Fat and Crafty.com

Why I like Etsy?
I love the description in this article about Etsy as an online streetfair. They have so many different ways to browse that this really does apply.
 I can browse by color, by material, by location.
(By location!!! How Shop local is that!)

 I can even “pounce” seeing undiscovered items or  freshly sold items. I love the variety that i’m able to find, and yes custom ordering is a delight.
I’ve got an order placed with JaneBonBon for this dress  in this pattern in my size . In MY SIZE!!!! It’s incredibly liberating to have someone custom making a dress for you.
I’m in contact with another seller to see if she will have another one of these skirts available.
If I want it , I can ask for it. While it makes me sad that a number of the silkscreens are only available for small sizes, the ability to custom order other items makes up for it.

And it’s not just clothing. Its soap, and it’s jewelry and art and… Etsy has it all. 

Why I wouldn’t sell on Etsy.
If I did have something to sell, I don’t think Etsy would be my venue. First off there is so much there and so much of the same.  A search for sock monster gives you 248 results. A search for  sock creature gives you another 132. Felt fortune cookies?  38.  Sure some of these might be from the same sellers. But on the fortune cookies there were at least 13 sellers selling them.  I think you need a unique product and I think perhaps you need to have a small existing customer base to start with. My impression is that it would be hard to stand out amongst such a crowd. 

Even soap, which I consider my most sellable product. would put my items among 12,000 others for sale. Yeah, not so much.
And the copycats. The problem isnt just that people see what one person does and goes to copy it, it’s also  common inspiration . When you run in a crafty circle its easy to see something and go “Oh Cool I want to do that too” Sock creatures are a trend.  Soap Popsicles are a trend. Most anything you see Martha do, thats a trend. Duct tape wallets are a trend. What you see in craft magazine, thats a trend. And on and on and on.  I think its hard to say “I created this trend” particularly if you got the idea from somewhere else.

What I find weird on Etsy.
Selling food. I just can’t imagine buying Lemon bars, Brownies , Cookies, Cake,  or Pie .
This is all my own bias but I can’t imagine  paying $15 for 6  brownies.  (Sure they are huge, but really buying brownies online?)

Jams and Jellies sure look tasty,  but I guess I’d feel better if I knew these were made in a  clean kitchen (or if I knew the person making them)

What I’m dying to buy
A bag from Janine King
A leather journal from Artisian Graham
An engraved moleskin
A stationary set
Yarn from Midnight and LuLu
Soap from Mad City Sue
Tags and more from Elle’s Studio
Bath Scrubs from A Garden Bath

Yesterday I wandered over to Weaving Works on lunch to  see if I could get a new shuttle for my loom, and to get some thread for the cardweaving project.  The Cardweaving Book I have on loan from the University of Oregon came with a stack of cards to try out and I needed some thread to try it with. In the book they listed possible sources for materials  including, The Earth Guild. No wanting to mail order, I decided to stop by Weaving Works and see what they had. Now I go to Weaving Works fairly regularly but it never occured to me that it was more then just a “Yarn shop” Unlike NW   Handspun I’ve never seen more then a loom or two on display, and as I’m considering purchasing the schacht, it never occured to me that Weaving Works might offer classes in weaving and that they might even sell the rigid heddle loom I’m dreaming of.

I picked up a couple of ounces of perle cotton, and the shuttle that I was looking for, and in the end discovered that while they are a nice resource,  the prices are a little bit higher and the selection for  weaving isnt fantastic (or isnt well organized). I’m able to find what I’m looking for more easily online and I guess if I have to I’ll just pay for shipping.

Interested in what it looks like? Here is a You Tube Video on Cardweaving. I’m not sure I’ll put mine on a loom, or if I’ll just try to stand with it to start. Nifty stuff huh?

Seattle Tilth Restaurant
I was reminded of this story this morning at Bulldog after discussing with the barista  Tilth’s inclusion in the New York Times. The trivia question made you guess which restaruant it was. I was  surprised to find it was Tilth, though I’ve not been there yet. I’ll have to add this to my places to go.

Starbucks Training
So evidently I missed the memo. All Starbucks in the US were closed  for training last from 5:30 to 7:30 in an effort to retrain the baristas and help slumping sales. No Seriously.  I’m baffled by this I was under the impression that starbucks was using automated Verisimo espresso machines. Perhaps allowing their baristas to have a little more control with a real machine would assist  the sales slump? I’d also like to see a return of things like basic yogurt to the offerings.  There is so little of nutritional value in the pastry case  and sometimes a girl just wants a plain yogurt, not some parfait.  On the other hand I will be sad to see the sandwiches go. Their offerings sum up to be sugar, sugar , sugar , and more sugar.

