I’m having fun using up my stash of bulky acrylic. I’ve had all this KnitPicks Brava Bulky just hanging around, and I think I was saving it in case I needed it for something. Nope, I don’t know what. Yep, it’s a silly idea. So now I’m using it! It knits up quickly on big needles, meaning less stress on my elbow, and it gives me some inexpensive inventory for my Etsy shop. Yesterday I made a little baby hat in a couple of hours.
It joins the two cowls already made. 
Last night I cast on for another cowl, red this time, while I watched the Golden Globes (that was NOT a good show, am I right?). But what I really want to cast on is the Color Block Wrap, because I got the last color of yarn I needed! Just look how gorgeous these colors are: 
I’m trying very hard to tell myself I have to wait until I finish some WIPs first. We’ll see how well that works out; this yarn is calling my name pretty loudly. Happy Monday, friends!
A Cowl on a Puppy
I didn’t go to Michaels yesterday. That feels like a triumph. I could have. I had the car, the freedom, the time, the coupons. But I didn’t. I didn’t need anything from there. I have yarn galore, better yarn than I’d get there. I have needles galore, better needles than they have. So I did my grocery shopping and went home, where after lunch I started a quickie project with yarn from my stash. 
I had an urge to make a chunky cowl that would work for older kids, so I grabbed two skeins of denim blue Knit Picks Brava Bulky and cast on for a simple cowl. I held two strands together and used size 17 needles, and a couple of hours later, I had a finished object. Jack was my first model. 
I can’t stand how cute he is here. Now I understand why people put their dogs in sweaters and snoods and things. I can’t, because Grace would chew this up in seconds. But oh, it was adorable while it lasted.
This Christmas tree is coming in handy, since it’s right by the big bay windows. Good lighting. Too bad we’re finally going to take it down today!
That’s all the progress for today, kids. I think I need to take a short break from knitting. My elbow has been paining me the last few days, so I told myself last night that I would go a full week without knitting. Of course, in the light of day, I’m second guessing myself, and I don’t know if I’ll make it. But now that the foot is (mostly) healed, I’ve started taking some ibuprofen to reduce the inflammation, and I’m going to keep icing it because that seems to help a lot. So I’ll play it by ear, and let you know…maybe you’ll see knitting, maybe you won’t! But you’ll always see cute puppies. 
This is what happens whenever I sit on the couch. Puppy friends are the best of friends!
A Hat and A Scarf
I got some lovely, kind comments to yesterday’s Being a Unicorn post; thank you so much! It felt good to write, and I’m feeling more confident about my choices. On a related note, I’ve been playing around with paid posts on Facebook, and they actually seem to work. I’ve done two $5 boosts, and both times I got lots of clicks, post likes, and two page likes. They haven’t made any money for me yet, but given time, they might. Every bit of exposure could lead to those people who love handmade yarn treasures.
Today’s post will be what I was intending to write yesterday before my unicorn self took over. I have two finished projects to show you! A few days ago I wrote about pulling out some old WIPs, and I frogged one and kept one. I actually finished the one I kept that day, and I have no idea why I set it aside before. It was simpler than I remembered, and the yarn is just so soft. I ran out of yarn and had to omit the last two rows of the pattern, but I don’t think it hurt much. 
It still needs blocked, and then I’ll try to get a good photo of it actually on a person. It’s called the Gallatin Scarf, and here are my Ravelry notes.
I also made another Summer Combination hat, this time with that silky black pima cotton. The only downside to black yarn, other than actually working with black yarn, is trying to photograph it. I’m seriously considering investing in one of those glass mannequin heads. 
Yep, that’s a bit of dog hair. Obviously this one hasn’t been washed yet.
Yep, that’s my Christmas tree. Still up. Whatever.
Oh! Oh, I almost forgot! I have marvelous news! Look, look at this: 
Those are MY feet! My feet, and both of them are in real shoes! I went to the orthopedist yesterday for my nine-week followup, and the x-rays showed a bony union and I was released from his care. Woohoo!! I don’t have full pain-free range of motion yet, but I don’t know if that’s because it’s not 100% healed or the muscles just need time and work, but I can walk and I can drive! I think my husband was more relieved than I was. Now I just need to remember how to go down stairs like an adult and not a two year old. So what am I doing with my first day of independent freedom? What any mom would do: go to the grocery store! … which happens to be right across the street from Michaels…
Being a Unicorn
It’s no secret that I sell my yarny things. You guys all know about my Etsy shop; heaven knows I talk about it enough. And I’ve talked about the struggles of making it successful, the struggles of pricing and marketing and what to make. I’m always trying to find the ONE THING that will make it click.
