Crouching Tiger, Knitting Dragon is the third in our ongoing Upturn series. The goal of each Upturn wallet is to depict a story hand picked from submissions to our free wallet program.

the story

Crouching Tiger, Knitting Dragon is based on a story from Bethany Quiles of Truth or Consequences, NM. She sent over this very brief email that got us wantin’ to make a wallet. “I live in the desert. New Mexico, to be precise. It is over 115 degrees Fahrenheit outside at the moment and all I have to keep me cool whilst I work is a small fan. What is it that I do for work in such conditions? I knit blankets. Blankets, scarves, socks, sweaters; all for friends and family and the occasional farmers’ market. It’s hard to make a buck, so when I have a few to my name, I have to spend it on new yarns for new jobs. On the weekends I take the dice I’ve collected over the years and play D&D with my friends in their nice air conditioned home. It’s certainly a wonderful break from the needles and fan.”

We loved the dichotomy of knitting versus D&D and that’s all we really needed to get to work. It was only after we mailed off her free wallet and had more correspondence that Bethany explained her struggle with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia. “It makes me have a lot of health problems. I can’t sit or stand for more than about an hour, too much pressure on the spine.”

It made us all the more astonished by Bethany’s life and her D&D character, Xochi Hart. So we asked her to elaborate on her alter-ego. “She’s a level 11 halfling rogue/shadow dancer named after my favorite place, “Xochi’s bookstore” (Xochi means flower in mayan) in Truth or Consequences. She’s a hoarder of magical goods, collecting them over adventures to sell them in her Adventure Mart. She’s rich as can be through her dealings with her current party, but still likes to keep her thieving abilities active by pick pocketing in her spare time. In our battles so far, she has received the least amount of cumulative damage due to her shadow dancer skills. I plan on making her take another prestige class: Psionic Trickster or Arcane Trickster so she can pick locks from 30 feet away, set off traps without any danger, and pick pockets without touching someone. Still have 5 levels to go before that though. In our most recent adventure, the party is against trolls. 2 of the party have died and only one has been resurrected as of now.”

Bethany’s having hip-replacement surgery in September and so we thought it would only be appropriate for a portion of proceeds from each Crouching Tiger, Knitting Dragon wallet sold to be donated to Bethany’s ninja skills yarn fund (for those many days of recovery). It’s important that she get back on her feet so she can help resurrect the rest of her party!

wallet details

Designed by Bob Snead, each Crouching Tiger, Knitting Dragon wallet is handmade in the USA with a hand printed exterior, 4 credit card slots, ID window slot, two hidden pockets (for your business cards), and twenty bucks printed in the bill slot. Full size of the wallet is 8.5”x3.5” and folded 4.25”x3.5”. Developed from a mix of durable canvas, vinyl, and nylon. Limited Edition of 100.

It’s been a little more than a week since we moved into our NOLA abode and I still have a nervousness that has kept my stomach unsettled. I think the main reason is because the jobs that seemed so promising and a sure thing only a few weeks ago, vanished at the same time we unloaded our boxes into 3600 Saint Claude Ave. We spent nearly everything we had (and even got a generous donation from my wife’s grandmother) to make it here with the expectation that work would begin pronto. But I really shouldn’t be surprised since most of the job prospects were gotten on craigslist. Craig can provide so much, but more often than not, he serves up sheer disappointment. The first call back I got on my craigslist applications was from Orient Expressed a store which produces embroidered clothing and from the name seems to be proud that most of their garments are manufactured overseas. They wanted someone to run a computerized embroidery machine in Nola, which seemed not all that dissimilar to Silkscreening garments in a weird way, so I applied. Soon after I spoke to the owner, Bee Fitzpatrick and she seemed enthusiastic about me working with her all woman crew. We made plans to interview during the week of our arrival. Last Wednesday I gave her a call, and her tone had changed. They had filled the position. I was so angry and frustrated. Mainly because I had put off replying to another job offer with the Green Project (a very cool place that I now regret not working for) to interview with her. As soon as she blew me off, I made a desperate call to the Green Project, but it was too late because as they told me a week prior, they were filling the position on the day we arrived.

Since then, I’ve applied to everything under the sun, from Barback at the Republic to Framer/salesman at the Fleur de Lis Gift and Frame Shop which had every imaginable personal item formed in the shape of this city’s beloved symbol. Today I did temp work for a concrete company. Last night the guy from the temp agency was giving me a pep talk about how to be a hard worker. “You know, while you’re working if someone asks you something personal, just say ‘we can talk about that during break, right now I gotta work’. This is a really great opportunity for you. You’ll start out as a helper and then we’ll get you a TWIC card (now you will have to be with the company for ninety days or you’ll have to pay for that.) And then, AND THEN you can be a concrete finisher. Concrete is an excellent field to be in right now!” I know the contrary, because of the woes of the construction industry via family in Charleston. But I certainly didn’t chime in. I need the job. So I crawled out of bed at 5am, made my way to work by 6 and got to grinding concrete for only four hours. Then they let us off early. “Excellent field to be in right now!” Yeah right….. Whether I go back tomorrow is still up in the air. I’m waiting for a phone call.
I will get a bit of mental relief when my part time job at Loyola University starts next month. But there’s still rent for THIS month!

The whole point of all this is to show how totally stressed out I am, and to celebrate I’m slashing prices for one week only! I’m calling it the Nola Rent Sale, and for this week only you can get any of our designs for only $20! Help us make our second month’s rent by buying wallets! If you buy two or more, I will also send you a very special secret drawing surprise! This sale will only last until 8/29, so act now!

Also this week (on Monday August 23 to be exact) our much delayed crouching tiger, knitting dragon wallet will be released… on sale too!

With all our moving insanity, I was still able to squeeze in some printing on a new design for our Upturn line. ‘Crouching Tiger, Knitting Dragon’ is based on the life of Bethany Quiles. During the scorching New Mexican summers, she splits her time between knitting and rolling dice in games of D&D. More of her story coming next week when this wallet is released. Also note that because of our upcoming move, all wallets ordered this week will not ship until August 12th. However if you do place an order this week and can live with the delay, we will include a free ‘Knitting Dragon’ wallet for the hassle. Next time I will be writing from the ‘Keep it Real’ Barbershop. Woo-hoo!