Becky Herrick lives in Vermont where she enjoys life with her husband, dogs, cats, and chickens. When she's not tending the garden she like to go hiking, skiing, or snowshoeing through the rural countryside. Her favorite summer activity is canoeing, but that's partly because she can knit while Neil paddles... She's also quick to point out that maintaining such an idyllic life takes a lot of non-idyllic hard work. Becky blogs at Ramblings and sells her indie patterns there and on Ravelry where she is known as BeckyinVT.

Defarge: Becky, you seem to be attracted to designing with local yarns. Is this a Vermont thing?
Becky: Yes, I'm drawn to yarns made by local farmers, spun by local mills, and even dyed by local dyers. I love the feeling of community these small businesses create. Vermont is pretty well known for the fact that the small town community has survived out here. I have local farms where I buy my food. Local yarns stores where I get my yarn. I think that any support I can give to small businesses is important, vital even. Without them we're left with only mass produced things. Now don't get me wrong, the big companies make nice yarn too. But take Harrisville Designs as an example, they provided the yarn for Iseult's Dress. They're operating out of an old mill that's been around since the 1700's. They're not just American made, but right next door to me in New Hampshire. They're family owned. They're keeping another little New England village alive and thriving. And they make GORGEOUS yarn. Clearly they deserve any support I can give!

Defarge: The pattern you have in What (else) Would Madame Defarge Knit? is Iseult's Dress?
Becky: As our astute readers might have guessed my design is inspired by the Tristan and Iseult story told by Joseph Bedier. I didn't just want to design something inspired by Iseult, I wanted to design something FOR her. She's such a strong character, which I think is unusual for women in that time period. I wanted to design something she might wear that would reflect both her strength and her royalty. I'm very inspired by celtic cables, so obviously I couldn't leave out that reference to her Irish heritage. And of course the dress needed to be something a modern women could wear also (minus the chemise, probably)

Defarge: I think I'm going to have to knit myself one! Thank you so much for speaking with us today. Toujours en Tricote!

It was quite a struggle to catch up with Jennifer Mauser, (mamaknitter on Ravelry) as she always seemed to be out and about, but after a bit we were able to track her down in her van in between her son's basketball game and her daughter's soccer game. We were surprised to see that not only does Jennifer knit and spin and even play with dyeing, but she also homeschools her three children (ages 15, 13, and 11) and serves as the ministry leader of her church's bookstore. In between all of that time she also enjoys writing. We chatted away on the Bluetooth whilst Jennifer shuffled her children to their various afternoon activities.

Defarge: Jennifer, it seems you are drawn to shawls. I, too, am a shawl lover, but I'd love to hear what attracts you.
Jennifer: Oh yes! I love shawls for many reasons, but mainly I love that they represent comfort and peace, and offer a perfect canvas on which to tell a story. Also, I really love the fact that they don't require gauge or sizing most of the time, so I can de-stress when I work on one. With all that I juggle, stress and fatigue threaten occasionally, and when they do, I just pick up my needles and start knitting away. And when I finish, I have a tangible reminder of my thoughts and prayers of that time in my life.

Defarge: The pattern you have in What (else) Would Madame Defarge Knit? seems to reflect those ideas in the name, Hester's Hope. What inspired you to design this?
Jennifer: There was a stitch pattern that I found that I loved in Barbara Walker's A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, and it just refused to leave my mind. I finally worked it out into a shawl, but I kind of broke the recommended bounds of yarns and usage, so it's very unique. And when I came across the Briar Rose's yarn, Robusta, I knew I'd found a wonderful combination for it! The title character for the pattern's namesake is a literary character I met late in life for a juvenile fiction book, and perhaps she's rendered all the sweeter because of it! I have designed things for myself and a few friends before, but for Hester I had to flex my fledgling design wings, and loved every moment of it.

Defarge: So, with all the activity in your life, do you think you'll come back to work on any more books from the Madame?
Jennifer: I would love to! You know, Defarge does Sherlock is coming up, and if possible, I would love to add to that collection as well. I'm already percolating some ideas! I'm traveling to Scotland this summer with my husband, so I may get inspired by the Highlands to do something wild. You never know! I just have to keep those plates spinning, and pray no one gets sick or decides to pick up lacrosse! My time is thin as it is!

Defarge: Thank you so much for speaking with us today. Bon courage! Vive la France! Toujours a tricoter!
Jennifer: Thank you! I have so enjoyed being a part of this grand adventure!

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