Yesterday I saw an Instagram post from a newer Etsy seller, photos of orders she was mailing out. Orders, plural. That rarely happens for me. Of course I went to her shop, and she has beautiful things and lovely photos. Her prices were a tiny bit lower than mine. I was immediately filled with an urge to do what she was doing. I needed to take new photos with a plain background, knit simple things in neutral colors, lower my prices, and I needed to do it NOW!
Then I took a deep breath and returned to normal. I looked at her descriptions, and discovered she’s using a wool/acrylic blend. That can be great yarn; I’ve used it too. But I primarily use high-end all-natural fibers when possible, and those are more expensive. I use patterns that have more detail to them, and those take more time. I often use yarns that aren’t super bulky, and it takes more yarn and more time.
I looked again: her pieces were ivory, gray, white, black, navy. My shop is full of color. Lots of color. Color in the yarn, color in the backgrounds. Rainbow, variegated, stripes–I use a lot of color. It makes me happy. It’s what attracts me to a yarn.
Please understand, none of this is to say that my things are superior in any way. Quite the opposite: most of the time I feel like I’m an amateur on a website full of professionals. Truly, her items were lovely and I’d love to make some similar ones. But it is to say that mine are DIFFERENT, and I have to realize that that’s OKAY. (I’m sorry, I’m capitalizing a lot because these are important ideas for me.)
I need to be a unicorn.
Recently, I was browsing through Etsy’s how-to articles for sellers, and one of them was about how to stand out, and the thing that jumped out at me was “Be a Unicorn”. Be the thing that you don’t see everywhere. Be something unusual and beautiful and interesting. Be yourself. You hear that a lot in a lot of different contexts, but it works well here too.
People buy handmade for a variety of reasons, and one of the biggest is the story. Customers like to be involved, they like the interaction to feel more personal than just a sale, they like to support interesting, passionate makers. If I try to do something just because it works for someone else, I will fail every time. It won’t be authentic. My pieces won’t stand out because they won’t be a product of passion. I cannot copy someone else.
I need to be a unicorn.
So I will continue to use bright, colorful yarns and make bright, colorful pieces that are typically one of a kind. I will continue to make things that spark my creativity rather than things that are “likely to sell” (although I will also continue to hope that someday those two things will be one and the same). I will continue to photograph them on my beautiful daughter outside where you can see a hint of the natural world.
My shop is little, but it’s growing. I’ve gotten glowing reviews and had return customers, and that has to mean something. It means a lot to me as a maker, that’s for sure. Maybe my Etsy shop will never bring me riches. That’s okay. If it allows me to do what I love, if it supports itself, surely that’s enough. After all, success isn’t money. Success is happiness. By that token, I’m successful already.
What about you? Have you embraced your unicorn self?
A Finished Scarf
I did it, yesterday I finished a scarf! I have a commission for two scarves and it’s been going slowly. I made up a pattern using a butterfly stitch to match the butterfly hats I made before Christmas. I can’t share it just yet, because I’d rather the recipient see it first. But the important thing is that finishing one of them freed me to work a bit on some other things. I know, I know, I still need to do the second scarf, but the pressure has eased a bit. The result is this, the beginning of a Honey Cowl in Frolicking Feet DK. 
Isn’t it just the best thing ever? I could knit this yarn every day and never get tired of it. I’m using size 6 needles to make a dense fabric, and cast on 190 for a longer cowl.
Strange thing, though: this morning I felt the urge to revisit some old WIPs. Back in August, I’d cast on for a Retro Knitting bag but set it aside for craft show knitting. This is the beginning of the bag bottom.
Lovely, eh? I do like it. I love the color, and I had visions of a denim lining and clear acrylic handles. But now, after using butterfly stitch to make two hats and a scarf, plus the promise of another scarf, I can’t imagine ever wanting to do this much butterfly stitch again. It has now been frogged. It might still become a bag, but certainly another pattern.
I found my Gallatin scarf project too, which I also started in August. 
This is lovely Malabrigo Worsted on bigger 10 1/2 needles, and this definitely won’t be frogged! I’ve got it set out so it can become a FO soon. I still have five other WIPs that need attention, but I need to pace myself, right? Especially since I also want to make another slouch hat with this silky pima cotton. 
