#17 - Cinthia Vallet @fromcinthia- on designing & selling smart and soulful knit animal patterns

In this episode I welcome Cinthia Vallet, designer extraordinaire of animal knitting patterns. 

Cinthia is a very charming and lovely person, her designs are super smart, starting at the head, knitting down, all in one piece. This way you immediately connect to the animal you are making. The designs are beautiful and cute and definitely not just for kids. 

We talk about her inspirations, how she works at home finding balance as a designer and as a mom in covid times. Cinthia's patterns are great to use up stash or use that luxury hand dyed yarn you love so much, you only need a small amount. 

Find her beautiful designs here and have a look at all the pictures of the cute creations via her IG account. @fromcinthia

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Transcript

Saskia de Feijter: 0:03

This is a smaller life podcast about making more conscious and more ethical choices within our crafts. Hosted by me Saskia de Feijter. I'm a small business owner who wants to grow by going smaller. Together with local makers, I make tools, yarns and accessories for knitters that want to buy less, buy better, make more and make it less, keeping away the overwhelm, and all the ridiculousness of over consuming within our crafts. In the podcast, I endeavor to answer the question we ask ourselves before we start a project, what do we buy? Where do we buy? Who do we buy from? Or don't we buy it all, but use what we already have? Because when you think about what you do, you take more time and end up with less of everything. As a result, you'll get a smaller life. Super excited to talk to Cynthia violet. Today she is otherwise known as at from Cynthia on Instagram. She designs patents for knitted animals, but not just any kind of toy. These animals have real souls, they are beautiful, and she has a very smart way of designing them. So you can knit them in one piece from the head to the bottom. So you see their character quickly develops. So you really quickly connect to the animal that you're making. It's such a wonderful process and so smart. Cynthia is truly talented and a joy to talk to and she has a lot to share with us. So enjoy my talk with Cynthia velit.

Unknown: 1:58

Bonjour Cynthia. Hey, Saskia.

Saskia de Feijter: 2:02

I am wearing my Britannia shirt. My Brittany shirts today for you.

Cinthia Vallet: 2:08

Oh, especially for me. Yes. So you put you put a cloud on it?

Saskia de Feijter: 2:14

Yes. Because this is what I remember from the weather.

Cinthia Vallet: 2:20

So no, it's often Sunny, too. Yeah, I know. I

Saskia de Feijter: 2:23

know. I didn't have like a very like right now. It's so it's so like, it would be so stupid. If you would bring to lips due to a conversation now. This is just what I wear every day has just been. Yeah. So um, so happy that you're here. I'm so happy to see your face while we talk because we go back a little while. But our conversations mostly have been on the back end of Instagram, right? Yes, yes. written one. Written conversations. Yes.

Cinthia Vallet: 3:00

It feels good to talk.

Saskia de Feijter: 3:02

Can you tell us who you are and what you do for a living and everything else?

Cinthia Vallet: 3:11

My name is Cynthia Vallet. I'm from France. I live in knots, which is down on the west coast. Not on the west coast, but not far from the west coast in, in France. And I'm a designer of knitted toys and pattern writer. This is what I do for living now.

Saskia de Feijter: 3:37

Amazing. And did you train to be a designer of knitted toys or patterns for knitted toys.

Cinthia Vallet: 3:47

I have never trained officially I'm I'm a self taught designer or button writer. I don't know what what I could have done as a training for this. I never followed artistic studies, stuff like this. Designing studies. For a long time. I've been thinking I could have a lack of legitimacy for this reason. For a long time. I have had regrets not having made artistic studies are crushed studies, because I think I would have like I had thought about this when I was young. But then it's behind me. And so I started to be more confident on my legitimacy. And I see more what I'm learning day after day and I see more and more what I'm learning if true skills. I know if it's truly clear but I need more in my I think that these skills. Learn day after day at this same level as true. Yes. So

Saskia de Feijter: 5:03

by repeating and by doing it, yes, you might grow your skills to the same level as

Cinthia Vallet: 5:10

they would have been to official skills. I don't know how else to say it, but I put it less and what he could have been if I had follow artistic gestures, is it something you would

Saskia de Feijter: 5:27

say? Yes. force or

Cinthia Vallet: 5:30

Yes, education?

Saskia de Feijter: 5:31

Yeah. So you will do that, right. When you spend enough time working on a skill you will get to? Yes, level. And you could argue that by being self thoughts for some people, and in some occasions, it's even better because you really dive into specific needs that you have as an artist as a designer, whereas an education gives you a more broader viewpoint. Yes, also that has its benefits. But like for me, I didn't go to business school and I became an entrepreneur, purely fueled by my heart's desire and my my soul's one things I'm watching and with me, I'm super.

Cinthia Vallet: 6:21

I watch it too. I wish I haven't watched it yet to rewatch it. Now, I'm,

Saskia de Feijter: 6:27

I'm really watching it with my daughter. And I love everything about all the romantic ideas she has, but also the way everything looks. And I know that's silly, because it was a hard life. But it looks so simple in a way. Yes. Only what you need. And we talked about this a little bit for what you need, make it beautiful, make it functional. Yeah, it's

Cinthia Vallet: 6:55

a romantic idea to me now, maybe two or more people in this day and age where we feel like we're overwhelmed by all of the things. Yes, when I was looking at it, I was thinking about the salary of the house. And all the time I was thinking that everything was so minimally, then even if it's in the past that we could look for this a little bit more.

