1000 Markets: A Winter Outfit

DreamWoven     $290

Yesterday I wrote a post about winter wear on Etsy.  We've had a terrible cold spell here in Kentucky, so I picked woolen goodies that I could lust after.  There is nothing like wool to keep you warm when those temps hit rock bottom!  I have a store on Etsy and like to support the sellers there whenever possible.  I also have one on 1000 Markets and it didn't seem fair to do a post on Etsy without also doing on on 1000 Markets.  Actually, many of us sell in both places and several of the sellers shown have joined the fiber art/textiles network I started on Ning, The Fiber Focus Group.  Over time, those who are more active online and in social networks start bumping into each other, forming cyber friendships.

Now, to shop on 1000 Markets!  I am looking for an outfit that will keep me warm from head to toe.  Maybe it's a bit too fancy to sit at the computer as I am now, but this is the destination I have in mind.  A cold house with freezing floors.  The water pipes have burst and six inches of water have flooded the whole ground under the house.  Head to toe, I need warmth.

The place to start is the head.  Cover your head when you are cold!  And, why not do it with art for your head?  DreamWoven's hats have been a long time favorite of mine.  Someday I will own one.  "Simone", the hat above is the bestest hat in the whole wide world!  I love it, love it, love it!!!!!  All of the images are hyperlinked to the product in this post and you must click on DreamWoven's hat so that you can see it from all angles.  DreamWoven and I have been cyberfriends for quite awhile now.  We're both Rachels and we both enjoy the role of helping others find larger markets for their work.  She is on staff at 1000 Markets and has always been a great support, encouraging us all to move forward with our work. 

 

TickledPinkKnits    $98

DreamWoven's hat is open at the back, so I will need to keep my neck warm with this beautiful scarflette by Tickled Pink Knits.  The fibers are various soft wools, including alpaca, so it is sure to be luxurious!  I like the frilliness, harking back to Victorian wear mixed with enough ruggedness and texture to fit a Viking like me.

 

Coco and Juan   $45

Coco and Juan specialize in Plus Size wear which is perfect for me.  I like the lines in this top and think it will work just fine with what I've got so far.  Notice how the side panels of the blouse curve in, helping provide at least an illusion of a slender figure.  I know I need all the help I can get!  I would prefer a solid knit and it looks to me like Coco and Juan would probably work with you on your choice of fabric and color.

Modern Era Design makes these custom choices clear upfront.  The brown in these pants isn't going to really work well with what I have picked, but they have color swatches to pick from and there are several other choices that I could go with.  In fact, they will make it to your size, too.

 

Modern Era Design       $52

Comfort was what I was looking for, which I found, with the added benefit that the cotton jersey is organic.  Gotta support those green industries!

I'm thinking that those comfy pants might just not be warm enough, so I'm going to add these custom dyed leggings from Dye Diana Dye.  When I first saw her name, a long time ago now, I just thought it was the most clever play on words!  Her work is impeccable and she has many other dyed garments that are stunningly beautiful.   Keep dyeing, Diana, but live a long, long life!

 

Dye Diana Dye     $36

This photo is a little dark, but I loved these tabi socks by Twiddle Toes.  (Another great name!)  Tabi socks were originally used by the Japanese with their wooden kimono flip flops.  Now, we can also wear them and Twiddle Toes has them in a bunch of different colors!

 

twiddletoes    $32

The tabi socks will need some booties, so I picked a pair made by my friend Catherine at Bazaar Bayar, another of my cyber friends.  She has been knitting up a storm lately and you will have to go look at her other lacey slippers. I thought these slippers were very reasonably priced!

 

Bazaar Bayar   $20

Many of Catherine's knitting designs use complex color and texture patterns and some hearken to her second home, Turkey.  I decided that I really, really wanted one of her hand warmers, too.

 

Bazaar Bayar   $50

Those rusty colors are perfect for me.  I would like the thumb and finger area to be a little longer, down to the first knuckle.  Can you do that, Catherine?  My friend Diane made the one I have on now and the thumb area goes almost all the way to the thumbnail.  I really like that.  Catherine has several other pairs in her store.  Type away and keep your fingers warm!

I'm feeling like my top is not enough.  I shopped around and couldn't find a sweater or vest that I liked on 1,000 Markets.  I wanted something long and roomy.  If you are a knitter, know that there is very little competition with those products right now.  Might be a good niche for you!  But, I did find something else that I really liked:

Marge Rohrer Designs     $300

Isn't this a stunning piece?  Marge calls it a "fling" because you can fling one end over a shoulder.  She was inspired by the Middle Eastern marketplace and used a variety of threads, including bamboo (!!!!), to weave this piece.  Will it match my hat?  I've got a lot of different reds going on here, but I think it will all work.  I am warm and I am beautiful!  All because I shopped on 1000 Markets!  My total bill?  Only $923....  Interesting.  About the same I "spent" on Etsy.  (In my dreams!!!)

How does shopping here compare to Etsy?  Well, one thing is for sure, the search here works.  It is so easier to find things here because they are in defined categories.  The drop down menu is available on every page and is as smooth as butter.

How about the product selection?  I was disappointed to see that some categories were pretty sparse.  1000 Markets is a juried venue so each store has to be approved before it hits the marketplace.  That means that the approval process is much more laborious, but it eliminates all the junky stuff you might see elsewhere.  There is a lot of talent on 1000 Markets and I am sure that if the exact item cannot be found, someone would be willing to make it for you.

Have you visited 1000 Markets?  Shopped there?  I would love to hear of your experience, as a buyer, seller or voyeur....  Stay warm and dress well!

