Designer Focus: Brenda Castiel

I have really been enjoying trying out the patterns of the Indie Gift-a-Long designers this year, it is such a great way to to get to know other designers and their work.

One such lovely designer is Brenda Castiel (or goodstuff on Ravelry) whom I have been lucky enough to interview. You can find Brenda's designs on Ravelry here. When and how did you learn to knit/crochet? I'm a self taught knitter; I taught myself out of a little pamphlet from Paton’s when I was a teenager. I like to figure things out for myself even now. If you could only knit/crochet one item, what would it be and why? If I could only knit one item, I'm not sure which specific one it would be, but I think I would choose a cabled sweater by Norah Gaughan. Her construction and techniques are amazing.

What inspired you to start designing? I started designing after doing quite a bit of knitting just to see if I could do it. Knit Picks had just started their independent designer program and they invited new designs, so I thought I would give it a try -- and to my surprise they accepted my design. After that I started submitting to magazines and learned a lot in the process. What is your favourite workhorse yarn? My favorite workhorse yarn is Wool of the Andes from Knit Picks -- it's really good strong yarn and if I need something that's machine washable they have Swish which is a washable option.

Which of your patterns make for great gift giving? For gift-giving, I have quite a few hats and cowls and mitts that would make great gifts. Two of them that come to mind are, a hat that's decorated with little apples; it’s called a Macintosh hat and because of the little apples I think it's a perfect gift for a teacher (you know, the whole apples for teacher thing)! Secondly I have the Somerset Hat that has a little decorative tie fastening. This makes a great gift idea because by loosening or tightening the little tie you can make it fit everyone. Is there another GAL designer that inspires you? Who and why? Alex Tinsley – her hats and other designs are interesting, yet they’re simple enough for any knitter to tackle. Sometimes less is more!

I love your An Apple A Day Shawl pattern, what inspired this design? Sometimes I'm inspired by a specific event: for example I designed a shawl for a knitting retreat that was being held in a famous apple growing area. I decided to symbolize that, so I took the theme of apples and designed the “An Apple a Day” shawl. It has motifs of apple blossoms, harvest baskets, and apples, and leaves with dew (beads). You can also find Brenda on her blog here.