Seriously? i think the closure was just a big marketing gimick to keep them in the news.

One of the biggest challenges i have with my new job is that there are only 5 of us. Of the 5 of us 1 is on a diet, 1 can’t eat dairy, sugar, red meat, nuts, and a whole host of other things. 1  is not into sweats and would prefer fresh bread instead. That leaves Miss Fahm.
It was Fahm’s birthday Sunday. In celebration of her greatness, and the fact that she likes sweets ,  I  asked what treat she might like .  “Angel food cake”  ok “Angel food cake with strawberries” hmm strawberries really aren’t in season, but sure  we can make that happen.

I was drawn to the idea of making Cooking Light’s Black and White Angel food cake . After all,  I’ve made it before  and know that it turns out pretty well . It doesnt get really chocolaty though and  thats a lot of cake to eat. So cupcakes became the answer. Again, cooking light to the rescue with Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes. I left out the lemon and went heavy on the vanilla.

To serve? I stabilized whipped cream by whipping it and adding dissolved  gelatin. This made a sort of homemade coolwhip that we scooped onto our cupcakes as we ate them, and topped with strawberries.
I think Fahm was delighted.

Next week’s challenge?  Kevin’s birthday. He can’t eat much of anything. It appears that  a vegetable  spread with hummus might be doable.

I work during the day, I work a very set 8 am to 5pm schedule, in a set location with no real room for deviancy. This means that

1. I can never get to special functions at my community college
2. Until they come to the University District, I can’t go to Skillet Street Food

While the former annoys me , the latter makes me cry with jealousy ever time Susan Dennis of LJ fame goes over there. Since we’re on midwinter break in the elementary schools I took two days off to herd the 6 year old. Today I herded her in the direction of skillet street food. We hopped the appropriate buses to get over there and in fact,our bus drove by the parking lot first, as we walked back, I saw signs of the delightfulness coming up ahead.

Can you see it? Almost there!

An airstream in a parking lot? Who would have thunk. Looks like we have the right place

Order placed! One Poutine and one Kobe beef burger. MMMMM

Poutine does not look pretty. It’s fries, with cheese and gravy The Kobe Beefburger and fries.
It’s not healthy but boy is it good.

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The burger was surprisingly rare. (in my book, rare is good.) Little fingers like fries

In the end it was upscale food out of an airstream. How cool is that? It doesnt match the elotes of chicago for authenticity, but I dont think it’s trying to be authentic.   I think its trying to be good food, in an uplifted style, in areas where good food is needed.

I’m hoping that they opt for a UW centric location.Perhaps in the University Heights parking lot?

I remember growing up that my stepfather would often say, “He who dies with the most toys wins” In this case he meant things like the snowmobiles, the 3 wheeler ATV we had, the canoe, as well as other recreational sports equipment. While it was fun to have all of those “toys” It was also pretty wasteful as they sat in the garage when not in use. Sometimes it was off season, but sometimes we were off playing with one , when the other sat in our garage languishing.

I see this happen with hobby equipment and art supplies too. For example, I’ve got a fairly well developed stamp kit. I have a very nice DC-210 Carl Cutter that sits unused most of the time. I have an embosser, a couple of gadgets for putting brackets in, and don’t get me started on stamps. I have a nice Ultimate Sweater Machine two in fact. I like using them, and think that they fun to play with.

I wish I didnt have to purchase and own everything that I want to play with. I wish that there was something like Etsy Labs or Open Door Studios that I could go to. I do have a fair amount of disposable income that I use for my crafting. But just because I can buy it doesnt mean I need to or doesnt mean that I’m the only one who can use it.

A great example is a sock knitting machine. Every time i see Angora Valley fibers at an event , they have a fantastic sock knitting machine with them. They also sell these preknit socks I so want to try out a sock machine but I’m not sure I need one of my very own. At $1,000 they are a pretty big investment.

Photo from Marc Lacoste via flickr

I want a crafting studio I want a space locally where you have room to sit and knit or crochet, an area to work on ceramics, big tables to cut out fabric, big sturdy surfaces for rubber stamping and scrap booking. A hooded kitchen area for soap making or candle making . I want a a TV with a DVD player and VCR for watching tutorials. I want an area to try my hand at ceramics , or paint. And a well lit area for photo taking, that sounds nice too.

