Today we will be joined by Stephanie Dosen, the designer of the adorable and magical Tiny Owl Knits patterns! Thanks for joining us today!
When did you learn to knit and how long have you been knitting?
I learned to knit lots of times before it really stuck! Several times as a little girl I tried, but I was much better at crochet, so I mostly did that. I didn't really begin to knit until I began working at a knitting store as a crochet teacher. Most of the customers had knitting questions, so I had to learn pretty fast.
Describe your perfect knitting setting. What is it like?
I am in a cabin or a lodge with huge windows in front of a fireplace in the mountains of colorado. I'm on a huge comfy couch with tons of pillows. There is a coffee maker right next to me, and a little white kitty on my lap. (She's not playing with the yarn, she's just sleeping and having a dream.) There are candles lit and christmas lights everywhere. The woodsmoke smells like Yuletide, and sweet music is playing. A few good friends are there, too, and we are all working on projects that NO ONE is stuck on! We know the patterns by heart and knit and chat into the evening. (AND I'm working with cashmere.)
How did you come up with the idea for Tiny Owl Knits? What inspired the name for it?
It was really a progression. When I worked at the knitting store I used to come up with sweet little projects and share them. It helped sell the yarn, so the shop owners were really gracious about letting me take yarn home for free so I could experiment. (Which I was so thankful for because I never could have afforded all of the yarn I wanted to design with!)
Then I started a blog in 2004 and titled it "Tiny Owl Knits" because I had a feathery which owl on my bookshelf and he seemed to be peering down at me all the time. The style is basically an extension of
what I'm into at the moment. It could really change at any time!
What is your favorite yarn? Why?
I'm sort of a fiber junkie so I can't even answer that question! :D
Which one of your Tiny Owl Knits designs are you most proud of?
I'm proud of the beekeeper's quilt because it is hundreds of tiny little pieces that make up one whole. Just like drops of water make up the ocean. It seems like you are doing nothing by knitting one little hexipuff, but then before long they spread out into a quilt. I love the way it has brought so many people together and how I get letters still all the time about how it has inspired people to start knitting again! I really can't ask for anything more than that from a project.
Any words of advice for beginning/aspiring designers and knitters?
Be exactly who you are, and design and knit exactly what you want. Work as much as you can and be positive. Don't ever give up and the universe will give way for success. If you are a beginner knitter, don't get down on yourself and be afraid to experiment. The worst thing that could possibly happen is you have to rip back and knit again, and that's not so terrible, because after all, you get to KNIT more!! :D
Tinyowlknits. wordpress.com (blog)
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