natalie rachel

Data Scarves

Etsy is a key player in the DIY and maker world; its existence has changed the way people create, sell, and buy handmade products. To show the immense growth of the company and the effect it has had on its audience, I created handmade wearables using data from the website.

Being both a maker and a consumer of handmade and vintage goods, Etsy plays a large part in my creative life. I use the site for inspiration, personal shopping, and gifts. When thinking about data representation as a vehicle to understanding numbers, Etsy seemed like the perfect venue to explore.

Conceptually, the project was to showcase the handmade and maker community on Etsy; to show its exponential growth from launch to present. With help from staff at the website, I acquired monthly data for items sold, items listed, amount (in dollars) sold, and new registered members. I also recorded the daily numbers for item categorization found on the website over the course of a month. Etsy uses three global categorizations: handmade, vintage, and supply. All other categories, such as jewelry, clothing, or ceramics, fall within those global three.

By importing these numbers into Processing, growth trends and other interesting patterns emerged. Using Processing, I created a grid that became the knitting pattern for the scarves. The data was also exported and used in the final print posters to compliment the scarves.

Visit my Etsy shop where these items are for sale.