Garter stitch cowl pattern (sort of)

*scroll down to end if you're more interested in the pattern than the rambling*

I've mentioned before, it's cold out this winter. Colder than usual, and it's only mid-February. Here in the midwest, we know that it will be many, many weeks before it's actually spring out there, despite what lies the calendar may tell. So because I was cold, and on a little break from Etsy orders while I wait for a yarn shipment to arrive, I found myself in the lately unusual position of having a little time on my hands with which I could knit something....for myself!!?!

I saw a simple shawlette/short poncho sort of thing at a friend's house, and knew I wanted something similar, but a little different. Like a cowl, but something I could pull over my shoulders. Like an infinity scarf, but not quite. I also knew that I didn't really want to buy anything new, so it would be cool to use up what I already had. I'd purchased a few different colors of Lion Brand Homespun for a custom order of a newborn cocoon for a photography prop. I like a lot of the Lion Brand yarns, but homespun isn't my favorite. While it's quite soft, it's not plied very tightly so it can get fuzzy and splitty. It's acrylic and polyester, which in addition to the softness makes it quite nice for a baby prop because it's machine washable - for when babies inevitably do what they do - it's just not what I gravitate toward. But anyway, I bought a few different colors because I wasn't sure what the buyer wanted. She chose the lovely gray/white color, and I was too lazy to return the rest. So in a cold daze, I grabbed the unused cream/off-white skein and blindly cast on.

I had poked around on Ravelry, but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. Which is funny, because it's so simple that it's not even really a pattern. Maybe that's why no one has written it yet? Because it's just THAT simple? I wasn't going to either, but the ladies at knitting group said that I should, so here we are. :)

I decided that I'd rather cast on the width and join up the ends to make the loop for the infinity scarf because I didn't actually know how long I'd like it to be. That told me that this might be the time to experiment with a provisional cast on and grafting rather than just doing a mattress stitch. I knew from experimenting on the newborn cocoon that a very simple stitch pattern works best with homespun. I used stockinette for that, but since this was 2 sided, I decided garter would be the way to go. So in the end, I basically mashed these 3 patterns together (1, 2, 3), and made some executive decisions along the way when it became clear that a single skein wasn't going to be long enough.

When I started running out of the cream color, I noticed that the nature of the homespun dying made these wide color bands. I chose to grab the leftover 2/3(ish) skein of the gray colorway and alternate 2 stripes of each color for several rows before switching over to all gray. Initially, I determined this number by guessing about how much of the cream to leave so that I could do the 2x2 striping at the other end of the gray. Then I would have cream section, striped section, gray section, striped section, and it would all look like it was done intentionally. Even though it wasn't and was based on laziness and not really wanting to buy more yarn, since it isn't my favorite and I was using up what I had. Shhhhh. Then I knit the gray section until I had about the same amount left as I had of cream, at which point I started striping again. I ended on a cream stripe, because then I would use the gray to join between the last cream stripe and the beginning cream section. I could have done the grafting with cream as well, but my visual judgement of "equal" amounts left leaned slightly heavy toward gray, so that's what I used. Very scientific.

My initial thought was to put a twist in the scarf before joining to give it a little more interest than a long string of garter stitch. I ended up testing it both twisted and straight as a friend said that it could get a little tight if I chose to double up the scarf with the twist in it. If I was working this from 2 complete skeins, I think I would have done a straight join and worn it doubled. However since I had one partial skein, it's juuuust slightly tight when doubled even when straight, so I opted to twist it and will mainly wear it either looped just once or pulled down to warm my shoulders. And there you have it. A super simple striped cowl, so simple it's a little embarrassing to write a "pattern" for.

Garter Stitch Infinity Cowl

One size
Materials - 2 skeins Lion Brand Homespun, 1 of each color
size 8 needles (I used a circular, knit flat)

Using provisional cast on, cast on 40 stitches in color A

Knit every row in color A until work measures about 24"

Knit 2 rows in color B, then knit 2 rows in color A. Carry strands up one side. Repeat for about 4-5", ending with color A. Cut color A at this point, leaving a long tail to weave in end.

