I officially started Little Note Crafts in 2009, first selling hand knit scarves only. I had taught myself to knit when I was 16 and needed a quick gift for a friend. I had always loved to make things with my hands, from paper crafts to molding clay, so I thought this would be a good new craft to try. Needless to say, learning to knit was anything but quick. It took over two years to finally finish that first scarf, but I stuck with it and found a peace and internal calm when I was knitting that I couldn't find many other places. I kept knitting and soon found my apartment filled with scarves and decided I would try to sell them.
Soon thereafter I lost my crafting way as I got caught up in the stressful atmosphere of a corporate job. As my life began to come apart at the seams, I knew something needed to change. Through a long personal journey to reconnect with myself, I decided to get back into knitting, and even picked up some new skills in jewelry making along the way. I never imagined that I would be running a company, but one of the greatest lessons I learned was that I have more control over my life than I realized. I am now working on Little Note Crafts with full force and am grateful for every day.
I am inspired everyday by the world around me, especially nature. Nature endures through time, produces wondrous beauty, and gives the world spectacular colors to work with. I take that idea of perseverance and include it in every piece I make so that it will last for years to come. My creativity is driven by the warm earthy colors of the forest, the bright smiling colors of spring, and the uplifting colors of the sea and the sun.
The thing I enjoy most about creating unique handmade items is the sense of purpose I feel when I finish each piece, and the swell of overwhelming joy when a customer loves it. My personal journey to find happiness and peace is a message I want to resonate in all my work. Life is so short, and we all should have something in our day that makes it better. We all need a pair of earrings that make you feel fabulous, or a colorful warm scarf that you can't help but smile at and feel cozy in.
This will be my first Avant-Garde show, but I am looking forward to being there and hopefully attending many more in the future.
Meet Elissa Starosoto from E.StarKnits...
My
name is Elissa and I graduated from the University of Akron with an Art Studio
degree where I focused on painting, photography and ceramics. After graduation
I spent a few years working at a personalized handbag company in production as
a seamstress and knitter. I started E.StarKnits back in August of 2010. I am
currently a stay-at-home mom running E.StarKnits from my home. I love having
the freedom to fit my work into everyday life.
I
am inspired by what I want to wear. I love finding a look in a magazine, store
or online and adapting it into something that is my own. I am a production
person at heart, so design is the most challenging part for me. This challenge
is such a good thing because it keeps me learning new stitches and skills along
the way that help me grow my line.
I
pull my creativity from where I am in life, what I’ve learned about color and
texture and what I want to see next. I go with the flow and a new design
rarely takes me where I expected it to go. This keeps me interested and my line
fresh.
I
am a mostly self-taught knitter. It has been a journey honing my craft and
getting it just right. The technique I use is quite out of the ordinary and
other knitters tend to get a kick out of watching me. Crochet has been a bit
easier to teach myself with the dawn of YouTube videos. Every year I take on a
few new stitches and add it to the line. This year I am in love with crochet
and will be featuring some new designs at the show.
My
favorite aspect of working with yarn is that you take one long strand to create
something beautiful and useful. While I love many mediums the ones that create
useable objects are my favorite. It is so wonderful to see someone put on or
use something I have made.
You
can view more of my line at http://www.etsy.com/shop/EStarKnits and visit me on Facebook.
This is my first Avant-Garde Art Show and I am excited to be a part this year!
Check out these featured vendors at the 2012 Summit County Winter Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. This show will feature a large selection of talented handmade artisans and crafters. A portion of the show's proceeds will be donated to Jade's No Kill Rescue for animal rescue.
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