Newest Obsession

If you are looking for me, I am probably making big ol' crochet flower brooches! A friend recently taught me how to crochet little flowers, and I decided to give them a modern twist!

New Photographs

In January, a Massachusetts based photographer and mama contacted me via my Etsy site. She offered me a trade. My plum baby sweater for professional pictures of my goodies. I checked out her website and knew that it would be a great match. I've only gotten the first two sets of pictures and I couldn't be happier. They are beautiful and capture my knits perfectly! I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do!

New Designs in Progress

Elfin Bonnet

Earwarmer

Headband

I Heart Handmade Art

Last night I took a little trip down to Boston to check out the We Heart Handmade Art event put on at the West Elm on Brookline Ave. The idea was that the store would be open late and it would feature select local Etsy artisans that you could purchase from. I kinda figured that it would be a little event that only other Etsians would attend. I was wrong. The place was packed. Packed with trendy, well-dressed urban dwellers. Which made me realize that I am no longer any of those things. I forgot to put on make-up before I left. I mean, "Hello?!" I was going into the "big"city and I forgot to put on makeup? Worse? I wore my Danskos. Nothing says, "Hey, guys~I don't live in the city. I live in the country where we have more farms than Starbucks and mom jeans are much more common then jeggings" more than Danskos. So that really boosted my confidence.

But, I digress, back to the event. It was hoppin'! There was a dj spinning and free wine and fancy appetizers (think shot glasses of tomato soup with mini grilled cheese). I had a slow start when I first arrived, I think that it was probably because I was experiencing a serious case of sensory overload. I found it a little tricky to find the Etsy sellers amidst the people and the furniture. But once I acclimated to the pounding bass I was able to navigate with success.

I'm not sure how many sellers were there 10? 12? Your typ

ical mainstream selection; a few jewelery designers, a couple stationary artists/ print makers, a photographer, a painter, a handbag designer, and a fine artist. I have to say that I was a little bit disappointed with the lack of creativity in their choices. Not that the chosen artisans weren't amazing, believe me they were, it was inspiring. But that there didn't seem to be much innovation there. Everything was lovely and classy but in my opinion, that doesn't represent the Etsy that I use.

That being said, I did make a few purchases. I got this amazing bangle from Frosted Willow and some cheeky pencils from Earmark Invitations and a little paper birdie from West Elm all of which pleased me greatly.

And then it was time for me to go, because, let's be honest here, we all know that I was freaking out about being out late and not at home furiously knitting for Craftland. Secret's out.

Exciting News....

First, I apologize for being such a negative nelly yesterday! Today was a much better day, putting everything back in to perspective.

My Freshman year of college, I roomed with a lovely girl who grew up on an island off the coast of Maine. I didn't love that college, but I loved her. After transferring my sophomore year, Anna and I stayed in touch. She'd pop in for a visit when she came to Boston or New York and I'd stop in for a visit with her when I was in Rhode Island. We didn't talk often, but it never seemed to matter.

In many ways, Anna and I couldn't have been more different. She was quiet, I was a loudmouth. She was crazy intelligent, I almost lost my mind in whatever fundamental freshman science class was required. She was always patient and sweet, I get frustrated and irritated easily. Basically, we fit. Our room was at the far end of the hall, across from the RA, which was fine by us. Neither one of us were doing anything that might get us in trouble. Seriously.

After any performance (I was a theatre major at the time. Listen, I was young, I didn't know any better, ok?!) I would come home to a handmade card from Anna congratulating me. And it was always amazing. It always left me wondering why I couldn't make a marker and paper do the things that she could make them do. Her thoughtfulness always made my day.

Well, Anna went on to become this amazing, famous, super star designer. All by herself. Ok, her equally talented hubby helped out a bit along the way. She started with Etsy, opening her little design biz before Etsy hit the masses. And she pretty much became aninstant hit. Ya know those people that have hundreds of sales? She has thousands. Seriously. And soon she started selling in some shops here and there and soon after that, she was selling everywhere. From there her work started to pop up in trendy magazines that you and I read like Domino and Martha Stewart and dozens of others. Finally, she realized that she was so damn good at this that she opened a shop in Rhode Island where she sells all of her goodies, and other handmade loveliness that she picks from Etsy and other venues. This is where I come in.

