Tag: crochet

Travel, Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Kananaskis And A Crafty Week

Iris Rose

I had a great week, how about you? The weekend craft sale was great but very tiring. I don’t handle the stress of anticipating what, if anything, will sell so I am glad that I have this one under my belt.

Before I show you last weekend though, I forgot to post last week about DD1’s birthday weekend away to Kananaskis in the Rockies. It was a special birthday so we all got together at a lovely hotel and had a great time in the pools and just generally enjoying the fresh air and great beauty of the province that we live in.

I was at the Springbank Art Club craft sale last weekend and really was very gratified by all of the lovely comments on my work. Sales were good and I have a clearer mind on what I need to focus on for the future. I should know better than to say something like that. It is always a curse!

I didn’t make any of my critter hats for the sale as I was restricted from competing with other vendors that also make hats. I did have my grandkids visit wearing the hats that I featured last week and had a really strong response so I have been busy this week making more for my next sale, Etsy Foothills, in Okotoks on November 24th.

And now for a whine, just a caution for those Canadians who order yarn from Europe and the UK that is shipped through DHL. I paid for courier shipping from the Wool Warehouse (great online store and great customer service) and was dismayed to be told by DHL that before they would deliver my parcel, I had to pay $18.45 to clear customs on top of the fee I had already paid for shipping. The value of my yarn was $58.00CAD, shipping was $21.00. When I have had parcels of greater value delivered by Canada Post, there is no custom clearance fee or duty. I suspect that DHL is charging a blanket fee whether there is duty to be collected or not, holding your parcel hostage.

I won’t be ordering from Europe or the UK anytime soon if this is how shipping is handled. Regular post is an option but I waited nine weeks for an order shipped this way from England to Canada. It is too bad that one giant company can ruin the business of smaller ones in this way.  Thanks for listening and I am off the soap box.

Have a happy week with lots of pretty yarn on your needles and hooks!

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Toys For Sale

Iris Rose

I have been busy making new stock for my craft sales over the last few weeks and really having a blast creating them. I had been feeling a little stressed about managing my stock, but I think that I will be okay once I get through the load of knitted and crocheted but not sewn yet pile.

 

I decided to try production style creating again even though I hated it last time I did this. Hey, I like it this year! I found that doing all of the planning at once, all of the knitting or crocheting at once, making the noses and eyes, well, you get it, is really working for me. I feel like I am accomplishing so much more and that I will actually be done by the deadline. I sort everything into separate bags and, once the bag is empty, I start on the next one. I am actually having fun!

 

I have a bag of monsters, mini monsters and little square animals yet to be sewn. I had a bag of topsy turvy dolls and another of roly poly animals that I have finished except for two. I am on a roll!

Here are a few of the little things that I have made. First up are more topsy turvy dolls, because DH thinks that they are cute and will sell (I do too!), that are based on a Jean Greenhowe’s pattern.

 

Next finished are some roly poly animals that are really popular. These are based on a Barbara Prime pattern called Pookies.

 

I hope to get a few more things sewn up this weekend, Thanksgiving here in Canada, and will be well stocked for early November.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Regardless of where you live, have a fun and safe weekend with lovely yarn and easy crafting.

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

On Time This Week And A New Shawl In Development

Iris Rose

Well, it is finally the end of summer and yes, that is me you hear crying. I am sad because I love the long days of light in the summer. I am happiest when it is still light at ten at night, go figure.
The change of seasons, however, gives us a great chance to get creative with our knitting and crochet.

I am working on a shawl right now (did you guess that I love crafting shawls and wraps?) that uses Caron Tea Cake. DD1 bought me a couple of cakes as a gift in the spring and I finally figured out what they wanted to be. I started and realized, of course, after I had started that I needed a third cake to make my imagined shawl become real. I am sure that you know exactly how it feels when you are looking for the impossible to find skein of yarn.

I made a couple of tours of different Michael’s yarn aisles and nada. I searched online and nada until I looked at the Woolwarehouse site and yay! I have a couple of cakes coming just in case a third is not enough. Here is what I have done so far.

It is pretty basic, just garter stitch, but I am trying a wider border and centre spine. I plan on embellishing the plain knit with some crocheted appliques. We will see how that works out for me. Sometimes what you envision and what you get in real life are vastly different.

