Continuing with our trend of interviewing designers that we love and inspire us, we set out to talk to Olga Buraya-Kefelian, the designer behind the fabulous book Ori Ami Knits. Check out our interview and a peak inside the book below!

Olga Buraya-Kefelian modeling the Japonica Cravat

Many of us in the shop have loved Habu Textile for so long, followed your designs on Ravelry, and are super excited about the publication of your new book Ori Ami Knits, which features some Habu yarns.  For those that are not familiar, can you give a little background on yourself?

Gladly, Courtney. My name is Olga Buraya-Kefelian and I am a knitwear designer born and raised in Belarus, who have been living, knitting, publishing and self-publishing my designs for almost 5 years now. As of this spring, I am also a co-author of a self-published title along with a talented photographer and graphic designer Vanessa Yap-Einbund and a contributor designer Kirsten Johnstone  - named Ori Ami Knits: Fiber geometry. A collection of innovative versatile designs of womens wear using alternative fibers of Habu Textiles.

What draws you to the Habu Textiles as a line to design with?

Habu textiles have been in American market for a decade now, in recent years with knitting making such huge comeback and many of us adopting it as a lifestyle. With a great  choice of conventional fibers at hand I became drawn to unconventional. For several years I have studied the fibers and their behavior and  it made me wonder how much more is out there available to a knitter and what amazing garments those fibers can produce. I got a feeling yarns from Habu Textiles gave me of wider range for creativity, one may feel that these fibers are expandable, array of exotic and unique in combination with natural gives you a choice for creating your own yarn that would suit the project perfectly. So depending on what you envision for the fabric in the final garment to do, can be easily achieved with Habu textiles yarns.

Can you tell readers a bit about the book and how it came to be? You also have a unique publishing model via digital subscriptions.  Can you talk a little about that?

For a while now, I have been approached by various publishing houses regarding working together. I have gave it a reasonable amount of thought and have had colleagues who shared their experience and feeling about it. Idea for self-publishing was lingering, but having noticed fellow knitwear designer friends taking a chance like Ysolda Teague, me and Vanessa have decided to do some extensive research. We chose things that were important for a customer and for production and at the same time satisfy our goals. I truly believe that publishing houses and editors are doing a lot of work trying to make your book the best, but we just went ahead ourselves and in the end I have gained even more respect for those in the trade.

What a great neckline!

I think sometimes knitters and crochets are intimidated about handling unusual fibers.  Can you talk about some ways in which to use or approach some of the more non-traditional knitting and crochet fibers?

Habu textiles provides you with a palette when you get their catalog of yarn snippets, you can imagine yourself an artist, you play with various pairing and swatch, there is a lot fiber exploration taking place, if you know what you want the knit fabric to do and it is achievable. And yet it is so accessible to anyone, yes it is a little more independence and work vs just buying yarn and pattern and making it up. But with Habu Textiles even though you maybe using same pattern, your yarn combination can be personalized and unique, that gives any knitter a designer feel to their finished garment.

Thinking outside the box is not always easy, I always suggest making a swatch, wash, pleat, play with possibilities. It is not necessarily that conventional garments would look great in experimental fibers, some work and some don’t. But please be more adventurous, in the end  you will be pleasantly surprised!

Where does your design inspiration come from?

I think this is always such a hard question to answer. To generalize it - life, things around me, architecture, natural setting. I am that person who is very observant and pays attention to details a great lot, I guess it comes from there. But also seeing people on the street, area your are in - other people’s creativity triggers your own, but the goal is to take it places further and create something that you love.

The perfect fun summery scarf

I LOVE Japanese craft books and design.  Can you recommend some of your favorite Japanese craft books or Japanese designers you admire?

I personally love Japanese stitch dictionaries that I collect, they refer to older forgotten resources and that is a great tool for a knitwear designer. I also admire Japanese sewing books, but I haven’t encountered that many I love. Pattern magic are my favorite series that provide me with a lot of inspiration. Designers who introduced world of Japanese fashion to the Westerners - Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto are still by far are my favorites. I had recently had a chance to visit their stores in Tokyo and they are utterly amazing, just breathtaking! Standing and staring just the way the dummies are dressed, the whole concept is different. And I like different. I am not brave enough to dress up entirely in avant garde attire, but I love to adapt the details of it into practical clothing. Balance is something that is very important.

