Designer Profiles 2014

Hi there and Happy New Year to one and all.

Mug rug by Patchworkdelights with egg cosies by /HuggleKnits

Welcome to the monthly article highlighting some of the amazing designers at work here on the Etsy Ireland team.  Each month I hope to introduce you to one or more people at work in a particular field of crafting - maximum of 5 in each area.

Doggy soap from  Cloud9HandmadeSOAP

Over the last year we met some amazing crafters from many parts of the country, both north and south, and were shown some of their amazing creations.  

Doing a Downton from  QueenofCuffs

We also learned how they started on their crafting path and what inspired them.  

Warm and Wollie from  SelkieCrochet

Here is the Calendar of Monthly Designer topics for the coming year.

February   - Jewellery
March        - Toy-making and baby clothes
April           - Vintage
May            - Paper craft 
June          - Textiles incl Weaving and Spinning
July            - Woodwork and Rushwork
August       - Sewing incl Patchwork
September - Knitting and Crochet
October     - Other Crafts
November - Christmas Crafts
December -  To be decided

If you are involved in any of these crafting areas and would like to be included please contact me at my shop huggleknits.  I would also like to include anyone who makes or has supplies for these crafts to be included so do let me know what you have and how we can contact you.

This is now down to you - if I dont hear from you, you wont be included so do get in touch.   And remember there is a limit of 5 being showcased in each area so get your name in soon to avoid disappointment.  Lets show the world what great designers we have in the Etsy Ireland Team.

Cheers for now

Mo 
huggleknits

Designer of the Month - Selkie Crochet

Time is moving on here at Huggleknits - busy, busy, busy - needles and wool, needles and wool......

Its now October and time to introduce our Designer of the Month.  Please say hello to Rosemary.

Mo:
Hello Rosemary and welcome to the blog.  Thank you for agreeing to be my Designer of the Month.  Tell us a bit about yourself - what do you do?

Rosemary:
Hi Mo.  Thank you so much for having me here.  It am so delighted that you asked me. My name is Rosemary Hill, I live in Waterville, County Kerry. I love to crochet and one of my other hobbies is beach combing - I like to combine the two passions, and often bring my crochet to the beach with me and pass a couple of hours enjoying the peace and quiet.

One of my favourite places to work

Mo:
How did you get involved with your craft?

Rosemary:

I only learnt how to crochet about four years ago and after a few initial wobbles I kind of took to it like a duck to water and haven't looked back since.  My good friend Carrie (from CherryBlossomTattoo) encouraged me to open an Etsy shop and it really took off too! In the last year or so I've branched out and as well as my crochet accessories it now includes pretty beach stones in tiny crochet bags, and more recently 'treasures' such as pieces of sea glass (or mermaid's tears) and teeny tiny sea shells in little glass vials.

Mo:

Describe a typical day

Rosemary:

A typical day would be .... crochet crochet and more crochet! If the weather's suitable then I head to one of our local beaches with my bag, camera and whatever I'm working on at the time. I always try to remember my camera, as you never know what you'll find, and of course the scenery here is just out of this world. In the last few months I've had some greetings cards printed with my photos and have these for sale in my Etsy shop as well. From March til October you will find me working on the Valentia Island car ferry but we close down for the winter months and it's then that I fully concentrate on my crochet.

Crocodile Stitch Fingerless Mitts - my favourite stitch pattern

Mo:
You have developed your shop since you opened it from accessories to now beautiful cards, do you have any future ambitions or plans that we can look forward to?

Rosemary:

I was so thrilled to reach my goal of 400 sales on Etsy recently, I guess my next 'goal' is to make 500 sales there - though I don't tend to focus that much on goals; I like it when things just 'happen'. This year a local shop has started selling my items, which I'm very proud of, I'm still so flattered that they asked me - and it's been quite successful so far.

Mo:

Are there any other designers or bloggers that you follow that inspire you?

Rosemary:

My good friend Carrie has been my Etsy guru, here is her shop  cherryblossomtattoo  and she has a lovely sewing/crafty shop on Etsy too.

ChoColettes have the amazing chocolate shop in Cahirciveen and they sell some of my bits and pieces   ChoColettes

My very good friend Shirley has an Etsy shop too SASSISOCKS  and I love to see what she's making next -- she makes the best socks and I love her choice of colours/yarns.

Mo:

Do you have any advice for new crafters?

Rosemary:

My advice for new crafters would be just go for it! I would have never imagined that I would be selling on somewhere like Etsy and have had customers from all over the world but if you don't try then you never know what's possible. Don't be afraid to try on-line selling or craft fairs etc.; I've had great advice from the EtsyIreland team so would suggest that anyone who is thinking about setting up a shop on Etsy joins some of the great teams on there.

Mo:
Good advice.  Now where can we find you?

Rosemary:
My Etsy shop -  selkiecrochet
Facebook -  SelkiesCrochet and a new one for the beachcombing -  Kerrybeachcombing
Blog -  selkiecrochet.blogspot -- I really write it for myself so that I can kind of look back and see how I'm doing, but everyone is welcome to have a peek too!

