Designer Interview: Jen Lucas

As part of the 2014 Gift-A-Long we received random assignments to promote other fellow designers on social media. I was lucky enough to get the fabulous designer, Jen Lucas. And to my surprise she's local to me here in the Chicagoland area. I can see us doing coffee sometime soon to talk shop;)

What amazes me is that Jen has been in my Ravelry Friends list for a while now and I'm just now getting the connection between her long list of awesome designs and the same person who is in my list!! Have you see her collection of designs? WOW, her extensive collection makes my mind dizzy! It must have been a challenge for her to choose just 20 to run in the GAL bundle.

Go HERE to see her discounted GAL bundle. Remember coupon code: giftalong2014

Without further adieu, here is our interview:

How long have you been knitting? Who taught you?

 

I taught myself to knit about 10 years ago. My friend and I decided that we wanted to learn to knit. She bought me some needles and yarn for my birthday and I bought one of those “Learn to Knit” booklets at the craft store and the rest is history! Once I knew what I was doing I taught that friend how to knit, but it didn’t stick with her like it did with me.
 

What got you started designing?

 

From the beginning I was doing my own thing with knitting, never really following a pattern. In 2009 or so, Stefanie Japel offered an online course on her website called “Design Your Own Shawl.” I signed up and was completely hooked on shawl designing. Shawls are definitely my favorite thing to knit and design.

Where do you get your inspiration?

 

I’m so jealous of designers who can look at a flower and decide they are going to make a shawl that looks like that flower. I don’t really work that way. Typically I know the shawl shape or type of accessory I want to knit/design and then I hit up my stitch dictionaries until inspiration strikes. I love taking patterns from stitch dictionaries and changing them up a bit.

 

What design or moment are you most proud of?

 

I am definitely most proud of my first book, Sock-Yarn Shawls. I had this crazy idea in my head that I wanted to have an actual published knitting book and the fact that I achieved that goal is still sort of mind-blowing to me. I will never ever forget the moment when the advanced copy of the book arrived at my front door. There was an embarrassing amount of screaming, jumping up and down and happy tears.  

 

What is your favorite yarn?

Tough question – because it’s always changing. I’m a total sucker for the fingering weight yarns that have cashmere or silk in them. I love Hazel Knits Divine and Twisted Fiber Art Muse. Those are my current favorites.

 

What is your go-to knitting viewing? (TV or Movie, current or all-time fave)

 

I will re-watch The Office (the U.S. version) over and over again while knitting. This time of year I will also watch just about every Hallmark Channel made-for-TV Christmas movie.

What is your opinion on dangly stitch markers?

 

Love to buy them, hate to use them. It’s actually pretty rare that I use stitch markers, but when I do, it’s usually the plastic safety pin kind.

 

Best knitting needles ever?

 

Like the favorite yarn, that’s always changing too. Right now I am obsessed with the Knitter’s Pride Karbonz needles. 

Continental or thrower? Cable needle or let your cable stitches fly free?

 

I’m a thrower. When I crochet, I have the working yarn in my left hand, but I just can’t seem to get that down when knitting needles are involved! I’ve recently been cabling without a cable needle and I love it. I avoided cables for a long time because it was just too fiddly for me with the cable needle. Now that I have gotten the no cable needle thing down, I’ve become cable obsessed.

What do you do on a stormy day when you have nowhere to be and no must-dos?

 

I am probably crocheting while watching The Office or listening to an audiobook. 

If you're interested in keeping up with Jenn, then please go follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! Don’t forget you can use any of her paid patterns to enter the knit-a-longs for chances at super prizes!

Come join the fun: Indie Design Gift A-Long!

Some amazing things have been happening behind the scenes with the Indie Designers. There are 170 designers putting on a Gift-A-Long from November 1 - December 31. During the next 15 days (Nov 1 - 15) you can choose from nearly 3,000 patterns at a 25% off when you use the code “giftalong”.

Once you’ve picked your Gift-A-Long patterns, you can join a relevant Knit-Along/Crochet-Along. All of my self-published patterns are eligible for the discount, even the ebooks! What is even better is that there are prizes. Yes... PRIZES!! So go right now and participate in the threads ... From what I'm hearing there are some cool things you can win.



So whether your knitting that gift for a family member or yourself, it's totally worth it to get involved!

Stitches 2013

Another year, another Stitches. Specifically another Stitches Midwest.



The haul that I brought home is sooooo full of goodies, that it just makes me smile. I did notice that I heavy on the Green this year and how can you not fall in love with these precious gems.

Major highlights: 6 skeins of Madelinetosh Pashmina in the Forestry colorway from the Webs booth, 8 skeins of Glenfiddich Wool in the Spruce Heather colorway, Another Crafty Girl, Miss Babs, 2 lace silky baby camel skeins from Cephalopod Yarns, buttons, beads, blocking mats, signature needle, Cloud Lover fiber, 10 skeins of Silky Wool in brown and Erin Lane bags.

