Member of the Month - Nanouke - The Interview

This month we bring you a fiber artist by the name of Ana Veríssimo and her shop nanouke as the member of the month.
Want to know her better? Follow us.

Chartreuse Lime Green and Purple Tear Drop Dangle Earrings by nanouke

Name: Ana Veríssimo
Etsy shop: http://nanouke.etsy.com
Blog: http://nanouke.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/nanoukejewelry

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi everyone, I’m Ana Veríssimo, I was born in Portugal in the eighties and still live here. I like to laugh, drink beer, eat lupin beans and to dance.

I’m the mastermind behind the amazing shop you know as nanouke.

White Beaded Necklace by nanouke

How and when was this creative passion born?
I grew up surrounded by crafts, my mother is a seamstress and taught me and my sister to embroider, to sew, to crochet and to knit. She used to tell us “if everything else fails, you can always rely on your hands”.

I was always the bookworm of us three, and knitting was really the only craft I mastered and stood with me until now.

Did you study for it or for something completely different?
Oh dear. I studied for 23 years. I still have to study now and then since I work in a University! But none of my studying was in the arts department; I have a college degree on Geology and a Masters on Mining Engineering.

But I found out that Math is really handy when it comes to knitting. And as a geologist is cool to work with gemstones.

Is this your fulltime job or do you have another job?
Besides being a fulltime knitter I work as Geologist and a Mining Engineer in the Mining Department of a Portuguese Engineering Faculty (IST). I have fun at my job and it pays the bills and lately it gets me to travel too!

Le Bleu Mustache Brooch by nanouke

How did this project started?
I used to knit with yarn, like the usual knitter. But in the Summer it was weird hard to work with wool at the beach, so after I tried a couple of materials, I liked how the wire turned out. And it was shiny..!

After a while I decided to start nanouke and dedicate the shop entirely to knitted wire jewelry.

What inspires you?
The beads, the colors, my mood. I find when I’m upset or sad, my work gets more simple and less colorful. I carry a notebook where I draw new designs when I’m inspired.

How do you choose your materials? And where do you find them?
The wire I find online, I have this wire dealer of mine.

The beads I buy whenever I need them, or when I see something I like. I haven’t bought anything new for a year now, I’m on a stash diet!

Red and Pink Heart Brooch by nanouke

Could you share a typical work day?
You’ll get bored... I work for 8 hours (when I’m not buried with work and get to stay at the office until late hours) in front of a computer, mainly making ore deposit models.

After I get out of work, I usually go for a beer or two with my coworkers and then I get home to some TV, dinner and sleep. I work at my jewelry on the subway and while watching TV.

What is your favorite part of your work and work tool? Why?
I love how a tiny wire thread and a couple of needles can transform into something completely new and unique. I keep thinking.. “What kind of sorcery is this?”

Why did you open an Etsy shop?
Money I guess. You get to do something you love and then people pay you money for it. Come on! But nowadays I just keep it opened because of the community and the friends I made over the years.

Black and White Round Ring by nanouke

What do you thinks are the benefits of belonging to a team like the PTteam?
To be in touch with more Portuguese crafters! Make new friends and try to help the best I can.

What do you do to promote your work and shop?
I don’t do much besides keeping a blog and a facebook page. I always carry business cards with me and I found that knitting with wire in the subway, the bank, etc. is also good for promoting (people ask about what I’m doing).

I don’t go to craft fairs anymore, but when I did it was a good way for promoting too.

What advice would you like to share with fellow artists or crafters?
Do it because it’s fun, do it because you love it. These days is very hard make a living out of it.

Pink, Orange and Yellow Beaded Bracelet by nanouke

What do you find most inspiring in the country you're from/Portugal?
The weather! Oh God, we have such nice weather…!

Where do you see yourself and your project in 5 years?
Happy and fluffy, as always.

What would you take with you if your house was on fire?
My yarn and needles and all the books I could carry (I have a lot of them).

Quick fire questions. Your favorits:

Book: 1984, George Orwell
Movie: Me and You and Everyone we Know, Miranda July
Music: Bohemian Rapsody, Queen
Artist: The Pixies
Food: Pataniscas de Bacalhau!
City: Torres Vedras, where I lived until last year
Country: Portugal

All photos by Ana Veríssimo aka nanouke.