This is Vala: Designer of the Month Interview

GTS had the lucky chance to snag an interview with the current Designer of the Month, Vala. And for your viewing pleasure, here are a few photos of pieces she has made for the shop.

Rusty House Socks, Design & Photo by Vala

Peach Collar, Design & Photo by Vala

Winter Heather Fair Isle by Vala

Ginger Twist Studio: How old were you when you started knitting? And how was it that you started and who taught you?

Vala: At around the age of Nine and I was taught by my Grandmother. I remember vividly she was working on a fair-isle jumper and concentrating hard on it, and because I kept interrupting her she asked me if I would like to learn to knit. I guess to keep me quiet.

GTS: What is your favourite type and/or colours of yarn/wool?

Vala: Any type of pure wool, it just works perfect every time. At the moment any type of rich blue is a favourite

GTS: When did you get into designing and how?

Vala: My Friends Russell and Julie had just opened a bookshop called Analogue Books in Edinburgh, I had this idea that I could sell a product through their shop, I had made for myself a pair of wrist-warmers that had small beads knitted in to them. So I made a few pairs and my Partner Iain designed an illustrated box to pack them in, I reckon Analogue sold around a hundred pair, and that led me to having at some point around 5 other outlets for them, it also led to Iain becoming involved in illustration.

GTS: What is your favourite thing to design, and where do you get your inspiration?

Vala: I really enjoy fair-isle knitting and I try to keep my designs pretty simple. I'm inspired by lots of things, the big two would be films and books.

GTS: So you knit, crochet, and teach both skills. What else do you enjoy doing?

Vala: I'm also one half of the design team The Lindstrom Effect, so I'm always kept busy with that, other things are just the usual stuff, TV, films, music, books.

GTS: Would you say your photographer's eye influences what you like to knit?

Vala: Yeah but in an indirect way I suppose, photography has made me be a very visual person, I get excited by all sorts of things that I suppose a lot of people skip past, the other night I paused a tv show to look at a sculpture on the mantle-piece behind the actors. It just struck me as a bit of an unusual shape, and that's it, filed away in the old grey cells.

GTS: What are on your needles now, and what is the next project you have planned?

Vala: I just finished a baby cardigan and I think I'll make myself a jumper next, I've got lots of lovely grey wool that would work perfectly. Maybe some influence from that Sculpture I saw on Tv will sneak in too.