Using color B, knit every row until color B section is about 24"

Knit 2 rows in color A, then knit 2 rows in color B. Carry strands up one side. Repeat for about 4-5", ending with color A. (This is the point where I knit until I was just about out of yarn, while being mindful that I had enough left over to graft the ends together)

You can choose to either twist the scarf once at this point, or simply line the ends up straight. Use kitchener stitch to join the working end back to your provisional cast-on end using color B.

Weave in ends.

Wear. Be warm!

Everyone should have a book club

Yesterday was the second Tuesday of the month, so in my world, and the worlds of a dozen or so other ladies in my area, that means it was time for book club. I was thinking about the night as I was getting ready, and it just struck me that it was just a really GOOD night. It wasn't necessarily anything special or different than usual. In fact it was probably much the same, but that I just happened to stop and think about it. It was just...really good, and I think everyone should have something like that.

Our host last night was a new mom, who rather bravely volunteered to host while her little guy was only 6 weeks old. Like 6 week old babies tend to be between the hours of 7-9 (the witching hour for the uninitiated) he was a little fussy. We continued having conversations, large group, small asides, background music playing, baby fussing and then calming, new mama doing a great job doing her thing as well as joining in with the group, and this morning I just felt so lucky to be part of a group like that. Comfortable, accommodating, really smart, great people. Over the years people will sometimes ask how we operate, how we got started, how we keep going. I invite everyone local to come join us if they are interested, and I think most of our group is the same way. Our door is open if you want to hang out, and if not, that's cool too!

We've been meeting for just over 6 years, second Tuesday of the month, from about 7-9, with surprisingly few deviations. Our members have a lot of similarities, but we're rather diverse as well in terms of life stage, marital status, jobs. Membership ebbs and flows as new people are invited, and others leave. There are 12-15 of us on the invite list, and maybe 6-8 attend. No one has perfect attendance and there's certainly no penalty for that. We started out with our 2 founding members - both of whom have moved away now and are missed! - dreaming about one day having free time beyond the grind of thesis preparation. From what I recall, they had lots of plans about what they would do with all of that free time, and starting a book club was one of those things that came to fruition.

(as an honest aside, earlier in my college career a different friend was talking about joining a book club, and I thought it was the most pretentious thing. Maybe some of you reading are thinking the same thing, but I totally GET it now, so bear with me)

Anyway, so those 2 ladies told a few other ladies they were thinking of starting this club, and we all invited a few other friends, and a group was born. At the beginning or end of each year, we each bring a few book suggestions, and we put them all down on a list. The list is both set and isn't - it can be changed if we decide that the next book just isn't speaking to us for whatever reason. We volunteer to host - with a group our size, we end up hosting just once, maybe twice a year. That way it isn't too much of a burden to make a whole bunch of food (homemade soup and salad and frozen apps from Trader Joes are both equally loved - if you want to go gourmet or if you only have time to open packages, both are totally cool) and clean up for guests (no one minds piles of blocks in the corner and there is a standing agreement not to notice rogue dust bunnies). Half the group brings a beverage to share, the other half freeloads. :) Sometimes we divide by last name, sometimes by geography depending on group makeup. Sometimes we have a healthy book discussion if a large proportion of us managed to read, sometimes we have a summary given by the few who did - we play a little fast and loose with the definition of "BOOK" club. I've heard of some groups that are more academic than ours, and that's cool if that's what you're into. I prefer keeping it casual with a nice healthy side of chit chat. We also happen to have a knack for choosing books that later get made into movies, so you can claim those bragging rights of saying, "oh, but the book was sooo much better."

