My first Featured Friend Friday! About once a month, I hope to feature a friend or fellow crafty blogger on What's Up, Cupcake? For my first feature, I thought it would be fitting to interview Jess, as she has encouraged and inspired me to do many of the crafts that I'm now doing. We met through the Scottish Highland dance community and discovered we both love crafty things. She got me into knitting, cross stitching, and even back into sewing again!
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Jess and I after a long, but successful day of competing! |
Enough with the love fest, read on and you can learn more about the awesome crafts Jess does.
Jess blogs at Just My Type. More details on how to see more of her crafty projects at the bottom of this interview.
What inspires you? That's kind of hard question to answer, in that there is no specific thing. I tend to have weird taste in a lot of things. I am constantly looking for either beauty, weirdness, or both in the world around me. (I think my flickr favorites is a good place to see that combination in action.) I get very inspired by being able to combine two (or more) of the things I love in life. For example:
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Highland dance and cross-stitch |
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Highland dance and knitting: (one day it'll be argyle knee socks. not quite yet!) |
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hardcore/punk music and tattoos: (not my photo!) |
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Irish-themed stuff and sewing |
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hardcore/punk and needlework |
I'm also endlessly inspired by music. I listen to mostly hardcore and punk. I see bands I love every chance I get and had my dreams come true in getting to see the Cro-Mags earlier this year. I spend a lot of my weekends seeing bands in bars, garages, VFW halls, and wherever else I can. This doesn't come out as directly in my crafting as a lot of other things do. I'm hoping to change that, with the help of my cross-stitch pattern designing skills.
What is your craft space like? Where do you craft?
Complete and total chaos! I live with my parents, and thus have just my bedroom in which to craft. Which works for me. If it's not close and accessible when inspiration hits, I'll lose momentum or interest and projects will languish. I'm the kind where if I can't see it, it doesn't exist.
Let us in on your stash... what’s coming, what’s in progress, what are you stumped with?
Well, I've got three sweaters worth of yarn that is practically begging to be knit with! As someone who really isn't a stasher, that's a LOT of yarn! I'm working on an Emelie with the Knit Picks Palette in Mustard. I've got the Palette in Grass (which I am in LOVE with) that didn't work out as a fingering weight Featherweigh Cardi. I've had the Patons Classic Wool in Mercury for a while, and can't totally decide on a pattern. I've also got a ball of Indisch Rot Wollemeise in my stash. It was a gift (!) and is so gorgeous. I'm thinking knee socks!
I'm totally and completely stumped by the mass of yellow lace weight I bought during summer. I LOVE it; don't get me wrong. Yellow is my favorite color.
What is your favorite craft to work with? (Sewing, knitting, etc)
I consider myself more of a knitter than anything. I do knit, crochet, sew, cross-stitch, embroider, blackwork, dye, and needle felt the odd thing. Lately embroidery in general, and cross-stitch especially, has been in the front of my mind. I seem to do better with crafts that are more linear (i.e. knitting and cross-stitch) than stuff that is more free-form (i.e. crochet and regular embroidery). After saying that, it probably comes as no surprise that I am someone who likes rules and guidelines and finds comfort in rituals.
What is your favorite thing that you’ve created so far?
Over-all, I think it's these blackwork samplers. I lost the fall/autumn pattern before I could do it, and kick myself all the time for that. I know I found them online somewhere. Ten years ago! (And seriously, if anyone knows where I could find the other one, I would be forever indebted.) I like summer the best.
I also really love working with shrinky dinks. I love the way some of the rings I've made have come out. They're really delicate, but so cute and fun to make.
Knitting wise, it's my Pomatomus socks.
For crochet, it's the pink octopus that I made for my dear friend Kelley. I was supposed to make 10 for an event, and I'm so glad I never had to.
And sewing wise, it's definitely gotta be my Aboyne skirt and plaid. As a seriously horrible sewer, I'm super proud of it. I think a Jig dress is next for me.
Where can I read more?