Shannon has been a great mentor, including me in her meetings and in the general planning of her business so that I could really see what it takes to run a small business in the art and craft world. I’ve gotten to do a little bit of everything while I’ve been here. I’ve worked on knitting patterns and knit samples, and I researched and wrote an article for Yarn Forward, the UK knitting magazine that she edits. I’ve gotten to meet other local artists and business people that she works with on a regular basis. It’s been really useful for me to see what kinds of opportunities, both in business and the arts, are available in this area and might apply to me back home. One of the big projects that I took on this summer was working on her new online store; she sells a wide variety of fiber arts supplies as well as knitting, crochet, embroidery, and cross-stitch patterns from a wide variety of designers. Tech-savviness is not one of my strengths, so it has been really useful for me to learn to work with some of the on-line software that she uses.

It’s been a great summer; I’ve gotten to help Shannon start really interesting several long-term projects in different areas. The hardest part about the internship ending is that I won’t get to see all of these cool projects that we started continue to develop first-hand.

At SoHo Publishing I worked on a number of different projects.  Generally, I worked with marketing in our magazines, Vogue Knitting, Knit 1, and Knit Simple, or with our book publishing side of the company.  I have never worked for a magazine company before and I was able to learn such a different side of advertising that I had never learned in classes.  I enjoyed being able to see the issues of each magazine come together piece by piece and it’s really amazing to see it all happen.  Sometimes, it seems like ciaos, but once the copy is finished the pages all make sense together and it is awesome to look through it for the first time.  It has felt like such an accomplishment to say that I was able to be a part of it.

Some of my favorite days during this internship were being able to help at the photo shoots.  I was able to go along to two of them, one for Knit Simple and the other for Vogue Knitting.  The issues that we worked on were for Holiday 2009.  It was at first crazy that we were setting the back grounds to look like winter and dressing the models in sweaters, but we were in a studio overlooking a beautiful view of the New York.   At one point, I even texted my mom to tell her I felt like I was in a movie! Those days I was able to work closer with some people that I generally didn’t get a chance to work with.  The Art Director was really inspiring.  He set the background and still shots and really had a great eye for what would be perfect in the magazine.  I also worked hand in hand with the stylist.  It was amazing being able to help with the outfits and accessories that the models were being photographed in.  I was defiantly on cloud nine.

Along with the marketing projects and photo shoots, I also learned so much about the Textile and Knitting industries. I myself am not a great knitter… (at all), but I try and I loved to see the editorial staff knit some of the most beautiful garments I have ever seen.  During the lunch hour a group of people would hang out at the table to knit and talk.  I would ask what they were working on, and they were knitting the designs created by the designers, which were going to be in the Vogue Knitting magazine.  SoHo Publishing employees a group of very talented knitters. Being that I worked in the Marketing Dept. we spent a good amount of time working with Yarn companies all over the U.S. and it was nice to get to know more about the Yarn Industry and all the companies involved in so many different ways.

Overall, I’m so happy that I was able to not only be a part of a great internship, but also the experiences I gained through both The University of Akron and PiPN.  AkronU. and PiPN has brought me great opportunities, but also more importantly I have met so many people who really inspire me. As my final days of being an undergrad student at Akron come, it makes me excited and confident to use these experiences and what I have learned while taking my step into the professional world.

I have never been surrounded by so many colors and textures.  The shop is a wonderland for knitters.  The inventory is just amazing.  I have been keeping busy by putting together my own scarf kits.  That has been a wonderful experience and a task that utilizes the color theory lessons I’ve learned at school.  I have also learned to substitute yarns and convert meters to yards when putting kits together.

I also participated in a public art project called Knitscape.  Knitscape is a temporary community public art project that will create a visual line of color and pattern in the Larchmere business district.  Last Sunday we at Fine Points had our launch where knitters and crocheters were invited to participate.  Each needleworker was given macrame’ cording to knit or crochet into a square that would envelope a tree or parking meter on the designated street. The finished project will project a color uniformity in the district. It was great to help newcomers to the needlecrafts get started and participate. The project will be up for two years.  So it will be nice to come through the area long after my interning experience and still see something I helped create.  It has been a great experience.

Let me start by stating that every single sample design in the Big Stick collection can be described as nothing less than a masterpiece, a work of art that each member of the Bagsmith team has a part in.  It is an honor to even be able to see these items, let along lay my hands on them and work side by side with this team to make them into a final project.

