Key West -- the isle of cats and chickens

So I have a piece of advice regarding vacations: Don't plan more than 2-3 meetings, appointments, or otherwise un-missable events for the week that you return. You won't breathe, sleep, knit, or talk to friends/spouse. You will end up grumpy and stretched too thin and feel more than moderately insane, which stinks since you were just on vacation to stop feeling insane.

Yes, I did all of the above. Hence, my advice not to do that. LOL

The trip, though, was wonderful. Dan and I were in Key West for 6 days (although about a day or so was taken up with the actual traveling). We flew into Miami Airport, and drove through the keys on Rte 1, all the way to Key West. We got lucky... the rental place upgraded us to a convertible for no extra charge! It was a great way to begin....

We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast called the Island City House. They own six really cute cats, most of which were very friendly and loved to be petted by the guests. This lil guy was my favorite. His eyes look soo much like Puss n Boots from Shrek II; the pic doesn't show it that well, but they were HUGE green eyes!


The hotels's cats weren't the only ones; Hemmingway had a house on the island, and kept many cats. I guess his cats had many kittens, for there are lots of cats running the island. And chickens, but history says the chickens were brought from Cuba in the earlier days of the island's history. The chickens are hysterical; they just run wild, cock-a-doodle-dooing where ever they please. No one owns them, per se, and it's illegal to hurt them in any way.


Thursday night, we opted for a sunset sail aboard the Liberty Schooner. The sunset was so-so; half obscured by patchy black clouds and not all that vibrant. But the crew was wonderful, the sailboating was neat (I've never been on one before), and ..... I got to "drive"!! Yes, the captain said anyone who wished could "man the wheel" for a bit. Not only did I do it, but I got to yell commands to the crew while doing so, in order that the sails would catch more wind. My next career? No. But it was fun that once!


Friday Dan and I went snorkeling. It was pretty neat; we saw a lobster, and a moray eel (Dan said most scuba divers don't even get to see them the way we did 'cuz they often hide in caves), barracuda, and lots of pretty colorful fishies. Unfortunately, there were quite a few jelly fish, and we opted to get out of the water rather than get stung. And my pictures didn't turn out all that great. Bummer. It's harder than you'd think to take a picture of a fish when you are being moved about by waves, and the fish are moving in currents below you.

Those are the highlights. In between and afterward there was shopping, terrific seafood, some enjoyment of the late-night scene, and a few beaches. It was a great trip!

I'm ba-a-ack!

I'm back in two ways, actually:

One, quite literal, as I've been in Key West for the past 5 days. It was WONDERFUL, and I'll post more about it later this week when my pics are uploaded and can accompany the short narrative.


The second way I'm back is that my work is back in the Curiosity Shoppe for display and sale. This two-month rotation (beginning Friday Sept 29) the South St. Phila store asked me to focus on jewelry items. So I did (duh). All signs point to my items being in the store for the next four months, though, as my knit bears have already been requested at the Nov/Dec cycle. Yay!

So while I go do things like sort laundry from a week of extreme heat and fun in Key West, you should grab your calendar and jot down Curiosity Shoppe's address (529 South 4th St) and plan to stop by next time you're in Philadelphia. :)

It's Monday again...

and thankfully, I can already tell it'll be a better week than last week. I've been up for a few hours, got my yoga practice in before they closed the aerobics room at my gym for a class, and have a definitive list of the stuff that needs to be done in the next few days. And I have energy (which I was sorely and sadly lacking last week!).

Yesterday was the Newark Community Days Festival. I've never been before, but had a booth this year. I was very pleased with the way vendor set-up was handled. There were to be around 1800 vendors (of different sorts --- some public info, some political groups, and several entire sections of hand crafters), so it easily could have turned into a disaster. But there were volunteers posted at designated drop-off points, willing and able to help carry items to your booth. And there was plenty of space for vendor parking (for free -- thanks, Newark!) in any lot along Main St or DE Ave.

There were plenty of people, but not soo many that they couldn't cross a walk to see something that caught their eye. It was a chilly day, but it didn't keep people from shopping! Actually, I think the breeze helped people remember it's the right time of year to buy warm knitted items ... and Christmas gifts! It was a great day.

Now I'm preparing for (and looking forward to) the next show, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church. It's October 6th ... just two weeks! Off I go, to make more of all the items I sold yesterday! Also, if you're considering a facelift for your doors for this holiday season, this show will be a must-visit, as I'll have a full selection of fall and winter holiday wreaths available.

Getting to all the wrong things

Ever find that some days you're really surprisingly productive, but not with regard to ANY time-sensitive tasks that you may have on your plate?!

That's how yesterday felt to me. I have a booth at a festival, Newark Community Days, on Sunday. I need to get some things organized for it. I'll be selling some of my hat/scarf/fingerless glove sets (but they all need to have my clothing label sewn inside). And since I designed a new way to tag my items for sale, I need to re-tag every item I'm planning to bring to Community Days. But instead, I did other stuff.

It's not as though what I worked on WASN'T important ('cuz some of it was). I mean, I updated my supply inventory, and worked to finish a crochet purse that I've had on the back burner for awhile now. And I made the eyelet shrug grow another 2.5". Althought updating my stash and FOs on Ravelry probably doesn't fit into "important..."

*sigh* Today is a new day; maybe it will bode better for the imperative tasks (I REALLY don't want to spend Saturday doing that stuff! Our pool is still open and I want to use it!).

Distracted by instant gratification

Or something like that. The eyelet shawl, which is finally about halfway done, is feeling like it's the slowest project this side of the Mississippi.

So I'm taking a break... of sorts... with several quicker projects. I cast on for a novelty scarf the other night. I'm going to alternate bright blue/glitter and black sparkly yarns. They are both Anny Blatt, and were part of the yarn gifted to my knitting group a few months back. The most fun thing about this project (so far) is that the light bulb went out while I was knitting, and during the thirty seconds it took for my eyes to adjust, I looked down at my lap and noticed that the scarf was glowing. Turns out the blue Anny Blatt has glow-in-the-dark specks in it (the glowy parts are the ones that look cream/yellowy in the pic). Cool!



Then last night I cast on for a custom shrug in Rhapsodie. I'm really enjoying this yarn. It doesn't split, it's soft, it makes big stitches, and the color variations are quite pretty. I chose a simple basketweave pattern for the shrug ... to make it interesting without detracting from the yarn itself. Got nearly 6" of the shrug knit last night while watching old Friends episodes. Gosh how I miss that show!

