Posted under lace & miscellaneous
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Katie Counter: Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the Amazing Lace 2006. I’m Katie Counter and I’ll be your host for this evening. Tonight we’ll be interviewing members of a team in tropical Honolulu, Hawaii. Heading this team is Opal, a.k.a. the Akamai Knitter. Opal, I think your moniker is just so interesting. Exactly what does akamai mean?
the Akamai Knitter: Well Katie, akamai basically means to use your brains and think. I thought it was an appropriate moniker as I need to use more brains then most people when I knit lace. Most people have an easy grasp of counting, but that has never been the case for me.
Katie Counter: It’s so nice to see you so up front about your limitations. Where did you learn how to knit?
the Akamai Knitter: When I was younger my family moved to Korea for a few years. I wa around 7 when a classmate of mine from the school on the military base showed me what knitting was. I was absolutely fascinated and eventually I had a neighbor give me lessons. My neighbor was from the Phillipines and she had an unusual knitting technique, I’ve only seen that particular style on the Internet. It’s called Combine Knitting. I eventually learned to knit Continental style.
Katie Counter: How long have you been knitting lace?
the Akamai Knitter: I started dabbling in lace a few years ago. Unfortunatley I didn’t finish many projects. I’ve always been in love with lace. I love the way it’s constructed and how it looks. I used to crochet a lot of doilies, but I’ve found I like the more intricate construction of knitted lace.
Katie Counter: Is there any partiuclar project that you’re proud of?
the Akamai Knitter: Yes! I just finished the Peacock Feathers from Fiddlesticks Knitting. That has been the most intricate lace I’ve knitted so far.
Katie Counter: I heard that you’ve decided to do 2 projects for this year’s Amazing Lace. Which ones are you doing?
the Akamai Knitter: The first lace project I have today is the Moon Dance Stole from Pink Lemon Twist. She’s being knit with Jaggerspun Zephyr in Steel. She’s a steady pattern that can be knit while the television is on.
Katie Counter: I see that you’ve already done a few repeats on this particular project. How do you like the pattern so far?
the Akamai Knitter: This is a pattern that is really easy to get into the rhythm of. She will eventually have a home with my mother and I think Moon Dance is really looking forward to being that special gift.
Katie Counter: How sweet.
the Akamai Counter: My second project is the hugely popular Frost Flowes & Leaves from the book Gathering Of Lace. I am absolutely in love with the way FFL looks when it’s finished, but I have to tell you that this pattern is really challenging my skills with charts.
Katie Counter: You know Opal, a lot of people dont’ believe in having multiple projects. Can you tell me why you thought you could pull off 2 projects at the same time?
the Akamai Knitter: I like to have 2 projects going on, because there are times when I want to just knit and watch tv. Then there are times when I like to really have a pattern that absorbs all of my concentration. So these two really work well with those needs.
Katie Counter: Now I heard that there were some problems between your two teammates. How are they getting along?
the Akamai Knitter: There were some disagreements earlier, but you know, we’re a team and we worked through those challenges because that’s what teammates do.
Katie Counter: I’m glad to hear that and that’s all the time we have for tonight. Next on Amazing Lace we get a chance to talk to the projects themselves to hear about the challenges they faced and how they worktd through it.
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Stay tuned for an exclusive interview with Moon Dance. How well is this team really getting along?
