Interview with the artist - Jen from Jen's Tangled Threads

I think the title says it all, we have a yarnie here today, to be exact, Jen whose shop motto says "The common thread to uncommon beauty". Let's see what she means by that, shall we?

Shades of Blue - baby afghan

Tell us a little about who you are and where you come from.

I am a single mother of a beautiful and talented young man. He is a dancer at our local dance studio. We live in Hastings, MN (a small suburb of St. Paul) with our 2 cats, Starsky and Huggy Bear.

What's your craft and how did you get to do it in the first place?

I am a crocheter and knitter. I also play with rhinestones and I can cross stitch. I started cross stitching as a way to keep my hands busy while watching TV. I can't sit still and just watch TV. I moved to crocheting because I didn't know enough about colors or designs to make my own cross stitch patterns. I started knitting last Christmas - I wanted to make a Dr. Who scarf for a friend's daughter.

Keynote scarf

I think this is one of the most asked questions - where does your inspiration come from?

Need. I started making and designing crochet slippers (Flip-Furs) because of the girls my son dances with. They would walk around these dance venues with very little on their feet, and sometimes go into the bathrooms in tights or half-ballet shoes. A lot of my pieces started because they were gifts for other people. Lately I've found yarn I really like and I look for a pattern so that I can use that yarn.

Tell us a fun thing about yourself.

I read a lot. And I watch way too much TV, so I have a lot of time to make stuff. I crochet during football, while I'm at the dance studio. I've even crocheted while at a movie theater - during the movie. I'm a bit of a workaholic. Oh, the index fingers on each hand curve towards my middle finger and my second toe on each foot curves towards the big toe.

Rag rug

Do you do other crafts, if yes, what?

I've dabbled in a number of things - except sewing and painting. Can't sew to save my life. I have no talent for painting. I have covered paper mache boxes with fabric to make a hat box for my son. I also rhinestone studio jackets for the girls my son dances with.

Which one of your pieces is your absolute favorite? Which one was the hardest to make and why?

I love making the name doilies. I like making something that can be passed down through the family. The hardest thing I ever had to make was a lace duster. I made it on a whim and the hardest part was sewing on the sleeves. Like I said - I don't sew very well.

Crocheted name doily

Is there someone whom you admire and who inspires you?

I admire my mom. She is where I get my crafting from, but strangely enough, we do opposite crafts. She's a wonderful sewer - she sews competition costumes at my son's studio. She doesn't do anything with yarn and doesn't rhinestone. But she was a single mom, too. She had 3 kids to take care of and somehow we always had gifts under the tree at Christmas and food on the table. My son inspires me every day. He will help me pick out yarn colors. A lot of my sales come from other dance moms.

If you had free choice of just one supply you can use for your craft, what would you be dreaming of, no matter how expensive?

Yarn, yarn and more yarn. My favorite yarn? At the moment, Vanna's Choice by Lionbrand.

Ruffle scarf

Do you sell online, if yes, where can we find you?

I sell on Zibbet. You can find me at Jen's Tangled Threads. I'm also on Facebook.

Is there anything you feel you need or want to tell the world outside now?

I love custom orders. If you find a picture of something, I can find a pattern for it. And I'm always up for a challenge.


Thank you for this interview, Jen! Now go have a look for those tangled threads, people! :-D