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Interview of the month - March 2008
Kaisa a.k.a. kaisakaisa
How long have you been knitting?
I learned to knit about twenty years ago. A couple of years back I found the wonderful world that is the internet knitting community. At that point my knitting evolved from knitting a hat once a year to what it's now, my favorite hobby.
Who taught you?
I learned to knit and crochet as a child. My grandmothers from both sides and my mom took part in teaching me to knit. They all are knitters. I was also taught knitting in elementary school. In Finland children get to choose between textile handcrafts and wood handcrafts in school. For a shorter period of time, they also swap classes, and have a go at the other craft. Everyone who chooses textiles, learns to knit. I think it's great that so many Finns get to learn the basic knitting skills as a child.
Do you have a favorite technique?
I can't single out any technique. I'm still learning all the different techniques (and oh boy, there are many). I think my favorite thing is to do something where I get to learn new skills. So far I've tried stranded color work, cables, lace and dropped stitches to name a few. Recently I learned a new fiber technique, called nalbinding (or nålbindning in Swedish and neulakinnas in Finnish). I would like to try two end knitting and intarsia and also learn to crochet better.
Which material do you prefer?
I prefer natural materials, mostly wool. I really like tweedy yarns and colors are very important when I pick my yarns. I love the subtle colors of natural dyed yarns, and have been experimenting with some mushroom and plant dyes myself.
What inspires you?
The knitting process itself, I'm definitely a process knitter. Other great sources for inspiration are blogs, Ravelry, Flickr groups, books, magazines and different yarns. I could make this list really long. However, the most important sources for new ideas are the experience of making knitted fabric that looks and feels different every time, and the constant stream of information and images online.
Tell us about something you've knit that you're really satisfied
with! (A picture of said thing would be lovely, and if you want to tell
us about more than one thing, that's fine too!)
A recent finished object, that I'm really happy with is the Brea bag from the Berocco website. I had been eyeing the pattern for a while and when the yarn (Debbie Bliss Donegal chunky tweed) arrived at my LYS, I knew it would be perfect for this pattern. I added a zipper and lined the bag with cotton. The strap is a trifted leather belt, that was tacked to the d-loops on the bag at a shoe repair shop. I really like the end result, and most importantly - I use the bag all the time. This project made me a very happy knitter.
What does knitting mean to you?
At different times, knitting means different things to me. Sometimes it just keeps me busy, when I'm on a train or waiting for someone. I knit to relax when I feel stressed out. I use knitting as a creative outlet. It feels nice to be good at something and to learn new skills. Knitting makes me happy and it's great to have something to go to, that never ceases to inspire me.
Do you knit together with others on a regular basis?
We do have a crafts group with my friends, but everybody's been so busy lately that our meetings have been scarce. I think it's a great concept: we get to meet up with friends, eat good food, chat knitting and talk about life in general. But I do talk about knitting with anyone who bothers to listen to me:) The photo of me was taken at a friend's place recently, where we spent one Saturday night eating, knitting, sitting by the fire place and watching blaxploitation movies.
Do you work with knitting in any way, or is it a hobby only?
It's just my hobby. I'm studying to become a pharmacist. I used to study genetics and wanted to have a career in research. I decided to change my future plans, because I wanted to have more time for my hobbies and social life. Academic research is very demanding and free time can be a rare luxury. I will graduate in 2009 and start working as a pharmacist. I think this job and the knitting balance each other nicely.
Do you have a website and/or blog?
http://kaisakaisa.blogspot.com
If you want to contact me, I'm kaisakaisa on Ravelry and my e-mail address is kanerva at animail dot net
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