Maker Spotlight: WoolGatherer Designs

Kass from WoolGatherer Designs creates the most beautiful knitting patterns and we've been hearing about her journey and how she started.

When did you start your craft?
I taught myself to knit while I was at college. I was a keen scrapbooker at the time and, while searching for some scrapbooking inspiration, I stumbled across someone who had used a mini knitted swatch to add some colour and texture to a page. I couldn’t shake the idea and was soon buying my first pair of needles. I don’t think I ever did use any knitting on a scrapbook page - from the moment I held the needles in my hand, I didn’t want to put them down.

What do you like best about it?
One of the things I enjoyed most about knitting, right from the beginning, was playing around with combining different colours and textures. Not much has really changed - nowadays, I just write down what I’ve done so that other people can recreate what I’ve made if they would like to. I feel incredibly lucky that I can call this hobby my “job” now because it is something that I truly love and that fits so naturally into my day (as a full-time carer for my 6 year old, holding down a more traditional 9 to 5 job would be near impossible).

Do you have a favourite thing to make?
I always have at least one sock on the needles at any one time. Socks are my go-to project because I can just pick them up and knit without having to think.

Why is crafting important to you?
For me, I’ve found knitting to be an incredibly useful tool for managing my mental health. Not only does it offer a welcome distraction from some of the more negative thoughts, but the repetitive motion of working stitch after stitch can be remarkably soothing. As someone with a history of fairly destructive coping behaviours, it feels good to be prioritising something creative!

What are your preferred products to use?
Circular wooden needles. I knit everything on circular needles, whether it needs to be worked in the round or not. I just find them so much more comfortable to hold than straight needles. And don’t even talk to me about metal knitting needles - my fingers hurt just at the thought.

Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to take up your craft?
Just because you’re a beginner doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself to beginner projects. Find something that you really WANT to make and you’re much more likely to stick with it. My partner moved straight from learning to knit with a pair of socks to knitting a traditional Icelandic colourwork sweater!

What's your favourite thing about World of Wool?
You can’t make me pick just one! I love that the organisation is both small enough to still feel very personal AND big enough to have more variety and options than you could possibly need. And speaking of that variety, I love that you can tell the collection of fibre and yarn has been carefully and lovingly collated by people who really know their stuff!

You can find Kass' wonderful designs on Ravelry.