What’s next?  Where do you see your designing going?

Being a designer is a non-stop creativity process, currently I am expanding my own line of patterns, so lots of knitting and writing, but I am also working on several designs with other yarn companies. Just several weeks ago I have released a design, which I am very excited about, it’s called Infinite loop and using Habu textiles yarn, it can be worn over 15 different ways and you can see it in a video that I made showing how to wear it.

Quick Facts:

On your iPod right now:

Florence and the machine - Dog days are over

If you were a yarn what yarn would you be?

I think I would be silk, smooth, drapey but sturdy.

Favorite place to knit:

My Ikea “Poang” chair with a lot of natural light.

Current project on the needles:

I have about 5, but on my lap right now I have a new design using pure linen.

Who taught you to knit?

My mother when I was 4.

I love this great two layered look.

You can purchase Ori Ami Knits here.

Please note: All photos copyright Ori Ami Knits and used with their permission.

Sarah Applebaum is a San Francisco based artist who I just had to share.  Her work is an amazing compilation of found crocheted and knitted objects to unique hand made fiber objects.

This is called the Phantasm

She creates interesting landscape like environments that draw you in. I feel like I might have stepped into some sort of dream.

Really neat huh?

Just a little inspiration for the day.  Bring some color into your next project and check out Sarah’s work here.

Note: All photos courtesy of Sarah Applebaum

We were so excited to host Stephen West at Seed Stitch.  What an inspiration he is to so many knitters and he was even more charming and inspiring in person!

As usual, we had a great group of students for Stephen’s workshop where he walked through some of the basics of shawl making as well as some of his best tips and tricks.  Everyone learned something whether they were relatively new knitters or long time experts and EVERYONE walked away inspired.

Look at all these amazing pieces from Stephen

Stephen started by giving us an overview of his approach to shawl making — one of his signature shapes. Hear what he had to say:

Stephen West at Seed Stitch from Seed Stitch Fine Yarn on Vimeo.

Stephen was so inspired by a Boneyard Shawl that Michele had knit in the shop using Rowan Denim that he was inspired to make his own! And started a Summer Boneyard KAL on Ravelry. Here’s Stephen’s finished Denim Summer Boneyard!

Seriously great huh?

Stephen used 6 skeins of colorway 225, Nashville

How about casting on one of these babies this summer!

Thanks so much for joining us Stephen. We all had a blast!

Thanks so much to the folks that joined us for Amy Singer’s, of Knitty.com fame,  Plug and Play shawl workshop.  We had to much fun.  Amy is loads of fun and of course an amazing wealth of knowledge.  She walked us through the basics of how to become the designer of a shawl that we each love!

What a group!

We had such a fun group of folks join us at the class.  As I watched the group I could really see the student’s creativity come loose and their brains working hard to think about the possibilities and which option they might choose for their project.  And Oh the yarns! It was so cool to see the different yarn choices by folks for these shawls.  I can’t wait to see some finished projects.

Amy talked about many great tips around lace knitting.  Below she talks about the virtues of a lifeline.  If you haven’t used a life line before you may just want to start.

Amy Singer Talks about a “Life Line” at Seed Stitch from Seed Stitch Fine Yarn on Vimeo.

Hard at work

If you haven’t visited the Knitty.com website you really must.  It’s an amazing online publication with loads of amazing patterns and information.

Thanks again Amy!

I’m so excited to tell you about one of our customers, Katie Long from the UK.  Katie came to us through the online shop to order some glow in the dark yarn - , one of our online favorites!  After processing the order, I emailed Katie to connect about her order and that’s when Katie told me her story and we embarked on a pen pal relationship as her projects evolved.

