Designer Focus: Carla Pera

This week I have been lucky to speak with another designer of the Gift-A-Long, Carla Pera. I was able to interview Carla for my blog and I thought you guys would enjoy hearing what she has to say.

When and how did you learn to knit/crochet? My mother taught me both crafts when I was about 8 or 9 years old, although I didn't really start knitting much until high school. There have been a couple of extended breaks from it while I was busy doing other things, but for the most part, I've been knitting all of my adult life. I dabble in crochet now and then but mostly prefer knitting. If you could only knit/crochet one item, what would it be and why? Ooh, tough choice. I think I would have to say a lace shawl because I love the challenge of figuring out a lace pattern and fitting it into the shaping of the shawl. Also, I live in Los Angeles so I don't have much use for heavy woolens. What inspired you to start designing? Even though I've been knitting for decades, I've only been designing for a little over 3 years. I used to be very happy to follow along with someone else's pattern, but when my friend taught me how to spin I had trouble finding patterns to suit the yarn I was making. After a lot of frustrating searches, I found an online stitch dictionary and started making things up. I wrote some scribbled, cryptic notes to myself as I went, but pretty soon I started writing them down in a more formal way. At the same time I discovered all of the indie designer groups and resources on Ravelry, and the idea of becoming a knitting designer was born. What is your favourite workhorse yarn? Cascade 220. It's very smooth and even so you get great stitch definition, comes in a ton of colors, is 100% wool so it felts beautifully and is a great value because you get 220 yds (200m) in a skein, yet it isn't very expensive. Which of your patterns make for great gift giving? For little girls and/or doll enthusiasts, if you have the time, the doll clothes patterns Tea Time and Lady Augusta Cloak make a lovely 18th century dress and cloak set, or a quick knit is the Summer Flowers dress. Another time-consuming, but rewarding pattern is the Little Mermaid Topsy-Turvy Doll Set, which was inspired by a book I had as a child. If you don't have a lot of time and are making something for an adult, the Hidden Leaves Cowl is a lovely quick knit.

Is there another GAL designer that inspires you? Who and why? Marnie MacLean because she designs everything from sweaters to mitts with an elegant simplicity that really appeals to me. Plus, she has so many designs (and so many of them are popular) that I can only aspire to having such a shop for myself one day. Finally, she is very generous with her time and expertise on Ravelry. I would like to publicly thank her because I learned so much from her tutorial on drawing schematics in Illustrator. You can see more of Carla's designs here on Ravelry.