In an interview with JCK, New York jeweler, Julie Lamb discusses how she became involved with the knitting community and how she implements her experiences into her work.
When asked if she is part of the knitting community herself, and if knitters had inspired her, Lamb said, "No, this wasn’t on my radar, and much to my fiber friends’ dismay, I still haven’t picked up needles. Although we don’t share a passion for the same craft, we are still all creatives. That being said, I’ve found this community very inspiring! They are extremely enthusiastic about their work, they have fresh eyes when it comes to my line, they identify with it, and they provide the greatest feedback."
When asked what the difference is between exhibiting at a knitting convention as opposed to a jewelry show, Lamb said, "Night and day, except for booth setup and bad lighting. Picture this: You’ve gathered your best buds and escaped for the weekend to stay in a hotel and attend giant ballrooms filled with all your favorite things. You’re there to learn more about your passion, meet some of the international Knitterati (“Knitfluencers”), win free stuff, feel, try, buy all the good stuff and limited-edition stuff you can’t usually get your hands on. It’s a shopping frenzy—party atmosphere from the time doors swing open!"
"My Be Ewe line featuring my lovable Lamb logo is the main collection I bring out," said Lamb when asked which of her pieces and collections are among her favorite, and if there are any designed for the knitting community. "This community is so forthcoming with insight that year over year, listening to this crowd, I’m able to design with them in mind. The overall design work is the same, but I’ve tweaked things like earring backs, ring sizes in inventory, and dialing back on the diamonds—they don’t want all that bling, they’re really just after the sheep! Right now, my Chubby Boyfriend ring is a favorite. He’s basically a chunky signet with my logo at the top and the best name ever. This is the perfect example of the community’s influence—my first ring, the Stand Out ring, was a slice style with my logo standing on top of the band. A lot of the ladies were worried that the style would catch on stitches as they worked with their hands—Chubby Boyfriend takes the same size logo laid down, et voilá! Hot item!"
Information originally sourced from JCK.
