Interview: Lotta Groeger
Today’s second interview is with Lotta Groeger of Atalante Knits, a designer from Berlin, Germany.
Das Waldhaus socks, toe up or cuff down. They are so much fun to knit and the effect with the cables is really neat.
Who taught you to knit/How did you learn to knit?
I learned at least the knit stitch when I was younger from my mother. But never really knitted, so I forgot what I learned. I re-learned to knit, and purl this time too, when I stared at Uni thanks to internet tutorials and youtube. I needed something to keep my hands busy and preferably portable to do while traveling to Uni or between lectures.
How did you get started designing?
At first I adapted sock patterns for my growing knee high collections. So I made charts for myself before I started designing. Then I found some stitchonaries and started to combine different patterns. And well sometimes you just search for that one perfect garment or accessory and can’t find what you’re looking for, so I made my own.
friendly neighbourhood spider-shawl, I’m so in love with this design. And I used my own handspun, from a Doctor Who fibre club.
What inspires your designs?
I’m a very nerdy person. I have two collections inspired by fairy tales. Currently I have a few designs inspired by superhero comics and I’m working on more.
Other times I just find a neat technique and just have to play with it.
But I also have a friend who sometimes requests designs when she can’t find that one perfect pattern and I try to design it for her.
Which comes first – the yarn or the inspiration?
Usually the inspiration. I have a folder with more or less finished design inspirations, the designs are between just two or three notes to full drawings and calculations. But sometimes there is yarn that just wants to be a certain thing and I’m not the one telling it it can’t!
What is your favourite type of item to design?
Anything lace. I just love to knit lace. Lace is really something I can knit anytime, anywhere. That fun to create holes and nudge stitches into different directions and then you have created an intricate beautiful pattern. And the magic of blocking a lace piece never stops being amazing.
And socks. you just can’t have enough socks, be it with or without lace.
Tell me about “Once Upon a Time collections”, what is the story behind these collections?
I really love fairy tales. My mother has a huge collection of different fairy tale form different cultures and read them to me and my brother when we were younger.
I recent years I started to read the comic book series „Fables“, honestly if you like comics or fairy tales take a look!, which rekindled my love for these characters.
Lady Sif Gauntlets – One of my superhero inspired knits. And every woman needs to feel like a warrior god sometimes.
Do you have an aspirational knit – a complicated/challenging design that you want to knit “some day” when you feel ready?
I really want to get to the point of being satisfied enough with the quality of my sweater patterns to actually publish one. But there is one that’s looking really good, so the „some day“ is pretty near.
What is coming next? What’s in your release queue?
I had a really great photoshoot with my photographer/friend in which we managed to take pics of some really great designs. So there are a few shawls, I did mention that love for lace, a cowl and socks coming. Most inspired by comic book characters, not all heroes 😉 But which one is the next one to be published is still a bit unsure. But keep an eye out for the „new releases“-thread in the GAL group, I’ll post there when.
Your desert island yarn? (if you could only knit with one yarn from now on which would it be?)
Uhhh that is a tough one! Yarn Edition Cashmere & Silk is a really lovely 65% cashmere and 35% silk, that is so soft I wanna sleep in it. But it’s not perfect as it’s really warm and sometimes I don’t want to knit with fuzzy yarn.
But for those occasions I may smuggle in a skein of DyeForWool Fingering // Merino/Silk which is surprisingly slick and cool for such a high merino content. The shawl I made from it is still perfect for winter.
Which is your most under-appreciated design?
Juliane. It may look really complicated but it’s so much easier to knit! I designed that for the friend mentioned above, and she loves it so that was enough for me.
But I would like to see more knitter work up this design as it’s so close to my heart.
What’s the one piece of advice you’d like to share with other knitters?
Charts are really easy and if you made a mistake, you can just frog.
I usually craft with a „I won’t die if it goes wrong, so let’s just do it“ approach. With my sewing I stared with advanced sewing patterns and never bothered with „easy beginners“ patterns like cushions.
Any knitting/designing New Year’s resolutions?
As usual: More structure and discipline with my files. I can be a bit chaotic and sometimes find files with notes without a pattern or notes on printed charts that make no sense after a few weeks ….
If you could have dinner with one knitting designer (living or dead) who would it be and why?
May I have Ysolda S. Teague? I really like her patterns, Coraline may be one of the things why I restarted knitting, and she reads like a kick-ass-person!
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View all of Lotta’s patterns here. Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Shawl photo copyright A. Siegel. Remaining photos copyright N. Fleischer. All images used by permission.
You can find Lotta on the following social media sites:
What is the Gift-A-Long? The GAL is a big knitting and crochet designer promotion with prizes and more than 5,000 people participating in a giant KAL/CAL. Come join the GAL group on Ravelry!
