Bo Breda
Hyde Park, MA USA
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Specialty |
Am program director of Fashion Design at Mount Ida College where I teach full time. Was a knitwear, sportswear, and fabric designer in the NYC garment district from 1971 to 1986. My work has been exhibited around the country for the past 10 years.
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| Contact Information: |
67 West Street Hyde Park, MA USA
bbreda@mountida.edu
www.bobreda.biz
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| Favorite Knitting Book |
Mary Thomas's Knitting Book
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| Favorite knitting reference |
Creative Knitting by Mary Walker Phillips
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| Favorite Cast-On |
Double cast-on English method
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| Favorite Knitting Tip |
Steam your gauge swatch before measuring
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| Classes |
Weaving, knitting, beadwork (on and off-loom, embroidery), sewing, tailoring, draping and patternmaking, woven fabric design, knit fabric design, sweater design, surface design (printing and painting techniques)
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| Biography |
Born in Brownwood TX to a Cajun mother and Italian father. Learned to sew by age 5. Was selling loop potholders to the neighbor ladies in 5th grade. Began knitting age 12. Was teaching classmates to sew in high school. Began making clothes for friends in college. First job as samplehand while in college. Began working in a leather shop after graduation, making leather bags and accessories. Learned to weave and spin at Penland during summers of 1968-9. Began working as sample weaver in NYC garment center in 1971. Designed vinyl and urethane fabrics in 1972 for General Tire. Returned to NYC in 1973 to be assistant woven fabric designer. Became a head fabric designer in 1974 and then began designing for junior sportswear company in 1975. Became knitwear specialist and worked until 1986 in that field. Retired to study computer programming but continued to make clothing for private customers. After several years in the financial world (where I taught my colleagues sewing and other fiber arts during lunch hour in a regular program supported by the company), I entered graduate school in 1994 Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and received my MFA in Fibers in 1997. Have been teaching art and design ever since. Have been exhibiting my work during this period also.
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| What is your knitting mantra? |
Never really had one. My regular mantra is hadiyom. If you want to know my basic rule about beginning any knitting project, it's 'plan ahead'. I am very careful about gauge. I knit continental style because of my early exposure to Mary Walker Phillips at Penland.
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| What inspires you? |
Everything - I need to make things, otherwise I become morose.
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| Confess - when it comes to hiding your yarn, what are your secrets? |
I ball them up with a yarn winder most of the time. Don't really like them in skeins. Separate into color families and keep in plastic tubs.
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| What is your idea of knitting heaven? |
Time to myself
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| How many UFO's (Unfinished Objects)do you have going at once? |
Only one or two
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| My yarn stash equals the GNP (Gross National Product) of ... |
actually it's very small these days
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| Whom would you like to see accept an Academy Award wearing your creation? |
Gabriel Byrne
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| What knitting commandment do you most like to break? |
Some people say it's necessary to use yarn of the same size when using several together. I like to use lots of different sizes and textures and fibers all together which gives an exciting unpredictable result, distorting patterns and surfaces.
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| What frequently-asked knitting question do you hate to answer? |
How do you have the patience for that?
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| What is your most dog-eared knitting reference? |
101 Ways to Improve Your Knitting by Barbara Abbey
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| When and how did you learn to knit? |
First age 12 in a knitting store learned American style. Then at age 22 learned continental style from Mary Walker Phillips
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| What is the most unusual place you've ever knitted? |
I don't have any good stories but I did know a woman many years ago who regularly took her knitting to the movies and worked in the dark.
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| How long can you last without knitting? |
Have not knit anything for a while but lately it's beginning to get to me. I'm planning on doing something from Elsebeth Lavold's book very soon. Have already done a sample swatch of one of her viking cables.
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| If you were stranded on a deserted island, what one yarn, book, or gizmo would you want along? |
Tahki Donegal Tweed yarn
Mary Thomas's Knitting Book
sock knitting machine
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| How many hours have you knitted non-stop - and why? |
Don't know - could be anywhere up to 8 or 10 hours - because of deadlines
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| What do you want your knitting epitaph to say? |
She knitted with love in her heart and a passion for beauty
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| Who would you like to greet you in knitting heaven? |
Therese de Dillmont
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