This is our second Wendy to be featured in The Loopy Limelight. (Our first Wendy was here.) Today’s Wendy has actually been one of our Loopy Photographers for over a year now. There is a lot of yarn coming and going from week to week, so WH (my Wonder Husband, who had been the sole Loopy photographer since Loopy began) trained Wendy on photoing yarn awhile back. WH still comes in in the evenings and on weekends and does all of the actual color-correcting and some of the photoing, but Wendy preps most of the yarn and takes photos during the week. She also has a very fun jewelry shop on etsy that I’m partial to, but I’ll get to that in a minute…
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Loopy: Hi Wendy! So, tell us the truth – how do you feel about photographing allll of that yarn every week? And what’s the hardest part of your job as one of the Loopy photographers?
Wendy: Hmmmm.  How do I feel?  Walking into the photo room is like walking into a rainbow.  Love it!  The hardest part?  Perfection.  Creating a technically accurate representation of yarn colors and textures is a challenge I enjoy each week.  It may be hard but it is rewarding when we succeed.

Loopy: It is pretty fun to come to work in a place that has so many colors – I agree! What made you interested in taking up photography in the first place?
Wendy: I was born with a camera in my hand!  My mother instilled a love of all things Created and taught me well how to live with a camera in your pocket to capture the moments in life worth remembering.

Loopy: Do you have a favorite thing/place that you like to photograph?
Wendy: Three favorite topics… I live in St. Louis and Forest Park (downtown STL) is the largest park in the U.S., even larger than Central Park in NYC.  It was host to the World’s Fair in 1904 and still has much of the old world architecture in its buildings and bridges.  It is an architectural delight to photograph there. I also love to shoot at the beach, and the expressive, character-filled faces of older folks.

Loopy: And now you have a beautiful jewelry line and you get to practice photoing that.  How did you start into jewelry?
Wendy: Thank you for the compliment!  I started creating jewelry with a dear friend 8 years ago when we got into ‘remaking’ old jewelry and turning it into something chic and wearable.  Grandma’s vintage jewelry was really fun to remake.  It’s all about reclaiming beauty!

Loopy: I think that’s recycling at its best. Where do you get your ideas for your designs?
Wendy: People.  Places.  Nature. The world around us is filled with interesting designs, shadows, colors, faces, and textures.  It’s a never-ending source of inspiration!  So many rocks… so little time!

Loopy: You know, knitters feel that way about yarn and patterns, too. Do you have an area set up as a jewelry workshop?
Wendy: I do.  We’ve converted a small guest bedroom (8×11’) into a creative room and photo lab.  ‘Less is more’ for us.  Three of us can squeeze into the room at once.  We sit around a small round picnic table.  It’s great for face time with the kids and lends itself to swapping ideas and sharing stories.

Loopy: Speaking of your kids, tell us about the ‘Jitterbug Jewels’ part of your jewelry line.
Wendy: Jitterbug has been a way to involve our teenagers in the creative process.  It’s a line of jewelry created ‘by kids… for kids’.  They work alongside me creating jewelry for younger children while honing their technical skills.

Loopy: What a fun way to get them involved! Tell us about your family.
Wendy: We are ‘beach dweller wanna-be’s’ landlocked in America’s heartland.  We love the Midwest but the beach has stolen our hearts.  We have three teenagers ages 14, 16 and 19…  One attends college in California and the other two go to the same high school where my husband teaches Geometry.

Loopy: Do you have other hobbies that you like to do?
Wendy: Photography and Jewelry are both hobbies that have turned into businesses.  Beyond them I enjoy the creativity of landscaping design (code for ‘digging in the dirt’) and interior organization/decorating.  My passion finds it’s fulfillment when we (the whole family) help a neighbor reclaim their overgrown landscaping or lending a hand to a friend whose home needs a facelift through painting, sewing curtains or repurposing furniture.  Reclaiming Beauty… it’s our family’s way of life.

Loopy: That certainly sounds like a nice way to help your friends and neighbors. Back to the yarn- is it even possible that you would handle all of that gorgeous stuff all week long and not be a knitter?
Wendy: Yep.  It’s possible… maybe because I still share something in common with knitters.  We both take raw materials and create something unique, lovely and wearable that is intended to adorn and enhance the natural beauty of the wearer.

Loopy: Well that’s true.  But we’d still like to see you knit someday… Anything else you’d like to add
Wendy: I’ve worked in retail in the past but never have I worked for a company with the honesty, integrity and dedication to customer service that I’ve seen at Loopy.   Sheri is committed to her employees as much as she is to her customers.  She has created a relaxed, productive work environment and trains us well… which translates into us being equipped to do our jobs well.  For me, I’ve learned so much about the technical side of photography… it has stretched my abilities (and patience with details) and broadened my horizons.  I aspire to be a master photographer one day like her husband, my trainer.

Loopy: Awww. What a nice thing to say!  We’re glad you’re here with us every week, too. And I know that all of the Loopy customers are glad that you are spending so much time photoing the new stuff, so that we can put more up every week!

