Yarntwisted
Read more about this wonderful designer below.
Company Name: Yarntwisted
Designer Name: Shana Galbraith
Home State: Idaho
Design Specialty: Hats and headwear
1 How did you first get introduced to your craft?
When I was 5 or 6, my mom taught me how to make a crocheted chain. By age 11, I had progressed to granny squares, using all her leftover scraps from projects. When I reached middle school, I put the crochet away for a time. I picked it back up again as a freshman in college, determined to teach myself more than the basics, and the rest is history.
2 What type of patterns do you enjoy designing the most?
I really love designing adult-size hats. And I love designing anything with cables, bobbles or texture. I am also a huge fan of projects that can be done quickly because I have an incredibly short attention span.
3 What are you most known for?
My fun and funky headwear.
4 How do you jump-start your creativity?
Creativity just flows when it flows. I've found that if I try to force it, I always get blocked -- but if I just relax and let it come, it bubbles up when it's ready. It's usually when I'm drifting into sleep at night that I'll see a design come into being.
5 What season inspires you the most?
Winter and summer are my biggest inspirations. I love watching TV shows that are filmed in the winter because there are a lot of knit pieces that actors wear that I see and think, "I could do something similar (but better!) in crochet." But I LOVE the colors of summer. I am incredibly drawn to color; most of my patterns are worked in rainbow hues.
6 On average, how many new patterns do you design each year?
I usually design 3 to 4 pieces each month -- most items are ones that can be done in a day or two. When I work on afghans, like my Rainbow Owls Blanket pattern, I design only one a month.
7 Is there another craft you'd like to try your hand at?
I have been branching out into knitting recently as well, and I've designed a few patterns there. I love the texture capabilities of knitting -- the cable possibilities are gorgeous. But it takes longer, and crocheting is so much more satisfying to my short attention span.
8 What is your favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon?
Sunday afternoons often are spent curled up with a self-improvement book, or sometimes I'll listen to motivational speakers like Tony Robbins while I design a new crochet pattern. I also love to play board games and card games with my three children.
9 What three items do you always have in your craft bag?
Bag? I wish my craft supplies limited themselves to a bag. My stuff is usually spread out all over my couch -- papers with notes jockeying for place with yarn, and about 3 projects going at a time. But the 3 items I always have on hand are my crochet hooks, my yarn and some dark chocolate.