As part of the Indie Design Gift-A-Long on Ravelry, I will be interviewing a few of the 293 participating designers about the process of designing and what they like to knit – and if we’re lucky, they’ll give us a peek into what’s on their needles. To launch the series I interviewed Jenn Wisbeck of Midnightsky Fibers, who I’m blessed to have as a tech editor and whose stellar skills keeps my patterns intelligible.

How did you get started designing?
I started selling handspun yarn on Etsy. Back then, there weren’t many patterns available for handmade yarns, so I started designing patterns that were quick to knit that worked well with limited yardage.

What inspires your designs?
My knitting patterns are inspired by the trips I take and the beautiful scenery around me in the Pacific Northwest. Right now I am obsessed with knitting hats, so most of design ideas show up in hat patterns.

Which comes first – the yarn or the inspiration?
Almost always the inspiration first, unless I am trying to figure out what to do with some fabulous yarn. I do generally have a type of yarn in mind when I start planning, especially for colorwork.

What characteristics do you try to incorporate in your designs?
I like projects that are easy and quick to knit- the sort of projects you can throw in your bag before you hop on a plane.

What is your favourite type of item to design?
Hats! What can I say, I am obsessed- several hundred hats later, I am still not tired of knitting them!

Your desert island yarn? (if you could only knit with one yarn from now on which would it be?)
Cascade 220 and a size 32″ circular. Cascade 220 comes in lots of lovely muted colors that work well together, and the needles work for everything from hats to sweaters.

What’s your “comfort knitting?”
Ribbed hats in recycled cashmere yarn. I take thrifted cashmere sweaters, unravel them, and wind 3 or 4 strands together to make a dk or worsted weight yarn. The hats are nice and warm while still being lightweight.

Which is your most under-appreciated design?
I just released it, so too soon to say that it is under-appreciated, but my Elevation Hat is a great quick gift project, and the chained yarn is really lovely.

Which three GAL designs are top of your list to cast on?
1. A Most Bespeckled Hat pattern by Alex Tinsley- I love the pops of color!
2. Klimt Hat pattern by Nina Machlin Dayton, in some natural colors
3.Pixelated Hat pattern by Jennifer Beaumont- looks like a great way to use up some leftovers!

Continental or English?
Both! I switch between, but generally use continental.

What’s the best thing about knitting?
Portability and how easy it is to rip back. Unlike weaving or sewing, it is easy to change your mind if you decide you don’t like the size or pattern you have chosen. Plus, knitting doesn’t require very many tools so it is easy to carry along on trips.

What’s the one piece of advice you’d like to share with other knitters?
Learn to knit or join ends of yarn as you go – it will make the finishing process so much easier!

Any knitting/designing New Year’s resolutions?
I will be trying really hard to use up some of my stash yarn that has been languishing in bins, especially the UFO’s (unfinished objects) that have been abandoned for years. Time to finish them off or rip them out!

View all of Jenn’s patterns here. All photos copyright Jenn Wisbeck, Midnightsky Fibers. Images used by permission.

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 in GAL group on Ravelry!

Everyone is quite excited that the Indie Designer Gift-A-Long 2014 will start in two days. I have selected 20 of my designs that will be on sale for 25% off from Thursday, November 13th at 8:00 pm US EST – Friday, November 21, 2014 at 11:59 pm US EST. The collage below is the one I developed to promote my bundle of sale patterns. Edited to note: since the sale portion of the GAL is now over, I have removed the link to the sale patterns and linked to my full portfolio instead to avoid any confusion.

Join today! There are thousands of prizes to be won, lots of chatting in the GAL threads and holiday knitting/crocheting to be completed.

From the Ravelry Group:
What is Gift-A-Long? It’s a multi-designer promotion to help you kick your holiday gift-making into high gear!

The Indie Design Gift-A-Long is a 2 month long KAL/CAL of holiday gifts made from patterns designed by a rather extensive list of independent designers. From Thursday, November 13th at 8:00 pm US EST – Friday, November 21, 2014 at 11:59 pm US EST tons of indie designers will be discounting between 4 – 20 of their patterns 25% for this event. You can read all about the details in this post: click here and find a list of the 293 participating designers, with photos, here.

Once you’ve got your Gift-A-Long patterns, we encourage you to join a relevant KAL/CAL! (For instance, if it is a cowl, please join the cowl KAL/CAL.) To join, simply write a post in the KAL/CAL thread you want to join, including the pattern name you will be knitting and a link to your project page. KAL/CAL participants are eligible for lots of lovely prizes but you gotta post to win!

80skeins collated all the stats and created the amazing infographic below. The organizers have put a lot of effort into this event, I think we’re going to blow last year out of the water. I have my cast on for Thursday night already planned!

The Sinuosity Shawl went live a few weeks ago, but somehow time flew and I never managed to post a blog entry for it. Sinuous waves flow through the body of this top-down, triangular shawl, highlighted by the luster and drape inherent in the longwool fibres of the Blue Faced Leicester fibre (String Theory Hand Dyed Yarn ‘Bluestocking’). If substituting yarn, select a wool blend that has contains silk to achieve the same amount of drape.

Construction Note: Sinuosity Shawl begins with a lace “tab,” a common method for beginning top-down, triangular shawls. As the Sinuosity Shawl has a panel down the centre, the tab “strip” is longer. A link to instructions for this technique is provided in the Links section of this pattern. Instructions are included for both a narrow (shown in sample worn by model) and wide (shown in edging close up) edging option.

Note: Sinuosity Shawl is part of Gift-A-Long 2014. My bundle of participating patterns is a collection of accessories – perfect for your holiday knitting. Happy knitting and gifting! 25% off these during the GAL sale from November 13-21 with the code “giftalong2014”. Learn more about Gift-A-Long 2014 here.