Search results (tags) for: "crochet"

Trends: Oversize Cowls

2008-11-04T11:15:00Z

Oversize is everywhere these days. Big bags, avant garde capes and ponchos, tunics as shirts: bigger is better! Nowhere is this more evident than the oversized cowl trend. This winter accessory is best worn in chunky knits that tend to be on the larger side. Make a statement this winter with an oversize warmer! Your neck will thank you.

Search for Items Tagged "Cowl" | Seasonal Fashion Gift Guide | Trends | Browse More Winter Accessories

High End Etsy: Fiber Arts

2008-10-09T16:05:00Z

What does one gain from raising one's own alpacas? Bonnie Samuel aka bonniesamueldesign.etsy.com knows the value of homegrown fiber, the material she works with to create unique knit and woven pieces. "My knowledge of the nature and structure of natural fibers — from the impact of animal husbandry on quality production to the end product — gives me a unique understanding of certain fibers in design." But it's not just the intimate knowledge of raising animals — she has also trained in how to sort and grade her annual clip. "Working with natural fibers brings the beauty of nature's palette and textures to your work."

Bonnie approached Etsy's blog, the Storque, with her story and with those of other high-end fiber artists on Etsy. These artisans steep their fibers in their deep skill and knowledge, and their high-end items' price points reflect that. We invited them to explain what's behind the drape of a sumptuously woven shawl or the details of a painstakingly crocheted art necklace.

[Jesse James & John Brown, two of Bonnie's alpacas]

Etsy offers a grand opportunity to both emerging and established fiber artisans. Since its inception, Etsy has evolved through layers of quality each in turn attracting buyers at the emerging level.

Truly talented fiber artists – weavers, dyers, textile designers, skilled knitters, art quilters and those reviving traditional fiber crafts in new dimensions – are now establishing shops on Etsy. The traditional “art” market is out of reach for many artists because of costs to enter the market of galleries, agents and promotion, while Etsy, however, offers wide internet exposure for little cost. Indeed, this trend may be changing the way art is marketed and sold as Etsy increasingly becomes the place to find and purchase unique and finely crafted, high quality art pieces in many mediums.

We’ve chosen just a few fiber artisans of the many talented on Etsy to showcase here...

Hedda Vatter aka HeddaVatter, who lives in Rapina, Estonia, creates wearable beauty in crochet.

As a romantic, I love crocheting and lace. I learned to crochet in school when I was eight years old. My favorite materials are high quality cotton crochet thread, linen and worsted for the woolen lace.

I am inspired by Irish lace in all of its richness and beauty. I try to bring the elements of the old lace into modern day using the lace for accessories and jewelry. I also add beads to Irish lace which makes it even more gorgeous. I have added felt, Irish lace and mond stones to my jewelry – the result is an interesting contrast. Red mélange crocheted necklace (pictured above) is inspired by Irish lace. The cotton thread is hand dyed, making the necklace unique.

As I was studying in art school, textile was my favourite subject. After graduating, I studied three years of calligraphy and two years of decorating. I acquired my higher education in library science. Most of my life I have worked as an artist. The last three years I have worked as a self-employed entrepreneur/artist. I have sold my work in Finland, Sweden, Italy, Germany and in France. And of course, I have made handcrafts for myself, my three children and for my home.

Scarfguy on Etsy is Fred Ullom, who is an accomplished weaver from Ohio.

As a career mathematician and computer scientist, my initial interest in weaving was as a science. It is, after all, an exercise in applied binary mathematics. When you look closely, all cloth is "pixelated". Beginning as a diversion from the stress of a high-tech career, I soon discovered that creating something tangible with my hands was much more rewarding than the abstraction of creating lines of programming code. There is no greater enjoyment than to take an idea and turn it into something real: a piece of cloth, a scarf, a garment that stands on its own, and provides warmth, softness, and pleasure for its owner. Unlike most fiber "artists", who are artists first, my greatest struggle has been to allow my creativity to flourish. I retired early from the high-tech world and now weave full-time (although at a leisurely pace). I don't often take inspiration from my surrounding as many do.

[Scarfguy at the loom]

My structures are usually just mathematical "play" with twill progressions. My color combinations are usually spontaneously sparked by fondling through my yarn inventory. I have a passion for exotic natural fibers. I'm always searching for the finest Merino wools, cashmere, silk, yak, and the elusive arctic muskox (qiviut).

Artmixter is Marion Barnett’s shop on Etsy, which features imaginative fabric art.

I am Marion Barnett, a Scottish artist living and working in Norfolk, England. In creating my art quilts and other fiber works, I work predominantly with lutradur, a non woven polyester fabric that is versatile and easy to use. I even wrote a book about it, 'Lovely Lutradur', with Dijanne Cevaal. I have a passion for layers and texture; as lutradur is semi transparent, it is an ideal medium for such work. Most of my work has pattern and texture combined over several layers of cloth, with some areas of cloth cut back to show clearly what is lying underneath. Colour, too, is an essential part of my art; I dye or paint much of my own cloth, cottons, silks and lutradur, and use a wide range of paints to get the effects I want. It’s very rewarding when people are drawn to touch the work; textiles are a very tactile medium, and I encourages people to pat and stroke the cloth and the finished works.

Rebecca Burgess' fiber art and skills fulfill a mission. Her Etsy shop is ecologicalartist.

My work, my passion, lives within the relationship between restoration ecology and sustainable art materials. I seek to create art whose strength lies within its process: a process that is restorative for the native plants that I harvest for dyes, for the women ranchers I buy my wool from, and is, most importantly, restorative for me as the composer and creator. I use local natural resources in a manner that supports the thriving and regenerative cycles of those resources. The end product is equally important for me, in its quality, attention to detail, and how well it functions.

[ecologicalartist at work with some natural dying]

I envision a growing world of artisans and interested folks, making beautiful art from naturally dyed yarns and batts, and wearing naturally dyed organic clothes. As this happens, our culture will become both aesthetically and ecologically richer. While I enjoy the larger vision, I personally am restored by the feel of soft angora moving through my hands and onto the spinning wheel, or counting my warp threads in preparation for my loom. The value of having one more happy and restored person on the planet is an immeasurable gift in itself.

designbynihan is the Etsy shop of Nihan Altuntas, a very creative designer and handknitter from Istanbul, Turkey.

I’m Nihan Altuntas, a 27 year old Turkish woman, whose passion is creating and designing. I’ve been crafting since I was old enough to pick up a crayon. My favorite childhood toys were boxes, yarns, pieces of cloth and all kinds of paints… I should add that I’m thankful for the support of my family. When I converted my jeans into bags or painted my canvas shoes, they never said a word!

I majored in cinema studies with a minor in marketing. During college, I got back to knitting to relax and to express myself. I never liked pattern books or reproducing brand sweaters. I would design authentic knitwear by improvising with needles, sometimes not even knowing what the result would be. The appreciation and approval for all of that hard work is the basis of my motivation to improve myself in this field.

I’m inspired by almost everything, even a simple button. I can suddenly decide to knit a sweater suitable for that button. My favorite material is cashmere, but the most important thing is to be able to discover the perfect match of the yarn and the pattern.

“Design by Nihan’s” success on Etsy is a combination of my talent, marketing and business knowledge and my personality too. I try to bring customer preferences and original patterns together. All “Design by Nihan” customers have an opportunity to choose the color and material, since all of the products are always knitted according to the customers' measurements. Each item is totally unique to its owner.

Dottie Scher, aka ccdzs, whose excellent crochet skill reflects her heritage.

My mother was an old fashioned Southern Lady who taught me the age old art of handcrafts as we were growing up. I started knitting when I was five and needlepoint, embroidery, tatting, pottery, sewing soon followed. When I was 15 I found a book of crochet motifs and I was hooked, literally. I love the way the work flows and how quickly something can come together in my hands. This is an art that has been passed down through the generations of my family.

