Wednesday 20 May 2009

Designer interview - Knotsewcute Kim and Tara

I'm a big fan of many things. You know that!!! I'm a big fan of talent with crochet. Promoting it, using it to develop and inspire. Just being downright enterprising. That's alot to be fantastic with!!! The names behind Knotsewcute are pretty fantastic and they've been so kind as to give some of their time to a fantastic interview for chaincreative. They even let you have a piece of their cleverness through their PDF patterns available in their Etsy shop. I know you'll want to visit there when you've read their revealing interview. Enjoy!

Your names?

Crochet designers - Kim Miller and Tara Schreyer.
Where are you from?

The interior of beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Describe your various creative skills

Kim: As a mom of 4 I am always looking for ways to cut corners without sacrificing quality and style. As such I have done a bit of everything from sewing to furniture refinishing, but my passion is crocheting and designing.


Tara: My grandmothers were very creative women and they would often share their newest interest with me, so I think I've tried my hand at almost every craft out there. I can't say that I've been great at all of them but it was fun creating just the same. I was completely obsessed with cross-stitch for quite some time, but soon realized that I could never complete all the patterns that I had accumulated. While I do bring it out from time to time, I have found that crocheting fits the best with my busy life as a mother of two little ones and satisfies my creative side.

I love the name. What's the story behind it?

When we researched names on the internet we were overwhelmed by the volume of Etsy shops. All of the nice whimsical names we thought up were already taken. In order to come up with something original we jokingly said that we will have to call our shop “NOT SO CUTE”. We changed up the spelling and it just seemed to stick.

When did you start to crochet and who taught you?

Kim: About 14 years ago, I was going through a divorce and I wanted something positive to focus on so I asked my aunt to teach me to crochet.

Tara: My grandmother taught me to crochet as a young girl. My very first completed project was a afghan that I did in grade school.

What was the inspiration behind developing your interest in crocheting?

Kim: I have always had a lot of creative energy, but it wasn't until I learned to crochet that I found my medium.

Tara: When I first saw felted items and learned that they were created by knitting or crocheting with wool, I was inspired and realized as I started creating that the possibilities were endless. Felting added a whole new dimension to an already favorite hobby. Crocheting with other materials also has me intrigued and I just might try my hand at it in the future.

What influences your style and our output, and what are your inspirations?

For both of us our family has been our biggest inspiration and support. We found that our kids are 100% honest about our creations : )

There's two of you! Do you divide the work or is it joint inspiration?

We both love having a partnership as it is someone to share the load with and bounce ideas off of, yet at the same time we are still able to express our own individuality. We both have different talents and experiences that we bring to the shop, and we've shared many good laughs over mistakes that are best left unsaid.

What are the most important aspects of your work?



To create practical designs that fit into our modern, busy lives. Also, by creating patterns, we are able to give people the opportunity to continually create for their loved ones without much expense.

Which project or piece of work are you most proud of?


Kim: For me it is always the ones that I struggled the most with. I've learned that mistakes are not disasters but rather they are opportunities for new ideas and growth. With that said, the projects that I'm most proud of are my Elegant Evening Shawl and the Simply Felted Ladies Slippers. With both of these patterns I went through a lot of trials before I came up with a fabric and design that captured my vision.

Tara: I've always been drawn to simple things. By that I mean, simple lines, color, and design. So I would have to say the Felted Baby Slip-ons are my favorite creation.
Describe your favourite working space.

The studio that we saw in Fiber Trends Magazine :) We can dream!

Thanks again, Bee, for this opportunity!

Your friends,Kim and Tara

Aren't they lovely!!! Now, go and find a friend and start designing!!!

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