Saskia de Feijter: 7:20

Exactly. Do you get inspired? Because Let me explain for people that don't know the series, is a TV series on Netflix based on an of Green Gables the book? Are you inspired by TV series, or like this? Or what are your inspirations for your preference?

Cinthia Vallet: 7:37

I'm a lot inspired by illustration, really, really a lot. I love illustration. So I can be inspired by what I can see from the TV is, especially in the animation industry, and especially old movie and cartoons, which are featuring animals as humans. It's really, really, really what I love, I can get very excited front of cartoon or movie. And when I'm watching Africa, I'm watching it fully. So it's often with my youngest kid, but fully for me too. So yes, on TV, I'm really inspired by this. And, and I'm very inspired by in illustration from books. I have a patient for kids literature for a very long time. From maybe like 25 years old, I i've never stopped being patient by kids literature. In my mom's life first, because I've been reading stories every evening, for 20 years now, because my oldest son is 20 years old, at the rate of two stories each evening. So we are fully diving into illustration, every evening, and I keep doing it because my youngest is only six. And I've been working in bookshop, as a kids book seller. I had the kids section in charge. So it's really something that I love, love, love. So I'm always always looking at characters out there are drones, how they are dressed. And once again, I have a preference for animals characters.

Saskia de Feijter: 9:35

Do you have any favorites?

Cinthia Vallet: 9:40

In fairy characters, I think about Siri in particular, which we are reading a lot because we are reaching a lot of diversity. It doesn't come right now. But I often say when I look at the book, Oh, I love this one. But now right now.

Saskia de Feijter: 9:59

It's all So it's always the case and somebody asked you that I can imagine if you getting taken away by a character because it's, it's another world, it's a mirror image of our worlds as people and then it's easier to digest maybe feelings and ideas through the shape of animals more than people because not always you identify with the person in the story. And if there's an animal, there's something in between. I don't know, it's very interesting how that works. And must be some researchers about that.

Cinthia Vallet: 10:38

Yes, it's it's like door to door. Exactly. It's like a space in between,

Saskia de Feijter: 10:45

in France receiving this, and exactly the way I mean it, but with better words,

Cinthia Vallet: 10:51

in French, we say assess, I don't know, the English word, assess a literal space where you make a transition between something and something else, like an entry. And I think following animals, stories are low. This is passage to something as just stop wondering about, is it possible? Is it true? Is it just like this?

Saskia de Feijter: 11:18

Yeah, yeah, exactly. And how did you not become a children's book writer or Illustrator, but how did this love translate to knitting,

Cinthia Vallet: 11:30

I would have liked to be a book writer or Illustrator, I've already tried to write story, just like this quite long ago, I would have liked to draw. And on this point, I often, or I've too long thought about this problem of legitimacy. I never learned so I can't do it. And I think that one day, I will try again. But illustration is that kind of deal. Where I'm too locked. Now. I'm thinking I have never learned so I can't do it. So a little part of me thinks it's not true. But yeah, now I am in this state of mind. Whereas for meeting, as I'm doing things in three dimensions with my hands, and I think I can do it like this. So it's a little bit a way to draw characters. Also, it seemed more easy for me to enter with an actual material in three dimension to go into it like this. I started to try and it brought some results. And then from this, I could progress. And so I can do it like this. It was not a big, big plan. But step after little step. It started to work as as a way to draw characters. But it wasn't it could have been another way. I mean, yeah, at some point, at some point,

Saskia de Feijter: 13:05

if you've started baking cakes, for instance, and you turned into a character making cake person. Good that happens.

Cinthia Vallet: 13:16

I'm not interested enough interested enough in food.

Saskia de Feijter: 13:19

Yes. So it came out the way it should have come out, I think because yes, I think you're so talented at this. I mean, in the world of knitting, I think there are two or three names in this particular area, and you have risen to the top. It's amazing. You your characters are so lovable, and cute. And

Cinthia Vallet: 13:45

thank you very much.

Saskia de Feijter: 13:46

Yeah, I admire your work a lot, to be quite honest. And I have to be honest, I haven't knit any of them. Because I don't know why.

Cinthia Vallet: 13:58

I don't feel the need to do it.

Saskia de Feijter: 14:01

Not at this moment, but I love them. I and I I'm super fortunate to have had Marley that helped me so samples for the for the shop, and she she has knit me bunny od with her little socks, and then they do dress and I mean if you know me, there's there's nothing I love more than animals because I talked to my stuffed animals until I was I'm not even gonna say how I was connected to my stuffed animals in ways that they were actually really my friends. So this should be my knitting and I am going to do it because I think maybe that's it maybe I think I'll get addicted. But to be honest, my knitting brain usually once the longer simpler type of knitting, which sounds really weird when you're a professional in the knitting industry. But I love straightforward knitting. And this is almost like making a figure out of clay. You're like with every roll, you're making a new shape. And it's it's magic. It's wonderful.

