I am really excited to share the interview I did this month with Tracie of PetalKnits. I found Tracie’s patterns on Etsy about four years ago now when I was looking for a newborn cocoon for one of my sons who was soon to be born. I bought one of her beautiful patterns, and she was kind enough to help me with a work-around for the DPNs I was too afraid to use at the time. Her work is amazing as you will see, and I think you will find the interview very interesting as well.

Just to make it easy to tell who is “speaking,” my questions will be in black, and Tracie’s answers will be in purple.

Tracie, tell me about how you got started in fiber arts. How did you first learn to knit, and what led you from there to designing your own patterns?

I have always admired hand-knit items but never thought I would be able to knit myself. Knitting was something to admire; perhaps something to purchase as a rare heirloom gift for a special baby. While visiting a local yarn shop, however, the owner told me about knitting classes that would be starting soon. Could this be something within my own grasp? I had to find out. It didn’t take very many classes before I realized that I could indeed knit and not many more before I realized that this could be my medium for art. Suddenly, the possibilities seemed endless. What could I do with 2 needles and some string? I had found my creative outlet. My excitement grew as the potential spread out before me. I could hardly knit fast enough to keep up with the ideas that sprang forth! Before long I was spinning my own art yarn as well, and then I saw a need for handspun patterns as well.

How did you decide to focus on children’s items? When you’re looking for inspiration for a new pattern, where do you find it?

That’s easy! Not only do I adore babies, I also love to dress little girls in particular vicariously. (I have three sons, you see!) Each time I dreamed up—sometimes literally—a baby design and saw it modeled on a newborn, my heart melted. I have always loved old-fashioned children’s clothing such as bloomers and pantaloons, so translating them into knitting patterns with all of their ruffles and pleats became a treasured challenge. Where there was a will, there was a way. I created new stitches that didn’t seem to have a name just to achieve my design goals. Tiny Peter Pan collars, ruffled lace, and poofy, bigger-than-baby pants found their way into my knitwear.

On the flip-side, I also adore spinning and knitting yarns into fun, bright, bulky hats and such that would become a quick knit in between the more intricate lacy projects. I love the surprise of what a kettle-dyed colorway would become as the fiber was spun and how it would be showcased by the design. In these cases, almost always the fiber dictated to me—not unkindly—what it wanted to become.

Cedric Knit Gnome Hat (Left) & Amelia Newborn Handspun Hat (Right)

You offer something unique that I absolutely love–your wraps-per-inch patterns. When I first saw those, I was just in awe of what a great idea that was because as a spinner, it can be difficult to find knitting patterns that work well for handspun yarn, especially thick-and-thin really artsy handspun yarn. Can you tell me about those?

As for my Wraps-Per-Inch patterns, well, there was certainly a need for specific instructions for handspun yarn. Not everyone feels comfortable just taking a random, beautiful skein of thick-and-thin and knitting it up. How many yards of bulky yarn might a baby hat take? What could a person do with a certain weight of yarn? What would it look good as? These were some of the questions I kept in mind as I developed this series.

I’m so glad you did!

 

You seem to have a real gift for photography as well. Your baby prop photos remind me of Anne Geddes’ work. Did you study photography, or does it just come naturally?

I am actually not a photographer. I leave that to the experts. I truly love great photographs, however, and have been privileged to work with some of the very best!

Which comes first? The yarn or the pattern? Do you find some yarn and come up with the perfect pattern to go with it, or do you have a pattern idea in mind and go in search of yarn that would complement it?

The answer to this question is, both! It just depends on the fiber. I have had some independent yarn artists come to me and offer a skein of yarn up for design, and I accepted the challenge. So very often, the yarn knows what it needs to be!

Other times, I have purchased yarn or fiber to be spun and realized after getting it in the mail that it ultimately wants to be something different, and when it comes to fruition, it is nothing like I originally intended.

I know exactly what you mean!

You might have noticed that most of my lace projects are in soft pastel colors. This is due to the fact that when lace is photographed, it doesn’t always show up in photos if it’s knit in darker colors! So I am often on a quest to find different shades of pastels in just the right gauge.

 

Is knitting your only fiber art, or do you participate in other fiber arts activities too?

I had always thought myself an uncreative person. Art was an absolutely dreaded subject in school. However, once I discovered fiber arts, not much could hold me back! I love to spin art yarn, such as this Beatles-themed bulky yarn complete with guitar picks and miniature records. How fun to have a theme and challenge myself to stick to it!

I also enjoy rug braiding; working with vintage textiles such as embroidery, sheets, etc.; making simple quilts; and making one-of-a-kind textile creations that I could never hope to duplicate!

I had to laugh when you said you dreaded art class in school because I did too. I’m so glad I’m not the only one! While I loved performing arts from a young age, I was never interested in any physical art form except as an admirer until I started weaving and spinning.

What’s your favorite weight of yarn for making knitting patterns?

For children’s designs, I definitely prefer worsted weight. It knits up fairly quickly, and I tend to be kind of impatient to get to the end result. However, really bulky handspun is also hard to resist. I mean, a baby hat made up in a couple of hours or less? Too fun to resist!

What’s your favorite fiber?

What day of the week is it? No, truly, it depends on the project. If I am making a project from handspun yarn, who can resist the buttery softness of a bamboo/wool blend? It practically floats away while I spin, and knitting it is a dream. If I am working in worsted weight, I really enjoy a super soft cotton such as Knitpicks Comfy Worsted or a cotton/tencel blend such as Knitpicks Shine Worsted. However, if I am simply working on a duplicate knit to test the pattern (not to be modeled) I will splurge on hand-dyed wool such as Madelinetosh Vintage just because the colors are incredible and never boring. Knitting up the same pattern over and over can become a bit tedious without some variety.

What is your own personal favorite design that you have made so far?

That’s a tough one as it depends on what kind of mood I am in. Do I feel whimsical? Bold? My interests tend to be blown about with the wind. However, I think I’ll never tire of the classic simplicity of the Gracie Dress. I tend to love everything old-fashioned, and this pattern really captures that feel in my opinion.

What upcoming plans do you have for your work as a designer?

I truly have way more designs planned than I ever have time for! At this time, I am working on a baby sweater and pantaloons to go with my Madilyn Tunic for babies, which has actually been in the works for probably a year now. (I had to take a break from designing to undergo some strenuous treatments for Lyme disease.) My goal recently has been to finish up many of the designs I already have started, as well as to finish them in larger sizes. I do have a daydream, however, to make the Gracie Tunic and Ruffled Pantaloons in adult sizes. How fun would that be?

I think that would be a lot of fun, Tracie! Thank you so much for joining me to talk about your amazing work!

Tracie can be found on Facebook as well as on Etsy, Ravelry, and Craftsy. Here are the links to her patterns:

https://www.ravelry.com/designers/tracie-taggart

http://www.petalknits.etsy.com

https://www.craftsy.com/profile/petalknits

I’m going to leave you with one more beautiful baby with a gorgeous hat to put a smile on your face:

Happy fiber artistry!