Say hello to Sylvie (@HighLevelBandanas) - our new Ribblr of the Week and the designer behind [HighLevelBandanas]
Hi! Happy to have you here, tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Sylvie, & I’m a crafter from Canada! I currently work full time as a pilot, but love to spend most of my free time crocheting. Other than that, I’m very much a house hermit, although I do love to spend time hiking, skiing, or rock-climbing in the Canadian Rockies. I make all my patterns made-to-measure so that everybody can have their perfect size.
When did you start crafting and how?
I’ve been crafting my whole life, but I started fibre arts mostly during the pandemic. (Yes… I’m a pandemic crocheter…) I grew up as an only child, so I was always creating, whether that was by drawing, sewing, writing; the list goes on! When the pandemic hit, though, I really dialed in on crochet and fell in love with it.
And how did you start designing?
I must customize EVERYTHING. So, when I started crochet, it didn’t take long until I was altering patterns to my liking, or just free-handing my own with the little knowledge I had. The next step was just to write them down, and the rest is history!
Do you have a favorite craft type and if so - why?
Currently crochet, but I do love the look of knitting and aspire to learn. It’s just nice to always keep my hands busy and end up with something handmade that I can be proud of. Sewing is also up there, but can be very frustrating at times!
What has been the most memorable project you worked on?
It’s not currently finished, but my crochet wedding dress. Enough said! 
That, or the Spicy Christmas Set, because it was really fun to figure out a way to make a bustier made-to-measure & work for different body types.
What are you currently working on? Be honest - how many WIP do you have right now?
I’m currently working on a strawberry graphic sweater, with giant bows on the back of either sleeve. (Be on the lookout in February!) As for WIPs, I’m not very exciting! When I start something I must finish it, so I only have one other project in the works, which is a granny square dog sweater. Oh, and my wedding dress, but that’s a labour of love!
Which of your makes/designs are you most proud of?
Probably the Sweet Pea Dress! I’m currently refining the pattern on Ribblr, but in the meantime, I do have a YouTube tutorial for it!
What is your usual process of designing?
It’s a complete brain dump. I think of something, and it has to get written down ASAP. I kind of see the pattern in my head and how each stitch will work before making it, so I typically start writing before grabbing my yarn. It’s almost like once I start crocheting, I’m testing my own pattern?
What inspires you to create/design?
I think my brain always needs to be creating something, so designing sort of scratches that itch.
Any favorite song, book or movie you would like to recommend?
My music tastes go from A-Z, but right now I’m really loving BoyWithUke’s new album. I’m a big fan of the Lord of the Rings series, but love a good rom-com, like The Secret Society of Lady Scoundrels. (It gets a lil’ spicy though, so just beware of that). I hate watching movies, but I do love Moana… Or Airplane!
Share a funny story that happened to you recently!
Like I said, I’m very much a house hermit! But I did get stuck in a bathroom stall at the airport in full pilot uniform and had to crawl underneath to get out, which was mortifying. (The lock on the door broke). I was in there for about five minutes before choosing which one was the least embarrassing: someone seeing a pilot crawling under a stall, or fully climbing over? My pants got caught on the door which ripped them a bit as well as my skin. We love a good toilet escape!
What is your favorite feature on Ribblr?
Definitely the ability to copy/paste my existing patterns into Ribbuild! It will save me an incredible amount of time as I continue to upload all my patterns.
Pay it forward - your shoutout to a fellow Ribblr
Here are some designers and patterns I love I love seeing on Ribblr!
@sundropsol
@peachiecrochets
@sproutandfae
Thanks so much for being here this week Sylvie, it’s a pleasure reading about you!
Want to read more?
Check out all our previous featured Ribblrs here.
Want to be our next Ribblr of the week and earn a special badge?
Send us a message and be our next Ribblr of the week (plus earn our special Ribblr of the week gold badge​
)
