Knitwear designer Joji Locatelli joins us as our interview guest in Episode 15. Joji takes us from her childhood beginnings, calculating gauges and sizes for her mother, through to her current work as a professional designer. Now an established figure in the knitwear world – her designs have over ten thousand completed projects recorded in Ravelry – Joji’s journey took a few detours before she found the work she now loves.
Interview with Joji Locatelli, Argentinian Knitwear Designer
Background
As a child, Joji was given the task of doing the calculations to size patterns for the members of her family based on her mother’s gauge swatches. There were almost no knitting patterns available, and it was common for knitters to simply choose a yarn, knit up a swatch and copy a clothing design they had seen in a store or a magazine.
Great early training for a knitting designer. I suspect Joji’s mum was not aware of the seed that she was planting in Joji’s mind…
One of Joji’s detours was into producing hand-dyed yarns. This was an untapped market in Buenos Aires at the time, and for a while kept Joji and her husband busy and productive.
Designs
Joji is Argentinian, and admits that she is not able to give up the idea that the feminine form is beautiful.
Joji talks about her repeated attempts to get a “sewn-on” look that she was after – and finally found. Her readiness to develop a range of techniques supports the rich variety in her designs.
Favorite Things collection
Joji has just released the Favorite Things collection – a “tiny collection”, basic and gray, in collaboration with Veera Valimaki.
Whenever possible, with pockets.
Finding Joji
You can find Joji Locatelli and her designs:
- At jojiknits.com
- As Designer Joji Locatelli on Ravelry
- As jojilocat on Instagram
Bluey Little – Knitters of the World
(The audio and video are out of sync in the second half of Bluey’s video. I think I know what the problem was, and the only fix was manual and slow and I just didn’t have time – I’m sorry Bluey…)
Bluey Little joins us from Paddington, a suburb in Sydney, Australia.
It sounds like long-haul flights make up a lot of Bluey’s knitting time, but I suspect he’s always pretty happy to be home. Sydney has some stunning beaches. Not always the weather for your woollens, though.
You can find Bluey Little as:
- blueylittle on Ravelry
Firebirds by Jade Starmore
Yes, the Firebirds are complete, except for a little blocking, and will be presented to me on Wednesday for my birthday. Lucky me! I will be wearing it proudly – strutting about just like the birds in the design. Bring on the cold weather.
Hiking Jacket
The back is done. Long live the back. I am pleased to be working on a front half. The purple Rowan Hemp Tweed is a great contrast, and the jacket will be great.
Mentions
Tim Minchen – Ginger
Stephen West KAL song
Look them both up on YouTube if I still haven’t put up any links. Tim Minchen is an Australian comedian and a talented musician at the same time. He is sure to offend some, so be warned.
We also mentioned Tim Winton, who is a great Australian author.
Patreon
You can ensure that the Fruity Knitting Podcast stays on air by supporting us via Patreon.
And if you already have become a Patron, then thank you very much. Make sure you catch the credits at the very very end!
Andrew and Andrea
