Oct 26 2006
Design Process: Interview with Mona Schmidt
Mona Schmidt is another lucky soul: she designs and crafts for a living. Originally hailing from Deutschland, Mona now lives in Montreal, Quebec, where there is plenty of cold weather to keep her knitting to stay warm.
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Mona's fabulous pattern Embossed Leaves was featured in the Winter 2005 issue of Interweave Knits, and immediately became a hit in the blogosphere - Embossed Leaves were everywhere. Mona recently published another sock pattern in the Fall 2006 IK, and there is more to come in the Holiday 2006 edition! She has also had designs in Knitscene. |
When I asked Mona about a blog interview, she kindly agreed… she is just sweet like that! She has even prepared TWO tutorials, hosted on her blog, that help with the Embossed Leaves pattern.
Two-Strand Tubular Cast-On (Part One and Part Two)
Adapting the Embossed Leaves pattern for different sizes
Can you tell me more about your design process?
Designing socks is more an intuitive conception – often I just start with the yarn I feel like knitting with and cast on. Sometimes I have a certain stitch pattern in mind, other times I just start knitting and get the idea for the pattern while still working at the cuff. I do design other things than socks, but since this is Socktoberfest let’s concentrate on those.
Where do you find your design inspiration?
Especially for socks it is often a stitch pattern I like and has a stitch repeat that’s good for socks – and if it doesn’t fit right away, I’ll make it fit. Funnily enough I do think of people, too, when designing. It’s rather like: If I would knit a sock for so-and-so, what would it look like?
Your Embossed Leaves socks are so intricate and beautiful - how did this idea come to you?
I had seen the leaf pattern on the cover of a book (I actually bought that book just because of the pattern! It’s called Beautiful Knitting Patterns, by Gisela Klöpper) and knew right away that I wanted to use it for socks. Then Regia Silk came my way and I had just tried the tubular cast-on. It was an easy calculation. The kicker was of course the toe. My Mom had just written the instructions for me. I had never used it before. (Admittedly, I was a one-trick pony when it comes to socks, same heel and toe forever, till I realized that there are so many possibilities to mix it up!) Once the foot had the length I thought would fit me I just started knitting the toes as instructed. It really was a lucky coincidence that the star fit the pattern to portray the whole leaf at the end of the sock. Honestly, I couldn’t have planned it any better. Now it sounds preposterous even to me but I only realized that it looked like a completed leaf once the sock was done. The reason it was knit in Koigu (lovely, lovely yarn!) for the magazine is that at that time Regia Silk was not readily available in the US.
When did you first knit socks?
I only started to knit socks when I was 21. I knit my first pair to match a wool sweater I owned (store bought, from ESPRIT). I still have the socks while the sweater is long gone. After finishing these there was a long break and no sock knitting for me. When I started my second pair I was studying and living away from home. Came the time to turn the heel I couldn’t remember how for the life of me. I never had written any instruction down, because if I had a question I would ask my Mom, who was always available and she was and still is pretty much a walking talking knitting dictionary. She’d say: “now you knit 2 together and knit to the end, next needle knit to the last 2 sts and do ssk…” That’s how I learned from her even when I was little, she’d let me knit a row or round and then tell me how to go from there. And I would find afterwards that I had turned a heel, knit a gusset or, when I was like 11 years old, knit a vest for a doll. Strangely enough it worked. Well, most of the time. She had to explain the heel turning once more.
My most precious possession to date is a pair of socks my then boyfriend Rolf knit for me. One of the socks has hearts knit into it and the other my name. Makes me smile every time I think of or look at them. Oh, and no, he hasn’t knit a thing since.
Do you have any designs in the works now?
Oh, there are always designs in the works. Finished are the “Bells and Whistles Socks” in the Holiday '06 edition – and I do have some socks at home that might get published one time or another. Then there’s my work for JCA where I did and do design garments, published this Fall, next Spring and hopefully a lot more seasons to come.
Thank you so much, Mona, for being a part of Socktoberfest!
As you can see, your design is quite popular! These are a random sampling of Socktoberfest participants who have made your Embossed Leaves - so many colors and adaptations!
If you see yours, let me know :) I did a random search and came up with all of these!
*****
Now you have to help me decide which of these lovely yarns I should use for Mona's amazing Embossed Leaves socks, one of my next projects in the queue:
Let me know what you chose by leaving a comment!
I will knit the socks in the yarn with the most votes 
I’d go for the (forest?) green, the first one on the left. It would bring out the embossed leaves splendidly I think. Anyways, that’s my two cents =)
I tried to vote in the poll, but it said “no such poll.” I wanted to vote for the teal, for the same reasons that the person ahead of me did.
