Sandra Polley

Arbour House, the independent publishers of knitonthenet, recently launched a lovely new book by the well known toy and teddy designer, Sandra Polley. Knitted Toys is a great book with everything from fun hand puppets and Christmas reindeer to whole family of meerkats. We went to see Sandra to find out more about the lady behind the designs.

What is your background?

Like almost every knitter I know, I have no formal design training. My grandmother taught me to knit when I was a little girl and I made my first dollies cardigan when I was about 8 years old from an oddment of yarn from her 'scrap bag'.

Why toys and teddies?

Well mainly I like the idea of creating a new life, a little character, from just a bit of yarn, stuffing and a couple of beads! One teddy bear pattern knitted by six different people will produce six completely different looks and personalities. I love that! I also like the relaxation of knitting and do sometimes knit something to wear but often prefer the quicker results of a toy rather than making perhaps a sweater or cardigan.

What inspires you to design new patterns?

I love making new things. After my [first] teddy book I went on to design first the dolls Hannah and Grace, some more bears and then Milly the little dog. I had a lot of great feedback and emails from knitters who bought the patterns so thought it would be nice to do some more and put them together in a new book.

Do you have a favourite project in the book?

I enjoyed making all the projects but as a dog lover I have to say that Milly, with her little coat and bed is my favourite. She is so quick to knit and can be adapted to make other breeds (and Reindeer!).

Could you tell us a little about the design process?

It takes me a long time to design a new toy. I start with a rough sketch and then write little notes with arrows etc all over it. With a neutral colour I start to knit each piece, writing the pattern in pencil in a notebook as I go along. A rubber gets used a lot! When I'm happy with each piece I type it up on the computer. Deciding on colours can then take a few days. Sometimes, as with the naughty rats in the book, a new toy can develop from the first design. It has taken a lot less time than starting from scratch but its still great to see the birth of a new character.

Have you always enjoyed making things?

Yes, I love knitting and always have something on the go. I also used to sew Teddy bears and would hunt charity shops and jumble sales for old fur hats and woollen coats to make them from. I particularly enjoyed making miniature bears. When my daughters were younger I made some extra income by making and selling them to gift shops in Stratford-upon-Avon and London.

I have always loved crafts. I come from a large family and making things was a necessity when we were children as there was very little money for buying Christmas presents. For Grandad and Uncles we would wrap cocoa tins with colourful paper and fill with cut cardboard 'spills'. These were placed on the hearth for lighting their cigarettes. Once I had learnt to knit and sew my poor relations had to admire all kinds of pincushions, purses and sock dolls! We spent many happy hours in December making all our gifts and I think we had much more fun than if we had been able to buy everyone Christmas presents.

When did you first learn to knit?

I have been knitting on and off since I was 6 or7. I have had lots of great hobbies since, including patchwork and cross stitch, I just love making things! I always seem to come back to knitting after each one though. Apart from my toys, my next love is my knitted dogs coats.

Tell us more!

While working in a large veterinary practice here in Leicestershire in 2003 we found a need for warm coats for our poorly dogs with fastening both sides so that we could attach and change a drip easily. After my first reasonable effort I was hooked and went on to spend months developing sweaters for small dogs and then Whippets and Greyhounds.

What are you currently working on?

I am currently working on some more miniature toys for new pattern leaflets. I would like to have my dog sweater and coat collection put together as a book some time perhaps, along with some patterns for tiny dogs, such as Chihuahuas.

What's next?

I don't really plan ahead. I am just pleased that my bears and toys are appreciated and hope they will be for a very long time. I should like to be able to carry on designing and knitting when I get new ideas (and hope that they don't run out!)

You can buy Sandra's latest book Sandra Polley's Knitted Toys from the knitonthenet shop .
Also, see our review of the book, and Bertie the free Teddy Bear pattern by Sandra Polley.

Find out more about her work at her website, www.knitsandpieces.co.uk