Mo:
Well Rosemary, thats about it.  It has been so good to talk to you.  Thanks again for taking part and I wish you loads of success in the future - I am sure it wont be too long before you hit the 500 sales. 

Rosemary:
Thanks so much Mo.  I am so happy to have been chatting to you.  Big wave to you all for Kerry.

Well that is for October.  Dont forget to go and have a look at Rosemary's shops and share the love.  Best of luck to you all as you continue with the prep for the Christmas season coming down the road to us all.  May all the sales fairies be with you for a successful season ahead.

Bye for now
Mo
huggleknits  and  ansiopsbeag

Have a Handmade 7th Wedding Anniversary

Hi Anne-Marie here with the fourth and final instalment of the Wedding Anniversary series, this time focusing on the 7th year of marriage.

The traditional symbols for the 7th anniversary are wool and copper, two indiginous materials that have been used by Irish crafters for centuries.

Felted Wallet by Butterly Room Designs

I found loads of gorgeous and diverse wool items made by members of the Crafty Ireland Team

for her....

Victoriana Neckwarmer by Purls of Colour

...or for him

Unisex Scarf by Huggle Knits

Wool is said to symbolise warmth and comfort in the relationship. It also stands for durability; three qualities I'd certainly associate with woollen items handmade in a sheep-farming and yarn-spinning country like Ireland. However, in recent years, wool has shown its versatility, used to make exciting jewellery and accessories .

Modernist brooch by The Shiny Jane Company

Woolen Globe necklace by Fine Fibre

Wool Flower Necklace by Life is Serendipity

Crochet Bag by Selkie Crochet

If you'd prefer to make your own gift you'll find plenty of tempting wool and other supplies locally on Etsy. Yellow happens to be the colour associated with the 7th Anniversary so I found just the thing:

Silk and Merino Wool Blend from Woolly Gathering

Copper is also given to celebrate the 7th year of wedlock. This warm, reddish-brown metal has been utlised in Ireland since the early Bronze Age.

Copper and Silver Pendant by Stradbally Jewellery

Copper has long been used by healers to treat inflammatory conditions such as arthritis. Copper and to a lesser extent, brass, were introduced as 7th wedding anniversary gifts with the coming of the industrial age. The modern gift to mark the 7th year is a desktop set. This probably came about because desktop and inkpot sets originally featured copper or brass.

Onyx Earrings from my own shop, Handmade by Amo'r

The gemstone for the 7th year together is onyx, a sleek and timeless stone. Like most gems, onyx has many meanings. As well as a stone for healing, it is associated with protection, positivity, eloquence, and sharpened wits, if I dare say, qualities that wouldn't go astray in any relationship :-).

Happy Anniversary!


The rest of the series:
1st & 2nd Anniversary
3rd, 4th, 5th Anniversary
6th Anniversary

CRAFTY NEWS DESK.....

Greetings from the Crafty News Desk.
Sorry I am a bit late this week - came back late from my hols last night and I have spent the day catching up on sleep, emails and phonecalls.....

Thanks again for keeping in touch with what's happening out there.  Here is this week's update:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIR –

Sunday, 28th November

Grand Hotel,Wicklow Town                                                                        

6 ft Stands are priced at €70.

All sold on a first come first served basis and we aim to minimise direct competition by having a variety of different crafts on offer.

All profits in aid of the Glebe National School.

Contact Sandra Dunne 

sandra_dunne@hotmail.com

or 087 930 6912.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Elizabeth Longwill is looking for craftspeople for a NEW MARKET in Naas, Co Kildare.
Facebook > http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/The-Warehouse/148256251872019

It will be held in Unit D3 in the M7 business park on the 25th September. The business park is located just off the M7 beside Naas, Co.Kildare. It will be a family day out with facepainting, music and cupcakes.  It is hoped that it will become a monthly event and breathe some life into a large empty industrial unit.
Cost for the day is €30
Application forms from Elizabeth - use the following contact details.Email: elizabeth@chuffeymedia.ie
Mobile:+353 86 3846506
www.chuffeymedia.ie


Halloween craft and food fair
Lisdoo House, Dundalk - Sunday 31 October 11am - 5pm.

60 euro for a table and advertising for the event will include leafleting, newspaper adverts, radio coverage, PR in other local press and posters across the town and local villages.

The Lisdoo is a popular place for meals and we have a strong customer base in the area to draw on.
For more information please email Alexandra at faireire@gmail.com.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Thats about it for markets for the moment - thanks to all who got in touch.  I hope to have a more comprehensive listing for next week.

In the meantime if anyone living in Dublin is interested in learning to knit or crochet, at both beginner and improver level, I will be teaching in the Firhouse Community College over the autumn/winter months.  Details from https://vecweb.vecnet.ie/web_aeccodublin/WEBBOOK/webbookcourse.html?loccode=AL 

Cheers till next week
Mo
aka http://www.huggleknits.etsy.com/

Full Circle - Irish Traditional Crafts

Chapter 4 - Irish Lace and Crochet

Its only when you start looking for information that you realise how much you don't really know. I would have said that I was fairly ok at crochet and assumed that Irish lace would only require a small adjustment i.e. using finer thread and a smaller crochet hook...... how wrong I was. But I go too quickly.