I work "during the day" as a Child Protective Services In Home Services/Foster Care Supervisor. My days are long and quite hectic. When I get home, after homework, supper, baths and smaller people's bedtime, I can sit down with a hook and thread and just shut out everything else. Crochet is my refuge, my special place where everything is simply the hook, the yarn or thread, the colors, the texture.

When I'm designing my own patterns, it's all about texture and counting stitches. The doilies are designed with their appearance from a distance in mind. So much of the design is not apparent unless you look at it from across a room or down a hallway. I love the symmetry and the geometrical design. I have been heavily influenced by Patricia Kristoffersen, a renowned crochet artist. Many of my framed pieces are based on her designs. But I also feel I learn from anyone's designs and thus can bring my own ideas to bear, such as my two nautical sunbursts.

Constance Rose aka constancerosedesigns

I have been a textile artist since the early 1970s. Prior to becoming a weaver, I was a custom clothing designer, silk painter, papermaker, beaded jewelry designer, knitter, crocheter and handspinner. I've had a lifelong interest in fabric and thread/yarn, so I've explored any number of ways to create them and work with them. I started college as an art major, then veered into and graduated in psychology. Making art, although my first love, was always something "else" to do; that is, until I retired, recently, from the work world as we know it to focus on my art. Although I've taken an art class here and there over the years, essentially I am self taught, propelling myself toward whatever felt like the next technique for me to learn.

I've always been inspired by nature, as well as art of other times and places — including the florescence of Art Nouveau and Victoriana, the stylized and repetitive geometrics of Art Deco and ancient Egyptian designs, Native American and ethnic tribal patterns, and the Arts & Crafts and Craftsman styles in functional and decorative arts and architecture. My recent work creating woven shibori has been a way for me to pull together all of these design genre.

My work today is about TEXTURE — the tactility of cloth and fiber surfaces, what textiles feel like in your hands, as well as visual texture, the orchestration of patterns and colors that your eyes see. My work is also about PATTERN — line, shape, form, and directionality inherent in the woven cloth or imprinted or dyed onto the fabric. And it is about COLOR — how color lays on or becomes part of the cloth, how colors interact together, the patterns that areas of color create on a piece. My textiles explore the fusion of these components on handwoven fiber structures. Most recently I have begun creating Art Cloth — non-wearable fabric, wall and space hangings — combining loom-controlled and handstitched shibori, and surface design techniques on handwoven fabrics.

Thanks to bonniesamueldesign for putting this post together! If you want to find more great fiber work, check out items tagged EtsyFAST team. You might also want to read more Storque posts tagged "Fiber".

Featured Buyer: Jessica Marshall Forbes of Ravelry.com

2008-09-24T12:06:00Z

This week's Featured Buyer is Jessica Marshall Forbes, a knitter who's been blogging since 2004. You may also know her as the founder of Ravelry.com, the knitting and crochet community website founded by Jessica and her husband Casey last year. Ravelry has taken the fiber world by storm and grown to over 180,000 users and 2.8 million page views per day. Today Jessica is going to share some of her favorite knit and crochet items on Etsy!

I am really excited to talk about my favorite Etsy shops on The Storque! I am a big fan of buying handmade, being a knitter and crocheter myself. Also, Etsy shop owners are wonderful Ravelry participants: many advertise on the site, feeding Ravelers' bottomless appetite for handmade knit and crochet related items. Independent knit and crochet designers, local yarn stores and other small craft businesses are a huge part of what makes Ravelry so fun and rewarding for us.

There are so many amazing shops on Etsy for knit and crochet, so it was so difficult to choose things to include. I have met so many great crafters through Ravelry and here are some of my favorites!

I am totally addicted to splityarn's pouches. I use them to hold my scissors and stitch markers when I am on the road, and use the longer pouches to hold my crochet hooks. Beware: once you start with her pouches, you can't stop!

My dad always told me you should send thank you cards and I like to find pretty, handmade ones on Etsy! My two favorite shops for yarn-themed cards are Maryse's and Fricknotes. They both feature colorful cards with really amazing photography!

Just like other knitters and crocheters, I am always on the look out for a new bag to carry around my projects. I have a large purse that I use every day and, without a project bag to protect my work, it can be very easy for something to unravel as I go through my day. (Nightmare!) This lace keeper by julipbags will keep everything safe from harm!

I am loving the knitting clutches by persnickityknits! No reason that our knitting bags can't be stylish as well as functional. This red one caught my eye but she also has them in more neutral colors.

For tinier projects and knitting in line at the post office, I love the wristlet bags from SewBendy. This one with the little bird is awesome!

I also dabble in hand spinning. Butterflygirldesigns' spindles are definitely on my wishlist! They are so gorgeous and functional! She also has lovely batts and rovings.

For yarns and rovings for spinning, the sky is definitely the limit on Etsy! You could spend a year's salary easily. I picked out a few that I have my eye on.

I am a sucker for blue, green and brown and this Bluefaced Leicester by Squoosh is definitely pushing all my buttons! She also has lovely handspun and hand dyed yarns.

Denise at BlueHandsFibers does really amazing things with color. I am leaning toward fall tones right now; I love her bulky Harvest merino.

More on the fall-ish theme: I like this neutral, but not too boring, sock yarn from CapistranoFiberArts.

CapistranoFiberArts also dyes up some mean green and blue, which is what got me hooked on her in the first place! Mmmm yummy!

I was lucky enough to score some handspun yarn from Juliespins' shop this week. It is really incredible. (If you can get your hands on some!) She doesn't have any in her shop currently, as they sell so quickly, but she does do custom handspun and has some really lovely rovings. She is lovely to work with!

I recently discovered Guttersnipe's shop. She has yarns that are just really fun, especially with the cowl craze going on right now. I love the colors in Earthsea, which is a bulky superwash merino.

Also, just for fun, I like these resin keychains from Debbie at McYarnpants. She also has a ton of other goods made from vintage knitting and crochet magazines, including cards.

There are lots of shops on Etsy that have stitch markers. I like Pookeh's shop because she always has some fun ones!

When she's not knitting, Jessica crochets, spins, takes pictures, rides her Vespa, gardens, and buys necklaces from Etsy sellers like there's no tomorrow. She lives in Boston with her husband and 2-year old Boston Terrier, Bob, who loves to get his picture taken. When he's not posing for photos, Bob works as mascot for Ravelry.com.

Looking for more on knitting and crocheting? Look no further! For more shopping ideas, our Featured Buyers series is quite impressive! Do some digging, my friend!

Let the Games Begin!

2008-08-07T23:00:00Z

The Olympics start on 8/8/08!

I salute you, you remarkable people doing miraculous things with their bodies that I, for one, will never, EVER be able to do. Though I've never been to the Games myself, I must say I become a bit of an avid TV-watcher-fan-girl. I took a spin around Etsy looking for athletic-inpsired items, and you'll find those below.

All the competition in the air got me to thinking about crafting contests. We'd posted a video a while back with Lily Chin. Lisa Gentry, the world's fastest crocheter, is going for another record — fastest knitter — but I couldn't find any videos with her. Here's a video from The Guinness World Records championships with Holland's Miriam Tegels — the world's fastest knitter. It's crazy!
And fastest in the UK, Hazel Tindall:

In related news, Instructables has an Invent-a-Sport contest. There are a few days left to enter and there aren't nearly enough crafty sports that people have created! Get over there and make up a sport around your favorite handmade activity!

Where are you, sports fans? Ever attended the Olympics? Ever competed in a crafting contest like Speed Knitting? Post in the comments below — we want to know more!

Creepy Cute Crochet: Fuzzy Alien How-To

2008-07-14T15:34:00Z

For our Handmade Kids Series, Christen Haden aka NeedleNoodles, master of "creepy cute" amigurumi, shares the Fuzzy Alien project for you to do with your kids (or with your friends!) and answers our questions on behalf of her ninjas, robots, and zombies. Her book, Creepy Cute Crochet is available through Quirk Books.

