Featured Artist-Antoinette from Eatyarncake

1. How do you create your sweet knits? My philosophy for eatyarncake is "inspired by stories, and created for characters". Almost always when I begin making something I have a specific person or archetype in my mind. I like the idea of making things for kings and queens, and slayers of dragons. I start out with gigantic ideas and whittle them down to a single garment. I begin a design with doodles and daydreams; generally thinking in shapes. Once I have a set shape in mind I select my yarn, which can be really tedious. Sometimes I hand dye things to get them exactly how I want, other times it's a matter of seeking out vintage yarn at antique stores or estate sales. Once I have my materials the creation is mostly trial and error. I make things I like for people I like or would like to meet; real or imagined!

2.What inspires you to creat? I'm inspired by life and the stories that flow through it. Nothing makes me want to get busy on a project more than hearing a great story.

3. If you could learn another craft, what would it be? If I could learn any craft I would love to carve. My grandfather was a master whittler, and some of the simple things he made out of things that would be considered trash are amazing. When I was young he made me a series of rings out of peach pits that are still some of the most unique rings I have.

4.What is your day job? My day job is supporting adults with intellectual disabilities at a KS day service provider. I absolutely love it. It has shown me how powerful color can be, especially in a comfortable textile. Work is full of nonstop inspiration.

5. Positive and Negative about your craft The great thing about knitting is that it can be done with just about anything. As long as I can find two pointy sticks (fingers have even worked in a pinch) and something that resembles yarn I can make something. Some of my best things have been made in a pinch with fun things like construction tape, rolled duct tape, or gauze. The huge drawback with knitting is that it is incredibly time consuming. This is something I've just started to realize as I have done more shows and talked to jewelers and painters that make a decent hourly wage. Many times I have made things that require over 80 hours of intense work with all sorts of counting and charting. There is no way I would be able to sell my things and be paid a fair hourly wage. Fortunately for me, I really enjoy those time intensive projects.

6. Are you originally from Kansas? Born and raised!

Link: http://www.etsy.com/shop/eatyarncake