interview with EcoKate!

This time I was lucky enough to interview none other than Kate from EcoKate! She makes gorgeous reusable dishcloths, makeup removal cloths, upcycled plastic bowls & recycled plastic handbags! She has a virtual rainbow in her shop - there's something for every kitchen color scheme - as well as some fantastic color combinations. When possible, Kate uses recycled cotton yarn, organic yarn & other sustainable sources. She also reuses shipping materials when possible, creates tags from scrap paper & even powers her work area with 100% renewable energy! What a gal :)

how long have you been doing your craft, & how long have you had an Etsy shop?

I've been knitting for about 4 years now, but only figured out how to crochet in the last year or so! EcoKate has been an Etsy shop since February 2008, so it's coming up on my one year Etsyversary pretty soon!

what celebrit(y/ies) would you like to see using your items?

Thom Yorke! I love this man, his music, and the fact that he is such an awesome spokesperson for the environment. I'm constantly thrilled with what I read about Radiohead doing to make less of an impact on the earth while they tour. Although I dunno how plausible it is to think that Mr. Yorke is a dish-doer, but a girl can still dream.

in what way has your location influenced your art?

In a necessity sort of way, I'd say the fact that I live in a small apartment with no dish washer has actually influenced my need to hand wash things more often, and caused me to look into earth-friendly ways of doing so. I dunno if people would like the notion of art coming from necessity, but that's just how I was inspired in the case of my creations. And from the necessity grew my need to design cleaning cloths in an aesthetically pleasing and practical fashion.

what are your favorite bands/books/movies/tv shows?

Oh, think I already covered Radiohead, but some other great bands (and there's no way I'm naming them all so here are my current favorites) would be, The New Pornographers, Belle & Sebastian, MGMT, Spoon, Nada Surf, TV on the Radio, Black Kids, Beck. I just have to stop myself there. As far as books go, I'm very much into classical literature, i.e. the Brontes, Jane Austen, Dickens, etc. Harry Potter, most definitely and She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb, just to name a few. Movies I'm more particular about. My favorites as of now are The Big Lebowski, The Burbs, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Zoolander, etc... TV shows include Arrested Development, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Office, 30 Rock, Lost and mucho mas.

describe a typical day in your life!

Wake up, get the tea water going, check the internet, knit and/or crochet, work on websites, list items on Etsy, drink many cups of tea in between these activities, etc. etc. etc. It's kinda boring when I put it in writing. Yikes. I'm currently on the job hunt which I'm hoping will spice up my daily routine a bit, but we'll have to see!

what is one particular craft/talent that you're not very good at but wish you were?

Playing/writing music! I took piano lessons back in the day but I fear I just don't have the patience for sitting and playing. I much more prefer listening to wonderful music personally, which I'm quite content to do. Although every now and again I'll get the hankering to make music again, and will pick up my guitar and mess around with it until I realize I'm just not that good at it!

what would people be surprised to learn about you?

I'm way shy.

what success tips do you have for new Etsians?

Take some darn good photos. Never stop trying to improve your photos and listings in general. Look to other shops for inspiration, but DON'T copy them flat out! Come up with your own style. Oh, and list often.

Seriously, this lady's shop is the place to go for some darn adorable little cloths. No more using paper towels & throwing them out by the handful! No more dirty, bacteria-breeding sponges just waiting to crawl across the sink! Just some brightly colored, happy-inducing little cloths that you can simply toss in with the laundry. Amazing. & it doesn't end there... Kate also runs two other shops: ShutterKate ("Handmade Accessories for the Fashionably Adventurous") & KnitStorm (primarily iPod cozies as well as knitted key fobs). You can also receive shop updates by following her on Twitter, or you can browse around her blogs: Eco Craftiness & KnitStorm. She also manages EcoEtsy's blog! What can I say? She's a busy lady. How she managed to squeeze in an interview with me is beyond my comprehension, but I thank her. :)