FEATURED SELLER: KnitSpinFelt - Agnieszka Rupnik

Today's featured seller is Agnieszka, known as Jagienka (her name's medieval version). Jagienka runs KnitSpinFelt shop on Etsy.

Please tell us few words about yourself.

I was born and raised in a small(ish) city called Kędzierzyn-Koźle (half way between Opole and Gliwice). After graduating from a secondary school I moved to Wrocław to study at the Technical University and then I flew over the sea to the green isle of Ireland. Here, during long and sometimes frustrating PhD studies I discovered my passion for wool and the evolution of a fibre maniac began. Knitting kept me sane, or so I say ;) So far I tried knitting, making my own yarn, learned about different types of wool and plant fibres, tried dyeing and felting... who knows what will be next?

West coast of Ireland where I live is really picturesque, assuming that it’s not raining. And it rains a lot. A.LOT. The good thing about it is that with a climate like this woolly garments are worn all year round!

What inspires you to create your work? How did you get started?

I get inspired by lots of things. Colours and textures mainly... and of course by ... other people’s work! I love browsing the internet, ETSY, blogs, ravelry. They never failed to inspire me.

Oh my... how do I get started? I guess that really depends on what I feel inspired to do. If it’s knitting I may start with a yarn and try few stitch patterns to see which one complements the yarn best. Sometimes it’s the other way around, I start with a pattern and search for the perfect yarn. With felting it’s usually the colour combinations or textures that I want to achieve so I play with various types of fibre and colours, move them around until I am happy with the colour succession. 

Sometimes the design I have in my head does not turn out that great when I’m done with it, but I guess it’s a part of what we do. I like to experiment with new materials, shapes, textures, colours. Sometimes I hit the jackpot sometimes it’s the wall. Important thing is to learn from the imperfect projects, take what’s best and forget about the rest.

Only with yarn spinning, I simply grab a batt or roving and just go for it. The fibre “knows” what it wants to be, whether it’s a fine lace or funky art yarn. All I have to do, is to allow my hands to “listen” :)

Do you have a fulltime job? Any hobbies?

Well, running KnitSpinFelt is it, at the moment. I’m a cancer researcher by trade and love to work in the laboratory. At present I’m in between jobs and with the challenging job market here in Ireland, I decided to give my crafty side a chance and registered a small business. I guess my other full time job is job-hunting ;) but that one is nowhere as pleasing and rewarding as crafting!

As for my hobbies, the obvious – knitting and spinning, to which I dedicate the most of my time. Other than that I love a good movie, either to watch at home or in the cinema. I’m a big fan of fantasy books, but I’ll read pretty much everything. Needless to say I own MANY books. I even have a copy of “Little Prince” in Japanese, although this one I can not read.

What do you like about Etsy most?

Etsy is a fantastic place where people can buy genuine handmade items. The thing I value most is the the diversity of items offered and their general quality. Of course you’ll find there few rotting apples but in 99.99% everything that’s on offer is a real value for money. And there’s no better way to show off your handmade items than by creating Treasuries. I simply love this feature on etsy. Such an eye candy! If etsy treasuries don’t inspire you, I am not sure anything will.

How's your ordinary day looks like?

I’m not really sure what happens between the time I get up and have my first cup of coffee ;) I’m not a morning person (and having no “real” job with office hours does not help) but I try to get up relatively early. I usually check my email, etsy orders and blog while having breakfast. Then I may surf the net for another while, but around 11 o’clock I try to “get to work”. If I don’t do that I may spend the whole day in front of a computer and get nothing done! I usually take a few hours break when my other half comes from work to fix a dinner and drink another cup of coffee. I pick up the work again in the evening, usually while movie watching. I like to have my hands busy with knitting then, so this is when most of the lace items is made.

Before I go to bed, I may process new photos, list few items and generally repeat my morning internet routine. Having completed a full circle I fall asleep ;)

Thank you!