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.
Christine Guest (ChristineGuest on Ravelry)
If you could only knit/crochet one item type of item, what would it be?
I like making sweaters, even though there are two sleeves. I love playing with construction methods – the Attleboro Sweater starts with a strip from wrist to waist through the underarm and builds to the waist. I wanted to avoid stair step seams at the armhole through the raglan increases. The four seams at the body are all straight lines. The yoke is not, but design can’t all be easy if it’s going to fit around a human.
What is your favorite workhorse yarn?
Quince and Company Lark. My latest version of the Herringbone Scarf is made in it, though I have to remember to mail it to my sister-in-law for photos.
Which of your patterns make for really great gift knitting?
Holly Mittens– a small project that is completely NOT boring. If puzzles keep the brain fit, this should count as mental exercise. Not that it’s really hard, I just needed lots of different increases and decreases to get the fabric I wanted.
Tin-of Tans-I’m told a fast crocheter can make a set in an evening, it takes me more like two, then the gift is good for introducing mathematics, Chinese culture, geometric thinking, and the idea that children should quite while their adult is making diner.
Herringbone Scarf– This one is a good rhythmic knit once the bias shaping kicks in. Three of the men in my family wear these scarves, and my son asked for one this year. The women like them too. I can’t say that about anything else I’ve ever designed.