UPDATE from Lacey at Quirk Books:

"Since Quirk loves Etsy so much they're giving everyone 25% off Creepy Cute Crochet, and all the books at quirkbooks.com just use promotional code ETSY when you check out!"

Click to download the Fuzzy Alien How-To PDF:

Here's Christen with the inside scoop on her relationship to those fuzzy and crochety creatures:

Can you tell us a bit about your book and how you got the book deal?
Creepy Cute Crochet is a collection of toy patterns for characters that are, perhaps, not always well represented in the world of crochet. A place for crocheted zombies, amazons and ninjas to get their chance in the spotlight, if you will.

The book deal came about a year after I started selling patterns on Etsy. The folks at Quirk books had seen some of my earlier patterns and contacted me about doing a book of patterns in a similar vein.

What is an amigurumi? How did you first hear about them?
Well, if we want to be purists, amigurumi are crocheted toys made of single crochet stitches worked in spiral, usually with a sort of Japanese aesthetic. However, since the word "amigurumi" is just Japanese for knitted/crocheted stuffed toy, lots of people are a bit more inclusive about what counts as "amigurumi."

I think that I first started seeing amigurumi critters popping up online early in 2006. I remember having a lot of, "Hey, I could make that ...but, I'd totally make it a ____ instead!" moments.

What was the first amigurumi you made? Any tips for beginner crocheters?
Albino chibi squid. It's still one of the very few amigurumi projects that I've kept for myself.

As for advice for beginner crocheters, uh... fake it till you make it?

Your first few projects might be little bit shaky — particularly if you start out with difficult projects. Just stick with it, look up techniques frequently, and assume that you *will* figure it out eventually.

How did you get the idea for the book?
My characters borrow a little from gamer culture, and a little from internet memes, and a lot from stuff that I just think is cool. Basically, it all boils down to, "What do I think that people would enjoy making that isn't already well covered by someone else?"

Do you have any anecdotes about kids using your book?
One of the most exciting things about the book is the number of emails that I've recieved about kids learning to crochet in order to make their own creepy cute toys. I think that crocheted toys appeal to young crafters in a way that doilies and sweaters maybe don't, and they can provide a really nice opportunity for grown-up crafters to find enthusiastic students among their younger friends and relatives.

What is it about creepy cuteness that you like?
A little bit of dissonance can add punch to so many things. Adding just a suggestion of danger to otherwise totally cute and non-threatening designs makes people sit up and take a closer look, I think.

Crocheting patterns (and not just the finished items) seem to be selling well. Can you account for why this particular medium/technique/type of object works so well in this way?
It seems to be the accepted wisdom that patterns and craft supplies in general sell well on Etsy because most Etsians are crafters anyway, but I think that Etsy patterns also do well because they offer something a little bit more unusual (and convenient!) than the average mainstream brick-and-mortar craft store.

Anything else you'd like to add?
Creepy Cute Crochet is meant to be customized!

There are lots of places to share your own variations on the Creepy Cute projects:

The Creepy Cute Crochet Flickr Group
The Creepy Cute Crochet Craftster Crochetalong
Ravelry

Stay tuned for more projects and cuteness from the Handmade Kids series.

Handmade Kids Series | Special Kids Showcase | Baby Gift Guide | Children Gift Guide

Etsy in the Press: Creative Ventures

2008-06-26T15:12:00Z

June has been buzzing with talk of crafty entrepreneurship. Where to begin? How about Sydney Stoyan's heart warming tale of her Etsy experience in the National Post? It is our favorite kind of story: buyer needs necklace, buyer finds Etsy, buyer meets seller, they start a friendship. Buyer goes on to form relationships with other sellers, and discovers the pleasure of the relationships and meaning that come from buying handmade. Describing her new found joy, she concludes by saying, "You simply cannot buy this kind of thing from Louis Vuitton."

The Wall Street Journal published a piece recently describing how online selling has opened new doors for artists who want to make a living from their passions. In a similar vein, Etsy features prominently in a cover story in the May issue of Entrepreneur's StartUps magazine. The article gives some good advice on pricing and marketing your creations online, as well as tips for real-world displays. It also provides insight on the relationship between art and commerce. The Boston Business Journal just ran a thoughtful story about the rise of Upcycling, a favorite practice of mine. The current issue of Crochet Today magazine has a great introductory piece about Etsy as well, featuring interviews with Matt and a few Etsy sellers. Express, an offshoot of the Washington Post, also ran a story detailing the challenges facing upstart handmade businesses. Steve Berger, CEO of the Craft & Hobby Association, was on ABC's Money Matters, talking about the recent boom in crafting (Americans spend $32 billion on craft supplies annually!). He spoke about what crafts are popular these days, and how the internet (and Etsy in particular) has influenced the recent growth and changed the crafting culture.

On the buyers' side of things, Etsy fan, Rob Walker, was interviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle, talking about his new book, Buying In (in which Etsy is mentioned). In the interview, he tells a short but amusing tale about a tie that he recently purchased on Etsy. Finally, the cultural media site artinfo.com recommends Etsy as a great place to begin collecting affordable art.

That's all for now, friends. Happy reading!

News from the Etsy Labs: 6/30 Craft Night

2008-06-25T15:54:00Z

Have plans on Monday night? Well, you do now! Dust off your crafty pants and come join us for our weekly Craft Night at the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn. Each craft night is also broadcast live in the Treehouse room of the Virtual Labs. All demos will be shown both in the Labs in Brooklyn and in the Treehouse online.

Craft Night occurs every Monday from 4-8pm at 325 Gold Street, 3rd floor in Brooklyn, New York. Each week the Etsy Labs organize a skill-sharing project. We provide supplies, tools, snacks, and know-how. Participants are also welcome to bring their own project to work on independently. Craft night is a time to make things, learn new skills, and hang out.

Our Monday, June 30 craft night will be dedicated to knitting and crocheting. Have you been hankering to learn one of these classic crafts? We will demonstrate both! You may wish to bring your own yarn and needles, though we will have spares available as well. If you are a seasoned knitter or crocheter, please bring your current project and come hang out with us. Or, if you'd like to further hone your crochet skills, Christine will be on hand to help you learn to read patterns or write your own.

If you are joining us virtually for Craft Night this week and would like to craft along with us, you'll need a few supplies: knitting needles or a crochet hook and yarn that corresponds to your needle/hook size. If you are already a knitting or crochet fiend, bring links to photos of your current project to share.

Would you like to lead craft night or do you have an idea for a craft night project? Send your ideas to labs@etsy.com with "Craft Night idea" as the subject line.

Have you participated in Craft Night? Share your photos with the Etsy Labs Show and Tell Flickr group!

See you Monday!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keep an eye on the Storque Events calendar for future updates from the Etsy Labs.

Want to learn more about the Labs? Check out our FAQs. Want to receive email updates? Join our Etsy Labs mailing list.

News From the Craft + Style Blogosphere: May 15, 2008

2008-05-15T16:02:00Z

It's almost Friday, and there's a lot of blog out there to report! Sculptural crochet, recreated children's drawings, fashion and mystery await!

Tally ho!

This post from SuperNaturale has a great illustrated primer on the different techniques of sculptural crochet (displayed on a really cool curio shelf). [Via Craft Zine]

South Korean photographer Yeondoo Jung recreates children's drawings into imaginative photos. Amazing! [Via Drawn]

I'm not sure what's going on over at Антуфьев, but it's confusing (and pretty!) enough to be curious. Russians — help a sister out with a translation! I'm dying to know the commentary for all the incredible visuals. [Via About Today]

Ranna from Only Shallow always has the best fashion, as exhibited above. The Finnish do up their fashion blogs right! So inspiring.

That's all for this week! For more blogging fun, check out past editions of News From the Craft + Style Blogosphere. Also, I really need some new blogs! Leave your favorites in the comments!

