Sunday, December 21, 2008

Holiday projects

I have been busy making gifts for different people. The problem is, I have forgotton to take pictures of everything! So, here's a few that I did remember to take pics of.

This is a (lousy) picture of a quilt I made for my son, James. It is 4' x 6'. (He's rather tall. )

His favorite colors are purple and green, so I did the center of the quilt in 9 patches of greeen, and of purple, sashed with black. The side sashing is purple on black, then green with purple, with purple edging.


The top is made from quilter's cotton fabric. The batting is heavy wool felt, and the backing material is a soft wool.
He also received a pair of hand dyed purple fingerless gloves, and a purple knit hat with Gir on the center.

Speaking of Gir, I made serveral small stuffed items for my younger son. Besides the Gir pictured, I also made him a small little alien dude.
This Gir was a challenge to make. All I had was a 2-dimentional picture from the DVD case. So, he was done via free-form crochet.
I was also out of stuffing, and snowed in. So he is currently stuffed with toilet paper! Once I can actually leave the house and get to the store, I will open him up and restuff him.
I made a pair of slippers/slipper socks for my youngest son, my youngest daughter, and my husband. I'll add pics of those when I can. Each pair was made in a different style, in different colors. They are very warm and thick, as I twisted together 2 strands of worsted weight yarn.






Friday, December 12, 2008

A good idea instituted badly

Well, while that statement may some up most of our government's actions, this one is really bad.

Last summer, when all the problems with items made in China were in the news, the US Government passed a law increasing safety standards for items designed for children under 12.

That is the good idea part.

The bad part is how they decided to do it. Short version - everything must be tested and certified.

In practicle terms, that means people who make these items (food, clothing, toys, accessories, bedding and so on) by hand ALSO have to pay to have the items tested, even if the materials were purchased through a reputable seller. Since few crafters on sites such as Etsy can afford to pay the $500 testing and certification fees, they will be put out of business.

Here's links to the official info:
http://cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html

Summary: http://cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/legislation.html#summaries

Official Summery (part II)
The new legislation imposes an additional third-party testing requirement for all consumer products primarily intended for children twelve years of age or younger. Every manufacturer (including an importer) or private labeler of a children’s product must have its product tested by an accredited independent testing lab and, based on the testing, must issue a certificate that the product meets all applicable CPSC requirements.

If you want to have the option of purchasing hand made items for children, instead of mass produced junk, write your elected officials and spread the word!!!

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Voting is open!

Come and take a look! All entries are listed. Pick your favorite (preferably me!) and vote. Voting is open until Monday.

http://etsynewbie.blogspot.com/2008/11/who-wants-to-be-buttonaire.html

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

MODNARoS "Contest With No Name"

Tennekka (http://tennekka.etsy.com/) is having a contest. The contest was to design an item around a random MODNARoS button, provided by Tennekka. All of the buttons provided are available for sale in her store.


Below is my entry:


Sized for 6 months, this baby cardi has 3/4 sleeves, and a loop fastener for the beautiful button. It's made from Caron's Simply Soft Bright, in Blue Mint.
Voting for this contest begins on November 29th. To vote, go to: http://etsynewbie.blogspot.com

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

The holidays are coming!

We have already begun to gear up for all the upcomming winter holidays. This twin quilt is just one of the new items I have made recently.


This quilt is 42" wide by 72" long, with rolled edging. The back is a solid piece for cream colored material. It is very thick and warm.
Currently for sale at our Etsy store:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17769157

Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!


The following is from History.com:


Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).


The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.


To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.


During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.


By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.


The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.


By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.


Tuesday, October 28, 2008

More socks!!!

A very sweet person saw my previous posts in regards to the socks I make for my father. This person liked the socks so much, that they contacted me to order a pair.


Here's the custom pair, in process:

The true color is not quite as bright as it appears on my screen. It's called Winter Eclipse. It's a Super Fine wool yarn in varigated grey, deep blue and violet.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Big Project: Update #3


Only had a little time to work on this lately. We now stand at 13.5 hours of work. In this pic, you can really start to see the shape of the raven on the right. The raven on the left is just starting to come into play.