The life of a knitter, right? You no sooner finish one project then add two more to your list!
Finally, here’s Jack, waiting as patiently as I for the husband to box up the last Christmas tree. It’s blocking his window view, you see. 
A Good Day
Yesterday was a good day indeed. It was the last day of the kids’ winter break, so we celebrated by going to see Mockingjay Part 2. Since I’m still in the boot and not driving, the girl drove! She’s been getting more practice lately and is doing very well, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still get a little freaked out. I try to stay calm, or at least pretend, but there are those moments, you know. Anyway, she did well, and we got there and back safe and sound. And the movie was fantastic! Dark and grim, but we were expecting that. What I wasn’t expecting was to enjoy it more than the book. It was really well-done.
There was still good light when we got home so I stole the girl again for a little photo shoot. I had three cowls that needed photos before they could be posted on Etsy, and she’s the best model I have. Plus, I’d needed to wait for the snow to melt before trying to maneuver around outside in the boot. She was a good sport, and I got some great photos. 
Purple Paint Cowl. Ravelry notes here and Etsy listing here. 
Chunky Indigo Cowl. Find it on Ravelry or on Etsy. 
This is my favorite of the three cowls. I love the colors, the pattern, the length, the feel of the silk/merino yarn…everything. You can find my Ravelry notes here, and the listing on Etsy here. If you need the pattern, contact the Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe. It was free with the purchase of the yarn needed. It was called the Textured Multicolor Cowl, and the yarn was a somewhat pricey (but totally worth it) Diana Collection Silk and Merino from Yarns Northwest.
Now my Etsy shop is fully updated, and I even started offering free U.S. shipping. Today my husband is back at work and the kids at school, and that means I have lots of time to make more things for my little shop! I’m housebound for at least another two days. I go back to the orthopedist on Thursday for another x-ray and I’m really hoping I’ll be allowed back into a shoe and driving at that point. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
New Year Knitting
I know the trend is to do some reflecting on the previous year and make goals or hopes or dreams for the coming year, but I have no desire to do a lot of that this year. Last year is done and gone, thank goodness. Yes, some good things happened, the best maybe being our move to a new city, but there was also an awful lot of not-so-good for me. I’m ready to move on, but without putting high expectations on it. I want to knit, I want to read and write and edit, I want to keep trying to be a better person, I want to spend time with friends and family, I want to take care of my husband and kids, and I want to enjoy my puppies. None of those are new things.
That’s not to say I don’t have specific goals; I do. I want to knit from my stash more this year and control my yarn spending. I want to grow my Etsy business. I want to do more craft shows. But again, those aren’t new things. I’ve been doing well at knitting from stash, mostly thanks to the broken foot that kept me housebound. My Etsy shop did well over the holidays so I want to keep that momentum going. Craft shows, well, I’ve been trying to figure those out for ages.
Does any of this make sense? I’m not really sure what I’m trying to say. I guess just that I don’t want to tie it all together to a date. I want these all to be ongoing aspirations. And I think I’m off to a good start! I’ve finished two projects this year. One is a WIP that carried over from last year, and it was knit from stash. This is the Coors Cowl made with CEY Chateau. Originally I was going to do five colors as the pattern specified, but then I discovered that the darker grey I’d chosen wasn’t the same yarn. And once I got two colors knit, I realized five would make it extremely wide. I had to pick a third color, and debated between the pink and the blue…
before deciding to use the second skein of purple in my stash. This is for me, after all, and I’ll almost always choose purple. I adore the end result. It’s wide, long enough to wrap twice, and it’s so wonderfully soft and warm and squishy. 
My second FO of the new year is my Malabrigo Rasta Cowl. Remember, I just bought this yarn the other day, so it’s not like knitting from deep stash, but it pleases me to use a new yarn quickly rather than stick it in the stash and forget about it. It helps that this is one of the fastest patterns I’ve ever knit. I used the Marian cowl pattern and made no modifications. 
That one’s for me too. January is Selfish Knitting Month for most knitters I know! But now I’m ready to focus on other things. I’ve got a scarf commission I’m working on, plus a ton of ideas of things I want to make to sell. I can’t wait to get my boot off so I can get outside and take photos of my new inventory. Maybe the “fresh start” thing is affecting me more than I realized, but either way, I think good things are coming!