Cinthia Vallet: 15:11

Yes, this is what I like. In meeting. It's like the it's, as you said, three dimension substructure.

Saskia de Feijter: 15:22

Yes. Well,

Cinthia Vallet: 15:22

it has the potential for this because I haven't been knitting for a very long time. The first time I tried knitting is like when when my first kid was a little boy, like 16 or 17 years ago. And at that time in France, we had mainly brands with acrylic room and stuff like this. Yes. So at that moment, I wasn't, I'm not going to say that it was a problem for me at that moment. But I didn't even realize how the wool industry was about to be renewed, and how it could bring all the extraordinary brands that we have now. And I could not imagine that. So it was not really a problem of acrylic. But it wasn't very motivating, to try to knit something that you could buy in a shop. And I really didn't like this seeming aspect, not because I think it's a problem to seam a garment, for example, but I was never finishing those things I was starting. So it's not really a strong conviction. But actually, I wasn't completing anything.

Saskia de Feijter: 17:20

You'd be interested to know that I when I moved house, I got rid of a monkey that was half in it worked several parts in this brand. Because this was the brands I started with this is when everything started from there, and I grew my knowledge. And then I changed into offering all natural yarns. So I had this monkey in pieces, because you never finish it. And this is so great about your patterns, you start and one of the things that I love is a lot of the time or maybe all the time you start with the heads all the time, all the time. And then you have if you look at Instagram, and you look at the hashtags for a Cynthia's designs, you see this heads emerging, and it sounds it sounds a little bit creepy, but it's super cute. So don't worry. The heads are really cute. And once you have the heads, It is finished this stuff that has eyes, it has a face, there's no way you're not going to finish this up, call it. So it needs to it needs to start living. So this is really I don't know if you do this intentionally. But it's really yes,

Cinthia Vallet: 18:34

I do it intentionally for two reasons. Because I, I really the first reason the practical one is to avoid procrastination. It was really my first intention. Because I know I Oh, I also have a bear from my very, very early meeting beginning at the same time we were talking about previously, and I never finished it because you have you have to assemble and stuff like this. And I just forget about it. Some people don't mind assembling some people like it. So it's not a problem. But for the people who don't like and tend to leave the project in pieces. In a bag. I thought that starting like this could help not procrastinating Indian simply. So you make the toy in one piece. So you don't have anything to assemble. And you start it from the hand which is also the thing that slowed down people at some point during the face features and the main reason is the anti procrastination program is so smart. And the second reason is that just like you said, I tend to mentally breathed a lot of life into stuffed animals. We love stuffed animal at home. My youngest daughter is also a lot into stuffed animal. She doesn't play a lot with anything else. But she loves animals. So having this little head already alive in your hand. It's just weird. Sometimes it's I feel from the beginning. It's almost alive.

Saskia de Feijter: 20:18

Yes. And you want to care for it. Yes. So you want to

Cinthia Vallet: 20:21

even if you take time to do it, even if you let it in a bag for a while or in the best kid then it's here. It's already your life. And you have the biggest chance to to reach the end and I see it for my daughter when I work on a new toy when only the head is existing Sometimes come back from school and say, Oh so cute. She can see it already, she sees the soul of it already seems so special, it's so

Saskia de Feijter: 20:49

special. And I can't imagine like stuffing that little heads back into a pouch. For you, we'll work on it again, I think I will just sit it on the surface. And that's why I love all the pictures of people knitting your patterns, they breed this exactly what we're talking about, they will position their patterns in their works in progress, as if they are already there. There's no fail. I haven't seen any pictures that are just like, casually draped next to a cup of coffee like you would usually see with knitting people just really connect to it. So you are in fact, a story writer in a way because you are giving people characters and then the story starts to unfold. It's a beautiful thing. I'm like my whole and of Green Gables is waking up in myself like

Cinthia Vallet: 21:54

no, it's true that people, some are making toys for the kids. So it's the most practical reason to make toys. But I see also a lot of people making them for themselves as adults and making them for the knitting experience. Yes. And they are caught by the soul, which is spreading out their knitting. And it's true that spontaneously them. The little character take room in their life. Yeah. And it's funny, and it's really, really, I love this. I love seeing this. It talks to my imagination, and it makes the life grow. Yeah, I put life in the toys and all the details adding the amount of life and it's growing. And it's growing. Yes, Chapter Yes, yes. That's the feeling I have. And it's really nice. Because even if the whole follow the pattern, and you can recognize the animal, the character, it's really for everyone people are making their own bringing earlier. They're always spreading something different. is a bit different. A little bump of the maker.

Saskia de Feijter: 23:14

Yes. And the kind of yarns that they use make. Yes, they make the difference as well. Do you have a specific needs for the years for your buttons, what would you say is the best to use,

Cinthia Vallet: 23:28

I think you can use a lot of yarns for the better. I like fingering which sounds because I really like the scale of the animals with fingering weight charm. So for me, it's the ideal young to use. I like tiny needles. So that's my favorite. But if someone doesn't feel right with tiny needles and fingering weight down, it will works well. With heavier young, then as we work as very tight goes, I wouldn't recommend to ristic young because of the comfort and the feeling. In order to avoid feeling like struggling with your, with your young during the process. What I really recommend is just not making swatch because it's not really useful in terms of measurement. But making a little try a little knitting run with the young you think you want to use and see if you feel comfortable with it when you work at a job coach. Yep. See if you have pleasure using it. While making a film fabric. Yes. So that's the most important. Yes. And in terms of colors. I like working with dials, and young Yes, because you have vacations and eat and stuff like this and it always bring something nice to the toy

Saskia de Feijter: 25:04

life

Cinthia Vallet: 25:05

it's Yes, it's it's an extra touch of something. And I would really recommend to to try Judy for metal years because we don't need a lot of yarn to knit these stories. So it won't be very expensive. That's that's really a good point. So you can afford testing a beautiful yarn. Testing the work from the day young.