Last week, Anna contacted ME to sell some items at her store. Crazy, right? I mean, her store is tops! It was voted Best of Rhode Island and she wants to sell my bow tie scarves, hats, and baby sweaters! I'm so excited and overwhelmed and flattered. This will be the second shop that I sell my goods at which makes me feel sort of legit. Like I might actually be making some sorta, kinda small business over here in my own little corner of the world. Which is validating and motivating and just plain good. And the fact that this is Anna's shop makes it special and nice. It all makes me wonder what our 18 year-old selves would have though if they knew that this was gonna be us at 32.

So, if you are looking for me over the next week or two, I'll be knitting. She wants 6-8 baby sweaters and I've only got one off the needles! Knit, purl, knit, purl, knit...

Where I'm At

I know I've been quiet the last couple of days and I'm sorry about that. Just haven't had much to say. I didn't plan to write tonight either, but then I came across this posting. And I felt like I wrote it, because that is exactly where I am at. Are you feeling this way too? Is it just us? Better yet, if you are not feeling bored, what is inspiring you these days??

"...the number one reason knitters knit is because they are so smart that they need knitting to make boring things interesting. Knitters are so compellingly clever that they simply can't tolerate boredom. It takes more to engage and entertain this kind of human, and they need an outlet or they get into trouble."

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Thank you Molly for making me feel less alone in my boredom!

(On a side note, I am featured in two lovely treasuries right now and would love, love, love your support in checking them out! )

Shop Update

I wanted to catch you up on all of the shop happenings. We may be in-betwen heat waves here in the Northeast, but I am still busy filling up the shop in preparation for Fall and Winter. I even made my poor friend visiting from Brooklyn model my scarves and neck warmers! Don't worry, I paid her back in maple bourbon steak tips from The Meat House.

These bow tie scarves seem to be getting some great attention. Many in the shop are knit with organic Moorehouse Yarn which means they are soft and cozy and come in fantastic colors.

Doesn't this photo remind you of the pictures that used to be in our mother's knitting books and magazines? This great, textured scarflette is cozy and comfy. Perfect for a fall night.

A friend requested a set of onesies for a new mama that she knows. I hadn't done appliques in a while and procrastinated on getting them done. But once I sat down and did them, I had the best time. It was fun to go through all of my fabric scraps and think about what shapes would work. I think that they came out pretty well. Anything to spice up a traditional onesie!

As you know, I am on a new yarn ban. Do you know that?? Well, I am. I have plenty of yarn in my possession that I should not have to buy new yarn unless I get a custom order. This hat came from my current stash. I am still pretty fixated on cables. I plan to knit up a few more of these over the next few weeks. They are a great stash buster.

I got an inquiry about making the bow-tie scarf in red. Duh, right?! Luckily I had some red yarn left over from a baby sweater I knit up in the spring. I think that it looks great and a perfect color for the style. There should be lots more coming before the end of the summer. Can you believe that we are more than half way to fall?!

Cute is a Baby Boy

I found myself a new hat model this weekend!

Lots of New Goodness

It's just 9:30 on Saturday morning and I've already completed one item on my Best Intentions List. There are many new items listed in my shop. I know, how annoying. Nobody likes those people on Facebook who post about the six hundred productive things that they've done while you (by you I mean me) have spent the day watching all of the John Steward episodes from you very comfortable couch. But, I wanted you guys to be the first to see, 'cause I know you are likely to appreciate it more than anyone!

There's this:

And this:

Then there's this:

Oh! and this one:

And finally, there's this guy:

Best Intentions

I had big plans for this weekend. Tag Sales, The NH Sheep and Wool Festival, a trip to the beach. And then I saw this:

So, instead I plan to enjoy these:

I put all of these outside for a good soaking:

Have plans to make some of this:

And promise myself that I will take pictures of these and post them onto my etsy site.