Carol
Feller is one of the biggest names is the knitting community. Apart from being a successful independent knitwear
designer and knitting teacher, Carol has also added bestselling author, blogger
and tour guide to her list of duties. All
that while being a wife and a proud mom of 4 fantastic boys.
In this interview we had the privilege to talk to Carol and to find out
a bit more about her motivation, ideas and techniques.
Carol, in your biography you say that
you came back to knitting after the birth of your fourth son. What was that
crucial moment when you decided to pick it up again?
I used to run an online natural
parenting company that I sold when I was expecting my fourth son. I had
intended on becoming a full time mother. However, within a few months of his
birth even though I was very busy I craved more mental stimulation. Some friends
began talking about a brand new online knitting shop ‘This Is Knit’ that had
just opened up and I had vague memories of knitting in my past. I started to
think that maybe I could try it again.
When I contacted the shop they were
so encouraging that before I knew it I had baby knits for beginner’s book, yarn
for a project and needles. Within days I was hooked. I couldn’t believe how
quickly the mechanics of knitting came back to me and I loved it so much.
Within months I was modifying patterns and within a year I had my first pattern
published. So basically once I picked up the needles again I was obsessed!
One of the things that you are famous for is your work
with gradient colours. In your opinion, what is the most important thing when
it comes to combining colours, knitting patterns and, of course, types of yarn?
I’m not a big person for definitive rules, I like to
give people the information, let them know my own personal preference and then
let them make up their own mind. Colour is a very personal choice but if you
have some basic knowledge it makes it easier to combine yarns. I’ve recently
done a blog post on gradient yarns describing the basic types out there; mini-skein
sets, single skein gradients and DIY gradient combinations. Each of these categories
lends itself to different types of patterns.
A mini-skein
set can easily be extended by combining a few sets together (repeating each
colour in the set for a wider band of the single colour) or with a neutral
complementary colour. Alternating a neutral with each gradient stripe creates a
wonderfully cohesive finished project. Knitters should look for patterns with
good ‘break’ points that would work well combined with a change in gradient
colour. A single skein gradient blends smoothly from one colour to another
making it ideal for projects like shawls or long cowls that don’t have natural
breaks in the pattern to put the colour change in.
Finally, a DIY gradient kit is the most versatile, but
requires the most planning. For a knitter with an extensive stash it’s even
possible that they might be able to put their own gradient set together with
gradating or complementary colours. These are ideal for larger projects as you
are probably working with greater yardage then with a premade set.
You are a very successful author of five bestselling
knitting books - where do you get inspiration for new patterns and designs?
When working on a book, the overall theme provides the
more general inspiration. I try to put a series of sketches, swatches and
photos together for myself to see how it all fits together as a whole. For
Dovestone Hills the yarn was the driving force; it’s an earthy, but soft yarn
with colours that work nicely together. I wanted the collection to be wearable
and allow colour combinations to dominate. They were all pieces that I wanted
to own and wear myself, so it was like knitting a little capsule wardrobe!
With bigger books such as Short Row Knits the
technique itself was the inspiration. This meant that the patterns needed to
combine together to provide a good range of project types and levels of
difficulty. I love working on larger collections like this, it feels cohesive
and meaningful even beyond the individual patterns. It also gives you a
framework to create inside, even creative like a certain amount of structure!
In your book “Short Row Knits” you offer twenty different tutorials for
some fun projects - we would love to know which one is your personal favourite?
I shouldn’t really be playing favourites :-) In terms of knitting I
think the little ball, Chirripo is the most fun; it’s small
and tidy and it’s really wonderful watching it take shape just using short
rows! I love designing and wearing hand knits and I think my two favourites in
this book are probably Jimenez and Riyito. I’m currently enjoying looser
fitting, flowing garments and both of those fit right in with my current style.
Finally, could you tell us a bit more about crafts tourism in Ireland
and what inspired such a tour?
Over the last few years knitting tours in Ireland seem to be taking off.
Ireland has such a rich textile heritage that it makes it a fascinating
destination for knitters. You’ve got yarn mills, weaving, Aran islands, sheep
and alpaca farms as well as a wide range of non-yarn destinations to visit.
I’ve been teaching a class for Irish Tourism on each of its tours over the
last few years as well as with Jean Moss.
This autumn CraftTours brought a knitting tour to Ireland and asked me
to join them for a few days as an escort. The first part of the tour was in
Galway visiting heritage destinations and a farm and then when I joined them in
Dublin we went to Belfast, Avoca Woollen Mills and the Knitting and Stitching
Show. I finished with them on the final day with a class that gave them a
virtual tour of the Irish mills through my book ‘Contemporary Irish Knits’.
While traditional Irish wool isn’t very widely used any more for knitting due
to its rougher texture, the existing Irish mills are innovating with merino
blends and new yarn products. There has been a big resurgence in knitting in
Ireland over the last number of years, so tours are now
about the Irish knitting future as much as it’s past.