Saskia de Feijter: 25:30

I think you're we talked about knitting from the heads how smart that is. But you also did another really smart thing. I was talking to Saskia from opposite Seta, and she makes the mini skein sets, and we were talking about for some people how hard it is to decide what to do with these sets, and then you ordered a set from my shop, and then you designed, it was Bernie ideal, wasn't it? Yes,

Unknown: 26:03

yes.

Saskia de Feijter: 26:04

And the smart thing is that I'm using this whole sets for a bunny with a dress and socks. And just everything comes together in only a small amount of yarn.

Cinthia Vallet: 26:21

Yes. And you have a lot, it's doing a lot from a few amount of things. It's doing a lot with not nothing. But yes, not a lot of materials. It's really nice for Bernie, ideally, it was really a challenge because I first purchased this set. And actually, I wouldn't have needed so much I could have stuck after the Bernie, and just a dress or a sweater and a pair of socks or something like this. But I had this set in my hands. And I was feeling bad not to use it. And it was the spark to light the rest of the work of the designing work. So I designed really a lot for this button. It was a lot of work. What was the whole package? In the pattern? Yes, yes. Or in the pattern, you have the pattern for the Bernie, I made two, it's the same pattern. But I made to Bernie's like two characters, because they wanted to use the two beautiful natural tones that I could find in the set. And then there is a sweater for one of the bunny dress, sweater variation from the dress to a pgms and evaluation from the pgms. And peril sucks. So and I still have a few leftover. And I like to make something with the leftover when I will have time. But the idea was to try to use the word set. And I will stand by the sets of money because I have love at first sight at first sight for sets of mini and before starting making this choice. I was among the people who might not know what to do with the means. So that's also why I went on this thinking about how to make the most of her ministered.

Saskia de Feijter: 28:27

Yes. And how many grams how many meters of fingering with you remember the sets how how

Cinthia Vallet: 28:36

in total or 125? I'm trying to remember because Saskia has this particularity to propose 25 grams in this game. Yeah. So it's it's the reason why when you do could fit into a mini skins because it's early, it's a little bit too tight to fit her in a 20 grands mini skin. But I saw people challenging themselves to make her in 20 grams, and they just add little known had no, they respect the body of venues. They just add like foods they make transition to change the color of the of the feet. The pose stuff like this, yes. Like this. So making just as if she had underwear. Yeah. So it's, it's still possible to make her with a 20 grams. Very little bit of cheating. Yes. Cool.

Saskia de Feijter: 29:35

So do you consider yourself a conscious business owner? And if so, what areas? Are you particularly focusing on?

Cinthia Vallet: 29:46

Yeah. So the particularity with my my business is that it doesn't involve material thing. I don't have to wrap I don't have to send things I don't have to, to think about this aspect of consciousness, because it's mainly digital. So it's, I think that they can be more into the people I'm working with. And for this reason, I'm very interested in working with small brands, and especially when I know how conscious they are on their own business, and how careful they are when they make loans. And that's my main way to think about this. And if I If, throughout throughout my designs, I can promote or support another small business who is working consciously. It's the way I can do things, I think, yes. So I think it's the main the main aspect of my work, which can be the other aspect is also that a lot of people are working with leftover, we don't have to buy a lot of things to make this design, and I really encourage to do it. I mean, I'm not always encouraged to do it loudly at the beginning, because my concern is also to promote the maker of yarns I'm working with. So of course, I encourage people to try this to, to, to have a look at the brown and to see how it works. So I'm not going to say you don't have to buy young, you know, I like to promote makers, I like to promote their art of color and, and all this stuff. But then if it's not possible, and if you already make it with this young brand, and if you want to keep making other you don't have absolutely to buy more young, because most of the time you have leftover, so it's always an ask a lot of options. Yes, there's a there's a lot of options. And it's also a way to promote toy making with beautiful materials, and long lasting toy making. I like also to think about this in my process. We talk about the one peace process concerning procrastination. But I think that the one peace process is also the advantage of making a sturdy toy, you can play with it. I have this one, which on my desk, which is the next one. They're making it at all, yes, I started to share about it. It's a little turtle, just the body for the moment and it's and stuff. But if you play with it, you can really stretchy. And so I'm also thinking, thinking about sturdiness when I work because I don't want people to make the choice. And just after seeing it's not sturdy enough and just make it for nothing.

Saskia de Feijter: 33:06

So they are not designed to be just pretty they are actually designed to be used as toys.

