Today's Feature Friday is all about knitwear designer Alicia Plummer. Alicia is known for her amazing stories that transport you with each pattern that she writes, her guinea pigs, and fun personality. She creates timeless closet staples, ranging from classic sweaters to accessories for your hands, feet, and neck.
Q: Can you tell us about yourself and what you do?
A: My name is Alicia Plummer and I’m a knitwear designer. I’ve been writing knitwear patterns for 12 years- wow, it’s crazy to think I’ve done it for over a decade! I really love design because it is such a vehicle for self expression and a great medium for us to communicate who we are.
Q: Where did you learn how to knit?
A: When I was much younger, my grandmother taught me how to knit. She wasn’t a big knitter, but she was the kind of woman that could do anything. She was a self-teacher, an overcomer. I retained the skill but didn’t do much with it until my mother showed up at my house with a surprise gift of a baby sweater pattern, yarn, and needles when I was in my 20’s. Anything I didn’t know how to do I self taught via youtube and quickly fell in love with both the craft and the community.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
A: In 5 years, I definitely see myself still knitting and writing patterns! Perhaps doing a lot more hiking and traveling, as that’s a goal.
Q: Do you have kids or pets? If so, how many?
A: I have 2 children, one in middle school and one in high school that light up my heart! I don’t post about them on my media in order to protect their privacy, but most of my time and energy outside of knit design is dedicated to them. We also have two guinea pigs, Gale and Luna, and 2 labrador retrievers, Honeybug, 3, and Cody, a puppy! I love animals and would have many more if space and money allowed.
Homesweet Socks by Alicia Plummer
Q: What are some things people probably don’t know about you?
A: People probably don’t know that I’m very warm and talkative in person. Because I come across as very kind I think there’s an assumption there that I’m calm and soft spoken- but in reality I’m pretty outgoing. People may not know that I have experienced a lot of serious traumas in my life and I feel that they are a huge component of who I am as much as the good. I’m proud of what I’ve overcome and how I have healed (and am still healing). Somettimes we cannot control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond and what comes out of it.
Q: What is your favorite thing to do for yourself?
A: My favorite thing to do for myself is go hiking deep into the woods. I love the feeling of freedom that sweeps across my heart when I’m surrounded by pine needles and moss. Second favorite thing to do when I’m upset would be go to the gym or go running. I find that empowering your body to do hard things helps you process the tough stuff, and helps you feel more capable to tackle the mental things, too. (but it doesn’t replace therapy!) I also love reading books.
Q: What's your favorite song?
Q: Favorite smell?
A: Favorite smell, hands down the scent of sun warmed pine needles, with the scent of fallen autumn leaves a close second, oh, and the smell of tomato vines in the garden! Also the smell of my dog’s feet…corn chips! LOL
Q: Favorite food?
A: Favorite food changes with the season- in the summer, smoothies with a huge dose of almond butter and in the winter any soup
Q: What advice can you give someone looking to start designing?
A: To someone who is just beginning designing, the best advice I can give is to trust yourself and your work. It might not become popular overnight or go viral, but if you are doing something you love then that is what matters most. Be realistic about the amount of time that social media, email answering, photo editing, marketing, etc are going to take up. It’s not just make a shawl and put it out there- there are a LOT of other aspects to the job that don’t get spoken about! Lastly, don’t compare yourself to others because if you do, your value will always be changing depending on who you’re comparing with- measure only against yourself and hold tight to those inner aspects of yourself that don’t change.
Thank you for tuning into this weeks Feature Friday post. We hope you enjoyed meeting Alicia and learning a few things about her and what she does! You can follow Alicia on Instagram and find all of her designs on Ravelry
