Crafter says handmade articles better quality

On Saturday, the Times-Herald spoke with Moose Jaw's Janet Boonstra, 70 and her husband Peter, 78, about their business Strings 'n' Things during the Moose Jaw Crafters' Guild sale at the Town 'n' Country Mall.
Q: What exactly are you knitting while sitting here in the mall?
Peter: I'm not knitting. This is crochet . . . It's a scrubber. It's for cleaning pots and stuff like that.
Q: What's the difference between knitting and crochet?
P: What's the difference? You got me. I guess one uses a crochet needle and one uses knitting needles.
Q: Is it difficult to make a scrubber?
Peter: It takes about half an hour. (The material) is kind of rough on your fingers. It's a nylon netting.
Q: What's the most difficult craft to make?
Janet: Probably the baby wraps and maybe the baby blankets. I have a specialty. The blanket comes with a pocket that the baby goes into. It's not too hard to make, but it's time consuming.
Q: What is one of your most popular crafts?
J: I also make wallets out of recycled juice boxes. I don't have any to show you, because I'm sold out.
Q: Why do some people prefer handcrafted goods to stuff from a store?
J: They're usually better made and the price is usually right - it's cheaper.
Q: How long have you been in the craft business and how do people find out about your products?
P: We've probably been in it about 20 years. People mostly learn about us by word-of-mouth.
J: We're in the farmers' market in Regina . . . We're going to be doing Cream of the Crop in Regina and the Whistle Stop is a big one in Moose Jaw. We're also at the Cosmo Centre in September and November. That keeps us pretty busy.

Carter Haydu can be reached at 691-1265.