 2015, people have been creating a gift frenzy. Really. The threads for things that will be gifted for hands, arms, and heads are officially out of control. We'll be creating gifts right through the end of the year, so don't think you're too late to get in on the yarny gift action.

In order to celebrate the remainder of the gift-giving season, I have the first in a series of interviews with some of my fellow knit and crochet designers. The first is Cynthia Levy, a/k/a Reg Tiger Designs. I had the pleasure of pinning her designs to the gift-a-long Pinterest boards, and I was immediately drawn to find out more since she and her husband get to fly a float plane everywhere. Of course, living in the Northwest Territories of Canada, a float plane (as well as a snow machine named George!) sort of come in handy.

Snow Flurry Mittens designed
by Cynthia Levy

Now while it's true that I don't do socks (sorry Cynthia!), I do make mittens and things for hands, and I was instantly taken with her Snow Flurry Mittens, which I am going to make a little later in December. Cynthia also has some wonderful accessory designs for men, so if you haven't seen them, I hope you'll check them out over on her Ravelry design page. Without further ado, I present:

The Artfully 
Voie de Vie 
Questionnaire with Knitwear Designer 

Cynthia Levy

Can you tell us a little bit about your background before you started to design and knit garments and accessories?

I’m a lawyer in real life, which is reason enough to need a creative outlet!  I grew up in Nova Scotia, went to university in Ontario, taught in Newfoundland, and now live and practice law in the Northwest Territories.  In addition to knitting and designing, my leisure time is over-committed with float-flying, fishing, camping, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, pottery, quilting and gardening.

When was the moment you knew you wanted to become a designer?

I don’t really think there was ever a moment when I woke up and decided to become a designer.  I just started designing my own socks to prove to myself that I could and then I realized that I could share my designs by publishing them on Ravelry and other online platforms.

Please describe your personal design philosophy?

I strive to create designs that are attractive and wearable.  Symmetry and balance are important to me, so I try to ensure that each element of a design flows smoothly into and out of the next element.  I like to create designs that look complicated but can be made by the average knitter exercising moderate care and attention.

What is your greatest knit (or design) memory?

It was very exciting to have my design for Resonator Gauntlets accepted by Knitty.  Seeing the design in print on the Knitty website made me feel like a legitimate designer!

If you could have dinner with any three designers, dead or alive, who would they be, and why?

I’d love to sit down to dinner with my online friend Jennifer Wood of Wood House Knits.  She designs the most amazing cable and lace sweaters with incredible attention to detail and fit.  I’d also love to have dinner with Cookie A and Stephanie Van Der Linden.  They have each authored several fantastic books on sock knitting and construction from which I have learned many useful tips and tricks.

Pit Railway Socks - lovely
cable here!

Throw or Pick?

Throw, except for stranded colorwork, for which I hold one color in each hand and use a technique that completely eliminates floats.

It’s your last object to design (or make). What is it, and what fiber do you use?

I’d design and knit an epic blanket using laceweight qiviut.  It would be a sampler featuring every stitch pattern in my Japanese stitch dictionaries.  Since it’s my last project ever, I’m assuming that cost of yarn is no object, and I want to make something that will keep me knitting for a very long time!

Vertigo Fingerless Gloves

What trait do you most admire in designers?

Most knitting designers are willing to engage in frank and helpful discussion of all sorts of issues related to the fibre industry.  Ravelry has enabled the development of a community of designers that is supportive and knowledgeable and it’s wonderful to be able to access their collective intelligence.

What trait do you most detest in designers?

Some designers who are trying to make a full-time career in the fibre industry have a tendency to disparage those who design on a part-time or hobby basis.  Such designers have strong opinions as to the proper way to develop and publish patterns and allege that other approaches are less than professional.

You are recommending a design gift in response to a friend’s inquiry. Other than your own designs (which are quite lovely!), what would you recommend?

My favorite designs for gift projects are Tree Mittens by Elli Stubenrauch, Comfrey by Sara Gresbach, and Bonaventure Baby Sweater by Nadia Crétin-Léchenne. I’ve made each of these projects multiple times and every recipient has been delighted with their gift. I’d highly recommend any of these patterns.

Well the Sale May Be Over But ...

... the rest of the Ravelry holiday gift-making palooza most definitely is still on! Until the end of December, everyone should definitely feel free to join in here for gifting camraderie and drive-by prizes like ... all the time. If you're interesting in finding some DIY gift ideas, do feel free to check out my 2014 curated Holiday gifts board on Pinterest. It's chock full of (mostly!) quick and stylish designs to whip up for everyone on your hand-made worthy list. Full disclosure: I don't do socks so they aren't included, but my designs are cause hey, I'm just a little partial. However, mine comprise only about 9% of the board so, you get the drift. 