 I'm having such a great time playing with all my goodies. What a great weekend, full of friends, fiber and food.

Winner!

And the winner is....

The second comment is: Miryam. I'll be gifting you the Woobie Pattern Collection Series 2 through Ravelry!

Thank you all for your awesome comments. I love to hear stories of celebration. It's always been a fascinating subject for me.

Blogiversary 6.0

Can you believe I completely forgot to celebrate my blogiversary? I correlates along with my own birthday... and I'll tell you what. I never forget to celebrate that one!

So in celebration of blogging for 6 years, I'm running a little contest. I'm going to gift the random winner my newest ebook: Woobie Pattern Collection Series 2. You have until midnight September 25th to reply to this thread. All you have to do is tell me how you celebrate a birthday in style!

I'm pretty simple. I like to eat out, go to the show and possible hang with my knitting friends for the day. This past weekend I did all those. I even made cheese cake. Not just any cheese cake, but New York Style with cherries. Oh, it's so good and there is so much of it that it last all weekend.

Friday was my birthday and if my day-job wasn't on super-killer-stress-toxic-level-breakdown-mode then I would have taken the day off. After work we headed to Asian Harbor in Homewood. They serve all the classics but we wanted to partake in sushi. With tummies filled we had our son drive out to the grandparents house to drop Miss Mac for the weekend. The boy is getting better at driving, but still so much more to learn.

Saturday then was filled with fiber and friends. What a blast we had. Couldn't have asked for a better time. Thank you ladies for making my day special! We headed out to Morris IL where there is a yarn store called Le Mouton Rouge, which basically means Red Sheep. Just the most adorable shop. Owner is fantastic and the selection is extensive.

We then had a lovely lunch at Letty Mae's Tea Room... people, there was strawberry soup. Oh Yeah Baby! After that I came home and crashed. I love getting nap attached;)

So how do you like to spend you special day?

Stitches Midwest 2012 Haul

Just some goodies I picked up while at Stitches Midwest.



Do you think I like lime green? Not at all;)

Left to Right: 10 skeins Cascaded Pure Alpaca, the Beekeepers Quilt pattern... because I believe in torturing myself with mini skeins for another 4 years, 1 Skein of Three Irish Girls, 1 purple skein of Pure Alpaca (won this at the pajama party!), Erin Lane large bag, 1 size 3 Signature needle, 1 cone of Vally Yarns Alpaca Silk, a sweater stone, Color Affection shawl pattern, Miss Babs Color Affection Kit in Yet which is a lace weight.

All yummy goodies! And then guess what? Do you know what else I saw...

My pattern (Tourbillon) in the "wild" at the Plucky Knitters booth.

Trip To The Farm

Last Saturday my friend Knitterary mentioned a sheep sheering event at the The Children's Farm... I couldn't say yes fast enough! So Miss Mac and I picked her up and off we went to the farm where it was a beautiful bright, but cold day. Lucky for us they had coffee to keep the chill away.



There were sheep. Posing for the camera and all!



And all kinds of animals to pet... like bunnies, cows, chickens, horses, roasters, ducklings and did I mention Sheep?



Then the pipers march the sheep to the sheering platform. Some celebratory music is played and the man with the mic enters the scene where he demonstrates the different methods of sheering.



Do you see that cutie on her rump getting her sheering on? Just too cute! Will totally be going again next Spring.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

The one thing that amazes me every time is how much my daughter is like me. She'll say things that I'd say and we sometimes finish each others sentences. She's 7 years old. What's it going to be like when she's 14? Only time will tell.

When she was six I taught her how to knit because she wanted to be like me. Now, she didn't obsess about it in the beginning, but as time went on things progressed. She saw me knitting on the couch and she'd gather her stuff and join me. Usually only handling a row or two. It's progress. I tell her that a row a day will get her a scarf sooner then not knitting at all.

This is the scarf she started about a year ago:



I think it's fabulous! Of course she's on the fence because it's not perfect. ~wonder where she got that from. **cough**

For Christmas I bought her a Monster High knitting bag from Knittings My Bag... Love her stuff. I totally missed out on the St. Pat's update and thinking of ordering a custom bag;)



Anyway, I put two skeins of Lion Brand Hometown in black and pink along with some needles in the bag as a gift. She loved it. Has been working on it slowly. She would have gotten more completed but if it doesn't look right then she wants to fix it. So proud.

Since then she's requested her own 'blog' (as she calls it) on Ravelry. I set up the account and helped her log her projects. It's really kind of amazing to watch her become involved with the knitting community. Watch out knitting world, Miss Mac is here.