So to me, THAT'S what a book club is about. We started through word of mouth, but in this era of the internet, sites like meetup.com or your local library can be a great place to start if you're new to an area. You could even keep it real and just call it a wine club if you're not so much into reading. But I love it - hanging out with cool, genuinely nice people, expanding my mind when I have time, but not being shamed about it if I don't. I look forward to it every month, especially if I'm going through periods in my life where that might be the only socialization I get for whatever reason. Yeah, we had some awkward silences in the early days when a lot of us were just getting to know one another. I love that we've grown comfortable and grown together and have nights like last night. Yay books! Yay friends! And yay wine!

It's going to be good

So I'm on the road for a few days this week for work, and as usual at a hotel, I'm not sleeping well. I think the fridge made some kind of weird noise at 3am which woke me up and I just couldn't fall asleep again. I should have had the sleepy time tea my mom gave me! I feel like that really does help me stay asleep longer.

I laid there for awhile and eventually decided to catch up on my blog reading. I need to figure out a way to mark the posts that I love and really want to comment on. I think I should start using the bookmark feature on feedly to remind myself to go back and comment. I feel like when I'm reading blogs, I'm just not in a headspace to make the thoughtful comment that I want to, so ultimately I don't. Plus when I'm reading on my phone, some blog platforms aren't all that friendly to phone commenting. I can't tell you how many great comments have been eaten by my phone! Then there are some blogs that just don't like me - I wanted to comment on Erin's (http://pbsandwch.wordpress.com) blog to congratulate her on baby #3, but it always asks me to sign into a wordpress account I don't have! 

Anyway, that was a long tangent that devolved into a different post I've been meaning to write, about how I would love to be more thoughtful about the blogs I love and am inspired by. So two for one I guess. My ORIGINAL point is that after about 30 minutes of reading, I gave up and resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to get any more sleep. Yesterday was a long day of meetings with a brutally early start, some went better than others, but ultimately I think will resolve well. I had a pretty good dinner with coworkers. I'm missing my family like CRAZY and can't WAIT to see them and squeeze them tonight, especially with a bout of illness in our household. I've got a to do list a mile long and there's nothing I can do about it now. 

And yet. With so much on my mind, totally exhausted, I just had this incredible feeling of....I don't even know. Hope. Happiness. Contentment. Love. Just so much positivity washed over me and it's so unlike me to say any of that but there you go. Nothing specific. Just good. I dashed off a quick text to let my husband know I was thinking of him. I got up and decided to make the most of my newfound time by taking a leisurely shower and having a cup of hotel coffee. I've got more than enough time to finish up the order for Julie (https://www.etsy.com/listing/165587253/hand-knit-toddlerchildrens-mittens) that will go out Saturday, though I wish I'd planned ahead enough to bring the yarn for my next slipper order (https://www.etsy.com/listing/118129146/tall-womens-cottage-slipper-socks)! And with that I'm going to try to hold on to that good feeling through another long day. Hopefully by putting that good energy out there, it'll come back to me. :)

(Also I kind of want a nutribullet now. Darn you hotel infomercials!)

Just enough

 

Talk about cutting it close. I was getting quite nervous as I bound off! This is 1/12 of a group project, so hopefully I'll have a picture of the finished item in a few weeks. I also REALLY hope that my gauge is accurate. I used the larger size needles that the pattern suggested, and it seemed like the right dimensions as I was knitting, but my finished dimensions feel a bit on the small side. I've currently got it pinned out on my floor and gave it a bit of a steam to hopefully stretch it a bit to match the others.

Now on to mitten #2 of an open order! I'm so happy I was able to fit in this bit of personal knitting. :)

Pinterest

Likely if you're savvy enough to be reading blogs right now, you know about Pinterest. While I'm definitely not one of those users who sets (or even follows many) trends and has thousands of pins or followers, I still totally love Pinterest. I created my personal account way back in 2010 when you had to get an invitation or get on a waiting list to get an account. I loved it for the simple fact that you could visually tag websites and it would lead you right back to the full how-to, or where to buy, or what was that thing I loved? Pre-Pinterest, I was always saving lists of bookmarked websites which later made no sense because they weren't neatly categorized, or saving images with no idea where they came from, or even trying to put web addresses in the names of the images so I could go back later....it was sort of a mess. So when this super simple layout and tagging system came along, I was ALL for it.