In keeping in the GAL spirit, I'm here with another wonderful designer interview - this time with Sara Peterson, a sort of anti-designer designer (and how's that for descriptive language?). She's based on the east coast, in upstate New York, so I do hope she's not anywhere near all that lake effect snow. If she is, well, then she's got plenty of great designs to keep her knitting and crocheting! In fact, one of her shawl designs made my Holiday gifts board. Without further delay, I give you (and all photos used with Sara's kind permission):

The Artfully Voie de Vie Questionnaire with 

Knit and Crochet Designer Sara Peterson

Can you tell us a little bit about your background before you started to design knit garments and accessories?

After college, I needed a hobby to occupy my free time so I decided to take up knitting. I have been a crocheter since I was a teenager, but knitting was a fun new challenge. Eventually my skills grew enough that I tried to duplicate or make my own version of items that I saw in magazines. I think this sweater was my first successful “design”. Not too long after that I started writing patterns.

When was the moment you knew you wanted to become a knit designer?

I have to say that it’s never really been my dream to be a knit or crochet designer. I sometimes have fits of creativity and I enjoy puzzling out how to make the ideas in my head a reality. It’s gratifying to see others make my patterns into their own creations but being known as a “designer” isn’t really my priority.

Please describe your personal knit design philosophy?

I like simple things that incorporate something interesting, whether it’s colorwork, or texture, or lace. Knit and crochet are relaxing for me so I like designs that hold interest all the way through without being so complicated that they make your head spin.

What is your greatest knit (or design) memory?

Having a design published in Interweave Knits Accessories was pretty exciting (and nerve-wracking!)

If you could have dinner with any three designers, dead or alive, who would they be, and why?

I would thank Barbara Walker for her stitch dictionaries and Knitting from the Top and ask her how on earth she could be so prolific.

Ysolda Teague seems like she’d be a fun person to have dinner and drinks with.

I think that Doris Chan is a genius. I started knitting because at the time there were so few crochet designs that I’d actually want to wear. Her garments are modern and stylish. I’d love to pick her brain on what inspires her.

Throw or pick?

I’m a thrower, except when knitting stranded colorwork and then I use one strand in both hands.

It’s your last object to design (or make). What is it, and what fiber do you use?

It would have to be a cabled hat made out of warm soft cashmere.

What trait do you most admire in designers?

I love how designers can come up with so many ways to make simple things. There are thousands of hat designs in the Ravelry database and yet there are tons of unique designs. Everybody finds a way to put his or her own spin on it and I find it fascinating.

What trait do you most detest in designers?

Detest is a strong word, but sometimes I think designers can be a bit overly protective of their work. I allow purchasers of my patterns to make items for charity and I don’t have a problem with crafters selling their FOs from a home-based business. Nobody wants to get ripped off by big corporations but I don’t see the harm in letting individuals sell at craft fairs or on etsy.

You are recommending a design gift in response to a friend’s inquiry. Other than your own designs (which, as everyone knows, are quite beautiful!), what would you recommend?

Michele Wang’s Stonecutter is just about the perfect sweater and you can’t go wrong with Cookie A’s socks.

Thanks so much Sara! And for all of the crocheters, her Tilt Shift Shawl (the one featured in the photo directly above) is having a wee whirl right now - make one and post a photo on your Ravelry project page, finished (of course!) by December 21st, and receive a free pattern from Sara's Ravelry store. And since she's a participating Gift-a-long designer, and there are like, a bazillion people making shawls in the gift-a-long, c'mon people ... get your shawly gifting on ... 

Sometimes Designs Come Along At Just The Right Moment

She's a sassy shawl, ain't she?

Happy Friday, everyone. With a week before U.S. Thanksgiving, it's been busy good at chez Voie de Vie.

As I wrote about here on Monday, I'm participating in Ravelry's Independent Designer Gift-a-long. (An aside: if you don't think this shebang has grown volumes since last year, think again: so far, there are over 5,000 participants in 8 different gift-making categories, and one can sign up and gift-a-long until the end of December. Folks, indie designers and their gift-making pals are on fire.) As part of my design purchases, I picked up fellow designer Gabriella Henry's Lucie Shawlette pattern.

I cannot quite explain what it is about this pattern, but I became absolutely enthralled with it. Maybe it's the perfect combination of gloriously wonderful garter stitch with an elegantly simple crochet edging; perhaps it's the no-thinking-required aspect of the pattern - I wound up not putting it down and completed it in about four days (record speed for me). 