Finished Projects of 2010

1. Snicket, 2. Geoffrey, 3. Am-Kamin, 4. Beaumont, 5. Cedar Leaf, 6. Ireland Hills, 7. Every Way Wrap, 8. Kauni/a>, 9. French Press Slippers, 10. Coraline, 11. Feather Weight, 12. Ravelympics 2010

Here is a sample mosaic of the my finished knits from 2010. Looking at these totally brings me back. Unfortunately this doesn't show all the work I did on unfinished objects, like the on going Faery Ring jacket or the newest Laminaria which is blocking.

I guess having a fresh finished object to ring in the year makes starting the year kinda sweet.

Kiss Me Because I'm Irish!

As I was posting up these pictures to show off all the goodies I've been picking up... I noticed a theme. Hummmm. Perhaps because it's March? Perhaps I have Spring Fever.



It all started with the bag. Namaste Laguna in lime that I picked it up at the Loopy Ewe. That website is really is a great place to just swoon. Please note that the Cedar Leaf shawlette is well under way in this photo, but currently I can say it is blocking!! Dude. Under a week from start to block. Not even enough time to fully get the project on my Ravelry page.



Then on one awesome day I stalked the site to see if I could. and. I. did. SCORE some Wollmeise. If your not familiar with the yarn... it is very sought after. To the point where it's become a controversy. I don't plan on selling this yarn on ebay just to make a huge profit. No, I've got some plans with this little awesome bundle of greenness.



Then while outside taking Hello Daylight photos in the evening!! I glanced over to my dead patch and noticed the glorious signs of spring. Tulips. Lovely tulips that Miss Mac and I planted not that long ago in the fall. sigh. Green, green everywhere... I love it.



Then while perusing ebay, I notice this book and decided Why Not. I'm still daydreaming about which pattern to wrap my mind around. I really want to do some color work. I'm feeling the spark come back ya'll!



Last but not least is this little mug that makes me smile every time I take a sip. So then I had this dream the other night where I got a black sheep tattoo with the green clover and all! How funny would that be? Check out the Black Sheep Collection... I want it all!!!

It's a Dry Heat

I should have bought the mug because this was the first thing out of every one's mouth once they heard I was heading to Arizona. I get... I did it too, but having been there I can see why people say it. Yet it's so much more.

My cousin got married on the most beautiful day that a bride could ask to have.



Walking down the isle to Metallica's Nothing Else Matters makes me just love her even more. Congrats to you both!



No matter where you turn... you've got these beautiful mountains just draping the sky and making even the most mundane strip mall look heavenly.

If you interested in looking at more photos just check out My Photo Set.

Having some time to spare during the afternoon, we headed out for a short trip about Phoenix to get some photos of cactus and mountains. During this I got the opportunity to visit Knit Happens.



I fell in love from the moment I laid eyes on the outside of the store. If you clicked on the above link to their blog, the photo in the top header really explains it all. Isles of yarn, knit samples draped at every turn and this awesome work station which is just barely seen in the photo along the bottom. It can sit tons of knitter and the super cool thing is the custom table has sunk in crevices so knitters can put a run-away ball of yarn. Totally Cool!



Yarn. Knit. Love.

It really does explain it all. Ever in the neighborhood of Scottsdale, check it out.



This is a huge sign on the building as your walking towards the door... How awesome can this get? They need to seriously sell these as smaller car window stickers;)

I did pick up something lovely...



Filatura di Crosa Centolavaggi lace weight in dark teal. I'm itching to cast on this stuff... Perhaps I should;)

Take Your Giraffe To Work Day

How many of you participated in the Take Your Giraffe To Work Day?

When I noticed that Susan B. Anderson was doing a book signing at Nina's... I dubbed March 5th Giraffe Day!



After a short trip on the Chicago Blue Line, we ended up in Wicker Park with Nina's just two blocks away.



Susan is sweet and super friendly. You can see she is truly proud of her books, as she should be. The entire store was filled with the Itty Bitty toys and it was fantastic to see and feel them in person. The store was fairly busy when I got there, but within the hour it was crammed full of knitters.



Geoffrey has a huge crush on this little sweetheart. It was a good thing that she was shy because he was trying to talk her into climbing. She wasn't having it.



On the way home he kept asking when was he going to come out and play again!



Not until he learned to behave;)

Who Did It?

Why are my children trying to look innocent? Yet pointing at each other. Something is fishy. Why do you ask??



Because I would like to know who bent my size 8 Susan Bates straight?

Any guess on who the culprit is?

The Play Date Continued...

If you've been following the activities from Laurelena's blog of these cute, adorable and lovable Giraffes... go now to catch up on what they did earlier.