Etsy Finds: Recycled Kitchen Scrubbies

2008-04-20T14:06:00Z

Some parts of cooking are glamorous, and some simply are not. Sometimes my knifework is like amateur hour surgery, with juice of fresh fruit and vegetables going everywhere as I butcher the meaning of the term "coarse chop." Nice knives can help make the scene a little more palatable (gadgeteers love tools, too) and local, organic ingredients are now thankfully very much in vogue. But what about the downtrodden process of cleaning?

I was raised on endless rolls of paper towels, but really started to feel guilty as I grew into being a little more eco-conscious, and didn't want to submit to the irresponsible use of sponge bacteria traps. There's got to be something better out there, right? More coarse than a washcloth but safer than a sponge?

RightBrainThinker says yes. Not only can I clean work surfaces, but I can scrub vegetables, dishes, and (don't try this at home) maybe the cat (c'mere, kitty!). Not only that, but I can have as many as I want. Washer-dryer safe and available in large quantites, these scrubbies recycle t-shirts to green up and provide a thoughtful aspect to the part of kitchen action that we want to think the least about.

Need a daily fix of Etsy Finds? Sign up for the Etsy Finds e-mail! Conveniently delivered to your inbox on the daily!

Check out other recycled kitchen and cleaning items in the gallery below.

EGCG | Trashion | EcoEtsy | Environmentally Friendly Gift Guides | Earth Tones Series

Etsy Success Stories: pdxbeanies

2008-04-14T13:26:00Z

You've seen those big sellers on Etsy who seem to be making sales left and right. You have to wonder how they've made it to where they are: can they actually be FOR REAL? What's their recipe for success? And just how do they do it?

This week's installment of our Etsy Success Stories series features Nili of pdxbeanies. Nili lives and works in Portland, OR and has been selling on Etsy for just over a year and a half. In that time, she has made over 3,100 sales while taking on the challenge and full time job of motherhood to boot! When Nili started selling her crochet items on Etsy for some extra cash here and there, she never dreamed the business would turn into a full time job with the success that it is today. Keep reading to find out how she does it.

How did you first hear about Etsy, and what made you decide to open a shop on the site?
I heard about Etsy through a friend who directed me to one of her friend's shops (the fabulous meanbean). From there I just started poking around and finding out how everything worked. I toyed around with the idea of opening a shop for a few months before I actually did. Not expecting too much, I opened my shop on October 7th, 2006 and within 10 minutes I had made my first sale! I was floored and greatly encouraged to keep on listing my work.

What do you think your key to success for selling on Etsy has been?
There are certainly a lot of things that are involved in becoming a “successful” seller here on Etsy, and I probably couldn't narrow it down to one key thing... But to name a few: working hard to develop a great product, having eye-catching photos, listing often and providing fantastic customer service (even to the most difficult customer! Remember, the most difficult customers will probably be the most vocal about their experience to others. If it's a good one they will certainly point others your direction).

What are the best and most effective ways you have promoted your shop?
Listing frequently has certainly been an easy and effective way for me to promote. Also, opening a Flickr account has brought in a lot of business. I have to admit that I don't spend a lot of time trying to promote my shop. Instead, I use the majority of my time developing a great product that will promote itself. I have lots of people find me just by word of mouth. Also, I've been fortunate enough to be featured in Parents magazine, Interweave Crochet Magazine and in several popular blogs. If you work hard to develop a fantastic product other people will want to talk about it for you.

How do you handle such a large volume of sales in your shop? What systems have you created to manage the orders?
Sometimes I have no idea how I'm able to handle so many sales! I'll look back on the past week of orders and I can't believe I got them all shipped out. But somehow it always gets done.

Here is a day in the life of a Pdxbeanies order: I have a chime on my email (oh, what a happy sound!), so I usually know right when an order comes in. I read it immediately and address any questions or comments in the “message to the seller” section. Then the transaction email will sit in my inbox, usually until the next morning when I print out packing slips for the previous day's orders. After printing the packing slip I move the transaction email to its appropriate folder, “to be shipped” or “waiting for payment." That way I know that all the orders have been processed when my inbox is empty. I then use the packing slips as a reference to collect or make-to-order all the products that were purchased. Once all the orders are assembled I log on to Paypal and use the handy-dandy “Multi-Order Shipping” tool and print out my shipping labels. Then I slap the label on the package and take a trip to the closest mailbox! After the order is shipped out I move the transaction email from the “to be shipped” folder to the “filled orders” folder in my email. I also go into my sold items on Etsy and check the “shipped” box next to the order. Doing these last two things is part of my “no order to be left behind” act to help ensure that I don't miss anything.

Are your orders mostly from repeat buyers or new buyers? What do you do to gain repeat buyers?
I get lots of both new and repeat buyers. It is very rewarding to know that someone liked your product so much that they came back to buy more. To gain repeat buyers I try to give fantastic customer service and to make sure that everything I send out is made and packaged well.

How do you stay motivated? Does it come naturally?
Staying motivated does come somewhat naturally to me, I think. I really love what I make and I love the idea of selling what I've made. I have fond childhood memories of setting up bake sales or lemonade stands in my family's driveway and selling to all the neighborhood kids. Now Etsy is my virtual lemonade stand! I do find, however, that I stay the most motivated when sales are coming in consistently. If I'm having a slow day I'll find myself sitting at the computer all day waiting for the email to chime when I should be working on filling yesterday's orders. It's in those times that I have to remind myself that I'm doing what I've always wanted to do and that people are counting on me to get their orders out. That always gives me the motivation to keep going.

Do you "Etsy" full time or do you have another job too?
I am a stay-at-home mom and “Etsy” every spare second...I think that counts as at least 2 full-time jobs. :)

If you "Etsy" full time, were you able to quit your day job due to your success selling on Etsy?
Being able to stay home to raise my children has always been very important to me. My husband and I decided that we would make the necessary sacrifices to allow me to quit my job after I got pregnant. After our daughter was born I started thinking about ways that I could make a little money from home to supplement my husband's income. I had been crocheting since I was a kid and thought that this might be a skill I could use to make a few dollars here and there. At that time I had no idea how large the business would become. Now, the Portland Beanie Company provides a full second income for our household and I am still able to be a full-time mommy. The best of both worlds. Thank you, Etsy!

What is your favorite current Etsy Feature?
The new batch shipping editor has rocked my world! I had been dreaming of that exact thing for so long and now that it is finally here I can hardly believe it!

What features do you use most on Etsy?
Probably the “renew” or “re-list” feature. I also love checking out the front page. I don't have time to browse the Treasury as much as I'd like so I really enjoy seeing the beautiful picks on the front page several times a day.

What goals do you have for your Etsy shop one year from now?
Well, I hope to still have my sanity... although that may be long gone by now. :o) Other than that, I'd like to still have 100% positive feedback, to have developed my photography skills a bit more (which includes getting a better camera), and to continue to love what I do.

What piece of advice would you give to a new seller on Etsy who might be feeling discouraged? Do you have a quick tip or trick that you have learned over time you would be willing to share?
Selling on Etsy takes a lot of hard work, discipline and dedication. It is not for the faint of heart! Be willing to go without sleep. Don't get discouraged easily. Be flexible.

What are you thoughts on the environment? Do you have any eco-friendly tips for sellers, or other ways that you try to make your business eco-friendly?
Being a good steward of this earth is very important to me and I am excited to be part of this "handmade" movement, since Etsy is so committed to doing its part to to reduce the global footprint as much as possible. The first thing that I do to make my business more eco-friendly is that I only use cotton yarn for my products. Acrylic yarn is cheaper, but it is man-made and is not the best choice for the enviroment. Also, all my yarn is produced either in the USA or in Canada which cuts down on the pollution made by trucks or planes transporting the yarn long distances. At some point in the future I would love to start making products using organic cotton yarn as well. I am still searching for the "perfect" yarn for this. The other thing I try to be aware if is the amount of packing materials I use. After my business was up and running I started looking at how much packing material was really necessary for my beanies to arrive at their destinations in good condition. I found that I was able to cut back quite a bit. That also helped with my packing supplies and postage budget.

