JC Briar
Corvallis, OR USA
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Contact Information: |
No mailing address is available...
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| Favorite Knitting Book |
It’s a toss-up between Barbara Walker’s Treasuries and Knitting in the Old Way by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts.
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| Favorite Cast-On |
The long-tail cast on, and all its variations: casting on in purl, casting on in rib, German twisted long-tail cast on, casting on in two colors, casting on left-handed...
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| Favorite Knitting Tip |
Try it on a swatch.
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| Biography |
A self-confessed “technique freak” and “skill junkie”, JC dabbles in all kinds of knitting, but has a special fondness for textured knitting and novel construction techniques. If it involves lace, cables, or seamless construction, it’s sure to catch her eye. She shares her enthusiasm by teaching at shops and fiber festivals, and online through Needlecraft University.
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| What is your knitting mantra? |
It’s just loops of yarn.
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| What inspires you? |
The first Aran knitters. Were they inspired by intricate Bavarian twisted-stitch patterns? Why did they choose to knit pieces flat and seam them together? What do they consider to be the essential elements of an Aran? Inquiring minds want to know!
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| Confess - when it comes to hiding your yarn, what are your secrets? |
Under the end table, at the end of the sofa, in the corner of the living room. This keeps the WIPs out of sight, but within easy reach.
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| What is your idea of knitting heaven? |
It’d be much like life here on earth, except with housekeeping service. And no bills.
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| How many UFO's (Unfinished Objects)do you have going at once? |
Ooh, that’s a tough one. I really don’t know. Less than a dozen, I hope.
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| My yarn stash equals the GNP (Gross National Product) of ... |
It’s small, really. My stash definitely isn’t in competition with the local yarn shop.
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| What knitting commandment do you most like to break? |
To use Anna Zilboorg’s terminology, I’m a committed anarchist knitter: instead of always wrapping the yarn around my needles in the same way to ensure conventionally-mounted stitches, I wrap my yarn as I please, resulting in stitches that sit willy-nilly on the needles. (Well, the stitches may look willy-nilly to some, but they look fine to me!)
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| What frequently-asked knitting question do you hate to answer? |
“Can you knit one just like that for me?” Once I’ve puzzled my way through a new design, the thrill is gone and I’m ready to move on to something else; I rarely knit the same item twice.
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| What is your most dog-eared knitting reference? |
Many are dog-eared—I bought them used. But the ones with the most sticky notes marking pages are the stitch dictionaries.
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| What is the most unusual place you've ever knitted? |
Standing in line at the airport, waiting to get reassigned after a flight was canceled. I was short-rowing a sleeve cap into a seamless top-down Aran, so I had markers everywhere and I was holding most of the sweater under one arm. At least it kept my mind off the airline.
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| How long can you last without knitting? |
Oh, quite a while. Weeks, if need be.
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| If you were stranded on a deserted island, what one yarn, book, or gizmo would you want along? |
A pad of graph paper, a mechanical pencil, and a good eraser. With those, I could happily chart stitch patterns for hours. Of course, then I’d want needles and yarn to start swatching.
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| How many hours have you knitted non-stop - and why? |
Only two or three, before taking a short break... and then getting back to my knitting.
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| What do you want your knitting epitaph to say? |
“She wasn’t afraid of hand-knitting sweaters in fine yarn on small needles.” It sounds better than, “She didn’t know better than to spend gobs of time hand-knitting sweaters in fine yarn,” doesn’t it?
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