A hearty welcome to Cynthia Levy of Red Tiger Designs and fellow Canadian.
Check out her patterns on Ravelry. Find her on Instagram.
What excites you about the GAL? What’s your favourite part?
I love the comraderie of the GAL and the excitement of seeing so many knitters, crocheters and designers busily preparing for the gift-giving season. The sharing spirit of the GAL designers is incredible and so welcoming.
Are you a full-time or part-time designer?
Thanks to a natural tendency to over-commit myself to far too many activities and interests, and a more than full-time day job, I’m very much a part-time designer. I’m looking forward to retirement, since I foolishly believe that time will magically appear and allow me to focus more on designing and on all my other neglected hobbies.
Does the place you live affect how or what you design?
I live in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, which happens to be in the Canadian north and rather far away from anywhere. Stash enhancement is a constant challenge and tends to rely on online and travel shopping. So I tend to acquire lots of single skeins of fingering weight yarn, which pushes me to design mostly socks and fingerless mitts. The fringe benefit is using my samples to warm my fingers and toes during our long winters!
Are you a big gift knitter? What’s your favourite knitting to give?
I try to knit gifts for at least a few special people on my list each year. I always design a pair of fingerless mitts for my niece, since she suffers from chronically cold hands, and has been the most knitworthy person I know ever since she was a toddler. She unwraps each pair enthusiastically, pulls them on instantly, and refuses to take them off!
If someone were to knit you a present, what would you most love to receive?
Perhaps a poncho or cozy wrap? I’d never knit one myself, but I have a friend who makes them frequently, and they always look so cozy and comforting. Just the thing that could improve a day at the office.
Tell us about your favourite yarn.
I adore Barking Dog Yarn Achilles. I’ve had the pleasure to design several sock patterns featuring this indie-dyed yarn. The colors are gorgeous and the stitch definition is stellar.