Stitches East Homework ..... DONE!

Yup, that's right. I'm celebrating, cuz all my swatches are DONE!! And (this is a bonus), I was able to use leftover yarn pieces for the swatches. I had some acylic on hand, and no idea what I was going to use it for; these swatches were the perfect solution. Now I can leave the swatches knit so that, paired with my notes from class, it'll be like having the class whenever I have a question.

What did I need to swatch? Not all that much, I guess. I needed four different swatches for my first class (Friday morning) called Rolled Endings. I'm looking forward to this class, and learning some cool new ways to cast off projects.
Then I needed one swatch on DPNs for my third class (Saturday morning) called Build a Better Bag. Can't wait to learn some tricks for making bag-shaped bags, and having them be sturdy without felting. Nothing against felting, mind you, just a) haven't done it yet and b) don't want to do it on every bag, obviously.

Now I'm ready to start on a custom shrug request. The recipient simply requested the color (orange) and left the pattern up to me. Oooh, fun! I found the perfect yarn at the LYS sale recently: Plassard Rhapsodie in orange/brown/pumpkin. I can't wait to start on it. Now to my pattern dictionary to find a nice pattern to show off the pretty colors!

Smile Creations Crafts's work for sale in Chesapeake City, MD

Yup, it's very exciting. My work is being displayed/sold at a shop called Vulcan's Rest in Chesapeake City, MD. My husband and I were wandering around in Chesapeake City a few weeks ago, and Dan found it (hooray for wonderful husbands!).

In addition to a huge selection of fiber, the owner likes to feature completed projects by local artists, and has thus turned her shop into a fiber and gifts store. If you happen to be there, look for my work. Some items she currently has for sale are:


Knit purses in several styles (pictured is one of them)

Crochet shawls (one in black/multi; one in shades of blue)
Knit jack-o-lanterns (just in time for the spooky season!)
Crochet flower pins - perfect to dress up a shawl, or to embellish a project of your own
Smileville Bears -- Molly (pictured) and Mac

Of eyelet shawls and potluck dinners

The two things that are most top-of-mind right now: eyelet shawls and potluck dinners.

My current project, a pretty eyelet shawl in pink Ocean yarn, feels like it's finally moving along. I've been working on it for a few weeks now (although I must confess some of my time has also been distracted with other, shorter-term projects), and I've today reached the halfway point. Thanks to having no shade in my backyard, I staying inside to avoid a sunburn and watched several episodes of one of my fave TV shows, 24, while knitting away. Here are some pics of my progress.



As for potluck dinners, the LYS, Stitches with Style, is sponsoring a knit and eat tonight. Who knows what I'll eat -- it's all up to what my fellow knitters bring. But it promises to be a fun night. I made a baked macaroni casserole, which I believe is one of my all-time favorite pasta dishes. So simple, so cheesy, so YUM!

Very unique purses

For all you book lovers, I found a really cool website today. It's called "Rebound Designs." The product: cool stuff made from old books.

First and most prominent are their purses made from hardcover books. The selection is fabulous... purses from the newest novels (think Harry Potter) to the most obscure (calculus texts). And best of all, the bags seem large enough to hold what you need, but not so large they become heavy and cumbersome. When they make one from The Scarlet Pimpernel, I have this feeling I'll be back to buy it!

They also have a line of naughty pins made from phrases cut from old books. Anyone who think that books weren't sexy "way back when" should just read the list of pins. I got a thrill just reading them myself!

Black & White shawl

For all those whose sympathies reached me last week, when I had to frog an entire crochet shawl, I thought I would share the newly completed item.

This time, it is the right length (hooray!) -- about 27" from the top to the bottom point. It hangs just below my waist (and I'm on the tall side at 5' 8"), so I think on the customer it will be perfect!

The customer shared with me that she ordered the shawl for her cruise vacation. The first dinner on board is to be a formal affair, and she wants this shawl to match her little black dress! How exciting!!

Homework for Stitches

Yes, I looked at the calendar today and thought "Gaa! It's only 2 months until Stitches East in Baltimore, and I have homework to do!"

I printed up the schedule of classes I'm signed up to take --- I created the list awhile back --- with all the supplies and homework associated with each. Now I need to go find yarn left-overs to work with, and get busy! Since it seems that I just have swatch after swatch to knit, I think working on them in between other projects MAY keep me from going insane. So if I start now.....

Thankfully, only two of my four classes require pre-knitting: Rolled Endings on Friday morning and Build a Better Bag on Saturday morning. My shawl class and my beginner entrelac classes don't require any work at all.

The entrelac has been teasing me, however. Now that I'm on Ravelry (as "Patience" since I'm on only for my personal knitting --- no association to Smile Creations Crafts), I have found lots of projects I want to make in "all" my spare time. One of them is an entrelac wash cloth, believe it or not (check out my Ravelry queue to see it for yourself). Not only does it look cool, but I thought it may be easier than trying to jump into entrelac with, say, the shawl I've been wanting to make for my sister for the past two+ years. We'll see if the bug moves me enough to try it pre-Stitches. Somehow, I doubt it. Maybe the wash cloth will be my first project after Stitches, to get my feet wet before the shawl. I'll keep you posted.

Now, off to find the yarn for my swatches!

Look -- it's Tootsie and Toby, the twins!

The babies of the Smileville Bear Bash play club, Tootsie and Toby can't really talk yet. But they are great fun! They coo and giggle, and drool a little on their matching yellow bibs.


Tootsie, the lavender bear, is the girl of the twins. She has learned to say "honey" and asks for the sweet treat all the time!


Toby, the mint green bear, is the boy. He recently discovered his toes, and think they taste pretty good. He also loves to give his twin sister big bear hugs.


Tootsie and Toby aren't the only baby bears who spend the day playing at Bear Bash.... Sally, their closest friend, is also a very young cub. Stay tuned... she'll be introduced this fall!

Blog Block

Ever have "blog block"? You know, when you sit at your computer, and you can't think of anything to blog about. So you check email and come back to BlogSpot, and still can't think of anything to blog. So you add a link, and then go follow a few links to see what everyone else is up to, and... if you're lucky by now when you come back to your shiny new blog post window you've got something in mind.

