A Conversation with Brenda from Natural Star ...

Oh, such deliciousness wrapped in beautiful colours and merino. I am converted to thinking that having a baby dressed in such love would be all I could ask for Christmas. Have you managed to find anything for the littlies in your life yet? Start here, I guarantee you will find something to make your heart sing with so many pretty things all in a row ... and the creative woman behind it all? Lets meet her, is Brenda ... Carol ♥

Who is  {Natural Star}?  
Natural Star consists of me (Brenda) and a team of  dedicated knitters from around New Zealand to help out when needed for  wholesale orders.  I design and handknit classical, timeless, vintage  inspired merino handknits.  Sizing ranges from newborn to  children.

What’s your  “handmade groove ?”  

Merino wool, whether it be pure or organic.  I  cannot figure out if I am obsessed by it or addicted to it.  I love to  create for the little special people.  I also love to dabble in lots of  other crafts when I have the time.

What’s  on your bedside table right now? (hey, no tidying up or censoring)
Book -  Eyes of the Tailless Animals (Prison Memoirs of a North Korean Woman).  A  few bits and pieces of craft supplies that have arrived in the post  recently.

Who are your creative role models? What music, books, images, poetry spark your creative  fire? 
I love vintage patterns (knitting or sewing) - I collect  them.  My children - expecially Emma, she is very creative with her ideas  and a wonderful critic.  Colours play a huge part in my ideas, I  see clothes or images and start to visualise what would look great  created with certain colours in them.

What could you talk late into the  night about with like minded people? 
Knitting and most handcrafts.   I also have a son with ASD. so I am pretty passionate about that and in  educating people about the disorder.  I figure that the more people know,  the more they understand the condition.  Parenting.

If you  could go to three free workshops/creative events this year which ones would  they be? What are they about? 
I would love to further my crochet  skills.  A business accounting workshop.  This year I am hoping to  find and join a local knitting group.

How do  you balance your creative life with your family, life commitments?  

With  a lot of time management for the business.  I work outside the home from  9am-3pm weekdays and try to keep weekends to family time only.  Most of  the business computer work is done in the afternoon when I get home.   Luckily I can watch TV and knit at the same time.  The designing is  usually something I do during school holidays.

What is your favourite creative  screw-up?  

My screw-ups are usually unpicked and turned into something  else.

Kitchen table or studio? 
My wonderful husband turned the room attached to the  garage into an office, studio come storage space which I share with him and his recording gear.  I am sure this is so that I don't overtake the  lounge and all storage spaces in the house. I mainly knit while  watching TV on my comfy sofa, all other bits are mostly done at the dining room table.

Do you have a wish list? Can you tell us whats on it? 

I would love to have a really good matching, colour co-ordinated storage system with everything clearly labelled for my office!  A trip to Italy. To do a photography course on how to use my camera properly. 

Click Natural Star to be transported to the website ... happy browsing