Cinthia Vallet: 33:11

Yes. It's maybe I'm not saying it's a lot because I don't take the time to always repeat the the intentions I had. But yes, I really want to make true toys. Yes, we can make the something that can work as both. I would recommend to be careful with a young baby, of course, but it's just a good sense of measure when you're a man, you know, you're not going to give everything to maybe better. But I'm really thinking about Sterling as I want. And this is also why I'm making clothes because I think that the playing action can start with window dressing. Yes. If you don't have anything to do with the with your toy, you're not going to play a lot. So this is yes, it's really important. So I think sturdiness is also linked to sustainability. Yeah, just not making something for it not to be used or enjoyed for a long time.

Saskia de Feijter: 34:12

Yeah, absolutely. And I think people would be very curious to know if you talk about your design and certain yarn brands and mini skein sets, and people, knitters heads will immediately go to, are there any kits? Can we get a kit? And how does that work? Like a kit meaning having it all together, send it over in one go?

Cinthia Vallet: 34:37

Yes, it's a question who often comes the question of kids, I don't want it to be something automatic for the moment. Because when I work with a young friend and mini skeins and stuff like this, it's a collaboration in in the meaning that we are talking about collabs with the maker we we are talking about things but we are not necessarily talking about a true completed because it's for now it's not fully our work. Whether it's me whether it's the young maker, to make a complicate it could be a thing at some point. But for the moment, I think the most important is gathering a bundle of young because it's the speciality of the young maker and this is where the young maker is is good when he has something to bring. And for me the most important is the designs.

Saskia de Feijter: 35:36

So where does the process start? Where does it start? Do you Start with the yarn and then start making or do you design with the yarn you have lying around and then think maybe we could connect this to a small brands, how do you come together? And because I think what's what's important to say is that we are making the connection with yarn makers, because the design you are making will be made of a certain kind of yarn. And that yarn is what people will see. And we'll connect that. And so Yes,

Cinthia Vallet: 36:13

I think so I try to answer about the kids, the kids, Christian maybe after because I think it wasn't,

Unknown: 36:20

I think it's connected in a way. Yes.

Cinthia Vallet: 36:23

It's true that the young I shows is totally part of the character creation. So yes, it is how people will discover the character. And when I design I really stick to this. And it's true that when after the design is released, after it has been living on social media on the internet for a while, I keep showing it most of the time, with the the initial yarn, I used all the initial brand I worked with, because it's totally part of the design. Right from the beginning, I have my idea of the young, I'd like to use. Most of the time I discuss colors are young, with the young maker, I get in touch, I'm really working in collaboration with the young maker, and the colors that come from the young maker can inspire me some outfits. And this is why it's really, really linked right from the beginning. And I like the idea of using a palette, a true palette for from a young maker, it gives us It gives my palette to the design. So it's really important. So the yarn is very interchangeable. For the maker, there is no need to go for the yarn I use, and everyone will find an easy solution if if he wants. But in the design, it's true that the young is really bad of the creation of the character that makes total sense. Yes. And in I like because it creates I like this way of working because it creates a new adventure each time when I stopped taking the picture or it's not going to inspire the same background and the same story and it's the wall thing. And in this is really why I value the work of diodes too, because they really create a valid they really make creation work. The higher this exactly. And I like using this. It's really rich. For me. It's like it's really using the work of distant remote colleagues. But yes, and regarding the kids, yes, sometimes it can happen that we propose the four kids, just like an occasion for the moment like we did for Sadie Sophie, when we were working with when we shop, for example, because it was a Christmas occasion, it was something we wanted to be special. But most of the time, what we what we are doing without any contract is just we are what we are naturally doing with the young maker is just gathering the bundle of yarn so people can find the bundle of yarn I used if they wish to.

Saskia de Feijter: 39:25

And then they buy the pattern from your end and the yarn from their end. And this way they support you at the same time. Yes. And also because the pattern is usually sold digitally. There's not a question of having to send over two different packages.

Cinthia Vallet: 39:47

So yes, yes. And when we want to make a true kits like we did for San Diego, occasionally the pattern can be included, but it's not really something useful. It's necessary. It's not necessary. No

Saskia de Feijter: 40:02

terms of payments. If you make a kit with a yarn maker, are you buying the yarn and then having to resell the young? are they buying their pets in for you and having to resell that

Cinthia Vallet: 40:15

it is as a business owner in brings an extra animal exemption which is not absolutely necessary?

Saskia de Feijter: 40:25

Yes. And I can imagine it's hard enough making a business with selling patterns because you're threatened sell at five euros something.

Cinthia Vallet: 40:36

Yes. 565. Yes.

Saskia de Feijter: 40:39

So that's a lot of lessons you need to sell. And then every thing that is an extra cost is an extra cost, I would assume

Cinthia Vallet: 40:48

Yes, I try to make things easy. And I don't think it's a problem for people to get the better than the directly in digital form from me. So yes, I think it's easier to do work like this. You're totally right. I'm not a lover of admin. No. So if they can avoid adding extra steps, it's better, it makes more time to design.