However, if you're me, for the past week, you still don't have anything to say. Oh never fear, I'm knitting and crocheting, book-keeping and catching my inventory system up to current... I'm just not blogging.

*sigh* Guess I've got the blogging blues.

The crochet frog visited me this week

And it wasn't pretty!

I received a special order for a black and white version of the shawl (pictured below), due for a black-tie affair at the end of the month. The customer asked if it could be about 4 inches shorter than the one she tried on, since she is slightly vertically challenged.


So I say "no problem!" I have the yarn already, and I had a long trip ahead of me -- a friend was married in NY City on Monday night, and I took the train to avoid traffic. And so, I crocheted the shawl and listened to the sounds of various screaming children on the train. Between train rides and a few hours in Urban Square Park, I managed to finish the shawl.

"That seemed quick," I thought to myself. But knowing that a steady rhythm can make things go quickly, I thought nothing of it. After all, it did take all my travel time, and there was a bit of it.

But alas, when I reached home (and was awake enough to compare the new with the prototype), I realized that the black and white shawl is about 16" shorter (not the requested 4")!!!! I can't figure out what on earth I did wrong. I must have just started out with too short a foundation chain, and not noticed, what with all the distracting train noises. So yes, you guessed it, the entire shawl was frogged. I'm not sure which is more annoying.... having to re-do a project that I was sure I finished, or having it take 2 hours to wind the ribbon yarn back onto the spools so it wasn't twisty. :(

Indestructibles

I have a very interesting knitting commission. A friend of ours has a dog which has destroyed every dog toy, including those that are marketed as "indestructible." At dinner tonight, he asked me if I could make something that could stand up to Lola's teeth.

I have two thoughts so far: 1) knit with wool and felt it and 2) knit -- tightly -- with heavy/rough rug yarn. Rug yarn worked for a cat toy, so maybe that's the way to go. I've not tried felting yet, but I was just reading about it in the latest edition of KnitPicks' newsletter and thought perhaps that could work as well. I may try the felting first, simply 'cuz I've got some Lion Wool on hand....

Vacations and Craft Shows

Hi! Sorry about the long, post-less week. I was blissfully away from all technology deep in the heartland of TN. It was a great vacation. As I said, free from technology and stress, but not free of knitting!!

I worked on two projects, mainly during the drive to TN and back again! One is a knit wrap for fall in soft white Skacel Sofa. The other is the crochet wrap-around cover-up for the teeny yellow green and pink bikini. I finished both and will post pics as soon as I find my camera --- I truly hate the unpacking part of vacations!!!

Also, news on then craft show front -- I have scheduled two more shows for this year:
* The first is the 2nd Annual Pinelands Folk Festival in Estelle Manor, NJ. It will be held on August 4th (that's this coming Saturday) from 10am-5pm at the Atlantic County Park on Rt 50. Admission is free.
* The second is the St. John/Holy Angels Church Craft Show in Newark, DE. It will be held on November 10th from 10am-4pm at Holy Angels Gym and Fremont Hall. Admission is free.

Free-style crochet

I have embarked on a new and interesting journey... free-style crochet. There is no pattern, not even in my head, for this new project. Just the ultimate goal of having a shawl/wrap. Each row I figure out a different crochet stitch to use. I want it to have a nice combination of solidity with airy openness.

It began with a ball of Plymouth Yarns Eros, a pretty ladder ribbon yarn in blues/greens which was a free gift at the WWKIP Day last month. I attempted to create a poncho with this yarn using the pattern that was gifted with it. However, I had a doozy of a time trying to knit with this ribbon, I guess because the pattern called for quite a few yarn overs, and it's difficult enough to knit in the proper places with the ladder, let alone with several loops of it all smooshed together on the needles.

So I thought, "Self, why don't you see if you can crochet with it?" And since crochet uses up more yarn than knit, I thought it would be a good idea to add other yarns to the mix. And so my cool colors free-style wrap was born. I added minty green Filtes SAS Kim yarn and some royal blue shiny cord/ribbon yarn (not sure what it is; it was an unlabeled part of the stash gifted to our knitting group). The contrast of colors is really pretty neat, and I'm pleased so far, but I won't be able to tell if it's really worked out until I'm done.

So far it's 53" -- which is just about as long as I'd hoped. I began with the green, then went into Eros, and just now started a row (or two, who knows?) of the royal blue. This is how it looks so far:

Hi, I'm Tiffany Bear...

I live in Smileville. You've heard of it, right? It's like the prettiest place in all of bear world. Or it sure feels like it! My daddy is a lawyer bear, and ...

Oh, wait. I'm getting ahead of myself again, aren't I? We haven't even really met yet. Sorry; I'll start again.



Hi. I'm Tiffany Bear. Bradford Bear (you've already met him) is my big brother. He's not so bad as far as big brothers go. We live in Smileville, which is deep in a forest, with our mom and dad bear. Every day we walk from our den to the Bear Bash Play Club. It's really fun; we play games and learn to find berries and eat honey without making a mess.

Like I said earlier, our daddy is a lawyer bear. He calls me his little princess. Sometimes for fun I wear a crown at home, like a princess. But usually it gets in the way when I play. Mommy made this headband for me instead, and every morning I put a pretty flower in the top, see?

Say, you look like a lot of fun! Maybe we can play together sometime? Or you could adopt me, an we can play all the time! If you want to take me home with you, please click here to visit the Smile Creations Crafts store online.

Wreaths... and yarn in the heat

Since it was blazing hot here in DE yesterday, I decided to put away the yarn and work on door wreaths.

I had received a custom order for two wreaths to match some silk house flags, and worked first on finishing those. Here they are, each with the flag they're to match. The wreaths are basically the same (they had to be since they'll both be up at the same time), but the bows are different colors and designs, and placed differently.






Then I thought I'd work on some wreaths that I had planning out awhile back, but never actually assembled. However, despite the heat, the call of yarn was too strong to resist, and I knitted anyway. I spent some time on the raspberry Silky Look bandeau top I've had in the works for awhile and got it nearly done. All that's left now is the finishing (uh-oh!).

I truly seem to work in spurts... I'll prepare a project, but then get bored of all the prep work (or finishing work, as is the case for some knit/crochet) and put it aside until I'm in the mood for it again. *sigh* Is there a 12-step program for procrastination? LOL

Also, I found (or re-found, as I knew of it before, but lost the URL) the blog site for Keet, a fellow local artist like me who has items currently on display at the Curiosity Shoppe. You should check her out if you get a chance -- she makes really nice quilts and whimsical framed mini-quilts.

