Laura Houlden

To give us a sense of you as a designer, what is your major and why?

I major in knit. I gravitated towards knit because I wanted to gain a really strong skill base and knowledge in a structural major. A lot has been 'done before' in knit, but there are limitless ways of creating something unique. It's also fun when people don't believe that you can major in knitting, in a real degree, at a real university...

 

“If things start happening, don't worry, don't stew, just go right along and you'll start happening too" or so says Dr Seuss. How do you get started on a new project?

I think the worst ideas are forced ideas. I often revisit ideas I have that float around in my mind and connect them to a project. Sometimes my ideas take a life of their own and morph into something else that is so distant from my original idea. I guess it's all about progression and liking what you're doing in a project that keeps you going.

 

Bricolage is about using and utilising what you find to hand. What tools or techniques do you find you can’t help coming back to?

When I first started crocheting, I used a single needle from a knitting machine. Which helps to achieve a really fine gauge material. It wasn't the most comfortable experience for my hands crocheting with the metal implement, so I used duct tape to stick it to a sturdy plastic spoon. It's probably my best (and only) invention yet. You could even call me a textile MacGyver!