Twinkie Chan and her giant wall of yarn.

Many indie-art lovers, craft-fair shoppers, and online fashionistas are familiar with the spunky, pink-streaked visage of Twinkie Chan, who describes herself as “that girl who makes food scarves.” Other than the scarves, she’s also the person responsible for crocheting delectable accessories such as steak purses and chocolate cake tissue-box cozies. She has been crafting these wearable objets d’art since 2005, and recently published a book, “Twinkie Chan’s Crochet Goodies for Fashion Foodies” (Andrews McMeel Publishing, released in November 2010).

Now that she’s a resident of the Outer Sunset district, the Ocean Beach Bulletin caught up with Twinkie by email in the middle of her whirlwind schedule, between trips to Seattle and Portland to promote her new book.

Ocean Beach Bulletin: What was your original inspiration for doing food-inspired knits, and what were some of the first foodie projects you did?

Twinkie Chan: I’ve always been drawn to fake food. Don’t ask me why! When I was little, I would collect Fisher Price plastic toy sets, and when I first learned to crochet, I made fake dim sum – BBQ pork buns and egg tarts – for my grandparents. When I started to buy more handspun and hand-dyed yarn as I got older, I was immediately drawn to colors that reminded me of food: peppermint, scrambled eggs, cotton candy. It was really the yarn that provided the inspiration for me to teach myself how to actually crochet food shapes to make fun scarves!

OBB: You’ve been “professionally” designing and selling your knitwear since 2005 and you’ve already built such a big fan base. How has the reception for your creations grown/changed over the last five years?

Still life with fruit, Twinkie Chan style.

TC: It just continues to grow, and I am honored, surprised and so delighted all at once. I think in the beginning, a lot of teenaged girls really liked the fun and colorful style of my work, and now that I have a book of crochet patterns, my audience is also expanding to an older demographic as well: for example, grandmothers who are eager to crochet fun projects for their grandchildren.

OBB: I just have to ask – how did you get the moniker “Twinkie”?

TC: When I decided I wanted to have my own website to showcase my goods, I also decided to take on a crafty pseudonym. I was working in publishing at the time, and even though my real name is [fairly common], I was worried my publishing clients might find out about my crazy hobby by Googling me! I wanted a name that related to food, and a “twinkie” is also cultural slang for an Asian kid who grew up in America – yellow on the outside, white on the inside. That’s not something a lot of people will catch, but I thought it was really clever! Chan is my mother’s maiden name.

OBB: What are observations you have about the growing interest in the past several years in the DIY aesthetic (craft fairs, independent artists, grassroots artisan businesses)? What do you think this interest and popularity could be attributed to?

TC: I think the economy is definitely a part of it. People want to learn how to make the things that they like by themselves. We are also becoming more aware of what we are buying, where the supplies [and] ingredients come from, and who is making it, so I think there is great pride in feeling a closer connection to the objects we acquire. With giant companies pumping out all the same clothing, the DIY culture is also a great place for people to shop who want something off the beaten path.

OBB: How did the idea for your new book come about? Could you tell us about what you went through to create and publish the book?

“Twinkie Chan’s Crochet Goodies for Fashion Foodies” was released in November.

TC: Once I launched my site, people were already asking me to sell them my patterns. At the time, I thought, “No way!” I had tapped into a new and different style, and I wasn’t ready to dilute it already by giving away the secrets! Fast forward to 2009, I decided to give Twinkie Chan my 100 percent attention, and, being a terrible businesswoman, I couldn’t really figure out a way to make a living without taking a brave leap into mass-production. So when I signed on a licensing agent to sell the rights to my scarf designs, he surprised me by first telling me we had an offer for a book deal. Coming from a publishing background, I always [thought] I’d have my friends [and] colleagues help me find a deal, so I was really surprised and didn’t even know he had been talking to anyone about a book! But I discussed the deal with my business partner, and he felt that since we were about to go to market with the scarves, the book would be a nice companion to that.

I had three months to actually write the book, and you know how life goes … so I ended up only giving myself one month to write it. It was kind of crazy! I keep notes and patterns in my journals, but “translating” them into legible patterns was a feat in itself! I never considered myself a pattern-writer, so I didn’t ever know if I was doing it right! I also shot all the photos in my living room at 3 a.m. on a tight deadline. I also drew all the illustrations (except for the “how to crochet” illustration, which my friend Candace helped me with). It was a strenuous process, but so much fun! My publisher, Andrews McMeel, was so awesome to work with. They really understood my aesthetic both in design of the book as well as the voice of my writing, and they have also been so supportive in organizing my West Coast book tour. Having worked in the industry, I really expected nothing but received so much!