Sorry sorry sorry

It's been really hectic, strange, but wonderful around here for the past 10 days or so. Lots of changes and happenings.

Including several custom orders!

Regular posting will continue shortly.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Small stuff


It's been a busy couple of days. Craft time had been at the minimum, so I worked up some small items...

Made with Sugar'n Cream 100% USA grown cotton, these face scrubbies are excellent for your skin. Crochet in the round, one side is very soft and smooth, and the other textured to help ex foliate. Each scrubbie has a loop so it can easily hand dry after you are done. Approximately 4 1/2" across, not counting hanging loop.

Currently, we have Green Twist and Oriental Ochre for sale, with Natural Twist (a pinkish coloring) in process.
Come take a look!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Wristlet



My daughter bought a pair of wristlets that she loves to wear. I never liked them - not what they are, or the design on them, but that they were cheaply made. Within 2 weeks, they started to fall apart.




So I set out to make her a couple of different pairs in a knit version that would last longer.
I figured I could whip them up quickly - they are small, and the thumb area is just a slit.
But of course she picked out fingering weight yarn. meaning size 3 needles. So each pair is taking a bit longer than I wanted.
I'm going to keep playing with the pattern in different yarns and see how they look.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Busy week

It's been pretty busy around here the last couple of days. We have had company, lots of cleaning, and working on many new ideas. I have a Holiday Bazaar coming up in 6 weeks that I need to make items for.

Should have some new pictures to post soon...

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Big Project ahead: Update #2




12 hours total, 3 hours intot he colorworks area. The black part on the red is the very bottom of the right side of the image...









This is closer to the correct colors. The afghan is being done in black and cherry red. But at this darkness, you cannot see the knotwork pattern without straining your eyes.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Big project ahead: update #1


Here is the pattern on the bottom border of the afghan. The yarn is a deep black, but I upped the brightness and contrast so that the pattern could be seen easier in the photo.
Tomorrow I will start on the center panel.
Time so far: 9 hours

A story of silliness

I was chatting on Etsy yesterday, like I often do. I needed a break from time consuming projects, and wanted to do something relatively quick, but still different and fun. Enya (http://www.enyaeire.etsy.com/) showed me some lovely hanging TP holders, and suggested I do something like that, but with yarn instead of sewn.






So, I set out to make a crochet toilet paper roll cover. Kinda like the type grandma used to make - the ones that sit on the toilet tank or counter, but nothing that old fasioned. Knowing that Halloween is approaching, I decided to do a witch's hat.




So I made it up and took pics - as shown here hiding a double roll, but also with a single roll.








Then I sat it down, and saw that it stood up just fine with nothing under it - making it also a good holiday decoration.



And I listed it. Enya and a few others were all chatting, and noticed that because of the size, it would also work as a toddler costume hat. Heck, you could dress up your dog in it, too.













Soon after, my teen daughter came home from school. I showed her what I had made, and before I could tell her what it's purpose was, she put it on her head! It stretched enought to fit her, so we added THAT to the listing.

Just goes to show what a little creativity, combined with boredom and a dash of silliness, can create!


See the full listing at: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15856688

Friday, October 3, 2008

Big project ahead



I'm working on one of my large projects. Large, as in 60+ hours to complete. These projects I work on over time, instead of one sitting.




I've started on the knotwork border. The border is 33 rows. There are 120 sts in each row. I am on row 10 in these pics.



Not much to look at yet.


Will do updates as more of the knotwork pattern begins to really show.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Design #3 - Complete

Here is the completed Arm Warmer Fingerless Glove In Camo.







And here is a close up detail on how it fits on the hand...






Now available for purchase: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15800298

Design #3




Here's some in-process pics of design #3 of our arm warmer gloves. These are working up quite quickly, and should be finished soon. We changed the rib from a k2, p2 rib to a k1, p1 rib to see if that helps the stretching issue. Different yarns stretch differently, even when using the same stitch. We found that with they grey heather, they have to be washed frequently because that yarn stretches easily. (Frequently meaning after 2-3 wearings) The yarn shown here seems to stretch about the same, so we are trying a tighter rib to increase the length of time that the gloves can be worn before washing.




Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Best Laid Plans

Well, I had planned to finish up the 2nd Rainbow Boucle arm warmer glove on Sunday, while watching my sports. I ended up having to run a bunch of errands, and it did not get done.


So, I figured I could finish it up Monday morning/afternoon, since I did not have to be anywhere until 5pm.


Wrong again. A couple of small family emergencies came up, interferring with my knitting time.


From the picture above, taking just moments ago, it is almost halfway done. At this point, I am planning on finishing it up today.



Unless life gets in the way.


UPDATE: Here they are!!!!


http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15759957

Sunday, September 28, 2008

I ♥ Sundays!

I really love Sundays, especially this time of year. You see, I am a huge racing and football fan. So Sundays consist of having a game/race on the TV while I sit in my recliner chair and knit/crochet. Hubby leaves for work in the early afternoon, and the kids are generally off with their friends, so I have peace and quiet to work on whatever I want, while watching whatever I want.

Today I will be finishing up the 2nd arm of the Rainbow Boucle.

Have a good day everyone!

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Rainbow Boucle Arm Warmer Gloves


This is the next Arm Warmer Glove that will be listed. It has been made from Sensations Rainbow Boucle Multi.
At the top of the arm, it's blacks with slight streaks of purple. At about 2" fromt he wrist, the black turns to a black with blues and purples mixed, getting lighter until you reach the rainbow colors. This yarn is extremely soft and warm.
Because this yarn is so "poofy", the top ribbing does not pull in like standard ribbing. As such, I am adding elastic thread through the ribbing section to increase the grip.
This pair of arm warmer gloves should be listed by Monday, Septmber 29th at our Etsy store. http://www.fullhousecrafts.etsy.com

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Oh wow!


I am so overwhelmed to the responses I have received about these arm warmers. I have made one tweek to the base design - otherwise they are ready to go.
A pair in the same Caron Simply Soft Heather Grey should be listed tomorrow. Blood crimson, neon pink, bright purple, camo, and what can only be described as black with streaks of bright rainbow colors are all in the works. Each will be the same basic shape, but with variations in the arm pattering so that each pair is unique.
Each pair takes roughly 12-16 hours to make, so expect a pair to be listed every few days. As always, if you are interesting is something in particular, we welcome custom requests.
UPDATE: here is the direct link to the Arm warmer gloves in grey heather:

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Coming soon...


I have been diligently working on a new line of items today. They are arm warmers, but instead of stopping at the wrist, they go all the way down to the fingers like a fingerless glove.



I always work up a sample before I go with a design. This allows me to correct errors, make needed changes, and improve the design before I invest too much time and money.




These are some pics of the sample. I'm making a second one for my daughter to wear, as changes did not need to be made.



Look for these, in different patterns and colors soon!




Thank You!

For everyone who has left comments, thank you.

Looking back over them, I wanted to take a moment to respond to a few.

I love making things for family, friends and charity. That is why we opened the Etsy store - we use the proceeds from the sales to purchase more supplies to make more items. Since we opened the store last May, we have worked through over half of my yarn stash, and now we must start replacing what was used.

We make a lot of specialty items because, well, they are difficult to find. Take the wheelchair blankets, for example. They are made to work perfectly for those in wheelchairs. We price them as low as we possibly can - just a buck or two over the cost of the yarn - so that they are affordable to anyone who needs them.

Things like my Dad's socks...you've heard the story. He would not have thought to ask someone to make them to fit his ankles; nor would he have thought to look at an on-line store to purchase them. He would have just dealt with what he could get in a package at the local store.

My kids love items that I make. They constantly have a "wish list". Which, of course, makes me feel good. Not to mention that when a teenage girl wants what you make, it means that you still know something about style. :)

A recent comment stated that they like how I show works in progress. That made me smile. I often gets calls, texts, emails, IM, etc which start with "Whatcha working on?" I started taking pictures in process to answer those questions. Those people now check this blog to answer that question.

