How H.P. Lovecraft Made My Day

This past week has been full of ups and downs!  I'm looking forward to a new week - maybe one less emotionally draining.

Anyways, I thought I would share one of the ups with you.  I got requests from two friends/friends of friends for crochet work.  One of them requested this for her cousin's new baby due in November:

And one requested this:

While the first one is an adorable bear costume I made several months back for a photographer (Nikki Scott) - the second one is not something I completely understand. 

If you're wondering, that's my handsome boyfriend in the photo sporting a special request he made of me this past winter - a Cthulhu ski mask.  Odd, I know, but according to him - something that has potential to be incredibly popular.

And it turns out that he was right.  Because today, one of his coworkers mentioned that he'd like one as well.  Go figure.

So now I've got two projects to work on that I actually know people are going to buy!  Huzzah!  This week is looking up already :D

Preview - Purple Flowers Redux

So I made these yesterday.  And they were hugely popular!  And by hugely popular, I mean all my Facebook friends seemed to really like them and a few of them actually reposted the Etsy link on their own walls.  Plus, they got 127 views on Etsy and quite quickly - the most views of anything in my shop.

I was a bit surprised because I made them thinking the colour combination was a bit much.  But turns out people like their colours "a bit much".  Who knew?

So, based on a recommendation for another colour combo - I made another flower bootie.  Here is a sneak peak:

As I'm sure most of you know, with Etsy, timing is everything.  So these won't be posted on Etsy until 6:00 pm PST.  So if you like them, stay tuned!

UPDATE:  The Etsy posting is now available.  Check it out!!

Ballet Flat Style Booties in Turquoise and Purple

Pink and Purple Flowers?! Ummmm Yes Please!

In an effort to do at least one creative thing a day, I made these.  I love pink and purple and when I was finished making the booties I felt they needed a little bit extra.  So I whipped up some matching flowers as well.

Yellow Bear makes an appearance in these photos too - he's looking handsome as always.  Anyways - the hockey game is on, so this post will be short.  If you like the booties enough to buy 'em - you can pick 'em up here:

Ballet Flat Style Booties in Pink and Purple with Flowers

A Bracelet With Polka Dots *GLEE*

My latest creation which was actually created weeks ago is now available on my shop.  And the best part?  I've lowered prices on all my crocheted jewelry - so check it out!

Here's some photos:

Blue and Black Bracelet with a candle

Blue and Black Bracelet peeking out the window

Blue and Black Bracelet up close and personal

Blue and Black Bracelet takin' 'er easy

This bracelet was SO much fun to make because I love polka dots - they are my favorite pattern.  I decided to do the crochet parts in a square motif to contrast with the circular dots.  I'm lovin' it.

Actually, even though I did a lot of bracelets with the crochet parts in white, I really like the black.  Remember this beauty:

I think the black creates great contrast - what do you think?

You can find both of these guys at my Etsy shop:

Crochet Bangle Bracelet in Blue and Black

Crochet Bangle Bracelet in Yellow and Black

Mmmm Orange . . .

In case you missed seeing my bracelets on here - I've got a new one for ya!

This was made with one of the new ties I bought a few days ago as well as some lace weight yarn I got from Michaels.  They finally started carrying more than just worsted weight, acrylic yarn so I have somewhere nearby to shop for supplies.  If anyone knows of a yarn store in Burnaby or New Westminster so that I don't have to drive all the way out to UBC to get decent yarn I'd love to hear about it.

Friday's Blog - During Which We Learn That The Dipstick Saga Has Concluded

So, I thought yesterday would be a wash because I was in one of those moods.  But it ended up being rather productive!  The dipstick saga came to an end.  Which was both a relief and a bit sad because I was starting to really enjoy calling the mechanic every other day.  Or maybe I wasn't.

Also!  I bought 4 new ties for making bracelets.  The Sally Ann had a whole bunch this time and even though I usually don't shop there for reasons I won't get into, I couldn't pass them up.  Don't you agree they are fabulous?:

And today is beautiful and sunny and I'm in a great mood despite a terrible sleep.  Can't wait to get crafting.

