Interview: Carol Meldrum

When and how did you begin knitting?

I come from a family of knitters, so it’s always felt very natural from a young age to have something on the pins. I was five or six possibly when I started to dabble in knitting – I remember making a Dr Who scarf for one of my dolls that was a disaster and fell apart!

Where is your favourite place to knit?

I’m quite happy knitting anywhere as long as I’ve elbow room, but my favourite place is back home at the work station – in other words, my living room, with the stash with in easy reach!

What is your favourite type of item to knit?

Gloves, gloves and more gloves! I have lots of garment ideas and rarely get a chance to actually plot them out and knit them up, but turning them into gloves gives me the chance to almost make mini versions, treating the cuff as the border and the thumb gusset as the armhole. It’s a way of getting the idea out of my head and working through the logistics on a smaller scale.

What would you like to knit that you haven’t made so far?

At the moment I’m in awe of folk who can design lace. I naturally tend towards crochet for this type of project – for some reason it makes more sense to me! I especially admire Karina Westermann’s lace work, such a talented lady.

What’s your latest knitting project that you’re working on?

I’m working on a few projects with Jane Crowfoot for our up coming Northern Lights Cruise in March. We’re travelling on a traditional Hurtigurten ship up the coast of Norway and into the Arctic Circle knitting and crocheting as we go – fingers crossed we’ll see the Northern Lights!

How many projects do you have on the go at any one time?

Lots would be the answer to this question! They have different levels of urgency: things for myself are at the very bottom of the list, then we have publishers, magazines, Etsy, Ravelry, workshops, galleries, and pop up events. Phew!

If you could describe your stash in one word, what would it be and why?

Expanding! I’m out and about most weekends visiting yarn stores for workshops and end up being tempted by all the gorgeous yarns.

What’s the oldest yarn in your stash?

I had a rummage through my stash recently and found a Kaffe Fasset for Rowan: 25g hanks of Shetland 4ply wool. This either came from my days as a Rowan Design Consultant in John Lewis Glasgow or from Art School – that’s scary as either way it’s from pre-2000!

Is there a yarn you’re desperate to use but can’t decide what for?

I purchased a few hanks of Shilisdair Luxury DK from Be Inspired Fibres in Edinburgh the last time I we had a workshop. I’m desperate to use it and I know exactly what for, but I just need the time to sit down and make it!

Have any of your designs originated from seeing a yarn in your stash?

Sometimes the yarn just tells you what it want to be!

Do you have a stash busting tip or pattern we can share with our readers?

I have been very good over the past few years and used up most of my stash for book projects and patterns, but it’s starting to grow again. I try to keep my stash together in similar weights so I can easily see what’s available – luckily I love stripes and Fair Isle, which are great for mixing yarns together. My Sheil wrist warmer design for Rowan ticks all the boxes for me!

To find out more about Carol and her knitting, pick up a January issue Let’s Knit, on sale December 24th.