By Claudia Ostrop
While knitting has shaken off its dusty 'granny' image for a few years now and is all the rage, crochet still has a bit of an old-fashioned image. But you can do a lot more with a crochet hook than just pot holders. You may remember the colorful granny squares that (re)appeared a few years ago. And of course everyone has seen the colorful little crocheted animals, the amigurumi. You can find lots of crocheted items in the accessories section. But crocheted garments are starting to appear on Ravelry and elsewhere, and they look surprisingly good.
One of the true pioneers of 'modern' crochet is Sandra Gutierrez, who offers instructions for her designs under the label 'Nomad Stitches'. We were lucky enough to catch up with Sandra virtually - she has been travelling around Europe and the UK in a motorhome with her husband and children for the past year.
Hello Sandra, how nice of you to take time out of your travels to chat with us! Where are we meeting you?
Hi, it's great to talk to you! Yes, we are in Norway right now. We haven't been on holiday since January though - my husband and I are working a lot and the girls are learning a bit here and there. That's possible in a motorhome. We are a bit of a nomadic bunch.
Tell me about yourself - who are you?
My name is Sandra, I'm married with two daughters and I'm a designer. I grew up in Mexico, went to college in the US and have lived here, there and everywhere - and right now the motorhome is our home. I caught the travel bug as a teenager. It never goes away! I have lived in ten or eleven different countries and, apart from Mexico, none for more than 3 years. But we are trying to settle down in Spain.
You make great knitting and crochet patterns. Who taught you to knit and crochet?
My mother taught me to knit and crochet when I was in university. Both at the same time, so there isn't much of a difference for me. In the beginning I did more knitting and then in phases, sometimes more of one, sometimes more of the other.
Yes, the needles and hooks are different and so is the technique, but somehow, they go together for me. I started knitting hats and scarves early on - just going for it without any instructions.
And how did you become a designer?
Yes, that's a story. I was living in Spain at the time. I used to crochet bikinis. Just for myself. But a friend said I should make some to sell. She was sure people would buy them! So I started crocheting bikinis, baby shoes, earrings and so on. And I sold them in the streets of Valencia! I remember one day I made 80 euros. How proud I was! But it was a lot of work for that money. I also went to the beach with the bikinis to sell them to people. But it's hard to explain to people that each one takes more than six hours of work - nobody wanted to pay more than 20 euros. Later I discovered Etsy and started selling my stuff online.
I have a pretty bad back from time to time, and at one point I was in bed for weeks because I just couldn't move. I thought about what I could offer the world. Maybe write pattern instructions? There are so many knitwear designers out there that I really couldn't have added much. There are already so many great techniques for shaping and construction.
But when it comes to crochet - there was and is hardly anything for garments! So, I decided that I could do a lot more with crochet than I could with knitting. And so, I wrote my first pattern, the Three Flowers Crop Top! That was in 2017. I think the pattern was a bit of a disaster at the time. I revised it years later. In the beginning I mainly wrote pattern instructions for bikinis, then a top, then a jumper, and somehow it just kept going.
In the beginning a lot of the designs were rather simple rectangles, but as I also was a knitter, I thought, if something works for knitting, it should also work for crochet!
So you're trying to transfer knitting techniques to crochet?
Well, when you knit a jumper, you have short rows to create a nice neckline, for example. So why not try to incorporate something like that into a crochet construction? At first people thought I was crazy, but why not take the techniques that result in wearable garments and apply them to crochet? I did a lot of reading and research and then tried it.
I was certainly not the first, but definitely one of the first in the crochet world to add more construction to the tops. All along the lines of 'a square isn't a garment'. You need shaping for the neckline, the sleeves need to be well constructed if they are to fit well, and of course the same goes for the shoulders and so on.
It is a fact that a jumper simply fits and looks better when there is no unnecessary bulk hanging around, i.e. under the arms.
But many crocheters didn't understand this. For many it was just a matter of putting two rectangles on top of each other, adding sleeves and voila, the pullover is done! It took a while...
By the way, I am currently working on a design with bust darts. I've never done this with crochet before. But why not try?
To be honest, crocheted items are a bit stiff. At least that's my association.
Yes, unfortunately for many people that is the established image. But that's just how we know it: tightly crocheted cotton potholders and the like. But with the right choice of yarn and crochet hook, it doesn't have to be that way!
My husband and I have created a website called www.plyful.com. There you will find many designers who write patterns for crocheted garments that are really wearable. Crochet deserves a much better image than it has!
Many of your designs are not only technically sophisticated, but also delightfully colorful.
Yes, I really like color. From a very young age I loved to dress in bright colors. I guess it's my Mexican taste! I used a lot of color in my book Colorful Crochet Knitwear - and also explained a lot about how to use color. Why should only knitters be able to knit colorwork? You can do it with a crochet hook as well.
But it can be as pretty as can be - if it doesn't fit, it doesn't make sense. That's why construction has become more important to me over time.
Do you have a favorite design of yours?
Among my all-time favourites would be Confetti, a sweater with a color fade. I designed it during the pandemic, and it was very well received: with so many people having so much time on their hands during the lockdown and wanting to learn something new, crochet was quite popular! And then there's my Mosaic Jumper, which has colorwork all over it. This was my first time using short rows for the neckline on a round-yoke pullover.
Let's talk yarns - what are your favourites?
I'm definitely a 'wool' girl. I love the feel of superwash yarns, but I prefer to work with more rustic wools. However, they are very welcome to be quite soft as well.
And do you have a favourite from the Pascuali range?
Yes, I do! A couple of years ago Paul showed me Suave. I was skeptical when I looked at the ball. Then he gave me a sweater made of Suave. Wow, I was very impressed by how great this cotton yarn felt when knitted. Quite different from classic cotton. I ended up designing the Vesuvius Tee in Suave. I still wear it all the time! It's even been in the dryer, Suave is a great yarn.
Do you do everything on your own or do you have a team behind you?
No, I don't have a team. My husband and I run the Plyful website together, he is my IT guy and takes care of customer service. He also takes my photos. As for the creative side, the content, my designs, I only have my tech editor and a few test crocheters.
Finally, can I ask you a personal question? What do you do when you're not crocheting?
I love to read. I didn't read for a long time, but then I got my Kindle out again. I think I have read 50 books in five months!
As a family we like to be outside. We go hiking a lot. When I'm alone, I like to read or crochet indoors. But if someone 'forces' me to go outside, I'm happy to do it. Fresh air is so good for you!
