Today is going to be a very brief post unfortunately as I am feeling rather poorly :(
I somehow never manage to come away from the changing seasons without the sniffles, and this year is no different.
Well it is different in the fact that I don't have time to be sick and I will be heading right under the covers after this post to get myself back to normal for Friday!
As you may recall I am going to the Swiss Wulle Festival on Friday and will be joining all of the lovely people selling, teaching and organizing the event for the pre-festival party and then on to the festival itself on Saturday - so I need to be better otherwise it will be a real drag, sniffing and shivering!
I was hoping to have it finished before the festival but I am guessing that is no longer really a very realistic goal. If I feel better by tomorrow who knows, fingers crossed!
I am however really on the homestretch - I have started on the wave-edging which has the least stitches involved and grows really quickly :)
I do look forward to being able to wear this gorgeous shawl and hope to show you it in it's full glory either on Friday or next week.
Today I have the pleasure of introducing Meret of Butzeria.ch to you all :)
Welcome Meret :)
Please tell us all a little about yourself and explain to us what drew you to your craft.
I
am a girl from the country side, I grew up in Eglisau and my roots
are definitively in the country side traditions even I put all these "uncool" things away for many years. If you are young it’s not so
cool to say you have a national costume (Tracht) at home.
Luckily
for me, I learned most of the crafts in school, I never was the best
student in these lessons, but today I know it helped me to develop my
crafts. If I had not had this opportunity I wouldn’t have started
to knit again 12 years ago.
As soon as I started to knit again, I immediately became a hardcore knitter.
I started to
teach myself many different knitting technics like lace-knitting,
double knitting, patchwork knitting and also reading patterns in
English. Soon
after that I started to design my own patterns. Besides
my knitting I do many other crafts like papercutting and quilting
(mostly art quilts) but since I met Fides and Gabi and the amazing
wool of Siidegarte I am addicted to knitting again.
What does the Handmade Movement mean to you?
When
I started knitting 12 years ago, there was not really a Handmade
Movement and all my friends laughed at me when I unpacked my knitting
and started to work on my latest project when we met at a BBQ.
Sometimes it was hard to hear all the comments that were passed
around, but today knitting in public has become „normal“ which is
nice. I think we still have a lot of promo-work still to do but the pioneer work is done. The most important work we still have to do is
to show the world that Handmade is also Art and not just a hobby! We
put a lot of effort and time into improving our techniques and we
should learn to be proud of our efforts and to show them off as
unique pieces of art. I think we are on the best way forward and hope
that in the future these learned crafts will once again be seen as
the artwork which they really are.
Who or What are you inspired by and why?
I
get my inspiration mostly from our Swiss traditions.
I
am a national costume embroiderer (Trachtenstickerin) and a collector of antique craft books. My knitting slogan is „modern
knit designs inspired by tradition“. The
knitting designs I will be displaying for the first time at the SwissWulle Festival have been in my mind for years. Until now it hasn't
been the right time to exhibit them. They are inspired from old
embroidery patterns, mostly from the alpine region. I work them
out in double knitting, but you can work them into your projects
using other techniques as well.
How
I became inspired to to work out these designs?
I
love fairy-tales and mythical creatures and these patterns are full of
them and they look amazing. I find it so sad that the amazing work of
our ancestors is getting lost. So why not give them a new life?
What
is the one Craft tool you couldn't be without?
I have many
important tools which are necessary for each of my crafts but my most important craft tool would have to be my hands :o)
Are
their designers/artists who have inspired you along the way?
Yes,
of course. One is Paul Klee. I love his colour paintings, they look
like patchwork blankets to me. But mostly I love his way of arranging
the colour blocks/stripes together.
And
his coloursheme…
The other designer would be Kaffe Fassett. I think he is one of the most
popular artist/designers. Mostly inspired by his diversity he has
taught me that it is absolutely okay to feel at home in different
crafts, and I don’t have to limit myself to just one.
If
you were granted 3 wishes, what would you wish for to advance the
Handmade Movement?
I think I
would only use one wish: that the handmade movement gets the value of
Artwork – Craftsmanship back. Thank you so much for popping in for a visit Meret, it has been wonderful to have you here. Where can my Readers find you?
They can find me here:
Pssst: Do you want an insider tip? Meret will be launching a new Pattern collection at the festival which you will be able to purchase from her on the day! Doesn't that sound amazing? Be sure to visit her at Stand 19 and ask her to tell you all about "Tattoo-Knitting" :)
Meret has been wonderfully kind to offer one of you out there a copy of her "Chill-Out" Socks pattern (either in German or English).
Enter yourself into this Giveaway through the Rafflecopter below.
While you are here, don't forget to enter yourself into the other Giveaway taking place on the blog right now! You can win yourself a handmade yarn bowl! Enter HERE
This week's duo of interviews begins with Hanna from Ton-Topf.ch
Welcome Hanna :)
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Hi, my name is Hanna Frey. I am the manager of a company of six.....literally - I am a married mom of four teenagers and live in the beautiful canton of Aargau.
Since my childhood I have always appreciated working with my hands.
I have tried many things like knitting, crochet, weaving, spinning and tatting.
I also am a musician and a breeder of Greek Tortoises.