So yesterday when I was referencing something I'd pinned, a little thing popped up for "Pinterest for Business." And I was intrigued. Lately I've been pinning a bunch of tutorials about how to improve my photography - I'm actually in the middle of a three week course through my alma mater right now that I might get around to recapping sometime - and I thought, well, that would make a lot of sense to file under "business." It would also be a perfect place to pin all of the listings from my shop so that one of those taste-makers can find me, pin me, go viral, get orders from celebrities, get famous, retire early lol. You know, the usual.

I set about creating a few boards that really spoke to where I am right now as an Etsy shop owner: pins of my listings, a board I created about craft fair booth set up, nuts and bolts of photography, props and things to complement my hopefully soon-to-be-improved photography skills, and research for new ideas to develop for my shop in the knits off season this spring.

So if you're interested into a little peek like that into the brain of a shop owner, you can follow me here: http://www.pinterest.com/cozycapecottage/. I already followed a few of my favorite people yesterday, so some of you will find that familiar! I'll still have my personal boards where I'll pin all the usual stuff like what in the world to make for dinner, and how to make my yard look less junky, but I'm aiming to keep all the shop stuff together here. You can also theoretically follow me from the button on my sidebar, provided I set it up properly. Even though I checked it....I never can quite tell!

Once upon a time....

We wanted to mount the tv on the wall. For normal people, this should take what, an hour? For us? 5 days. Yep, pretty standard stuff.

 

To my husband's credit, I will say that I think it looks great and he did an awesome job. But I just have to laugh and shake my head, because I know it's ALWAYS going to be a bigger job than it was supposed to be!

So do something about it then

So in yesterday's post, I was hyperbolically complaining about the cold like so many of us do in these ridiculous-even-for-winter weather conditions, just generally trying to be funny. But then I went to wrap it up with the realization that, uh, not only do I not actually have to go outside in said cold for more than about a minute per day, but I have more than sufficient means to keep warm. Which then made me feel like a total whiny....well, a-hole.

Rather than delete the whole thing, I decided to make it a self-teachable moment. I immediately looked up a local charity that I actually volunteered for in the food pantry several years back - to get my architectural license I logged about 80 hours of community service. Isn't that funny that it's a requirement for a professional license? I don't know the details of WHY it's required, but I kind of liked it. It seems like unless you are part of a religious organization, which I am not, many of us fall out of any kind of volunteerism as adults, so it was a nice push. Anyway, I saw that they give clothing right to the people who need it, which is exactly what I was looking for. I often give to Goodwill, but I feel like they just resell donated goods and use the profits to help people - which is great, but I have a perfectly good down jacket that right now could be much more useful on someone's back than as cash in pocket, you know?

Pardon creepy dog-flash-eyes. He can't resist something soft on the floor.

So yeah, I found a coat from college that is super warm that I forgot I even HAD, so clearly, I don't need it. I also found a bunch of hats, scarves and mittens that are in great shape that I just don't wear.

 

I even found one of my very first crochet projects, a VERY unfortunately colored blanket. It's hideous, and I must have run out of purple so I decided that neon would be the perfect thing to make it longer? Good lord, I have no idea. BUT, it's actually seamed together pretty sturdily and it's quite soft. May as well give it a shot at some use rather than hiding out in ugly shame under my bed, along with a couple sweatshirts that haven't seen much action.

So yeah, I don't know. I didn't sit down to do resolutions, but don't be a jerk whiner and help others seems like a pretty adequate goal for life in general. I'll be dropping off these 3 bags of warmth tonight, and meanwhile trying to complain about my first world problems a little less.

What the "polar vortex" means to me

It's cold and it's dark, and there is precious little that makes me think that prying myself from my warm bed is a viable idea. And this is despite investing in a programmable thermostat that warms the house up to a tolerable temperature and a sunrise alarm clock that is supposed to trick me into thinking that there might be something worth seeing. Oh no self, you can't outsmart me. I know that the blanket fort is where it's AT.