OBB: You’ve got multiple blogs (TwinkieChan.com “blaaargh” and IEatYuckyStuff.com), social media presences (Twinkie Chan’s Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and MySpace sites), and your own clothing and design sites (Twinkie Chan’s Etsy vendor page and YummyYouClothing.com) AND now you are traveling to promote your book. How are you finding the time to update everything regularly? How did your online presence evolve and contribute to your success?

White cake tissue-box cozy.

TC: Oh, gosh. Time management is something I really need to work on! But keeping up with the blogging and social media is just part of my life and feels like breathing. I’ve had a blog in some shape or form for more than 10 years. I like to share my experiences and also read about others’. I’m rather introverted in person, so the Internet has been a great way for me to network and meet like-minded people. I think what helped my brand was that people felt there was a real person or personality behind it. They weren’t just buying a thing, they were joining me in my kooky little world. So I always feel it’s extra important to keep updating all that as much as possible. I also try to respond to as many comments as I can. I like to engage my customers since I would be nowhere without them. But I am sometimes slow to adapt to new platforms, like Twitter. I didn’t update my Facebook page regularly until less than a year ago. But once I start, watch out! I won’t shut up!

OBB: Your IEatYuckyStuff blog is hilarious! You’re obviously very food-obsessed! A significant number of the things you’ve eaten on that blog are pretty hard-core Asian food (pork sung, green tea porridge, Korean walnut and peanut drink, seaweed salad… heck, I’d even put Vienna sausage and Spam in the “Asian” category because of their unexplainable popularity). Could you tell us some of the best and worst you’ve had, and where you would find these foods?

TC: I think food can be so funny! There is some really crazy stuff out there. Even my dad likes to suggest foods for the blog and buys them for me. My favorite entry was the pretzel with Easy Cheese. You can’t lose with a good sound track! The Vienna sausage entry got me a lot of flack with my vegetarian and vegan friends, [and] they are not as yummy as I thought they would be! I usually just pick up gross or funny foods on regular shopping trips, either to Safeway or Ranch 99, places like that. I do have something I need to eat/blog about soon that we randomly got at a truck stop on a drive down to L.A.

OBB: As an Outer Sunset resident, what are some of your favorite neighborhood places?

TC: We just moved to the Sunset/Parkside in September from the Dogpatch, so I am still feeling out the ’hood. We randomly popped into Kingdom of Dumpling on Taraval and it was so so so so good! We also hit up ramen places like Genki, Sawaii and Izakaya Sozai. My really favorite place to go is Genki Crepes. I love egg puffs and milk tea! And you can buy fun Japanese cookies and candy there, too. We used to go to Genki Crepes even when we lived in the Dogpatch. Park Chow is always a go-to for us, too, when we want a good brunch!

OBB: What do you feel makes the Sunset special or unique?

TC: This neighborhood speaks a very loud word to me: family! On a very general and literal level, we are surrounded by families and children on our street. On a more personal level, this is a neighborhood my mother feels comfortable to visit. She loves to drive in from the Peninsula, go grocery shopping, and then come over to the house to visit and drop off snacks. This would never occur when I lived in the Mission! I also love how close to Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach we are. We have two dogs, so it’s nice to trek out somewhere beautiful without having to drive a million miles to get there. Sure it’s colder out here than the other neighborhoods I’ve lived in here in SF, but it’s just more reason to make and wear more cute scarves, right?

OBB: Prior to knowing about your own websites, I’ve actually discovered your designs through Shanalogic.com, ModCloth.com, and the Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco. At which upcoming events in San Francisco will you be vending in the next month or so, so we can buy your products for holiday gifts?

Twinkie Chan's handmade scarves will be on sale at the the Holiday Renegade Craft Fair Dec. 18 and 19 at the Concourse Exhibition Center.

TC: I’ll be vending at the Holiday Renegade Craft Fair on December 18-19 at the Concourse Exhibition center with my Twinkie Chan hand-made goodies. You can also buy my “Yummy You! by Twinkie Chan” line — which is more affordable — at many online boutiques and also at the Giant Robot shop in the Haight.

For more on Twinkie and her edible escapades, check out:

Main: www.TwinkieChan.com

Book: www.TwinkieChanBooks.com

Yummy You: www.YummyYouClothing.com

All photos: Trina de Joya/Ocean Beach Bulletin