Home » Crochet » Crochet Designer Interviews » Behind the Stitches: Exclusive Q&A with Crochet Designer Lindsey Stephens

Behind the Stitches: Exclusive Q&A with Crochet Designer Lindsey Stephens

In this series of Behind the Stitches, crochet and knit designers are sharing their insights and experiences with us, offering a unique glimpse into their creative processes, inspirations, and personal journeys in the world of crochet and knitting.

Come and join me as I delve into the stories behind the stitches and discover what makes these designers truly exceptional.

Banner for 'Behind the Stitches' Q&A series with crochet and knit designers. A woman is holding two balls of wool over her eyes

In my hot seat today, I’m delighted to be welcoming Lindsey Stephens from The Lindsey Life.

Lindsey is a talented crochet designer known for her Craftsy class, Seaming Crochet. She is also well known for her work as a crochet and knit technical editor for books and magazines. Lindsey has written the ebook Body Basics and From Design to PDF.

She is proud of her achievements as the former President of the Crochet Guild of America.

I am excited to share with you her insights, experiences, and creative journey.

Meet the Crochet Designer Lindsey Stephens from The Lindsey Life

  1. Can you share with us your design process, from idea to finished product?

Creating a new design and getting it to publication is an intense process. I think many knitters and crocheters don’t realize how much you have to do as a designer. It’s not just making the sample, but writing a quality pattern, tech editing and/or testing, photography, and more.

I actually wrote a booklet, From Design to PDF, about the process to get a design from the idea in your head to a PDF pattern that you can sell online.

Book cover for From Design to PDF by Lindsey Stephens.
  1. How do you ensure your patterns are accessible and easy to follow Lindsey?

For many of my patterns I include crochet symbol diagrams or knitting charts as appropriate. I’m a math teacher, and part of my teacher training was learning and understanding that different students have different learning styles. That doesn’t end when someone leaves school. We all process information in different ways. Charts and diagrams are really helpful for visual, spatial learners. To be honest, I love symbol diagrams. When I’m creating a new design my handwritten notes are often in the form of diagram sketches.

  1. What advice would you give to someone wanting to start their own crochet business?

Treat it like a business. Keep your receipts. Open a separate bank account if you can. Separating your business finances from your personal, even if the money doesn’t seem like much, will help you really monitor and see your progress.

  1. What are your favourite crochet techniques?

Lately, I notice myself gravitating towards post stitches. I love the way you can combine front and back post stitches to create cables and movement on a piece of crocheted fabric. It doesn’t even need to be complicated. My Petite Cables Hat pattern uses mini cables made of only 2 stitches.

A crocheted hat that uses front post and back post stitches to create cables

I wanted to create a round challah cover especially for Rosh Hashanah, but I also wanted to incorporate the theme of honey and a sweet new year. This challah cover starts out with textured hexagons made with post stitches. 

Hexagons using textured stitches
  1. Can you share any tips with us for mastering complex stitches?

Don’t be intimidated. You know how to wrap the yarn around the hook, you know how to pull yarn through a loop, and you know how to stick the hook in/around a stitch. EVERY crochet stitch is just a variation on these 3 parts. All that changes is how many times you do those steps and in what order.

  1. How do you stay motivated during long or complicated projects?

I keep a countdown going in my head. Sometimes that countdown is “only 10 more rows” and “only 8 more rows”. Other times, I measure my progress in terms of yarn. I’m currently working on a blanket for my daughter. I know I’m going to use all 12 skeins of yarn. Right now, I’ve used up 3 skeins. Only 9 more to go.

  1. What’s the one crochet project you’ve always wanted to make but haven’t yet?

I want to make myself a cardigan out of sock weight yarn. I’ve been gathering up all the single skeins

I have that are purple (there are a lot of them) and my plan is to combine them into a scrap cardigan. I haven’t really gotten past the “gather the yarn” stage. I keep getting distracted by other fun crochet project ideas.

  1. Finally Lindsey, do you have any funny or memorable crochet-related stories to share?

I love the yearly New York Sheep and Wool festival in Rhinebeck, NY. It’s a lot of fun, and when my kids were little they would come with me. In addition to the animals and education, there are so many vendors with the most amazing yarn for sale. Even though my daughter didn’t crochet, she always wanted to buy yarn. No one there was selling cheap stuff, but I would always let her choose a small skein to purchase. I wasn’t being generous. I knew that in about 3 months she would get bored of the yarn and give it to me.

Thank you for being my guest today Lindsey.

Crochet Designer Bio

Hi! I’m Lindsey, a crochet teacher and designer with a passion for sharing knowledge and helping others enhance their skills. I also work as a crochet technical editor, making sure other designer’s patterns are accurate and clear. And, I’m a proud former President of the Crochet Guild of America.

Lindsey Stephens, the crochet designer from The Lindsey Life

Stop by my blog, The Lindsey Life www.thelindseylife.com, to get a boost of yarn inspiration complete with a healthy dose of wit and humor.

Leave a comment