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I’m still catching up on reading all of the wonderful RAK’s that you posted on Friday’s Blog. It’s so fun to get new ideas and be inspired.  The Random Number Generator picked Angie as last week’s winner.  Congratulations, Angie! To be entered again, just find another RAK to do this week and post on this coming Friday’s blog in the comments section. We’ll announce another winner from the new comments posted there, next Monday.  Keep up the great work.

Sheri newthingsgoinguponthewebsitesooooon(Edit: now up – 12 pages of new stuff!)

Today’s Limelight spotlights Anne Hanson, the designer of all of those beautiful Knitspot patterns that we never seem to get enough of! (And for those of you attending our next Spring Fling, Anne will be here teaching classes on lace knitting for us. I’m excited about that! Spring Fling signups will go up in December. I’ll keep you posted.)
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Loopy: Hi Anne!  Thanks for taking the time to be in our Limelight today. How long have you been a knitter and who taught you to knit?
Anne: I’ve been knitting for 44 years. My grandmother taught me when I was 4 years old; I had pestered her for some time before that to teach me. My biggest interest in learning was a fascination with stitch patterns; I wanted to make them all, but especially I wanted to make cables (ha, I learned right away that it would be a while before I could do that!). Stitch patterns have always been another language to me.

Loopy: Another knitter who learned from her grandmother – that’s wonderful. What is your favorite item to knit?
Anne: Hmm, that’s a tough one! There are so many things I love to knit, but I guess I’d have to say my favorite would be a sweater.

Loopy: From looking at your patterns, it does look like you have plenty of knitting interests.  Your patterns cover quite a wide variety of things. How did you go from knitting to designing?
Anne: I started at a pretty young age . . . I’ve always been a person who wanted to create something new to use knowledge I gained about structures and techniques. I also have a deep background in sewing and garment construction, so once I understood how garments went together, I wanted to create shapes of my own, both in sewing and knitting.  The big attraction with knitting is the ability to create a unique fabric as well. I put together my first sweater design as a teenager, and though my gauge was off and it ended up too big for me, it was a nice cabled design, which my brother wore for some time.

Loopy: Lucky for him! You are a prolific pattern writer, putting out new patterns every month.  Does your brain just overflow with ideas?
Anne: Hahaha, it does . . . I pretty much eat, sleep and breathe knitting ideas, which can be exhausting. Sometimes my head hurts from having too many! And often I get way ahead of myself. It’s a challenge to manage a runaway imagination. It helps to be a good editor; it’s important to know how to weed out, sort, and save some ideas for another time.

Loopy: How many new patterns a year do you shoot for?
Anne: I don’t really shoot for a specific number; my production is more organic than that. I just make things that I want to knit, using yarns that I’m eager to work with, and that I think other people will also be interested in, and if it seems right, I create a pattern for it. It really helps to have a blog to put things out there and test the responses; that can be a good guiding force, though of course, not the only one. Now that I’ve been marketing my designs for a few years, I plan around the seasons a little more in order to provide knitters with the patterns they are seeking for the moment. Right now I am working more on warm knits and accessories and a little less on lace scarves and shawls (and warm knits are what I want to be making now, too!). In january, I’ll start transitioning into spring knits and more lace.

Loopy: Do you always knit up the first version, or do you chart it and have test knitters do it up for you? And how do you find your test knitters?
Anne: Yes, I almost always knit the samples for my designs; there are just a couple that I haven’t knit myself. The sample is a good way for me to work out precisely what the design should be and to find any tricky areas that will need specific pattern directions. I can create a much better pattern by knitting the sample. In a few cases, where the sample is a variation of another design (such as the stole version of a triangle shawl) I can let go of knitting the sample myself, but I only do it when time is too short to accomplish it. Plus, sample knitting is so bloggable . . . hee-hee! Once I get my sample to the point where all the components are working, I write up the pattern and send it to some test knitters. I like to have at least two test knitters of differing skill level on every project, if possible. I find it incredibly valuable to have feedback from knitters of all levels. Test knitters come to me mostly from my readership; usually someone will write to tell me that they are interested in doing it and we will work on a small project together to see if they like the process enough to continue. I try to keep it fun!  It’s important to have test knitters who work fairly quickly, are diligent about feedback, and stay on task within the process. I have been very, very lucky to work with a rotating group of knitters who are talented, patient, enthusiastic, and offer constructive support. Being more of an “outlaw” myself, I am very grateful that others want to work with me this way; I consider it a gift and an honor to work with knitters who take on that role.