Going out with a Bang
I bought yarn yesterday. Not just “yarn”, but YARN!!! It had been so long since I’d been in a lovely big LYS that I kind of went nuts. The best part is that I actually have plans for almost all of it! That’s not how I roll most of the time, so this is a good sign of what’s to come in 2016. Maybe I can buy good yarn with a solid plan, and resist sale yarn just because it’s on sale…sometimes. Do you want to see my treasures? Yes, of course you do.
First up is two colors of CEY Chalet, a bulky chainette yarn that is so soft and lightweight it’s ridiculous. I adore this yarn, and at buy one get one 70% off, I decided to splurge.
The shop had a sample of this Color Block Bias Wrap, and oh wow, was it amazing. But they’d run out of the third color, so I’ll be on the lookout for it, and then I’ll make my own cozy Chalet wrap.
This is a new-to-me yarn, Island Yarn Blackwater, but it’s a high-quality merino that feels a bit like a MadTosh or Malabrigo Rios. There was only one skein left of this silvery-blue…
so I picked up a gorgeous Maraschino red as my second skein. To knit together or separately? I’m not sure yet. 
They also had a good assortment of Cascade’s Baby Alpaca Chunky, which is one of my most favorite yarns. With the help of my Knitting SIL, I went out of my color comfort zone and picked out a deep brown and a dark raspberry.
It’s a bit brighter, pinker, than it looks here. These are going to become another Candy Cane scarf, although a bit thinner since I have less yarn. 
Malabrigo Rasta! Gorgeous dark blues and purples! For a Marian cowl for ME! I’ve used Cascade Magnum twice now, and I don’t like the feel of it. I think this will be a much better experience.
And finally, after ages of admiring, I bought my first skein of Anzula!
This is Cricket in a lovely shade of green called Pesto. It was pricey but oh does it feel luscious. It’s probably the cashmere in there. I have no idea what to make with it. Anybody have a favorite one-skein project worthy of Anzula?
These were a spur-of-the-moment purchase. Acrylic, no plans, but pretty and sparkly and inexpensive. If nothing else, they could become fun Christmas presents for my nieces next year.
Of course, I did find some purple yarn in the sale section, and of course I bought some. But I did put back one skein, so that’s growth, right? And it’s yarn I’ve used and enjoyed before, so I know it won’t sit in my stash forever. This is Mochi Plus, but in a solid. I’ve only ever used their lovely rainbow yarns before.
It’s not a great photo, but they’re a vivid royal purple. I’m pretty sure this will become yet another Mountain High cowl.
All right, we’ve made it to the end. Just one yarn left. My mom recently asked me for a cowl. She’s never asked me to make anything for her before. I mean, sure, I’ve made her things, and I think she likes them, but she specifically asked for a longer multi-colored cowl, so I decided it needed a yarn worthy of the occasion. I think I found a winner.
If this looks familiar, it’s because this is the same yarn I used for my first Hitchhiker. It’s Frolicking Feet DK by Done Roving Yarns, and it’s a joy to knit with. Let’s just cross our fingers that it will be well-received.
Aren’t they all marvelous? Now you know how I will be wrapping up 2015: winding all my new yarns! And tomorrow, I will get to start the new year on a high note, casting on an exciting project with luxury yarn. Seems like a pretty good start to me.
I wish you all a safe, happy New Year’s Eve tonight!
Time to Organize
Just like many of you, at the end of the year I get the urge to purge, organize, clean out and clean up. (Yeah, I also have the urge to not cast on for anything new until I finish some of my WIPs, but I managed to fight that one off.) I’ve already started with my yarn stash. It’s been organized by yarn weight for quite a while, but new purchases kind of got stashed willy-nilly and it was looking sloppy again. Plus, there were gorgeous yarns getting lost, hidden by yarns I bought only because they were purple, or they were on sale. It was time to make it more efficient and more attractive.
I started with the super bulky and began winding skeins into cakes. It made them easier to stack, but more importantly, it made more room. I went through seven shelves of yarn, winding lots of yarn and petting skeins I had forgotten about. I also pulled yarns I didn’t think I’d ever conceivably use, though I wasn’t too strict about it. Given the choice, I will always knit or crochet with soft, pretty yarns, so ones that are too scratchy or colors I don’t like can probably go bye-bye. But then I think, what if someone orders something someday and this is exactly the yarn I need?? So yeah, I kept some for that reason, as silly as it is. Then were several others that I moved into the Sell/Trade stash on Ravelry and stuck at the back of the shelves. I still have them, but I’ve got my better yarns in front.
