Crochet Designer Interview: Annette Petavy

If you subscribe to Interweave Crochet then you are sure to be familiar with Annette Petavy.  A talented designer who is not only fluent in crochet, but in English, Swedish and French! WOW! Let’s get to know more about this talented woman.

Please, tell us about yourself, Annette.
I’m Swedish, but have been living in France for almost 30 years with my French husband. We have two children who somehow have reached the mature ages of 15 and 20 – not really sure how that happened. I quit my day job 10 years ago to become a full-time crochet designer. What really happened is that I now have a new day job, where I manage my web site, source yarns, tech edit and publish patterns by other designers – and sometimes work on my own designs.

Cirkle Crochet Pattern by Annette Petavy

How long have you been crocheting and how did you first learn?
I learnt how to crochet when I was about 6 years old. My mum taught me. She also taught me how to knit and sew.

How long have you been designing and what led you to design?
I re-discovered crochet 15 years ago, when I was pregnant with my son. I had crocheted many, many doilies as a teenager, because I really loved crocheting. I stopped because doilies weren’t my thing, and for some reason I thought I couldn’t crochet anything else. Fast forward to 2001, when I realised that I could make anything I wanted in crochet. Back then, the available crochet designs were not to my taste, so I simply started to make my own.
Via the magic of the Internet, I got in touch with Kim Werker when she was just starting up the Crochet Me website, and I wrote a number of articles for Crochet Me. Interweave Press contacted me and other people who worked with Kim and asked us to contribute to a special issue of Interweave Knits about crochet. After that, I just continued…

Grenobloise Crochet Pattern by Annette Petavy

Why knitting/crochet? What is it that interests you?  What do you enjoy most about the craft?
The colours, the fibers – and also the technicity of it. I still feel that crochet is a vastly underused craft, and that there’s so much left to do and work out about crocheted fabric.

What other crafts do you enjoy? or is there another craft you would like to learn?
I knit quite a lot too, and do some knit design as well. In crochet, my designs tend to be relatively complex, but in knitting I’m all about simple stitches. However, crochet influences my knit design – I’m really into reversible knitted fabrics.

I would love to do more sewing. I’m planning on buying a small weaving loom. And when I retire (if that ever happens) I want to learn woodworking!

Capelette Crochet Pattern by Annette Petavy

What influences your style?
The textile traditions of my Swedish background, the effortless stylishness of French women and my fascination with the endless possibilities of crochet come together in different ways depending on what I’m making.

What challenges do you face when designing and how do you overcome them?
My biggest challenges are time and tendinitis! If only I could crochet at least 24 hours a day!

What are your favorite stitches?
I love the humble hdc. A stitch full of potential!

Excentrique Crochet Pattern by Annette Petavy

When you aren’t crocheting, what are you doing?
I’m either in the woods with my poles – I’m almost fanatic about Nordic walking – or in my garden. If I’m indoors, you will find me in the kitchen – but almost never in front of the television.

Where can we find you?
My Ravelry designer page: http://www.ravelry.com/ designers/annette-petavy
I am in the process of moving over all English patterns to Ravelry from my own website.

My blog is sometimes bilingual, sometimes only in French, but it can be worth to check it out here: http://www.annettepetavy.com/ blog/
I will be running a Crochet Advent Calendar on my blog during December, both in French and English. Join us if you like!

You can sign up for my newsletter in English here: http://eepurl.com/6WRg9
Every month, you will get information about what I do in the fiber world, as well as a crochet tutorial.

And you can follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ annettepetavydesign/

Thank you so much Annette! Your designs are beautiful.  I’m so in love with Cirkle.  🙂

Would you like to learn more about other crochet designers? Check out this link and be sure to follow CrochetByDarleenHopkins.com!