Anything else you want to add?
Thank you to all the Etsy sellers, buyers and admin who make this such a wonderful place to work and play. It is truly a joy being here and I plan on being in it for the long haul!

Please enjoy this recipe for my World Famous Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies: (okay, maybe not “world famous” but they're really yummy!)

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 large apple, cored and diced

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat margarine and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and mix well. Add oats and apples and mix well. Drop dough in LARGE spoonfuls onto un-greased cookie sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool and enjoy! Makes about 2 dozen large cookies.

Read our previous Etsy Success Stories. See some of Nili's work and her top picks in the gallery below.

Q & A with the Lovely (and Crafty!) Vanna White

2008-03-25T13:10:00Z

You may think you know Vanna White from her role as America's favorite letter turner on Wheel of Fortune, but did you know she's also an avid crocheter with her own line of yarn? That's right, her "Vanna’s Choice" collection from Lion Brand Yarn was launched just last June and has already become a top seller, helping to raise money and awareness for St. Jude's Hospital in the process. We took a spin with this crochet connoisseur to learn more:

Listen to the Lion Brand's Yarncraft podcast to hear their interview with admin from their visit to Etsy Labs!

Q: When and how did you learn to crochet?
A: I learned from my grandmother when I was 5 but I came back to it 25 years ago when my hair dresser encouraged me to crochet on the set of Wheel of Fortune. Whenever I have downtime on the set, I crochet. I find it very relaxing and I have something to show for the time I’ve spent doing it. I connected with Lion Brand Yarn when I spoke about my love of crochet on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson 14 years ago. They contacted me and it’s been a great friendship ever since.

Q: What is your favorite thing to make with yarn?
A: I love to crochet afghans. I have made countless afghans over the years as gifts for friends and family. I put a tag in each one that says "Handmade for you by Vanna White."

[Fashion images courtesy of Lion Brand Yarns]

Q: Do you have any other crafty hobbies, or any that you'd like to learn?
A: Recently I've taken up cooking. I get recipes from the internet and my favorites are desserts.

Q: Have any handmade heirlooms been passed down in your family?
A: I treasure the doilies by grandmother made for the tables and I still have them.

Q: Have any of your Wheel of Fortune fans ever sent you crocheted or crafty items?
A: Yes, when I was pregnant, I received all kinds of baby items!

Q: What three things inspire you most?
A: I have two children and they are my greatest inspiration. I’m also very involved with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The amazingly talented doctors who work at this hospital inspire me by their dedication to such a worthy cause. Half of my proceeds from Vanna’s Choice are going to support St. Jude.

Q: I first learned of your crochet skills when you were emceeing a Lion Brand fashion show and now you have a line of yarn with Lion Brand named after you! Can you tell us a little bit about what the process of developing the line was like?
A: I worked closely with Lion Brand to develop a yarn that has an incredibly soft feel, yet would be practical in that it can be machine washed and dried. Once we found the right fiber and texture, we developed a color palette that has beautiful colors that are in the same range tonally so whatever colors you put together will match. Since I love crocheting afghans, we made certain that this yarn would be ideal for knitting and crocheting afghans. We’re adding colors since the line has been so successful and a new yarn called Vanna’s Baby Yarn with contemporary colors for babies and kids.

[Fashion images courtesy of Lion Brand Yarns]

Q: Any crochet trends you can forecast for spring?
A: People have been experimenting with crocheted stuffed animals of all different types and I just see them getting more and more creative. You can make almost anything with yarn!

Q: Any trends you wish would go away?
A: Not really. When it comes to something that has been lovingly made by hand, it's all good.

Q: What's one thing people don't know about you that you wish they did?
A: That I am a normal person and lead a normal life. I cook for my kids, take them to school, do homework with them, tuck them in at night. Exercise is important for me, too (so I can fit into those Wheel of Fortune gowns!). I'm not an extravagant or glamorous person at all.

Q: Any other thoughts you'd like to share?
A: I think that handmade gifts are so meaningful and more valuable to people than the most expensive store bought product. I love the look on people's faces when I give them a blanket for a new baby or an afghan for their home. I have this one friend who has a 13 year old and I made a blanket for him when he was a baby. After 13 years she tells me that he still loves loves it. That means everything to me.

Dear Etsians: for this week only (3/25-4/1/08), Etsy users can get 20% off catalog orders at Lion Brand Yarn. Just enter "etsy0308" at check out. Special treat!

Check out Vanna's top Etsy finds below:

Featured Buyer: Brett Bara, Crochet Today Editor and Stitchy TV Host

2008-03-05T12:27:00Z

This week's Featured Buyer is the highly knowledgeable and crafty Brett Bara. By day, Brett is the editor in chief of Crochet Today magazine, and the host of the new PBS series Knit and Crochet Today — look for it on PBS stations nationwide, and on the Create cable network. By night, she's a lifelong crafter of all sorts, design fanatic, NPR superfan, and fancy cake maker. (And yes, she really did crochet that cake.)

Brett's company is also offering a reduced subscription price to Crochet Today — it's a great deal so we wanted to help spread the word! Find out more about it here.

Here's Brett.

Since it's my job to absorb all I possibly can about crochet (as well as knitting and craft trends in general), I use Etsy as a number-one resource to keep on top of what crafters are doing out there. What's cutting edge? What's still going strong as a mainstream trend? What's totally crazy?

I do all kinds of crafts, including embroidery and other needlework, sewing, cake decorating, and DIY homey stuff (I'm currently painting and/or decoupaging every surface in my apartment), but in my book, crochet stands out for its wonderful versatility. It can do anything. Chances are, if you're into Etsy, you already know that crochet is having its moment, and crafters of all calibers are picking up their hooks to make some amazing things. Here are some of my favorite Etsy crochet finds, representing all the best stuff that's happening right now with hook and yarn.

Blythe fans are doing amazing things with crochet, crafting entire wardrobes of tiny, uberstylish clothes. Seller bupu makes me want to BE Blythe so I could wear some of her outfits!

GrandmaWasAFloozy gets props for having the best seller name ever, and for putting a cool spin on an old technique, creating a sort of new millennium-Victorian thing. I love seeing crafters reinterpret antiquated methods (like this filet crochet) with their own contemporary edge.

What's better than crochet food with faces? Eternalsunshine's patterns, like this s'more, are dangerously cute. Apparently it's no fun being a s'more?

Anything that combines my two loves — crochet and birds — is a winner in my book. felted's crochet birdnest ring is adorable and clever.

Amigurumi, little crochet creatures hailing from Japan (isn't that where all wonderful cute things come from?), are one of my favorite crochet trends. This little lady from jaravee is insanely cute.

To me the best thing about crochet is its incredible versatility, and these earrings show that crochet isn't just afghans and amigurumi. baylli is clearly a rockstar!

Crochet food ? It doesn't make any sense, and maybe that's why it's so great. This cupcake from michellerheaume and bowl of berries from bloodybunny set my sweet tooth on fire.

Crochet is perfect for accessories, especially anything with exaggerated details. I love this neck wrap from seller boutiquepinkdesigns.

Respect your elders! The venerable granny deserves it! These classic squares are in the midst of a major renaissance. Everybody's doing the granny these days, and I love it. Seller AprilAdriance captures the true essence of the granny 'ghan in this piece.

The sculptural quality of crochet makes for some wonderfully avant garde pieces, such as these amazing necklaces from Kjoo.

Simple forms are also delightful in crochet, like these felted nesting bowls from projectfelt. They look like they're straight off the shelves of a high-end design shop.

Crochet has a way of bringing out the wacky and unexpected, like these great crochet bottles with an elf transfer design from JackRabbit, and the wonderfully curated crochet coral from jpolka.

I'm a sucker for the creepy crochet of days gone by, and this vintage babyface potholder from seller Sassiesue67 is the perfect example of stitchy kitsch.