At some point during the day, someone gave these two a soda. I'm blaming the Shop Daughter, as she's very well known for stirring things up!!

The next thing you know All Hell Brakes Loose!



They start climbing the shelves!



Squishy yarn start falling all over the shop floor!



Then Geoffrey gets stuck and Eugene tries to help him up... Total and complete chaos.

To see more please visit Laurelena's blog.

A Play Date With Eugene

Some weeks ago, my dear friend Laurelena told me she too was also in the middle of making a Giraffe and it just so happens that we both finished with our little guys at the same time!

This then brings on a great opportunity to have a Play Date with my Geoffrey and her Eugene. With the weather conditions outside not the best place to gather we headed to Nana's Knitting Shop.



They were Best Buds from the beginning.




Although as the afternoon progressed, they did fall into some trouble and Mr. Ben had to intervene to hold down the law in the shop.

To see what other antiques these little guys got them selves into... stay tuned.

Picking The Next Project

After browsing through my future project queue on Ravelry, I came up with the top 3 choices for my next project.



1. Am Kamin Hat - written in Japaneses, which means this will be a challenge. I've got a handout on translations, so I think this would be a great starter for entering a new world of possibilities.



2. Giraffe - cutest damn stuffed toy from Itty Bitty Toys. It's also Miss Mac approved;)



3. Every Way Wrap - It's a wrap. It's a scarf. It's sorta sweater. It's for Every.Way and Every.Day. and I really have been wanting to make this since the moment I opened IK Fall 2009.


Which one do you think I'll cast on for first??

2009 Finished Objects

1. Eddie's Felted Clogs, 2. Marley Hat, 3. Funky Monkey, 4. Postwar Mittens, 5. Cable Lagoon Socks, 6. Ishbel Beret, 7. Ishbel Scarf, 8. Eric's Socks, 9. Baby Surprise Jacket, 10. Baby Snow Cap, 11. Mac's Pink-Purple Socks, 12. Starsky Jr, 13. Tapestry Cowl, 14. Celtic Icon, 15. Nubby Cardigan, 16. St. Brigid, 17. Selbu Modern Hat, 18. Generic Socks, 19. GumDrop Socks, 20. Itachi Hat, 21. Norwegian Star Hat, 22. Ornaments, 23. Willoughby Scarf, 24. Norwegian Star Hat 4me

Random Monday

Just popping in to give some random updates. Lets see...



Linda and Eric got married. Congratulations! and how can you not love the lacey-loveliness she has draped over her shoulders.



Took advantage of the sunny day and made our way to the pumpkin patch.



And this piece of evil has been driving me bonkers. Yes, I love it and I want to burn it at the same time. Why-oh-why do I feel this driving force... I will conquer over this Ishbel.

That which wasn't documented...

I don't know exactly what's in the water lately, but it seem there are tons of people popping out babies... I alone personally know of 3 who are preggers, two more by association and one who just had a baby.



This is Larry. Larry works at the Panera where we gather for our South Suburban Stitch 'n Bitch. His wife is due in November with a little boy. I pumped out that hat he so fabulously has topped on his head.

The pattern is from the Itty-Bitty hats book and is called Vertical Stripes.

As cute as it turned out I don't think I will ever. ever. knit that again. It was a quick knit, but knitting in cotton and trying to not have gaps in between the strips was next to impossible. Just to fussy.

In one weekend I was done and the next SnB night I handed it over to Larry who just gushed. Hadn't even realized that I hadn't done a "real" photo shoot with the hat yet until I was heading home. I think I've become a snob photographer. I'd rather redo the photo shoot then post a unflattering photo.



My latest project has been something simple and mindless. Toe-up socks for my son. Let me rephrase that: These are Huge Ass Socks for my Son's Size 13 Feet!

The great thing about toe-up is you knit until you run out of yarn and I'll be doing exactly that. I hope he likes anklets;)

Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Festival 2009

On Saturday I tagged along with Miss A and Tammy (aka: Darthknitter) up to Crystal Lake to see some fiber. There didn't seem to be as many vendors this year, but it sure felt like there was more buyers. The clouds threatened us with rain drops, but none fell while we were there.



Miss A scored in the Briar Rose booth with this little lovely. Isn't it just awesome that she's having BR custom dye a big batch for her new big project. How fun!



The alpacas were back again from the Prairie Creek Alpacas farm and what a delight they are to see.



Just so darn cute you want to take them home.




Just about wanted to steal these bags right off the shelf.



I also bumped into Karin (aka: knittypitty) under the big tent trying out her skills in hand dying some sock yarn. That looked like lots of fun and I can't wait to see the finished skein.



After walking around the whole venue about 3 times, I couldn't get my mind off this little funky Trindle. So, I went back to see if it was still around and was lucky to bring it home with me.

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend, I know I did!