Saskia de Feijter: 41:19

Could you tell us a little bit about the process? Is there a certain amount of time that you spent designing one animal? Is it always a little bit the same? Does it change a little bit? How many crazy hours go into that? And

Cinthia Vallet: 41:34

I yeah, I never counted Presley. It's not always the same, because sometimes I go for more challenging animals. And it requires many trials, and I was thinking it was going to be faster. And finally, it's really longer. And I think it's not obvious from the outside when the animal is done. But for the turtle, for example, or the shaping of the back how to get the morphology of the turtle how to make it cute without the nozzle, all this stuff made me make a lot of tortures. Yeah, so it's a lot of times, and for example, for the turns, I'm going to revisit later than I expected to, but if I'm getting better at having regular rhythm, I would say that maybe I would need to count like two or three months for batum. But it would be a nice rhythm to, to get. So it's a it's a lot of work. But at the same time, My days are short, I keep having kids at home. And yes, I count. My days are short, we have a lot of holidays, school breaks friends. So for the moment, as a mom, I also try to stay available at home. And to keep the chance that this kind of work can bring as a meme. I'm thinking that one day I will be working faster in a few years. But for now I have to accommodate this rhythm of work.

Saskia de Feijter: 43:17

Yeah. For me, it's the same. Well, it wasn't a standard for me yet. But the standard is I work from home. And you can really step into your role as a mother with the type of work that we do, we can be a little bit flexible. At the same time, I have lists and plannings of how things would work best. And I try to work at least four hours a day. That's the ideal. I want to work four hours a day and for the rest of the time, be available as a mom, a partner and my house clean in order because we don't have help but moments. And it's it's a hard balance sometimes isn't it? Because your mindset sometimes I mean, for me, it works. Sometimes I'm in a in a in a flow or a state of now I feel like I'm creative, and I want to work. But then somebody needs me or something needs to get done. Do you find it hard to mix it all together? Or is it like thank God that I can mix it all together? Or a little bit of both? No,

Cinthia Vallet: 44:25

I just find it. I don't think you have a lot of men answering that. It's easy to make it work together. I find it difficult, because sometimes it's about the process. And in my mind, the creative process is not stopped, for example, at some point in the afternoon. But if I have to go out to be kept my daughter at school, and if it's already for us to stop. And at that moment, I think that every day, I always lose a lot of time. Because if I could have led the process, and at that moment, I would have one time. It's often the problem and the same at the scale of school, Greg, I always wish that I could finish or complete the step in the process right before the school break. And if if I could manage to do this, I would be really more productive and efficient. But most of the time it's not done right at the beginning of the school break. So this is the point I find difficult because the process just doesn't stick into the time buckets. I have God thing I find difficult is about focusing sometimes, because I also have the kids, and they go to high school, for example, or to their studies, but sometimes they come back because they have a hole in their schedule. And then they want to talk or say something, if I wasn't at home at that moment, they just would do something else. And it's nice that they can talk to me, but it also breaks the focusing.

Saskia de Feijter: 46:06

So have you established some some boundaries? And have you made some rules about that? No, I

Cinthia Vallet: 46:13

don't have feminine shows. If I really have an urgent deadline or something like that, they will totally understand that if I know them speaking to someone or something like this, I'm not going to be disturbed. But I'm not going to say between nine and 12, you're not talking to me just do like if I was outside at the office. I'm not saying this. Because like we were saying before, that's the good point of being here, too.

Unknown: 46:40

Yes.

Cinthia Vallet: 46:41

The only rules is that if I'm really late, or if I'm really busy because of a deadline, I will tell them just to disturb less at that moment. And the other difficulties, like you were saying it's just to have the mind free when it's tough. Yeah. Also, because the room when you're working, you can close the room. But you have a work room. Yes, I have a work from Yes, that's such a difference. Oh,

Saskia de Feijter: 47:08

happy at work.

Cinthia Vallet: 47:11

I really have one, it's really nice, because it's a place where I can let everything and just create the atmosphere. I like even if it's not the decoration that other would like so it's in my room and I met like once in my room. But even if I if I ever walk home, it's I really have to force myself sometimes not to go back into it after a certain time and I am not always good at empty my mind. Yeah, in the in the evening. But I'm thinking during the last codebreakers study to read books about focusing and deep work and stuff like this, and I'm really trying to put in place new habits. Yes, I'm

Saskia de Feijter: 47:58

working with that too. And it's, it really helps. Because for me, I do have to set some boundaries. So I put there's a sticker on the door right now that says recording. But I talked to them before I'm going to be recording. So please remember that sometimes they forget their kids. So sometimes during an interview, I will have to say sorry, I get to go for a minute and then ask them to be a little bit more quiet. And I made some cards for my daughter that sends two with three questions and the story. So she could like knock on my door. And during a work day, she could come in and ask three questions and tell me one story. And I use that for a week because she My son is not here. You don't even know that he's here yet. But she just really wants to she's a little bit older, but she still wants to come and cuddle and she kind of needs to reload her energy coming to me. But if I let her do it, I will never get into the flow. I will never be yes. So I really had to bait some boundaries. And we did this for a week and it changed. She kind of got the point from this certain sort of exercise. Yes, yes. No, she just comes and say hi, when she comes back from school because school started again. And then we cuddle and we chat for like 1520 minutes. And then I can work for a couple of hours until she wants to snack.