On my day off this week I rearranged the furniture in my living room to resemble a giant couch-bed and piled it high with blankets while decked out in my snuggliest fleece. I considered this a perfectly reasonable way to spend the day.

At any given time, I might be wearing 2-3 full outfits simultaneously. No, I don't pick out my work clothes this time of year based on what might look cute. I choose my pants based on which ones have enough extra room to fit my under armor running tights and still button. Which in itself is laughable, because I don't run, and I sure as h*ll don't run when it's cold!!

I don't tend to dress in bright colors. I know that probably there is some psychology that says that seeing bright, cheerful colors boosts one's outlook....but again, I'm too smart for that nonsense, self. You might be able to get away with that in springtime, when it might actually warm up to a reasonable temperature in the foreseeable future. But now? It's January. The BEGINNING of January. I know that this is only the beginning, and therefore I prefer to tuck in and pile on as much clothing as possible, most of which is black....gray....charcoal gray....navy if I'm feeling crazy/it happens to be a thick sweater. Maybe the dark colors remind me of still being asleep? Warm in my bed? Which is my favorite thing lol.

I also begin to seriously regret not knitting more for myself. I would love to have a good pair of wool socks and a super cozy oversized grannyish sweater. Instead I just put on as many thin Old Navy sweaters as I can get away with and make a mental note to spend time this summer knitting for ME. Yes, it might be somewhat unpleasant if it's 80 degrees....but the payoff will be worth it!

I begin to think crazy skewed thoughts when facing a high of -10 with windchills around, oh, -50. Thoughts like oh, it's going to get up to 10 degrees today! Above zero! That sounds not so bad! And what's that you say? Almost UP to freezing this weekend? Huh, might as well chuck the hats and play outside!

Mostly though, I keep these thoughts to myself and thank my lucky stars that I don't actually HAVE to spend any time outside. It also gives me the thought to clear out that basket of "just in case I need it" winter stuff like hats and gloves that I don't really wear, and get myself to the nearest shelter. Like tonight.

Year End Thoughts

I've taken an unintentional break from the internet these past few weeks. It was an unusually busy end of year at work, with a huge design effort culminating in back to back week trips (one 2 days, the other a sort of massive 4 days....the week before Christmas). Most years it seems that projects kind of wind down before the holidays and end of year because there simply aren't the people around to pay them proper attention on the clients' side due to travel and vacations and such, so deadlines simply get set for sometime in January. But this year that was not the case, so that alone has me feeling a bit turned around. I mean....I had to have my husband address our Christmas cards! I did the list for him, but now in hindsight I can think of a handful of people I would have added had I been doing them myself, but you just have to do what you can do and let the rest go sometimes.

On top of the sort of odd frenzy at work, my little shop has had sort of an incredible year! I felt like I was a knitting machine these past few weeks (which has me thinking a bit how I'll want to differently handle next year's holiday season), and I finally had a chance to look at the numbers while I found myself awake at a sort of ungodly hour. I ended up sending out 17 hand knit or crochet goodies from November to beginning of December, plus another 2.5 on deck. (For fun, this compares to just 6 orders last year plus another 3 that came in just after the holidays through the end of January, with roughly the same non-existent level of marketing.) At one point earlier this month I was actually feeling simultaneously thrilled and a bit sick at the thought of it that I actually backed out of a craft fair I was supposed to do back on December 7, which is SO not like me. (Oh man, that actually reminds me that I didn't even include craft fair numbers in that count!) I set an order deadline for the shop to promise orders by Christmas and then I kept a close eye on the posted ship dates for USPS to deliver by Christmas Eve. Thank goodness they didn't seem to have the delivery issues that UPS and FedEx reported this year! In a fashion that is again, seriously unlike me, I found myself flying off to the post office minutes before they closed on multiple days before Christmas to get packages out on time. I even had to go so far to have to express just one of two pairs of legwarmers to my cousin, which would account for the "half" order on deck. I feel terrible about that, but I guess in trying to make the best of it I can adjust the fit of the second pair if needed, and there will certainly be some extra goodies in the second package for her little girl!


