Meet Anastasia Popova

If the lovely cardigan on the front of Vintage Modern Crochet made your heart go aflutter like mine did, let me introduce to you Anastasia Popova the crochet designer behind it.  The Zoe Cardigan was the first proposal I received when I sent out my call for desigsn for the book that made me go, "YES!".  It is the perfect marriage of vintage and modern.  Just looking at it you can imagine yourself wearing it today, 50 years ago, and 50 years in the future.  It is timeless and wonderful.  I will let Anastasia tell you the story of her grandmothers sweater, it always makes me smile just imagining what fantastic things my grandmother has made and I have yet to try to re-invent.

Taking a quick look at Anastasia's ravelry page, you will definitely see a number of projects that you will recognize from the pages of Interweave Crochet Magazine. One of my favorites is the Entwined Cables pillow, the cables are just amazing on it!  Her designs are modern, fun, and just charming.

This week we got to chat a bit about crochet, here's some of that conversation:

RC: What is it about crochet that inspires you to design in it?
AP: The goal of everything that I do is to empower people to achieve their goals,  especially if they have previously failed.  To not set limits for themselves and to play it safe just because they don't think can succeed or are afraid of failure.  It is not just about the crocheting, I believe that succeeding on a project motivates crafters in other aspects of their lives too.  My design work specifically, is driven by the desire to break down the preconceived notions of what is and is not possible with crochet. 

RC: What is one of your favorite techniques in crochet?
AP: At the moment I am really in love with pineapple lace, but my all time favorite technique is linked stitches, like linked double crochet. 

RC: What was the last item that you made for yourself (in any craft)?
AP: A pair of crochet socks! I truly enjoy crocheting socks. I love the process of creating the fabric that is interesting to make and comfortable to wear, which could be a challenge in crochet.

RC: What other crafts do you love?
AP: With the birth of my daughter, I rediscovered my love sewing. I took pattern drafting/ sewing classes in high school and truly enjoying making skirts, dresses and cloth diapers for my little girl. 

RC: What was your inspiration behind your design in Vintage Modern Crochet?
AP:  The inspiration for the Zoe cardigan came from a piece my grandmother Zoya made over 20 years ago. Her cardigan had such a beautiful edge that I had to replicate it in this cardigan, but with pineapple lace in the body. I had to name this piece after her.

RC: What is next for you? Where can people see more of your work?
AP : I want to continue making an impact in the lives of as many people as I can reach through my crochet classes and design work.  I have recently launched a website dedicated to crochet patterns for babies, crochetforbabies.com, which features free crochet patterns.  I am also currently working on a number of crochet books which will be out soon.

You can see more of Anastasia's work below:
Facebook
Ravelry
Website – AnastasiaPopova.com (professional website, patterns, classes, tutorials, etc)
CrochetForBabies.com (free crochet patterns for babies)
Twitter - @CrochetForBabies or @APcrochet
Pinterest
Instagram

Be sure to check her website, Anastasia will be hosting a chance to win one copy of Vintage Modern Crochet.