Katie was finishing her degree at University and was working on her final collection — a group of designs for children using fibers and dyes with low impact and a design sense to help combat a child’s fear of the dark.  Enter Seed Stitch and our glow in the dark yarn!

Here is a quick look at some of Katie's collection

Katie told us a bit about what inspired her collection.  Here’s what she had to say:

“I am fascinated by progressive and innovative textiles and design. In my opinion there is great potential for knitted textiles in interiors and they can equally rival the position of woven textiles. For me, knit should be visually exciting and tactile with a well considered colour palette. As opposed to buying pre-dyed yarns, I have created a soft and calming colour palette by hand dying all my yarn with homemade natural dyes. Because of my very keen interest in textiles, I like to embellish my work with hand and machine stitch, so creating very tactile surface qualities in my work. I have exploited these qualities of knitted objects to appeal to a wide range of markets. I have also found a way of providing a soft alternative to the traditional night light by using glow in the dark yarn to combat a child’s fear of the dark.”

These building blocks are stitched with glow in the dark yarn around the edges.

Another lovely design from Katie. Don’t you love the mix of traditional knit coupled with embellishments and sewing?

Glow in the dark yarn is also used throughout this blanket.

I think Katie has a very bright future and we were quite excited to have been part of it’s start, even if from afar.

We are so lucky to have so many amazing designers visit Seed Stitch and the fun’s not over.  Stephen West of WestKnits will be visiting us for a workshop and trunkshow on Saturday May 29th.

Stephen is one of today most promising young knitwear designers. He has a rapidly growing and loyal Ravelry following, with many of his designs having over 700 completed Ravelry projects. One hallmark of Stephen’s design is his ability to showcase the full potential of the yarn by combining simple stitch patterns with clever, functional, and versatile shaping.

Stephen will showcase his original designs to discuss construction, shape, increases, bind offs, and blocking. The skills discussed in this session will be highly transferable to other types of projects and designs and is a great workshop for knitters looking to learn shaping techniques and move past the basics. The class will highlight some knitting fundamental skills such as M1R/M1L (make 1 right, make 1 left) increases, yarn overs, Stephen’s favorite cast ons, bind offs, and blocking tips.

There are so many fabulous designers in the knit world and many of them spend some portion of their career at Rowan, an obvious giant in the hand knitting and crochet yarns. We had the opportunity to talk to one of the newest additions to the team, Grace Melville, about what it means to her to be a part of the Rowan team, her style, and her inspiration.

Grace, you just recently joined Rowan in September of 2009. Can you talk a little bit about how you came to join the team?

I graduated from Kingston University with a BA in fashion design in June, where I specialised in knitwear. I then was very fortunate in finding the Rowan Junior Design role online and applied straight away. I am a huge Rowan fan as my mother introduced me to the magazines from an early age. I have been very lucky to find myself in such a great position for my first job!

What does it mean to you as a designer to work with Rowan, which has promoted so many big named in the knit world?

It means a huge deal to me as a designer to work for Rowan especially for my first proper job in the fashion industry. I am learning an enormous amount in so many areas of the brand. I really feel my designing has developed greatly in the time I have been here. The design room at Rowan work very much as a team, so you get to see and be part of every stage of the design process from initial concept ideas to the proof reading.

Can you talk a little bit your first collection with Rowan Studio? How would you describe the collection? Your style?
Studio is a reflection of what is happening in fashion at the moment. So my first studio captured what was happening at that time. The trend then was slouchy, loose shapes and subtle pattern and fazed stripes. Obviously as a designer your own style is reflected in your designs. I think you can see my style in the silhouette of the pieces in studio 18.

What excites you these days from a design stand point? What do you think it going to be coming up next on the knit wear scene?
Everything around me has an influence on my designing. I love starting a new Studio and researching into current trends. There is a lot of lightweight layers and lace in the next Studio ready for spring.

Any sneak peak for your next collection or where your design style might take us knitters?
The next Studio is very feminine in fine yarns, I’m really happy and excited about this next Studio!

