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Opening the Barn Door

The Etsy Blog 21 May 2012, 10:13 pm CEST

Photo by Linzee McCray

Rich Tyler was looking for a place where his kids could enjoy the out-of-doors when he heard about a nine-acre farmstead near Downey, Iowa. The property included some rundown outbuildings and an empty farmhouse that showed signs of vandalism. But it was the barn that caught his eye.

“I’ve always been interested in history and architecture and the barn was a mess, but I knew it was special,” he says. “I didn’t have carpentry skills and I didn’t know if there was grant support. I just knew this was a treasure.” A cautious man with no farm background, Tyler visited five times more before word of another interested party finally convinced him to buy. In the nearly 20 years since, the barn has proven to be a treasure many times over.

Built in 1883 by master builder Frank Longerbeam, Tyler calls the structure “an architectural wonder.”

Linzee McCray

The barn stairs.

“It’s one of a kind,” he says. “It’s made like a bird cage, with no central support.” Eight ribs, each composed of 18 laminated 1” by 6” boards, hold up the roof. Longerbeam, a self-taught carpenter, may have gotten the idea for the laminated beams from a nearby rectangular barn constructed in the 1870s. But the Secrest barn, named for its owner, prosperous farmer Joshua Secrest, upped the difficulty level— it’s got eight sides, rather than four. It was likely built by first constructing an arch with two beams on the ground, then raising it with ropes and pulleys; the subsequent six beams were then raised one at a time.

The barn was continually used from the time it was built into the 1960s. Its primary function was to store 200 tons of loose hay in its massive upper level. The hay was dropped through wooden chutes and then piled onto a cart. From there, the cart moved down a track and hay was pitchforked to the 32 horses and 16 cows waiting below.

Linzee McCray

The barn's cupola rises 75 feet above the ground. Windows provide light and fresh air that release heat in summer.

Linzee McCray

The barn had been empty for more than 25 years when Tyler took ownership, and restoring it required efforts both major and minor. Two of the biggest initial repairs were fixing its leaky roof and straightening the building, which leaned to the east. “I really didn’t know what I was doing, I didn’t have the tools or skills, so for complicated and dangerous things I hired contractors,” says Tyler. He paid them with grant support — thanks to his university job as a professor of otolaryngology, he is an experienced grant writer — but also found that many grants required matching funds. These have come largely from his pocket.

“It’s meant financial commitment from me, but it’s my hobby,” he says. “And one of the most rewarding things about the whole experience for me is that I’ve met so many people by sharing the barn.”

Linzee McCray

Guestbook and donation box at the entrance of Secret Barn.

Some of those are the volunteers who have helped with renovation. For years, in the warmer weather, he held monthly restoration days and people would stop by the farmstead to help. Tyler made lunch and worked alongside them — many have become close friends.

“Sometimes there would be just a couple of people and sometimes there were 30 or 40,” he says. “They’re usually people who care about the barn — they’re interested in history or farming or they’re a photographer or a painter and so there’s some motivation for being there. I’ve gotten to know lots of nice people with diverse interests and that’s been really helpful.” Tyler’s gotten both hands-on and grant support from Friends of Historic Preservation and the State Historical Society of Iowa.

Linzee McCray

Ping pong table and chairs await an event in the hay mow.

Volunteers needn’t be versed in farm history to be of use. For the past 15 years, members of Phi Kappa Nu fraternity from nearby Cornell College have made the Secrest Barn their personal cause. High school students participating in the Upward Bound program at the University of Iowa have scraped and painted, put up shelves, and repaired walls. “You get guys from New York City who’ve never seen a barn before, but they work hard,” says Tyler.

Rich Tyler

Linzee McCray

Old farm tools line the walls of the Secrest Barn.

The barn and its renovation have changed Tyler’s life. Once uncomfortable with heights, he’s learned to climb the suspended staircase to the cupola, 75 feet above the ground, in order to make repairs. He’s filled the interior with old farm equipment — feed sacks, barbed wire, wagons, and tack for horses — purchased from yard sales and donated by friends. Once, he found himself looking up the number for a raccoon exterminator. “I thought, ‘Never in my life did I think I’d be doing this,’” he says.

Though his skill set has grown, it’s the expansion of his social network that’s brought the most pleasure. He gives tours to schoolchildren and lets nonprofit organizations meet in the barn free-of-charge. He’s started renting the building for parties, barbecues, reunions, and other gatherings, using the income to maintain the building. Weddings, which used to happen two or three times each year at the Secrest barn, are increasing — 15 are scheduled for this year alone. A square dance in the barn has become a tradition at the otolaryngology department’s annual meeting. “Now when I travel around the world, giving talks about my research, the first question people ask isn’t about my work,” he says. “They want to know about the barn.