Who could resist a teapot wearing pearls? (Or is that purls?) This delightful item is from seller crochetroo.

Further resources:
Crochet Today
Knit and Crochet

Thanks Brett, for pointing us to some amazing work.

Deals for Etsians: Crochet Today Subscriptions

2008-03-05T12:25:00Z

Dear crocheters! Our friends over at Crochet Today Magazine are offering a reduced subscription rate. We wanted to let you know about it, because it's a darn good deal. Brett Bara, Crochet Today's Editor-in-Chief, came by the Etsy Labs and talked with us about crochet and the Etsy Community. As Brett says in her Featured Buyer piece today, "Crochet is having its moment." You can get a behind-the-scenes sense of Brett; as our Featured Buyer, she picked some really cool crochet items from our marketplace.

We are also hoping she'll do an interview with us about what she looks for in crochet when searching for projects to feature in her magazine and on her PBS series Knit and Crochet Today.

Comment below if that's something you'd like to see!

Knit Out at the Mall of America & Stitches West Show

2008-02-15T00:21:00Z

There are a couple events coming up we thought Storque readers would like to know about — especially those readers who also happen to be knitters and crocheters! Vickie Howell, Austin Craft Mafiosa, brought these to our attention.

Here's one for California-based folks:
"Anyone can look great in knits...it's all in HOW you wear them," says Vickie Howell. Known as the rock star of knitting, Howell will join Earth-friendly yarn pioneer South West Trading Company at Stitches West in Santa Clara to present popular knitwear designs on models with different body types. Attendees will learn how to wear and accessorize knits so they can look their best in their hand-made creations.

And for you Midwest folk:
There's a big Knit-out at the Mall of America, which Vickie will also be attending. It's sponsored by the Craft Yarn Council of America. Midwest crafters from all backgrounds will be gathering to share skills, socialize and talk about the favorite fibers! There'll also be crafting for good causes as well as the "international finals of the Fastest Knitter and Crocheter Contest. U.S. champ will "face off" against those from the U.K., Canada, The Netherlands, and France. "

Lily Chin is the reigning world champion. See her go in this video below! Any of you knitter/cricheters think you got what it takes? Do you have a need for speed?
The above video was taken by millefleur at the Knitting and Stitching Show Alexandra Palace in October 2004. She runs ukhandknitting.com on behalf of the UK Hand Knitting Association who are sponsoring Hazel Tindall (UK's Fastest Knitter) to take part in the World Championships. Find out more at www.bhkc.co.uk/data/index4.shtml.

Further Resources:

Subscribe to our Etsy Youtube channel!

Stitches West Show
Santa Clara Convention Center
Friday, February 22, 2008
11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m
Cost: $15
www.knittinguniverse.com
800/237-7099
For more info on the Stitches West Show, click here.

Knit Out, see here.

Lily Chin's website
books and patterns and more.

Craft Yarn Council of America

Etsy Success Stories: anapaulaoli

2008-01-15T13:24:00Z

This week's installment of our Etsy Success Story series features Ana of anapaulaoli. In little over 2 years of selling on Etsy, Ana has breezed by 3,100 sales on the site — those fingers of hers must be mini crochet machines!!! She has been crocheting for as long as she can remember, draws inspiration for her designs from her children and learned to crochet from her neighbor. Since discovering Etsy, Ana has been able to quit her day job and stay at home taking care of her 2 children and her latest venture is in the coming release of her very own book this February: "Amigurumi World, Seriously Cute Crochet" is now available for pre-order in amazon.com & borders.com! Read more to find out how she made it happen:

How did you first hear about Etsy, and what made you decide to open a shop on the site?
Well, I needed a new mate cup (I’m from Uruguay and addicted to mate) and was trying to find a nice one in the Internet, so I googled all sorts of things and ended up looking at crafts. I then somehow found Etsy and spent hours looking at the shops. Back then Oli was 2 and I was working in a horrible, horrible office that I hated with a passion (just thinking about it makes me sad) and crocheting lots of toys whenever I had the time. My childhood dream was to have a little stand in Tristan Narvaja’s street market in Montevideo where I could sell my crafts (there’s some really nice pictures of the market in Flickr, you should take a look!). Etsy seemed like the virtual version of that little stand, so I opened anapaulaoli, and it ended up being the best thing that happened to our family :)

What do you think your key to success for selling on Etsy has been?
I was lucky to start my shop when amigurumi patterns in English were hard to find, so the word in the Internet spread really fast when someone found one and liked it and that gave me a lot of the exposure. Loving what I do so so much has helped lots too. I can’t stop making toys (I really can’t) so I list new patterns pretty frequently. I like it so much that I want others to love it too, so I offer my help and I really mean it, and I try to be as nice and accommodating as I can. I have a little teacher complex going on too, so I love to explain things and that comes in handy when you’re writing out patterns :) Having an array of prices, and offering deals is always good, because that gives buyers more options and everybody likes to save money…My pictures aren’t the best (I’m still working on my photographing skills!) but I try to focus on the toys; I like everything super plain and simple, and I think that helps because you can see them better. Developing my own, recognizable style has helped immensely too, and that just took time and lots of work. It happens naturally when you feel comfortable with what you’re doing and it becomes second nature. I do try to make different things once in a while though, so I don’t get too comfortable and stop growing…

How do you promote your shop?
I have a little blog with free patterns that I try to update as often as I can. It would be super nice if my life were exciting and/or glamorous and I could tell amazing stories and adventures there, but here I am with two little girls (Oli & Martina), a husband and lots of yarn, so I stick to patterns and the occasional random blah blah.

I also have a flickr account, and little business cards that I send with packages and stick in boards here and there when I get a chance. All my earrings and accessories and even my wallet are from Etsy, so whenever someone asks where I got them, I "Etsy" them like there’s no tomorrow and give them a card too! (I’ve been using “Etsy” as a verb for the longest time). Oh! and we all have Etsy pins in our coats — using your own kids for Etsy advertising is NOT wrong! ;) I also have a book coming out in February (advertising for your own book is NOT wrong either!) “Amigurumi- Seriuosly Cute Crochet” and that has helped sales a lot too, because the book people (who, by the way, are super nice) do their own advertising, which leads to my name, which leads to my Etsy shop! :)

How do you handle such a large volume of sales in your shop? What systems have you created to manage the orders?
I do it one order at a time and kind of slow. Patterns are really not that bad because I e-mail them, but I have to be careful and not around crying/talking/demanding kids, so I always work on that when they’re napping or in bed. The whole label thing for toys is super boring and kind of intuitive and — again — slow. I am so not the greatest at this end of the toy world… I wish I had a secretary! I do leave feedback as soon as I’m done with the order (right after I send the pattern/come back from the post office and have deleted the Etsy e-mail and have marked the item as “sent” — by the way, how great are those little checkboxes?!).

Are your orders mostly from repeat buyers or new buyers...what do you do to gain repeat buyers?
They’re a good combination of both. New buyers are pretty exciting, especially when I’m their first Etsy experience, I feel like I have to show them around or something… We should all be extra nice to first time buyers, because in a way we’re opening the door to all the other Etsy sellers. Even if they don’t come back to our store, they most likely will come back to Etsy :) I always send an extra pattern or two with every order. Leaving feedback is really good for that too, because by checking their feedback I can tell if they’re a repeat buyer or not, and what they bought before.

Repeat customers always make my day. It’s so nice to know that someone likes what you do enough to want to come back. Lots of people are learning how to crochet with my patterns, and knowing that makes me happy. I know I’m going to sound super lame and dorky, but really, sharing what you like doing the most and makes you so happy has to be kind of like spreading “crafting cheer,” and that should be mandatory in Etsy!