Cinthia Vallet: 49:31

Yes, it's it's the difference. My youngest is at school. So she's the main point of disturbing when she's here. And the other one a little bit older, so they enjoy being alone in their room. They are 16 and 17. And so so they will need less than what you're talking about because your daughter is a little bit younger. So for the moment, this is why I don't have to put these boundaries more. Yes. In a more permanent film. Yes, it's the age

Saskia de Feijter: 50:05

and how does your family see your profession? How do they look at it?

Cinthia Vallet: 50:10

Wow, they're very enthusiastic. I think they are. And they are very encouraging. They know how much I love making things and they are happy that I took the time and choice and to make it happen. I think this is how they see the seat. Sometimes I think I'm related between because I knitting most for example. Okay, she's the one with knitting. moles. So she's the one in the little room in the corner. She's making any noise.

Saskia de Feijter: 50:48

But it's it's more of a joke. So they do take it seriously as a job or that's a weird question to ask, but I think it can. It can be an issue if you're a small business in the knitting industry where everyone sees it as a hobby, even your peers, even people that knits and are your customers sometimes don't take your job seriously as a job because to them, it's a hobby.

Cinthia Vallet: 51:16

Yes, yes. I really know what you mean, I often feel this evaluation when I talk to people outside the family sphere. Yes, it's mainly what I feel. I can hear things like you're making little critters, it's funny. You have these things to keep you occupied. This is really what I share, mainly, but not in my family. Not at all, in my close family. Yes, that is my husband and my kids. They really understand things. They understand that not easy to make money out of designing, and they see how much work and skills you need to develop to reach your goal. And they totally understand that you're not going to be rich with this. But if you can have a professional approach, and stretch your skis and your your efforts, they value this, I think my close family value, the very thoughts to make it happen like this.

Saskia de Feijter: 52:25

So I left the hardest questions for last. Because in the Netherlands, people are very straightforward. They will say and think a lot what they have on their mind, depending on where you are. But it's a general idea. And they would would ask me, even with the shop, can you make a living out of this? And I would always feel like That's so rude. You don't ask people that because it feels like you're an artist in the attic, like the idea of this dying of hunger artists that is doing his work, because he needs to do. And I felt like people approached me in this way. And now I'm here interviewing and actually wanting to ask you the same question, which is awkward, but also important as a message to the listeners. As you said, you have to have a lot of skills spend a lot of time and then one pattern sells for a little under six euros? How How does that work? How do you feel about pricing for patents? Should it be higher? Do you have to really invest in marketing just to be able to sell more to more people? Do you have any plans or ideas about how to? How does it work with pricing? It must be so hard

Cinthia Vallet: 53:47

for pricing, I wouldn't want to make a generic statement. Because I wouldn't want other designer to think that because I think the price I made the high shows is the right for the moment, it doesn't mean that I think it should be the price at all, the pattern designer should sell their pattern, I think it's really a question of conviction. At some point, when I started, I felt that it was a reasonable price for a pattern. And I didn't link a calculation of how many I issued so. So I would say it's not really professional to do this, because it's not probably the way you would do if you were making a business plan. When I decided to give it a try. My first step was not making a calculation about how many buttons I should sell to make your living etc. The first step was really to work out on the first design and, and project and to start setting it to see what was going to happen and if there is interest from people for this kind of designs. And and this is what I could observe from the selling pattern after pattern that made me realize that maybe I could keep going and that it could be reasonable to hope making a living with it. It's very my observation of the actual says, You know, I don't know if it makes sense.

Unknown: 55:24

sense. Yeah,

Cinthia Vallet: 55:25

I could afford this observation time. And I always say that, in a way. I was lucky because when my youngest daughter was born six years ago, I decided to stop teaching I was a teacher in primary school at that moment. And I wasn't happy in this job. And I took the opportunity to stop it. At this moment, I knew I was going to be busy with my youngest daughter, and we were about to move. So I just stopped working. So we stopped having this income from me, I restarted at zero in a way. So I stayed really at home with my youngest daughter for three years. And I was dreaming a lot about things I wanted to do. And I've always liked making things my hands and being creative. And so it was in the background. And I knew that when she was going to go to school again, I will start making something again. But I was really starting from zero. So every income at that moment was a plus was something that coming in addition, so it was satisfying to see this plus increasing, but I wasn't comparing it to a true full income from another profession. Yes. So it helped me to wait for it to become more permanent and more regular, you see. And it's only after this period of adding actual selling of my pattern that I started to think about it more in terms of figures in accounting, and about the question, do I make your living? I stopped making a reasonable living as part of copper as part of feminine coming? Yes. If I was your situation, yes, because that is my situation. So I think that everyone should think compared to a situation. And when I think about this, do I make a satisfying living from it, I also take in consideration the fact that I'm not going into an office, I'm not spending a lot of money for lunch. If my daughter is sick, I don't have to no problem. I'm not working. If I'm on say I'm not working in the weekend, because we all know that we're when we are independent, we are sometimes working all the time. That's the thing to avoid. But I don't have to when I was working, for example, in a bookshop, I had to work every Saturday, and I had to work for Christmas holidays. And I. So I'm taking all the advantage. And yes, I'm trying to think in terms of balance advantage of my situation. So maybe so maybe for people where they make as an income wouldn't be enough. But for me, it stopped to be enough. If I consider my situation, my short days and the school breaks. I love that answer.