Update on Summer 2007 knitting goals

Well, a winner was chosen in Skeins Her Way's knitting goals 2007 contest, and it wasn't me (congrats to the lucky winner!).

But, the contest has served it's purpose for me --- I have already completed the first two of my knitting goals. 1) Finish my first pair of socks --- I did that (see them here) and I've actually started another pair! and 2) Finish the raspberry-colored bandeau/tube top (it turned out very cute. It's blocking now; I'll share the pic when it's dry). I think that despite my promise to knit for myself, the raspberry top will become part of the Smile Creations Crafts inventory. Someday I will knit for me, I promise. But not right now; I feel my time would be better spent preparing items for my business.

Anyway, so as for the goals, I only have one more month of summer (maybe 2 if you could September since it stays hot), and 5 goals to go! I'd better get working!! :)

Time flies...

when you have two festivals in one week!!

I think I've finally recovered from having a booth at the Blueberry Festival (Hammonton, NJ) on July 1 and then having a booth at Liberty Day (Newark, DE) on July 4. Two cities, two festivals, same great Smile Creations Crafts.

Ok, I'm being silly. But in all seriousness, I can't believe it's the middle of the summer already. My crochet beaded halter tops made their debut at the Liberty Day Festival, and later as we were closing up that night, I had the horrible realization that it's time to start knitting and crocheting for fall!! So I guess it's on to shawls and wraps and tops with sleeves I go!

Any fave patterns for fall knit/crochet? Share 'em with me! I'd love to see what others are working on now!

Blueberry Cannolis

You may ask what blueberry cannolis have to do with Smile Creations Crafts, my website, or anything crafty. The answer is: NOTHING!

However, yesterday I had a booth at the Hammonton Red White & Blueberry Festival in Hammonton, NJ (the blueberry capital of the world!). It was a GREAT event -- the weather was sunny and perfect (and not too hot), there were TONS of people in attendance, and they were selling the YUMMIEST blueberry cannolis!! And that's what blueberry cannolis have to do with it. :)

In crafty news, I will also have a booth at Newark, DE's Liberty Day celebration on July 4, and hope to see you there. I also pray for good weather; I am hearing some nasty rumors about increased humidity causing thunderstorms.

I am putting the finishing touches on some new, never been sold at Smile Creations Crafts items for the event, including a cute little teeny-bikini, and some beaded halter tops. Here is an example of the halter tops.

Success! They fit!

Ah, the taste of sweet success. Or is it the sweet taste of success?

Either way, I am estatic... the socks (my first EVER) I've been working on for the past month or so were given yesterday to my dad (his birthday... happy birthday, dad!) and they fit!!! He loves them and was flattered to receive my first-ever pair of knit socks.

They were knit using Lion Brand Magic Sock yarn in Sea Blue. The fiber content is mostly wool, but with a little nylon, and they're washable. I love the way the striping turned out.

Here they are, being modeled by my dad's tootsies!

Back to my knitting roots

Today I visited University of Pennsylvania, to knit with the women who taught me to knit a few years ago. Every so often I try to join them in their weekly Thursday knitting circle. It's always good to see them, and share our projects.

This time I was able to show them my FINISHED first pair of socks!! Yes, you read that right... the pair of socks I've been knitting for a gift are done. And just in time, too. No final pictures, though, until the recipient gets to see them and try them on. I'm crossing my fingers that they fit, as I didn't have actual foot measurements and kinda went by the average length, etc for the size shoe the person wears.

After showing off the socks, I began working on a cute little crochet halter top. It's a bright sunny yellow --- a yarn called Scooter that's a cotton/rayon/nylon blend. Tiny shimmery nylon threads are twisted with the fibers and give Scooter a luminescent quality. I may not have enough of the yellow Scooter, but I have some skeins in a really sweet denim color, so I may do the edging in the denim; we'll see.

Pre-occupied -- with a database

Hello! Please forgive me as I've been lax in posting ... and may continue to be for a few days. I invested in a software program called Craft Manager that is designed specifically for craft business owners. It promises to help track my inventory and supplies and give me lovely reports to help keep on top of my business. I am thrilled to death, and of course, really into getting all my data in and settled and making it work. I have 30 days to determine if it will do all I need for it to do. Wish me luck!

Update on yarn stash organization and sock project

Thanks to Craft Critique, who included me in their special "Organizational Carnival" June 13-14th.

An update on said yarn stash organization:
Those of you who read the original post know that I had a serious shelf mishap a few weeks ago as I began organizing my office area, (including my yarn stash!).

Thanks to a handy husband, all is well. :) It turned out that the shelf hangers that came with the furniture were not strong enough to hold all of my yarn! So my husband got super-duper hangers and fixed that problem. Now the yarn divider is at eye-level (the better to admire my pretties) and the ribbon yarns (of which I have a ton!) and project left-overs are on the bottom shelves.


And the socks I'm knitting are well on their way. Both have heels now, and one has been worked all the way to the toes! I have two weeks left to finish (they are a birthday gift)... can I do it?

USS Nimitz

A few days ago, my husband and I received a one-page flyer in the mail from friends of his. Their son is serving in the Navy and is currently stationed on a carrier, the USS Nimitz. Those who serve on the seas (carriers, submaries, destroyers) are usually on board for 6 months at a time. That's 6 months with no land, and no family or friends.

The goal of the flyer is to gather as many "care packages" for these men and women on the USS Nimitz as possible. Hopefully our messages will bring smiles and a little piece of home to those who serve.

Ordinarily, I'm not one for writing to people I don't know, or getting involved in causes, or things like that. But for some reason, I think because my dad served in the Navy on submarines, this request has really stuck with me. After all, I grew up hearing stories about my parents writing letters to each other before my dad would even leave for his 6 months (submarines can't even receive mail!) so they'd have something tangible to open and make them smile while they were apart.

I am planning to knit something small and write a letter to be given to one of those on the USS Nimitz. Just something to show that I am glad to be an American, and glad that he or she is working to help preserve our freedoms. I am asking everyone I know to do the same. Send along a favorite book, a mini jig-saw puzzle, a handcrafted something, a puzzle book, a note, a photo.... anything that can cheer our men and women up and remind them of the home that's so far away (just don't send money; it's against Navy regulations).