Quick Facts:
On your iPod right now: Poalo Nutini’s new album Sunny Side Up.
If you were a yarn what yarn would you be? That’s a toughy, hmmm I love the felted tweed family because of the lovely colours and how nice it is to knit with.
Favorite place to knit: With my mum on the sofa whilst having a movie marathon.
Current project on the needles: Swatches for up and coming projects.
Who taught you to knit? My lovely mum taught me to knit at the age of 6, she is still the best knitter I know!

Stay tuned for more designer interviews from A Yarn Tale that will bring you inspiration and ideas!

You may remember hearing about a fabulous workshop we had before the holidays with Sharon Brant of Rowan.  I learned so much from this session and I know all who attended did as well.  For those of you who weren’t able to attend, we wanted to share a bit of our wonderful experience with Sharon here with you.

Our customers are very familiar with Rowan and was are tremendous fans at the shop, but can you give us your perspective on what makes Rowan such a special force within our industry and maybe tell us something we might not know about Rowan?

Everybody that works on the design and marketing are just as passionate as the consumers. We often wonder why, I think it was born as a very personal company and we have been lucky enough that Coats have allowed us to keep the ethos of the company even though we are part of a huge global company. I also think it is the detail of styling and briefs that make the seasonal stories so special.

Rowan has always been know for being on the cutting edge of the industry and birthing new fabulous designers. Can you tell us about some of the new and exciting developments at Rowan and any of the new designers that are on your watch list?

We work very closely with the universities and their tutors to make sure we find the new fresh talent. We also have key consultants in the industry that make sure the young designers make themselves known to us.

Your new book “The Ultimate Knitting Bible” has become one of my new favorite go too books.  Can you give readers a bit of insight as to what makes this book different and what you were hoping to achieve with this publication?

This was a reaction to all the workshops I do around the world. I have been asked so many times, “Do I have all of my tips written down somewhere?” Can you come home with me?” This is for those people. I have tried to keep it clear and simple to follow. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did for putting it together.

The workshop you just ran at the shop “How to suit a garment to you” was so fantastic and I learned a lot about how I should approach a project for myself.  What would be the one or two purls of wisdom you might give readers when they approach creating a garment for themselves?

Take time to get the tension right and make samples so you know you are going to like the finished piece. Be brave and try something new prepared that you may have to do it again with all the things you learn form not getting quite right the first time.

Also, it was so exciting to hear about some of the work you’ve done outside of Rowan for film knitwear costume design.  Can you give A Yarn Tale readers a bit of insight as to what your experience has been like in creating knitwear for some films?

Working with the films is so much fun but also quite demanding due to the timings. Working on Phantom of the Opera was my absolute favourite as it linked History and knitting. the detail they go down to is amazing and when you watch the film you wonder why? but it is all those fine details that make wonderful historical stories.

Working on the designs are fun and exciting but the challenge comes once you have produced some obscure piece and they say they love it and then need 6 identical pieces! Have a look at Luna’s jacket in Harry Potter and think of my poor mother who had to copy every single fringe in the same colour pattern as the original I made. (She loves me!!!)

Purchase Sharon’s latest book, The Ultimate Knitting Bible, here.

I’m always interested in new up and coming designers, simple style, interesting stories, and those folks to watch for their future impact on fiber arts.  Some of you may already know Stephen West, but if you don’t he’s one to watch.  He’s a young designer who has a great blog, showcasing his designs and is quickly rising in popularity on Ravelry.  We caught up with Stephen to talk a little about his background, his work, and what’s next for him.  Check it out and check out his work!

Stephen's reversible Botanic Beanie

Can you tell us a little bit about how you got started knitting and designing?

I started knitting in high school after a couple friends taught me, but my knitting looked as awkward as I felt doing it. Despite this rough first attempt, I was still interested, so I got a knitting book and learned all the basics. My first projects were acrylic scarves and hats until I went to college and found my LYS, Klose Knit in Urbana, IL. I discovered wool, alpaca, and other wonderful fibers and then there was no looking back. I brought projects with me everywhere and worked almost strictly from patterns for about a year. During that time I would often modify patterns to fit my taste and my 6′2 height. After modifying more and more patterns, it wasn’t too long before I started designing my own. By designing my own patterns, I can get exactly what I want or I end up with something completely different and weird, which may spark another design idea.