Saskia de Feijter: 58:34

Thank you so much for being so generous with answering this from your heart. Because it's so important to know that working as a professional in the knitting industry has so many shapes and forms. Yesterday, somebody sent me a message on Instagram saying I studied. I don't know what it was something to do with starting businesses. And she said, I haven't started a business yet, because I'm too scared because I do all the calculations. And I cannot start because it's not going to go anywhere I already know. But that also means that I don't take any chances. I don't I never do anything. And I think a lot of people in our industry, they follow their heart, they do what they love doing. And as long as your balance makes sense for you for your life. It's full of wins. It's full of great things that you can almost sculpt your life. And I'm so happy to hear that for you. You found this balance even though it's really hard. And my final question would be what is your wish for the future. As a designer, Navy personnel, you don't have to say world peace in knitting or something, it may be

Cinthia Vallet: 59:54

my wish for the future. One of the wishes I really had for a long time is getting close to the realization of it. So I maybe I can, let's say a lot about it, but a little bit. It was to make a book and book out of the better. So this is the next day. I'm going to take and so it's going to come through so it's going to be a big, big work. I'm very happy with it. So it's the next wish to tackle and I'm Yes, it's not in a big picture. It's going to happen quite soon. And yeah.

Saskia de Feijter: 1:00:36

So exciting. happy for you.

Cinthia Vallet: 1:00:39

I'm very happy With this and it was a long time dream. So this is why I can use it as an answer for how do you see yourself in the future because yes, it's where it was really something I wanted to do. And for the moment, I just want to him going, looking forward to having more time to to give more even more time to the process. So I don't have for now an idea of pivoting that I will do for now. I want to keep going. Yeah. and improving. And then as details I have things I want to develop. I would like to have printed buttons. I would like many things. I would like to make kids my own kids maybe one day so there is this little Saturday. It's nice. You said this in English that it's so yes, I don't know either. Like planets Uranus in obit novatel position many little things I want to I want to make, but there is not a big pivoting dreams. Yes. For now. That book sounds wonderful. I'm

Saskia de Feijter: 1:01:51

so happy for you that it's happening. I can't wait. I can't wait. Let me know as soon as you can. Well,

Cinthia Vallet: 1:01:58

I'm going to start working fully on this soon. And I will keep you updated. So lovely.

Saskia de Feijter: 1:02:08

What are the names of all your animals in your patterns? Um, well,

Cinthia Vallet: 1:02:15

the first one is nifty bear. Yes, really?

Saskia de Feijter: 1:02:19

Do bear to bear. Yes.

Cinthia Vallet: 1:02:22

The second one was Winston near.

Saskia de Feijter: 1:02:26

Yes. Winston.

Cinthia Vallet: 1:02:28

Yes. Then came when your D?

Saskia de Feijter: 1:02:31

Yes. Or do the rabbits.

Cinthia Vallet: 1:02:33

Yes. Yes, after came maybe money.

Saskia de Feijter: 1:02:39

I love that. Mary Molly.

Cinthia Vallet: 1:02:41

And Molly then came to to their two families deleted old one and said this.

Saskia de Feijter: 1:02:50

Oh, yeah. Sadie. Sad. They would say English lady. Yes.

Cinthia Vallet: 1:02:54

Yes, that's I just try to find them. Name, a first name and last name. And sometimes it's the name of the animals sometimes just evokes the name of the animal. And this is one of the things where my kids making fun of me when I look for the name.

Saskia de Feijter: 1:03:16

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much for sharing all this with us and giving us a little peek into your life as a designer, as a mother, how you make a combination and your plans and how you work. I really really enjoyed our conversation. Thank you so much.

Cinthia Vallet: 1:03:34

Thank you for inviting me to talk with you. It was really nice. Thank you very much.

Unknown: 1:03:40

Bye.

Saskia de Feijter: 1:03:43

A smaller life is more than just a podcast. It's connected to your hope and in the yarn and tool shop from Rotterdam in the Netherlands. With an online community that's all about bringing back the consciousness in our crafting practice and businesses. The website is www j A dash w o al comm find our conscious products. Learn more about the free community and sign up for our conscious knitting club membership and our weekly newsletter. You can follow me on Instagram at Evo what's a DME. If you're a regular listener, consider making a monthly contribution and becoming a sponsor through our Patreon page. If you're able to make a financial contribution, it would mean a lot the show is free for you, but it's not free to produce. If you own a business that fits the narrative, I will happily make a mini commercial for you. If you are a makers small business owner or otherwise experienced in running a business with a conscience or know someone that fits the description I want to tell my listeners about your experiences. Get in touch with me via the website or send me a DM on Instagram. Knowing more and choosing with a conscious makes the world better. If you have any questions about an episode or want to leave a note to me and the other listeners click the button in the latest show notes on the website. And one of the easiest things you can do to support the podcast is to leave an honest review on Apple podcasts. subscribe to the podcast on the platform of your choice so you'll never miss an episode and share it in your social network or even just mentioning it over coffee with a friend of only one person and I count on you to help me spread the message. Thanks for listening