Crafty Creatives @LAMP

An Interview with LAMP Student: Sammy

Tell us a bit about yourself, who you are and what you do here at Lamp.

Hi, my name is Sammy. I am student at Lamp and I study Games, Maths, Japanese and English and I knit as a hobby.

Miniature knitted garments made by Sammy

I often see you knitting in class during break. What got you into this craft and how long have you been doing it? What about it do you enjoy?

I started doing knitting as part of a textile project during year 10 and I have been doing it as a hobby for 3 years since. I like it because it gives my hand something to do, I find it both relaxing and challenging. It’s also enjoyable to create something cute. 

You also created some cute knitwear for the ducks that made their nest in English. What inspired you to dress them up?

The ducks just looked cold and needed a hat and scarf.

Do you follow a pattern or do you come up with your own designs?

I mostly follow a pattern but sometimes I have to adjust them to make them fit right, like unravelling the work apart to increase or decrease the stitches depending on how big I want the final piece to be. 

An example of a knitting pattern.

How much wool is needed for a project? Are the materials expensive?

It depends on whether I am making small clothes or doing bigger projects. It costs around 2 pounds for a skein of yarn. You could get started with less than 10 pounds especially if you buy it second hand. 

What advice would you give to someone new to the craft?

Learn how to read the label on the skein because it tells you everything you need to know about that yarn like the hook size or needle size you will need and the yarn weight and how heavy it is going to be. You would not want to use a heavy yarn for a summer jumper or top. And also, the laundering tells you how to wash the yarn as you would not want to ruin it especially a fluffy yarn. There are alpaca yarns, wool, acrylic, silk, etc and each require a different care. Also ‘A little course in knitting’ is a good beginner book with lots of information on the craft. 

Thank you for your interview today. Do you have any projects for the future? 

I am working on a star bag at the moment and want to finish this. I am keeping my options open to whatever inspires me. I also found out that micro-crocheting is less strenuous for my wrists and you can make really tiny stuffs like miniature animals. I like the aesthetic so I will definitely be doing this in the future. 

- Sammy, interviewed by Angélique