I had a hard time falling asleep last night as well, with tons of post ideas rolling around in my head, most of which I of course cannot remember now. One of them was definitely how I'd like to change up my shop process for next year. For starters, I think I need to pre-make some of my more popular items. While I definitely like the option for people to pick and choose their color and size, and will continue to offer that option, I bet I could take a little pressure off myself by examining the trends so far. The cottage slipper socks were definitely my most popular item both this year and last, and the colors trended sort of the same way as well - mostly the oatmeal color that's pictured as well as charcoal gray, and mostly size medium. They are probably the most expensive item in my shop on my end in terms of materials, which has always stopped me from keeping them in stock, but now that they've sold pretty steadily for two seasons, I'd be ok making up a few pairs in advance.

 

Last year I sold several of the long tail elf hats, but only a few this year via Etsy - I sold a few more at craft shows. Those are pretty low impact to make up ahead though, and I feel like the color options are more limited for the "standard" item - mainly reds and greens for Christmas colors, and it wouldn't hurt to have some newborn sizes in pink and blue around as well.

Toddler mittens were sort of a whim for me - basically I toyed around with a few different designs because I needed some, and listed them on the site for kicks. They've been flying! It sort of boggles my mind that people don't seem hesitant to pay $18 for kid's mittens, but that's a fairly middling price compared to others I've seen around on Etsy. There also doesn't seem to be a ton in the standard chain stores (from my super limited search) for an every day mitten that isn't the hardcore, playing in the snow for hours, enormous puffy deal. Definitely a time and place for those, but the run to daycare really isn't it. So while these are more time intensive than the elf hats, they've been pretty solid and are lower in cost for materials as I can make several pairs from a single ball or skein of yarn, that's another one I think I would consider keeping in stock. Especially since I had to turn down an inquiry for a bulk order! That one bummed me out, because I'd have loved to help this person out....there was just no way to do it before the end of the year. It's just me over here! As much as I enjoy knitting and this brave new retail world, I can't let myself take on too much to the detriment of my family life.

To sort of spin off that last line...I'm a little jealous of all of my customers! I have some generously gifted sock yarn just sitting in my disaster of a craft room/ office/ let's face it, it's the cat's room that I would love to turn into socks for myself...but the time just isn't there! Standard socks....while they are seemingly a staple for many knitters, they've always intimidated me. I'm not exactly sure why! I make the slipper socks, so I probably know all the techniques. But the yarn and needles I use for that are many times larger than those for real socks that are actually meant to fit inside shoes lol. I guess I worry that when working with such small tools that it won't feel like I ever make any progress? I definitely enjoy knitting as a hobby, but lately life has been all about deadlines, so the thought of knitting on a longer turn around is a little scandalous to me!

In addition to my apparently guilty pleasure, personal sock knitting, I have at LEAST 2 other things I'd like to make for my nearest and dearest....plus new ideas for the shop. I've got my sister testing out a new product, er, Christmas present....an earwarmer headband thing. I made a few earlier this year that I wasn't happy with, and whipped out this new one just in time for Christmas. Literally...I mean like hours before I gave it to her! Given that amount of development, I'm not ready to list it yet, so I'll have to see what she thinks. Always trust little sisters to give you true, honest feedback! Plus I want to develop a shorter, slip-on slipper. I LOVE my tall slippers, but they really only work with leggings, skinny jeans/jeggings, or tights. I want more of an every day deal to leave lying by the back door that I can put on when I get home from work with normal pants. Bonus to self - I would get to keep the samples for myself! I also have a charity hat to knit (that I was supposed to have done by December 16! Ouch!) that will really move to the very top of my list after my paid orders are out the door. More than I need a nice pair of socks....a warm hat for someone in need is certainly more important this winter. So with that....since sleep doesn't look likely and who has time for proofreading...off to knitting!

