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.

NEXT SHOW!!! And fun at sales

First, a quick announcement: I will be at the Aetna Fire Hall Spring Craft Show in Newark, DE this Sunday, April 1 (no, it's no joke, I WILL be there selling my handcrafted items). It was a last-minute registration. Karma, actually, as I had thought the show was already filled, but then got an invitation email from the promoter just the other day. So, please come on out and see me! The show is free to get in, and will be open from 10am to 3pm.

Now, about fun at sales. I had some sad news yesterday that turned into a ton of fun. Backwards, perhaps. But there is a Hancock Fabrics near to my house, and it's closing. Not the entire chain, but that particular store.

And that's where the fun comes in - the closing sale. Everything is on sale! I had a great time and bought lots of supplies to make more fun stuff for my store: fabric, purse handles, ribbon...

Tomorrow I get to shop some more, this time for storage bins. Large ones. After setting up and then packing up displays and products this past weekend, I decided life would be much easier with a set of 4 or 5 large plastic bins, rather than various sized boxes and bags for moving all my stuff. After all, a display is more than just the large furniture; there are the cloths to cover and make everything look uniform and neat, there are decorative cloths/doilies to be, well, decorative, there is my model for the hats, and baskets, and candles and flowers for homey touches. Yes, I really do up my booth right. And I don't want to have to cart all that stuff in multiple boxes and bags ever again!

Smileville Bears make their public debut

Today was the first day of the Handcraft Unlimited Craft Show at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, DE. The weather outside was frightful (rainy and generally gross), but inside was so delightful. There were lots of people, and fellow vendors were friendly. It was a long day, though, and I'm ready to retire for the night.

Before I do so, however, I wanted to give the newest of the Smileville Bears their "coming out," so to speak. Seven bears joined Bradford Bear in Smileville: Tiffany, Da-lee, Tootsie, Toby, Moe, and Gramps. Next week I'll be creating a special section here on my blog just for pictures and stories of the little bears. For now, I hope you'll accept my apology for simply posting a picture of each, and a brief bio statement.

Tiffany is Bradford Bear's little sister. She likes to play dress-up, and always wears cute headbands and flowers.








Da-lee is an artist. She loves to paint, and comes with her own paint palette.








Tootsie and Toby are the littlest bears in the day camp. They are fraternal twins; Tootsie, the lavender bear, is a girl and Toby, the green bear, is a boy.








Moe is a bit of a clown. He loves to make other bears laugh. He knows lots of jokes and magic tricks.









Gramps is a great story-teller. The baby bears favorite part of the day is when Gramps comes to visit. They love his stories about growing up in the forest.

Last minute details

Table covers and decorative baskets, plenty of change, and a lunch. Just a few of the last minute details I need to work out today.

Tonight Dan and I will go set up my booth at the Bob Carpenter Center for tomorrow/Sunday's show. We have about 2.5 hours to set up all the display furniture. Then I'll return tomorrow morning -- EARLY -- to actually set out the items. I am very excited. I have seen billboards on all the major highways.... Rte 2, Rte 4, Rte 95.... I hope there is a huge crowd at the show tomorrow.

The last thing I'll do tonight is take down my Etsy store. Not permanently; only for the next two days. I wouldn't want someone to buy online the item that I had just sold at the show!! So for the next two days, the showcase of my Etsy items that usually appears on the right hand column of my blog will be empty. But remember, it's ONLY because I have many of the items at my show!

I hope to see you at the show this weekend! If you can't make it, wish me luck, and stay tuned as I'll post pics and news from the show early next week (once I've recovered from tons of adrenaline and a serious lack of sleep!). :)

Craft Show countdown continues. . .

Busy, busy. There is still much to be done!

My attempts to buy a silk/material flag for my booth this weekend have finally gone bust. I was hoping to have a custom flag with my logo on it.... it would be more visible throughout the craft show floor, I think, than just an ordinary paper/printed sign. However, such is not to be, at least not this time. As a last resort, I visited a flag place in Newport, DE today. The owner (rather crotchety, if I may say so) indicated that contrary to public understanding, he does not create the flags in house, and that most take at least 3 weeks to deliver. Bummer. So my main task for tomorrow is to create a booth sign, as well as the other pricing and general signs I need for the show this weekend.

