New and Exciting!

Finally took some pictures of the totes I made over the weekend and got them listed in my shop.

Rainbow Waves and Shells Tote

Shoreline Waves and Shells Tote

I also managed to list a crocheted business card pouch. I finally found a use for the little 1.5 oz hank of wool I dyed a few years ago as a demo at Michael's. They've discontinued two of the colors of Kool-Aid I used for it. I'd been saving it until I came up with thee perfect project since I loved it so much and could never recreate it. There was enough to make two business card pouches (one for me and one for the shop) and still enough left over for a felted flower or something else small. Want to know what it looks like? Well check out the one on my shop!

Also added a whole new section to my card shop! Friend Kards feature friendship quotes and some tatted flowers.

My hubby takes pretty good pictures. I might just have to get him to keep doing it from now on ;)

Settling In

I am officially tired of boxes. I'm also a little tired of the fact that we don't seem to be doing anything about them. I love my hubby, but sometimes he just doesn't see the same point that I do. He wants to put off getting the storage units I want for the craft room and getting that room organized. He wants to tackle the boxes in the bedroom closet first.

That's all well and good, but he's not the one desperate to have a sewing machine up and working. The one who feels an overwhelming urge to make some cards. The one who wants to know what's in her yarn stash so she can organize and purge.

I don't think he realizes that the longer we put this off, the more I'm going to want to keep because I'll have more and more ideas for what to do with it!

Being stuck in the apartment for a week because of the snow piled on the sidewalk didn't help either. I'm feeling stir crazy. More than that, I'm feeling creatively antsy. I need something to do. I can't even add to the box of completed granny squares for a shawl ministry project, because I've run out of accessible worsted weight yarn. I'm starting to feel like I'm losing my mind!

I have a really awesome idea for a messenger bag. If I ever get a sewing machine set up, that is.

Who's Conditioning Whom?

For our anniversary, my hubby and I went to the Festival of Lights which seems to be our new tradition. This year I actually managed to convince him to pull off at the gift shop so I could look at all the crafts and we could maybe buy our ornament for this year. I managed to brave the crowd, in spite of my phobia, and look at all the wares ranging from crappy kitsch to glorious crafts.

As I looked at the various things, sometimes marvelling and other times thinking that I could make something ten times better, I looked at prices as a reflex. As someone who sells my crafts I guess it's a matter of "sizing up the competition" even when not in direct competition. There were a few people that I thought were charging too much. I admit that I'm not always drawn to "primitive" painting and crafts, but sometimes I like it. However, I'm never going to spend good money on a piece of bark that looks like it was painted by a kindergartner. As usual, there was no tatting but a lot of knit and crocheted items, most of them desperately underpriced knowing how many hours went into them.

I started to wonder about where this drive we seem to have to undercut ourselves as artists comes from. It seems to happen mostly with the fabric and fiber artists. The woodcarvers, potters, and such seem to know what they're worth and price accordingly. I got to thinking about why the fabric and fiber artists do this. I'm still not sure, but I have a few theories.

1: The usual "I have a friend/sibling/parent/grandparent/etc. who sews/crochets/knits and I'm going to get them to make me something like this" comments make us worry that if we don't price it to move, it won't. I am guilty of this one. I'm not saying that there aren't plenty of people who will get something similar to what you've made somewhere else for less money or a favor. I once had a woman stand not five feet away from me counting my stitches in a scarf I had for sale. If she'd asked, I would have gladly told her. Garter stitch isn't a personal trade secret. However, this annoyed me. Rather than buy a $10 (yes, grossly underpriced, I know) scarf or even talk to me about it, she just stood there trying to figure it out without acknowledging my work. I think this sort of attitude that you shouldn't expect people to pay you a decent wage for what most people consider a hobby is one of the reasons we undervalue ourselves.

2: Plenty of people want to blame Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, etc. for selling items that have the same look as handmade for what breaks down to less that a penny an hour. I don't think this is the real problem. Yes, there are people who look at what we've made and say to themselves (or callously aloud) "I could get this at Wal-Mart for three bucks." Ok. Go for it. If what you want is mass-produced junk, get it. Have a field day! You're not my target consumer. The person I'm looking for is the one who wants something unique. Something that took more time and thought to design and create.

