Q & A with Leigh Radford, author of One More Skein
How did you learn to knit?
A friend of my maternal grandmother, Auntie Edna, taught me to knit and crochet when I was about 13 years old.
Which project in One More Skein was the most fun to work on and why?
The necklace from the Jewelry Trio. It’s simple to knit and using the jump rings as beads is a fun, easy twist on typical jewelry-making.
Which project was the most challenging?
The Albers Stash Blanket. I loved working with all of the colors, but I threw this project in at the very last minute and had to hustle to finish it by the deadline.
If you could use only one word to describe your book, what would it be?
Timeless.
At this point you have authored four knitting books (AlterKnits, AlterKnits Felt, One Skein, and now One More Skein). How do you keep the projects fresh and creative?
For the past few years I've been spending time developing my painting and drawing skills, which allows me to take a break from knitting and come back to it with a fresh perspective. And I continue to look to art and nature for inspiration.
If you could time-travel back to a different time or place and spend a day with knitters there, where would you go?
I would most like to have met and knitted with Mary Walker Phillips, author of Creative Knitting. Her approach, and what she was knitting in her time, was incredibly innovative.
Who is your favorite knitwear designer of all time?
Kaffe Fassett. His approach to design and working with color, specifically intarsia, inspired my own knitting practice.
What kinds of knitting needles do you like best?
Wooden needles feel best in my hands. I've got quite a few Lantern Moon circulars that I keep going back to.
What kind of knitting bag do you carry?
I usually use my felted Circle Tote or one of my striped stash bags from AlterKnits.
Where is your favorite place to knit?
My backyard.
What is the most unusual or exotic place you’ve ever knitted?
I knitted on a flight to Bali many years ago.
What is your happiest knitting memory?
When I was knitting the Oversized Carry-All in AlterKnits Felt, my uncle jokingly asked if I was knitting a car cover because it was so big before I felted it. Whenever I think of that, it always makes me laugh. The bag really was quite large.
What are the names of five blogs or websites that you look at regularly?
www.designspongeonline.com
www.thesartorialist.blogspot.com
www.tate.org.uk
www.housemartin.typepad.com
www.marcelwanders.com
What are you making now?
An intarsia bag (which I'll felt) made out of as many colors of Manos del Uruguay as I could justify—the design uses small amounts of a lot of colors, but I’d like to keep the cost of materials somewhat reasonable for the knitter. I’m also working on an installation of hanging sculptures worked in lace-weight linen.