one of the things i wanted to do with this blog is connect with other knitters - i'm always interested to find out how those that knit do things (probably because i'm nosey more than anything else) - and one of the ways i thought of doing this was by interviewing - so, i nervously approached Jo of dollyknits (i love her work) and she agreed.....
have you always been a knitter?
I have knitted on and off since I was in the Sixth Form at school, but started seriously knitting when at University studying Textile Design, specialising in Knit.
how did dollyknits come about?
Dolly Knits started up properly in August 2008, when I was well and truly unemployed after graduating from University. I never expected to sell anything and it was more of an experiment but now I am concentrating on it more and more and would love to make Dolly Knits bigger and better as it is something I love doing.
describe a typical dollyknits day.
I usually wake up earlyish and the first thing I do is have a cup of tea, then check out Etsy to see if I've been lucky enough to have a sale, do a bit of online shopping at the same time (more looking than buying!) and then get on with either freshly knitting up orders or knitting something new. Some days, I go hunting for vintage treasures for my vintage shop I run on Etsy with my boyfriend Jon - RummageInTheJumble.I currently have a part-time job in retail but am soon to start a full-time trends prediction internship in London, so will work on Dolly Knits in the evenings and on train journeys.
how do you come up with ideas - do you knit what you fancy or are you more structured?
I don't have any sort of structure to how I come up with ideas...I should do really! So far, I have knitted what i fancy and what I would like to wear. I like to keep up with the fashion trends so hopefully my Spring/Summer collection will be more styled, more fashionable and have a running theme.
are there particular yarns you prefer to work with?
I love working with pure wool mainly, especially Rowan. I have just bought some alpaca yarn which I'm saving for a special project that must be knitted soon. I also love working in Debbie Bliss' Cashmerino blends. The colours are amazing and they are lovely weights. I have recently started working in Rowan's Handknit Cotton which is more rigid than wool and works well for my Rose Alice Bands. Ideally I would like to have my own mini flock of sheep and spin and dye my own yars....I will keep dreaming!
i see you studied textile design, specialising in knitted textiles - from your studies, did you notice any particular trends emerging in knitted textiles?
Towards the end of my course there were a lot more structural and 3D knits being produced similar to Sandra Backland and Simone Shailes
what's the best knitting advice anyone has given you?
If you go wrong, always go back and correct it immediately, if you leave it and its not perfect, it will annoy you forever more!
thank you so much Jo for taking the time to answer my questions - i'm looking forward to seeing your new spring/summer collection...roll on halcyon days!
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