All items should be mailed to one of the three addresses listed on the flyer before July 4th.

Thank you for joining me in thanking the men and women of the Navy!

Stitches East Conference 2007

Knitting Universe sponsors many wonderful learning events for knitters, including the "Stitches" series of classes & yarn shopping. Stitches East is in Baltimore, MD this year in October. I attended just the yarn market part two years ago, and really had a great time. This year, since I work with yarn full time, I thought I should take advantage of the classes, too.

Thanks to YarnMama for urging me to register today; about half the classes are already sold out! If you are wanting to attend, you'd better pick your classes and register soon. They have deals with several nearby hotels and those are half booked up already (mainly for Friday night) too. I called just in time to take the last spot in two classes, and catch two more still open. I have a full 4-class schedule, which sounds like a lot of work, but I'm really looking forward to it. And yes, of course I've left enough time to shop! Thursday afternoon is for scoping out the market with my mom, and Saturday afternoon is for shopping with my friend YarnMama from the Newark knitters!

These are the classes I signed up to take:
(Friday morning) Rolled Endings with Ruth Lantz -- all about the various bind-offs and when to use them
(Friday afternoon) Intro to Entrelac with Margaret Fisher -- this is so that I can complete one of my summer goals (albeit a little late): to knit a shrug for my sister
(Saturday morning) Build a Better Bag with Gwen Bortner -- I love knitted bags and I want to learn to make them even better
(Sunday morning) Shaping Shawls: Triangles and Trapezoids with Joan Shrouder -- I want to clear up the mystery of how and where to put increases/decreases to make shawls fit and drape correctly

The one class I missed out on is Art of Knitting Backwards with Candace Eisner-Strick. I am bummed about that, but on the flip side, that gives me Thursday afternoon to tourist Baltimore and the Yarn Market with my Mom. Anyone have any resources they can point me toward to learn knitting backwards on my own?

W.W.K.I.P. Day was a (FUN!) success!

First, thank you all who participated in our first-ever W.W.K.I.P. Day event here in Newark, DE, and thank you to Stitches with Style, our LYS (local yarn store) who sponsored the event. It was a resounding success! Somewhere around 50 people were in attendance, both at Stitches with Style, and at McGlynn's Pub.

When I arrived at Stitches with Style around 10:30, I discovered 15 or so knitters already there, comfortably knitting around the table and on the couch. There was yarn shopping going on as well (nearly impossible to avoid, no?). Linda (the owner of Stitches) had sweet little blue tote bags printed especially for the occasion, and had stuffed them with lots of little goodies.

We moved to McGlynn's around 11:30 for the official start (and the knitting in public). The smell of popcorn greeted us at the door, and followed us to our section -- 5 tables full of knitters! There were 6 of us knitting at our table, and someone (a knitter) who simply happened to be out to lunch came over to our table to ooh and aah over our projects.

The surprise came when after lunch, many knitters moved back over to Stitches to continue knitting! Once you get started, it can be hard to stop! As a matter of fact, I got so caught up in knitting and talking to other knitters, that I forgot all about my camera and taking pictures.

I finally caved in and bought two skeins of Skacel Sofa yarn in soft pink with yellow eyelash. It's a super-thick chenille; very soft and warm. I think I'm going to try to make an open, airy wrap for myself for the winter since I'm always cold. I'll keep you posted.

Teeny tiny yellow, green, and pink bikini!

Now that I feel as though I have the socks under control (somewhat anyway), I have a new project to share. My newest project is a string bikini crocheted of Katia Jamaica yarn.
I found this 100% cotton yarn at Stitches with Style (who just happens to be the sponsor for the Newark, DE meeting of WWKIP Day knitters TOMORROW!!!).


Katia Jamaica is a variegated color yarn; the one I chose goes from fluorescent yellow to kelly green to carnation to fuchsia, and back again. The perfect combo for a "look at me" type of bikini, I thought. For a 100% cotton yarn, which I always find a bit rough, this is very very soft (kinda necessary for a bikini). It is about 10-stranded, though, so is prone to splitting.

Take a look at the bottom so far (it's upside down; sorry). It is crocheted from back to front. I think it will take about 1.5 balls of Jamaica, and then I plan to use the rest of the yarn to crochet a little sarong-style cover-up to go with it.


One question I seem to be getting a lot in reference to this project is whether or not I'm going to line it. What do you think? To line, or not to line? Let me know!

Socks continued

The saga of the pair of blue gift socks continues. Last night, as we do every Tuesday night, the Newark Knitters met in Central Perk on Main Street to talk and work on our current projects. I, of course, brought the socks. ReluctantMANGO was there, and thankfully had brought a new book with her called More Sensational Knitted Socks. Between the book and ReluctantMANGO, I was able to complete the heel flap on the first sock and go on to turn the short rows for heel shaping! Not sure how well you can see what I did from the pic... I couldn't find a good way to take the pic!


The book was so awesome and conveniently laid out that I took my coupon from ACMoore's weekly ad and bought it today! Well, I bought the first one, Sensational Knitted Socks. It is written by the same woman, Charlene Schurch, and follows the same format as the one that
ReluctantMANGO brought to our knitting group, just with different sock patterns included. My goal is to complete the heel flap and shaping, using just the book and last night's experience as my guide, before WWKIP Day on Saturday.

In case you've missed all the other not-so-subtle hints and messages I and my fellow knitters have posted, WWKIP Day will take place internationally on June 9th -- this Saturday -- and there is an official meeting spot in Newark, DE! Sponsored by Stitches with Style, a truly superb knitting/yarn store at 16-E Polly Drummond Shopping Center in Newark, knitters from the area are welcome at the store at 10am, and then we'll move to McGlynn's Pub (8 Polly Drummond Shopping Center) at 11:30am for more knitting in public and food, of course! I hope to see you there! Please, come introduce yourself!

Summer 2007 Knitting Contest

Since I knit all the time, but have a tendency to drop projects and begin new ones rather rapidly, I thought this contest, sponsored by Skeins Her Way, would be a great way to keep me on track this summer! Two women in my knitting group, reluctantMANGO and YarnMama, have already posted their knitting goal list for the contest. If you decide to lay it on the line and ante up a goals list for the contest, please be sure to mention my blog as your jumping point.

