Artist Spotlight

This week's spotlight is on one of the sweetest crafters I know, The Lovely

Telaine!!

a.k.a. - Tanya Goen

I met Tanya through www.threadless.com and am fascinated by all her creations!

1.Tell us a little about yourself.

Heya! I'm Tanya to my mother, Tawny to my husband and Telaine to everyone in Internetland. I live in a Green Bay suburb in Wisconsin and I'm not a diehard Packers fan. Crazy, eh? I'm married to Mr. Mitzy the bunny and take care of a pet husband, Mr. Plate. They both like cilantro.

Mr. Mitzy unexpectedly hopped off to the rainbow bridge in the sky post-interview but still holds a place in Tanya's heart.

2. How did you get into making things with yarn?

Is it knitting? crocheting? both? something else? (sorry I'm clueless about this kinda thing)

I blame it on my aforementioned mother. One night I saw her wrapping yarn around and around some pegs on a circle thing. And a pretty tube scarf was coming out the other end. I was intrigued so she showed me how to loom-knit. It all started with a few inches and one ball of furry yarn. But the yarn must have mated with other yarn because now it's tumbling out of the closet (and a shelf … and a basket and ...). So loom-knitting uses pegs instead of knitting needles, essentially. I can knit, purl, make cables, do lace … almost anything a needle-knitter can do. Sometimes it's faster and sometimes it takes forever. But I love every minute of making something out of string.

Knitting on the loom

3. What are your favorite items to make?

Anything that makes someone smile. My first sock was one of my most gleeful accomplishments. I stuck my socked foot in the air and screamed "SOCK!" You can imagine the jubilation when I finished the second one.

First Pair of Socks

4. Do you have a favorite time of day or certain ritual (music, TV, tea, etc) that you work the best with?

When the sun goes down is when I wake up. Watching TV while I knit makes being a couch potato feel less like a waste of time. But my real ritual is outside of the house. I hang out with a group of knitters a few times a week. I have learned more than how to fix a dropped stitch from them. They have become my closest confidants.

5. Do you do custom pieces?

Almost everything I make is custom. By the time I finish a knitting pattern, I've made so many changes to do it, I can almost always call it my own. I'm still happily surprised when a stranger sees my work and asks me to make one for them.

Custom Order, Dino Hats!

6. Anything else you would like the masses to know about your craft?

My venture into crafting didn't start with knitting. I dabbled in rubber-stamping and I still make cards for friends and family. I sewed my first major stitches making pillows from recycled t-shirts.

T-pillow, made from a Threadless shirt

7. 10 random things about you

I have three amazing sisters and all their names start with "T". I'm a Joss Whedon fan and I'm sworn to love almost anything he makes (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dr. Horrible, Dollhouse). I turn into an amateur gardener and photographer in the summer. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/telaine/4787141995/) Tiger lilies are my favorite flower. I'm told I have a unique laugh. I'm a picky eater but I'm working on that. I quit my "real" job in 2008 and work from home as a freelance graphic designer and crafter. I'm cooking more than Macaroni and Cheese since then. My love for cheese means I'm truly a Wisconsin girl. I took a vacation south to Canada this summer.

My interpretation of RED for the Threadknits.com contest, that combined Threadless and knitting

Pretty impressive isn't she?

I just love talented peoples and when they're as sweet as Tanya it's hard not to be impressed!

Want to know more?

Be sure and read her BLOG for all her latest & greatest creations!

Need a Dino Hat for yourself? They're coming soon to her Etsy Shop!

Be a Fan and LIKE her Facebook Page.

Thanks for sharing with us Tanya!