Loopy: And I can only imagine that they consider it an honor to work with you on your new designs. What is the most challenging thing that you have knit to date?
Anne: Hmmm, that’s an interesting question, because my biggest challenges have always been “firsts”. The first lace shawl I designed (the four seasons shawl; not a pattern I offer in my shop) was challenging because I did not foresee that I should have planned ahead more. I ended up juggling at every pattern transition to make what I HAD knit work with what I wanted to knit next; it ended up taking a year to complete because I had to stop and start so often. My first lace knitting surely must have been challenging, though I honestly don’t remember when I started working with lace patterns. Reading a pattern for the first time and trying to figure out what the heck they meant with their very abbreviated instructions was challenging for sure. Knitting with fine yarn for the first time was challenging and it took a long time for very fine yarn to grow on me. Right now I am trying to get myself psyched up to some day knit a stranded sweater of some kind with steeks. I’ve never done one because that kind of knitting is rather slow (and I like to be quick), and because I’m a lazy knitter and I keep looking at the task as if it will be a big pain in the neck. Yet, I have always yearned for a beautiful fair isle sweater and I’m not going to get one unless I knit it for myself. hahaha, so that’s my challenge right now, to discover the fun in a project like that. and it might take years . . . once I get past these types of initial challenges, I don’t find any particular kind of knitting all that difficult; when it comes down to it, knitting really is just knits and purls and yarnovers.

Loopy: Well your Four Seasons Shawl is just beautiful!  And with everything else that you do, I’m surprised it only took a year. Speaking of challenging, what do you think is your most challenging pattern for knitters?
Anne: The Bee Shawls and Morning Glory have more challenging stitches than some of the other shawls; Irtfa’a and Lacewing have more challenging construction, where the knitter has to keep different instructions for different sections in mind at the same time.

Loopy: I know that lace knitters really love your challenging designs, and the beautiful shawls that result from them. What is your favorite part of your job? And your not-so-favorite part?
Anne: I really love engineering a pattern; it’s a fascinating process to bring the work from an intuitive level (designing on the needles) to a practical level (a written pattern for what I did on the needles). I get a big thrill from putting stitches and construction on paper in a logical way so that others can create the same piece. And of course, I love knitting and handling all sorts of yarns . . who wouldn’t love that? My least favorite part of my job is compromising between actual knitting work and completing tasks related to running my company.  There are many many roles to play in running my own business, and too often I have to borrow from my knitting time to get everything done.

Loopy: I can relate to that!  The knitting part is definitely more fun than the nuts and bolts part of running a business. Does anyone else in your family knit?
Anne: My mom knows how to knit but she doesn’t any more. My sister knits quite a bit. David has progressed from not wanting to knit at all, to saying that he thinks he might want to learn some day (that has taken 12 years though, so we won’t hold our breaths for it . . .)

Loopy: Well “some day” is better than “not at all”, so you’re right, it’s progress. Are there other hobbies that you enjoy?
Anne: I love cycling, traveling, cooking, and working in my vegetable garden.

Loopy: And what would be your favorite way to spend a day off?
Anne: A nice long bike ride with David, followed by a good meal and a nap, then spend the rest of the day knitting.

Loopy: That sounds like a good plan! Anything else you’d like to add?
Anne: Thank you for having me as your guest! Answering these questions has been very thought-provoking and given me plenty to mull over.
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In The Loopy Ewe news, did you catch the re-stock over the weekend and the new stuff up today? Dream in Color Starry, Namaste Zuma Bag and Accessories, sKNITches Big Tryst, 3 AM Enchantments bags, more Trekking, past sock club and kit patterns, Hand Maiden Casbah, Prism’s Merino Mia, and more.

Today we have Dianne from Creatively Dyed in The Loopy Limelight. You have so loved her unique and beautiful Luxury Sock yarn and Seacell Roving and I know you’ll also snap up the new line that she is sending soon! (Her dye techinque on this new line involves using 15 colors per skein.  The results are stunning. We hope to have that in just after Thanksgiving!)

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Loopy: Hi Dianne!  Thanks for being in the Limelight today. Let’s start at the beginning – you’re from Trinidad – how did you end up living here in the States?
Dianne: I came to America at the age of 13 because my mother wanted a better life for her children than my country had to offer.

Loopy: We’re glad that your family found their way over here. Are there things you miss from your country? And things you love about living here?
Dianne: I miss the food the most.  I didn’t learn to cook many of our traditional foods before I left Trinidad.  I have lots of cook books from my island but the ingredients are hard to find in my area.  I have to drive 3 hours to Atlanta, GA for my country’s food.  I love living in America because of the opportunities that I have here I didn’t have in Trinidad.  In my country most citizens do not go to college even though we have some of the best colleges in the world on the island.  When I came to America with one suit case containing all my worldly processions, I said to myself I’m going to take advantage of everything America has to offer.   I wanted to go to college and wear better shoes than the ones I left behind in Trinidad that I kept repairing with a safety pin so I could play with my many cousins who lived near by. I remember when I came to America and found out that television was on 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.  Television in Trinidad only came on from 9am-12pm then from 3pm-9pm when I left in 1988. Most of the programs on TV were Indian Movies, Sesame Street or political talk shows.  Not much to watch for a child my age so I spent most of my time reading books or playing with my cousins.  My first week in America I watched so much TV that my eyes hurt.