Here goes, my summer 2007 knitting goals:
1) Finish knitting my first pair of socks EVER! The cuffs are done; I'm moving on to the heels tonight.
2) Finish knitting the first item I've ever started for myself... a simple bandeau/tube top in raspberry Silky Look (Sirdar).
3) Finish the two knit purses that I have in various stages of incompletion.
4)Find a cute ribbon yarn pattern for little girls (preferably a shrug or wrap) and knit using some Anny Blatt yarn from Heaven (it was gifted to our group by an avid knitter who passed away).
5) Teach my mom how to purl, increase, and decrease using her Knifty Knitter looms.
6) Learn entrelac knitting so I can finally work on the shrug I promised my sister when I first learned to knit!
7) Knit and felt a purse using Lion Brand Wool. I bought the yarn, now to get brave enough to knit for felting!!

This may not seem like an ambitious list compared to others -- I am always thinking that I should be doing MORE -- but I am trying to keep in mind that I also crochet, sew, cross-stitch, and make wreaths. I'll keep trying to fight perfectionism!

Artist's reception at the Curiosity Shoppe Friday May 25th

I took a few pics with my cell phone during the lovely opening reception that Curiosity Shoppe held on Friday night for all the artists in this rotation. There were at least 18 of the artists in attendance, plus friends and family. The Curiosity Shoppe had two bands to play; one got shut down fast because they were playing on the outside landing/stoop of the shop and the Phila police said we were creating a public disturbance. But the other band, a male/female duo, played inside and were great! It was a really nice party that went on for quite some time. Dan and I had to leave around 11:30pm, but it was still going strong when we left.

Back to showing you the pics. They are a little fuzzy -- my cell phone doesn't do pics so well inside at night -- but you can see my Smileville Bears and some purses being displayed. The jewelry wasn't photographable as it's all displayed beautifully in glass cases, and for some reason, the pic I took of my crochet shawls on the mannequin came out all black. :(

Here are my bears (Da-lee, Lani, Oliver, Rupert, Sally, and Gramps) sitting on a vintage dresser below a mirror and two funky paintings.


Purses are all displayed on one large rack that has bars sticking out in all directions. Obviously, purses are a popular item to be making now as the rack was full of purses from many different artists. But below you can see my purple fringed bag (it's on the right side of the left pic) and my green bag (front and center of the right pic). They are both fashioned from toddler pants... so cute, if I do say so myself! :)


Other artists had done paintings, line drawings, fabric arts (hanging quilts, etc), jewelry, cards, magnets, and much more! Stop by the shop and check it out if you're in the area of 4th St. and South St. in Philadelphia!

Socks on vacation

Dan and I went to WV this weekend to whitewater raft on the New River. It is the second oldest river in the world (next to the Nile) and the rapids are anywhere between class I and class V (they are classed based on roughness, danger, and size, with the highest numbers being the most difficult/rough/dangerous). It was AMAZING, SPECTACULAR, and a real courage-builder for me as I'm usually not a danger-seeker. I will post pics when I have them developed; I had to use a disposable underwater camera so it wouldn't get ruined.

Despite the price of gas these days, we drove, because this place was really in the middle of WV boonies. So that meant that I had about 16 hours of passenger time to knit! I worked on the shirt I've had started for awhile... a simple tube top in K3, P1 rib... in shimmery pink Silky Look from Sirdar. No, I don't have pics yet. But I do have pics of my other vacation project ... the socks! I now have two socks (knit of Lion Brand Magic Stripes) that are 5" each (the cuffs). Tomorrow night when I meet my knitting buddies at the Central Perk in Newark, I will learn how to turn a heel! Yay!

Organizing the stash -- the yarn stash, that is

On Sunday, my hubby and I finally went shopping for an organization system for my office. Now that I've been working from home for 8 months, I have a very good handle on what supplies I use and how much of certain items that I need to keep on hand. And I am thoroughly sick of stepping over boxes and bags in my office. Both of those things made organizing my office somewhat urgent. :)

So we invested in an adjustable free-standing wardrobe, a tall bookshelf, and some additional dividers to customize the two. And after hours of assembly with Dan, and a marathon put-away session with my Mom yesterday, all the yarn was organized (wow, I have more yarn than I thought!) as was the fabric and all my books. Yes, there's more to do, but I am well on my way.

The bookshelf, as you can see, looks fantabulous. :) The white "blob" to the right is the side of the wardrobe. They are at right angles to each other.


Here is the wardrobe post-trauma this afternoon. Other than saying that the two shelves above the yarn were originally below it, I'll leave it at that.


So. Now to the trauma. I was so happy with my organization that I of course wanted to share. But as soon as I opened the wardrobe door this afternoon to take pictures, a shelf fell. Originally the yarn divider was at the top (right under the shelf that goes all the way across) resting on one shelf, and there was one other shelf before the bottom of the wardrobe. The shelf that fell was, of course, the one the yarn divider system was resting on. After a brief moment of panic, I realized that I could remove a shelf from the right, and use one of those shelf hooks to stabilize the precarious situation of my yarn. So I carefully took everything off of one shelf on the right, removed the shelf, and snagged the shelf hook. But before I could slide the shelf hook in and save the day, the shelf below fell in one corner. This became a slippery slope, where every time I moved, a shower of yarn would come down upon my head, and the shelves would slip in another corner.

To make a very frustrating story slightly shorter, I did eventually manage to rescue everything from below the yarn divider, remove the shelves, and sit the divider on the "floor" of the wardrobe, where it will now stay. The yarn still isn't all put away, though, because it turns out that the top of the wardrobe is a minuscule amount wider than the bottom, and the last partition of my yarn divider doesn't fit. Which means Dan gets to play with his power hand saw again soon. *Sigh*

New artist rotation at the Curiosity Shoppe -- and I'm in it!

This post isn't really about a craft show, but it has to do with my schedule just the same.

See, just off South Street (on 4th St) in Philadelphia, PA, there is a cute little shop called the Curiosity Shoppe. Every other month, they select about 30 artists from the local area to feature in the front portion of their store.

And my work will be in that store beginning on May 25th (Friday!) until the end of July. I just met with one of the owners today, and dropped off some of my items. Please, if you are in the area, stop by the shop and look around! Peter and Hannah (the owners) are doing a wonderful thing by giving us artists a place to show our work.

