Crochet, Chat & Learn ~ Edie Eckman

My paternal grand-maman crochet; everybody in my family has a king size afghan to prove it.

As a kid I was always intrigued by her next projects, wanting to learn how to do it too.

I picked up crochet as a kid but really got into it only as an adult and it is in big part thanks to Edie. I own all of her books on the subject.

They really are a great source of knowledge for crochet fans (or knitters as she also write about that!).

She is a great communicator, you can also sign up for one of her classes on Craftsy or Creativebug which are so fun to watch and great to learn new techniques. 

Edie was kinds enough to answer all my questions so we would get to know her better.

She as a new book coming out, a revised version of her famous ‘The Crochet Answer Book‘ and I am really happy to say that a book was contributed for you guys to win (Thank you generous people of Storey Publishing!).

Black or Brown?

Black

Cats or dogs?

Dogs

Crochet gadget you can’t live without?

Yarn swift/ball winder (OK, that’s two).

Hobbies, not crochet/knitting related?

Reading

Only one color for the rest of your life, which will it be?

What a depressing thought! Can I have shades of the same color, at least?

Granny squares or ripples?

Grannies

How did you first came in contact with the needlecraft world and how did you get started? 

My grandmother lived with us and taught me to knit and crochet. I always did something with my hands, but I didn’t start doing it professionally until I was in my 30’s.

Does it run in the family? 

Yes, from my grandmother and mother, I learned to knit, crochet, sew, embroider, and needlepoint.

First completed project?

A striped scarf for my father. It was only about 16″ long, not nearly long enough to fit around an adult neck properly.

Number of WIPS on your needle right now:

Strangely, only two. This is VERY usual, but we moved a couple of weeks ago and prior to that I did a big Reality Check about what I was actually going to finish, and ripped out the ones that didn’t make the cut.

Something new fiber-related you want to try in the near future?

I’d like to make more time for weaving.

Hidden talent: 

I know how to load/fire a twelve-pound cannon.

Wood or metal?

Usually metal.

Any upcoming project you can tell us about? Is there something you haven’t worked on that you would like to write about?

The second (and expanded) edition of The Crochet Answer Book got out recently. I have some other stuff in the works, but can’t talk about it yet…

Go to favorite accessory when crocheting/knitting a gift? 

Hats.

Not working in the fiber industry, what would be your second dream job?

Technical writing that involves going out and learning what somebody does, in detail, then writing up the steps/SOPs to do the job. Not necessarily in the tech world, but in the real world. This is actually a job I was (almost) hired for right out of college, but a hiring freeze made the job go away. I love the idea of learning all kinds of things about how to do something I’d never actually do.

Morning person or night owl?

Morning, although it used to be a night owl. 

A place/country you wish to visit and why: 

Amsterdam – so many things going on, history, culture, and design-wise.

Stitch pattern favorites: 

Textured stitches, especially with color interest.

Thank you so much Edie for everything that you do!

A real pleasure to get to know you, I know we all treasure your knowledge and great ways of communicating it.

Looking forward to the many more projects you have coming.

A wonderful day to everyone!

Image Copyright: Edie Eckman // Storey Publishing // A.Grablewski