MercedesYou all know how much I love my Craftsy class… well, my good friend Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark recently released her own project based class called The Seamless Artemisia Sweater. And now I’m quite pleased to interview her a little and be a stop on her Blog Tour. Mercedes has been a yarn-dyer, and has a fantastic catalog of knit & crochet designs, both self-published and published through print and digital magazines and books. Let’s jump right in…

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Q: So your Craftsy class debuted a couple months ago, how have you liked the Craftsy experience so far? Have you learned anything new in the process? What was your favorite part?

A: I’ve loved working with Craftsy! From producing the video content, to the support, to working with students, it’s been great. I’ve taught a couple of small scale online classes before, so I’m familiar with answering student questions and problem-solving for that format, but Craftsy’s platform has made it SO much easier to help students. I think that interacting with students as they knit step-by-step through one of my patterns has helped me get some new ideas for how to make my patterns even more knitter-friendly, by seeing what parts of the process can be most intimidating or challenging for an average knitter. As a designer, it’s easy to lose sight of what I may have thought was a pretty common skill set, forgetting how stressful it was when you first try to tackle a new skill. One of the great parts of the Artemisia class, since it’s a knitalong style class, is that I’m with my students from cast on to finishing, in a way that would have taken many meetings to accomplish with face-to-face classes. When they get stuck, they have really solid support, since I can answer individual questions. Plus they can learn at their own pace and not feel rushed.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about the sweater around which the class is based? What does knitting this sweater teach someone taking the class?

SAS_03A: The Artemisia sweater is based on an unusual construction, using a top down, set-in sleeve shoulder. The entire upper body is built off of the cast on at the front and back neck and shoulder “seam”, and then tailored set-in sleeves are worked outward from there, seamlessly in the round. There is a purl leaf lace panel at the front neck, and we discuss reading lace charts for the pattern. From there, we split the body and sleeves and work the hourglass shaping for the body. In class I discuss possible modifications that knitters can make to tailor the fit to their body by changing the waist shaping and length. We’re all built differently, so having some basic ways to change a pattern is an important skill to learn. I also cover how to make a knit-in lined pocket, which is a great construction technique to know to add pockets where you want on other garments. Artemisia also has two different sleeve length options, 3/4 and full.

Q: What do you think is the biggest challenge facing knitting designers right now?

A: I think as the market is changing and more of the knitting community is moving online, it’s important to keep up with the changes in technology. The Craftsy class platform is a good example of that, since even a few years ago, many knitters wouldn’t have thought to spend the money on an online class. It was unfamiliar territory, so who knew what you would get for your money, right? Now more and more knitters are comfortable with online media, so staying up to date can be a challenge, but it’s definitely worth the effort. From optimizing layouts for online use, to adding video content to your blog, there are lots of little tweaks to keep up with to make the online experience beneficial for customers and fans. I think many of us now deal more directly with the knitters who use our patterns, so more of the responsibility can fall to individual designers, rather than publishers or yarn shop owners. It’s not just about designing, but a myriad of other tasks to support our customers.

SAS_06Q: How does your daily life in Birmingham inform your designs?

A: Well, one thing about Birmingham is that it can be a different fashion landscape than much of the rest of the country. Because it’s the South, the weather here doesn’t support wearing a ton of the winter wear that makes sense in Northeastern or Midwestern snow. Also, we can be slow to pick up on fashion trends here, sometimes by 1-2 years. I try to keep current on all aspects of fashion options by visiting sites like Pose or Polyvore. These not only show me fresh runway looks, but what women are wearing and how they pair pieces. It gives me a fresh perspective on colors, shapes, and textures. I add local Birmingham style to that, along with my own personal aesthetic, to create looks that are feminine and will last as classic pieces.

Q: What is your go-to comfort knitting?

A: Swatches. Whenever I don’t know what to knit, but want to have the comfort of stitching, I grab a skein and cast on for a swatch. It’s all of the fun, with no pressure or expectation. Eventually, some of them turn into real project options, others get ripped and re-knit or re-stashed.

Q: If you were stranded somewhere, and had to knit and reknit the same skein of yarn until you were rescued, what yarn would you want to have with you?

A: Hand-dyed wool. Probably a sport or DK weight. I have too many favorite brands to pick just one! I love Lorna’s Laces, Blue Moon Fiber Arts, and Cephalopod Yarns; their colors resonate with me, and they all have excellent yarn bases.

Q: Are you an obsessive swatcher, or do you tend to wing it when you’re knitting? Are you somewhere in between on that spectrum?

A: Ha! Remember what my comfort knitting is, right? Yes, I’m an obsessive swatcher. A recent sweater project involved about 6 large swatches by the time I was through: several just to figure out optimal gauge and needle size, and then another couple to test colorwork patterns and the neckline shaping. I use swatches not just for gauge, but as a small-scale test platform to try out edging options, finishing techniques, or embellishments. It seems like a time-suck to a lot of knitters, but has saved me countless hours of ripping and re-knitting.

Artemisia Title CardSo take a minute to check out The Seamless Artemisia Sweater trailer, and if you’re interested, sign up! It looks like a great way to learn some new techniques and end up with a very wearable sweater at the end 🙂 Thanks Mercedes!

<3 Miriam

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