How I work

My way of working is probably atypical. I choose a set of colours, decide on a basic model and get started. The motifs and patterns that appear actually arise by themselves. I don't feel like I'm “inventing” them; I feel more like a channel.

I have two tasks to do: try enough things that I haven't done before (otherwise I won't keep myself interested), and let myself go in a space where tension-relaxation, high-low contrasts, rhythms, balance and coincidences determine what happens. It's like breathing. Life itself is actually rhythm. At first glance, it may seem a bit wild, full of tension, but if you look closely, you will see patterns, just like in nature around us.

I love this kind of knitting because it involves most of my senses. It's not just “flat” visual, it's also textural, you see 3D, which makes it more interesting for me. It's tactile, I feel the rhythm of the soft and flexible thread in my hands, and the subtle changes in thread tension. It is auditory; I hear a rhythm in those needles. The smell of the material is also important; this wool carries the earthy scent of sheep, which makes me happy.

What I had to figure out with my brain was everything that had to do with pattern writing. I also have to figure out how to do new shapes, such as a special collar, or other technical things. But within there is a free space where it flows intuitively, not contrived but still very precise.