Loopy: That must’ve been an interesting indoctrination into things here in the States. Not necessarily a good one, but I’m sure you learned a lot. Now let’s get to the knitting – how long have you been a knitter and who taught you to knit?
Dianne: I’ve been a knitter since February 2004.  During my year in graduate school (Pursuing my master’s degree in Technology Management) I made a friend who happened to be a knitter.  I learned to crochet at the age of 10 from one of our neighbored ladies but I hadn’t crocheted in years.  My friend said you should learn to knit to relieve some of the stress. I called my local yarn shop to take the class but they didn’t teach beginner knitting classes.  I went to my local Michaels with another friend from work because I didn’t know what to expect.  I remember my friend learned the stitches right away but I struggled with every stitch.  I was determined not to let this set control my life. I went home and stayed up until 2 am knitting because there was no way she was going to be knitting without me.  It turned out that my friend learned the stitches but hated knitting, for me it opened a new world.

Loopy: What a great lesson in determination and perseverance. What is your favorite item to knit?
Dianne: My favorite thing to knit are socks. A couple of years ago I was bedridden with my 3rd sinus infection in a month.  I knit 2 pairs of socks in 3 days for a friend.  I don’t know what it is about knitting socks for me because I’ve had as much as 7 different socks on needles at one time.  I tend to have my socks in various stages and my favorite pattern of all the sock patterns I’ve ever seen is the 2X2 rib.  I can do that pattern in my sleep.

Loopy: You had a yarn shop for awhile.  How did you go from owning a shop to dyeing?
Dianne: I opened my yarn shop in 2004 and closed in 2007.  While I had my shop there were other shops in the area who would receive the same items that I did then put them on sale within 2 weeks of delivery.  I wanted something that was mine that no one else had or could acquire.  I begun dyeing my own yarn. I gave away yarn for months then after taking a sock dyeing class at John C Campbell Folk School I begun selling my hand dyes in my shop.  It was funny because I often thought that my finished product was horrible but one of my good friends would tell me to stop being so hard on myself.  She liked it and if others had any sense of style they would like it also.  She’s still one of good friends and customers.

Loopy: And now you have a whole bunch of people all over the country who love your yarn and collect your different colorways! How do you come up with your colorways, and do you have a favorite?
Dianne: I have to be honest, I have no clue.  When I first started dyeing yarn I tried doing repeat colors for my shop but I found that it was like pulling teeth for me to do repeats.  I’m blessed to have some of the best bases spun for me and I decided that I would become an artist whose paintings represent what’s in their heart.  I do my best work when I blast gospel music and let the skein talk to me.  I start with one color then stand back feeling the vibes coming from the skein and create my work of art.  I believe that dyeing unique color ways that I never write down is my favorite colorways.

Loopy: You do come up with some very unique color combinations, and they knit up just beautifully. (Here’s a sock that I knit up with one of your skeins of yarn, so that everyone can see how the colors mix together as you knit. Pattern: Cookie A’s Monkey Socks, done toe-up.) What is your favorite part of your job? And your not-so-favorite part?
Dianne: Favorite part of my job is that I get to take my daughter back and forth to school every day.  I know that some people may not think it’s part of my job but it is.  After years of working 8-5 and missing out on so many of her plays, school trips (I love to volunteer) or games, my job as an indie dyer helps me stay close to my only child.  I don’t get paid even 1/10 of what I received at my job as a computer programmer but the smile on her face is worth all the money in the world to me.  Another favorite part of my job is vending at a show in an area of the country that I’ve never been to before.  This year we went to CA (to name one state among so many); I’ve been there several times (in my previous life) but never got to see the redwoods or the Golden Gate Bridge. My not-so-favorite part is when I get soaking wet because I’ve dropped a bucket of water.  One time I dropped a bucket and I got wet from head to toe.  All I could do was laugh because if this is the worst part of my job, I’m blessed.

Loopy: Ha!  I think we need a photo of that sometime. Tell us about your family and how do they help in your business?
Dianne: My family is s huge part of my business and I couldn’t be where I am today without them.  My husband (aka superman aka Jerry) works a full time job yet he still has time to listen to my request for this or that for my business.  When I have shows that I know are to big for me to handle, he always finds time to come with us.  He built my racks, the stands for my pots, ran hot water to all my pots so I no longer had to use buckets; he’s currently running lines to all my pots for a new 300 lbs gas tank for my studio.  I’m blessed because all I have to do is give him a description of what I need and he does his best to create it for me.  Our daughter (aka princess aka Diana) is one of the hardest working teenagers that I know.  I pay her for her help (she doesn’t accept candy for payment like she did when she was younger) after school and for helping me out at shows during the summer.  She doesn’t have much time during the school year but she does her best to help me on the weekends.

Loopy: It’s so great to have a supportive family and I’m glad you share a photo of the three of you. What would be your favorite way to spend a day off?
Dianne: I haven’t had a day off since July 2007 when we took a family vacation to Cancun, Mexico.  While we were there I couldn’t dye but I did get to plan colors from the beautiful colors of Mexico.  We went on vacation this year about a 4 hour drive from our house and you guessed it.  We came home early because I wanted to dye.  In 2009 with my show schedule it doesn’t seem like I’ll have a day off until November.  I work so hard because our daughter will be leaving for college in less than 4 years.  I believe that the next generation should not have to use student loans like I did so I’m working hard so I can pay her tuition.