How do you stay motivated? Does it come naturally?
I seriously think I’m addicted to crocheting toys. I can’t sit without a hook and some yarn and fiberfill, and I can’t stop thinking about toys I want to make. Having two little girls helps a lot too, since we’re always surrounded by toys and stories and make-believe stuff. I just wish I had more time and/or another set of hands. Imagine being able to crochet two things at the same time? I was watching Edward Scissorhands again not long ago and kept thinking how great it would have been if instead of scissors he had hooks. He might have poked an eye or two, but can you imagine the toys he would have made?!

Do you "Etsy" full time or do you have another job too? If you "Etsy" full time, were you able to quit your day job due to your success selling on Etsy?
I "Etsy" full time and LOVE it. When I was in maternity leave with Martina almost a year and a half ago, I started crocheting a lot more (lots of sleepless nights!). My plan was to go back to work in the horrible office part-time in the mornings, but they started having problems with that, and ended up offering three full days instead or something like that. Martina was too little so I couldn’t see myself leaving her for so long. Etsy was starting to pick up, and Franco was about to finish his doctorate, so we decided that I should quit HorribleOfficeville and Etsy full time, and it was the best thing ever.

Being able to work here on the couch in my pajamas with the girls around is so so nice. Etsy gave us so many opportunities, and so many amazing things have come from it, that if it were huggable I would give it the longest, tightest hug in history — does it count if I hug Rokali? ;)

What is your favorite current Etsy Feature?
I really like the geolocator, and I’m obsessed with it. I try to geolocate (is that a verb?) Etsy shops from everywhere. If I’m watching the news and they mention a place and I have my computer with me I immediately geolocate the shops there to see what they’re up to. And I type “Uruguay” there every day to see if there’s any new sellers from home :)

What features do you use most on Etsy?
The relist button and the geolocator!

What goals do you have for your Etsy shop 1 year from now?
I hope I can continue to grow and improve and that it shows in the way things go in the shop in 2008. I want to challenge myself and make new things. My notebooks are full of ideas that hopefully will come to life.

Anything else you want to add?
I really never thought I’d be able to live from what I love so much. I remember when I was little I used to think how cool it would be to just make toys all day and not have to work :) Thank you Etsy!

Check out anapaulaoli's top Etsy picks are in the gallery below:

Sexy Turkey: AngelaCatirina Speaks

2007-11-22T07:06:00Z

Many of have seen and been enchanted by the Sexy Turkey hat while browsing Etsy. We figured Thanksgiving was the perfect time to get the story behind these knit and crochet wonders. We'd like to introduce Angela Catirina and her mom Bonnie aka Bonet.

Introduce yourself!
Hello, my name is Angela Catirina. I am in partnership with my mother Bonnie "Bonet" in one of our businesses, Catirina Bonet Designs. We share a loft in very urban, downtown Los Angeles that also serves as our factory and office. We are both full charge book-keepers and also run www.BonnieTheBookkeeper.com as well as "Catirina Bonet Originals," our wholesale gift line which we also market through Etsy as www.Boodlebub.Etsy.com. We're busy girls — to say the least. In our spare time we both paint, sew, sculpt, and a varitey of other creative things.

We began our business formally when I was just out of high school (1990) as clay sculptors, marketing our work through art galleries and museums and museum stores throughout the United States. Catirina Bonet Designs has had several incarnations over the years as we have worked to develop our place in market. Our current incarnation, as designers of hand knitting and now crochet patterns too began about 2-1/2 years ago with our web site.

How would you characterize the buyers you work with? What kind of person buys a "sexy turkey hat" or a Christmas tree hat?
To be honest, I never thought anyone would buy the Sexy Turkey Hat. It's been one of our two top sellers. In fact, it might be our top seller. I really just designed it becuase I was inspired by that bag of leftover yarn that arrived in the mail. I thought it would be something for people to look at while they bought the "Basic Knit Cap." I knew I would wear it but little did I know that anyone else would. Our buyers astound me the most. They range in age from 20 to about 70 and we've sold the Sexy Turkey Hat to as many 60 somethings as we have 20 somethings. They also live all over the world. Before joining Etsy most of our customers came from Europe and the UK. Etsy has broadened our US customer base considerably although our Etsy orders are also world wide. I'm not surprised to get knitting orders from other parts of the world but I'm always amused when the Thanksgiving items sell in Belgium, Germany, Brazil...The Christmas Tree hat and Garland Boa are the same. Our buyers run the age gamut with that one as well.

Do you wear any of your items out on the town? If so, what's the reaction? (Also, what's up with all the wigs?)
Oh ABSOLUTELY!! I've been chased down the street by total strangers offering me outrageous sums of money for things like: "Angela's Coat of Many Colors." I wore it with the "Oh la la Dress" to dinner and a play one night in Beverly Hills and I almost couldn't get out of the restaurant and into the theatre for the mob that surrounded my outfit. One woman nearly embarrassed her poor husband to tears walking circles around our table. Clearly she was a fan though. It's very flattering.

I tell this story in my listing for the coat about walking through a chic San Francisico department store and the store's fashion buyer following me onto the street wanting to know who designed my outfit. I said, "Caitirna Bonet" and he replied, "oh yes! Catirina Bonet! I have loads of their stuff coming in next season." Ha ha. I had to laugh — but to myself of course.

You seem to have a pretty fun sense of humor. What are you inspired by?
I love color — we both do. We love the unpredictability and creativity of live theatre. We've spent much of the past 20 years or so travelling specifically to scope out art galleries and museums. We read constantly and when we're too busy working to read we rent a variety of things from Netflix - everything from documentaries to feature films. I enjoy the quirkiness of life. I think sometimes we take it all too seriously.

With the Turkey items specifically, I think I was inspired by my childhood phobias. Born into a family of meat eaters, I declared myself vegetarian at the age of 5. Thanksgiving was always traumatic for me. I would beg my mother: "Do I H-A-A-V-E to sit at that table with the dead turkey on it?" Every year I got the same answer - "yes". The one thing I always looked forward to on Thanksgiving was watching the parade. For years I called it Macy's Day — I didn't know the difference.

Do you make the patterns that you produce yourself? How did they come about?
Bonnie and I both design the patterns in the collection now, although it's fair to say that the bulk of the designs we currently have are mine. I had a bit of a head start. We had taken a break from Catirina Bonet Designs after moving to Los Angeles eight years ago to reassess where we were really headed with the business. At that time we had developed a very large wholesale business of gift items that we were selling in nearly all 50 states. It had outgrown our capabilities and our move to Los Angeles brought about unexpected challenges for continuing.

I had taken a job across town and was commuting on the metro about 2 hours a day. I found reading on the bus sickening so to pass the time I started knitting. Juggling a pattern, yarn, needles, and everything else I had with me was too dramatic. My yarn would go sailing toward the driver at every stop and my pattern pages would fly every direction. I eventually started just knitting without patterns because it was less to juggle. In a year of commuting I had the original 20 or so designs.

I had also never used a computer before 2003. So I spent a couple of years glued to online classes learning to build web sites from scratch, design page layouts for patterns, create pdf files, etc.... We do absolutely every bit of the business ourselves so the past few years have been an incredible learning experience for us.

What's your relationship with your mother? You guys seem pretty tight.
We are very tight. We are best friends. Few people understand it and yet our relationship is so natural to us we can't really explain it. We have always lived and worked together. I think alot of our success in both family and business partnership has to do with the fact that we are both equal and separate partners. We both have our own things in our home and in our business that we are responsible for. Our worlds parallel but they don't collide and I think that helps us maintain such a great harmony.

We're also incredibly competetive with each other. I think this has everything to do with our success in business. We're always checking to see if our designs are outselling each other. It's ridiculous - everything with us is 50/50. We do exhaust outselves with the race though. It's been going on since I was born and it applies to everything we do. We try to outread each other, outsell each other, out design each other. Many years ago we waited tables together for a while. It was the same then. I think we must have exhuasted our customers racing each other to fill empty glasses and clean dirty tables. I remember the restaurant manager standing back and shaking his head watching us work saying, "I've never seen anything like this......never."