I was successful, however, in purchasing some custom imprinted pens to give away at my booth. They write really well; I love the sample one that I rec'd in the mail a few weeks ago. They are red, and have happy faces all over. Fairly apropos, I thought. I hope they arrive by Friday!

Tomorrow, Wednesday, I will also be heading to NJ, to celebrate my sister's birthday. I won't say which one, only that it's kinda momentous, and big sister must be there. :)

Countdown to the craft show

Five days til my craft show in Newark, DE. Five days, and quite a bit left to do. Inventory, pricing, signage... I have a lovely long list to organize my week. Can I do it? Of course I can! My mom is coming tomorrow to help with some of it. I think we'll tackle the inventory and pricing first. I hope it warms up later this week, because I'd like to put some finishing touches on the display unit for my wreaths as well.

Speaking of wreaths, I think I promised some pictures of them as a teaser for this weekend. If I didn't, here are some, anyway. Since the wreaths are difficult to ship, I usually just sell them at shows, and don't have any photos of them on my Etsy website. If one catches your fancy, though, and you can't make the show, email me and we'll discuss shipping options.

Craft Show Coupon

Have you marked your calendar yet to come to my craft show? It's in two weeks... March 24th and 25th. I hope I'll see you there!

As an added incentive, I chose to participate in their exhibitor coupon offer. These special coupons are now available on the Handcraft Unlimited website. Either follow the instructions from the Newark, DE show page, or just click here, to print a free 10% off coupon for use in my store! Be sure to scroll down.... my coupon is the last one at the bottom.

Wreaths

Today is so beautiful outside, that I decided it was finally time to finish some door wreaths. I love to use real pine cones in my wreaths, which means sitting outside with a bucket of water so I can get said cones into the actual wreath frames. It was so nice to sit outside for awhile... the birds were singing happily, and my cat was thrilled to sit at the porch window, alternately staring and me and the myriad of birds.

The downside to this otherwise happy picture is becoming covered with sticky sap as I push the pine cones into the wreath frames. That, and the not-so-pleasant smell that results from bakeing them to achieve a deep chestnut-y color and sap-glaze shine. Today I got the added pleasure of burning my wrist as I was removing a wreath from the oven. :( I hope that's not an omen for the week.... I have much to do and so little time!

Oh well. Now I have numerous beautiful wreaths all ready to embellish later this week.

New Gizmo lets you shop more easily from here!

I love the programmers at Etsy.

Etsy is the mother-site where my shop, Smile Creations Crafts, is hosted. The programmers are forever cooking up cool ideas to help us sell our handcrafted items. Their newest is "Etsy mini," a mini glance at our shop for posting on our web sites or blogs. Mine is to the right, under my logo. Click on any pictured item to go directly to that item on my Etsy site.

Other news:
1) I am making headway on a database to track all my products and supplies. It is turning out to be a complicated task, since I feel like every time I turn around, I remember more info that I should be tracking, but I'm getting there.
2)After my blog rant about "finishing" on Tuesday, I got off my butt and got about finishing. I finished a slew of cute little totes and purses, each with a unique look. And yesterday my mom and dad visited, and with their craft assistance, I completed many colorful paperback book covers for my craft show. Added bonus: anyone who buys a book cover at my booth on March 24th or 25th, gets a complimentary paperback book from me!
3) I finished and delivered the newsboy-style hat to my friend at UPenn, who looks adorable in it! I made a second one while I was at it, to post in my store, and will post a pic here once I take one.

A few thoughts on Finishing....

As I get closer to my craft show date (March 24/25), I am thinking more along the lines of finishing projects that I have already begun, rather than starting new ones (despite how desperately I want to try that new pattern!).

Now, in order to understand, you should know that I'm a "typical" Gemini; I have many projects in the fire at once because otherwise I get bored. On one hand, that's a good thing, because when I finish what I have going, I'll have plenty of items for my craft show.

But working on the finishing is a bit like pulling teeth. For weeks, I found myself avoiding it, until suddenly, I'm three weeks out from a show (NOW!!) and realize that I have to strictly schedule my days in order to force myself to finish.

It reminded me of school, and term papers (ick!), and how after putting in hours of research and reading, I (and many of my classmates) was loath to actually write the paper. It wasn't that I didn't know my stuff, or that I couldn't write it. It was simply that all the excitement (challenge is probably a better word) had been taken out of the paper already, and all that was left was regurgitating what I already knew onto paper for someone else to judge.

