As part of the Indie designer Gift-A-Long, I am interviewing Indie designers about their favorite knitting and crochet projects, yarns, and gift knitting.
Lindsay Lewchuk of Eco Chic Knits (EcoChicKnits on Ravelry)
If you could only knit/crochet one item type of item, what would it be?
Cowls – I love the design process and I find that cowls provide that perfect match between knit time and design time. Even though I enjoy knitting garments and shawls, I find I fill a notebook with more designs than I can publish in the month it takes me to finish knitting the one design I started out to knit. Moving into my publishing future, I will be expanding beyond cowls. However, I will always return to cowls in the end. I even find them a great place to test knit complex design patterns that I want to apply to larger garments, so you may see a few cross overs in the future too.
What is your favorite workhorse yarn?
Just 2? That’s really tough. I have about 5 I cycle through.
I absolutely love Americo Originals natural fiber based yarns (pretty much all of them)- all of their yarns are also socially responsible. Unfortunately it is currently only available in Canada and by mail order, so I’m looking for a US based new workhorse yarn. The Lake Breeze Tank is in this yarn.
For a US workhorse, Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cottons are a favorite. I love the vibrant colors and soft textures. The Southern Christmas Cowl is in this yarn.
Which of your patterns make for really great gift knitting?
As posted above Southern Christmas Cowl makes for a great gift knitting- it combines beads, cables, and 1 skein of organic cotton yarn. The skinny cotton is perfect for southern climes where you want style without bulk. The undyed yarn and gold glass bead accents add festivity to the design. The large falling snowflakes motif makes you feel the season in theory while the cowl protects you from actually feeling the cold nip of the season.
The City Girl Collection (City Girl Cowl and Northern City Girl Cowl) is another great gift knitting set. The beaded tendrils are very addictive. Most people who make one have ended up making multiples. Change the yarn and bead colors and you have a gift as unique as the person receiving it. These pleasurable knits are just 1 skein each and come with four you tube video tutorials for anyone new to tendrils and making your own buttons from left over yarn.