Ok West Elm, I'm Impressed!

So earlier this week, I posted about this runner I got from West Elm a few weeks back that was pretty off kilter.

I'd been waffling about whether or not to return it, even though it's obviously flawed. Mostly because it seemed like too big of a pain to find an open UPS drop place. First world problems, I know, right? Well anyway, after a little encouragement, I finally just sent them an email inquiry to see if this was typical of all of these rugs, or if mine was indeed messed up. (I guess I thought that perhaps they would rely on the handstamped nature of the rug as a reason? Like handmade imperfection? Which, uh, as a handmade maker I really try to avoid myself, so that seems silly even to me.)

Anyway, I was just using their online form so there wasn't a way to attach this photo (and I certainly didn't direct them to my blog, because who the h*ll am I?), but I offered to send it if they wanted to follow up. So yesterday, I actually got a personal phone call assuring me that no, that was definitely NOT normal - no photo needed. And not only could I exchange this item, which is now on final sale, but she was going to arrange for UPS to pick it up at my house AND provide a mailing label! Which honestly was another reason I hadn't done the exchange earlier - I would either have to wrestle with my home printer which is always out of ink somehow, or remember to print it at work which is impossible. (Oh lord, how lazy can I be?!?!) Then they'll have a new one to me in about a week!

I have to say, this has been one of the most pleasant customer service experiences I've ever had!

Madness

Madness is certainly an apt description of life of late. Madness is also how I might describe the decision to do 3 craft shows, 2 weeks apart, with 2 weeks of initial prep. And shall we also add in entirely new products? And we can't forget that the Etsy shop is in full swing of the holiday rush! These are all not bad problems to have in the scope of things though, that's for sure. Every spare moment it seems has been spent with busy hands, knitting, sewing, crocheting, oh boy, is my house a mess and have we ever been eating a lot of delivery food! And as it happens, otherwise occupied hands make for a blog full of crickets. I'm quite sure that I actually took a bunch more photos with my good camera with all intentions of blogging about them, but as it turns out I can't seem to connect any time to blog with access to those photos, so a few phone shots to catch up it is!

So here we have 2 new items that haven't yet made it into the Etsy shop, but did do the rounds at 2 of 3 craft fairs so far. The mug cozy is something that I initially thought was just cute and would be quick to whip up several of them in order to actually have some stock to offer at these shows. But wouldn't you know it....they actually work!?! I have a habit of making myself a cup of tea at work, getting distracted, and remembering it's there only to take a sip and it's gross and cold. This little wrap though actually keeps it warm for about 45 minutes and drinkable and not gross for an hour! Holy cow. So I hope to have some more of these ready to go in the shop before x-mas, as I think they would make a cute stocking stuffer. I also took time during the shows to keep crafting, and came up with these sweet little flowers. I sold them as hair clips, but I would love to add them to some hats - I think it could really "girl" up something like the newsboy hat. (Also, shellac manicures DO last a really long time without chipping! They also give you some mad noticeable grow-out if you find yourself without the time to properly remove it, haha)

 

This is unrelated to anything, but I ordered this rug from West Elm....and it's totally crooked on one side. I haven't decided if it bugs me enough to return or exchange it. I ordered it before it went down to the final sale price on the website....so I think I could still exchange? It's not so bad laid out as is, with the crooked side toward the door. But I can't really rotate it (it's a runner) without that crooked part looking me in the eye, so I guess if I keep it, it just won't wear evenly. Which....for the $40 I spent....maybe that's ok? Maybe it's time to just get the rug pads out for it so it stops slipping all over the place and call it a day? And find a rug for the living room and stop living in musical rugs madness (that's a whole other story!).

 

 

One (of many) pairs of sweet little mittens going out the door. These have been crazy popular in the shop. I think I have 4 pairs to make in the next week!!

Oh boy. I shouldn't be sent to the store with no time limits.......

