Kim Guzman is an amazing knit & crochet designer – she’s been featured in magazines such as Crochet World, Interweave Crochet and Creative Knitting and in many booklets – including her new one Learn to Do Tunisian Lace Stitches.  She also won 3 awards at the Crochet Awards! So really it’s not a surprise that two of her designs are our top selling crochet patterns (that would be Solaris Lace Crochet Shawl and Dreams Lace Crochet Shawl)  We are so thrilled to have her part of of IDP!

How long have you been crocheting?

I learned to crochet when I was 8. Let me get my calculator…Wow! That’s 38 years!

Who taught you to crochet?

My paternal grandmother taught me to crochet. My sister and I were living with my grandparents while my parents were in basic training after joining the Army. I suspect that my grandmother wanted to teach us something to keep us busy and “out of her hair”.

What was your first project?

My grandmother taught us to make the basic granny square. So, I put miles of yarn into granny squares for quite awhile.

What is your favorite fiber to work with?

I have to choose? That’s really not fair. I guess that, if I have to choose, I’ll say rayons and rayon blends. I also love silk blends.

What inspired you to start designing?

After doing several projects with the basic granny square, I began designing right away. Since I was no longer living with my grandmother, I didn’t have any further training. I wasn’t aware of patterns, much less how to read them. So, I guess you could say that I just didn’t know any better and I started designing immediately.

Is there anything in particular that inspires your designs?

I am quite the stubborn individual and enjoy a challenge. I admired one of the doilies my grandmother had made and she told me I wasn’t ready. Naturally, I got some thread and proceeded to design my first doily at age 9. I still like challenges and thrive on them. I take my inspiration from everywhere. Most recently, my inspiration comes from my daughter who has drawn sketches and asks me to design a garment from them. It is a most interesting challenge to design something that appeals to a 19-year-old.

(Kim’s daughter in a version of Liana)

Who are some of your favorite designers?

Kristin Omdahl, Julie Weisenberger, Miriam Felton, Gabrielle Bolland, Josephine Woo

How long do your designs take to create from start to finish?

Depending on the size and type of design, it is usually 3-7 days. A few designs may take less. Some may take considerably longer. Now that I’ve added knitting to my design resume, I find that I’m not nearly as intuitive as I am with crochet. One design in particular took 5 repeats of knitting the entire garment before it was the way I wanted it.

(The newest member of Kim’s family – Lexie!)

Thanks so much Kim!  You can see all of Kim’s IDP patterns here and also check out her blog and Ravelry page for more of her beautiful designs.