I’m starting a new Designer of the Month feature here at Purple Lamb Fiber Arts. We tend to take knit and crochet patterns almost for granted, but I know that hours and hours of work go into each new pattern, and I wanted to honor some of the talented and patient designers who make the patterns that make it possible for us to knit or crochet such lovely things.

I’m here this month with Ambur Hsiao of Jaguar Moon Studio. Ambur and I collaborated a couple years ago on some projects that involved her beautiful designs along with my yarn. Can it be that long ago? Yeah, it’s been that long! XD

Tell me about how you got started in fiber arts, Ambur. How did you first learn to knit and crochet?

Well, my aunt is a very crafty person, and she would make all kinds of things using various methods. Sewing, knitting, and crochet are the top ones I remember growing up. One night–I’m not sure how old I was–I wanted some blankets for the My Little Ponies I had. I asked my aunt and grandma to make me some. I was mesmerized by how each of them constructed the blankets. My aunt was crocheting, and my grandma was knitting. I asked to learn how to do it. Knitting was very hard for me to grasp initially. It wouldn’t be until my mid-twenties that I finally figured it out. However, crochet came easily, and I just took off from there. She taught me the basics, and she would give me the hooks and books she had lying around and would buy or give me yarn too.

What led you from there to designing your own patterns?

I never really used patterns until I was an adult. I always had my own way of figuring out how to make the objects I wanted. I am a strong believer that if you know the basics and have created a strong foundation of those basics, you can create anything you want. About three years ago I started crocheting with a wonderful group of ladies. I was unemployed, and I needed something to do. I kept coming back to turning crochet into a business. My husband and I discussed it, but between the two of us we came to the conclusion that finished crocheted objects just wasn’t a viable option for me, so I was stuck.

One day I came into the group and showed off a shawlette I had come up with. They all encouraged me to write out the pattern and sell it. So I figured, what the heck? If it doesn’t do well, then I’m not out any thing, and if it does then I make a few bucks. That pattern, Cherokee Rose, is what started it all. Cherokee Rose has ended up being my most popular pattern.

When you’re looking for inspiration for a new pattern, where do you find it?

There isn’t one particular place where I find inspiration for a design. Sometimes it’s a picture or a stitch pattern. Most of the time it’s just me digging through my stash finding some yarn that I want to play with. It ends up speaking to me, and then out comes this pattern in finished object form. I then would have to figure out exactly what I did, but over the last few years I have been getting better about taking notes while I’m working.

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?

It really depends. For some patterns it has been the yarn, and for others it’s an idea in my head, and I’m just waiting for the right stitches or yarn to come along. For the ones that start with the yarn, I see the yarn and it speaks to me–tells me this is what it wants to be. Other times it can be quite painful. When Ix Kanleom was coming into fruition, I had an idea, but during the entire brainstorming process, I had this horrible headache. It was by far the most painful pattern to date and is definitely not the norm. Most of the time it’s a combination of the yarn speaking to me and having an inkling of an idea. In the process of playing with the yarn and trying to turn it into what I can see in my head and making notes as I go I end up creating a design that gets turned into a pattern. Not all designs become patterns. I have a few that I have finished, but there is something about them that I just don’t like, so they tend to sit in a drawer until I either decide it’s time to figure out what the thing missing is or I just scrap it all together.  

You make both crochet and knitting patterns with what seems like equal facility, but I know you also teach crochet lessons. Is crochet your favorite? What do you prefer about crochet, and what do you like better about knitting? Do you have certain types of projects that you prefer one or the other for?

I love the lacy stitches of crochet. I think crochet is perfectly suited to warmer weather items because of the natural lacy tendencies of the stitches. Knitting, on the other hand, I feel is better suited to colder weather because it creates a dense fabric regardless of the yarn weight. If someone was to force me to pick one over the other, I couldn’t. I think both have a place in the fiber art world and deserve equal recognition. Neither is better than the other. They are just different ways to make beautiful objects with yarn.

What’s your favorite weight of yarn?

I used to work with worsted-weight yarns exclusively. This was mainly because I felt out of place at knitting stores, and so I usually got all my yarn at big box stores. Once I started going into yarn stores, (I refuse to think of them as either knitting or crochet stores now) I discovered the wonderful world of heavy lace and fingering/sock weight yarn. That has now become my go-to regardless of if I’m knitting or crocheting.  

 What’s your favorite fiber?

Hands down, tencel and silk. That’s not to say that I don’t like a good merino or have this love affair with exotic fibers like yak or the sparkle of stellina. There is just something about the shine that silk and tencel have that you just can’t find in other fibers. I also like that you can wear them when it’s hot, and when it’s cold they keep you warm. In Arizona depending on where you are, it can get pretty cold or extremely hot, and the versatility of those fibers is important to me. Plus did I already mention how much they shine?

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

In the short term I have some designs that I’m currently developing and working on releasing in the upcoming months. I’ve also been toying around with the idea of all-inclusive pattern kits. This has lead me into tinkering with yarn dyeing and manufacturing my own line of crochet hooks and needles. It’s something for the future and still very much in the beginning stages of development.

What’s your own personal favorite design that you have made?

Wow, that’s a tough question! If we are talking about the patterns that are already published, then it would have to be Ix Kanleom even though it was also the most painful. However, I do have a few new favorites that haven’t been published yet, so keep your eye out for those as well.

Thank you so much for the interview, Ambur!

Ambur’s beautiful knit and crochet patterns can be found on Ravelry at https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/jaguar-moon-studio/. Her website is www.jaguarmoonstudio.com.