Yarn About Yarn
Christine, who lives in Ballina, which is on the far north coast of NSW, about an hour drive south of the Queensland border says ‘I must do some kind of knitting/crocheting everyday to maintain my sanity’—how many of us would agree with that? Her evenings are spent unwinding in her lounge enjoying her craft. Many will envy the fact that Christine has a room—her ‘creative space’ devoted to her craft books, yarn, sewing machine and other crafts that she enjoys.
When asked for how long she had been knitting she answered ‘I am 46 & my first knitting memory is making a beanie for my pop when I was in primary school. I can still see it, it was maroon & white stripes with an enormous pom pom on the top! Crocheting is something I taught myself when I needed to add an edging to things. I did a workshop in making freeform bags about 3 or 4 years ago, and sold about 15 bags after that. Last year I did a 3 day retreat in Montville (Qld) with Prudence Mapstone and now want to do more freeform garments.
‘Here Kitty, Kitty’
When I asked from where her inspiration comes she replied ‘The inspiration for the bags usually comes from a particular yarn. I will fall in love/lust with a yarn & then see what is in my stash to complement it. Or it may come from the handles or a button/bead etc that I want to use as an embellishment. “Here Kitty Kitty” was a bag that evolved from the leopard print handles.
It is a freeform knit & crochet ‘one of a kind’ handbag. It has been created over a soft mesh frame to retain the original purse shape. Its warm earthy tones are embellished with beads & buttons. Lined in a rich dark brown fabric.
Earth-Funky Feral Reversible Knit HatTwo beautiful hats for the price of one! The hat in the photo is one of the ‘funky feral range’ – for the stylish wildchild! Imagine the ingenuity of a hat that is fully reversible, one side funky, one side feral and in addition can accommodate a ponytail or dreadlocks through a clever opening at the top! Christine likes to use luxury yarns in her creations…..wool, silk, alpaca, cotton, kid and mohair abound…..
Christine’s advice to Etsy shop owners is to put the time in at Etsy. Join street teams & be visible in the team. She is also a member of EtsyFAST and she notices that the ones who are most vocal are the ones that others choose for a Treasury. Be active on the forums, heart other shops, list frequently. Look at other shops & pay attention to what makes them attractive (or not).
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:54 pm
oh what a great interview styled review! i loved reading it. thanks so much for sharing the love you have for knitting with it. your designs are stunning!
essie
March 23rd, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Great to have the insight into Christine’s work and read about her inspiration.
March 24th, 2008 at 12:43 am
This interview was easy to read and is a great reflection of Christine’s work. Keep up the good work.
March 24th, 2008 at 5:14 am
Thanks so much Nerys for a great review of my shop. I’m looking forward to the next one.
March 25th, 2008 at 1:29 am
What a lovely review of a beautiful range of products. I particularly like the pale blue wrap. Just gorgeous!
Congrats to the team behind this blog. It looks fantastic.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Hey, I love the wrap! What a great style, I’ve never seen anything like it before and the colour is great!
March 26th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Great review and great work! Christine I particularly love your mobius wrap – so clever!!!
This blog is fantastic. Thanks to all those who have worked hard on it.
March 26th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
I found this interview interesting and daunting at the same time. Christines’ work is gorgeous, artistic and unique and I applaud her Etsy work ethic. I am not nearly as committed to my little shop as I should be, obviously.
Note to self..must work harder!
April 4th, 2008 at 1:43 am
Well done Nerys on a very well written interview and Christine on your beautiful work. I really love the mobius wrap too…perhaps because I can feel the first touches of autumn in the air and it looks like just the thing!
April 4th, 2008 at 1:44 am
I enjoyed this interview, great writing Nerys and beautiful creations Christine. I love the mobius wrap too…the first touch of autumn in the air is making it look like just the thing!