1000 Markets: A Winter Outfit

"Baa, baa, Etsy... Have you any wool?"

Sheep with Backup Singers, 10x10 matted fine art print

by Nature Mandela

"Yes, Sir! Yes, Sir! Three bags full!" Actually, Etsy wool suppliers have bags and bags of wonderful eye-candy, wool spun in all color palettes, textures, and blends catering to the knitter, felter, weaver, and wild fiber artist. For those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere, August reminds us that the warmth of Summer is coming to an end. We had sweltering summer days last week here in Kentucky with temperatures over 100 degrees. Today has been on the chilly side, reminding me of my stash of wool accessories made by my friend, Diane the Yin Yang Knitter. Soon it will be time to get out her fingerless gloves, hats, and neck warmers.

I am not a knitter, weaver, or spinner. But, I do come from farm stock and long for connections that bring me close to the earth. Last year at around Christmas time, I read a post on Etsy's forum that moved me almost to tears. I don't remember the member's name, but there was a wool supplier thanking everyone for their support. Etsy purchases of their wool had helped them save their farm. How often do we really think about the impact our purchases really have on the lives of the suppliers? Yes, the wool on Etsy is going to be more expensive than the finds you can get on eBay, but if objects did have spirits, you can bet that Etsy wool is happy wool.

There are scores of suppliers on Etsy, but I just picked a few examples to wet your whistle. I happen to migrate towards texture and color. You cannot ask for more texture than Yarnzombie's, also known as Gaslight Dyeworks, offerings:

ABALONE Handspun Supercoiled Yarn - 7.15 ounces
'Abalone' was spun from hand dyed combed roving
that includes wool, mohair, soy silk, and nylon sparkle.

Yarn Zombie's blog will dazzle you with more textured visuals, excellent narratives and stories told by this Ohio artist.

I found that many of these yarn people have a great sense of humor. Muriel of Willow Acre Fibers warns you not to eat her chocolate-covered cherry roving, unless you are a sheep!

CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRIES Handpainted Fine Merino Roving, 4.125 This roving, or combed top, will felt nicely and it's excellent for spinning. It's very fine 21 micron merino and spins like a dream.

She states in her profile: "I usually set up shop out under my huge willow tree, with some music, tables, roving, dyes, and my 1950's retro Nesco! Spinning under the willow is a little piece of surreal heaven as well. I hope all those lovely days somehow infuse into the fiber that wings its way to you!" Talk about happy yarn! Sounds like a dream to me...

Lisa Weisman of Sexy Sheep moved to North Carolina from New York. She's another one who chuckles as she names her wool. She likes to shred ugly sweaters and make gorgeous, chunky wool like this steel grey wad of glory:

Eno River: recycled sweater, marino, yak down, wensleydale sheep locks 104 yards/4.6 ounces, worsted to bulky weight

Lisa writes about her shredding compulsions, of life in North Carolina and shows some of her knitting in her Re-yarn blog. She has a wonderful writing style. Of a hat and booties she made for a friend's baby, she stated, "Knitting this made my ovaries hurt."

A couple of youngsters from Heidelberg, Germany call themselves Weird and Twisted. They spin, knit and crochet because they can't keep their hands still. Has any research ever been done on how crafting keeps people out of jail? Or, maybe from doing hard drugs? They share a blog in which they seem to be perfectly normal. And, look a sample of their weird and twisted beauty!

This lustrous Art Yarn has been hand spun from hand-dyed, poisonous green and yellow merino/silk blend and then plied with a metallic thread. There are lots of tiny green glass beads and many, many coils.

We are so fortunate to live in time when fiber materials have become so innovative and interesting. The above spinners have used alpaca, sheep's wool, silk and other materials to create their gorgeous textures. Now, bamboo has become a resource increasingly available in many forms to fiber artists. As a quilter, I am excited about the bamboo batting that is hitting the market. Traditions Fiber Arts of Linden, Texas has a nice selection of bamboo yarn and roving. They also carry spinning wheels and other accessories. Judy left her newspaper editor job to pursue a passion for all things fiber.

Y0139 hand dyed Hand spun Bamboo Yarn Silver Fern and Lemon Drops

Farmhouse Weavers has a set up similar to the post I mentioned where Etsy sales saved the farm. They have their own sheep and sell raw fleece, spun yarns and finished woven products.

Working the land and animal husbandry are labor intensive occupations with little social recognition. We've lost many of the mentors that would have been around a hundred years ago who knew the tricks of the trade. I think it is interesting how many of these sellers started out with a hobby like knitting or crocheting, got interested in the source, and worked backwards until they finally landed on a plot of land with feet firmly planted where many had walked so long ago. It takes guts and it also takes a supportive community of buyers to keep them in business.

We started with a sheep and ended with another, but I must say a bit more about the opening photo. Nature Mandela's photos caught my eye when I first started selling on Etsy. I have coveted those singing sheep for a long time now and someday hope to own a copy for myself. Allison Trentelman also makes stunning mandalas out of photoshopped nature images. All of these artists contribute towards careful preservation of our land, our heritage, our creativity and our relationship towards the animals and people around us. Visit their shops, support them with your purchases, and spread the word. (While you're at it, come visit my shop, too... heh, heh)

"Mandalas are a beautiful way to bring harmony to a room and the beauty of nature indoors. All of my mandala prints are created from digital photographs of the Maine natural landscape, and manipulated in Photoshop into the mandala shape. I have created over one thousand mandalas over the last several years. Each mandala is constructed with perfect geometry and presented with high quality archival materials." -Allison Trentelman

"Baa, baa, Etsy... Have you any wool?"