Cozy Corner Crochets: What are the names and addresses of your Pages, Blogs, and/or Shops
The Perfect Knot Crochet & More: I can be found here
Craftsy
Facebook Fan Page
CCC: What is your primary craft
TPK: Crochet & beading currently, but I’ve always been into crafting ever since I was a kid. I could just pick something up & start messing with it to create something else.
CCC: What materials do you work with
TPK: For my crochet I work with thread, yarn, alternative fibers, & pretty much anything I can bend around the hook to crochet with. For my beading, I use seed beads, bugle beads, gems & pretty much anything I can either string or sew together.
CCC: How did you get started and where do you see yourself headed
TPK: I started crocheting when I was a child. My grandmother taught me how when I was about six or seven years old. She taught me the basics, & then as I got older, I learned more on my own. When I was about 12 or so I, started coming up with my own designs & creating my own projects. I am however just recently starting to publish my own patterns & designs for others to enjoy.
I actually only started my business a little over a month ago, & it pretty much came about because a friend asked me to make her some bracelets. She paid me to do it & she really encouraged me to pursue it further & turn it into a small business. It’s been a good thing for me because it helps me fill some of my down time. I care for my mom who has Alzheimer’s 24/7, & she sleeps a lot but cannot be left alone no matter what. So I crochet or bead in the in-between times when she doesn’t need my assistance.
As for where I see it going, I’m not exactly sure, but I am leaving that up to God for Him to help direct me as to where to take it. I like having my business online because I can just work on what I can in my spare time, take a picture, & post the completed project or pattern for someone else to purchase when they want to. It’s nice this way for now because it allows me to do what I love but still be able to care for my family.
TPK: LOL THAT IS A LOADED QUESTION! I get them from lots of different places. Many are just from my own crazy, wild imagination. An image will just pop into my head sometimes & I’ll start working on something until I get the shape I want or until it works itself into a pattern of some sort. Others come from looking at pictures or from finding a pattern that could work for what I want & then modifying it. Others still come from my artistic background or from the inspiration I derive from nature & God’s creations. If people could live in my brain for one day, it might actually scare them because it goes in so many different directions! LOL
CCC: What fuels your passion
TPK: My love of creating & accomplishing something once I complete it. I’ve always been very creative & imaginative, & we never had a lot of extras, so I learned how to make or create the things I wanted or needed or thought were interesting. My grandparents both taught me how to use ordinary things & turn them into something extraordinary, practical, or useful---or even better still---something Beautiful.
CCC: How much time each day do you spend on your craft
TPK: As much as I can. With my time constraints here, it really widely varies from day to day, but I do try to work on at least one thing every day.
CCC: What would you tell someone just starting out
TPK: Do what inspires you. Learn as much as you can about what it is you want to do & go for it from there!
If you plan to start it as a business, research your field/craft/market & know who your target audience is. Make a business plan, write it out & stick to it. Make strong connections with those in your field/industry who can both guide you & mentor you, as well as with those who can be a resource or referral source for you. Connect with those who are lovers or appreciators of what you do but cannot do what you do themselves. Network with the types of people who are positive, growing, & doing. Find those people from whom you both can benefit by knowing one another. Figure out who will be your target audience & who your buyers will be, then market yourself to them. Find a niche & be Uniquely you!
CCC: What gets in the way of you pursuing your dream
TPK: Nothing! If I want something badly enough, I figure out a way to accomplish it---come hell or high water. I’m determined & I always have been. Don’t let anything stand in your way! There is always a way around, over or through some obstacle that can get you to your dreams & your goals. You just have to be willing to find the path that takes you there. We’re all given the same 24 hours in a day, what you choose to do with them is up to you.
CCC: Who is someone you would like to have dinner with
TPK: My mom, before she had Alzheimer’s. I miss the way our relationship used to be & I wish I could make things better for her.
CCC: What do you do to relax and have fun
TPK: What a radical idea!? LOL I don’t get a lot of time to do either one really, but I guess I crochet or craft because it does relax me. Other than that, I guess I’d say I “try” to sleep to relax & for fun. I used to go out hiking & take my camera with me to photograph the things I saw or I loved.
CCC: Do you have a favorite crafter that inspires you
TPK: Wow! So many that I can’t even go into it! I love a lot of different people’s styles & crafts, & I learned a long time ago to derive inspiration from the people & the things around me. I have tons of links on my computer to other sites/blogs of those I admire or I find as a constant source of inspiration.
I think I admire a certain person for their creativity & style as well as their willingness to be able to teach & show others what they do to help them learn.
CCC: What did you do “in your other life”
TPK: LOL It’s funny you say it that way, because I often refer to it now as “my other life” or when I "had a life”.
I was & still am a Professional Photographer. I’m just not able to currently operate that business because of the responsibilities I have taken on in caring for my mother & my family. I had my own professional studio, & I was a wedding, children’s fantasy portraits & family photographer back in Charlotte, NC. I’m not sure if I will ever have another studio again, but I do hope that someday I might be able to incorporate more of my photography back into my life at some point. I’ll leave it up to God though & allow Him to direct me one way or the other.
CCC: Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself
TPK: Well, that all depends on what you want to know.
- I am 35 years old; I live in the most extreme northern mountains in northern California about an hour south of the Oregon border with my husband & my parents so I can care for my mother who is 60 years old & has stage 7 Alzheimer’s.
- I am & will always be an artist & creator of some kind or another.
- I’m silly, funny, goofy & eternally trying to be a perfectionist (but failing miserably at it), stay-positive-as-best-I-can type of person who loves God, my family & my friends.
- I’m what many people refer to as a WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) type of person.
- I’m real & I hurt & bleed just like anyone else does but I don’t dwell on that. I pick myself up & carry on with the rest of my life
- I try to count my blessings rather than dwell on my problems.
- And I live life the way I think it should be lived---on my own terms & according to what God says is right.
- I’m approachable & kind.
- You can ask me anything you want (within reason, of course LOL) and I will give an honest answer. If I don’t know the answer, I will try to help you find it. You may not always like the answer I give you, but it will be an honest one.
All photos courtesy The Perfect Knot
