Let's learn a little about KathrynIvy!

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!

Comments

[sappmama]

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.

[Berry]

I agree it's full of inspiration and very nice. Thanx for sharing!

[Stacey_CrimsonPurl]

FABULOU interview! I liked that they were no elusive and so open! Thanks for introducing me to the sisters! :oD

[karen]

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 :)

[robin]

Great interview, and thanks for the blog info - I hadn't known about this one!

[Karla]

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

[Renee]

Okay, I don't knit and actually have no desire to knit. But I love that blog. So pretty.

[Tawnya]

just me saying hi girlie :)
hugs to you!

[Tany]

Wow! Two sisters sharing a blog! They are VERY talented, that I can tell! Great interview!

[Jeanine]

That was GREAT. You did NOT disappoint. Thanks for sharing.

[Wanda]

I enjoyed the interview. sixoneseven is a great blog. She always takes great pictures of her knits too.

[Phyllis T.]

Just wanted to say that I really enjoyed this interview. Looking forward to the next one.