Interview Series: Week 13 - handmadefuzzy

Edit: Wednesday 2:30pm ET:
Okay, so .. um… for those of you who tried to visit my blog any time today, you would have seen a blank post with a title.  I'm not sure what THAT was about… but it's back up now! I'm glad I have to go to the blog to get the link to post it to Facebook; otherwise I'd never have known it went up BLANK!  So, trying this again, with a post this time….
End Edit.

This week I bring you something warm and fuzzy from a fellow Zibbiter, handmadefuzzy.  This time instead of spouting about awesome products, I can actually say a little something about handmadefuzzy!  If I recall, this Zibbiter was the first I met on the forums, and someone who has been following my blog for some time.  When I saw the name in the forums where I call for people to share their story, I was very excited.  Someone I'd met and talked to off an on for a little, and now I was about to get the story behind the fantastic crafts.  Then again, it probably also helps I think this was also the first person from Zibbet to put me on a friends-list!
So without further yapping on my part, I bring you handmadefuzzy of Zibbet.

Name: handmadefuzzy
Craft: mostly knitting
Favorite material (or medium, whatever you want to call it!): anything that comes in a skein, roll, ball or on a spool. I love working with different kinds of threads, yarns, strings, beads, buttons
Most Popular Seller (whether it be online or at shows): my most popular sellers are my mice and stethoscope covers

hand knitted stethoscope cozy with stars
Stethe..scope… sock? I.. I LOVE IT.
Never heard of it, didn't think it could be done, but I love it! I need to get one of these for my sister when she finishes her Medical Assistant degree!

What got you into your craft?

I have been crafting as long as I can remember. And my mom was a craft teacher in School. But also my Grandma had great influence on me with the crafting.

 

How did you learn your craft?

I still have my little booklet we made in School in second Grade, each page had a different stitch, explained and shown an a little piece of cloth. So my first adventures into the craft area happened in School.

 

Sergeant Mayhem hand knitted mouse
Okay, this little guy caught my eye and made me laugh.  The other mice are adorable, but.. this guy gives me the giggles :D

What about YOU? Who is the artist behind those wonderful items?

who is the person behind handmadefuzzy? wow that is not a easy question to answer. I mainly used my crafts as an outlet, sometimes to fight homesickness, sometimes to sooth me, sometimes just because I had an brilliant idea. I am a restless soul I always have to do something creative. Be it  rearranging furniture, painting some walls, building some outdoor things or knitting away on the sofa. I am a Mom to two very active and creative girls that always keep me on my toes. Always open to new adventures but also happy to enjoy a lazy afternoon on the couch with a good book or movie.

beige purple Newsboyscap two way
I don't know why, but I love newsboy caps, even though I can't wear them; they're so cute!

What is a typical "working" day for you? How does it usually start and end? How many hours do you spend crafting? How many hours do you spend on other things? What about distractions? I know we all have them! Do you usually accomplish all you wanted to?

hm... daily routine? well first and foremost comes my family. So after they all left the house I do a little yoga, get my breakfast cereal ready and a cup of tea, then get my PC running so I can catch up on all the new stuff that had happened over night in the www. I start with my shop emails, than FB and Google+. After that it depends, lately I have a lot of Occupational Therapies I have to go to, so they kind of disrupt my "normal" routine. If I have some items ready I hope for good weather to take pictures and if I have enough muse try to list them. By the time the kids come back from school I dismiss the PC so they will have my full attention. Mostly when everyone is in bed I do my second big round through the net, get my blog up to date etc. My crafting usually happens in between all those times. Yes I do get distracted too and it sometimes irritates me when I can't do my crafts specially when I have something really fun going on. But life happens and that is totally ok!

What happens when you Oops? Everyone gets one sometime or another! Do you get frustrated and destroy/start over, or do you go with the flow and see what comes out in the end?

Yes I have UFO (unfinished objects) laying around somewhere! I do get frustrated over some things, specially when it's a custom order and it doesn't want to work the way I had planned it. Then I just have to put it aside for a bit. It will hit me like a ton of bricks later, what I did wrong.  A lot of my projects though don't have a "real" in to detail plan, they happen. I let my material take the lead.

blond hand knitted guardian angel
Adorable little ornamental angel, perfect to hang anywhere you need a guardian to watch over you!

What is your design process like? How many tries does it take to be happy with the final product?

I have a final picture in mind, but often it gets reworked, redesigned. My designing happens along the way. Sometimes I am happy with the first result, sometimes it takes quite a few tries.

 

not just a little sock on the chain
I know several people who could use one of these! I know that I always lose my lip balm in my purse when I need it most!

What is your greatest roadblock, be it government regulation or that little frustrating thing that just likes to sneak up and stop you in your tracks? Broken needle? Jump ring jumping out of your pliers? Thread knots? Cats? Dogs? The family hedgehog rolled about in your yarn basket?

my greatest roadblock at the moment is a pronator tunnel syndrome. It is frustrating when you have an idea and you want to work on it but you can't because of pain. Other times it's not having certain material at home

 

All important pricing... Do you have a formula? Do you wing it? Do you feel your work justifies your prices?

yikes, the pricing issue... well I mostly wing it, how much would I be willing to pay for it.  I do a search on other handmade sites to see the price ranges there.

 
rainbow bracelet macrame
This bracelet would go with anything! Simple, fun, and very bright!

And of course, is there anything else you'd like to say to our "viewers at home"? 

I love buying handmade myself, like this I know what is in my product. If it is not listed I can always ask and pretty sure will get an answer. Also it is satisfying to know that I supported a human being and not a big company. Plus mostly you can be pretty sure about it that you get a one of a kind item, that no one else will have the exact same thing.

Absolutely phenominal stuff!  Such a wide selection; I couldn't even touch on some of the other wonderful things tucked away in your shop!  I have to say that I saw more variety there than I see in most shops from those who use yarns!  I also hear you, on a personal level, about wanting to work with pain.  One thing that stops me is carpel tunnel, though luckily mine is mild and as long as I don't irritate it, it stays away.  Working with your hands with any kind of condition that affects them is something frustrating for sure!  People laugh at ergonomic keyboards (Can't live without mine!), wrist braces and hand gloves for crafters, but they seldom realize that the love of the craft brings us through the pain, and looking at your shop truly shows your creative mind and talented hands!

Thank you for sharing your story, your work, and your awesome creativity!

Visit handmadefuzzy on Zibbet to see all of the wonderful things there – there is so much more that I didn't have room to show!