I added a new bracelet to my shop as well.  Here's a link:

Visit Listing

Also, for all you crocheters out there - I found this tutorial for adding a bit of spice to your designs:

http://needlenoodles.com/home/node/128

Have a wonderful Friday!

Monday - I Made This!

I needed a new listing for my Etsy page because the last one was 5 days old.  Unheard of, I know.

I wanted something simple because I didn't have a lot of time, but still unique and pretty.

This is what I came up with:

It's a set of 3 matching, yarn wrapped bangles.  The nice thing about these is that the knots twist around the base of the bangle naturally, so as you wear them, the look changes.  Very cool!  I can't wait to get some new yarn soon so that I can try out some more color combinations.

What colors would you like to see?

I Totally Made These!

When I said I wasn't a good designer, that was partly a lie.  I'm not a good designer - for the most part.  I think designing something beautiful takes practice and requires spending a lot of time looking at other peoples' work to find inspiration and that isn't something I'm naturally good at.  With all of the beautiful work on Etsy it is not hard to find inspiration, but practice is sometimes still elusive.

That said, I did come up with these bracelets all by myself!

Actually, I'm quite proud of them.  I think they're original, and more importantly, beautiful.  It was one of those projects that you think of just as you're falling asleep and then you stay up all night thinking about it and can't rest until you go out and buy your materials and start crafting.  That doesn't happen to me very often.

Wait that's not really correct - it happens all the time.  But usually, I buy the materials, start crafting and then I'm terribly disappointed with the end result.  Not this time, though.  These worked out just as I envisioned them.

Unfortunately, they don't seem to sell as well as the booties.  Not that the booties are flying off the shelves, but they are a bit of a hit with all of my friends now that they're of child-rearing ages.  I guess I just haven't quite figured out this marketing thing yet.

And yes.  I always dreamed of being a hand model.

The Art Of Lazy Mornings

I am having one of those lazy mornings.

You know the kind.  Where you're slobbing around in your jammies thinking about what a wonderfully unproductive day you're going to have and suddenly the fire alarm goes off.

So you stand at the door peering through your peephole to see if any of your neighbors are escaping because hey, you don't want to be the only foolish clod standing in the courtyard in your flannels.  And when 5 minutes have passed and nobody has left their apartment you decide to put your pants on just in case.

And then the ringing stops just as you do up your zipper and you sigh a sigh of relief.

But of course, now you're dressed.  So you can't just do nothing.

So you start a bootie, or two:

And when you're done that pair . . .

You make another pair . . .

And then you excuse yourself from running because your iPod isn't charged.  And write a blog post about wasting time.

And realize that it's no longer morning.

Mediocrity's Mistress

So there are a lot of things I'm good at.  I am pretty much an expert at recognizing an individual with Asperger Syndrome - in fact I find I have a really special connection with any person exhibiting significant difficulties in social interaction.  It's a gift really.


I'm also getting really great at killing plants.  I can see at least 2 dead or dying plants from my seat on the couch right this minute.  And I know for a fact that there is a balcony full of plant skeletons and herbal remains just out of my line of sight.

I can ignore a mess for weeks or even months to the point where it ceases to be mess and becomes part of the decor.


I have a knack for purchasing items I will never use.


Need somebody to bring up the rear or come in dead last?  I'm your man.  Woman.


But every mediocrity needs to be good at something.  Otherwise we would just be terribles.  And what I'm really good at is making things with my hands.  Design, not so much.  But I can follow a pattern like nobody's business and I think that's really something to be proud of.  I mean, there are plenty of people who can write music, but boy, to be able to read music?  I think that shows real musicianship.  And original artwork be damned - I'd like to see Picasso copy something.


So anyways, here I am with my talents trying to make something of myself - crocheting booties and beanies and warming hunks of Fimo under my bottom (because it makes it more pliable!).  Not to mention an Etsy page with 1 sale in 2010 and a sad, sad Facebook page with a whopping 27 "likes".


So . . . Can I trade the dead plant thing for marketing whiz?