Artisan Thursday

Atomic Cupcake Knits loves other artists! Every Thursday, we'll be featuring a different fabulous Artfire artisan, starting with the lovely (and local!) Artisan Goods by Gayle. Gayle's shop has a variety of unique jewelry, photography, and housewares that I just love (especially the Atomic Pillow!).

Catch n' Release

First off, tell us a little about you!

Have been artistic all of my life dabbling in a variety of mediums- painting, photography, jewelry making, art dolls, basic sewing/knitting, altered art (paper and wearable) and accent throw pillows are the ones I still do.

I am a baby boomer with one grown son who is also artistic. I live in the evergreen state of Washington with my toddler acting female dog,Riviera (Rivvie pup).

What prompted you to open your shop?

The sucky economy made my local photo biz nose-dive...after a good response to my jewelry/art postings at a social site from 2007 to now,I decided I needed a marketplace to sell from and to gain more exposure.

What makes your shop unique?

Artisan Goods by Gayle showcases a variety of artisan OOAK (one of a kind) items with different aesthetics- feminine, simple Zen style, poetic, cultural, nature inspired, classic, and edgy.

Atomic Barkcloth Accent Pillow

What influences your art?

My inspiration comes from all that I am exposed to be it cultures, nature, poetry, films, atmosphere, whimsy, color, heritage, shape and textures.

What is your favorite item in your shop?

My Native Dancer Art Doll...though it is an inanimate object,it conveys rhythm by design.

Twitter is being pushed as the next big marketing tool. Do you like it, do you use it, and has it helped your shop?

New to Twitter,but thus far like the ease of use. I read that to have an impact per driving traffic to your shop that you need a lot of followers, but also read that posting links too often can drive away followers who just want quick snippets about your daily life. My stats show currently that five URLS came from there, so I'm still feeling it out.

Tell us something about you that we wouldn't guess from your shop.

I enjoy and support artistic graffiti street culture art...very innovative offerings from unique plushies,clothing,jewelry,home decor and paintings...also, I love whimsical items. Adore the updated funny sock monkeys!
Are you a Mac or a PC?

PC with a lousy ISP connection...

Finally, what one thing have you learned since opening your shop that you'd like to share with others?

Learned that having an online shop requires far more promoting/marketing than having a local shop...that I need to learn about and then utilize as many promotional tools as possible since am competing with literally a gazillion other sellers...

OOAK Leather & Brass Peace Necklace

What a great shop- thanks for being on the blog, Gayle! Make sure to check out Artisan Goods by Gayle on Artfire!

Do you have an Artfire shop that you'd like me to feature, or one you'd like to read about? Is there something you're dying to know about the featured artisan that I neglected to ask? Email me at atomiccupcakeknits@gmail.com!

Wednesday Link Round-up

Techniques:

• The Continental knitting series, courtesy of the amazing TECHknitting- the diagrams here have been hugely helpful while working the Andean Chullo hat
• How to Knit Continental, on TheKnittingSite.com- great instructions, terrible pictures
• Continental Knit Stitch video demo- there are a bunch of how-to videos on YouTube; I liked this one (originally posted at knittinghelp.com, I believe) the most because it was clear, concise, and the camera angle focused on the knitting from the knitter's viewpoint
• Continental Purl Stitch video demo- same video series, a great explanation of the continental purl stitch, which can be, in a word, tricky

Patterns:

• Kable, from Berroco- possibly the cutest felted needle case I've ever seen, this went straight into my Ravelry queue
• Lydia Flowers, from knitonthenet- adorable ruffly flowers, suitable for adding on to everything
• St. Vincent Cloche by f.pea- simultaneously fulfilling my love for hats, and all things 1920s
• Chameleon, at hansigurumi's Etsy shop- I have to knit this right now, seriously
  

As Promised, Chihuahua Spam

The Joy of Swatching

I will be the first to admit that I rarely, if ever, swatch. It's, well... boring. Who wants to take the time knitting a swatch when you could be knitting an actual project? This project, though, has a swatch built right in as ear flaps! I thought that it was the perfect project... until I realized that it was actually designed to drive me absolutely batty.

The Andean Chullo Hat [ravelry link] has a lot of colorwork, and the easiest way to accomplish it is by holding one color in each handing. It is just a teensy bit difficult. Let me also mention that I only just learned to knit left-handed, um, two days ago. I'm maybe a little tense while I'm knitting it. Not so much as to be noticeable, of course, except for the fact that my swatch could probably be used to deflect spears on a battlefield, it's so tightly knit. The pattern calls for a U.S. size 3 needle; three swatches later, I've had to go up to a size 7. For you non-knitters, this is roughly the equivalent of switching from a Smart Car to a Chevy Suburban. I haven't actually finished an ear flap yet, but I'm holding out hope that this hat might be done in time for C to wear it, oh, say, next year, maybe.

Grace Lace Beret

Let me present my new favorite knit, the Grace Lace Beret [ravelry link]. It was a quick and easy knit, taking only two days from start to finish. The yarn is Rowan Felted Tweed in SH159, which gave the lace pattern tons of definition, although it doesn't have as much drape as some other examples of the pattern that I've seen. This pattern is also a great stash-buster; I didn't even use a complete ball of the Felted Tweed. In my opinion, this is a perfect spring hat- it's lacy and open, while the wool gives it just the right amount of warmth. I'm already thinking about knitting it again for myself!

Hello, and welcome to the new home of Atomic Cupcake Knits! If you’re looking for the perfect knitted accessory, make sure to check out my shop, Atomic Cupcake Knits, on Artfire. If you’re looking for interesting posts about knitting, chihuahuas, or running an on-line shop, you’ll have to come back later, because we’re under construction!