3KCBWDAY4 - A Knitter/Crocheter for All Seasons!

THAT'S ME!  It helps to be such a knitter when you sell your work!  Your product has to offer something for everyone.  So I am constantly developing new ideas, new designs, new styles of old designs.....and on and on and on!  The creative process never stops and doesn't depend on weather or season.  To some degree it does depend on color predictions for upcoming season, so I always check with Pantone and check the design blogs to know what's 'in!"  But basically, I knit what I like AND what I think my client base will most appreciate.  And I always keep in mind that accessory selection, in terms of color and design,  is very personal, so it behooves any designer of women's handcrafted accessories to include a variety of choices.

 My customers are from all over the world!  My local gallery, Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts, is in a wonderful location in beautiful downtown Wilmington NC, in an historic building (The Cotton Exchange), near the river, the Convention Center, the Hilton, and lots of other desirable interest areas for touring and shopping.  So seasons are not necessarily a factor for my work.  WHEW!!!  Happy for that, because I like to work with all manner of fibers no matter the season.

And then there is Facebook and Ravelry and flickr (where I inventory ALL my work!) that have drawn in people from around the world.  I am happy to say that social media has been very good for my business.  This is a business of LOVE first and foremost - a love of knitting, crocheting, and felting!  But it IS a business too!

KCBWDAY3 - Jane Thornley, One of My Knitting Heroes!

  

I've written about Jane Thornley before!  In fact, we've written about each other.  Here is an excerpt from the first of two blog postings I wrote about her this past January:

"Do you ever wonder how/where/when you’ve met someone?  After a while those recollections fade (and really don’t matter!), but when I asked my guest blogger to recall, she had the same response.  We just don’t remember how we “met!”  However, I can say that Jane Thornley has been my inspiration, my muse, my fierce Scrabble (on FB) competitor, and my “kindred spirit” for a number of years.

I am honored and humbled by her coining the term “Kindred Spirits” about our work.  We do think we discovered one another (not sure who!) on Ravelry where she manages several knitting groups.  Amazingly, our work is quite similar in its love of nature and natural materials, use of color and texture, and combining fibers and stitches to produce wearable knitwear.  She is far more skilled, inventive and innovative, published, adventurous, and recognized than I, but surprisingly, we share many of the same attributes.  I can always find her up EARLY to play several of our on-going Scrabble games! ;-o)" 

The second part of the interview with Jane is here.  And now I should add novelist, travel writer, knitalong developer, retreat and workshop planner and expediter, jewelry designer, AND most recently, buyer of MY work - to her auspicious list of talents!  Well, actually we traded!  She "bought" one of my Upcycle Scarves and then sent me this most delightful package of goodies from her stash!

Wild Thing Upcycle Scarf

A lovely trade, I would say!

Goodies from Jane!

    

I believe this is the design by Jane that I first saw that so reminded me of my own line of Bernadetta scarves.  Hers is a free pattern, so you are most welcome to read it and try your hand at it.  I had already been producing my own Bernadettas for several years, so it was astounding to me that someone else in the world thought about color and texture in ways so similar to my own.  These first two photos are Jane's Free range scarves; the last photo is one of mine! 

And this is one of mine: 

 More of mine can be seen here.

PLEASE VISIT JANE'S WEBSITE!