So a couple of things that might be interesting to you, my loyal listeners.

First of all I created a Ravelry group for Craft Culture so there is an actual forum to discuss the podcast, give any feedback you may have, ask questions or give responses to the discussion questions, etc. All the normal message board stuff. I hope you pop over and join the group and let me know what you think!

Secondly I need co-hosts! Below I’ve listed some topics that I’d like to talk about in the not so distant future. If you have any expertise, knowledge or just a really good opinion about any of these topics please let me know!

• A Hierarchy of Crafts: Why do some crafters look down on other crafts? For example, the knitters who think crochet isn’t a legitimate craft. Or hand knitters vs. machine knitters. What are the distinctions even in a single craft (the old natural fibers vs. synthetic fibers or LYS vs. Michaels/JoAnnes/Hobby Lobby arguments)? Why do we see this kind of stratification in the crafting community? Aren’t the techniques all the same regardless of what the fiber content is in your yarn?
• Sub-genre’s in Crafting: People who find a niche within their craft and ‘live’ there permanently or semi-permanently.  Example: Steampunk crafters, sewers who only make aprons, non-stop sock knitters, amigurumi, etc. What draws people to craft in a theme or style to the exclusion of other things? Conversely why do some crafters go the other direction and make a little of everything without ever finding any kind of niche?\
• Things You Wouldn’t Think of being Handmade: Like perfume, makeup, food, shoes, etc. What inspires people to go beyond even traditional crafts and get into things like these? What kind of market is there for these sorts of things? Are these things you would make as a hobby or for profit? Or both? Are there some crafts that can only really be a hobby or only be for profit?
• On Pattern Writing: From the writers perspective how hard is it to come up with something original? What does the creative process look like for you? How do you deal with negative feedback? What about errata? How do you handle making edits or corrections? (I would love to talk to someone who has published professionally and can offer insights on writing proposals, what the publication process is like, has it been worth it, etc?)
• Building an Empire: Starting with one thing and over the course of time ending up with many more things. Do some people just have a natural affinity for creating an ‘empire’? What are the advantages and disadvantages of being multi-faceted? How do you decide when to add things to your empire?
• Going Brick & Mortar: Either from the shop owners perspective or for those indie businesses that have done wholesale with brick and mortars. How do you decide where to put your store or who/what to stock (if you are the owner)? If you are the vendor, what terms do you look for when considering wholesale orders? What is your minimum order? Do you operate at a loss with these kinds of orders? Are they still helpful in getting your name out into the world and you product into customers hands?
• ‘Get a Real Job’: Do you get pressure from your friends and family to ‘get a real job?’ If you have a ‘real’ job how do you balance the time between your craft and your job? If you are not a crafty biz owner, how do you feel about those who are? Do you admire them or think they’re reckless to be a ‘creative’ in a down economy? If you do own your own crafty biz, what factors led you to starting your business and how do you handle the pressure to ‘get a real job’? How has owning your own business affected your life in other ways?

If any of these seem interesting to you or seems like something you could talk about on air comfortably please send me an email to craftculturepodcast@gmail.com with which topic seems interesting, a brief description of why you want to talk about it and maybe even quick/short answers to some of the questions I posed. A lot of these topics can be broken down into more than one show so if more than one person wants to talk about a particular subject that’s okay too, everyone has their own take on things!

To record you will need a Skype account, a decent microphone for your computer and at least an hour free on a Friday sometime between 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. PST.

Thanks! I look forward to hearing from some of you!