Y’all may remember the Ramblewood shawl, which I had the pleasure of test knitting a couple of months ago. Today I have a special treat to share, because the designer of Ramblewood, Tamy Gore, has agreed to do an interview here on the blog! She’s a talented designer and all-around lovely person to work with, and I hope you’ll enjoy getting to know her a bit. So, without further ado, the interview:
RN: Tell us about yourself in one sentence! (Lots of semicolons are allowed…)
TG: That one’s easy 🙂 A child of God, saved by grace; lover of the outdoors, cooking and knitting.
RN: How did you learn to knit? From there, how did you transition into designing?
I became a knitwear designer the unconventional way, I guess as I have zero background in the Arts, Textile or Design of any kind. My friends children taught me to knit in 2013 and I’m so thankful they did. I knit a lot of scarves for a very long time. Shortly after I learnt to knit, my husband visited a local yarn store while on a work trip, where he bought me my first skein of indie-dyed yarn. It was absolutely beautiful and so I decided to try my hand at designing a simple shawl with it in 2016. It was my first step into the world of designing and I’ve been learning ever since.
RN: How would you describe your design style?
TG: Hmm, I hadn’t really thought of that one… Colorful (usually with some shade of mustard involved), textural and engaging. Since conquering my fear of brioche, I have tried to implement a bit of brioche and slip stitches into my patterns for both a textural look and feel.
RN: What kinds of things tend to jumpstart your designs—yarn, stitch pattern, construction, or something else? What does your process of developing a design look like from there?
Good question! I would say the yarn and construction. From there I start working on multiple sketches and sometimes do a swatch. In all honesty, I don’t always do a swatch for my shawls, I just cast on and see what happens from there.
RN: For your pieces that use multiple colors, how do you choose?
TG: I usually take lots of photos and play with color placement until I find something that I like.
RN: Which of your designs is your favorite, and why? Which is your most popular design?
TG: My favorite is usually what I’m working on currently, but my most popular design is The Drifter shawl.
RN: If there was one thing you’d like to be known for as a designer, what would it be?
TG: Kindness and a genuine love for others. I want folks to see Christ in me.
RN: I love the name of your business—Narrow Path Designs—which stems from your faith; in what ways does your faith impact your design work and the way you run your business?
TG: Thank you. Part of that has been answered in the above Q&A, but when it comes to design work, I would say that there is constant reminder for me that this is a gift from God. All the things we enjoy and are able to do, point us back to Him. So when I’m sketching and putting colors together, or when I feel myself getting frustrated because I haven’t accomplished what I set out to do, or am comparing myself to others, I am reminded that this is a gift and my identity is not found in what I do, but in Jesus.
RN: Make up your own question!
TG: I don’t have one, but thank you for the interview!
Thank you so much for sharing about yourself and your work, Tamy! It’s been a pleasure to have you and hear your story.
Tamy’s patterns can be found via Ravelry and Etsy. She can also be found on Instagram as @tamygore.