Today we worked on a black and white Big Stitch Rug.  The tasks at hand were to apply the border that Jackie, a fellow employee, had crouched onto the outside of the rug, as well as attempt to tighten the spiral pieces of the rug so that when it is lifted it would not open to reveal the netting on the bottom.
After a few hours we managed to apply the border to outside and I must say it looked amazing.  The only problem was that when we tried to turn the border under it was not turning out as good as we expected. After brainstorming for quite some time and talking it over with Janette, one of my supervisors,  we decided that we should just leave the border as is and wait for Becca Smith, owner of Bagsmith, to inspect the rub and make the final say.

As amazing as the rug looked so far, even with border dilemmas, my tightening job did not look good.  I could not manage to tighten the pieces together enough that it would not break apart when you opened it, not only that it broke apart when you touched it, even worse!   Well being the “innovative” team that we are Jackie and I put our heads together to come up with a solution to the problem, well what we only could hope would be a good solution.   When I was done with applying this solution the rug was in no way going to be breaking apart anytime soon.

This is just one of the many aspects of the job I have learned. Expect the unexpected, always be ready to come up with new ideas that will in turn better the products and company. Something that Becca Smith and the rest of the Bagsmith team are always doing.

The thing I love the most about Bagsmtih is that while the work aspect of the job is always changing the people I work with stay the same.  I have never in my life met such wonderful, supportive people.  While being supportive may to some seem like something that would not go hand in hand with an office environment, I disagree.  Every day when I come in I can expect to be greeted with smiling faces, and the usual questions and discussions about life. “How are you doing today?” “Have you heard any news from Afghanistan?” and my favorite line of them all that we all are getting accustomed to is “No news is good news.” As silly as this may seem there is no better motivation to work hard for your employers than just knowing that the people who you are working for care about you on a personal level, and want nothing but the best for you. While the job itself is very much unexpected, in a good way, I know I can go in and expect nothing but the best company at my job.

On a final note I would like to congratulate Janette on the birth of her granddaughter, say hello to my friends all around the US interning with Pipn, send a hug to my supportive husband who at the moment is serving in Afghanistan and last but certainly not least a Thank you to my professors and everyone else who made my internship possible.  I feel like I just made an award show speech!  Happy needling!
-Kat Guanciale-Clift

Week 4

July 15, 2009

I worked at 11 today.  There was not a lot too do when we got in to the shop.  We started the day off my just doing a little bit of straitening up from the night before.  The UPS man came early today.  We got new canvases in and more stock.  We put the new items into the computer and put price tags on everything.  Taped all of the new canvases and put everything out onto the floor.  I tried to place the canvases in a good place that we might sell the items.

We had to order Silk and Ivory threads and Watercolors.  So, I went through all of the hooks and anything that had 3 or less then we ordered six, if there were 3 then we only needed to order 3.  Anne does all of the ordering for the store.

Towards the end of the day I walked around the store picking up anything that needs to be put away.  Making things look better.

July 16, 2009
Today was the day that the lunch ladies come in. There weren’t a lot because so people were on vacations.  We also had a few customers that came in with their dogs.  We had one family that came in that had three generations of needle pointers.  They had never been to the shop and they were so excited that they found it.  We sold some things that Anne had for over four years.

After everyone left we need some major cleaning.  We cleaned the entire counter.  Now you can see into the display case on the counter.  We re-did everything in the counter display.  We got a new display from ‘Bagsmith’.  It was a little wooden chest, which has drawers.  Now it is the only thing that is on the counter so you can see all of the items that are for sale.  We also did a lot of dusting.

I have to say that I have the best hosts!  Right away they made me feel like I was at home and so comfortable.  It’s exciting to see how a small business can grow.  Their goal is to appeal to the younger crowd and get them interested in sewing, fashion, drawing and being creative.  I have to say that they have reached that goal.  I’ve never seen young adolescents be so drawn into sewing, crocheting and being creative, which is great because the younger crowd is the future.

My weeks there have been fun.  I’ve got to learn so much.  I’m a quiet person and they’ve helped me crack my shell by getting to know them and their cliental.  I’ve help assist a crochet class.  I have to say my favorite thing to do in the fiber arts field is crocheting.  I’m help making an Afghan sample for the shop, I have made a cosmetic bag sample and I’ve made an Amigurumi teddy bear.  I’ve sat in many classes that were taught.  I enjoyed partaking in the classes because its help me build new skills.  Some of the samples I’ve made our posted on their websites in my own little section called “The Intern Files.”  I hope you check that out as well.