Pottery has always fascinated me and I had the opportunity once in Emmental to visit a potter at work. I knew then that at some point in my life I would give it a go!
Eight years ago I found an opportunity to visit a pottery course in my neighbour village. Since this time I have not let go of my love of clay and continue to visit various courses to enhance my design and heating techniques.
My equipment has also steadily grown over the years, from my own kiln to a electronic potter's wheel which I acquired this year.
"Practice makes Perfect" definitely also applies here, and the aching muscles that I had in my shoulders and arms in the beginning of my experiences have grown less with time :)
Many kilos of clay have since gone through my fingers and the finished products will be on display at this weekend's Swiss Wulle Festival
What are you especially proud of?
I am delighted and proud of the fact that I have been able to master the turning on the potters wheel.
Who do you gain inspiration from?
Through the various courses I have visited I have met many inspirational people who willingly have shared their knowledge with me helping me to move forward in my honing my own skills.
Whether it be the local potter from my village or the internationally renowned potter and course instructor - Stefan Jakob
He especially impressed me by the quiet manner in which he shared his "Secrets" with us.
His Motto is " People have always worked with clay, thus everything has already been done at least once! Don't think you are creating something brand new! And so follow my work, and copy it!
What does Handmade mean to you?
To make things by hand is in the nature of us humans. In modern day society we have lost touch with some of these skills.
We no longer need these skills for our livelihood and so they have been "degraded" as such to a form of art or a hobby.
I find making something with my hands completely relaxing and enriching.
I often withdraw myself into my studio where I can relax, reflect on difficult situations or just enjoy the process of creating something with my hands.
What other hobbies do you have?
I enjoy knitting immensely. I knit often, and enjoy simple things.
Lately though I have found myself ready to engage enthusiastically in more complicated patterns. When the finished project has impressed me then the joy has been that much greater!
For this reason I am excited to be at the Swiss Wulle Festival because I get to untie my passions of Pottery and Yarn :)
If you had three wishes what you wish for the handmade movement?
The openness that Stefan Jakob inspired me with - I wish this for all people who include themselves in the Handmade Movement of Switzerland.
Be yourself, develop your talents - don't stand still!
Rejoice in your success and rejoice over other's successes too!
Thank you so much for visiting Marigolds' Loft, Hanna.
Just under a week to go and then I will be able to meet with all the amazing people that are making the Swiss Wulle Festival the special event that it will be!
I have planned my trip and will be in Zug from Friday until Saturday evening, I would love to meet some of you there!
I don't know about you but that sounds absolutely amazing!
Dinner, wonderful company, prizes and a round of knitting?! -
You can't top that!
There are still a couple of spots open. I would love it if you managed to grab yourself one of those while you still can - it would be so great to get to know some of you over a great meal and perfect ambiance!
Welcome back to another month of linking fun! September is the here and this is the last week for you to link up your September Crafts! Get creative and share your craft tutorials with us all!
I would love to see them, so share them below :)
Feel free to link up all your crafts below.
I look forward to visiting all of the links I find below. If you want a button for your side bar - here you go:
See you again soon
x
P.S. Don't forget to enter yourself into this weeks amazing giveaway to win some gorgeous Handspun/Hand-dyed yarn!
I had the pleasure of interviewing her and this is what she had to say:
What
does the Handmade Movement mean to you?
As they say in their blog: it is a
Celebration of Craftsmanship. It is a connection with history, with
another area and knowledge... more importantly to keep it alive for
the future
Who
are you most inspired by and why? I
am inspired by a lot of things nature, a song, a book, a film,
feelings. The people that inspire me are people that make me feel
something: Dali, Frida Kahlo, Cole Porter, Jane Austen and many
more..
If
it resonates with me, sooner or later, something is going to happen..
a project, a colorway, a collaboration
What
is the one Craft tool you couldn't be without?
My stove... If I
did not have it, where would the magic happen? lol
Are
their designers/artists who have inspired you along the way? Of
course! My fiber heroes are Suzy Brown (Wool Wench), Ashley
Martineau. My dyeing hero is for sure Natalie Redding from Namaste
farms that is awesome!
I am inspired by people trying new things
and that does nt mean they do it the conventional way and I admire
that. Just do it!
What
are your inspirations right now? I
wanted for a long time to create knitting kits for my website and did
not know how or where.. This summer I decided to contact a lot
of designers that I like their work and collaborate together. The
first kit is available as a pre-order via my website, and then we
will have a KAL. And that will be the plan for all kits created:
Pre-orders, time for me to dye and then a huge KAL. Those taking part in the KAL and finishing before the date mentioned, will have the chance to win themselves the next kit in the colour of their choosing!
The first kit
is named Cyclades, like the islands in the Aegean sea, and it will be
available to purchase at the Swiss Wulle Festival on the 3-4 October
in Zug. If
you were granted 3 wishes, what would you wish for to advance the
Handmade Movement?
More
recognition, more craftsman to share their art, and that people would
feel the heart and soul of the makers in their pieces.
Thank you so much for visiting Marigolds' Loft Lise, where can my readers find you?
You can find me here:
Dear Readers,
Don't forget to enter yourselves into yesterday's amazing Giveaway to win some gorgeous Yarn!