Friday Feature: KNITTY KNITTY BANG BANG

 

happy friday peeps.  THANK GOODNESS too huh.  are you feeling the RUSH.  the PUSH.  the MADNESS.  enough of the drama, i KNOW.

here's a fun feature to lighten your heart.  especially if you have a soft spot for your favorite furry family member.  and who doesn't!

i found my next feature at the recent holiday handmade event by fancy tiger and the denver handmade alliance.  what a great 'handmade' community we live in.  did i tell you that we were #3, 4 and 5 in line to get a goody bag.  only the first 50 people in line were guaranteed a goody bag. thanks for braving the FRIGID temps with me!

knitty knitty bang bang - scarves for pets!  who knew.  i can totally see my sweet 'girl' in one of these.  not sure about the unruly boy of course.  he's a show-off as it is already - tee, hee.

 

introducing:  michelle  reilly

you can find her etsy store here:  knitty knitty bang bang

and take a peek at a few of her creations:

 

 

and you all know how much i love great packaging:

 

cheers to michelle for making goodies to take care of our furry ones too!

you can see more of her client's here:

flickr photo album

a few questions i asked of michelle:

1.  Scarves for pets!  What gave you the idea?

Pets have always been important members of my family. It seemed while there was a lot of things you could get your dog, other animals were out of luck. I was specifically looking for a way to make a cute but not too constricting item that would stay on a kitty (I have two) so I came up with the kitty scarf pattern. The result was so cute I decided to sell them on my etsy store.

2.  Easiest to work with, dogs or cats?

Well while dogs are used to wearing the scarves and are better behaved, there actually have been a few kitties who simply LOVE to wear their scarves and provided me with the funniest photos. Cats seem to like to strike GQ poses and must watch a lot of ANTM because they are good at smiling with their eyes like Tyra suggests.

3.  What is your most favorite design you have made?

I made a scarf for a small dog named Daisy and knitted a little attached daisy to it as a special surprise. Her owner loved it! Other than that, I have also knitted a few Dr. Who Scarves as gifts that I am truly proud of...they take about 40-50hrs to compete and are 14 feet long!

4.  What kind of yarns do you use?

I use mostly wool/cotton sport weight blends as these scarves need to hold up to a little rambunctiousness, but have upon request of clients made scarves with both non-animal fibers as well as cashmere blends.

5.  I have a very fussy puppy (almost 2 years old), he would look awesome in a scarf but I'm afraid he would destroy a lovely scarf.  What is your advice?

Is your puppy used to wearing a collar? If so, he probably won't notice the scarf as they are lightweight. I'd also suggest putting it on him for the first time for maybe around 10 mins, praising him on how dapper he looks and giving him a treat, then taking it off. Try it a few times while increasing the length of time he wears it and I bet he'll bring the scarf to you after a while! :)

6.  If you could knit a scarf for a famous animal, who would it be?

Sockington the tweeting cat, definitely (and maybe his sockelganger and roommate Penny too).
 

7.  How long have you been knitting?

I remember knitting a little with my Nonnie when I was around 5-7 yrs old but didn't pick it back up again until after she passed away, so I had to learn from scratch all over again about 3 years ago. I've been knitting ever since.

 
8.  What's your advice for beginners? 

Don't get frustrated if your first project doesn't come out exactly as the pattern states. Try to make small, easy to finish projects (like pet scarves) and also enlist the help of your local knitting or craft night group. I learn best while watching others and going to craft nights have been fantastically helpful when I've been stuck in a project. 

9.  What inspires you?

I like to make people smile. I also enjoy knitting things that are a little outrageous or left off center.

10.  If money were no object, what kind of yarn would you buy (since there are so many)?

I'm a HUGE fan of the Norwegian knitter, Pickles and her home-made yarn spun from organic wool. I'm looking to do an extreme knitting project soon and her Pickles fat-and-happy large unspun wool yarn would be perfect. Fancy Tiger also carries some of the softest, most luxurious Cascade Eco Alpaca yarn I have yet to find anywhere else. I would love to use it for a sweater or chunky cowl!

11.  Do you have a knitting circle, regulars you knit with?

Not exactly. While I have attended the Fancy Tiger craft night, I mostly enjoy knitting at my or a friend's house as we can pull out a bottle of wine and just kick back to some quality knit time. 

12.  Where locally do you get your yarns?

Fancy Tiger and The Lamb Shoppe. The people at both stores are so incredibly helpful if you need advice on what to get for a particular project. Don't be afraid to ask for help!

13.  How did you pick your company name?

I love puns, and old movies. I came up with this name in late 2006 when I was trying to think up what I'd go by should I do any guerilla knitting and knitty knitty bang bang just popped into my head.

14.  Where do you see yourself going with Knitty Knitty Bang Bang?

I'm looking forward to expanding my pet product offerings (look for more ugly sweater cat toys and a few other surprises very shortly) but might add a few human knitted items as well. I am also interested in creating more kits that teach people knitting techniques through quick, and easy projects.

thanks again michelle!

best wishes for a lovely weekend everyone.  i will be on hiatus for a few days.  OK, i'll be dog sitting in someone's home for 7 days - all the way to christmas eve - friends away on a family emergency.  will come visit the hubby during the day but aforementioned pet needs a sleeping partner at night.  she's a sweet pet.  will do my best to check in!  it will be nice to get away from bob who is about to CROAK - and if you don't know who bob is - that's okay too.

happy FRIDAY.  happy WEEKEND.

♥ rachel