Minus all the fun things I do, I also work on paper work, I’ve helped with bookkeeping, answer phone calls, help assist and cut tons of fabric which are almost as fun. HeHe  I’m enjoying the time I’ve been given and I’m sure I’ll miss it when it’s all over.  In the mean time I’m working hard, soaking up all I can and making projects I never thought I would.  If you love to sew or want to learn I recommend Stitch Cleveland!!!

My first two weeks at Cestari, Ltd. have been a whirlwind so far, full of new experiences and plenty of learning.  I started this adventure with PiPN knowing only how to knit, unsure of how to purl, and totally unaware of what it might be like to live in the company of sheep.  Now, after the Seminar for the Fiber Arts at Akron University and a short two weeks at Cestari, I can tell you some of the differences between the worsted and woolen systems for making yarn, understand how spinning, twisting, and coning machines work, and have an appreciation for the bleating of sheep at such hours as eleven o’clock at night.

I have, so far, learned an incredible amount about yarn, and beyond that, about small businesses and what it takes to manage them.  Mr. Chester, my gracious host and the founder of Cestari, Ltd., and I have had extensive conversations about the hope and determination that it takes to succeed in life and in business.  The cornerstones of business are personal accountability and responsibility, and this family owned and operated business has plenty of energy and heart.

I thoroughly enjoy the welcoming and down to earth atmosphere at Cestari, where there is the yarn mill where I work, next to the law office that Mr. Chester operates (he is not only a farmer, but also a lawyer), next to the vegetable stand that the Chester family owns, next to their vegetable garden.  This internship often requires me to multitask, and I have been able to enjoy taking on many different roles, from tending the vegetable stand to helping customers at the mill, and from responding to email orders to packing and coordinating shipments.  On one occasion, when the stand had run out of onions and I had searched the storeroom and refrigerators in vain, I found Mr. Chester and inquired as to where we kept the extra onions.  He told me, “follow me, I’ll show you where we keep ‘em,” and proceeded to walk me down the dirt driveway, into the vegetable garden, kneeled down, and pulled one up out of the earth.  “This is where we keep ‘em!”  Of course we keep the onions in the ground, growing.  There is much to learn here indeed, especially for someone like me, who has lived her entire life in cities or suburbs.

It has been an exciting two weeks, and I cannot wait to see what the next will bring!

From Cyndy Hartline interning with Coats & Clark, NC
Last week of June 2009

Charlotte, North Carolina is a beautiful place. There are flowers blooming everywhere and all the buildings, apartments, businesses, malls and houses in the area where I live and work are probably less than twelve years old. Coats and Clark has been located in Charlotte for about eleven years and in this new building for five. The company has a long history that dates back to the early 1800’s.

The people I have met are so nice. My first night here, I had dinner at Wolfgang Pucks Bistro and our desserts were on the house to welcome us to Charlotte. Then the hostess gave us free appetizer coupons to use next time.

My neighbor and host, Nancy Thomas, is the Creative Director at Coats. We ride to work together and she makes sure I don’t miss anything (both at home and at work).  Nancy always reminds me to take pictures and explains why something is done a certain way. She has written seven books on knitting and crocheting. She is extremely knowledgeable on every aspect of this business.

In my first week, I have attended meetings where new booklets were being planned and organized, new colors were being designed and named and new products that are just in the beginning stages of being introduced. I have seen sketches from designers with swatches proposing a new product. I am lucky to be working with people that have been in the industry in for years in so many capacities.

I didn’t realize that there were companies that built booths for trade shows. I got to go to our booth to get it ready for a trade show in Orlando next month. We put all of our samples and finished garments where we want them, and then our contact tears everything down and sends it to the show and sets it up again.

The most exciting thing that happened is that Nancy Jewell, the manager of New Product Development Sewing Products has asked me to make a bag that will showcase our threads for a photo shoot. I have to make some sketches and if she likes one, she will provide all the materials from our fabric and thread department. She gave me a couple of ideas, one of which is couching – one of the techniques that I just learned in Fiber Arts class.

Nancy and Bobbie are encouraging me to knit. They gave me my own set of knitting needles and I take home yarn every day. Bobbie wants me to knit swatches, try some patterns and evaluate our website and cd’s through the eyes of a new knitter. This may become my final project.

I took a page from Jenn, Zoe and Kari’s book and go out every night, even if it is just to the pool. I went out with my supervisor, Bobbie Matela (who has edited hundreds of books) and her husband for dinner and a tour of Charlotte. I go visit yarn stores, malls (there are a lot of malls), and to events (most of the strip malls have live entertainment on certain nights) and shopping. I am really have a good time and learning a great deal.