Still, after a few days of work, I had shelves that were freshly organized. I discovered I have a whole shelf’s worth of Aran weight yarn, which surprised me. (Side note: why is Malabrigo Worsted classified as an Aran weight?) I have more DK than I expected, but given my growing fondness for shawls, I’m excited about that.
The best part of the whole thing: I realized I have not achieved SABLE (stash acquired beyond life expectancy)! I have around 200 yarns listed on Ravelry, and if I use one yarn a week, that’s about four years’ worth. That’s nothing! Some weeks I’ll probably use more than one yarn. And that even includes some old scratchy acrylic that I’m only keeping for details on character hats/toys etc. 
What to do but buy more yarn?? I’m off to visit yarn stores today with my knitting SIL. One of them is having a Buy One Get one 70% sale, and what knitter in their right mind would pass that up?
Emerging From My Cave
I feel like an animal coming out of hibernation, cautiously poking my head out to see if it’s safe yet. Christmas wasn’t right for me this year, and I had to keep my head down and just keep going one day at a time to get through it. Nothing major happened, there were just smaller things that sucked the holiday spirit out of me. We still had lovely celebrations, and I did enjoy spending time with family and seeing the kids’ joy with their presents, but it wasn’t the same glee that I have most years. To be completely honest, I’m relieved it’s over and I’m crossing my fingers that it will be better by the time next Christmas rolls around.
Let’s talk about the knitting then, shall we? Of course I didn’t stop knitting. The day I stop knitting will be a dark day indeed. I have no idea when I made what, so I’ll just start throwing photos at you and see what comes up. 
This is a textured multi-colored cowl made with yarn I got at the Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe in Columbia, MO. It’s a silk-merino blend, soft and drapey with good stitch definition. The pattern came with the yarn so I can’t share it with you, sadly, but I’m quite pleased with it. I might have to keep this cowl. Or at least wear it once to try it out, right? And please notice: it’s blocking with the help of my new Knitter’s Pride Knit Blockers which I got for Christmas! They’re fantastic. 
These are brain slugs (from Futurama, I’m told) I made for my nephew. He saw my son’s and loved it, so of course he needed his own. I started with this pattern which made the baby one, and then modified it to make a bigger one. 
My son loved his Sherlock scarf (that’s his Benedict Cumberbatch face) so much that he wore it that day despite the 50 degree temperature! I made the girl a cowl but can’t find a good photo; it’s pretty cute. I’ll have to show you later. And I made myself a couple of things too. 
A fuzzy, furry white seed stitch cowl made from Lion Brand Angel Hair. I used one skein and it wraps twice nicely. But I wish I’d used the second skein to make it wider. Still, this has kept me warm the last couple of days now that the temps have dropped. 
This hat is for ME. I am going to become a hat person if for no other reason than I want to wear this hat. I used Cascade 220 Aran Splatter and I LOVE that yarn. Soft and thick and squishy, mmmm! I need more. This is another Slouchy Broken Rib Hat. Have you bought it yet? Seriously, it’s worth it.
Okay, down to the last project, and it’s a freshly finished one. I had one skein of Cascade Magnum Paints in purples, which I bought because the colors are so gorgeous. But every time I cast on for something, it didn’t feel right. I never liked it, and I frogged it every time. Finally this morning I gave in and decided to do the simple Marian cowl, which is a twisted seed stitch cowl. I had resisted because I’d made one before and wanted to try something new, but that pattern just works so well for the Magnum. I fought the yarn, and the yarn won! 
See, aren’t the colors pretty? But. I don’t like this yarn. I just don’t. It doesn’t feel good. It’s not soft at all; it’s stiff and fuzzy and itchy. But I’ve got it soaking in some Eucalan right now, and I’m hoping that will soften it up at least a little. It will probably go in my inventory because I don’t see it ever being soft enough for me. If you have any tried-and-true tricks for softening wool, let me know!
I have more to tell you; apparently I have been doing quite a bit while on my little blog hiatus. But this is enough for today, surely? I do hope I can get back into my blogging habit. I like it; almost as much as I like knitting. But first I have to get through New Year’s Eve. Sigh. Can I just go to bed early and call it a year?
bonnyknits 