Wednesday, September 29, 2010

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! 

6 comments:

  1. You live in a beautiful area. And now I know why your things are so beautiful :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. Impressive story, interesting person, great interview! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. It was very interesting to read. And the baby-sheep is so cute!

    ReplyDelete
  4. uuaaaa.... that was fast! You left me no time to get mentally prepared for this exposure, Ana.
    Thanks for having me.

    Now, if anyone fancies a trip to Ireland, bed and breakfast at the KnitSpinFelt's HQ is waiting. I charge in yarn and crafting skills exchange ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very interesting interviev, thanks :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow, great Aga:D I'm starting to save money for a ticket to Annawoz team :D

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Last Month popular posts