3: We've conditioned our customers to undervalue us. Too many of us have thought of what we're doing as a hobby and maybe a way to make a little money on the side. The hobby sellers are the biggest threat. It's not the big chain stores because most people understand the difference between handmade and mass-produced and will buy accordingly. I think that the hobbyists have taught too many customers to expect prices based on wanting to be able to go out and get more yarn or fabric just to keep up a crafting habit. They're not looking for profit and they're not going to get it. I don't have too much of a problem with these types. I just wish they'd stick to ebay and leave things like etsy to the rest of us.

So that's what's been rattling around in my head since Friday. Each time I look at my new little Santa ornament, I have mixed feelings. I feel bad for the crafter knowing that he probably took at least 2 hours to make and I got him for under $5. I'm also proud of myself, because I got a bargain ;)


On a side note, while World of Warcraft was down today to institute a new patch, I finished a new tatting a new ornament. I have to stiffen this one because it isn't as tightly packed as I usually make things. Pictures to come later.

Work In Progress

I'm still on the fence over whether or not I like tatting onto velvet ribbon. The result is attractive, but the ribbon likes to warp at the edges. I think the one thing I am sure of is that I have to do an edging on both sides to even it out. Anyway, here are some sneak peeks of my experiment:

The pictures aren't the best, but I was just trying to take a couple quick snapshots to share my progress. I tried something else a little different with this piece. The edging on both sides are variations of the same pattern. The rings are the same size with the same number of double stitches, but on one side, I put lots of picots to make it look frillier while the opposite side has just one center picot on the big rings with a bead to give it a more stream-lined look. Not entirely sure I'm in love with the way this plan is working either. The farther I get on it, though, the more I think I like it.

And, of course, I still have no idea what I'm going to name it when it's done.

Gifts, Ghouls, and Giveaways!

Did a bunch of listing the other day! I finally found where I had hidden my blue and purple threads from myself. Now I just have to figure out where the pinks and yellow are hiding.

Purple being my favorite color, once I found the threads, I just had to set to work on some purple pieces! I particularly love the way this one turned out:

I've had a bunch of those dragonfly charms hanging out with my beads for a while. I made stitch markers out of them a year or so ago and didn't know what to do with the rest. I got this pattern to work around a bead and thought it was worth a try with the charm. I think it turned out well. I'm hoping someone will want some pendants for stocking stuffers this year. I've been putting them up in all the promotions forums I can on etsy trying to get a little attention. I have to make some for myself, too.

As Halloween is quick approaching, I figured it was time I gave a nod to my favorite holiday. So, I dug out the Halloween socks I bought at the thrift store a few months ago. They had never even been worn! I was really tempted to wear them this year, but they just had to be turned into creatures:

Their names are Boo (the big one) and Eek (the smaller one). The socks had little spots that had flashing lights in them and I transfered those so that each has an arm that lights up! They're so cute. Oh, and they've got some of my hand tatted spiders sewn to each of them!

I've teamed up with another etsian to do a giveaway on her blog! Actually, it's a team, but I've just been talking with one of the two through emails/convos. Anyway, here's a link to the giveaway of a batch of my hand tatted flowers:

http://raechele.blogspot.com/2008/09/keenaskreations-giveaway.html

Okay, off to put some more tatting blisters on my fingers. Working on a choker that should be gorgeous when it's finished. Assuming all goes well. . . .

Isn't it purty?

So here we go, the first pic of the scarf from the recycled yarn!

Not a great pic, I know. But it's dark, wet, and muggy outside, so I had to snap a quick pic inside. I think it's turning out really well. I guess I'm about half done now. I'll just have to see when it feels long enough.

It's soooo soft and wonderful. I really want to keep it! But I won't. I'll sell it when it's done. For now, I just get to enjoy feeling the wonderfully soft yarn running through my fingers as I work on it. One of these days, I'm going to make something wonderful and soft for myself.

Finally!

Well, at last I've finished disassembling two sweaters and washing the yarn to reuse. So far the scarf is turning out well, pictures to come! But for now you can see the pink yarn drying in hanks:

Keep in mind, I wound all those hanks by hand and at least the same amount of green yarn as well. If I wasn't aching for a swift before, I definitely am now. Literally!

I also figured that I might as well work with the second little bottle with something I have a lot of to avoid a similar situation as the predicament I found myself in before. Since I have a lot of black DMC tatting thread, that what I'm working with. I've got the bottle covering done and I just have to work on how I'm going to turn that into a necklace.

The thread ends are still there because the glue hadn't dried yet. I still need to get something better than just Fray-Stop to keep the ends secure before I cut them any shorter. So far, I really like this one, though. I hope it continues to turn out well.