Some of the items I have in the rotation are:
Smileville Bears
Crochet shawls (such as the one in this post that I donated to a benefit auction)
Funky jewelry (kinda like this, with shells and edgy designs)
Crochet flower pins (like the ones I showed in this post)
Paperback book covers

Newark Nite and more crafty shows

Hello, and happy Thursday. It's Thursday already! Yikes!

This Saturday, I will be at the Shoppes at Louviers in Newark, DE for the 3rd Annual Kids Day America celebration from noon until 3pm. It will be a super-fun day.... food, games, fire truck and police car tours, Cinderella and other favorite characters LIVE!, and free giveaways all afternoon long. Join us for the fun!

Also, I have expanded my show schedule with three events here in Newark, DE:
* The first, Saturday June 2, is Newark Nite. From 5-9:30pm there will be music, food, and street vendors on Main Street in Newark.
* Then, as part of the 4th of July celebration, I will be at the University of Delaware Athletic Complex from 4-9pm on July 4. There will of course be food and entertainment, with fireworks at the conclusion of the evening.
* And finally, Newark Community Day, September 16, will take place from 10am-5pm on the University of Delaware's Green.

Please mark your calendars to come out, enjoy the community and entertainment, and of course, to visit my booth!!

World Wide Knit In Public Day mentioned in SPARK!!

Thanks to YarnMama, who contacted Spark Magazine about our w.w.k.i.p.day meeting on June 9th. They published the info here (you need to scroll toward the bottom of the page to read it):
"KNITTERS OF THE WORLD, UNTIE!" I don't know about you, but I want to check out the "Spark 7" that the editors mentioned at the end of her letter. :)

And.... we are official! Yes, our knitting gathering at McGlynn's Pub is listed as an official gathering place on the w.w.k.i.p.day website. Check it out!

In other news, I began a sock the other night, as I swore I would, at our Tuesday night knitting meeting (Central Perk Coffee Shop, Main Street, Newark @ 6:30pm on Tuesday nights. Join us!). Thanks to reluctantMANGO, who was invaluable to the socks' beginning (I confess that she re-cast on for me, after it took an hour for me to cast on so tightly that I couldn't even complete the first row of stitches!). I will post a picture of it as soon as it looks like more than a sketchy circle of stitches on itty-bitty tiny needles!

World Wide Knit In Public Day --- update

I just spoke with Stitches with Style, the yarn store who is sponsoring our gathering on June 9th, and they are preparing a special gift for the first 50 people who arrive for w.w.k.i.p.day. How great is that?! Thanks, Stitches!!

Also, keep an eye on The News Journal; they just agreed to print a mini press release about the event being in Newark this year. I'm not certain yet if it will be online, or in print, or both; I'll get back to you on that fact.

I am getting so excited; I can't wait to see how many knitters show up en-masse! Now the most difficult part will be determining what project to bring! :)

What can be better than a day full of wool and sheep and knitting friends?

Yes, I had all three yesterday, and it was wonderful! Three knitting friends from the Newark Knitters Group (YarnMama, reluctantMANGO, and RangerSarah), and I traveled together to the Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, MD for the 34th annual Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. It was my first time there, but reMANGO and RangerSarah were very able guides through the hub-bub.

We started at 6:30am, and were rewarded with a decent parking place not too far from the entrance. Close enough, at least, that we could return to the car halfway through the day, to get our lunches and drop off our purchases to that point.

It seemed there was no where on the premises that the sound of sheep bleating didn't reach your ears. And they were all so cute: big ones, little ones, shorn and fluffy ones. I also saw my first alpacas (they remind me of llamas, but more sheep-sized) and llamas, which I find adorable. We took a break in the middle of morning shopping to catch a sheep dog demonstration, which turned out to be truly amazing. The dogs know exactly what to do to keep the sheep where the herder/master wants them, and do it with finesse.

(baby sheep, alpacas, and llama, top to bottom)

We all made some great purchases, as you can see in our "stash photo" at the end of the day! I personally picked up several sock yarns (I WILL make socks!!! I simply must learn. The super-soft, pink/white handpainted sock yarn from Shelridge Farm will be a good enticement.), some uniquely-colored green/black yarn with sparkles to make a scarf, and some candy-cane striped yarn to make a sleeveless top.

Flowers

Recently I've been inspired by the spring-like weather (yes, that includes the rain!) to crochet flowers. I'm having fun experimenting with colors and textures -- and using up some of my "scrap yarn" (yarn left over from other projects) as well.

They make wonderfully portable projects, as by nature they're so tiny. Even the largest ones I've made are a mere 4.5" in diameter. And what am I doing with all these flowers, you may wonder. I'm sewing silver pin backs on them; they make adorable brooches/pins.

As I said, the largest ones are 4.5" in diameter; some have turned out quite the opposite -- super-tiny (maybe 1" in diameter is all!). Much of the size difference is determined by the weight of the yarn itself. I've done the same rose pattern several times, each time with a different yarn, and each time, it's a different size. The first two flowers in photos below are a perfect example: both are the same rose pattern, but the multi-color one is about .75" larger.

Some of these flower pins have already made their way to my website. Click here to see them (these are the medium-size flowers -- each between 2" - 3.5").

Here are some pics:




I think the one in the center of the bottom row, with three tiny flowers and leaves, is my favorite so far. What do you think?

World Wide Knit In Public Day comes to Newark, DE!!

World Wide Knit In Public Day (aka w.w.k.i.p. day) is coming to Newark, and I am soooooo excited!! w.w.k.i.p. day, for those of you who aren't familiar, is a day set aside every year for knitters all over the world to sit outside (or indoor public places) and do what they love best -- knit! Read more w.w.k.i.p. day from the founder here.

This year, for the first time ever, Newark will be on the list of locations for knitters to gather. As a matter of fact, I'm emailing Danielle, the founder of w.w.k.i.p. day, right now! Here are all the details, as I know them so far. Please check back (under the keyword w.w.k.i.p. day) for any updates.

Date: June 9th (Saturday)
Time: meet at Stitches with Style (yarn store - yum!), 16-E Polly Drummond Shopping Center, Newark, DE whenever you arrive (if it's before 11:30am)
At 11:30am, we'll move on over to McGlynn's Pub for the official "knit out." McGlynn's is directly across the parking lot, at 8 Polly Drummond Shopping Center.


A HUGE thank you to Sheryl and Linda at Stitches with Style, and to McGlynn's for making this possible!

Yarn Tasting

Yum! Yarn!

