Today's column is written by Kimberley Mumford, an avid knitter and pattern designer. Mazama has been her part time home for the past 25 years. Find her on Ravelry at https://www.ravelry.com/designers/kimberley-mumford
Hi, I am Kimberley Mumford, and over the past year I’ve become acquainted with Cindy. Recently she asked me if I’d be interested in doing a guest column on her blog, so I decided to give it a go!
My grandmother taught me to knit the summer I was six years old, and I was an on and off knitter throughout my growing up years. About 20 years ago, I started knitting more regularly, and fortunately for me my renewed interest coincided with a big surge in both the fiber industry itself and the technology to bring patterns directly to consumers via sites like Ravelry. Currently, it is unusual for a day to go by in which I don’t spend at least a couple of hours knitting. I am not a monogamous knitter; I have several projects going at once-- an easy knit like a pair of socks or a dishcloth in a to-go project bag for quick trips, something challenging like lace or cables for meditative knitting, and something low stress while socializing or watching movies. Typically, I use a published pattern, though I have branched out and started creating designs of my own. An objective of mine is to wear handknits daily’ and I probably succeed about 80% of the time.
Kimberley Mumford modeling Springflor - by Nadia Crétin-Léchenne
Often I am asked what inspires me, and I thought this subject might be a good jumping off place for this column. I find I am a process knitter rather than a product knitter—I look at projects to be sure there is something I will enjoy or learn while making them. I visit the online Ravelry community often and pop potential patterns into my favorites list, tagging them by weight or fiber content. Then when I find yarn I like, I can quickly search for patterns I have already selected so I know how much to purchase. I have also used the Stashbot app on my phone to know how much yarn to get if I don’t have a pattern in mind.
Close To You Shawl
Sometimes the yarn comes first. I love to visit yarn shops when I travel and pick up skeins to remind me of my trip. I have lots of one or two skein patterns for socks, hats, cowls, scarves, shawls and baby garments so when I find that skein I have to have, I have confidence that I can create something special with it. Here are some examples:
Reyna Shawl - Noora Backlund
Close To You Shawl - Justyna Lorkowska
Hat patterns in various weight yarns
Reyna shawl with malabrigo yarn
Other times, I am so impressed with a pattern, that I go in search of the right yarn. This happened recently when I kept seeing these gorgeous sweaters posted on Instagram and realized they were all from the same book, Vernal, which I decided to purchase. I usually just buy single patterns but I wanted to knit all of these, and Cindy was able to help me choose the right yarn to get started.
Vernal
A Collection of warm weather knitwear.
aliso creek top from Vernal
I used Cambria by Berroco, a beautiful DK weight yarn consisting of baby alpaca, linen, and lyocell
Lastly, sometimes the technique provides inspiration. I will see something like cables or brioche and want to master them. Most of the time I will select a small project like a hat, socks, or baby garment to learn on before I decide whether I like this yarn enough to use in something larger like a shawl or adult garment.
Flicker&Flame hat
Uses Malabrigo Rios Superwash merino, or Berroco Ultra Wool Worsted, or Cascade 220 Superwash
Sunnyside Baby Cardigan
Uses fingering weight yarn like Malabrigo sock, or Berroco Ultra Wool Fine
Hopefully these thoughts will help inspire you and give you confidence in starting new projects of your own. Happy knitting!