David Wasser and I met briefly at the YarnCamp last Sunday, when he would hold a session on Kaffe Fassett‘s colorful designs. Believe me, David’s own creations (“knitted garments” would be an expression way too mundane) are nothing short of amazing and I knew right there and then that I really wanted to write a blog post about him. But – to quote the German Wilhelm Busch – “first, things turn out different and second, than you might have thought” …
The story I wanted to write became an interview. Here it is, framed with the pictures I took in Frankfurt during the session.
How, when and why did you learn to knit? What was your first project?
My mother owned a yarn store (in Providence, Rhode Island and Schenectady, New York) for several years when I was growing up. She was often knitting or doing needlepoint and I learned from her. She also taught me to cook and bake for which I am very grateful. Often on weekends or during school holidays I would work at the shop putting price tags on items and stocking shelves and sometimes teaching little old ladies to knit ;-).
I think the first thing I knitted was a stuffed toy (a snail, if I recall correctly). I also remember a huge bright orange and green scarf as an early project. Unfortunately the moths got to it and I had to throw it away recently, but I must have had it for 40 years or so. I probably did a few simple things (mittens, hats) and then stopped knitting and needlepoint about the time I was 15.
About 10 years later I saw a really great Perry Ellis sweater in a magazine which I couldn’t afford to buy, but I figured I could probably get Mom to help me knit it. You can see the pattern here. And that’s when I got really really interested in knitting again. Since then I’ve always got several projects going in parallel.
Do any of your family members knit? I envision you sitting there between wife, children and grandchild, being the only one who knits …
Oh, no. My mom of course. My sister in Seattle knits and crochets. My wife knits. All 4 of my daughters knit (some more than others). The grandchild is only 4 – she needs a bit more time ;-).
What is it that you like best about Kaffe Fassett? The challenge? The patterns? The colors?
The idea of knitting a sweater using 10 balls of the same yarn in stockinette stitch makes me yawn. The Perry Ellis sweater was pretty complicated. It contained a lot of vertical panels in about 5 different colors and each panel was a different cable knit. I found the complexity interesting. My mother kept sending me or showing me patterns and books and one day she showed me Glorious Knits (Kaffe Fassett’s first book). We both drooled over the pictures. I’m sure the combination of color (lots and lots of color) and (perceived) complexity was what hooked me. I bought the book, started reading and couldn’t decide which thing to make first.
What’s it like seeing your family wearing the socks or sweaters you made?
I love it. I’ve knit a lot of things for myself, but also for my own family. I love seeing things I made for my children get passed down to my sister’s children and now my grandchildren. We still have a number of sweaters and things that my mother or my grandmother made that have made the rounds. Most of my knitwear is very colorful and the kids usually get a lot of compliments when they wear it. I think they also like to be able to say “My dad made this for me!”.
What is currently on your needles?
Wow, what a question! I tend to have a ton of half-finished projects laying about the house. I always have a sock project in progress. Since I just finished a few projects recently I’m actually debating about whether to pick up a half-finished project and finish it (for example, my rainbow-back vest keeps begging to be completed) or start something new.
We’re pretty much through 2013. Did you have a knitting goal and did you achieve it?
I don’t really work like that. I have my own company (we develop mobile applications – “Apps”) and that keeps me pretty busy. Knitting is only one of my other favorite things to do. I read a lot. I weave. I have been building a brick wall in the garden. In 2012 I got interested in Steampunk and so I’ve been creating Steampunk gadgets and sewing Victorian costumes and things. I knit when I feel like knitting. There are periods of time where I do it a lot, and other periods where I do other things.
What made you go to Frankfurt (out of all places? :))
That’s kind of a complicated story 🙂 The short answer is that my wife and I wanted to spend some time living in Europe. I had a business relationship with a company in Offenbach and they hired me in 1990. Since then I’ve changed jobs several times and now have my own company, but I’m still in Frankfurt. I like it here 🙂
And – last but not least – talking from monster to zombie designer: why zombies??
Heh heh. I have a 13-year old daughter. She is very crafty and is always making things – doll furniture, costumes, jewelry, hats, etc. She also really likes “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Doctor Who”. I saw this book “Knit Your Own Zombie” that I thought she would like, so I got it for her birthday earlier this year. She started making some of the Zombie parts and then got distracted with other things. Fast forward to August this year. We (daughter, wife and I) decided at the last minute to go to the Black Forest on vacation for a week. House on the lake with nothing to do. We would read and knit and play games and take walks and stuff. I realized that I had no suitable project to take with me, I didn’t want to pack an entire suitcase full of yarn for one of my many-color projects and didn’t feel like knitting socks. Then I remembered the Zombie book. So I grabbed that and a small bag of appropriate-thickness yarn and tossed that in the suitcase. During that week all three of us ended up knitting Zombie parts. It was great fun. I started with the Dracula, and when he was done I just needed to do another. They knit up quickly and are fun to decorate. It was very therapeutic :-).
Thank you David for answering all my questions to such an extent!