February Interview: Linda Permann

To start this blog post off, I'd like to say that my knitting goals in life are as follows:

1. Start my own yarn store.
2. Interview Linda Permann.
3. Meet Anna Hrachovec
3. Crochet a snake.

And today, I can cross number 2 off the list! I've been given the honor of interviewing my favorite crochet designer, Linda Permann. Linda has multiple designs in the magazine, Crochet Today! and other magazines. She has also written two crochet books, Crochet Adorned and Little Crochet. Now for the interview!

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(Click on each picture to view the Ravelry page)

Me: Thanks so much for being here! How long have you known how to crochet, and how did you learn?

Linda: I've been crocheting for over 10 years. I learned as a kid, but nothing past chains, and I started again after college. I taught myself from a free pamphlet I got at a knit-out. It took me a long time to teach myself!

Peanut Butter

Me: Do you ever have more than one project going on at the same time, or just one at a time?

Linda: I often have more than one project going on at a time, but I try to really focus on only one at a time and then when I know where I'm going with it I'll start another. I'd say I generally have 3-5 projects going at any given time and I really like to finish things. I might have a total of 2 UFOs in my stash right now, I don't like that stuff lingering around!

Soft Owl Pillow

Me: What's your favorite yarn to use?

Linda: I have so many favorites! I've been doing a lot of designing with Malabrigo lately and that stuff is heavenly. I'm a bug fan of sock, DK, and sport weight yarns for crochet, and I'm a sucker for anything hand-dyed. MadelineTosh Sock is another favorite of mine, and I always go to Brown Sheep when I want to make something sturdy and colorful that holds it shape.

Birdie Mobile

Me: What's your favorite (okay, maybe top three) thing you've made?

Linda: Some of my favorite things that I've crocheted and designed are my Peanut Butter Cardigan, Stellar Beret, and Thunderstorm Bag. My favorite crocheted thing that I didn't design is my Garden Path Shawl designed by LilyGo. I really took the time to get it right and it was worth it!

Raspberry Beret

Me: You have a lot of designs in the magazine "Crochet Today!" How long have you been designing for them?

Linda: I've been designing for them pretty much since Day 1. I used to work at Soho Publishing, which launched the magazine, and at the time there weren't a lot of people designing for crochet. They knew I could crochet and asked if I would write patterns for the things I made, so I did! And now here we are!

Hooded Capelet

Me: How many WIP's do you have going on right now?

Linda: I have 3 things on the blocking mat that just need finishing/tweaking, one thing I'm crocheting on, one I need to finish the pattern for, and 2 just-for-fun-don't-care-when-I-finish scarves. So, 7?

Crafty Disguises

Me: Do you have a favorite technique to use?

Linda: I like bobbles and post stitches. I like to create textures and cables in crochet, and I like to burst the myth that crochet is limited or lesser-than as a craft. 

Stellar

Me: What's your most favorite thing to crochet?

Linda: Hats. I love hats- they only take a skein of yarn, they are worked in the round (which means the right side is always facing you- making cabled designs easy to get a grasp on), and it's okay to have fun with a hat.

Ribbed Cardigan

Me: Do you have a favorite crochet book, or website?

Linda: I'm partial to the two I've written, Crochet Adorned and Little Crochet. ;) My hands-down all time favorite book is Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Crochet. While not all of the projects are my speen, it was the first book I found with a lot of useful beginner info and diagrams to accompany the stitch dictionary. I love that. I also love looking at Japanese crochet books for design inspiration, I think with diagrams, they can make more complex designs that can't easily be explained in words.

Pill(ow) Popper

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Well, that's the interview! Thanks again Linda. Check out Linda's blog, Lindamade, and more awesome projects here.

And now for a giveaway! Linda has kindly offered a Ravelry coupon code for the winner to pick out one of her patterns, so comment below to enter. The giveaway will start today, February 21, and continue through February 28, when I announce the winner.

Abby

Cheezombie Interview

I'm thinking about interviewing a designer every month. :) Let's see how long it'll last though.

I've recently asked a fellow designer, Cheezombie, if I could interview her on my blog. She said yes, so here it is! Cheezombie has some adorable (and even squee-dorable) amigurumi designs ranging from manta rays to veggies. And at the end, there's a giveaway! Info at the bottom. 

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(Click on each picture to view pattern page)

Me: Thanks for being here! How long have you known to knit and how did you learn?

CZ: Thank for having me :D I learned to knit about 10 years ago from a "Knitting for Dummies" book.

Cheezombie 2012 (c)

Me: What's your favorite yarn to use?

CZ: My absolute fave is hand dyed yarn I get from Aspen Moon Arts, but I'm a sucker for anything fuzzy or multi-colored too. 

Cheezombie 2012 (c)

Me: Do you have any other hobbies besides knitting?

CZ: Graphic novels (aka comic books). You never outgrow books with pictures.

Cheezombie 2012 (c)

Me: How many projects are you working on right now? 

CZ: I have a half finished Calavera Skull wall hanging, a third of a wonderful double knit rainbow scarf, parts of several fuzzy lobsters, and a few other things I can't think of right now. I always seem to be knee deep in UFO's! 

Cheezombie 2012 (c)

Me: Amigurumi seems to be your favorite thing to knit, but are there any other things you enjoy making?

CZ: I love trying new types of projects that use a new skill. Like right now I'm way into double knitting. I'm using DK techniques and following charts, both of which I've never really done before. 

Also, illusion knitting is awesome! It's so incredible how just some strategically placed purls cane make a hidden image! I just did a baby blanket that has a teddy bear on it if you look at it from an angle.

Cheezombie 2012 (c)

Me: What's your inspiration for your designs?

CZ: Cartoons. Caffeine. An overbundance of adorable pets. Spending waaay too much time on sites like lolcats and funnyjunk. Cake. Random images found while doing a completely unrelated Google search. 

Cheezombie 2012 (c)

Me: What's your favorite (okay, maybe top three) things you've knitted?

CZ: It's impossible to say, without risking a total plushie revolt at my house... (But Jumpy Jerboa just kills me with cute! Shhhh!)

Cheezombie 2012 (c)

Me: Do you think you'll take your knitting any farther in the future? Such as book, yarn, etc?

CZ: I would really like to create a hydrothermal vent soft sculpture covered in all the little (and big) critters that live there. It's so fascinating how so much life can thrive in the intense conditions. So I need to knit tube worms, furry lobsters, brittle stars, glass shrimp, snails...

Cheezombie 2012 (c) 

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Well, that's the interview! Thank you Cheezombie! Haha, I love where she gets her inspiration. :)  I realized that some of the questions are the same as another interview I saw. Oops. Also, check out the Slug Love group on Ravelry.

Now for the giveaway! Comment below saying what you love about Cheezombie's patterns. I love their eyes! On Saturday the 21st, I'll randomly select a winner, and they will get a coupon code to pick a pattern from Cheezombie's store!