At Kathy's shop you'll find many beautiful handmade scarfs, shawls, dishcloths and wraps. In her about page she adds, "Next might be a series of baby afghans, hats.."
I sent Kathy some questions about her etsy shop and her life, enjoy!
When and from whom did you learn to Crochet?
I first learned to crochet with my mother when I was around 10 years old or so. That means I have been doing these crafts for about 50 years. We tore old sheets into strips and sewed the strips together. That was my first time to use a sewing machine too. We used those strips to crochet rag rugs. Those rugs were about all the crochet skills Mom had so I used books to expand my own skills. I learned to knit not long after that which Mom did not know how to do so I used books to learn knitting too.
What is your home life like in Wyoming?
I have been living in Jackson WY for about 5 years now. This little town at the edge of Grand Teton National Park and not far from Yellowstone is really a special place. We are flooded with tourists in the summer. The good part of that is for a town of its size we have an amazing number of restaurants and very few of them are chains or franchises. We can quietly enjoy those places with locals deals during the other 3 seasons. (Guy Fieri has been here several times for his show Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.) I live in a walkable town and certainly enjoy that. I also live in a place very close to wildlife. In my own yard I have seen deer, elk, moose and bison. A short drive during summer weekends gets us to Jackson Lake and our boat.
In other ways I suppose my life is like many other Etsy shop owners no matter where they live. I get up, check stats and email, spend some time on social media and my shop, do a bit of creating and the next day start all over again.
When and why did you decide to launch your shop on Etsy?
In 2005 I started seeing mentions of a site called Etsy and was curious. I was living in Utah at the time and doing several craft shows each year. Being online 24/7/365 sounded better to me that the chores of being at a craft show. I moved to Arizona in the summer of 2006 and in October of that year I opened my shop. That makes me an old timer I suppose. I have left Etsy a few times and came back each time with a renewed commitment to my shop and getting closer to having my hobby support itself.
What is your process? How long does one scarf take vs a shawl?
I don't track the time it takes to make an item. In my early craft show years when my children were little I just said when asked that I have no idea because my time was always filled with interruptions. Now days I just don't worry about it. Knitters and crocheters know that we can never really hope for an hourly wage from our work. It is just too time intensive. I price my items to get a good return on my materials and cover my fees with some left over for more yarn of course. The main pleasure I get from the creative process is being able to create something that someone wants. My goal like my shop name is for every one to be cozy.
I love your Instagram, there aren't many that I know from Wyoming. Has that helped with sales?
Thank you for the compliment about my Instagram account. I have to confess the primary purpose of that account is to keep in touch with family since I don't use Facebook. I do follow a few crafty people that I have interacted with on other social media. Instagram has not lead to any sales for me or even views that would show in my shop stats. I have read others have used it with more success. I spend most of my time on Twitter and I know I get views from there.
When is your busy season? Any fun or interesting stories from selling on Etsy?
I haven't ever been able to identify a busy season for my shop. It is sure something I wish for though. It seems such a small thing but the most fun thing on Etsy, besides online friendships over the years, was the day of my first sale. I was so excited and packaged up the item right away and rushed off to the Post Office. When I got home I found another sale had happened while I was out getting the first one shipped. I packaged it up and went right back to the Post Office. With every sale that thrill doesn't go away and I hope it never does.
Do you sell else where or just online?
I just sell online now except for the occasional sale to family or friends of family members.
You can also find Kathy on her social media:
Etsy: cozy.etsy.com
Blog: cozyatoz.blogspot.com
Twitter: CozyAtoZ
Instagram: cozykathy
Pinterest: CozyAtoZ
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: Claudia from seasand.etsy.com
Blog: Sea Sand Vintage
Instagram: seasand
Twitter: seasand83
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1 comment:
What a wonderful interview!! I loved reading all the interesting things about Kathleen and what her life is like now, and where she learned to knit and crochet. How sweet and so very cool. Plus I know for a fact that her creations are cozy because I own a few, and have my eye on that grey infinity scarf too! :)))
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