Love It Or List It!

There's a show on HGTV called "Love It Or List It". Homeowners have to decide if they love their newly renovated homes and will stay or still need to move and list it with a broker.
I have a love/list problem with my work! There are some things I just LOVE to make,so I make them & list them online but they may sit...that's okay because I loved making it. There are other things I'm not as crazy about and will not list or repeat if the first is sold. I really have a problem doing a good job if I don't love it to some degree.
So I have a love it and list it issue in another sense.
I am loving working on small hoops with stitchery and other props. I started a grouping of craft pieces, the first knitting and the 2nd, sewing.
I love them.
They are listed.
If they don't sell, they give me joy and I count!
Now, what craft should I do next???

Shows

There were parts of my body that hurt and I didn't know they could after the 2 day show! LONG hours (9-7 Saturday and 9-1 on Sunday) but for me, very successful. It is definitely a case of be careful what you wish for. In certain areas my stock is almost depleted. I also received 4 special orders during the show. So now I must re-stock and work on those. I AM NOT COMPLAINING!!! This more than makes up for the July & August drought.
Contrary to the first show, only one set of wash cloths were sold. Again, lots of bookmarks,scarves and cozies like these:

As well as several mini-purses:

I'm low on hats and scarves so those needles must get clacking!
Just finished these for some special orders:


The next show is Nov. 6...do I have enough time?!

Pride....

We all have pride. Maybe for our kids accomplishments, our mate's skills or our co-workers/student's growth. But do we take pride in ourselves? Do we even think about it? Confession: I don't! Women generally push themselves aside to dote on and take pride in others.

I'm of the school that anybody can do what I do. No big deal. If you can read, you can do it. Well, maybe not so much!
Some of my creations, take 7 minutes...who can't do that? Some go on for hours and yet again, anyone can do it. I decided to challenge myself a bit and try some things I usually avoid. With my yarn journeys I usually seek out gorgeous yarns and let them shine so the patterns are fairly simple and give way to the beauty of the thread. I have quite a stash of yarn (not surprisingly!) and found a huge skein of red worsted and another in white, hidden in one of my 7 bins. They yelled "Candy Canes" to me and I began a search for an appropriate item to make. In a stitch book I found one that seemed a bit challenging but the sample was done with 2 muted tones and you really couldn't see the end result. What to make with it? I took the red and white and started on what I thought might be a long scarf. I subsequently decided to shorten it to a scarflette with buttons (of course!) and here's the result. Can anyone do it? Probably, but I did it and I'm proud! Not a bad feeling at all!

I Hired a Model

Need I say more?!

Woke up to the picture above last week. Yes, it's beautiful but it was so cold and this is SOUTH Carolina. Today it is 72...and DH is complaing he doesn't feel great. How can you with 30-40degree temperature swings? So I will don my nursemaid hat and tend to his moans and groans....after I finish the 4th and 5th of the 5 dog sweaters that were ordered this week. Why didn't I think of this at the start of winter,instead of at the end?!

Frankie

Well, the sweater I made for Frankie from the Feb. 4 post arrived in Massachusetts and fit. Toooooo cute!

Stash Scarf

The other day one of my yarn bins flipped over and spilled the neatly placed contents...ugh! A tangled mess. I decided to grab a few balls and see what type of scarf to create. I had the beginnings of a pattern but really winged it by just picking out the largest balls in 4 coordinating colors. It's knit lengthwise so it was about 150 stitches on large needles but only 10 rows so it didn't take all that long. It came in measuring almost 6 feet. Very soft!

Oh, and yes, I still have the crud...cannot shake it. Any suggestions other than shooting myself will be gratefully considered!

Needle Arts

I can knit. I'm not an expert but maybe an advanced intermediate. I do needlepoint & bargello and I must say I do it well! I can embroider. I can sew a hem and attach a button. I even know how (or knew how)to do tatting and hoop lace. But crochet is old/new to me. My maternal grandmother crocheted with a needle as fine as a hair and thread the same but crocheting was never my thing. I can do the stitches but cannot follow/read directions. Under expert instruction I was able to create many pieces eons ago but with no one around these days I'm left to my own devices. I bought a book called "Crochet for Kids" and it is a huge help so I've ventured into a few pieces and am generally pleased. Now I have embarked on an afghan for my home, not for sale. It took 4 tries to get the squares correct and I am enjoying the portability of it. I'm not sure of the best way to put it together but I have time to seek out help. I have about 20 more squares to complete and I will show it off IF I like it. If not, well, anyone who needs a dog blanket may apply!
Here is a trio of my basic stitch endeavors.

