Today we're sharing our conversation with designer yamagara (Bernice). She designed a fresh summer sweater for Issue 24 inspired by the traditional architecture of shophouses in Singapore. Hearing about Bernice's happy memories of growing up in a shophouse makes us feel like just casting on this design will bring some extra joy along with it.
amirisu: What, if any, challenges did you encounter during the design process?
yamagara: The facades of traditional shophouses in Singapore are rather ornate and colourful. In the initial stage of designing, I found myself making sketches of many different ideas, including colourwork, and liking them all. The challenge in this situation was in narrowing down ideas to a way to convey the essence of a shophouse while considering appropriateness for a spring and summer design, the yarn I wish to use, and creating an interesting knitting process for the knitter.
amirisu: If you were to knit this design in another color, what would it be?
yamagara: I would love to knit Shophouse Tee in the colour Paris, which I used for my design swatches. The cable and lace patterns show up beautifully in this colour. White comes in many subtle variations in colour temperature that convey different moods. Paris has a quietness and just the right amount of warmth that makes it very pleasant to the eyes, and very elegant.
amirisu: Tell us a little bit about a favorite place of yours in the town or area you grew up in or where you live now.
yamagara: I grew up in a shophouse. My parents had a shop on the ground floor with easy access to the upper floor, which was our living space. They had chosen to live and work in a shophouse so that they could take care of my siblings and me while working. My grandfather came everyday to help in the shop or just sit and chit chat. Our front door was literally open the whole day. As kids we were outdoors most of the time playing with the neighbours' children. The shophouse kept my family close and gave me a happy childhood.
amirisu: What is one handicraft or traditional art or skill (other than knitting) from your country or region that you like or have an interest in?
yamagara: The making of traditional sweet or savoury bite-size snacks called kueh is a skill that I would love to learn. You can think of kueh as the wagashi of Southeast Asia. It comes in many attractive forms and colours. When I come across a store selling kueh, I tend to pause to admire or buy something to snack on. I love kueh so much that recently I created 2 pullover designs, Lapis and Manis, inspired by them. Together with Shophouse Tee, I hope these designs give knitters around the world a glimpse of my heritage.
Thank you for sharing your story with us, yamagara!