When I left you in the last chapter I had mastered the art of aran knitting and was looking forward to making a family heirloom for my DH in the oncoming winter months. In the meantime I turned my eyes to crochet.

While knitting is constructed using a pair of knitting needles, crocheters use a smaller needle with a hook at the end. More general information on how to get started can be found on the Internet e.g. http://crochet.about.com/od/learnbasics/a/beginners.htm

Every known method of making lace by hand has been used at some time in Ireland from bobbin, needlepoint and hooked(crochet). The earliest of these was bone lace, also known as bobbin or pillow lace where a design was drawn on paper, pins were put into the design at various points and thread, wound on small bobbins (the earliest of these were made from bone), was twisted or plaited in different ways round the pins to make the design. I watched a lady do this in Brussels last year and I was mesmerised. It takes months of practice to master the skills needed so i did not attempt it for this report. You can see how its done by going to utube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL5EZqc6peY

Tambour Lace was introduced to Ireland in the 1820s by Rev Charles Walker when he came from England to settle in Limerick. He started a lace workshop with his wife and produced what we now know as Limerick Lace. It uses a chain stitch to embroider on net with a special hooked needle and derives its name form the round frame in which the work is held. A sample of this lace can be seen here: http://www.irishlacemuseum.com/Museum/Limerickpg.html

Carrickmacross lace uses another form of embroidery and can be made using applique and guipure. For applique fine net is tacked over a design drawn on paper and then a layer of muslin is placed on top. The design is sewn through both layers. The surplus muslin is then cut away and filling stitches are used to complete the design. For guipure the outline of the design is traced with threads on cambric and the surplus is cut away. A sample of this lace can be seen here: http://www.irishlacemuseum.com/Museum/Carrickmacrosspg.html

Irish crochet lace is probably the most recognisable. Honoria Nagle who founded the first Irish schools in Cork brought this lace making skill to the children in the late 1700s. It is made by using a hook and thread and in earlier times hooks were sometimes made by removing one side of the eye of an ordinary sewing needle and sticking the point in a cork.



I have had a go at making a lace doily (see below) and I can safely say it was a labour of love - slow but satisfying. I would hope at a later date to do a course in one of the other Irish lace making crafts, and that is definitely something I will look forward to.



There are some crocheters in the CraftyIrelandTeam, go check them out under "crochet".
Further Information: .http://www.museum.ie/en/collection/lace.aspx

Next month's report will be on Patchwork (and I haven't forgotten about the Cris I mentioned in last months report - I hope to have it with the weaving story in July - fingers crossed). Any patchwork people who would like to be listed/highlighted here just get touch by 20 June. Next report due on Thursday 24 June.

On a personal note I have my shop up and running again and am working on Organic Cotton Comfy Crochet hats.... check them out.. http://www.huggleknits.etsy.com/. I also have a supplies shop where you can get Knitting Needles/Notions/Nonsense.... check it out http://mosbitsnpieces.etsy.com/

That's it for now - as always I welcome any comments and suggestions. Thanks for reading.

Cheers
Mo

Exhibit with Craft Guerilla at Knitting and Stitching show in Dublin

An exciting opportunity has arisen for six individual designer makers to exhibit with Craft Guerrilla at the Knitting and Stitching Show in London, Harrogate and Dublin in 2010.

Six different designer makers will be selected to take part for each of the shows in London, Harrogate and Dublin, making eighteen places offered in total. Please be sure to indicate the nearest show to your hometown in your submission.

The Craft Guerrilla Manifesto

The Craft Guerrilla is a group set up to work with independent Crafts People, Artists and Designers Makers of quality hand made goods. The aim of The Craft Guerrilla is to join forces with other creative individuals and set up craft events in vacant or unused venues, associate with "friendly" businesses, provide a community to link and cross promote independent designer makers, sister armies in other cities, share web traffic, and provide helpful information to other designer maker groups as well as individual designer makers.

HOW TO APPLY

Read the submission criteria and information here.

If you would like to apply for this opportunity then please send up to five photos of your work by 11th March 2010 together with 200 words telling us why you should have a stall at the Knitting and Stitching Show, paying attention to the three criteria outlined in the submission criteria on their site (see the link above for this).

There will be interviews and requests for samples of work for those who are successful in the first round and a decision will be made by end May 2010.

Please send the photos as .jpg files no larger than 1MB each together with your 200 words, your contact details and the location of your nearest Knitting and Stitching Show (London, Harrogate or Dublin) to craftguerrilla@googlemail.com.

If you prefer, you can post your submission information to arrive no later than 11th March 2010 to:

Craft Guerrilla
c/o Lisa Margreet Payne
10 Winns Terrace
London
E17 5EJ
UK

PS. UPDATED TO ADD: Any craft is eligible for consideration - not just knitting and stitching - as long as creations are interesting, original, hand made and great quality then yes ... we'll consider them!