I got a contact of a cup collector in France a few years ago in the Café. His wife made beatiful crochet balls for the cups.
Does anyone has his information/website? I am not looking for a good ball maker, I am looking for this specific one.

Thanks

François Danis -- pdanis@club-internet.fr

They no longer have a web-site.

Pascaline Danis makes the best balls bar none imho. I have several sets (six I think) and they're the ones I use all the time now.

Actually, they DO have a website:

http://danis-magic.com/cariboost1/

I'm having Francois make two limited edition items for me as I type...

G

Posted: Nov 8, 2008 4:49pm
This is a more up-to-date email address for François and Pascaline:

danis.francois@orange.fr

Geoffrey

Very cool G man, you're quite the international performer! Table from the US, balls from France, wand from Manila and accent from down under!

I get around, Mickey (in the best possible way)

G

I'll have to change my links. Oh well, I'm getting ready to make a couple of changes to the site, anyway!

Thanks, Geoffrey, for the updated email.

Thanks guys...you are the best.

Not sure if these are made by Danis, but I found them through a quick search on eBay. They look very similar and are shipping from Aquitaine Landes, France:

http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/galimagic

Hope this helps!

dc

That's François Danis.

Yes, dc, those are the ones made by Pascaline Danis.

Geoffrey

To the best of my knowledge I was the first selling these metallic balls commercially, which I call my Deluxe Balls. I began selling these metallic thread balls in early 2004 after working on the idea since 2002. I had intended bringing them out at the same time as my engraved Silver Cups debut in 2003 to compliment my original engraved cup design, but they were delayed slightly until early 2004. I wanted something 'different' and classy, but understated with a little magical sparkle to match the sparkle of my engravings on my cups. I was selling them for a few months on my website in 2004 before I brought them over to debut them at both the IBM & SAM conventions. After which they started appearing in different places commercially.
Check out the nice cups on the above French guys’ web site and you will understand where he got the idea - (after buying my cups). I guess he really liked the design...? I wrote to him about it and kindly asked him why he was making the same metallic style balls I make and why not make his own style balls and he basically said, I couldn't stop him so he would continue ... wasn't quite the spirited friendly magic fraternity answer I had expected.

I’m a professional magician not a ruthless aggressive dealer. I like to make original designs and create original products for magicians and the art I love. I like to try and push the art forward. I have several more projects I hope to release in the near future, one involves David Copperfield, the next is my long awaited cup wand, my original cup and balls routine, DVD and book, but I do get saddened and my motivation wanes by all these types of recent things.
I wish you all well.
Brett Sherwood

Hi Mr. Sherwood -

After reading your post, I went back to the Danis website and their balls are pictured with what appears to be a set of your smooth copper cups.

I had no idea that these were of your original design or that you had been infringed upon in any way. My apologies.

It's OK - it isn't your fault at all, but thank you for your concern - I appreciate that. These balls have now been sold since 2004 almost three and a half years... What can I do I cannot stop dealers, but just wanted to put the facts down for the record. They say imitation IS the the highest form of flattery, but it doesn't pay the bills...
Kind Regards,
Brett Sherwood

You're most welcome, James.

G

Check out the nice cups on the above French guys’ web site and you will understand where he got the idea - (after buying my cups). I guess he really liked the design...? I wrote to him about it and kindly asked him why he was making the same metallic style balls I make and why not make his own style balls and he basically said, I couldn't stop him so he would continue ... wasn't quite the spirited friendly magic fraternity answer I had expected.

Brett Sherwood
[/quote]

Hello Mr Sherwood,this is François Danis from France, the "French guy" as you named me.

I am quite suprised that you talked about the spirited friendly magic fraternity.
These worlds in your mouth sound strangely to my ears !
You are not very honest in your little review about our knitted balls, and about the email exchanges we had. I have to complete this.
I have kept all the emails you had sent us at this time. The first one was not kind at all and was quite agressive.
As I already told you Mr Sherwood, you are not at the originator of the double thread knitted balls. This kind of knitting is really common and can be easily found on many supports in many craft shop.
We are making and selling knitted balls, single and double thhread since 1998 in France. We listed them on Ebay.com for the first time some monthes ago. it seems you did not like this, and you had accused us of copying you at this time.
You had even suggested in one of your email that we must sell in France and no where else.

What I do understand as a poor "french guy" is that Mr Brett Sherwood wants to be the only dealer of double thread knitted balls, and that he is quite annoyed that some one else in the world could be able to produce a very good product too, since a while and long time before Mr Brett Sherwood.

There is also something, I really dislike Mr Sherwood : I do not like that someone is talking about me, and changing the reality of my words in my back.
I do not own any Brett Sherwood' cups,which I regret, the one pictured on our website are not mine, this is a picture made for us by one of our happy knitted balls purchaser.
I will remove this picture as soon as possible, I do not want to offense you any more Mr Sherwood.
Saying, these Mr sherwood, I ma not going to polemize on this subject anymore with you, this is really a great lack of time.

My english is not very good, sorry for this, but I hope I made myself clear Mr Sherwood.
The "French guy" is sending you is best regards Monsieur.
François Danis

Dear Mr Danis
I admit your English is much better than my French. It is nice to have you join us here and read your input, as the last we communicated on Ebay you told me you would not answer me anymore.

First off I never implied I was the originator of double-knitting crochet work, as you suggest? This is ridiculous – the combining of metallic threads with fabrics has been around for possibly thousand of years?

My point of contention is that following the successful debut of my cups with my original idea of my Deluxe Balls (i.e., ‘commercially marketing coloured balls with subtle metallic thread specifically for the cups and balls’). I swear here now that I NEVER saw anyone selling this type of ball commercially. I would not have spent my time and money just to copy someone else’s work. I also intentionally wanted something completely ‘DIFFERENT’ that suited my ‘original’ Engraved Silver Cups. That is how I developed this idea independently.

Following the ‘success’ of this new ball design I then first noticed your metallic thread balls appear on Bill Palmer’s web site, but only AFTER my balls had been on sell. This is also when I first saw your cup ‘display’. You contend this is from a happy customer, but I have yet to see ANYONE perform with SEVEN visible balls using FOUR different colours. Common sense suggests this is like a "shopping window display" photo of your various ball colours ‘draped’ around one of my set of cups. Out of ALL the different types of cups made (in the entire world) this photo suggests very obviously the connection between my Original Cup Design and my ORIGINAL Deluxe Ball design!

I am NOT annoyed that you can produce fine knit products. On the contrary I applaud anyone that makes quality magical products. I’ve never seen your products to vouch for their quality, but they look nice. My point, which you avoid, is again the TYPE of ball you now produce and yes, I would like to be the only one selling both MY original cup design and MY original ball design, because obviously they are MINE! These both came from the fruits of my imagination, hard work and refinements and I feel when someone creates something original they should have the opportunity, pleasure and benefit to profit from their own creation.

You look like a nice guy and (believe it or not) I’m a really easy guy to get along with too, but just want what is fair. You state above that you have been selling these types of metallic thread balls since 1998, which predates me. If this is the truth and you can supply me with proof of receipts from your accountant showing this double knit with METALLIC thread I will publicly apologize here. You may PM me anytime to arrange this.

Yours Sincerely,
Brett Sherwood