Hello!!! It's that time again! If you want to see some BEAUTIFUL knitted items, go take a peek at KathrynIvy
You will NOT be disappointed!!!
This weeks Blog Spotlight is:
S I X O N E S E V E N
MY GOODNESS! I had not even HEARD of this blog until yesterday!!! Thanks to Rangsiwan for the heads up! :-)
Ok...you can read now! LOL
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How did you come up with your blog name?
Alice: Our blog name is a combination of my middle name,
Kathryn, and Grace's middle name, Ivy. We threw around lots of
different names before we landed on Kathryn Ivy!
How do you enjoy blogging with your sister?
Alice:
I love it. I always thought it was cool when we shared a love for
knitting, but now it's even better doing the blogging part together as
well. Grace has great taste and it's always helpful to hear her
opinions and advice as well.
Grace: Alice is an awesome knitter and I always love seeing
what she comes up with next! A lot of times we help each other pick out
the pictures to use for each post or help come up with post titles for
each other. We had a great relationship before we started blogging, but
creating and running the site has brought us even closer despite our
living 2,000 miles apart.
How long have you been knitting?
Alice: I started
knitting in January of 2006 when I got the Stitch N Bitch handbook and
some knitting supplies for Christmas. I guess it's been two years now,
wow!
Grace: I started knitting one month after Alice, so for almost two years also.
Who taught you to knit?
Alice: I taught myself from
the Stitch N Bitch book as well as KnittingHelp.com. I knew that with
a 1 year old at the time I'd never be able to get out to take a lesson
somewhere so I was very determined!
Grace: Alice taught me to knit when I was visiting her on
vacation. Now I realize how impressive that was since she had only been
knitting for one month at the time! She gave me some yarn and needles,
taught me all the basic stitches and techniques, and I haven't stopped
knitting since.
Who do you mainly knit for?
Alice: I love knitting for my daughter Camdyn. I've made her lots of toys and. hats. Kids things are so fun and quick to knit!
Grace:
About 50% of my knitting is for myself, and the other 50% I give away
as gifts to my friends and family. I am really fortunate to know so
many people who appreciate handknit gifts, so it is a real joy to knit
for them.
What has been your favorite project to date?
Alice:
It is so hard to say. I was very proud of how my Bird in Hand mittens
turned out though. I feel like an accomplished knitter when I see
those.
Grace: I have so many favorites, how can I
choose?! I guess if I had to pick I'd say either the horned owl I just
knit or the Shetland Triangle I made as my first lace project.
What project have you started and never finished?
Alice:
There are a few tucked away in places, though most of them have been
frogged. There is a little top-down sweater I started over a year ago
that is awaiting it's second sleeve. There's no way it will fit Camdyn
now so if I ever finish it it will have to go to my niece.
Grace: It makes me cringe just to think about it, but I
haven't touched my poor Icarus shawl what seems like forever.
Everything was going swimmingly and I was about to the border charts
when I noticed a mistake I had made about 20 rows back. That will teach
me to knit lace without a lifeline! I've made some progress ripping
back to that point, but I can only work on it a little at a time before
getting too frustrated.
What is your favorite type of knit (socks, toys, mittens :-) etc..?
Alice:
Lately I've been on a real mitten kick. I'm a real quick knit kind of
girl so I love things that fly off the needles. Before mittens it was
toys. I just think you can never have enough toys around!
Grace: I'd have to say that I am a real sucker for
knitting toys. They're so fun to knit and can also be a real challenge
at the same time! A good toy pattern can test all of your knitting
skills, and like Alice said, you can never have too many.
What is your favorite yarn?
Alice: This is such a
hard question! There are so many yarns I've yet to use but so far I
really love Malabrigo. You don't know soft until you've knit with
Malabrigo.
Grace: I'd have to pick Cascade 220 or Brown Sheep Lamb's
Pride Worsted, but I am basically in love with all worsted weight
wools. They're just so useful to have around!
What needles do you use?
Alice: I knit mostly on my Denise Interchangeable needles.
They're really versatile though some time I find the thick cords a bit
cumbersome. I love Clover Bamboo DPNs. I use those for all my small
diameter knitting.
Grace: I also use Denise Interchangeable needles but lately
have been doing most of my knitting on some generic brand bamboo DPNs I
bought on ebay. I'd love to save some money and invest in a set of nice
Clover or Crystal Palace DPNs.
How do you store your yarn?
Alice: A combination of
canvas storage boxes and Ziploc XXL Big Bags. There's a lot of it. I
think it's time to consider Space Bags to store it all in.
Grace:
At the moment my apartment looks like a yarn store exploded all
over it. I basically store yarn wherever I can find the space! I used
to just have a few Ziploc Big Bags, but now am also using floral print
cardboard storage boxes and have a sideboard dedicated to yarn and
fabric storage.
Do you have a favorite knitting technique?
Alice: I
love stranded knitting! I can't get enough of it. Working with two
colors and with charts really keeps the knitting interesting.
Grace:
At the moment I'm really loving textured knitting with cables and bobbles.
Is there a technique you do NOT like and that doesn't work for you?
Alice:
I tried lace once and it didn't work for me. I think I'll attempt it
again with thicker yarn someday. It just felt so awkward!
Grace: I tried double knitting once and just never got the hang of it. I am definitely going to try again this year though!
How often do you add things to your esty shop?
Alice:
Right now our shop only has our Hawkeye and Kiddie Cadet hat patterns.
We plan on designing some more patterns for our shop this year.
Grace: We have so many ideas, it is just a matter of
sitting down and testing them all out. As well as designing some
patterns to sell, we'll also post free ones on our blog too.
