We love getting to see a bit about Chantal – a knit designer in our Designer Retrospective Series and at knitatude.ca!
Read on to get to know Chantal a bit more! And look for us to knit up swatches of several of her designs!
Tell us a bit more about yourself. Where do you live? Who do you live with? How did you end up there? Where are you from originally?
I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with my hubs and two weiner dogs. I am a born and raised Calgarian, so I’ve lived here for all of my life (minus a year when I lived in Vancouver).
Who taught you to knit?
I’m self-taught! I learned how to knit off of youtube.
What made you interested in being a part of the Designer’s Retrospective?
I love meeting more of the community, and thought this would be a great way!
How do you decide what to design next?
I love getting inspired by fashion and trends happening around the world. So I look at what I feel like I’m missing in my closet, and go from there.
Do you write all your patterns with a particular type of Knitter in mind?
All Knitatude patterns are made with an “advanced beginner” knitter inmind. So if you know the basics of how to knit and purl (in the round and straight) and have made a hat before, you can probably do one of my patterns!
Do you design full-time or part-time?
I design part-time. My full-time job is in advertising. I write and create commercials.
What are your favorite things:
a. Colors Blush pink, lilac, and GREY!
b. Yarn weights Worsted or aran. I love a quick knit.
c. Fibers Merino and when I get the chance to use it – cashmere.
d. Types of objects (e.g., shawls, hats, etc.) Sweaters and dresses. I love creating garments.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Fashion and trends. I love going to the mall to get ideas of garment constructions, shapes and styles.
What is your nemesis? The thing that makes you want to run and hide when you think about it.
Seaming. This is why you’ll find about 98% of Knitatude patterns are seamless.
What does a typical Chantal-day entail?
I wake up, have some puppy snuggles and then knit for about 45-60 minutes before work and watch TV. Head to work and daydream about Knitatude, and then knit with my hubs at night while we watch our latest TV show obsession.
Other than knitting, do you have any other creative endeavors? Eating. My husband and I are huge foodies. So we love cooking and trying new foods, and mixing up cocktails.
Do you have a stash? Or if you buy it you make it up pretty quickly?
I do! But I try to keep it limited. It’s already too large, and I don’t think I’ll have enough hours in my lifetime to use it all. So I try to be more selective in my buying habits now.
[Jody] Thanks so much to Chantal for giving us a little look into your world!
About the Interviewer: Jody Richards
Jody is the founder and lead editor of Knotions. She loves poring over stitch dictionaries and trying out new stitches. And while she likes all things crafting (well ok, except that one thing), yarn crafts are her true love (and she has the stash to prove it).
She’s a serial starter-of-projects and has a serious problem with finishing things without a deadline.
And don’t get her talking about hand-dyed yarns. You’ve been warned.
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