Well, now that I've jinxed it, I might as well go work on it some more.

Aren't they sweet?!

I love this pattern. I love it so much, I'm going to start selling it! Of course everyone I know who crochets seems to be busy in the immediate future, so I found a couple people on etsy who are willing to test the pattern for me. It works up so fast and is so much fun to experiment with.

But seriously, don't you just love this afghan?

This is the first one, Creamsicle Dreams. The orange yarn came from Big Lots! Awesome deal! It has a pearly white stripe running through it and it just made me think of a Dreamsicle (Chris insists they're creamsicles not dreamsicles, hence the name).

Someone liked it so much that this one is a special order! My first custom order on etsy! This one is Bubblegum Dreams. It made me think of bubble gum sherbet and those Pink Panther pops I used to get from the ice cream truck with the bubble gum eyes. I miss those.

So there they are the first two afghans made from one of my patterns and the first pattern I'm going to start selling on etsy, as soon as it goes through the editorial process with a few sets of eyes other than mine. I just hate getting patterns with typos or that don't make sense!

As usual . . .

I'm drowning in projects!

I just finished a special order afghan. Pictures will be posted when I get a chance to take them. I'm unravelling a thrift store sweater to recycle the yarn and I have another waiting in the wings, I've got at least a dozen "I Spy" bags to sew, working on a wedding afghan for a friend, helping sew puppets when the pieces are brought to me, etc, etc, etc!

Too little time, too many projects!

Oh, and let's not forget the two multi-week classes I'm teaching.

At least I'm making some money!

Easy Slippers

So . . . . been searching everywhere for a pattern easy enough for everyone I'm teaching to crochet at church for our shawl ministry. We've decided to do slippers to send to all the nursing homes in the area around Christmas because they're quicker and take less yarn than the shawls (though I'm still doing several shawls myself). I haven't been able to find something that felt quite quick enough so, based mostly on one pattern I found, I came up with the following:

Easy Beginner Slippers

Supplies:
2 balls Jiffy yarn (or hold two strands of worsted weight yarn together)
Size K hook, or size needed to obtain gauge

Gauge: 10 sc x 11 rows = 4” square

Special Stitch:
2 sc tog – (uses 2 sc, counts as 1 sc) [Insert hook in next st, yo and draw up a loop] twice, yo and pull through all 3 loops on hook.

Sole:

Ch 4

Row 1: Sc in second ch from hook and in next 2 chs. (3 sc)

Row 2: Ch 1, turn, 2 sc in first sc, 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in last sc. (5 sc)

Row 3: Ch 1, turn, sc in each sc across. (5 sc)

Row 4: Ch 1, turn, 2 sc in first sc, 1 sc in each of next 3 sc, 2 sc in last sc. (7 sc)

Rows 5-11: Ch 1, turn, sc in each sc across.

Row 12: Ch 1, turn, 2 sc tog over first two sc, sc in next 3 sc, 2 sc tog over last two sc. (5 sc)

Rows 13-22: Ch 1, turn, sc in each sc across.

Row 23: Ch 1, turn, 2 sc tog over first two sc, 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc tog over last two sc. (3 sc)

Now we’ll work around the sole and create the body of the slipper. The remainder of the pattern is worked in rounds, but we will still turn our work over at the beginning of every round.

Round 1: Ch 1, turn, slip st in first sc, [slip st, ch 1, sc] all in next sc, sc in next sc, working in edge of rows 22 sc along side of sole, 1 sc in free loops of beginning 3 chs, 22 sc in edges along side of sole, sc in first slip st, join to first sc with slip st. (52 sc)

Round 2: Ch 1, turn, working in back loops only sc in each sc around. (52 sc)

Round 3: Ch 1, turn, sc in each sc around. (52 sc)

Round 4: Ch 1, turn, sc in next 20 sc, [2 sc tog, sc in next sc] 3 times, 2 sc tog, sc in next 21 sc, join with slip st to first sc.

Round 5: Ch 1, turn, sc in next 22 sc, 2 sc tog twice, sc in next 22 sc, join with slip st to first sc.

Round 6: Ch 1, turn, sc in next 21 sc, 2 sc tog twice, sc in next 21 sc, join with slip st to first sc.

Round 7: Ch 1, turn, sc in next 20 sc, 2 sc tog twice, sc in next 20 sc, join with slip st to first sc.