How did you get into pattern design?
Alice: It just kind of happened. I always find myself
modifying patterns or wishing for a pattern that doesn't exist so it
just makes sense to come up with it on your own!
Grace: I
started dabbling in designing as soon as I started knitting. I was
experimenting with how different stitches would work, and basically
came up with the design for the Simply Seamless Pouch. Since then,
designing has often been a response to a random skein of yarn that I
have no clue what to do with.
My favorite design is the Marc Jacobs Inspired Scarf. What is your favorite design?
Alice:
Hmmm, maybe the Kiddie Cadet Hat? I've never seen a child's hat like
it. Camdyn always gets tons of compliments when she is wearing her
Kiddie Cadets!
Grace: Even though I don't have any children, I love the
Kiddie Cadet too! It knits up so quick and doesn't take a lot of yarn
either. My other favorite would have to Myriads of Mushrooms for the
same reasons. It is a great pattern for beginners, and they're just so
cute!
I love that you have reviews on your site. Are your reviews based on requests, or just products that you have used?
Alice: Our reviews are basically items we've used enough to be comfortable reviewing them.
Grace: That is one part of the site which I feel has been
kind of neglected. I have made a resolution this year to post some more
reviews of yarns and possibly books.
What season most inspires you?
Alice: Hmmm, I think Fall and Spring probably. I love that I can sit outside and knit!
Grace: The cold Boston Winters really inspire me to knit
hats and mittens, but I'm with Alice on this one. Fall and Spring top
them with their beautiful colors and perfect temperatures!
Where do you get your inspiration?
Alice: I love looking through magazines like Lucky for the
style trends. Also there are some knitting blogs I always know can
inspire me, as well as Flickr and Ravelry.
Grace: Seeing
other peoples work always inspires me to create, so I usually turn to
Flickr or blogs for motivation. I also get a lot of inspiration from
designer clothing and nature.
Do you have any books that you always go back to?
Alice:
Hmmm, I have a stitch pattern dictionary that I love but for a good
read I pick up The Opinionated Knitter, a book of Elizabeth Zimmerman
newsletters. There's lots of priceless information in there that you
can apply to any pattern, not just EZ ones!
Grace: It seems like I am always picking up Handknit
Holidays or Victorian Lace Today. I love the patterns in both of the
books, and the photography in Victorian Lace Today is gorgeous.
The pictures of your FO's always look wonderful. What type of camera do you use?
Alice: My camera is a 4 year old Nikon Coolpix 3200. It's
still holding up after all this time! I love the Picasa photo editing
program--it definitely helps with making my photos look better.
Grace:
I use my husband's Pentax *ist DS and love it! Although I am still
learning how to use it, I've had lots of fun playing around with
different lenses and settings. If you're in the market for a digital
SLR definitely consider this camera.
What are some of your favorite blogs/websites?
Alice:
I love reading HelloYarn and seeing everything Adrian creates. She is
so talented! Some of my other favorites are Anny Purls, Oiyi's Crafts,
and Lolly Knitting Around , though it's hard just to name a few. There
are tons of great blogs out there.
Grace: Oh Alice named some of my favorites too! I really
like reading Yarn Abuse, Very Pink, Octopus Knitting, and so many more
that I couldn't name them all!
Thanks ladies for taking time out to answer a few questions!!!! I hope you all have a wonderful day!
Toodles!
Isn't that sixoneseven great? I found her on Ravelry a couple of weeks ago. I'm knitting the baby kimonos after being inspired by pics of hers. She does beautiful knitting and takes awesome photos, too.
Posted by: sappmama | January 16, 2008 at 03:32 AM
I agree it's full of inspiration and very nice. Thanx for sharing!
Posted by: Berry | January 16, 2008 at 04:19 AM
FABULOU interview! I liked that they were no elusive and so open! Thanks for introducing me to the sisters! :oD
Posted by: Stacey_CrimsonPurl | January 16, 2008 at 05:51 AM
Gosh! where have I been. Loved the knitting site. So wish I could do that but knitting hurts my fingers after awhile. Loved the card - especially the stamp! And the home phone - that will keep me giggling all day (thanks) Still working on my scrap room - hope to unveil soon!
Have a great day!!!!
ps. All these great interviews Are you getting you resume ready for say "Chief Editor" maybe :)
Posted by: karen | January 16, 2008 at 08:15 AM
Great interview, and thanks for the blog info - I hadn't known about this one!
Posted by: robin | January 16, 2008 at 10:32 AM
WHY are you doing this to me....you are slowly and surely converting me into knit-ism! Holy Mac...We are going to have to get together and spin some creative magic on eachother. Girl you are soooo wrong for this LOL!!!!
Chat soon,
-Karla
Posted by: Karla | January 17, 2008 at 09:41 AM
Okay, I don't knit and actually have no desire to knit. But I love that blog. So pretty.
Posted by: Renee | January 17, 2008 at 02:45 PM
just me saying hi girlie :)
hugs to you!
Posted by: Tawnya | January 17, 2008 at 07:19 PM
Wow! Two sisters sharing a blog! They are VERY talented, that I can tell! Great interview!
Posted by: Tany | January 19, 2008 at 04:13 AM
That was GREAT. You did NOT disappoint. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Jeanine | January 20, 2008 at 08:07 PM
I enjoyed the interview. sixoneseven is a great blog. She always takes great pictures of her knits too.
Posted by: Wanda | January 21, 2008 at 01:03 PM
Just wanted to say that I really enjoyed this interview. Looking forward to the next one.
Posted by: Phyllis T. | January 23, 2008 at 06:14 PM