I want Etsy Labs. But in Seattle

Seattle had Open Door Studios. We had My Craft Studio in Renton. I’d love to see this sort of craft co-op happen. It would never make money, in fact it would likely be a money sink for those involved. but its value would be in the space itself and the creativity that happens within. Pratt studio does have rental space, for specific crafts, but thats not really what I’m looking for. I want a more open area. I want a living room/kitchen/craft room x3.

If wishes were fishes….

So I came off of the Madrona Fiber Arts Winter Retreat all hot to trot about a loom. The question now is, what kind, what will I use it for, and when will I get it. 

When Will I get it?

I’m not in a rush. I figure I’ll wait a good 3-6 months before I make a purchase. i want to make sure I’m making the right decision and getting something I can use.

What kind to get?

Ashford makes what they call the knitters loom. From what research I’ve done i can see that it has  a wide variety in what gauge of fiber can be used.
 

I’m not sure of the bright blue handles on the side, but i do appreciate that they have a few books out for the loom itself.

The Schacht Flip is what drew me in and made me realize that maybe I could afford to get a loom. 
i like the natural wood grain look in the turns on the side, though I don’t think I could use quite the range of fibers with it. 
It’s pretty though.

What I love about these is the portability. I can put them in a bag and take them with me. I could take them to knitting nights, or to SCA events.  

While perusing the Schacht site, I’ll admit to being a little bit drawn in by the Wolf Pup loom.

Talk about accessible! Still under $1000. It’s not exactly portable though, and I’m not adding any hobbies that take up permanent floor space at home.   Between the Wolf pup and the table looms it has me wonder what this hobby could grow into. Mind you, I don’t have space for this size loom, but my friends at NW Handspun in Bellingham regularly offer a 2 day beginning weaving classes , using their looms. I might enjoy that for a get away weekend. 

Of course as i consider SCA weaving, I can’t help but turn my mind to  tapestry weaving.  Again Schacht  has the example.  

Neat huh?  I’d have to find period tapstry examples and try to work them out. I’m sure there there is already a bit of documentation out there that I can read into.

Next Steps?

• Take  a Weaving Class in Bellingham
• Look into Weavers Magazines
• Look into actual projects using the looms of my choice.
• Look into SCA Weavers
• Narrow choices on looms
• Try out looms.
• Buy a loom.

So what crafts do we do here at FatandCrafty.com? I mentioned that I want to get a new loom and it’s made me consider what crafts I do or have the equipment for.

At this time I

Knit,

Crochet,

Make Soap

Make Candles

Rubber Stamp

At this time I have the equipment for , but don’t engage in

Machine knitting. (Two bond knitting machines)

Machine sewing  (I’m scheduled for 2 classes in the next 2 months)

Inkle Weaving

Scrapbooking

Perhaps I should consolidate before I add another craft. I’ve also considered learning to spin, but i think weaving is more interesting.

Today Miss PixySticks and I went out to the Madrona Fiber Arts Winter Retreat to shop at the Market Place. Miss Phinnia and I had tried to register for classes but got caught in the registration system glitches and just gave up. Miss Phinnia wasnt well enough to join us, so Miss Pixysticks adn I had to file a full report.

Who was there? (The full list can be found here , these are the ones I noticed.)

Well having gone to last years Seattles Knitting and Fiber Arts Expo, more then a few faces were familiar. This included
Crown Mountain Farms (they were also at the Black Sheep Gathering last year)
Blue Moon Yarns
Butternut Woolens
Fiber Gallery (under the name Earth-Friendly Yarns)
Black Water Abbey Yarns
Hood Canal Yarns
Angora Valley Fibers My favorite sock yarn folks
The Artful Ewe
Acorn Street
Dizzy Ewe
Gita Maria
Just Our Yarn
Kakishibui
Philosopher’s Wool
NW Handspun - A favorite from the LYS tour last year
Village Yarn and Tea
Village Weaving and Spinning (another favortie from the Black Sheep Gathering last year.)
Tootsiep

Our approach

We each had our budget and discussed it before going in, We first marveled at the hotel the retreat was held at, it was something special. We wandered into registration where they pointed us upstairs to the market place. We first looped around the outside of the marketplace and then around the inside completely before we could make a purchase

We then took a break got something to drink took a breather outside and then went in for the purchases.
Here’s what I got and what broke my heart.