That's what Stitches with Style, a great yarn shop by my house in Newark, DE, called their event this past Sunday -- "Yarn Tasting." And it was a perfectly delicious event!

We "yarn tasted" early, before the store was officially open, so it was just a private group of 10 or so knitters and lots of YARN! Sheryl (the owner) and her staff had selected several new summer-weight yarns for us to try. Each skein was in its own plastic baggie, along with a pair of knitting needles in the recommended gauge, and a slip of paper instructing us how many stitches to cast on and what pattern to knit.

For my first test, I picked Needful Yarns Geranium. Very interesting yarn: a bit rough to the touch (it's about half linen), gorgeous coloring, an inconsistent texture (it was at points very fine, and then suddenly very fat). Although I liked the swatch when I was finished, I ultimately decided that Geranium is too difficult to knit with and not really worth the trouble.

I moved on to Jo Sharp DK Cotton. 100% cotton, this yarn felt nice, and knit up evenly and consistently. Toward the end of the swatch I worked, I began having trouble with the yarn splitting, but I blame that on myself -- I was itching to get my hands on still another different yarn! However, before I move to report on that one, I must say that this 100% cotton was a joy to work with; I have, prior to Jo Sharp, only experienced 100% cottons that felt kinda rough and stiff. I would have no objections to making a garment out of this cotton yarn.

Now, my third yarn was 100% bamboo. Very, very interesting! I am embarrassed to say that I can't recall the name of the yarn, so if anyone reading happens to have been there, please help! But I was so impressed with this yarn! I doubt I would have ever considered buying bamboo yarn if I hadn't had this chance to "taste" it. It had a silky sheen, slid on and off the needles easily (but not TOO easily!), didn't split, and looked great knitted up! The skein Sheryl had chosen for us to "taste" was a gorgeous rainbow variegated yarn. YUM!! My favorite of the day, for sure!

Not to be ignored in all the yarn "tasting" were the desserts that Sheryl and her staff baked for us. Yes, baked! Chocolate cream filled cupcakes, coffee cake, puff pastries, berry tart, fresh fruit salad (no, that wasn't baked).... the back room was full of goodies that we all enjoyed after enjoying all the new yarns of summer.

It was a GREAT event; I can't wait for the next one!!

Smileville Bear

Hi! It's been awhile that the Smileville Bears have spoken here on my blog, and I apologize for that. I have been trying (with no luck) to figure out how to make the Smileville Bears have their own subsection of my blog -- a place to tell their stories, and for me to post all their pictures together. Please don't give up; we WILL find a way to give them a spot all their own.

The bears have wonderful adventures, you see. These bears are terrific listeners, great at pretend, are quiet, and don't eat much. :)

I am fortunate enough to know the family with whom the first Bradford Bear now lives. He happily sleeps every night with the little boy, Johnny, and eats breakfast with him every morning. He sports, in addition to his bowtie, a miniature Flyers sweater, knitted by a close relative. I have heard he LOVES to watch hockey with Johnny.

Bradford is obviously living the good life! He loves it! Don't you want to let another Smileville Bear live happily ever after in YOUR home? Click here to see all our bears on my website. Adopt one today!

Purses

Lately, I've been working furiously to complete some fun knit and crochet purses. I realized that while I have some purses in stock, I don't have any which are knit or crochet.

In the process, I have had my first (and successful, I'm happy to report!) experience with blocking. Blocking, according to a great DIY article on knitty.com, "makes your life so much easier. You shape the pieces into the way you want them to live, using steam or water. It makes your knitting more even and sets the stitches." For example, I crochet several granny squares, which I want to join together to make a purse. But when I finished crocheting the squares, they weren't exactly square. So I dampened them, stretched them about this way and that, and pinned them in a perfect square shape to a towel-covered piece of cardboard to dry. Voila! Two days later, I have actual squares!


Course, there is always more to learn. If you read the entire article on blocking that I've linked to the paragraph above, you'll realize, as I did, that putting your damp knitting on a towel to block means it will take double the time to dry. Now I know for the NEXT blocking project!

Next show.... Kids Day America

Kid's Day America is a national day set aside to celebrate our children.

This year, on May 19th, Delaware Chiropractic will, for the third year in a row, sponsor a large fair to commemorate the day. In their own words: "Kids Day America is dedicated to help educate children on health, safety, and environmental awareness in a family and community fun setting!"

The event, which will take place from noon to 3pm at The Shoppes at Louviers in Newark, DE will have free health screenings for the kids, games, food, prizes, and sellers of great kid-friendly items (toys, books, and more!).

Why am I sharing this? Well, I do think it's a great cause (oh, I nearly forgot, all proceeds will be donated this year to the Make a Wish Foundation). Which is why Smile Creations Crafts will be there! I will be selling paperback book covers, purses, jewelry, stuffed knit balls and fabric blocks, and of course, my line of Smileville Bears.

Trade Publications

I'm still researching which craft shows will be best for me to participate in during the rest of the year. There are soooo many shows out there to choose from, and I really want to match my products to the attendees' taste as much as possible. I promise that I'll have a completed schedule soon.

To help with selection, I've subscribed to two industry magazines, Sunshine Artist, which reviews shows as well as featuring articles with helpful tips and tricks of the trade, and The Crafts Report, which is more focused on reviewing trends and helpful advice for us small craft business people. I also am expecting in the mail a huge Art & Craft Show Yellow Pages, which is a listing of craft shows around the country, with ratings and info about each.

Quite a bit of it will boil down to trial-and-error, I'm sure. After all, it is the attendees who make or break a show. You sent up your displays and your products, and hope that those who attend will be looking for that shawl that you just finished, or the adorable kitty cat towel and trivet set, or a gift for a new baby (enter cross-stitched bibs or a floor blankie).

The good thing about craft shows is that even the trial-and-error is fun. Short breaks from your booth are acceptable, especially when you have someone there with you to watch it while you take a short walk. The show I was at this past weekend at the Aetna Hook and Ladder Co in Newark, DE was not very well attended. But.... what I lacked in customers, I made up for in great contacts. I met some wonderful craft vendors: some veterans of the circuit, and some newbies like me. And that's what I love about this business: crafters are by nature friendly people (and, since no one there makes what I make, also very willing to share tips and other show experiences!).

And now, back to crafting I go! Tonight.... I want to finish two little crochet purses I have started.