Monthly Archives: November 2014

Hi all! As part of the Indie Designer GAL we get to interview other designers, often new to us. For this installment, I got to interview Susanne Visch, LaVisch on Ravelry.

Steph: Hi Susanne!  Thank you for being an interviewee. What are your favorite items to knit for gifts?

Susanne: I must admit I’m not much of a gift knitter… Certainly I have made knit and crochet gifts in the past, but while well received, haven’t seen much or any use as far as I can tell. My husband must be the worst offender: I made him a pair of slipper socks when he was complaining about not having warm slippers to wear. This must have been my second pair of socks ever. The only time he had them on was when I made him for my project page picture.

I guess I’m firmly in the selfish knitter camp. Two notable exceptions are my children: they are very knit worthy and are regularly recipients of hats, scarves and cardigans.

Which of your patterns are great for gifts?

That really depends… For newborn babies my favorite is the Sweet as Pi baby cardigan, which can be made less geeky by using the sheep or rabbit picture instead of the Pi symbol. Most of my friends really appreciate the Pi though.

I like the Pi symbol too! What other patterns do you recommend?

The IJskristal Slouchy Hat makes a lovely gift as well and is relatively fast to knit up.

My personal favorite, however,  is the Moerbei shawlette: it can be used for dressing up or down, can be worn as a scarf or more shawl-like. That color! That texture! A touch of lace too!  When I bought that yarn I had a vision of what it should become. I worked on the design and sample when on holiday in France and it came out exactly as I envisioned. I so love it when things work out like that.

Which are most popular?

My most popular pattern is without a doubt the Handspun Delight. The big blue green one in the pattern pictures is also, hands down, my favorite go-to shawl when I just want to get warm and cozy. It is extra special for me, because I made it with various different skeins of my own handspun yarn.

Which do you think are great but overlooked?

The Gladiool Hat & Cowl Set! Almost everybody has one or more skeins of multi-colored heavy weight yarn that are just hard to find the right pattern for. That is specifically the type of yarn for which these patterns were designed. These patterns are relatively new though, so it is very well possible that the folks having yarn like this stashed somewhere in the back of their closet haven’t found it yet.

Any new designs for the GAL?

Certainly! I have just released the Zoel Hat and the matching Zoel scarf is currently in testing. I also just opened up the test for the IJskristal Convertible Scarf/Cowl, that matches the IJskristal hat. Both will probably be released somewhere mid-December.

I would also like to add, that people are always welcome in my group (La Visch Designs) for questions and fun.

Thank  you Susanne!

Hi all! As part of the Indie Designer GAL we get to interview other designers, often new to us. For this installment, I got to interview Sarah Sundermeyer, KnittingSarahS on Ravelry.

Steph: Hi Sarah!  Thank you for participating in the GAL.  What are your favorite items to knit for gifts?

Cowls are the most satisfactory to me, because of their versatility and their lightweight warmth for the winter months. They’re the perfect gift because they are quick and often only take one or two skeins of yarn. Plus, they don’t require and measurements from your recipient, so your gift can stay a surprise!

I love cowls for gifts too. Which of your patterns are great for gifts? Which are most popular? Which do you think are great but overlooked?

All of my designs are quick but elegant accessories, therefore making them easily giftable! Each of my patterns are knit up in less than five hours, and take just one skein of yarn each.

My most popular pattern is the Sorrento Cowl, a super bulky cowl that uses wraps and cables to create an appealing ‘woven’ pattern. I’ve loved seeing how the cowl comes out when knitters use different yarns, as it knits up differently every time. Personally, I love wearing my Bougainvillea Cowl, because of its easy simplicity and the fabric’s natural drape.

Any new designs for the GAL? if not, anything in the works you can tell us about?

I snuck in the release of the Alhambra Cowl, a cozy cowl with an intriguing ‘lattice’ cable pattern, just before the GAL began in order to include it in the sale. It’s a release I was very excited about, and I’m happy that the GAL has been able to get some attention onto it.

I’m lucky enough to be able to take a month or so off designing in order to enjoy being a participant in the GAL. This means that I most likely won’t get another pattern out before the end of the GAL, but I’m excited to be able to spend a whole month knitting all of the patterns that have been piling up in my queue!

Aww, what a cute retriever (check out in the pics below!). And you are lucky to be able to participate in the GAL!  (I have three patterns I have to get finished and written up before Christmas, lol.)  Thank you, Sarah.