On my Virtual Sofa - Bärbel from My BABS Design

Today I have the pleasure of chatting with Bärbel from My BABS Design

Welcome Bärbel, please tell us a little about who you are.

My name is Bärbel Stauffer, also known as Babs.

I was born in 1957 in Germany and this is where I grew up.

Since 1994 I live in the vicinity of Lucerne, Switzerland.

I am married and have two adult children and two grandchildren.
I live in a multiple generation house with a wonderful view of the Swiss alps. 

My in-laws live in an apartment, my daughter and granddaughter live in an apartment and my husband and I live in the other apartment in the house :)

I don't have much free time for myself as I happen to be the contact person for everyone living in our house ;)

I look after my granddaughter 5 days a week whilst her mom is out at work. We also have a large dog and a cat who also need to be cared for by me.

In the image above you can see me in my favourite place in the summertime.

My mother and Grandmother taught me how to knit and crochet from an early age on and it is something I have always enjoyed.

I used to own a store that offered Patchwork fabrics and courses but my passion has always been with crochet.

What are you most proud of?

I am most proud of my children and grandchildren. I am also proud of myself for being able to, at the age of 55, open my shop and offer my own, unique patterns on Ravelry.

The yarn that I offer in my shop has something very unique about it.

Every skein is energized with fine energy frequencies and Tachyon energy. 

Has there been people along the way who have influenced who you are today?

Yes, there have been quite a few. When I was 26 years old, I met a group of people who introduced me to Reiki and other energetic systems. They worked intensively with angels and other alternate methods of healing.

I have been a Reiki Master and teacher since the last 20 years and this has helped me live my life in a very different way. I am open to all new experiences.

How important is the Handmade Movement to you?

Very important :)
My gran taught me how to crochet at the age of 5 and I knitted my first pullover at the age of 9. I think that everything that has to do with Handwork (knitting, crochet, crafting, woodwork) all enrich our culture.

Everything that we are now making and creating, was also a part of our grandparents lives, and we can pass these traditions and talents on to our children and grandchildren.

My 6 year old granddaughter can already crochet and is busy creating her mother a potholder for Mother's Day.

For me, relaxation means sitting down in the evenings and grabbing my needles or crochet hook and being inspired. This is when most of my ideas for new patterns arise that I sell in my online store and in Ravelry.

If you had three wishes, what would you wish for the "Handmade" Movement?

Everyone helps everyone :)
A whole lot of new, interesting Ideas.
And that everyone who creates can charge fair prices for their wares.
Unfortunately at the present time, all handwork is rather under priced for it's value!

Thank you so much for your visit Bärbel, it has been a pleasure to have you here :)

Where can my visitors find you on the web?

You can find me here:

In my Online Store

My Ravelry Store:

and my Facebook Page

Bärbel has generously donated 3 beautiful prizes to this year's event!

That means three of you taking part in the KAL will have the chance of winning something special from her!

What will you have a chance at winning?

You will have an opportunity to see the prizes that Bärbel has offered in an upcoming post tomorrow.

If you can't wait to win some of her beautiful yarn, you should head over to her shop and browse :)

You can find out when her Prizes will be up to be won in the draw here on the Blog as well as in the Sock-Along thread on Ravelry.

All you need to do to win a prize yourself is to cast on and bind off a pair of socks in a month.

Every three months (end of March, June, September and December), 3 winners per draw will get chosen from all the finished sock entrants of the previous three months.

I hope you will consider joining us for this super sock-along, it is so much fun already!

Come back soon for some more fluffy wonderfulness when I reveal the gorgeous prizes you will have a chance of winning!

See you soon.

x