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| Kristin Omdahl, photo courtesy of Aaron Miller |
Kristin: Textures in nature is a big inspiration for me: formation of flower petals, textures of leaves, feather and scale patterns on animals, etc. I also love architectural textures: tile work, brickwork, especially mosaic and Moroccan tiles. I like to get inspiration for silhouettes from the runways, but only with cut & sewn garments. I try to avoid seeing what others are doing in the fiber world.
Crochetqueen: How long have you been designing?
Kristin: I’m self taught at knitting and crochet. I’ve been designing for almost as long as I’ve had yarn in my hands. Designing came quickly and easily to me.
Crochetkween: I am always grateful to hear about the therapeutic benefits of crochet; it seems like that is the case for you. What got you interested in crochet?
Kristin: Pregnant, alone, and living overseas, I was really homesick. Making the decision to teach myself to make baby things was very comforting to me, and I started with a pair of booties.
Crochetkween: What is your educational background?
Kristin: I studied autoCAD and architecture in high school. I was a pre-med organic chemistry major and ended up finishing up my academic scholarship at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan with a business major.
Today, I am the proud owner of a yarn company “Bamboo So Fine by Kristin Omdahl” with two yarn lines: Be So Fine and Be So Sporty, as well as the proud author of 11 books of knitting and crochet design. I Just started books 12 and 13 this week (one knit and one crochet). I just celebrated my 11th anniversary in business last week! So, as you can see, it is a full-time career for me.
Crochetkween: What have you discovered about crochet that is unique to you or your life?
Kristin: I think it is very empowering to me that I can make ANYTHING!
Crochetqueen: Your women’s designs are very fashionable and creative. Do you attend fashion shows? Do you get your inspiration from the runways?
Kristin: I really work hard to avoid watching knitting trends, whether on the runways or in knitting and crochet books & magazines. I prefer to draw my inspiration from the rest of the fashion world.
Crochetqueen: How receptive are women to crocheting your designs, especially exquisite ones? In these days of casual/sloppy dress codes… do women bother?
Kristin: I only design what I would like to wear. I am sensitive about my curves and would never wear anything that didn’t flatter my body. I don’t care for bulky sweaters because I think they pack on the pounds! I think my customers appreciate the time and effort put into making flattering knit and crochet garments that are deceptively simple to create. I like to make the simple techniques look fancy!
Crochetqueen: Do you design knit patterns?
Kristin: Yes, and I love to design for men and have several men’s hat patterns. I have also knit many things (one of a kind, no pattern) for friends. I think I feel inspired to do a full collection sooner than later!
Read my review Kristin’s latest book, Crochet So Lovely. It is available from Interweave/F+W and retails for $24.99. Be sure to watch for what’s next in her exciting design future!
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