We almost never argue at all and when we do it's about the truly absurd and ridiculous - her snoring like a freight train and my phobias about putting cooking oil in food. We've had some comical, knock down drag outs over those two things. It's not that we always agree either — we just respect each others ideas, philosophies, territory, etc... It works!

Anything else?
I would love to say how greatful I have been to the Etsy community. We give a lot of props to the artists and sellers but I would like to really give kudos to the people who shop Etsy. We get the most amazing convos from people who really help guide us in our journey here. I would also love to say how much we appreciate the people that run Etsy and make it such a friendly, workable environment. We're so proud to be a part of such a talented community.

Etsy Finds: Thanksgiving Special

2007-11-22T03:51:00Z

"Happy Thanksgiving!" squeals this dear little cranberry sauce, straight outa da can.

Etsy Finds: Kjoo's Sculptural Fibers

2007-10-05T04:07:00Z

I was delighted to stumble across kjoo, the shop of Maria João Ribeiro, on Etsy this week. I convoed her right away and found out that she grew up in Palmela, Portugal — a small village known for its picturesque windmills and eleventh century castle. She now resides in Lisbon.

Maria makes amazing jewelry, supplies and other treats with fiber. Using a combination of handfelting, crocheting and other techniques, she truly redefines her medium, making objects full of beautiful organic forms and hidden suprises. She told me she uses felt and wool crochet the way other designers use gold and silver.

“The combination of felt and crochet was something that happened spontaneously for me.” said Maria. “I thought the crochet would give the piece an organized and clean look complementing the ‘chaos’ of the felt.”

Maria also makes handmade supplies that are every bit as unusual and artful as her other items...These are little detailed button and eyelets, each one unique:

Craft Takes on Breast Cancer: Clothing the Rebellion

2007-10-01T06:00:00Z

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, I took to the web with a serious intent to find reactions to it from my age & interests group (women in their 20s-30s, and highly crafty). I soon discovered that breast cancer not only was affecting young women around me, but they were finding unique ways of fighting back that engaged their DIY skills.

There are some truly innovative women promoting the idea of challenging the status quo of the breast cancer survivor/patient. A perfect example is Beryl Tsang, whose Titbits.ca site sells knitted prostheses, and whose pattern was provided to Knitty.com in 2005, for their breast cancer issue.

Amazon Seamstress

[Rebel1in8’s custom shirred top]

Reconstruction is AN option of many, post-mastectomy, and one woman is out to break rules about how women can dress, after breast cancer changes our bodies.

Etsy seller Rebel1in8 (Jacqueline Skaggs) is a good friend of mine, and her own battle with cancer introduced her to clothing design, after she lost a breast in 2004. Without reconstruction or a prosthetic breast, everything fit strangely, and she also found herself wanting to celebrate her survival of breast cancer rather than disguise her body under a sort of camouflage. So, with a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear, she decided to do something about it.

She has devoted herself to the task of recycling her clothing, and wound up with a clothing line instead: if you don’t want to have reconstruction or wear a prosthesis, her tops give you the option to flaunt your uniqueness instead.
If you’re in the NYC tri-state area, you can catch her WABC-TV news interview, on October 6th at 7:30 p.m.

Finally, Rebel1in8’s REBEL necklaces are the counterculture's answer to the pink ribbon which can feel commercial — not young or edgy or DIY….what’s a DIY woman to do? Drink some Rebel Beer and make necklaces from the caps. They’re eco-friendly, starkly elegant, and nearly impossible to ignore.

[Rebel beer bottletop necklaces make an emphatic statement]

Need Some? Knit Some!

[Sarahknits stylish & practical Knit Tit]

Sarahknits was inspired to craft an alternative to the expensive and uncomfortable silicone prosthesis after her grandmother had a mastectomy. The Knit Tit uses yarns that are comfortable against the skin, and has a pattern that gives a realistic impression under a bra — a regular bra. (The traditional prosthetic is heavy & oddly-balanced, so wearing one usually requires a special bra, which is quite expensive, and very often, not covered by insurance.)

Crocheted Awareness

[This crocheted boob comes with instructions for doing a breast self-exam]

Canada’s Shannon Gerard aka shannongerard has created the awesome Boobs And Dinks Early Detection Kits, which educate us on how to examine ourselves, and does so in a very charming and non-threatening manner. Even better, $5 of each sale goes to Cottage Dreams, a cancer patient program in Ontario, for residents of Ontario. Her accompanying illustrations are frame-worthy, and you never know…they might save some lives out there.

[One of Shannon’s stunning illustrations]

Warmth and Activism

[The array of scarves offered by Knitting for Knockers]

Giving back also is the mission of Knitting for Knockers, a collaborative that donates funds from the sale of knitted scarves to Breast Cancer Action, a non-profit unlike the others: they are strong advocates for finding the environmental and chemical causes of breast cancer, and mobilizing to bring those causes to light, and public outcry against their presence in our environment.

If you’re interested in being part of the knitting, start a convo with this seller, or send an email to knittingforknockers@earthlink.net.

Bringing crafts into the realm of cancer treatment challenges the fear, nausea, pain, boredom, and anxiety that are often a daily part of dealing with cancer. Injecting the humanizing, soothing element of craft into the antiseptic world of cancer clinics and hospital rooms did wonders for my spirits and still does, as it has done for many others.

Craft links us to artistic fulfillment, tactile enjoyment, and the satisfaction of transforming raw materials into tangible objects that please us on an aesthetic and emotional level. Breast cancer connects us to a world that consists largely of unfamiliar and unwelcoming sensations, and often a transformative experience that many women view with dread: the possibility of losing one or both breasts.

Putting craft to work to aid in the fight against breast cancer gives a new meaning to craft production: it elevates it to a source of power. It puts in your hands the ability to help fund and stock the rebellion. Be a cancer rebel.

Further Resources:
Knitting for Knockers

Etsy Pets: Snuggly Sweaters

2007-09-24T06:24:00Z

My sister and her husband are tried and true dog lovers. It makes the gift giving season that much easier on me, because I always know that I can find the most unique and adorable functional gifts for the little weiners on Etsy!

I got the two sweaters above last season from Kathy507.etsy.com, who seems to have been so popular that she is currently sold out! But don't worry if you like what you see...I'm sure you can find the perfect sweater or accessory for your little furry friend as the weather seems to be getting chillier and chillier! Simply type what you're looking for (example: dog sweater) into the search window and you be torn apart by all the adorable choices!

Chrissy and Kobe, affectionately referred to as "Spaz" and "Moosey," also love their Etsy bandanas! There's usually a fresh design in the Etsy merch shop and several other hot new bandana designs all over the site!

I know for sure these two trouble makers will be sporting Etsy finds all season long!

Etsy Youth Sellers: Not Back to School

2007-08-31T20:00:00Z

My name is Sarah Higgins and I am a thirteen year old homeschooler. I became interested in selling online about six months ago. My mom and I own a children’s book and curriculum store called Blue Thistle Books, where I work part-time with my family. I started saving the money I earned to start selling my own items.

I got started on Etsy a few months ago when I renewed my macramé skills. My sister taught me how to make necklaces and bracelets when I was eight. I also learned how to crochet a couple years ago, with help from my aunt.

Before opening my little store, I decided that I was going to sell my items online, but I had never heard of Etsy. So, I looked and looked and found a free place to host my site. I listed my items and made two sales, but after that nothing happened and my website was just sitting there. Finally, I started looking for another website and found Etsy!

Etsy is a great place to have a shop. People look at your items, you meet wonderful friends and you have fun! It took me a while to make my first sale, but when you have a shop, I learned, you have to be patient.

Some of my most popular products are my Pink Ice earrings, my striped earrings, my double blue sunshine earrings, and my crocheted scrunchies. I also just discovered how to make crocheted bags and I’m going to start listing them very soon!

On Etsy I learned about how to run a business and how to be patient. I also found my photography skills have improved and I am learning valuable skills in ecommerce. I never knew running an online shop would be so simple!