I really like the forest green as well. I think the color would look great on you, and the leaves would pop on that.
And speaking of socks, I finished my Socktoberfest socks
http://stoneview.typepad.com/stoneview/2006/10/relay_socks.html
These will be part of my Relay For Life fundraising effort (http://www.cancer.org/docroot/par/content/PAR_1_Relay_For_Life.asp) with our specific website to go live sometime during the next month or so. Can’t wait to get to work with that!
(The poll worked fine for me, perhaps you’ve fixed it now.)
I voted for the green yarn. It looks great!!
green = leaves!
and I wanted to come up out of my hole to say that Lolly, these interviews and resources you’re providing are just fabulous. Thanks for all your hard work!
I’ll echo Mintyfresh that I am LOVING reading these interviews! What an amazing experience it must be to get to chat with these folks!!
I too will vote for green leaves–although some autumn leaves colors might be nice for leaves this season, too!
(Hmm… I have some brown silk-merino sock yarn still waiting for a pattern….)
I really like the green… green leaves…. great interview by the way! I loved picture of all of the embossed leaves… makes me want to knit a pair myself!
The teal is gorgeous! Thank you for another great interview.
How exciting! I’m knitting Embossed Leaves for my Socktoberfest socks! I love the pattern; even my non-knitting friends are able to tell that these are some elegant socks.
I vote for the teal color, because it’s closest to what I’m using and loving!
I voted for the green as well.. mostly because it was my favorite color up there.. lol
All those yarns are gorgeous, but I thought the stitch pattern would show up better in the lighter shade.
It has to be loden…I love the CTH yarn…it’s awesome!
I choose the green but think that it would look really good in the blue color too. I just think that green is most appropriate for your leaves…:)
Hey, I see my socks! Mine are in the top row, the gray pair that is the second pair from the left, woooo!
I think that the Tess Designer in mint woul show off the stitch pattern beautifully!
What a wonderful pattern! I vote for the green (loden) one too. Although I think it would look great in any of those yarns you’re choosing from.
If my boyfriend ever knit anything for me…hahah…wow…that would be amazing.
Oooh I love the green, there’s something about leaves in a green that looks so yummy to me!
Thank you for all your hard work, I’ve really been enjoying reading all the interviews.
Teal, baby! So what day/days will you be at Stitches? I have got to see you!
Love that pattern. And, yay! You used my sock in your collage. Pretty.
I would go with the green. I think it will be perfect.
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Definitely Loden. They would look fantastic in that color!
I vote for the Loden. I love Cherry Tree Hill, and I love green. I have some of the same yarn in line for an upcoming pair of socks, as a matter of fact, they might be next….
Which ever you use, they will be beautiful!
I think the green would be perfect for that pattern.
You’ll love knitting these - I used 5 dpns, which helped memorise the pattern, as it is basically a repeat 4x of the same, once per needle.And they are so so beautiful! Green, for sure!
Thanks so much for sharing! The Embossed Leaves socks are definitely on my list to knit- I’ve been drooling over them since they were published in IK.
awesome interview! I was scared of the tubular cast on, but now that there is a tutorial, I think I can handle it!
yeah! i see my socks in your collage
i’m so glad i’m on flickr now. hehe.
i really love that pale blue/green yarn on the far right for the embossed leaves socks. but they’re all great colors!
All great colours but looks like the loden green is a winning colour so far!
Definitely the green. Definitely!
The green cherry tree hill, of course ;o)
I love these socks! I need to get some solid colored sock yarn though, the varigated colors will just take away from the wonderful pattern-
Hi, I vote on the Teal one. And would like to thank you for all this work. The interviews are great!
groeten uit Holland,
http://knittingajour.blogspot.com
I voted for the green! It just lends itself so perfectly!
Another great interview . . . And, no question, the green Loden. (They ARE leaves, after all!)
I am going out on a limb and say Terra Cotta even though apparently it doesn’t have a chance! Actually, any of those colours are great, so it doesn’t really matter.
At first I thought “Loden because leaves are green and it would be a nice match.” Then I changed my mind and voted Terra Cotta because it’s so fall-like and I think the pattern will show up well on the lighter colored yarn.
I vote for the blue CTH - because I just finished my Embossed Leaves socks a couple weeks ago, and I used CTH for them, and they turned out beautifully! And I think they will look nice in blue
(you can see my socks on my blog, or I think I have a photo of at least one of them…)
I voted for the teal, but it’s really a toss up between the loden and teal. But really, any of them would make gorgeous socks.
