PROFILE: CAROL IBBETSON
Carol Ibbetson is a multi-talented maker who, when she’s not designing crochet creations or presenting on TV, uses her technical skills to double-check patterns and teach others…
Try to pin Carol Ibbetson down to just one crafting career and you’ll struggle! Not only is she a designer, she’s a crochet technical editor, plus recently she’s branched out into presenting crafting TV. If that sounds like a lot to juggle, she actually has plenty more projects in the pipeline as well.
It’s been a busy year for Carol. Not only did she set up her website but she started presenting on a knitting and crochet show on Yarn TV. “Another family member works as a director/cameraman for the Sewing Street channel and told me they wanted to create a similar channel for knitting and crochet. He casually said, ‘Why don’t you apply to be on the show?’” recalls Carol.
Yarn Lane was eventually set up as part of Sewing Street for one hour a day on three or four days a week. Carol’s prior experience in teaching workshops stood her in good stead. “From my first visit to the studio to give a demo I absolutely loved the whole experience,” she says. “I felt like I was using skills I had built up throughout life, not just in crochet and knitting but also using my training experience.”
She now presents once or twice a month, sometimes demonstrating her own kits and other times specific techniques. “The presenters on the show are lovely and we always have a little bit of banter which helps to create a great show,” she enthuses. It sounds like great fun, but there’s a lot of prep work involved for each show: “If I am selling my own kits then I’m sourcing the yarns in the colours required, printing the patterns and putting the kits together. If I am presenting techniques then myself and the presenter will agree which sections of particular patterns I will demonstrate and then I prepare samples to use on the show.”
Live TV also requires a lot of thinking on your feet. “One of the challenges is making sure you have enough items to demonstrate but not too many!” says Carol. “You also need think through which parts of a sample are the most useful to demonstrate, and so I will often show a starting section, then move to another sample I have prepared which has been worked a bit further to show another section. You also quickly learn how to talk to the presenter and count your stitches at the same time! I love presenting and teaching and I enjoy all the wonderful comments I get from the viewers.”
BAGS OF POTENTIAL
Carol always knew she wanted to create her own business based on knitting and
crochet, although she ended up working in computer programming and training for many years. “I first thought about designing when I was working on making a cushion and realised that creating a pattern is not ‘magic’. It is all quite logical and so I started designing cushions,” she explains.
2021 marks the launch of Carol’s very own range of bag kits. “I had thought about designing bags before but was always wary of trying it as I want a bag to be hard wearing and firm. But then I tried some samples using mosaic crochet with robust mercerised cotton yarns and a smaller hook than recommended for the yarn thickness, and was very pleasantly surprised by how firm the fabric was. I had also come across someone lining bags with plastic mesh, so I experimented with this to make the bags even more robust. I use mine all the time now when out and about.”
On why mosaic stitch is such a favourite, she says, “When I demonstrated this technique on Yarn Lane the presenter said, ‘It’s like magic’ and that is what I love about it. I adore colourwork but I like the creation of the pattern to be uncomplicated. Mosaic crochet is perfect for creating a stunning geometric-like pattern but without having to manage lots of yarns at once. One strand of yarn is used per row – what could be more straightforward than that!”
There are a few other techniques which will often inspire Carol. “I adore colour and so just about all my designs use multiple colours. I also love using interesting techniques such as mosaic crochet, Tunisian crochet and so on. But often the spark of creativity comes from a pattern I see somewhere. For instance I saw some beautiful tile designs when I was in Alicante, Spain, before the pandemic and I have designed some crochet squares based on them, which will be featured in a joint book with other designers next year. I am very excited about that project!”
TECH TALK
On top of all this Carol has worked as a tech editor over the last decade for designers, yarn companies, magazines and book publishers. “A tech editor is sort of like a mathematical proof reader if you like,” she explains, and lists the essential skills required: “You need to be a knowledgeable knitter or crocheter and be able to follow most patterns; have good attention to detail; are happy with basic maths; able to deal with multiple sets of numbers at the same time and have an analytical mind and be able to apply shaping concepts to an item without making it – a tech editor does not make the item being checked.”
“i adore colourwork but like the creation of the pattern to be uncomplicated”
MEMBERS’ MEET UP
Carol already runs workshops for budding tech editors, and now has plans to expand her offerings online. “I am setting up a membership community site to enable designers, tech editors, test knitters and crocheters and the general knitting and crochet public to get together and chat socially or for business purposes. I plan to run Zoom calls fortnightly on various subjects. I am also discussing with several guest presenters to come and join me. I already have some lined up but it’s a secret as to who they are at the moment!”
Written by Lucy Evans