Rich Tyler

Rich Tyler and the barn.

“Being able to share the barn and see people appreciate it is really satisfying,” says Tyler. “We’re so busy with our day-to-day lives and if we don’t take time to think about things and to preserve them, they’ll be gone. The barn has taken me in directions I hadn’t planned on. But it’s certainly been worthwhile.”

A lifelong sewer/knitter and former weaver/spinner, Linzee Kull McCray, a.k.a. lkmccray, is a writer and editor living in Iowa. She feels fortunate to meet and write about people, from scientists to stitchers, who are passionate about their work. Her freelance writing appears in Quilts and More, Stitch, Fiberarts, American Patchwork and Quilting and more. For more textile musings, visit her blog.

It's Not What You Read; It's What You Ignore

Lifehacker: Top 21 May 2012, 10:00 pm CEST

Feeling overwhelmed by your inbox, your to-dos, your errands, your to-reads, and so on? Of course you are. We all are. Microsoft-ian and speaker Scott Hanselman delivers a practical and inspiring talk on digging yourself out of the guilt-ridden cycles of distraction and interruption, and it's full of productivity gems. More »

Spider lamp from FORSÅ

IKEA Hackers 21 May 2012, 9:19 pm CEST

Materials: 8 FORSÅ table lamp, 1 BLANDA BLANK Serving bowl d = 20 cm, 1 BLANDA BLANK Serving Bowl, d = 8 cm Description: This is not a usual home made Ikea hack. As a designer I wanted the product look professional, so I turned to locksmiths to put the parts together and have them painted. I bought 8 Ikea FORSÅ table lamp, and only used the arms and the heads. A custom-made cylinder is holding them and a Blanda Blank Serving Bowl (20 cm, painted black) is hiding the wires. A black hollow shaft is connecting the lamp to the ceiling, the cover at the end is also a Blanda Blank, but the smallest one.

See more of the Forsa Spiderlamp. ~ Petra Nikoletti, Budapest, Hungary

Math Monday: Grocery Geometry

MAKE 21 May 2012, 9:00 pm CEST

By Glen Whitney for the Museum of Mathematics

MoMath colleague Dave Masunaga and I were chewing on some of the tasty macadamia nuts, while chewing on some interesting problems that may show up in the Museum of Mathematics this December, when we realized that the pleasant and unusual geometry of the packaging of these nuts provided excellent fodder for some spur-of-the moment mathematical makery. A couple packs of binder clips and not too many minutes later led to the first of this week’s offerings, the Siernutski Tetrahedron:

If only Dave had been hungrier when shopping and bought another box, we could have extended this to order three. But the conveniently flexible nature of the packaging does lead to a number of other interesting, dynamic structures, such as this ring of Tumbling Nutrahedra, which rotates about itself in the manner of a smoke ring:

(You can build a paper model of this structure using this template.)

Inspired by these constructions, a quick trip proved that the grocery store is a fertile hunting ground for the raw material for momathematical creations. For example, some octahedral cookie packs lent themselves to this Truncookied Cube. Note that all three flavors meet at every triangular opening, providing a pleasingly uniform mathematicogustatory experience:

However, this construction seemed as though it might be a bit dry — a situation quickly rectified by the introduction of antipodal pairs of six different flavors of tea, to produce the TruncaTea-ed Biscubottihedron:

Enterprising readers are invited to send images of their own grocery geometry — we’d love to see what you’re up to.

More: See all of our Math Monday columns

Google Balloons, Dead Software, and Productive Tablets

Lifehacker: Top 21 May 2012, 9:00 pm CEST

This week on the podcast we're talking about mapping out your neighborhood with a Google weather balloon, saying goodbye to software we love, and learning about Google's new Knowledge Graph. Also, we're answering questions about batch audio conversions, making tablets productive, having a say in what search engines say about you. More »

Storyboard: Feminist

The Etsy Blog 21 May 2012, 8:11 pm CEST

Photo by hubbubbuckle

I love making lists before I write (and all the time, really) of evocative phrases, of places I’ve only seen in magazines, of things I’ll never pay full price for, and things that never go on sale. But I’m struggling now to make a list that I thought would be easy, a list of feminist things, and it’s a sort of relief that there are some categories that defy the exercise of list writing, that the stuff of feminism doesn’t fit neatly into et cetera or et al., a small victory for the ill-fitting and the out of character.

