Our last two posts featured K2 and Madison, two of our chunkier yarns. Today we're talking with Laura Aylor, a designer who's used K2 (and others) to much success.
Laura, tell us how you came to be a designer.
As far as an intro, I don't really know what to say. I call myself an accidental designer - I kind of stumbled into this career when I couldn't find a pattern I liked for an afghan I wanted to make out of Noro Kureyon and Lizard Ridge was the result.
A couple of years after that, Ravelry started and made it easy to dabble in knit design and things just kept growing from there! As a former computer programmer/analyst, I found that writing a knitting pattern was a lot like writing a software program, you're just explaining things to a knitter instead of a computer. And knitters are smarter. I like all the hats I get to wear as a one-woman business and am really grateful that I've been able to make a career out of doing something I love!
You've written lots of cowl patterns for K2. What is it that you like best about the yarn - is it the speed with which you can produce a finished object, the softness, stitch definition, the way the texture pops?
All of the above! It's my go-to yarn for a quick or big and cozy cowl. I prefer non-superwash yarns for warmth and I love the roundness of K2. It has a lot of body and doesn't go limp. The colors seem really vibrant on this base - like the McHale's I used for Cattywampus or the Moss and Cerise my daughter and I used for our Shilohs. I'm also a big fan of texture and the stitch definition is fabulous. I especially love the big skeins as it can be difficult to deal with ends with bulky yarns so the fewer skeins I have to use the better!
Do you have a favorite K2 design for any reason?
My K2 cowls are my favorites but I can't pick just one!
My favorite just for looks is Midwinter. I loved doing stranded colorwork with it!
My favorite one for variegated colorways is Syzygy. I love how the 'knots' concentrate the colors.
My favorite one to wear to dress up a bit is my green Shiloh.
The one I've been wearing the most lately when I walk or go hiking on cold days is Snowline because it's no fuss to get it to sit comfortably with the shaping.
I really need to live someplace colder so I can wear all of these cowls more! And I seem to be adding more to my collection every winter.
So what's keeping you busy right now?
I have a pretty full Knit-Along schedule (check out the Ravelry group for more details) this month. The cast on for Halfvent was December 1, and the cast on for JFY7 is December 13. I'm finishing the year with an MKAL--Long Winter's Night MKAL. It's a shawl and the planning sheet goes up on December 12 with a December 26 cast on. Surprise, though, I'm using Killington for this project!
Thanks for talking with us, Laura!
These are just a small sample of Laura's designs in K2 and in Miss Babs yarns. You can find Laura Aylor's designs on Ravelry and LoveCrafts and give her a follow on Instagram or Facebook!
2 comments
What is the color way used for Syzygy? It’s very beautiful!
Laura has the best designs. Her patterns are very well written, easy to understand, and she will help if you have any issues.