Loopy: College costs are skyrocketing these days. I know your daughter appreciates all of your hard work to help pay for that coming up in her life. (Or if she doesn’t appreciate it yet, she will someday!) Anything else you’d like to add?
Dianne: I am a workaholic who loves her job and wish I found this job earlier in life.  I have an AA in General Studies & a BS in Computer Science & one year left to finish my MA in Technology Management.  In my previous life I used to be a computer programmer. I am SO BLESSED.

Loopy: And we feel blessed to have you here at The Loopy Ewe.  Thanks, Dianne!
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So many fun things arriving at Loopy Central and we’re photoing as fast as we can! Wait until you see the cute sheep-y bags from 3AM Enchantments – too fun.  And we have that special new line from Dream in Color called Starry arriving this week in all colors, including their brand new semi-solids.  Can you guess why it’s called Starry? Here are the new colors you can look forward to (but these were dyed on the regular base – not Starry.  So the photo will give you no hints on Starry yet…) New color names (L-R): Cinnamon Girl, Gold Experience, Shiny Moss, Bermuda Teal, Romeo Blue, Purple Rain, Absolute Magenta, Tea Party, Grey Tabby, Black Pearl and Crying Dove.  We’ll be getting these new colors in Smooshy and Baby and Classy as soon as they’re available, but first we’ll have them in Starry.

Sheri backfromColoradonow,photosonWednesday!

Today we have the originator of those wonderful Beanie Baggies that you keep buying up. I met Janie at the TNNA Market this past summer and placed our first order with her then.  She is amazingly quick in getting orders out to me – I don’t know how she does it!  I know you’ll enjoy learning more about her in this Loopy Limelight.
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Loopy: Hi Janie – thanks for being with us today. We love having your wonderful bags here and have a hard time keeping them in stock.  How long have you been sewing and do you remember the first thing you made?
Janie: Thank you to all at the Loopy Ewe for allowing me to visit with you today and to all of the wonderful customers who have purchased Mind Your Knitting products.  I began sewing when I was a teenager.  It was most certainly out of necessity.  When I was in high school I was just over five feet tall and weighed about 90 pounds soaking wet.  Since that was back in the sixties and there was no such thing as petite sizing, I asked my mother to teach me to sew.  She was a wonderful seamstress and had an impeccable sense of style not to mention the patience of a saint.  I began making my own skirts at a time when mini-skirts were all the rage.  Since I was so short and fabric was so much less expensive I could make a skirt for about .25 cents.  My mother did the hard part since she knit me matching sweaters and made me the best dressed girl in school. It’s obvious she had a huge influence on all of my needlework skills by passing her knowledge onto me just as her mother, my grandmother had passed them onto her.  My grandmother lived with us and helped raise me.  One year as a surprise she took all of the scraps from my skirts and made a quilt.  My daughter who is now 32 still has it and every time I see it I have quite a walk down memory lane.

Loopy: A skirt for a quarter sounds like a really great deal – and then you got a sweater to match?  No wonder you like sewing. What made you get into making bags as a business?
Janie: I guess you could say necessity knocked on my door again.  I travel quite a bit and on one particular plane ride I think I must have rescued my ball of yarn at least 10 times from under the seat in front of me.  I was certainly not making any friends and out of my frustration I muttered something about the fact that someone needed to invent something to deal with this problem. In that moment a light bulb went off and I realized I didn’t need to sit back and wait for someone to invent something that I was dreaming of.  I guess it was the concept that if you can dream it you can do it.  So I went to work and after about two weeks and 50 attempts the Beanie Baggie was born.  Many days I would be so frustrated because I knew how I wanted the Beanie Baggie to look. Though it looks simple there are many steps involved.  It was a real lesson in perseverance.

Loopy: They really are colorful and you came up with a great design. What is a typical day like for you. Do you sew all day long?
Janie: I really don’t have a typical work day.  Some days I might work an hour or two and some days I might get up at 2:00 A.M. and work until 6 00 P.M.  Working at home takes a lot of discipline because in a sense you’re always at work and you have to learn to draw a line. It is just as easy to play hooky as it is to get so involved that you forget to quit at quitting time.  When I set up Mind Your Knitting the most important thing for me was to be able to work from anyplace at any time.  It has been my biggest accomplishment and has allowed me a great deal of freedom.

Loopy: It’s nice that your business is portable, since you travel a lot. Do you have a workshop where you create? What things are “must haves” for your sewing room?
Janie: My workroom is actually a converted bedroom with a huge walk in closet devoted entirely to my business.  I have found that I can have all the fancy tools and machines ever created but if I don’t have the space for spreading out while still keeping organized, I can’t think.  So I guess organization is my must have.  If you sew you probably don’t need as much space as I do but do try to carve out a little spot for yourself someplace in your home where you can keep everything at your fingertips.  A tip I learned from my brother who did a lot of woodworking was always make sure you clean up your workspace at the end of the day.  There is nothing worse than starting a new work day surrounded by chaos.

