Teams on Tuesday - Etsyknitters - Babywear by Babs

Teams on Tuesday - Etsyknitters - Babywear by Babs

This week I'm pleased to introduce you to Babs of "Babywear by Babs".

What is your shop name?
Babywear by Babs

When did you learn to knit?
I learned to knit from my Mother about 100 years ago - well maybe only 40 years ago. I still have the buttons from my first project which was a cardigan sweater with a simply cable up the side of each placket. From there I went to knitting for my dolls and gifts for my friends. In fact, I saw a high school friend a few years ago and she told me she still owned the scarf I knit her for Christmas one year!

What is your favourite thing to knit?

My favorite thing to knit are the fisherman knit sweaters. It is so challenging to figure out the combination of cable patterns and make it all work together aesthetically and proportionately. The different cable patterns are all selected by me to arrive at a unified and interesting sweater design. Each one I knit is different. It is so much fun to see the sweater go from my brain, to paper, to the finished knitted sweater.

Are there yarns/wools you love?

Since I knit for babies I really like to knit with blended yarns that have some acrylic in them so they are soft to the touch. I also love to use washable wool. It makes for easy care but still has the warmth of the wool - especially for the fisherman sweaters since wool is the traditional yarn to use on this kind of sweater.

Are there yarns/wools you don't like to work with?

I really do not like to knit with cotton. It doesn't have much elasticity and I don't like the way the finished product feels.

What would you like to say about your creations?

My creations come from my head and my heart. I do much of my designing while falling asleep at night or in the early hours of the morning after I wake up. It helps me calm my mind and is a time of great inspiration for me.

What other fiber arts do you enjoy?

I also: sew, needlepoint, crewel embroidery, quilt, macramé. But mostly I just knit now.

Is there another fiber art you'd like to learn?
My grandmother and one of my mom's sisters was a weaver. I really wish I was 20 years younger and lived in a big house so I could have a loom and learn how to weave. Well, perhaps in my next life!