[Clockwise from top left: Lochness plankton original painting from ancientpocket; 1980s geometric candy mug from Kultur; Vintage tent dress from BILBOBABILO; Mini abstract cotton clutch from kindah; Geometric shapes skirt from twigandspokevintage; Furry legs button from ModernGirlBlitz; C.U.T.I.E. all girl rock ’n roll band figurines from nutmeg vintage.]

I mean, I think it’s maybe an unspoken marker of being a feminist — that you know even as you search for balance that you’re actually not “too” emotional nor “too” hardhearted, not “too” strong nor “too” sweet, not “too” ambitious, not “too” maternal, not “too” feminine and not not feminine enough — that you long to know what it might feel like to be unpresumed and not just more or less, that you long for murkiness.

[Clockwise from top left: 1980s plaid wrap coat from twigandspokevintage; Circle screenprint from sandrathomsen; Simple abstract print from littleprintpress; “I like girls” button from BonyPonyTrappings; Geometric linen Donald Brooks dress from GoodKarmaVintageCo; 1950s swim trunks from bohemiansway; Googly eye covered iPhone case from ClubhouseDrop; “Twin girl” kids cup from shinosworld.]

So I guess here are my questions. I’d love to unpack them with you, and I hope it gets really heated with positions deeply felt: What are feminist things, and what is feminist art? Not just that the things that declare their feminism loudly or the iconography of the feminist movement, but what makes these shoes feminist and those not? So what if they’re sensible?

[Clockwise from left: Totem racerback dress from iheartnorwegianwood; Zuni pettipoint ring from origin vintage; Zuni Native American Old Pawn mother of pearl and turquoise ring from HometownVintage; Galaxy hand-dyed scarf from hoakonhelga; Striped long-sleeve bodysuit from redleatheryellow; 1990s grunge heeled sneakers from 33vintage; Ceramic coffee cups (set of six) from viruset; Bakelite cuff bracelet from JorgeCaicedoMdeOca; Riot Grrrl Revival zine from ModernGirlBlitz.]

Or maybe that’s just it: that feminism has become something purer in its broadness, that refuses to be redirected into the shorthand of things, that insists the only way to assuage the small insults is to fight, hard, the really grievous assaults, the ones of body and work and unfettered freedom. But that seems to me to be, perhaps, the crisis in the word — the vast gap in polls between women who call themselves “feminist” and women who know the world is stacked against them and believe in gender equality — and maybe you should be able to feel like a feminist and not have to do anything other than live your life, though doing something is awesome too.

There’s this really famous feminist, one of the most famous, who rails against depression, who once said of the writer who has meant the most to many of us, “Ask her how come, if she spends all her time crying … she finds the energy to write so much?” And I think that might be the murkiest thing of all — whether you can be a feminist if you are sad and crippled with fear and struggle to get out of bed most mornings, if you have to deserve it, or if, I hope, it’s a vaunted term that supports you even when you’re not a badass.

More Posts From Su

Su Wu of I'm Revolting continues to compile a list of the things, places and misinterpreted philosophies that somehow manage to coalesce into a well-lived life. These narrative-driven collections will find you stealing out of your alternate personas' closets.

Your Comments

MAKE 21 May 2012, 8:00 pm CEST

And we’re back with our twenty-eighth installment of Your Comments. Here are our favorites from the past week, from Make: Online, our Facebook page, and Twitter.

In response to My Week with the Chevy Volt, pkio3 says:

The EPA estimates that the Volt gets the equivalent of 93 miles per gal when in all electric mode. That’s taking the energy used to go a mile and a dividing by the estimated energy in a gallon of gas. I’ve been driving my Volt around Houston for 7 months now. Averaging 43 miles per charge. I’m using about 26KwH/100 miles. This is roughly the equivalent energy usage of driving a conventional gas burner that gets ~120Mpg. I drive mostly all electric and have gone 5400 miles on 5.2 gallons of gas. I’m still working on the original tank of gas that it came with. Luv my car.

In the piece on How to Carve a Stone Bowl, asciimation gives a gentle warning:

Nice project but be careful with the angle grinder! It should really have the guard fitted (in case the disc shatters or the tool kicks back) and you should wear gloves too. Also I’d be wary about putting too much sideways pressure on the disc when smoothing the bowl. If one of those discs shatters when spinning you do not want to be in the way of the shrapnel!