But I think it was worth it! I've started making these tote bags after discovering a miraculous source of those awesome, funky printed coffee sacks (and chocolate too! Those are coming!). I'm totally digging them. They are super roomy inside, big enough for a laptop, with all kinds of inside pockets for cords, and phone, and whatnot, with a magnetic clip on top to keep it all contained. The front and bottom are super durable burlap material, cut to include all the cool printing, and pre-washed and dried to soften them up. Then I made the back out of this soft fleece with some added interfacing for strength, tough cotton webbing for the straps, and contrasting lining fabric! So far these have been craft show exclusive, but after my last show on Dec. 7, I plan on listing anything left (and any more I'm able to make) in the shop as ready to ship items. Most of what I do knit-wise is made to order so that I can customize colors and sizes, but since these prints are unique, it's tough to do custom. Bright side though is that there's no lag time, so they would also make good x-mas gifts!

 

And finally, just some shots from this weekend that pretty much typify what I'm doing when I'm not here. Watching the rain, filling the house with fall scents (I love this "mountain lodge" candle from Yankee Candle - it is such a light scent that it smells like nothing in the sensory overload of the store, but is juuuust right when you get it home. I hate overpowering smells, even good ones!), and settling in with a hot cup of tea to work on more Etsy orders (that's a cottage slipper sock). At least until the end of naptime!

Happy Halloween!

I've been ridiculously busy these past few weeks, using every available minute to get ready for my first craft fair this weekend, as well as keeping on top of a few orders from my etsy shop. A good problem to have for sure, but it makes for busy hands!!

But in the spirit of Halloween, this crazy pumpkin pyramid appeared near my house, and I just had to get a picture of it all lit up. Pretty impressive!!

Of Late

Wow. How do those daily/multiple times per week bloggers do it!? I feel like I've been so busy with life in general that there simply isn't time to upload photos, have a thought, write a post....but I've definitely been up to some things, so here's a snapshot. Or two.

We took serious advantage of a "fill your car for just $28" special at a local farm, and Halloween'ed up the cottage. I think I'll have time to carve approximately zero of these pumpkins, but I'm still enjoying the way the pumpkins make the untrimmed planting beds look almost on purpose. However this might not look quite so cute in February....since I doubt we'll actually get them cleaned up before the snow falls!

 

We found an amazing deal on a place to stay through my friend's aunt's friend (got that?) in Manhattan, so we were NYC-bound for a long weekend to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary! We had the most ridiculously good weather for mid-October. It was nice enough to walk around without jackets most of the time! I've been there twice before, but I haven't done the really touristy stuff either time, either because I was "too cool" or too cheap. But this time we went to the top of several buildings as well as visiting the Statue of Liberty which re-opened during the government shutdown just in the nick of time.

 

Pretty much the entire results of my garden...all grown without any assistance from me. The herbs that I'm drying (holy cow, how domestic am I?!) are entirely self seeding, and the little pumpkins and gourds are kind of weeds. I guess my compost doesn't get hot enough, and squash sort of comes up willy nilly, but this year I actually got some little pumpkins! The potted herbs I've actually managed to keep alive indoors all summer, which is a small miracle. Turns out houseplants like water! Who knew!

Finally in the background, I've always thought that doing a craft fair might be fun. I rejoined the devil known as facebook, and saw that a friend was doing a couple. I asked if she might be interested in a booth buddy, and she said she was! So since then, I've been busily knitting and crocheting my fingers to the bone to try to build up some sort of inventory that I hope people will like. Because I'm not super bright and the first show is in less than two weeks!! Worse comes to worse, it will be a fun way to figure out if I want to do any more of these in the future and it will basically be a win if I can sell enough to cover my half of the booth fee. Plus if things don't sell I can always put them up as ready to ship items in my shop! (and omg I'm not actually going to be selling socks at these craft fairs - that's a book that one of my knitting group members generously lent me. I would love to be able to knit my own socks, but I think I'll have time for that in approximately 3 years.)

So! Whew! That really does feel like a lot going on lately!