Bows, Bows, Bows. And an afghan.

I’ve been quite busy in the bow department. I currently have 32 out for sale with a couple of people, and I have many more in the works. I have been perusing Pinterest like a fiend trying to find new and exciting bows to make.

I’ve made some pretty awesome sculptural princesses, some wacky combos, and spiky bows. It’s been fun and feels good to get my hands dirty again.

The princesses were the first to go. They weren’t the fastest things to do, but they use very little ribbon, and I have 19 metric tons of that size – in so many colors! It’s an awesome way to use it.

As far as afghans go, I started my Sophie’s Universe (http://www.lookatwhatimade.net/crafts/yarn/crochet/sophies-universe-cal-2015/) with the girls in my crochet group on Wednesday. There are 6 of us doing it – one far away, and the rest right here. I’ve gotten through round 6 of Sophie, and it looks pretty awesome. I love that each round is different. Here is what it looks like so far!

I did also get a commission for an American Flag afghan. I’ve made so many of them, and it can get tedious, but it’s been awhile, and hopefully since I have a few different projects going on right now, I won’t get bored! 🙂

More bows

I ordered some ribbon cheap on eBay, and it’s slowly making its way here. I also ordered a new glue gun from Amazon – SureBonder Pro 750. I did this because the brand new one I bought at Joann – SureBonder Cordless 800 was a huge waste of money.
Anyway, I made a couple more bows today. Pink and Apple Green.


And the Owls in pink, blue, and white. I am getting better, I think.

I also took this opportunity to cover a whole whack of alligator clips to go on the bows. If you add those with mostly finishing my homework for next week, I was very productive!

Weird timing

It is so funny, and almost ironic, that my last post showed off some of my patterns. Ironic, since the next day I received a package in the mail…

This package.

A package of 2 knitting pattern calendars. 2 calendars is the “payment” you get for submitting (and them publishing) a pattern. Meaning… Another publication! Yay!!

Which pattern?

This one….

Funny how things work out, huh?

Go getcha one!

Pattern updates

I have had a few of my patterns published in Crochet! Magazine and The Smart Knitter newsletter, and I have been so excited to share my craft with the public. However, there are a few of my patterns that I have for sale through Ravelry.

By far, my most popular is the Pirate Skull Cap. The knit pattern is currently $2, but I will be tweaking it a bit and will probably charge $3 afterwards. It’s a great pattern that is fantastic for first time Fair Isle, or chart work, or color work. This pattern first appeared in the 2010 Knitting Pattern A Day calendar.

Skull Cap

 

The pattern that I have just finished updating is Ribbons. This knitted hat was created so that I could raise money for my annual Making Strides Walk. I have done this American Cancer Society walk 3 years in a row and I really enjoy it. I try really hard to raise money, and the sale of this hat is one of my methods. This pattern is $3, and includes in-progress photos to show the interesting backwards / upside down colorwork. Not for beginners, but intermediates will have a blast with the new technique.

Ribbons cap pattern to raise money for Breast Cancer research.

 

I also have listed a crocheted baby top called Sweet Summertime. Made from Simply Soft yarn, and reminiscent of the gathered top rompers of the early ’80’s, this design is adorable on little girls. The watermelon applique is a pocket!

  Baby/Toddler top, perfect for summer.

Here is a close-up look at the stitches in this top.

School starts back up in a few days, which will seriously cut into my crafting time. However, I will post more pattern links as I update them.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Multi-craftual

I swear I have craft ADD. This week I haven’t really been knitting or crocheting, but I did make a lot!

Like these lace flower hair clips:

These ribbon hair bows:

And a tutu:

I am waiting patiently on an order of yarn to come for 2 pairs of slippers that have been ordered.

What haven’t I done? Cleaning, reading, or cigar box purses.

Delivery date

Today was a delivery date at my old workplace. I got to bring orders to 3 of my friends, and hopefully made their days a little better.

First up was the adorable owl set with no ear flaps. I really adore these booties… Looking at them makes it look like they are looking back! I can’t stand the cuteness. (The patterns were kind of a mash up of a few different ones, but mostly based off of this one.)

