I am delighted to publish the first in what will be a regular series of interviews with movers and shakers in the world of crochet!! In this first interview I put a number of questions to designer, writer and teacher Edie Eckman.

Kate Pullen: You teach, design and have written about both Crochet and Knitting. What are the aspects of crochet which particularly appeal to you?
Edie Eckman: I love the ability to be able to put my hook anywhere, and to go off in different directions whenever I choose. I also like the speed—crochet can give almost instant gratification.

KP: Your book ‘The Crochet Answer Book’ (which can be bought from Amazon here has had glowing reviews and been described as ‘the must have’ book for all Crocheters! How did you approach putting this book together and how did you narrow down the ‘answers’ to include?
EE: It was fairly easy to come up with the questions; I just thought of all the things I myself have had questions about. From teaching, I know the things that stump people—how to keep the edges straight, how to follow directions, where to put the hook after you turn a row. I also asked everyone I could think of—students, friends, strangers on the street—to make sure I included everything I could imagine. Even so, there are things I know that I didn’t cover, and a few things that we had to leave out because of space considerations.

KP: What was your motivation behind starting to write, design and teach?
EE: When my children were very small, I wanted to be able to be home and be available to them, but I found that I needed an intellectual and creative outlet to keep from going crazy. Since I had done some designing for family and friends, I thought it might be fun to see if I could get paid for it. The first design I submitted to a magazine was accepted, and since then I’ve managed to branch out into other aspects of the fiber arts business. As my children have grown and their need for my time and attention has changed, I’ve been able to spend more time traveling to teach around the country. I am very fortunate to be able to work at something I love while balancing family and work.

KP: The crochet world is changing and developing, how have you seen it evolve and what do you think the future will hold?
EE: Wouldn’t it be lovely to know the answer to this question? I think crochet will be around forever, but like everything else, it will have its peaks and valleys in terms of popularity. It’s now a cliché to say so, but five years ago, we had no idea how much the internet would be evolving and changing the way we communicate. Who knows what we’ll be doing with crochet in five years? I’m afraid I don’t have the imagination to begin to guess. I’d just like to be a part of it!

KP: When you teach crochet – what are the biggest challenges that people face and the most frequent questions that you get asked?
EE: How do I read a pattern? Where does the hook go at the beginning of a row? Do I have to do a gauge swatch?

KP: I notice that one of your classes is on symbol crochet, I know through my own experience that one of the challenges that faces a new Crocheter is reading and interpreting patterns – and for the more experienced Crocheter working out whether that pattern is in US or Europe/Australia etc definitions!!! Do you feel that symbols are going to increase in popularity and a good aid to the crochet novice?
EE: I absolutely LOVE symbol crochet! Especially when it is used in conjunction with text instructions. With symbol crochet, you can read a crochet pattern in any language and be able to follow the pattern. For those crocheters who are more visually oriented, symbol crochet is perfect. For my next book, I plan to have both text and symbol crochet. So yes, if I have anything to do with it, symbols are going to increase in popularity.

KP You are hosting a stitching weekend in Cancun later this spring. This sounds great fun! The Crocheters and knitters that join you on this will have some great stitching experiences – what are you particularly looking forward to from this trip?
EE: Would it be wrong to say “drinks on the beach”? After all, this is supposed to be a stitching weekend. But…can you imagine anything more fun that getting together with like-minded fiber lovers and learning, relaxing, and sharing tips while sipping a cool beverage on the shores of a beautiful sea? After a long cold winter?

By the way, there’s still time to sign up and join me in Cancun. Go to Stitchaway Tours for details. (You can even bring a non-crocheter or non–knitter along at a discounted price!)

KP: Writing, teaching and designing are very different – do you have a preference between these key aspects of your career?
EE: When I’m in my “designer” mode, my mind is open to so many ideas that the house is a wreck and my studio is a mess while I try to capture all those ideas on paper and in yarn before I forget anything. I have to turn off that part of me before I can sit still to write. Writing and teaching are tied together in my mind. When I write, I’m just teaching with words and diagrams rather than voice and body. I don’t really have a preference, but I do like keeping a lot of balls in the air, so I’m often doing many things at once – writing articles, preparing to teach classes, working on designs and trying to figure out what’s for dinner.

KP: Do you have any plans for new crochet books in the future?
EE: I’ve just started working on one, but I can’t divulge details just yet.

KP: Where does your crochet inspiration come from?
EE: Just about anywhere, like the tile pattern on the floor of a public restroom in San Diego’s Balboa Park. The problem is turning the ideas off long enough to get anything else done.

KP: Any final comment...?
EE: I would like to hear from crocheters around the world—what they’d like to know, what they’d like to see in terms of designs. Please contact me at edie@edieeckman.com.

Edie's books can be bought from book stores everywhere including Amazon and the Knit and Crochet Ponchos, Wraps, Capes and Shrugs can be bought from Amazon here