Fiber Gallery (under the name Earth-Friendly Yarns) was my first purchase. I picked up a skein of the Eco-wool for the Terra Bear pattern , thinking I still had it at home from last years Local Yarn Store Tour. When I realized they really were Fiber Gallery, I was a little disappointed. I live less then a mile from them and could have as easily made the purchase another time.

Black Water Abbey Yarns How I love these rough hewn wool yarns. They are nubby and thick and colorful and just beautiful. I bought a skein, and 2 patterns.One pattern for a purse that will be sent to me, and one for an elongated cable vest or cardigan. She’s got great customer service and she sends color cards to you. I recommend her highly. I was also tempted by the honeycomb vest pattern she had.

Hood Canal Yarns Leah and I had talked about also returning on Sunday and if we had I’d shoot right for this booth for the alpaca. 8 ounces for $23 some of the softest, natural colored alpaca . I think 2 skeins would have covered the vest I want to make for Aron . This was a local yarn for us, and it was fabulous. Like I said, I would have gone back and gotten it tomorrow if we were going. I will be emailing them to see if we can make a deal and I can end up with the yarn.

Angora Valley Fibers My favorite sock yarn folks . I love them so much and the fact that they’ve been a favorite for both last years show and the BSG,I opted not to buy their yarn this time. They are still a favorite though. And their sock machines. I’d still love to take one for a spin.

Acorn Street I need to make it into their store in Seattle. They have a kit I wanted For a super SEKRIT project.

Dizzy Ewe Felted flower broaches that were beautiful. She also had some fantastic rug hooking kits. Rug hooking will not be my next new hobby.

Gita Maria Beatuiful enamel pins, some fantastic kits. A little out of the price range for what I was buying today.

Just Our Yarn I’m glad i can’t knit lace yet Their work was beautiful and the kits were really reasonably priced

Kakishibui:
Things Hand dyed with persimmon juice in the traditional Japanese style. I meant to go back to get something for the resident Japanophile

NW Handspun - A favorite from the LYS tour last year. They had the Artfelt paper from Skaceal nifty stuff to play with. They also had looms. And after looking at the looms and talking to the gal, I’ve decided I want a loom. Not right away, but at some point in the next 6 months I’m going to get a loom. I want to do some research and schedule a weaving class up in Bellingham before i buy, but its my next big item.

Village Yarn and Tea A local favorite. This is where i finally made the connection between all the Kauni yarn I was seeing at the different vendors with the patterns they were being used for Somehow I missed the Ruths Kauni Cardigan Sweater craze. (While I think its neat, i wonder why you would want to knit the same thing everyone else is knitting. )

Village Weaving and Spinning (another favortie from the Black Sheep Gathering last year.) I meant to pick up one of their needle felting kits while i was there. Ahh well.

Tootsiep Had a fabulous simple scarf pattern. When we went back to get the yarn i felt so hounded by the woman manning the booth I decided to go elsewhere. I can get the yarn easily at Pacific Fabric.

Bottom Line
While it was fun, Miss Pixysticks and I agreed on a few things. One we will try harder to get into classes next year. If we can’t get into classes. we’ll just bite the bullet and split a room for the hell of it. The hotel was nice looking and the idea of being about hang out knitting and chatting for large amounts of time was appealing. Of course by then she may be spinning and i may be weaving, so who knows what we’ll have on our hands. We’d also like to see more new vendors. Seeing three yarn shops from within 10 miles of the house wasnt much of an inspiration.

Oh and Miss Phinnia ? It’s not the same without you.

As part of our recent move, we got to empty out our freezer and are now working on refilling it.      This means extra purchases of things like bags of frozen chicken breasts,   pork tenderloin and ground turkey. We’re refilling the pantry too , which includes the big bag of  cheerio’s knock offs that I get from Cash and Carry. Circus chow is a good way to describe it because its what keeps our circus on the move. Basic things that are easy to cook that we enjoy, the bare bones of my grocery list.   What do we eat regularly as part of circus chow?

-Honey Nut Cheerios (the fake kind)
-Milk 
-Yogurt
-Half and Half
-Cheese
-Tortillas
-Rice
-Chicken Breasts
-Ground Turkey
-Pork Tenderloins
-Bacon
-Baloney
-Broccoli
-Carrots
-Corn
-Peas and Carrots
-Soy Sauce

Most of those items end up in the cart each shopping trip, some last a couple of trips, others we are running out to get between shopping trips.
 Anyways, they say an army marches on its stomach, I say a circus dances on its stomach.