Angle grinder accidents can be really nasty. I still have a scar on the back of my wrist from years ago when I slipped with one and almost put a grinding disc through my hand!

In response to the Delorean Hovercraft piece, user ka1axy quips:

Roads?

Where we’re going, we don’t *need* roads!

In the piece on the Arduino Grande, zof says:

lol I love the made in burbank, so since the chip is already called a AT Mega, what do you call it now? AT Godzilla Mega?

On Twitter, Mark Frauenfelder heeds Arduino co-founder Massimo Banzi’s warning:

Arduino co-founder Massimo Banzi: if your Arduino smells really bad, it’s a Chinese knockoff. #MakeHIW

Like these comments? Be sure to sound off in the comments! You could be in next week’s column.

Make a Ladder Easier to Move

Instructables: exploring - featured 21 May 2012, 7:26 pm CEST

I added a wheel truck to a 15 foot extension ladder so one person can move it easily with one hand to the place where it will be used. Materials Two 6 inch lawnmower wheels 3/8 inch concrete reinforcement bar 6 hex head bolts 1/2 inch x 2 1/2 inches with hex nuts 2 cotter keys 1 1/... By: Phil B Continue Reading »

Pedal Powered Battery Charger

Instructables: exploring - featured 21 May 2012, 7:22 pm CEST

Introduction: Generate enough power to charge 12 volt batteries. There are increasing numbers of people who are behind on their utility bills and could have their electricity cut off. They need something to help reduce their dependence on the electric company, something that can also supplement win... By: ShutterBugger Continue Reading »

How Can I Take Sick Days Without Feeling Like a Slacker?

Lifehacker: Top 21 May 2012, 7:00 pm CEST

Dear Lifehacker, More »

DIY CONCRETE:: Stepping Stone Fossil

Instructables: exploring - featured 21 May 2012, 6:45 pm CEST

In this Instructable you'll learn a very quick and easy way to make your own concrete fossil (leaf impression). Leaf impressions can be nice details in larger-scale concrete work, or you can follow these instructions as-is to make paving stones for the backyard or garden. If you have a big project t... By: CHENG Concrete Continue Reading »

Yak-Proof Survival Knife

Instructables: exploring - featured 21 May 2012, 5:49 pm CEST

Y.U.R.T. - Yellow Ugly Rescue Tool ;-) I wanted to call this Instructable "Make a heavy duty survival knife from an rusty file for less then 15 dollar in less then 2 hours with only basic tools", but sometimes less is simply more... Survival. Again. I'm doing this - this what? this sport? this spi... By: bartolo Continue Reading »

Short Stories: Baby Tooth Reliquary

The Etsy Blog 21 May 2012, 5:45 pm CEST

Photo by ClaireKinder

Here at Etsy, we believe that the story behind an object is often just as fascinating as the object itself. Short Stories is our series dedicated to telling the tales behind extraordinary pieces found or created by Etsy sellers.

Here’s Claire with the history behind her unusual reliquaries.

I graduated with a BFA in jewelry and metalsmithing from the Pratt Institute in the spring of 2008. The baby teeth reliquaries were a piece of my senior jewelry thesis, of which the overall subject was mortality; not so much the aspect of death, but the things that happen to us in our lives and the things we do that express our own humanity and make us beautifully imperfect vessels. These imperfections may be things that happen to us when we age, the result of bad choices we make, or genetic gifts.

I held on to my own baby teeth because, at the time, it seemed strange to so easily dispose of something with which I had come so far. I viewed them as tiny shells; fossils of my childhood that told a piece of my story, for they had witnessed it all. They passed my words, shared my kisses, and were fascinating objects to be be studied in their own right.

For something like a decade, my teeth had lived in a tiny brass and enamel box my mother brought back from a trip for me. I would visit them from time to time, recalling the swift loss of some and the labored extractions of others. They all had a tale to tell, and a memory of our parting.

So I made them tiny thrones. It seemed only right.