The Christmas craft sale season is fast approaching and I will be at two sales this year. I will post my locations closer to the dates if you live in Calgary and would like to stop by and chat. I am focusing on kid’s clothing and mostly toys again this year as there is always a plethora of hats, scarfs, mitts, etc. at other vendor’s displays.

Don’t forget that charity begins at home so if you love to make warm wearables, I am positive that they will be welcomed by shelters this winter. Have look at my previous blogs for an easy hat and scarf pattern.

Happy crafting until next week and remember to love yourself.

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Old UFO Now An FO

Iris Rose

What is the oldest UFO that you actually picked up and finished? I finally, finally finished a cardigan that I started in 2001. Only seventeen years from start to finish, not bad, eh? I actually have completed projects older than this one before but this is the latest.

I made the crocheted border squares and then, because the yarn was fine 4ply, got overwhelmed at the thought of all of that knitting plain stocking stitch and hid it in a yarn bin. Who was I hiding it from? I have no idea as I am the only one who ever looks through my stash, so I guess I was hiding it from myself and that UFO guilt. I had forgotten about it until I was looking for yarn for another brilliant idea that popped into my brain one night. Voila, I found the yarn that I was looking for and my deserted cardigan.

It seriously took me about two weeks to pick up the cone of yarn and finished motifs and then I put it down again for another week. I finished the knitting and then I put it down again for another month. What is it about some projects that you have to be dragged kicking and screaming to finish them? I really liked the colour of this yarn, I really liked the design that I made up, and I really felt compelled to finish it but not quickly obviously!

Two weeks ago I told myself that it was finish or frog time. I always like to crochet the bands on my sweaters if practical because it just seems to be a more professional finish than knitted bands. Maybe this is because I suck at knitted bands, I don’t know. Anyway, I took a big breath, not holding it because the bands would take a few hours and got to work. The only thing I don’t like is the top buttonhole placement. I didn’t take the neck band into consideration when I calculated the button placement but, you know, I rarely button up my cardi’s so I think I can live with it. I am happy, happy, happy with the finished cardigan and I am not really looking forward to winter even though I will get to wear it.

I don’t have any other projects this old but I do have a crocheted lace sweater that is about half done that I started about ten years ago and a couple of felted pieces to make bags that are riding past the six year line. Will I finish them? Who knows, maybe I will be inspired now that the ancient cardigan is done but I wouldn’t bet on it. There is too much new and lovely yarn calling me!

On a closing note, I follow another blogger who crochets, very well too. She commented a blog this week, disparaging herself about her weight. I felt sad for her that society makes such a point that we all must fit the same mold. You are who you are and, even though sometimes it is hard to remember, true and real beauty shines from within regardless of the outside dressing.

Have a happy week and be kind to yourself first and foremost. Kindness to others comes from a happy heart.

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Topsy Turvy Dolls

Iris Rose

I almost forgot to post today! For some reason, who the heck knows why, I was convinced that today is Wednesday but no, it is not so here we go.

This week was fun craft wise. I wrote, last week, about knitting up a couple of topsy turvy dolls on my midgauge machine to speed up the process of creating toys for craft markets. I made the basic pieces for this Jean Greenhowe’s pattern on the machine and then finished them up by hand with knit and crochet accessories.


I am really happy with how they turned out and will be making some more of these. There is a teddy pattern in the same book that I think that I will tackle soon too.

I think that any pattern that is knit flat without extreme shaping can be adapted for the machine. It speeds up the process for sure but, and this is important for most of us, the pleasure of hand knitting is lost. I am working at building up stock which is why I chose this method to create my toys.

Speaking of which, hand knitting that is, a while back I posted a hand knit pattern for an easy bunny. I have made a bear with the same pattern by modifying the ears. I think that it is pretty darn cute too! I am working on a crochet pattern for this toy that I should have ready in a couple of weeks to share with you.  And, yes, that is the bottom of my LK150 that I store up against the wall at the back of my table in my craft cave.

I forgot to mention last week that I received my order from the new online store Hobbii. I do not have any affiliation with this merchant, but I highly recommend them for quality of yarn and price. Shipping was four days from Denmark to Western Canada and no messing with customs.

Well, I think that’s all that I have for this week so have a great one. Happy crafting which ever art you practice, and I hope that your life is filled with yarny goodness.