One of the things I love most about the Indie GAL (Gift-A-Long) is the chance to discover and/or promote other designers’ work. Over the course of the GAL I’ll be publishing gift-knitting related interviews with designers whose work I admire.

avdl-beesAmy van de Laar publishes fabulous accessory patterns. Check out her Ravelry page here.

Steph: What’s your favorite part of the GAL?

Amy: I’m really enjoying handing out prizes, I love the excitement of it! I have one day each week on drive-by prize patrol, giving pattern codes to whoever posts the next WIP or FO photo. I also love hanging out in the Hand & Arm Things thread (where I’m one of the host mods), seeing what lovely things people are making. I’ve discovered some fantastic patterns and yarns that weren’t on my radar before.

Have you participated before this year?

I’ve participated for two years previously as a designer (and knitter!), but this is my first year on the Mod Team. Can I give a shout-out to all the mods? They’re all so much fun to work with!

The mods are totally awesome!  They volunteer an amazingly generous amount of time. Have you participated as a knitter before?

As for the knitting part, my first GAL project from 2014, a Park Slope tee, was only finished this September – I’m really slow with garments, even short-sleeved ones. In 2015 I did manage to finish a cowl at the eleventh hour, so my GAL cred is improving. Maybe this year I’ll manage more than one project. 🙂

Are you participating as a knitter again this year?
I’m working on a pair of Grellow Love socks designed by Clare Devine, using some leftover Vintage Purls yarn. I’m nearly up to the heel of the first one! It’s parked on my desk next to my laptop, so I can sneak in a few rounds when I’m GAL chatting or waiting for Photoshop to load. I’m not very experienced with socks, so each pair I make is a bit of an adventure. If I have time after this pair, I’ll probably go for more socks, maybe Wheatly Socks or Tip Toe Up (which are both in my queue).

Which of your patterns do you think make the best gifts?

I tend to make hats, cowls, and scarves for gifts, because they’re nice and practical. A few of mine that I think are quite quick and versatile are Tailfeather, a worsted-weight scarf with simple feather-inspired lace, Ascent, a textured unisex beanie, Peacowl, a DK-weight lace cowl, and INSULATE, a free Dalek-patterned hat (for the geeks in the family).

Thank you so much Amy!

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Photos © Amy van de Laar

Don’t forget to check out the Indie Design Gift-A-Long group on Ravelry to join in the fun!