I think there's a parallel in crafting. Once you've picked the pattern, enjoyed the feel of the fabric or yarn as you selected it, cast on your stitches or begun cutting the pieces, and cleared the hurdles of a new stitch or sewing skill, all the excitement is gone. All that's left at that point is trimming threads, weaving in yarn ends, seaming, ironing..... you get the picture.

But... what I'm using to spur myself on these days is the forgotten thrill --- the thrill of the completed project. When you look at your creation and know there is NOTHING else to do on it; it's done, and it's wonderful/beautiful/exactly as you envisioned. That thrill that is hard to beat. The tough part is working through the finishing doldrums to reach the final goal --- completion.

It's a beautiful Saturday

It is! Warm (for a Delaware March, anyway), sunny, clear-skied...... I feel happier than I have in days! Darn the winter blues!

Despite a raging cold, I decided to take advantage of the day, if only for a short while. I donned a jacket, and, armed with paint brush, varnished the desk and chair set that I carefully sanded last weekend. It looks great (if I do say so myself), but it also looks as if I have really thirsty wood. I mean, there are parts that look dry ALREADY, and I know it's not THAT warm. So I think I may have to do another coat next weekend. But I'm getting closer to having all my display furniture ready for the craft show season. Good thing, too, since my first show of this year is just 3 weeks away!

On other news, the newsboy hat is nearly complete. It is only missing a brim, which I plan to finish tomorrow. And I'm also nearly done knitting a little girls' caplet in white ribbon yarn and edged in wonderful fuzzy blue/green yarn. It will be perfect for those upcoming spring days. I'll post pics tomorrow; I'm just not in the mood to drag out my camera today.

Newsboy hat coming along

The newsboy hat is coming along nicely. Many, many thanks to Mrs. reMANGO, one of my Newark knitting buddies who showed me a way to make the cables go easier and faster! Also thanks to Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, whose wisdom I only recently discovered in her book, Knitting Rules!: The Yarn Harlot's Bag of Knitting Tricks.

As I no longer work with the hat recipient, it is sometimes difficult to find time in our schedules to meet. And I want to ensure that the hat I am knitting will fit properly, no? How to do that without a long drive into Philadelphia? Easy, according to the Yarn Harlot. Simply measure the recipient's hand, from palm base to tip of the middle finger. That measurement should equal the hat, from the brim/edge to the first row of decreases (this assumes, obviously, that you're knitting bottom up, as thankfully I am).

The good news is: the hat fits! Onward, to the brim!

My first cables

I finally got around to beginning the newsboy hat for my friend/former-colleague. I chose to work with the Moda Dea yarn first, since I think it's more of the royal purple she is hoping for.

The brim is done (it's a 1x1 rib for about 1.25"), and I added a strand of clear elastic thread to make it a little more snug. The rest of the hat involves cables, which I haven't done before. I've watched, and been taught, and the concept sounds really simple --- knit a specific number of stitches out of order.

I completed the first cable last night. It was very very slow going (it kinda felt as though it took me just as long to do one cable as it did to knit/purl the three rounds leading up to it!), but I did it! I'm so very proud. I don't know if you can really see the cable in this photo (I'm having a BAD photography day!), but it's there, right next to where the needles cross in the photo below.



Thank you to my UPenn knitting pals, who taught me to cable; heck, who taught me to knit!

Craft Show Displays -- continuing the sprucing process

I was so hungry this morning, I was awake several hours earlier than normal! I hate when my appetite makes it impossible to sleep.

However, that also meant that I got a jump on working on my craft show displays. By lunch, I had already sanded a really cute desk and chair set. It's so tiny, it looks like it should be a child's set, but it's perfect for fitting in a craft show booth. And despite the small profile, the chair is comfortable. Now it's ready to varnish. But it's just too cold outside, even in the garage with the door closed, to do both tasks today. So I'll save that part for next weekend.

With that work out of the way, now I can do the fun stuff -- a few hours knitting up a custom order. A former colleague requested a newsboy-style cap, much like the one pictured below, but in dark royal purple to match her coat. I found two perfect yarns, which means I'll make hers, but then I'll make another for my store, too! The first yarn I found one is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran (it's soooo soft! I used it for several scarves before and really really liked the feel.). The other is Moda Dea SuperWash Wool (100% washable means it's warm and cheap to clean. It also knits up to a nice feeling hat).