Next up is a Panda (not bear) hat for a teenager. It came out cute, and is even cuter on! (Pattern found here)

And finally a pair of French Press slippers (pattern found here.) these were a replacement for a pair that got lost in a move. They make a great gift, and are a quick knit. The drying takes forever… Matter of fact, they were still a little damp when I delivered them!

Cigar Box Purse

A couple weeks ago, we went to the Farmers Market in Ybor City… A huge Cigar making place. One of the cigar vendors was selling his empty boxes for $3 a piece. I bought 4.

I’ve always been pretty enchanted by cigar box purses, but I’ve never thought to make my own.
Etsy is full of beautiful examples! This one is my favorite!

So, after seeing the boxes at the market, I decided to give it a go!

Here is my progress so far on my first try.

It’s kind of peaceful painting the little edges! I’m sure I will learn a lot, and my next one will be even better! I will show pics of the completed project when it’s done.

Button bin

I use buttons on almost everything I make. Barefoot sandals, owl hats, sock monkey hats, and some booties, too. So, I put a request out to my Facebook friends to send me some of their old buttons that they didn’t have a use for. I was so excited when my cousin in NY, also a very crafty gal, sent me a box of some awesome vintage buttons, most still on the cards.

It was very exciting to see $0.29 button cards!

I also got a whole whack of buttons from eBay for really cheap. This was a pretty awesome score, but it led to a slight problem. No more room in my button bin!

This is what I used to use – a round tin from a German Christmas cookie box. It was not big enough for all of the loose buttons as well as the carded ones.

With the advent of Pinterest, I have started collecting all manner of things, including empty glass jars. My husband laughs, but I just put them aside, thinking ill find a use for some of them eventually. Today is that eventually. I turned a big pasta sauce jar into a button holder.

I love how it looks with all of the beautiful colorful buttons in a clear glass jar!

Now I’m using the old button tin to hold all of the carded buttons, and it works out pretty well. The only downside is that even though I can see all of the buttons pretty well, they are often difficult to actually get to.

Making piles

I have been working diligently to make a whole whack of stuff to bring to Market in a month. The problem, if you can call it that, is that every time I show off what I’ve made on Facebook, I end up with another order. Absolutely NOT a bad thing, but it makes stockpiling a little difficult.

A local shop used to carry my items, and when they changed ownership, my handiwork was left homeless. Well, in a bin in my bedroom. I took some pics to put on Facebook of everything I had, in the hopes that someone would buy some of it. I really do have a bunch of piles, but they aren’t very tall at the moment.

I added prices with the friends and family discount, in the hopes of selling it all. However, this was before I made the decision to do the Farmers Market.

Since adding these, I have sold 2 of those earrings. That’s it. Meanwhile, it has gained me orders for 1 blanket, 2 booties, 5 hats. With another 2 blanket bootie sets in a few months.

Between commissions, I have been looking for other cutie things to make for the market. One of them was Sock Monkey Hats. They are really adorable. Here is the one I made:

I have found a wonderful website with a ton of adorable hat patterns for free, and she lets you sell the items! She could sell her patterns and make a mint, and I for one, am thrilled that they are free.
She’s over at Repeat Crafter Me. You should go visit her!

Owls are a hoot

As I gear up to start selling at the Farmers Market, I did some “research” yesterday by going to a couple markets with my hubby. It was a nice time out, and we got some exercise, veggies, bread, and some empty cigar boxes that I am excited to play with!

I did not see anyone set up at either market that has the sort of stuff I do. I was really hoping for some staging ideas, but didn’t really get any. I am hoping to go out to the market we will be actually be setting up at to see if there is anything similar there.

Anyway, as I was thinking of the types of items that I want to make, I started with a baby owl hat. I found a free pattern on Ravelry, and made it in about 3 hours… Including a stop at Joann to get the yarn.

It came out absolutely adorable, and when I showed FaceBook, I had a couple orders the same day. The first I started working on was to be darker blue with no ear flaps, and matching booties. So I started playing around, and this is what I came up with.

They came out so cute… But I made them cuter!

I know… Right! Adorable. Makes me wish my boys were babies again! So, I will finish up the orders and then make up a few to put in my Market bin.

I am getting excited. Like not being able to sleep excited! We are aiming for the last weekend in August to start. That will be mostly good timing, except that I will have started back at nursing school the week before. Multi-tasking… I can do this!