Winnie interviews Aunt Zhao
Aunt Zhao (or Zhao Ayi in Chinese) is one of two knitters at Shokay whose busy needles deftly craft beautiful designs for our brand. Everyday Aunt Zhao comes in and without much chit-chat sets to work on her latest project. Today we decided to interrupt her mid-stitch to find out more about our knitter extraordinaire.
Shokay: Where are you from originally and how did you learn to knit?
Aunt Zhao: I’m local Shanghainese. I have been knitting since I was a little girl. I remember my mother used to knit all the time so I decided to learn from her. Knitting has always been a part of my life. It brings back memories of my childhood when I used to watch my mother knitting sweaters and scarves for our whole family.
Shokay: How did you get involved with Shokay?
Aunt Zhao: I joined a charitable organization that provides vocational training for women after I was laid off by a factory. After completing my training at the organization, someone recommended me to Carol. I have been working for Shokay ever since.
This is Aunt Zhao's happy face.
Shokay: What is your view on Shokay’s vision to help disadvantaged communities?
Aunt Zhao: I believe that everyone who has the ability and skills should give back to society and help underprivileged people. After all, we have all benefited from society in different ways. People should always show kindness to others.
Shokay: How do you think Shokay yarn differs from other yarns?
Aunt Zhao: I have been knitting with wool since I was a little girl, but yak is a different material. The texture of yak down is much softer than cashmere. It is a very nice and soft texture, and you can immediately feel the difference when you start using yak as knitting material.
Shokay: How do your current projects compare with last seasons?
Aunt Zhao: For spring and summer, our focus is more on color and thus, the knitting patterns are not as complex as our winter collection. At the same time, I have tried to incorporate as many different knitting patterns as possible into our designs.
Shokay: What is her favorite Shokay design?
Aunt Zhao: Everything. (Good answer!) Shokay products are trendy but still practical. Personally, I prefer the sweaters because I don’t really wear accessories.
Aunt Zhao's current project
Shokay: Any advice for beginners?
Aunt Zhao: Be persistent! I think practice definitely helps in improving your knitting skills. Don’t give up when you see complicated knitting patterns, just keep practicing!
We’re getting the Shokay blog back up and running (as you may have noticed…you noticed, right?) and we want your input. What would you like to see? Who should we talk to? What products do you like? Have you seen any cool knits on the street? Have a great idea for a pattern? What inspires you? Leave us your thoughts in the comments!