Loopy: You mentioned that you were knitting on a plane. How long have you been knitting and what do you like to make the most?
Janie: I have been knitting since I was a little girl, when both my grandmother and mother taught me.  I love to knit everything but especially enjoy knitting anything I can give as a gift.  I feel there is something special about giving a handmade gift to someone.  Any knitter knows how many emotions can go into a project beginning with picking out the yarn to finding a mistake halfway down to binding off that final stitch.  It’s like giving a piece of yourself to someone.

Loopy: And hopefully you’re giving it to someone who appreciates the work that you put into it! Do you find the time to knit as much as you’d like? Any tips on squeezing more knitting into a busy life?
Janie: No I don’t knit as much as I would like.  There just aren’t enough hours in the day.  I am sure most women can relate.  I always make sure I have one project that is quick, simple and portable.  It is surprising how easy it is to finish a small project even if you only have a have a few minutes here or there.  Of course scarves are a great item.   A change in yarn and needle size can give an entirely different look to the same pattern.  I also like to do baby items as they also work up so quickly.

Loopy: Hmmm.  Scarves.  I seem to know someone else who is making a lot of scarves, too. For any other artisans out there, do you have any advice in starting up a business and marketing yourself?
Janie: I used to own a retail store as well as work for Corporate America.  I always thought that starting a business such as Mind Your Knitting would be so much easier.  In some respects it is because there are no employees to deal with, you can work in your p.j.’s if you want and there is no boss telling you what to do.  But the hard part is that you become the employee as well as the boss.  You have to learn a new kind of discipline which isn’t always easy to develop at the beginning.  Your new business will seem like a shiny new toy.  But then the daily chores show up and you realize that owning your own business is so much more than selling your product. I believe one of the hardest things for very creative people to deal with is paper work.  But I can’t stress how important it is.  If you don ‘t have the knowledge of how to set up your books or protect yourself financially ask someone for help or do some research on the internet.  A good set of books and accurate records are not only a road map to your success, they can make you or break you in the end.

Loopy: You have brought a lot of good experience into setting up your own business – and you’ve shared great advice with us. Can you tell us about your family?
Janie: I have been married to the boy next door for 38 years and he has always been my biggest support.  Together we have two sons and a daughter, who are 32, 33 and 34.  That’s right, they are 13 months apart and at one time I had a newborn, one year old and two year old.  The day they could all put on their own coats was a great day.  Unfortunately they all live in different states but this does make any family time we get very precious.   Our daughter has given us two beautiful granddaughters who are 2 and 3.  They are such a joy and give so much comfort without even knowing it.

Loopy: No wonder you travel – you have family spread all over!  We appreciate you spending time with us today. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Janie: I feel extremely passionate about passing down the many wonderful handcrafts we have to our daughters and granddaughters.  I was given that gift by my mother and grandmother and it is a something that I will always cherish.

Loopy: And I’ll bet you will have some fun family knitting sessions as those granddaughters get older!
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Sheri whohasalreadyconfessedtohavingathingforbags
sonowonderIlikedJanie’sproductsrightoffthebat

Whew – what a day. We’re still knee deep in Sale Orders, but we’re working as fast as we can. That’s why the blog is going up a little later in the day (and why I haven’t gotten to emails yet today.) We’re hoping that all Sale Orders will be out tomorrow (you all really know how to shop a sale!) because of course there is other fun stuff happening this week – like Sock Club and Malabrigo Lace and Malabrigo Sock going up. So keep an eye on “What’s New” tomorrow or Wednesday.

Today in the Limelight we have Theresa in Italy (many of you know her from her Loopy Legend colorway and from reading her blog comments. I keep threatening to deliver her orders to her in person.  Wouldn’t that be fun?)
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Loopy: Hi Theresa! You’re one of our original Loopy Legends, so we’re glad to have you in the Limelight today. Your colorway is called “Theresa’s Italian Vineyards” in honor of you living in Italy. How long have you lived there and how did that come about?
Theresa: Hi Loopy, thank you for having me!  I’ve been living in Italy for nearly 18 years.  I met my husband while working at a university as a secretary for a research group of professors and grad students—he was one of the students—and he swept me off my feet and brought me here.  We live in northern Italy near the city of Piacenza (which you’ll find on the map about halfway between Milan and Parma) in an area of rolling hills that’s well-known in Italy for wine production, so the choice of name for the colorway was very appropriate!

Loopy: Do you get back to the US very often?  (Like maybe next spring for the Spring Fling??)
Theresa: Not as often as I’d like—we usually make it every other year for the Christmas holidays.  (I’d love to be there next spring for the Fling but I’m still working on that!)

