Hello and Happy Saturday to ya! It’s that time again, time to shine the fiber light on another blowsmymindeverytimeshecreates person, I stalk, I mean follow with wide eyes 🙂 Every I am pleased to introduce you to Theresa Boyce the talented owner of LuckyHanks.
Those of you that have followed me for a minute, know I am the queen of #teamlazy; the seeker of instant gratification…therefore Theresa is my damn Idol! The things she creates…sweet Jesus!! Well here just check out our conversation:
Hello Theresa!
Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. I absolutely LOVE your work!! So based on what I see on your feeds, I know you do both crochet and knitting. Do you have a favorite?
Hi Girlie!
I love your work too 🙂 I have been following you on IG and FB for a long time. Well lets just jump in!
Yes I do knit and crochet. When people ask I always say, ” I’m a double agent”. I love to do both but I love them for different reasons. With knitting you can make more intricate designs with less yarn. With crochet it is kind of limited and it takes almost 3x’s the yarn to make the same thing in knit. That being said, I can crochet up a storm without ever looking down most of the time. I would have to say I love them equally but for their own special reason. To me that question is kind of like asking me to pick one kid over the other lol.
I hear you. Which did you learn first? Who taught you?
I learned to crochet first. Like the tail as old as time, my grandma taught me. I was 8 and she gave me a K hook and some old scratchy acrylic yarn. To this day I still have and use that K hook (it is blue and made by Boye). Now, she only taught me how to chain. This is where it gets a little trickier. When I was 10 my mom had a small get together and her boyfriend had a friend and his girlfriend taught me my very first double crochet. She saw me just chaining away and asked me what I was making. I said,” Just a chain. That’s all I know how to do”. She took me aside for about 5 min’s and showed me how to do really crochet! Now in that 5 min’s she never said anything about counting my stitches or rows. Needless to say my first “blanket” turned out very wonky and was only about 3 feet long. After that I was a kid and only picked it up every once in awhile but the true passion never left me. After high school I picked it back up and taught myself the rest.
I learned to knit from my sister-in-law Julie. It was a snowy night in Chicago and she asked if I wanted to learn. I said, “of course!!!” She taught herself a few years before that and was pleasantly surprised when I picked it up in about 20 min’s. She asked me what I wanted to make and I said, “let’s keep it simple, how about a hat?” We found a really easy ribbed hat pattern and about 4 hours later my hat was done!
Was your goal to sell your fabulous items?
Before I set up my Etsy shop in 2009 I had no plans to sell any of my items. I was doing it for fun, making a bunch of pieces for my family and friends. My best friend Kelsey still has the first actual blanket I ever made and snuggles with it all the time 🙂 Again, my wonderful sister-in-law Julie introduced me to Etsy and told me I should be selling my pieces and that people would love them! With the encouragement of her and my wonderful husband I did open my shop in August of 2009.
Did you always knit large or did that come with the discovery of Go-Girl Knitting?
Big knitting = Tammy the Go-Girl herself!
I had knit with US 50’s but when I picked up Tammy’s Giants it was a whole new emotion I felt. (I can make big wonderful pieces with these! I can do something not everyone is doing yet! I have the power!) lol My first pair of Giants are very similar to Tammy’s own pair. They are black with multi dots. I now own 2 sets of Giants, 1 set of baby giants, the cable needle, and the hook (because I am a double agent – wink wink). I did not know Tammy until she started asking me questions after I started making patterns that called for HER GIANTS ONLY. Tammy and I have been talking ever since. To this day I still run my ideas by her before I start making anything that calls for the Giants.
I simply LOVE Tammy! She is my BFF in my head! I love how you create your own yarn so to speak, how did that come about?
My yarn came from an idea I had to make super chunky yarn that everyone can afford. I didn’t have the $200 to get the fancy yarn so started to think. (fyi… my brain never shuts off, Ever!) I love using acrylic yarn for blankets. I know that doesn’t sound glamorous but I have a trick to share with you. Make anything out of Red Heart super saver or Caron one pound and wash it on the cold cycle with a tablespoon of fabric softener and dry it with a dryer sheet for a few minutes and it feels wonderful! Acrylic is generally a low maintenance yarn with incredible durability – perfect for everyday use. Back on track, I had used I-cord to knit with and in my mind I was thinking “What can I make fast and easy that is similar to I-cord?” Answer – a crochet chain! I had to get the thickness just right so it was bulky enough to use with the Giants! At this time, I have 3 patterns out that use this yarn cord as the knitting yarn. I try to think of the people like me that can’t always afford their big knitting dreams.
You my friend are brilliant!! I can’t stand it! Ok so what has been your biggest challenge with selling your handmade items?
My biggest challenge has been doing inventory and taxes every year. I am also working on a pattern book with the help of Julie (sister-in-law /graphic designer)!!
UGHHHH Taxes YUCK, but the book sounds exciting I can’t wait! Any advice for those that want to be like you when they grow up?
My best advice I can give anyone just starting out or thinking of selling their items is to never give up, adapt, and keep on going. You only get one life, make it a happy one, and never waste time sitting at a desk when you could be knitting or crocheting in your lap 😉 Go for it with all you have and if you start to get discouraged just think “truly great things take time”.
Great advice and I love that quote! You my friend Rock! Well my fiber friends there you have it, the story behind all that fabulousness <—-is that a word? Well it is now! hahahahahaha Check out more from Theresa the brains and beauty behind LuckyHanks
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