The Beach

I grew up one street off a beautiful beach in the New York City area. I spent tons of great summers as an adult on Cape Cod in Massachussetts. I moved to South Carolina, 4+ hours from the beach with my DH who doesn't give a hoot about sand between his toes. How did this happen?! Last week, we went to visit friends who live outside of Hilton Head and we finally got to the beach. Honestly,after 2 1/2 hours I was ready to leave since I'm not used to it and it was 96 BUT it was fabulous. I had to take a picture to prove I was there! Those are my feet below and our friends above. And yes, I did knit on the beach! It was glorious....♥

Moving!

I know in my last post I was a little down and closed my ArtFire shop. So what did I go and do? Opened a new Etsy shop....! Etsy is still the leader among the handmade buying and selling venues and I do have some loyalty to the site. My own shop, All About The Buttons, has been a positive experience but I felt the shop was becoming a bit too eclectic. Everything was tied together by buttons but clocks and knitted items were beginning to clash. My new shop is All About The Fiber and while things will have buttons, this will only include things made with fiber...yarn and ribbons specifically.
Many thanks to MoxieRings for my banner. I am slowly moving things over to the new shop...what a tedious process! For awhile there will be crossover items but by the end of July I hope to have it completed. Please visit!

Seasons for Selling

If you read my last post you know I was in NY for the snowstorm on March 2nd. When we came back we had 4-5 days of above average temps, one day it was 85. Glorious-short sleeves and sandals! Now it's cold again-40s for us is cold! Spring is just a week away and I hope the temps settle down or up as it may be.
I've been a bit at a loss as to what to knit or crochet and just finished a lightweight but wintery scarf. Wrong season now for the Northern Hemisphere but approaching the right season for our Southern Hemisphere friends. I can't decide if I should list it on etsy or hold off. I am pleased with the outcome, especially since I combined 2 different patterns. What do you think? To list or not to list????

NOT GUILTY!!!!

Over 2 years ago I knit myself.....are you ready?.....a coat! Now why would I even think of that living in South Carolina, you ask? Well, it does get cold here (now about 32) but really, a coat?! Never wore it,never. I finally decided to rip it out, ball up the yarn and knit myself a button up vest. I started it in August (2008) but never finished, primarily because I was knitting for etsy and other places I sell. Flash forward to Saturday and I realized that etsy and the other sites were pretty full, the store had enough merchandise and I had NOTHING to knit. Ahhhh, the vest. Well, I finished it yesterday and felt guilty for taking time to make something for myself. After a serious smack upside my head, I got over it! I'm not feeling guilty. I am pretty pleased with the results and especially love the handmade ceramic buttons. The picture isn't the greatest but I wanted to share.
I don't feel guilty.
I don't feel guilty.
I don't!

Back to normal...what's that?

For the 1st time in weeks, I am home this weekend and there are no sleepover guests and none on the horizon...YAY! I think I'm caught up after the trips. And maybe even caught up on crafting....well, maybe not! I did manage to make 2 hats and a pair of fingerless gloves in Florida and now they're up to the store in Massachusetts. Listed some new things on etsy like the Holiday Winter Clock on the right and added new magnets also. I have 3 knitting projects going and magnets ready to be sanded. I guess the crafting will never be completed!



Anyway, below is another Iron Man Triathlon picture taken right before the swim. Trust me, none of these guys looked so good when it was all over! I am so proud of his dedication, commitment and fortitude. What a guy!

Turmoil!

Just when you think everything is going along nicely.....%^+#(*X#$%)+X!!!