I voted for the Mint. It would look like the leaves are all covered in frost.
Another excellent interview.
hey girl! I belive those yellow socks are mine!
With the green yarn of course! They are leaves after all!
Another great interview - thanks L! (and, another blog I can add to my list! An added bonus this month!)
I voted for Loden…love it! Great interview Lolly. You are kicking ass (I mean feet) with Socktoberfest.
I vote for the teal, just because I love it so! I’m using CTH for the first time right now. I finished my kneesocks last night, I’ll put my pics up soon!
i vote teal!
These interviews are great. I voted for the Gems.
I love that loden. so pretty. I have some and I can’t knit it up - it’s so beautiful~
I voted the green CTH, but I think the Terra Cotta color would be a good second choice. either way, both say “leaves” to me more than the other colors. =) You can send me the one you don’t use.
Thanks for all the interviews and fun stuff you’re doing with Socktoberfest!
Heh, I have both CTH Loden and Turquoise, but I voted for Loden ’cause that’s what I was thinking of doing my Embossed Leaves socks in.
Thanks for hosting Socktoberfest for us!
Terracotta. It’s Autumn. Leaves turn colors. Besides, green’s the natural choice and too predictable for me.
Oh heck, Lolly — you can’t go wrong with any of ‘em. Make a pair of each. Mona would surely approve.
I love the green best of all. Too bad you don’t have one that looks like the colors of autumn. The trees are still looking pretty good right now for color and it would be neat to have socks with leaves that match.
Love the green Cherry Tree Hill!
Wendy
The green is very pretty. Quite leaf like! I’ve really been enjoying all your interviews and book reviews!
although i voted for the loden (god that’s a beautiful green — don’t make me go and buy it) i also like the teal very much.
ok, is it wrong that i haven’t even started a sock this month? even though i joined soctoberfest? please say it’s not wrong.
I know it’s very traditional and an easy choice, but the loden is so very beautiful and so, well, “leafy” to be completely cliche’.
DEFINITELY the Loden!! I think the texture will look so rich in that color!
I chose the mint because it would show up the stitch pattern the best but the socks would look great in any of the colors.
I voted loden for the same reasons as everyone else, but I also LOVE the teal.
Nice interview, it seems like Mona is a very intuitive, adventurous knitter. I think leaf socks in green are cliched, so I voted for mint. So there
I chose the Gems Pearl because it isn’t “leafy”, because it’s really fabulous yarn, and because I’m knitting a pair of “Bayerische” socks with it right now and the stitch definition is excellent!
Loden, of course! Wish I had more time to knit socks but the FIL sweater is now halfway through the back. Trying to finish the back by next Tuesday. But of course I cast on some slippers (hey, I need them! I had to throw my old ones away last spring!).
Loden for sure. Such a pretty pattern.
My socks made it into Socktoberfest, even if I didn’t!! Yipeee!! Mine are the ones at the bottom, left-hand corner. Weeeeeeeeeeeee.
Joining the masses and saying go for the green!
i voted for tess, because, i’ve never knitted with tess, and i’m jealous that you have it, and i want to know how it knits up! and, i like mint. and now i see, it wasn’t the most *favored* yarn …. all the more reason to pick the tess!
Ooh green yarn definately, and I have to agree with most people, they are leaves. The blue and pink are nice too, maybe you can make some for your sisters too, or your mum as a christmas present. Loved the interview too, it was great.
I didn’t do my embossed leaves socks during Socktoberfest, but here’s a link to a photo anyway.
http://static.flickr.com/85/214416387_f36bc937c4.jpg?v=1158017155
I enjoyed the interview - thanks again for doing this Lolly!
The teal is beautiful, and gets my vote… such a fun decision!
there’s just something about leaf shaped lace in greens that feels “right”, so I voted for the Loden as well.
second choice would be the teal.
somehow the coral just speaks to me of some kind of cable for some reason.
and the mint I would use for a lace scarf if it’s 100% wool or with a darker mint green to navy for color stranded socks.
I found this post interesting as I am just finishing up some Embossed Leaves Socks myself…and I though I was so clever makes leaf socks with autumn colors. It looks like there are lots of clever Socktoberfesters.
I voted Terra Cotta because Loden seemed such the obvious choice (and thus, rather boring…) I love the Terra Cotta color and think those will really make a statement in Terra Cotta! Of course, I say this because I’m thinking of using my Knitpicks Cranberry Merino/silk for the embossed leaves! Red socks are so cool!