Growing Sunflower Micro Greens in a Plastic Salad Box

Instructables: exploring - featured 21 May 2012, 5:33 pm CEST

Sunflower micro greens are deliciously nutty with the flavour of raw sunflower seeds but with the texture of spinach. They are easy to grow in just about any container you can find around the house like clear plastic salad mix boxes. Equipment: *makeshift mini greenhouse *organic black oil sunflow... By: gardentherapy Continue Reading »

The Stupid Things You Do on Facebook (and How to Fix Them)

Lifehacker: Top 21 May 2012, 5:00 pm CEST

Reluctantly or otherwise, Facebook is the place most of us have chosen to share our lives online. In spite of its many useful features, the social media site can be a constant source of annoyance, embarrassment, and trouble if you make a few stupid decisions you might not even realize you're making. Fortunately, with a little effort, you can get Facebook under your control. More »

Lego Bookends Sport a Microscale Train

MAKE 21 May 2012, 4:30 pm CEST

Deborah Higdon’s lovely microscale train bookends also include fake Lego books to help support real ones. [via the Brothers Brick]

Stokke KinderZeat solution

IKEA Hackers 21 May 2012, 4:28 pm CEST

Materials: BEKVAM Step stool, SNILLE (seat only), NEDDA chair pad, countersink drillbit, glue, 4x crosshead screws Description: On a trip to the UK, my little boy had the use of a chair not too dissimilar to Stokke Tripp Trapp which costs well over $300 here in Australia. He loved being able to use the step to climb in and out of a 'Big Boy' dining chair and sit at the table with Mummy and Daddy so here's what I came up with... Step1: Assemble the BEKVAM Step stool ($14.99) as normal Step2: Glue (normal PVA wood glue in this instance) the NEDDA chair pad ($0.99) to the top of the stool, trimming the excess off with a pair of scissors. Step3: Mark 4 holes in a square formation on the flattest part of the SNILLE ($7) seat and drill a pilot hole through each - get a countersink bit and make recesses on the holes. Step4: Line up the seat on the top of the NEDDA covered step and drive 4 countersunk screws through the seat and straight into the wood - make sure these screws are long enough to hold the seat but short enough to not poke through the other side. Hey presto, a Stokke Tripp Trapp inspired, Kiddy-Climb-In dining chair for less than $25 AUD and about half an hour to put it together. ~ Duncan, Australia

Block Printed Beer Labels

Instructables: exploring - featured 21 May 2012, 4:17 pm CEST

I don't want you to get the wrong impression-- I'm definitely not a master at either homebrewing or printmaking. But, I am pretty darn good at figuring out how to make food and beverages look nice. And after relegating my homebrews to plain brown bottles, (yawn) I decided it was time to figure out h... By: kitchentablescraps Continue Reading »

Featured Seller: Leninka

The Etsy Blog 21 May 2012, 4:10 pm CEST

Photo by Leninka

Tell us a bit about yourself. I was born in 1972, in Novosibirsk – a scientific, cultural and industrial center of Siberia in the former Soviet Union. The year of my birth is mentioned here in order to emphasize that my childhood took place in the real Soviet Russia. I went to real Soviet school, was fond of sports and believed in the promising future of Communism like most of the children. I was crazy about running in the summer rain, eating wild strawberries and going on holidays with my parents to the Black sea, Moscow, Alma-Ata and Tashkent.

My adult life started in Israel, where my family immigrated at the beginning of ’90s. A lot happened during this time. There were happy moments and disappointments. I started studying applied mathematics in Technion, then quit and went to the States. I came back, and graduated from the Haifa University statistics department. I tried to teach math in secondary school but couldn’t do it – I felt unhappy and unwanted. That’s when I started knitting. Since then, I knit all the time – everywhere and everything. It’s a kind of an obsession. Soon, my hobby grew into a profession. I started selling my stuff in designer shops in Israel and the United States. People liked it and bought it. I continued knitting, and was noticed by publishers of craft books. They offered me the opportunity to publish a book on knitting. I was really scared to write my first book – I didn’t know how to do it! Since then, I’ve had six books published. There is one thing I can say for sure: I enjoy knitting much more than writing books.

Apart from creating things, what do you do? I live in Givatayim with my husband and two boys, Ilay, 6, and Oz, 3. It’s a 10-minute drive to Tel Aviv and 20 minutes to the Mediterranean. The sun shines almost all year round, and I think that’s why people here are sunny and open.

I spend almost all my free time with the kids. I feed them, wash them, put on their clothes, take them for a walk, play with them, read books and then feed them again, take off their clothes, wash them and put them to bed. Of course I don’t do it all by myself– I have a wonderful husband and wonderful parents. My interests have gradually shifted to the interests of my kids. Thus I started skating, and playing football and chess. I often go to the beach to build sandcastles, or I go to the playgrounds to play astronauts. I’ve discovered the magic world of children’s books all over again.

Leninka

What would be the title of your memoir? To tell the truth, I think about the answer to this question quite often. I’m not really going to write a memoir, but I would like to have my own web page or blog. I would publish different things: my short stories (which I wrote long ago), my dreams, my experiences (old and new), and also photos of my creations and works of others that I admire. I don’t know whether I am going to carry out this project, but if I did the title might be Peels – unless that sounds too pretentious. What do you think?

