The December T&M Maker Spotlight is on the talented crochet designer behind Visuvios Crafts. We met Vincent at Rhinebeck and were instantly drawn in by his warmth and friendly nature. His crafting style is so unique, using rich vibrant colourways and incorporating inspiration from nature, African beadwork, music and emotion. He is a truly inspiring maker and we are really excited to share his story with you this month!
We are fortunate and honoured to have connected with Vincent who has kindly shared some insightful Q&A's with the community.
Q1: Where do you draw your inspiration when working on a new design?
I love to source my inspiration from everything around me. Of course, I love finding visual inspiration from shapes, colors, and forms in nature. However, I really love drawing inspiration from a sound, scent, or feeling. To translate those intangible items into a physical storybook, aka knitted/crochet design, is one of my favorite parts of what we do.
Q2: What resources would you recommend for someone wanting to learn to knit or crochet? What are your favourite podcasts/blogs/books to learn new techniques?
If you enjoy learning through video format, I recorded an almost 90 minute Knitting 101 course with Skillshare and my friend Toni Lipsey recorded a wonderful Crochet Essentials course. Both of those full comprehensive classes will get you on your feet and stitching with confidence at whatever pace you'd like to work at, ie. don't be afraid to hit that pause and rewind button over and over again.
As a knitter, I've really enjoyed learning new skills from Staci of VeryPinkKnits on Youtube and Toni of TLYarnCrafts' Youtube channel has a ton of tutorials, vlogs, and honest product reviews. As for books, I have always shouted from the mountaintops that Modern Crochet by Teresa Carter (designer behind DeBrosse) is the crocheter's holy grail.
Q3: What has been your hands down favourite project recently and why?
I have loved, loved, loved working on my Undulate Shawl because it has the best of both worlds; a mindless knitting section, but also a section that lets any colorway shine on the fabric. The shawl has been designed with dk weight yarn from LolaBeanYarn Co. and the colorway feels like all of your favorite things about autumn.
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Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us, Vincent! We're so excited on our upcoming collaboration with you! Vincent is helping us design a crochet page for our Needle Binder! If you crochet, please take a minute to leave us your feedback here, we'll be incorporating suggestions from all our crochet enthusiasts!
Stay tuned for next month’s edition of Maker Spotlight!