Fiona Langtry ReVe Design Co Interview Gift A-long 2019

My 2 grandmothers were both wonderful knitters and crocheters, yet I don’t know exactly who taught me to knit.  I remember my paternal Grandmother, Ruth, trying to teach me to crochet when I was around 10, but it really didn’t “take”. Knitting was my preference, and it stayed that way until I was in my 40s!

I help run a craft group attached to my church each week, and one of our ladies arrived, asking for help to crochet flowers for brooches.  She showed us what to do and I took them home to continue making… and haven’t really stopped crocheting ever since!   

What made you want to start designing?

What’s you favourite part of the design process?

The responses from people when they successfully complete a project using one of my patterns! 

If they’re also learning new stitches or techniques, they’ll often exclaim that they wish they’d learnt it 30 years ago (or something).

The yarn.  It is always the driving force towards a pattern.  I will often start creating, without any real plan of the final result, but the YARN is the guide.  Sometimes, it’s the way the colors work; sometimes, it’s the texture or just what I’m in the mood for. 

Desert Dreams Poncho by Fiona Langtry

I am a part-time worker, part-time mother & wife, and part-time designer.
Usually, if I’m crocheting (in the car, in my chair, in a waiting room, wherever), it’s a new design or a test make that’s on my hook… The beauty of crochet is that it’s so portable; but I’ll often have to start a NEW project for traveling with, if my main project has gotten too large.

Comfy Cuff Socks by Fiona Langtry ReVe Design Co

Hmmm, now that is really hard!  It really depends on what I’m making! 
I love using Malabrigo yarns, because they’re so smooth and never split.  But Bendigo Woollen Mills’ cottons are amazing for their drape, colors and softness. I also love working with Crafty Housewife Yarns, Blackwattle Alpaca yarns, and almost anything I can get that is hand spun and/or hand dyed.

The “Valley Beanie” ties with my “EasyFit Mitts” for first place – I love making both these designs, and I also wear them both! 

My most recent pattern release is Nessa’s Choice Mitts/Mittens. 

Using chunky yarn, these are a really quick make, and the textures within them make them an interesting item to create, too!   The pattern was named after a lady called Nessa, who chose a pair of these gloves from a stack of about 20 pairs that I took to a business meeting.

Nessa’s Choice Mitts by Fiona Langtry ReVe Design Co

For years, I said Burgundy, but it’s been moving more towards Teal nowadays!

This is my 2nd GAL. I only heard about the Gift-a-long last year, and jumped right in!  I even earned an Opadoo making other peoples’ designs! 

I love that it’s an open opportunity for hundreds of designers to collectively engage with crafters, get to know what people really like making, and also get to know the crafters themselves!

Valley Beanie by Fiona Langtry ReVe Design Co

Every designer in the Gift A Long deserves praise!  I mean, to have twenty original designs is a major achievement!  I am inspired by almost every other design I see; I can’t choose just one.
This year, I’m making a creepy pillow by Darleen Hopkins, a shawl by Margo Bauman… probably more that I haven’t found / chosen yet.

Orchid Vest by Fiona Langtry ReVe Design Co