Amelia’s Beanie – Guest Interview with Barbara Kemp

Today, I’d like to introduce you to a wonderful lady who is a member of Crochet Au Lait Community on facebook. Please meet Barbara Kemp who lives in the UK. I admired a beanie she made and asked her if she happened to have a pattern. Barbara said she just thought it up but could probably write it out. Well, let me tell you, she wrote it out in a matter of a few minutes and messaged it to me. I thought to myself, what a gracious, giving person she is! In return, I thought the least I could do was to put her wonderful pattern on a template and then she offered to give it away to our members for free. Join Crochet Au Lait Community where you can download the free pattern.

I asked Barbara if she would mind if I interviewed her for the Crochet Au Lait blog post and she was happy to do so. Please enjoy our conversation below.

Sheri: Barbara, what inspired you to create the Amelia’s Beanie pattern?
Barbara: I needed a beanie that would be interesting for a sandwich child.
Sheri: And, what is a sandwich child?
Barbara: A middle child. LOL!
Sheri: Well, that makes perfect sense! Tell me, who is Amelia?
Barbara: Amelia is one of the five lovely grandchildren that I am blessed with.
Sheri: That’s fantastic! I’m sure you have lots of fun with them. So, did Amelia selec t those particular colors or did you already know her favorite color?
Barbara: I already knew Amelia’s favourite color.
Sheri: Do you have a favorite stitch?
Barbara: I love different stitches for different textures. I liked the Aran (worsted weight) and heavier for hats because it gives them shape and form. For my flowers and squares, I love the softness and the drape of the double knit. Cotton is hard to work with but for amigurumi for the babies it gives the finished toy form and character.

Sheri: Tell what your favorite hook style is.
Barbara: In the UK, our choice of hook is limited to simple metal crochet hooks (aluminum, I think). I have managed to acquire some with silicone handles, but I am still of two minds which is preferable. I love, Love, LOVE the look of the varnished handles but have not been able to purchase any yet. I experiment with larger and smaller hooks for the same pattern – never afraid to frog until happy, otherwise you just feel miserable looking at something you wish you had done differently.
Sheri: It’s really great how you work the yarn and hook size until you achieve the look you want. Will you be publishing more patterns in the future?
Barbara: Amelia’s Beanie is the first pattern I have ever written – there is a messy bun version which I did a shortcut summary for, but not a full pattern. I would be happy to write more patterns if people are interested.
Sheri: Well, I can certainly say I absolutely would be interested! Thank you so much, Barbara, for taking the time to interview with me today. You are a wonderful inspiration to the yarn arts industry!

If you would like to be a guest, either writing your own blog post or partaking in an interview, feel free to contact me at thecrochetaulait@gmail.com or fill out the form on the Contact page.