I am Klara Bothén of Bergslagsgatan and am located in Gothenburg, Sweden. I make hand knitted mittens using wool that was vegetable dyed by my mother and grandmother in the sweet summer of 1982.  

What made you want to be a maker?

I don’t think I ever made an active choice to be a maker. Making, in some way or the other, has always been a central part of my life, and my artistic practice today differs only very little from the games I used to play as a kid. The big thing for me was when I came to understand that being creative could actually be my job.  

Why should people support your business/products?

I don’t aim at any certain target group, but I do believe that one reason why my mittens has gained popularity is that they are quite a nice combination of good old handicraft, striking colours and simple visual design - at the same time they have an obvious link back in history, to a specific time and place. I think there is a certain need for those kinds of products today, things that are more than meets the eye. 

Favorite product that you make?

I only make one “real” product so far, and it is the Granliden Mittens. I love everything about them, from the actual knitting to the bigger idea of what they are and what they represent. They are the best example I have so far of how I want to work with products; combining craft with a simple and strongly graphical design, building a story around it but still keeping a high level of usefulness in everyday life. 

List five of your favorite tools.

1. 3 mm knitting needles
2. Sketch book
3. Tapestry needle
4. Mora knife
5. Tiled paper 

(photographs from Klara Bothén + Elisabeth Dunker )