Indie Designer Gift Along 2013 Series: Maureen Foulds Interview with Giveaway!

First is first, we have a great giveaway for my viewers! Maureen is going to give a free copy of (winner gets to choose) of her own designs! May I just say, that I own 3, and I keep finding cute patterns! I want them all, they are so well written! You can tell she spends so much time on her patterns! At the end of this blog post, there will be a way to enter! Please put a way she can contact you, preferably ravelry ID.

Here are all the questions I asked her, and her responses! All answers are so thorough!

Maureen has a new sock pattern, and I am so happy that she gifted it to me, I was going to buy it that night! Here is a photo of her new sock pattern!

Pattern Page: And Then There Were None

What made you want to start designing knitwear?
It was a combination of several things, actually. I’m always pushing myself to learn new skills. So once I got comfortable with all sorts of knitting techniques, the natural step was starting to create my own designs.

I had this skein of stunning Handmaiden Casbah sock yarn and wanted to find the perfect sock pattern to showcase the yarn. I had some Barbara Walker “Treasury of Knitting” stitch dictionaries and found the perfect cables. So I turned it into a sock pattern (Trellis and Coin socks).

I also thought designing would help motivate me to reduce my ridiculous sock stash. It hasn’t - I keep discovering new indie dyers.

Where do you get your inspiration for your patterns?
Inspiration can come from anywhere: a photo, a word, a color, a mood. You just have to keep an open mind.

Sometimes I start with one of the many wonderful stitch dictionaries that are out there. I flip through them and take note of what catches my eye. This can change based on mood and season. Then I try to imagine what item that stitch would suit (socks, mitts, hat, shawl).

Sometimes I start with a ‘theme’ like nature, lace, or Spring. Then I start looking through the stitch dictionaries for something that embodies that theme and start playing with it.

Recently I was asked by an indie dyer to design some fingerless mitts for her upcoming yarn club based on Tolkien. She gave me the theme and color, so I started with Google image searches and Wikipedia to learn all I could. Then I started sketching ideas and finding ways to bring those ideas to life.

Sometimes it’s the yarn itself that suggests something, either the color or shine, or whether it is better suited to cables, lace or geometric shapes.

What do you hope to accomplish with the Indie Designer Gift-along?
I initially joined in with the hope of gaining exposure across a wider audience. As an indie designer it’s hard to build up a following and get your name out there.

But I’ve gained so much more than I ever expected. I’ve found new designers to follow and been inspired by their patterns and talent. I’ve had so much fun interacting with people in the different KAL threads and seeing their color choices.

And from a business perspective, I’ve learned so much by working and talking with the other designers behind the scenes to make the GAL happen. The whole experience has helped me define where I want to be over the next year or two.

How did you start knitting?
My local library was offering a free 6 week “learn to knit” class, geared mostly at teens. As a new mom with an 18 month old, I was desperate to get out of the house for an hour or so each week for some me time. I didn’t think I’d enjoy knitting, but the class was free and 5 minutes away from home. We learned to make a baby hat, knit flat and then seamed up.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Who are some new interesting designers you have found during the Giftalong?
There are so many - I know I’ll miss someone! Ambah, Alex Tinsley, Georgie Hallam, Rose City Knits, Ravenknits, Bonnie Sennot. The list keeps growing!

So, now I know everybody is waiting for!

How to enter the giveaway:
Go to Maureen Foulds Ravelry Store (here) and tell me what your favorite pattern of hers is, the one you would want to win in the giveaway. One post per person. The giveaway will be until December 5th, so enter fast!