Round 8: Ch 1, turn, sc in next 17 sc, 2 sc tog four times, sc in next 17 sc, join with slip st to first sc.

Round 9: Ch 1, turn, sc in next 15 sc, 2 sc tog four times, sc in next 15 sc, join with slip st to first sc.

Round 10: Ch 1, turn, sc in first sc, 2 sc tog, sc in next 10 sc, 2 sc tog four times, sc in next 10 sc, 2 sc tog, sc in last sc, join with slip st to first sc.

Round 11: Ch 1, turn, sc in next 10 sc, 2 sc tog 4 times, sc in next 10 sc, join with slip st to first sc.

Round 12: Ch 1, turn, sc in each sc around, join with slip st to first sc. Finish off, weave in all ends.


So far, I haven't worked out any other sizes. I'd call this one average women's slippers. (They fit me). I had a couple skeins of Jiffy and I like it for beginners because it doesn't split very much, so I thought this would be a good pattern for everyone to make their first pair and then we can use it again holding two strands together of something like Red Heart Supersaver when everyone's a little more comfortable with what we're doing. Anyone out there who wants to test this pattern and make ure it makes sense to someone other than me, I'd appreciate it!

Behold My Minions!

Hee hee! Okay, new obsession du jour! Sock creatures! I had no idea this was going to be soooo much fun!

This is Count Sockula, the first of many sock creatures that I've made over the past week. He's very roughly sewn, I've gotten much better, but I still think he's cute!

Reepert (left) and Meebus (right) are two of the later creatures. There have been several between and since, but I don't want to spend forever writing about them. So these are two of my favorites!

I even got Chris to make one, but I don't have any pictures of him. :( Oh well, just wanted to share of few. There's at least one other in my shop, maybe more by the time anyone reads this. Off to make more!

Meet Squiggy!

Isn't he cute?! I was playing around the other day. I was going to knit a teddy bear in the round, but when I finished the shape of his head, I realized that if I just divided my stitches and made I-cord out of them, he'd make a great octopus! Squiggy is actually the second octopus. Squidgy was first, but I don't have pics of him. I have pics of Squiggy because I put him up on etsy this afternoon. I think he's precious! Not bad for a little experimentation because I was bored while Chris was at work.

Things to make when you're short on supplies and patience . . .

So, someone broke into our storage room a week ago and until they fix the door and we have time to get back over there, I'm cut off from the rest of my craft supplies. Trying to make do, I've decided to revisit an old favorite project. I'm knitting barrettes!

My beads supply and yarn scraps supply are both rather sparse at the moment, so it's getting difficult not to do the same thing more than once, but I really hate doing that. I like to maintain a uniqueness (is that a word?) in my "art." They aren't done yet, because there are still some supplies I need to pop out and get when I can, but here's a sneak peek at a couple in an almost complete state:

I came up with the idea to do these about a year and a half ago. I'll share how I make them, but I better not see any up on etsy before I get a chance to post these ;) Anyway, I knit a little tube on dpn (about 7-10 sts on each of two needles). Usually I make one side completely stockinette stitch to glue the barrette back onto and do a 5 st cable with beads or buttons in it on the side that's for show. Well, I got that part working pretty quickly when I first did this. That's where I ran into a problem. I needed the tube to hold its shape and be a bit sturdier. At first, I thought of wooden shapes from the craft store, but then I remembered the curve of the barrette back. Finally, I figured out the answer. Are you ready for my secret ingredient?

Plastic canvas! I cut a piece of plastic canvas the same size as the tube, stuff it in and sew the end together. It's flexible, but still holds its shape! Sometimes I'm so smart, I scare myself. Just kidding. This is one of the first ones I made:

The scans don't show it very well, but you can see that the knitted piece follows the curve of the barrette back and it maintains its shape. It's held up for over 18 months so far! This is a great quick little project to use up quick yarn. You can do it as one flat piece, fold in half, and stitch along three sides if you aren't comfortable with dpns, but I'd rather struggle a little in the beginning and save a lot of time overall. Maybe that's just me.

I'm an Idiot

Right so, here's the link I meant to put up the other day:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5061910

Sorry, I'm a dork!

The coolest, cutest thing EVER

No, seriously, this has to be the best thing in the world.

I was thinking of teaching classes in sock animals so I was searching around to find some ideas and I found these:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5252351

If you think the concept is awesome, read some of the descriptions on the individual listings. I only wish I were that creative! Too cool. Gonna have to buy a dozen or so. LOL.