Loopy: Let us know who needs convincing in your family, to make sure you can come next spring. Are there things you miss about living in the US?  And things you’d miss if you no longer lived in Italy?
Theresa: I miss my family and friends above all,  but I also miss minor things like window screens, air conditioning, carpeted floors, and tumble dryers.  In the beginning I was terribly homesick for American food like peanut butter (in the old days anyone who wanted to come over for a visit was asked to smuggle a jar of peanut butter in their luggage!) but now the big supermarkets carry that and lots more.  I’ve learned to be patient and wait for new ideas and products to “cross the pond.”  On the other hand, if I didn’t live in Italy, I definitely would miss the local wine and seasonal foods—right now it’s time for fresh porcini mushrooms, for example  I’d miss the Italian custom of bumping into an acquaintance in the main square and popping into the nearest bar for an espresso and a chat.  I’d miss the art that you find everywhere, even in the strangest places, like frescoed ceilings in the main post office in town.  And I’ve made friends here whom I’d miss very much.

Loopy: It’s interesting to hear about the differences – both positive and negative – in terms of what you miss. The espresso chat sounds like a great idea. And there is definitely no art in our post office. One thing that is the same here and there is knitting. How long have you been a knitter and who taught you to knit?
Theresa: When I was about 7 years old, my grandma sat me down and taught me.  She used to knit constantly–in front of the TV nearly every evening, as I recall—and she made me some beautiful sweaters when I was a little girl.  Years later I found out that it was my mom who had taught my grandma to knit, which was hard to believe because my mom isn’t particularly crafty (she’d much rather play with food—she’s a fantastic cook), but it definitely “took” with my grandma and me, and also with my youngest sister, who crochets.  There have been long stretches when I didn’t knit, but I always come back to it.  It’s just so much fun to play with yarn!

Loopy: We ought to take a poll sometime to see how many people learned to knit from their grandmothers. (Or grandfathers?) Do you have a favorite item to knit
Theresa: Right now I’d have to say socks—I love knitting socks—but I’ve got a few scarves on the needles, too.  Fingerless mitts are also fun.

Loopy: What is the most challenging thing that you have knit to date?
Theresa: A lace scarf in mohair yarn.  The pattern called for mohair, so I got mohair.  I’d never worked with mohair before AND it was my first lace project.  It wasn’t a difficult pattern, but I had trouble counting my stitches, I kept missing yarn overs—you name it, I did it.  That was the project that taught me the value of stitch markers!  I’ve done other projects since then that were technically more advanced, but this was the one that nearly did me in.

Loopy: Well thank goodness you didn’t give up completely, or we might never have met you. Tell us about your family – and are they supportive of your knitting hobby?
Theresa: My husband teaches engineering at a local university and our two sons both attend the “scientific” high school (over here you decide which subjects you want to study and choose your high school accordingly).  We live just outside a small village and share the house with a huge but very gentle dog.  All the guys are avid snorkelers and sailors when they can get near the water—the reason why we go to Sicily for summer vacations.  My older son also rides, and the younger one plays rugby. (As for my knitting hobby, I’d have to say the most supportive one is the dog.  Everyone else complains about yarn and projects all over the house!)

Loopy: It sounds like you have a very good dog and a very active family. Are there other hobbies that you enjoy?
Theresa: Reading, crocheting, and cooking (especially baking).

Loopy: What would be your favorite way to spend a day off?
Theresa: Since normally I’m home during the day, a day off for me would mean getting out of the house. I’d snag some prime knitting time in the morning after everyone else had left for school, then I’d meet some of my friends for a day trip to a big city (Milan or Parma) for lunch out, a visit to a museum, and maybe a little shopping along the way.  In the evening I’d rejoin my family and we’d go out to our favorite pizzeria.

Loopy: I’ll bet you have good pizza over there. Do you have a favorite recipe that you’d like to share with us?
Theresa: This is what my husband used to cook for me when we lived in the States—the most exotic ingredient is the pasta!   Yet it tastes very much like  what you’d be served if you were to order this dish in Italy.  Italian recipes are very flexible when it comes to measurements (some would say “vague”) so feel free to adjust according to taste and/or what you’ve got in the cupboard!

Pasta All Amatriciana, American Style

1 package bacon
olive oil (about 1/4 cup or as needed)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 large can tomatoes or tomato puree
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound Italian pasta (spaghetti is good but anything is fine)
grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese to serve
hot chili pepper flakes (optional)

1. Take the bacon out of the package and while it’s still in a “slab” cut it crosswise with a knife into roughly 1-inch squares.  (They will separate out in cooking.)  Put the slab into a large, deep frying pan (a wok is perfect) and cook over medium-high heat just until most of the fat has melted out.  Drain bacon pieces; reserve bacon fat for another use.

2. Wipe out the pan with paper towels, add the olive oil and onions, and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until onions are soft and golden.  Add the tomatoes (if they are whole, break them up a little bit) and the bacon pieces.  Cook until sauce has thickened (maybe half an hour—it should be gloppy, not runny).  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

3. Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente, drain, and mix with sauce.  Serve with grated cheese (and hot pepper flakes if desired).