DH and I drive to NY every fall to see his Dad who's about to be 94. We are going earlier this year than in the past because the son of a college buddy is being married and we thought "Let's do both!" Getting the shop set and ready for fall and for the holidays has been my push which has created a migration of items from the studio to the office for photos and listings. While we both are slowly preparing for this trip-read: leaving stuff all over the place because maybe we'll want to take it, Dear Son, who is preparing for an Ironman Triathalon crashed his bike the other day and separated his shoulder (even though he landed on his head hard enough to crack his helmet) while his wife is nursing a major sinus flare up. DH and I watched the boys for a bit so they both could see various internists, allergists, orthopedists and pharmacists. And now Hurricane Hanna....close friends may be in the path and are deciding when to evacuate and come to us. Of course I want them, but remember that pre-trip/pre-holiday mess I mentioned? Oh, and did I tell you that upon our return DH will probably quit his job? Don't even ask!!!!!


But I'm still knitting~soft and cuddly!
A ray of moonshine this evening...I've been featured on this blog. Check it out....Sue of TackyHandMade did a great job. Thank you!!!!

Out of the box!

I've been trying to think of some new items/projects that would appeal on ETSY. My daughter-in-law gave me a "Knitting Day By Day" calendar last year that has been really terrific. It was produced in England & sometimes the patterns are confusing but generally I can figure them out. I had noticed fingerless gloves and hand warmers on etsy and then a pattern on this calendar so I gave them a shot. I can see the use of them when driving, working in a chilly environment or whenever you need good dexterity that gloves prevent. They are very comfortable. I altered the pattern by adding the eyelash yarn on the bottom and of course, I had to add buttons. These are truly a vintage set as I have had them for at least 25 years. What do you think of my new item?

Think Pink...finally!

Finally, our family can buy pink. My nephew and his wife welcomed Samantha Rose into the world today. The first girl in forever!!!! It is wonderful to think pink. Boys are wonderful, don't get me wrong, but this family is over loaded with them! I will send the clock below from the shop but also have a knit blankie and some knit bibs and wash cloths and and and....the box will be full! As soon as I finish this darling sweater I'm working on, off it will go. Actually, the sweater isn't pink but purple, orange and yellow. Sounds awful but it really is great. The picture is on the right. Can't wait to meet you, Samantha Rose♥.

New Items

I knit alot but like to work on small, great things that can be accomplished quickly like the mini purses that have fortunately been very popular. I just came up with a new item and I'm calling them Soap Sacks. Those tiny slivers of almost used up soap that slip through your fingers? Hate throwing them away? Have some small, sample bars that are also too small? Place them inside the Soap Sack and you've got soap as well as an exfoliating scrubber. I made one for my husband and he loves it! They're made with 100% cotton and can be washed and dried without shrinkage. A great gift idea is to buy some wonderful soap from the amazing soap makers on etsy and pair it with a sack!
This cotton is wonderful and versatile. I've made some bibs with it as well as washcloths and dish towels. They wash beautifully. Currently, it's my thread of choice! Color requests are welcome.


Just sold some on etsy and listed 2 new colors:

I'm back!

It's great to get away...it's great to come home. I had a wonderful trip to Florida for a family reunion/60th anniversary party and it was especially wonderful to see people I haven't been with in almost 10 years. Great fun.

No so great fun coming back to bills, 100s of e-mails and unfortunately no sales this week. I better get busy. I did finish a bunch of purses, neck savers and mug jackets so that was productive. They just need buttons (which I didn't bring with me) and then they're set to go.

I will certainly treasure the memories and this view:

Packing....

For me the second hardest thing about going on a trip is deciding what to pack! How do I know what I will be in the mood to wear? What exactly will the weather be like? Will I be surprised with needing clothes I didn't pack? Ugh... But the first hardest is deciding what craft to bring along for those down times involving inevitable delays, especially when you're flying.

I'm off on the 14th for a family reunion in Florida and it will be really wonderful sharing time with my cousin-the sister I never had. I will see my brother who I never see and other cousins. The real purpose is to celebrate my aunt and uncle's 60th wedding anniversary. WOW!

My etsy shop is loaded with knitted goods but maybe I should just stock up for the future. Or should I bring my needlepoint? I do have the upcoming birth of a niece so maybe I'll start a blanket for her...hmmmmmmm! Decisions,decisions.

Just received a wonderful gift from BellaColle and it is absolutely lovely. Thank you Christine!

New purchase and product!

I was thrilled today to see the arrival of my needle scarf purchased from FunkybyTara. I absolutely think this is a terrific idea and very clever. Great way to keep needles together, especially when traveling. It is executed beautifully and the color is just great. Tara is a doll. Check out her shop!