Or maybe, just maybe, it's been the genuine respect shown me by a fellow designer half-way around the world, at a time when I sorely needed a show of professional respect, that's made this shawl such a breath of fresh air. I've recently experienced a doozie of a professional blow and I have remained rather silent about it. Nevertheless, I had been feeling a fair amount of anger and disappointment, but I continued forward with my plans because I believe in myself. That's cold comfort, though, when you're in the middle of it. 

And then, along came Gabes (tweeting @Sweetpknits) and her ditty of a shawl and turned my thinking right 'round. Like a perfectly stitched record, if you will. Along the way, she's been nothing but gracious and complimentary, and it's made All.The.Difference. This is the season of giving thanks, and so I sincerely thank her for her kindness and open appreciation. Far beyond the counting of dollars and cents is how we make each other feel; that's what we'll remember. So it brings me great joy to show off my version of Gabe's Lucie Shawlette:

Speaking of good things, it is rare to see Mt. Rainier in any horizon shot in the Pacific Northwest fall and winter, yet it made a guest appearance for this photo shoot (check out the above left background). It guilded the lily rather nicely: what a great pairing of pattern and fiber, don't you think?

Even though these two fibers are (I think) discontinued, they played well together: Laines du Nord Prancer for the main body of the shawl and Noro Cash Iroha for the edging. I worked this up on U.S. 10 1/2" circular needles (6.5 mm) and a U.S. H hook (5.00 mm) for the edging, which is smaller than called for in the pattern. I also made my shawlette more akin to a shawl by using about 147 grams of yarn for the body and approximately 44 grams on the edging, for a grand poobah total of 366 fibery yards.

I cannot tell you how much I love this shawl. It's super warm and the perfect thing to throw over the shoulders or double up around the neck. Make one for yourself, and you'll see exactly what I mean.

Now, in keeping with the spirit of design/er giving during this gift-along (which, again, runs straight through the end of the year), I've had the pleasure of interviewing and getting to know Ella Austin, a/k/a Bombella Knits. Here's a designer after my own color-filled heart - her claim to fame is stranded color work and she has a love of Karie Westermann shawl designs. Without further ado, I present:

The Artfully Voie de Vie Questionnaire

with knit designer Ella Austin

Ella Austin. Photo used with designer's kind permission.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background before you started to design knit garments and accessories?

Just before I started designing I was a stay at home mum and breastfeeding helper. Before that I worked in admin and IT for a charity in London and before that I studied sociology and classical studies at Reading University. But I’ve always loved art and design and I’ve always been an avid knitter -ever since I was a child.

When was the moment you knew you wanted to become a knit designer?

Although I’d knit for all my life I had never really tried to push myself as a knitter until I met the Reading-based Outcasts knitting group about seven years ago. Then soon after Ravelry came along and inspired me further. I started to have ideas for things I wanted to knit and so I started experimenting… and found that I loved it!

Please describe your personal knit design philosophy?

I love stranded colourwork so I tend to think in terms of colour, line and pattern. I mostly design small, colourful knits that I consider to be fun!

What is your greatest knit (or design) memory?

It’s hard to pick a single moment because knit design involves a lot of gradual development of ideas. I’m most proud of my knitting kits and I hope to continually improve and develop them. For a single moment memory, I was very excited when one of my early designs was commissioned by Knit Now magazine.

If you could have dinner with any three designers, dead or alive, who would they be, and why?

This is a hard question. Most of my old knitting group the Outcasts have done at least a design or two so I’d pick a bunch of them!

Throw or pick?

Throw. I’m a very slow knitter!

It’s your last object to design (or make). What is it, and what fiber do you use?

There’s so much I want to knit, it’s too sad to think of a last thing! One thing I’ve been wanting to do for ages but haven’t done yet is a small woodland creature in Skein Queen Blush 80% merino 20% cashmere.

What trait do you most admire in designers?

Diversity. I admire designers who can do all sorts of things with all different techniques. I also love a good cardigan so a designer that does a good cardigan has my respect!

What trait do you most detest in designers?

Detest is such a strong word! I don’t like snobbery in knitting whether it’s ‘I only use x yarn’ or ‘I’d never knit y type of object’.

You are recommending a design gift in response to a friend’s inquiry. Other than your own designs (which, as everyone knows, are quite beautiful!), what would you recommend?

Suzanne Stallard’s colourwork mitts (especially the Alfredos) or a Karie Westermann shawl.

All right everyone - now head on over to Andrea's at Wisdom Begins in Wonder to see how everyone else is interacting with the gift-a-long. As for me, I'm officially blogged out ... for the moment. 

Stay tuned ...