Little Triangles Everywhere!

Apparently I have lost my mind! I don't know what possessed me to decide to start a quilt pieced entirely by hand when it's only my second quilt top. Needless to say, my fingers are as sore as can be from being pricked and stabbed every few minutes. Of course, this is also going to take forever and is much less accurate than the top I pieced on the sewing machine. The greatest irony is that I'm pricking my fingers sitting in my chair two feet away from my sewing machine. I think I'm going back to machine piecing after this if only because I'm far better on the machine than I am ever likely to be by hand. I know that on the horizon lies a great sense of accomplishment, but it's kind of hard to see at the moment.

Calluses and Stitches

Wow! So I have neglected this blog forever, huh?!

Well, I've been working like crazy on several projects. Unfortunately a lot of supplies and works in progress are packed up in the storage room and unreachable at the moment. So, my focus has been forcibly shifted from the embroidery I was working on, so I've been tatting until my calluses have formed calluses!

I have realized that one of my problems in life as well as crafting is that I'm too symmetrically-minded. I decided to do something about that. I have a huge pile of beads that I had rejected from one project or another because they were uneven or chipped or whatever. Well, I finally figured out what to do with the reject beads! I have made them the focal point of tatted pendants! Suddenly the reject beads are my new favorites!

This one was an uneven triangular shape with the most beautiful amber color. I used black DMC tatting thread and brownish-amber seed beads around the outside. I love this one. This clumsy bead has now become a delicate and delightful piece, if I do say so myself!

Of course, working each pendant around a particular bead means that each one, though the pattern may end up being simple, leads to a huge pile of wasted thread and work as one attempt after another doesn't work or just does look right.

If there's one thing I love more than the reject beads, it's buttons. I think it goes back to spending slow days in the Costume Shop sorting buttons, but I just love playing with buttons. Where the reject bead pendants are a matter of taking something odd or clumsy and making something delicate, the button pendants I've made are about taking something simple and commonplace and making in extraordinary. So, here's my favorite button pendant so far:

I call it Peaches and Cream. I know, not that creative a name, but after you spend several hours working on something, you don't always have my creativity left. Anyway, the picture doesn't really do it justice, but I love this pendant. I might have to make another for myself, but I put this one up in my shop along with all the others. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5252351

I was also finally smart enough to start a tatting journal so that I can remember all my patterns when I try to go back and repeat them. Sometimes I do organized things, I swear! Maybe some day I'll be able to publish my own pattern book instead of just buying everyone else's. Lol.

Halfway There!

Well, I'm finally halfway through the blue blanket:

I just finished row 144! Lets see 144 rows of 143 stitches means . . . I've done 20,592 stitches and I'm only half done! Boy I hate knitting afghans. This is why I only knit baby afghans, never full size. Too much work! Crochet is so much faster for these things. But the sweater and hat are already knit, so I have to knit the blanket to go with them. How do I always manage to get myself into these things?

Too Much Work!

AHHHHHH! I hate flipping from project to project when they're all this big! I know that I should be concentrating on knitting and crochet because that's what I'm going to get paid for, but the patterns are so simple they're boring. And I can only work on the other project while the light is good. I don't know how I'm ever going to get all this done. I'm about half finished with the afghans, okay less than that on the knit one but it evens out. Well, at least the sweaters and hats are cute so far:
Aren't they cute?! Now if I could only motivate myself to finish the afghans. . .

Project Overload

So, as usual, I have my hands full with ongoing projects. I got an order a couple weeks ago for two baby sets. I've finished the sweaters and hats for both, but now I have to make two afghans to go with them. The knit one is going to take forever! I also finally started a secret project. It's a wedding present, so there won't be any pictures until I'm sure it's reached its destination. Of course, it's already going to be very late, but etiquette says that I have a year to get it done. It's the biggest project of its kind that I've ever undertaken. Just guessing from my progress so far, I'd say it will take well over 200 hours. But it's going to be awesome! I've also got a little sample purse going with a student. I just have to get to the same point I told her to get to by Thursday. And of course there are still boxes to unpack and things to organize. And we're planning to have everyone over on Saturday. Of course, so far only two people are coming so I'm not going to stress about it yet. All these things to do and I'm sitting at the computer. Probably not the best plan. Oh well, gotta take a break now and then.

Oh, and I was watching Animal Planet and found out that baby ostriches are too cute! Okay, time to do something constructive again.