Meet Anja of The Blueberry Elephant

We all love getting to know the people behind the work, what inspires them and what drives their business.  Today we hear from Anja of The Blueberry Elephant.

1. Please can you tell us a little bit about yourself, and what drew you to your chosen craft?
I was drawn to knitting only in very recent years when a number of friends and family began expecting their first babies, and since then I have been addicted to knitting baby clothes.

Baby Girl or Boy Booties - TheBlueberryElephant

2: Who taught you how to do your craft, and how long have you been creating?

When I was a child my mother showed me the essential stitches needed in order to knit: the knit and purl stitch and I do have some memories of knitting and primary school; our teacher used to read stories to us whilst we were doing our needle work!  I knitted a jumper when I was a teenager (with major help of my mother), but never really started knitting properly nor read knitting patterns until very recently when I had to learn almost everything i now know from watching YouTube videos; such as how to cast-on (which I had forgotten), to how to make a button-hold, how to make neat internal seams...to learning a range of different type of stitches, such as the blackberry stitch, the moss stitch and so on.

Handknit baby hat - TheBlueberryElephant

3: How would you describe your style? 

The first and most essential part of any product I make is the choice of yarn, it must be of top quality. The second most important thing is that the products must have pure, refined lines as well as beautiful colours.  Finally having grown up in Norway, I knit in the continental style and this is a fundamental part of the way my products are made.

Handknit thumbless mittens - TheBlueberryElephant

4: Where do you seek inspiration from?

I seek inspiration from everywhere, books, shops, internet....

Handknit bonnet - TheBlueberryElephant

5: What are you focused on right now?

Right now I am focused on products for summer such as some ballerina-style merino shoes as well as cotton hats.

Handknit baby booties with ankle tie - TheBlueberryElephant

6: What are your can't-live-without craft-room essentials?

My cant-live-without essential is the stitch-counter!

Handknit baby neck warmer - TheBlueberryElephant

7: How do you combat creative blocks?

I combat creative blocks by aimlessly searching books, shops and internet for some inspiring colours or design ideas.

Handknit chunky baby hat - TheBlueberryElephant

8: Why should people buy handmade?

People should buy handmade in order to celebrate something which is too easily forgotten in today's society: the skills needed in order to make something by hand, not machine.

Handknit baby booties with ankle tie, long - TheBlueberryElephant

9: Anything else you would like to share and where can we find you?

You can find Anja and her wonderful creations at
www.etsy.com/shop/TheBlueberryElephant
http://theblueberryelephant.com/

I would like to thank Anja for taking the time to write this wonderful interview and give us an insight into her world!
Clare Martin - DreamDifferently