Loopy: YUM!  I think there will be a lot of people making that recipe soon. It sounds delicious! Anything else you’d like to add?
Theresa: I’m so glad to have found The Loopy Ewe.  Besides being my favorite on-line yarn shop, it’s great fun and I’ve “met” some wonderful people—Sheri, her family, and the Elves are the best.  Someday I’ll see you all in person!

Loopy: We’re holding you to that!
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Sheri whoshouldn’thavetypedthisupatdinnertime
becausethatrecipeismakingmystomachgrowl

You all know Romi – the designer of all of those beautiful pins and yarnball earrings that we keep ordering here at The Loopy Ewe. She’s also the designer of the “Ice Queen” pattern over on Knitty.com, which uses a skein of KidSilk Haze, this gorgeous “Waves of Grain” pattern which would be beautiful in any laceweight yarn, and the “Muir Stole” out of a silk/mohair laceweight. Today, you get to meet her in the Limelight!
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Loopy: Hi Romi!  We’re really glad you could talk to us today.  Tell us, how long have you been a jewelry designer, and how did you learn to do this?
Romi: I have been a jewelry designer since about the age of 7. I began beading at an early age and I had my first commission at 9! When I was in college, I learned metal smithing and I was absolutely hooked. Jewelry is something that has fascinated me throughout my entire life.

Loopy: A very young entrepreneur! That’s really fun.  How do you come up with your ideas?
Romi: I daydream and doodle a *lot*. I also joke that my bicycle is my other office, because so many ideas pop into my head when I am riding! I look at everything, absorb it, it all rattles around in my head, and then something will come to me.

Loopy: So you exercise for inspiration? That might be a good motivator, actually. And you also knit, right?
Romi: Yes! I knit, spin and crochet, too.

Loopy: How long have you been doing those things?
Romi: I was born into a crocheting family and my mother taught me crochet when I was 6. I begged and begged her to teach me how to knit. She finally relented when I was 9! I have knit on and off since that time. I learned to knit lace about 4 years ago, which is why I began making shawl pins. My shawls weren’t getting worn because they kept falling off my shoulders. I learned to spin about 5 months ago or so after resisting for a long time! My enabler, er, I mean teacher, says I was a spinster in another life.

Loopy: I’m sure she’s using “spinster” in the nicest sense of the word… Now, you also design patterns. Have you done a lot of that? And do you have a favorite pattern that you’ve done up so far?
Romi: Well, I haven’t really done *that* much designing. Yet. I have never been able to keep myself from changing patterns though, so I figured it was about time to start designing my own! I first began experimenting with knitted wire and jewelry and had two patterns published in Knitty: Venezia napkin rings and Bauble. I also have a book coming out from Interweave in late November of 2008 on Knit and Crocheted Jewelry. It’s called “Elements of Style: Knit + Crochet Jewelry with Wire, Fiber, Felt + Beads.” Meanwhile I’ve been pursuing my love of lace knitting and have had three patterns in Knitty (Muir stole, Ice Queen cowl and Waves of Grain scarf) and there’s a pattern just out on the Elann.com site: Liquid Silver. There’s another pattern coming out in the Winter issue of Twist Collective, and I also have more patterns kicking around my head! A few are off the needles and just need to be put in a format that others can use as well. I think my favorite pattern so far is a pair of wire and rose quartz earrings from my new book. I wear them all the time.

Loopy: Romi. Seriously.  You call that “haven’t really done that much designing”??  We’d call that “pretty darned talented in the designing field”.  Your book looks like it will be fun!  What would be your favorite part of your job, and your not-so-favorite part?
Romi: My favorite part is definitely that I get to do all the things I love and I can call it work! It is too cool to go hang out with fellow fiber addicts, pet fibery and sparkly things and still not feel guilty. And I’ve met some really amazing people! My not so favorite? I think that would be that there are not enough hours in the day to do everything that I want to do!

Loopy: Wouldn’t it be nice if we could petition to have a 36 hour day on Saturdays and Sundays?  What a nice weekend that would make.  Do you have other hobbies, in addition to all of the fiber-things you like to do?
Romi: I like reading, cycling and hiking/walking.

Loopy: And how about your family – would you like to tell us about those near and dear to you?
Romi: I am married and have two young sons. It’s a seriously male-dominated household, but Diva, the house rabbit backs me up on the odd occasion when I need it.

Loopy: I’m sure there are days when you just need to get away from the guys, right? What would be your favorite way to spend a day off?
Romi: Day off? What’s that? Heh. My dream is to hike out into Muir Woods with my knitting and sit under a Bay Tree enjoying the smells and sights, relaxing, eating crackers and cheese with grapes, and doing a spot of knitting. No rushing.

Loopy: That sounds like a wonderful day. We think you ought to take a day just like that, very soon.  Thanks for being in the Limelight!
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Sheri whoisusingRomi’sbeautifulpinstogivewithhandknitscarvesasgiftsthisChristmas