Stephen's great use of color

Shawls, shawls, and more shawls. They seem to be on everyone’s mind and you have some amazing shawl patterns in your line up. What is it about shawls that inspires your creative juices?

I love making them as much as I love wearing them. I particularly love smaller shawls that can be worn as scarves around the neck because they are easy to wear and they also look fun and stylish. Shawls as scarves or neck pieces are also quicker to make, often taking just one skein of sock yarn. Fingering weight yarn is one of my favorites because it drapes beautifully and the colors can be breath-taking. I don’t knit socks much, so shawls are another wonderful use for sock yarn. Shawls also have multiple functions. They can be wrapped around your neck, positioned several different ways, or draped over your shoulders. There are many different ways of constructing shawls. Most of mine start at the neck edge with just a few stitches and then gradually increase outwards. I love this method of construction because you quickly see progress and by the time rows become painfully long, you’re almost done. I am humbled by responses I receive from knitters who love my shawl designs. So, it is easy for me to develop shawl patterns when there is so much interest in them.

Where does your inspiration come from? Are their any designers out there today that are really inspiring you or you feel are on the cutting edge?

Sometimes my inspiration comes from images I come across or structures and objects in my environment, but mostly I am inspired by yarn, color, and the act of knitting. So, my designs often utilize simple stockinette and garter stitch, showcasing beautiful yarns. Simple, clear lines mixed with some interesting detail or shape appeal to me. I am always inspired by what other designers like Jared Flood, Ysolda Teague, Gudrun Johnston, and Kirsten Kapur come up with. I can tell that they are all passionate about knitting and I think their work has the ability to evoke a strong mood or emotion. All of them also take gorgeous photos, which is something I’d like to learn more about.

What’s up next for you?
A lot, actually. I am going to start working on a website soon and hopefully get my blog updated and going again. I’ve taught a few classes in my local area, but I am interested in expanding my class repertoire and traveling to different shops this year. I have been designing a lot of new patterns recently, which I am very excited about. Some of these new patterns will be part of a Westknits pattern collection that I’m planning to release later this year. I just started working with Deep South Fibers, who now distributes my patterns wholesale to yarn stores, which frees up more time for me to play with new design ideas. I’m also working on some knit art installations with Chicago-based fashion designer, Katrin Schnabl, These installations will be presented in Chicago and New York this spring.

Wingchief pattern

Quick Facts:

On your iPod right now: Spring Awakening soundtrack. I can’t stop listening to it.

If you were a yarn what yarn would you be? Right now, I would be Malabrigo Twist because I can’t stop knitting with it.

Favorite place to knit: Outside in the shade

Current project on the needles: Farmer’s Market Cardigan by Connie Chang Chinchio, Chevalier Mittens by Mari Muinonen, Expedition by Todd Gocken, a new sweater design and scarf design.

Before I left for vacation, we were so lucky to host Sharon Brant from Rowan for an amazing workshop on how to “Suit a Garment to You”. It was a fabulous experience for all who were able to attend.

Sharon started us off with a discussion about how we should approach a pattern and think about how it might fit around areas of “focus” for each one of us.

Sharon then helped each one of us create our own custom template to use to modify any pattern to our own individual shape.  We figured out how to look at the width of our shoulders, length of our torso, etc and tweak the pattern measurements to best fit each frame.  It was fantastic!

Seed Stitch was a busy place that Tuesday night.  We not only hosted Sharon, but we had two of our regular session classes running, beginning knit with Cindy and My First Sweater with Sumner.  So we were all a bit squeezed but it made for a fun, festive, and inspiring night.

After a fantastic workshop, but one filled with quite a bit of math as we measured and modified, we ended the night with a celebratory sip of champagne!

Also check out Sharon’s project journal from her trip to Seed Stitch on KnitRowan.com