What Inspires You: Interview with Bees Knees Knitting.

Cat Cuddler PDF Pattern                                          Lion Scarf PDF Pattern

1. Please tell us a little bit about what you do. 


"I'm a graphic designer who designs crochet animal scarf patterns. I have also designed a few other crochet patterns, as well as a few knitting patterns. I'm quite taken with the animal scarf patterns now, so that is what I'm concentrating on. I never would have thought, as I was making my first animal scarf, the Cat Cuddler, that I would still be making animal scarves months and months later. I remember thinking, 'I don't want to make another one of these.' That's because I didn't enjoy all the bits and pieces involved: legs, ears etc. I used to be an avid knitter, and preferred knitting one-piece in-the-round sweaters. Well, all that has changed! Also, I have a passion for colored-pencil art, but I haven't done any in years, since I finished design school in 2001. Someday I plan on getting back to creating with colored pencils."

Fox Scarf PDF Pattern                                           Raccoon Scarf PDF Pattern

2. Keeping our work fresh means constantly seeking new sources of inspiration. Where do you look to find it and/ or what kinds of sources most inspire you?


"Back in design school, color was my greatest source of inspiration. The play of color, the relationships between color, the transitions from one color to another. I especially liked working with complementary colors (those opposite one another on the color wheel). I enjoyed trips to art museums to see how other artists played with color. These days, working with yarn and crochet, I would say it's more about texture and shape. Color is still involved a great deal - I like working with Malabrigo Merino yarn to design my animal scarves. They have a great range of color, and their colors are subtly variable, lending a lovely nuance to the colors of the scarves. Also, I want my designs to come from my own efforts, so I look at photos of real animals (just by doing a Google image search) to study the shape and coloring of the animal for each scarf I want to design. So in that way, Mother Nature is my inspiration for my designs. I look for interesting shapes when choosing which animal to try next. Also, "cuteness" is a factor - I want to choose animals that will appeal to others."

Panda Scarf PDF Pattern                                    Seal Pup Scarf PDF Pattern

3. I think your animal crochet patters are just adorable! What inspired you to create these designs?


"I saw a stuffed fox stole on an Etsy treasury one day. Being a cat lover myself, I thought cat lovers would appreciate a cat scarf they can make for themselves, and so undertook designing my own cat scarf crochet pattern. I made two cats, a dog, a seal pup, then a raccoon, followed by the others. I am currently working on a reindeer, an am planning a pig, an elephant and a red panda. The possibilities are endless."

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Find Bees Knees Knitting on:

Etsy  *  Raverly