It's also instructional - both for other crafters and those that have never crafted in their lives. Such as last week. I had just started a sock, and had it with me when I had to sit some place for 3 hours. My Dad watched me knit for that time, and actually saw the tiny size of the needles, how many stitches it took to make a noticable difference in size, and so on. He has a better appreciation of how much work goes into a pair of those silly socks.

So, thank you again for the comments. Please feel free to leave questions, and I would be happy to answer them.

Off to my knitting!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Last pair of socks



So, I went on a short trip with my father last week. On our way home, I got him to stop at a yarn store, and found some funky sock yarn on sale.



We started talking about the socks I make him, and he told me that he had enough funky socks once I finish the ones one the needles already.




So, here's the last socks I will be making for him. One sock is complete, and I will update the pics when the second one is done.




Update - Here they are. The completed final pair.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Some new items for the store.
These are finely knitted baby caps, sized newborn to 6 months.
They are made with Caron's Simply Soft yarns,
The one on the left is meant for a boy, with deep blue and red random stripes and just a touch of eyelet for an interesting design.
The one on the right, while a cap, is designed to look like a bonnet. With the deep emeral green base, rose ruffle, a cream satin ribbon, it's still very girly without the mandatory pale pink and white traditional coloring.
More bold color baby items to come.


Monday, September 15, 2008

Dad's favorite socks

So, I shared a few pairs of socks I made for my father the other day. He wanted wild socks to wear with his sandels. Not only wild, the had to be soft with a looser ribbing than the standard store-bought sock. Neither of the two previous pairs were wild enough.

I also made him orange and white striped - like the Cat in the Hat, with off-setting stripes, where the heel and toes of one were orange, and the other sock white.

Still not wild enough.

So, I brought out my bag of soft yarns in sock weight, randomly grabbed a ball, knit a few rows, the blindly picked another. I did this a total of 13 times. These socks were the result.



They are his favorite pair. And he wants more. Well the winter holidays ARE coming....

Saturday, September 13, 2008

still working...

Still working on the Etsy store updates.

However, I convinced my father to "model" some of the socks I have made him. These are the tamer of the ones I have made for him.




He demanded to be paid for the modeling. I told him that the socks WERE the payment!
He's a kick sometimes.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Shhh! It's a surprise!

We are doing a shop revamp - changing the look, the sections, and adding new stuff. It should be done by the end of the weekend.

In the meantime, I want to share some items from Etsy sellers also in the greater Portland, Oregon metro area.

Cofy is a sweetheart. http://www.etsy.cofygirl.etsy.com/ She does wonderful felted knit items.














Purple Daizie is another great person. http://www.etsy.purpledaizie.etsy.com/ She has some cute jewejlry, but her drawings are absolutely amazing!




Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Variation




I am currently working on a variation of the Blue Rose.


In this case, I addached the second color in a different location, so that two full rounds of petal stick up, instead of the single round in Blue Rose.




The center flower is done with two strands held together - one strand is a light rose, the other a medium rose, to give added depth to the flower.


After 8 rounds of green, I picked back up witht he two-tones rose colors.


I'll post an update when it is complete.



Update: Here it is, completed.




Monday, September 8, 2008

A love-hate relationship


I have a love-hate relationship with sock. I love making the first sock, but always suffer from SSS (Second Sock Syndrom) witht he second one. And I have yet to learn the technique of doing both socks at once.






I am trying to finish up the second sock in this set so I can move on to other projects. These socks are a gift for a friend of the family.


I am actually a bit father than this pic now. I am almost to the toe decrease, which means that I should be done with them today.


I hope!



Update: They are done! Time to start something new.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Friday, September 5, 2008

Blue Rose afghan






The afghan is almost finished. I have just started on the edging.






The edge color is a silvery-grey. You can see it better in this close-up. It will be more noticable once the edging is completed.
It should be finished tonight, and listed on Etsy tomorrow, when I have sunlight to take better pictures.