Intervju med Heidi Kirrmaier

Här följer originalintervjun med Heidi Kirrmaier! Om ni vill höra den svenska översättningen så finns den i avsnitt 9. Om ni vill läsa fler intervjuer så hittar ni dem under etiketten "Intervjuer".

Stort tack till Heidi Kirrmaier för att hon ställde upp och missa inte att anmäla er till utlottningen! Mer info hittar ni i Show Notes:en för avsnitt 9.

Vi drar vinnaren på torsdag kl 18!

1. Are you an engineer by day by any chance? Your patterns are written in such a way. And if so, what do you think the reason is for so many knitters being engineers?

Yes, I am trained as an electrical engineer. I suppose it takes one to know one ☺. Knitting (and especially designing) often involves a lot of math as well as the ability to visualize shapes in 3 dimensions, which I believe are traits that also make good engineers. So it seems quite logical that people who are attracted to engineering are also attracted to knitting.

2. Who taught you how to knit and how old were you?

My mother taught my sisters and me to knit when we were very young, maybe around 5 years old.

Your garments always have unique construction and well designed features.
3. What is your favourite design element or feature?

What I like best is to embrace the unique attributes that the method of knitting has to offer. This is why I like seamless designs. Since each stitch is effectively just a “point”, it is possible to create an infinite number of shapes, one stitch at a time, all depending on how you choose to position the next one relative to the last. This is in contrast to sewing, for example, where you are starting with 2-dimensional fabric and necessarily have to cut into it and seam it in order to create a 3-dimensional shape. Not so with knitting! I also don’t like to hide the shaping, but rather feature it in the finished object - for example, the eyelet increases I used for Vitamin D, or the decreases running along the tops of the sleeves in Thunderbolt and Pipit.

4. Tell me a little bit about how you approach designing. Where do you find inspiration, and what is your process?

I generally begin with a shape, or an idea of how I want the lines of a garment to come together. These ideas are generated from a variety of sources, often from clothes I see people wearing or in photos online or in magazines (I like to say current), but sometimes also from things around me that are completely unrelated to clothing. Then I think of the best way to construct that shape or create those lines through the process of knitting. I don’t personally like a lot of decoration on the clothes I wear, so this tends to be reflected in my designs as well.

I then do my best to translate it all as clearly as possible into a set of instructions across a range of sizes, in hopes that knitters will have a positive knitting experience as well as a stylish and properly fitting garment in the end. And while I often approach the construction in an unusual way, I don’t typically use overly complicated techniques as I believe you can do a lot with the basics.

3. Do you knit others designs as well and in that cast, who is you favourite designer?

Yes, I really enjoy knitting others’ designs. It gives me a different perspective on pattern writing styles, but also of course because there are so many lovely designs available. Norah Gaughan has always been a designer I admire. There are so many others as well, I can hardly begin to name them all!

4. What advise would you give to an aspiring knitting designer who wants to start designing his/her own patterns?

I think it’s important to be true to yourself. This way you will always love doing it and naturally generate new ideas. But you should also be aware that there is a lot to the process, starting with the design concept, the calculations, writing and laying out the pattern, photographing the finished piece, and then last but not least pattern support, during which you might receive negative feedback! It’s important to be open to that and view it as helpful, especially in this day and age of social media and transparency.


Ha det fint!