Where does your inspiration come from? I love yarns. I like to look at them, touch them, and choose which ones I like. I’m attracted to their texture, color and structure. Often a yarn itself inspires me to develop my concept and plays a crucial role in the creation of the new designs. I like to work within certain boundaries and develop given themes. Since I am a former math teacher, my approach to creating new designs is similar to completing a mathematical task: I’m always trying to achieve an optimal solution.

What does handmade mean to you? It seems to me that in every handmade item is a part of its creator. It conveys his or her character, mood and feelings. One wants to possess them; to cherish them. They are eternal and priceless. Sometimes, thinking about the fact that my creations have their own possessors, I feel happy and at the same time a bit scared. I worry how are they treated – do people love them? The destiny of my creations is important to me. Please, treat them well.

Leninka

Who has been most influential in your craft? My maternal grandmother Raya was a needlewoman. She sewed, knitted and baked the most appetizing rolls. A morning at grandmother’s place usually started with the smell of those cinnamon rolls. I would eat them while they were still warm and drink cold milk. When I was 5 years old I most wanted to be a witch, and my grandmother taught me how to knit. Grandmother used handmade knitting-needles. They were kind of like metal sticks that were sharpened at the ends, and at one end, she put a piece of eraser. One couldn’t find needles in the shops. To get yarn wasn’t easy either. From early childhood, I was familiar with the word “deficit” (shortage). In the case of knitting, it means the following: let’s imagine you’ve decided to knit a green woolen vest, but in the shops you could find only gray synthetic thread. What shall you do? Soviet needlewomen came up with brilliant ideas. They sheared dogs and made yarn from their hair. They bought ready-made sweaters in ugly cuts and undid them. They painted yarn in the baths and then knitted. All of these methods fascinate me. There’s something witchy about it.

When did you know you were an artist/maker? I knew when I tried to work as a math teacher. Standing in front of the class, I thought about who I was, why I was there, what I could give the children other than math, what they needed math for, and what I needed it for. Different kinds of philosophical questions came into my head during my lessons.

And then one day I got a hat as a present. It was very stylish– knitted, striped, shaped like a bright square with horns. The first thing I thought was: what a wonderful gift! When I pulled the hat over my head and looked in the mirror, I suddenly remembered that I knew how to knit. Then, noticing that the hat suited me, I realized that I could handle such a project. I bought needles and yarn and started knitting.

Leninka

How would you describe your creative process? Sometimes at the beginning I make sketches, which are only clear to me. Then I choose the appropriate materials, do the necessary calculations and start knitting.

During the process itself, I realize that this or that could be done another way. Thus, every new version is more perfect than the previous one. I have to take pictures of my creations. Sometimes I do it by myself – every time dreaming about a decent camera – or my friends come to help.

If you could peek inside the studio of any artist, designer or craftsman (dead or alive), who would it be? I discovered Pasha Setrova, an artist and sculptor, quite unexpectedly. I chanced upon one of her photos on Facebook. Her dolls fascinate me. They are incredibly emotional and expressive. I could spend hours considering all the small details in her works. I was really delighted by her Colored Children.

Leninka

What handmade possession do you most cherish? An old yellowing school checkered notebook with Winnie the Pooh on the cover – inside are my grandmother’s recipes written down by hand. All of her cakes, biscuits, crackers, bagels, rolls, jams, pickles … I’ve got all of her culinary secrets! It’s very dear to me. Sometimes my kitchen is filled with the smells of my childhood, which I hope will be remembered by my kids as well.

How do you get out of your creative ruts? It’s very rare that I am not working. I take my needles/crochet hook everywhere: the park; the bus stop; in the bus; on the beach; in the forest. I am knitting everywhere there is an opportunity to sit for a certain period of time.

Where would you like to be in ten years? I would like to create collections with fashion designers, try my hand in art and have my own exhibition. It could be interesting to collaborate with sculptors and jewelers, and see what unexpected things result. Maybe in the next 10 years…

Featured Seller Archive

Kill Time Productively on Your Phone

Lifehacker: Top 21 May 2012, 3:00 pm CEST

The smartphone has made killing time when you're standing in line easy, but instead of launching another bird into the sky you can turn those two-minute spurts of non-activity into productive moments. Doing so will help you rid the most annoying and tiny daily tasks in your downtime. Here are a few ideas for doing just that. More »