Friday, March 29, 2013

Back in the land of the living

Hello again, my lovelies! I am back. I know I haven't been around lately. Things have been a little hectic.

Work has been, well, work. I've been pulling a lot of extra hours so I haven't had the time to devote to the shop as I should. Well, that's all going to change. I need to devote as much time as possible to the shop if I'm going to succeed. I have 3 shows this fall that I want to attend. Not to mention, there is a shop in town who wants to sell my Flip-Furs and rugs. So, I need to get going on making some, huh? :-)

One set back I had was the fact that a couple weeks ago I had spilled a glass of wine on my open laptop - doh! New rule in the Anderson household - no open liquid containers near the computer. The glass will always be on the other side of the chair as the laptop. After having a friend's husband look it over and take it apart, my poor laptop was dead. I spilled the wine in the exact spot that needed to fry the connectors. Luckily he was able to salvage the hard drive so I didn't lose any of my pictures. Yay! And my new computer arrived on Monday with all my new software. Now I just need to find my camera in my pit of an apartment.

During this downtime, I got in 2 new orders! One for a ruffle scarf, and one custom order for 6 pairs of Flip-Furs for a bridal party. The scarf order was no problem - a welcome surprise order while I was at work and easy to ship out. Just need to buy the same ruffle yarn to replace it. The bridal party order is complete as of last night. Just waiting for the last pair to finish drying. The box will be sent out tomorrow or Monday.

Tomorrow will be a massive cleaning day. Time for spring cleaning now that I have all orders complete. I have a lot of new products to take pictures of and list. Then Easter at Grandma's.

I'm so happy I took today off. I have a very busy work schedule coming up. Competition season starts next weekend. I am very excited for the routines this year. My son has 2 routines this year - clogging and hip hop and both are full of tricks and complicated footwork. He's been working so hard on his footwork. And, his all boy hip-hop routine is going to compete at one competition - just to give the boys a taste of competition. My son is the oldest of all the boys, but is having so much fun learning tricks and just hanging out.

Well, I'm off for the night. I hope tomorrow to have pictures up on Facebook and the blog, not to mention the shop. Look for more activity from me on the blog - blog hops, pictures, order updates.

May you always have a crafty day!

Sunday, March 3, 2013

New patterns; new adventures

I love new patterns. I have fun with them. Yes, it is incredibly frustrating the first time I work a new pattern. But I feel every time I complete a new pattern (and I do it correctly), I have such a feeling of accomplishment. Another battle won, another pretty thing thrown into the world.

The first time I made a pair of Flip-Furs, I had no clue what I was doing. I had a pattern for spa slippers and I was testing out different pattern variations for different sizes. The first row is always the hardest, no matter what the pattern is. Especially if the first row needs to be a certain length. In the beginning, I bought a bunch of flip-flops in different sizes, then I would use those as my size gauge. I know, doesn't work for sweaters or anything else.

I admit - I'm not the greatest when it comes to making a gauge swatch. I never make one. I crochet tight and knit loose. Go figure, right?

When I'm starting with a new pattern, it isn't uncommon for me to make mistakes. And being the perfectionist I am, I tend to rip out whatever I'm working on until I hit the mistake and then continue. Sometimes, I have to rip out the entire piece and start over. Especially with knitting, since I'm just beginning and I don't know how to go back on patterns and pick up stitches.

So, the reason for this post - I'm working on a new knit pattern. Which means that if I make a mistake, I have to rip out the entire thing and start over. I've done that 4 times so far with this pattern. Pretty par for course if you ask me. But, I'm having fun doing it. I love new patterns.

This pattern is a hanging towel. One of the old fashioned ones that have a button that you can hang off a stove handle. Just a little something to wipe your hands with while you are cooking. It matches the new rugs I made - both the giveaway rug and the rug that will be listed after the giveaway. I'll also have washcloths available as soon as I can make a set to photograph. I can't wait to show you everything.

After this set is complete, I will be making some rag rugs. I love shopping at the Salvation Army store for old sheets and fabric. I came home with a treasure trove on Friday. I can't wait to to start playing with it. I have found yet another store I can get in trouble in.

Don't forget to enter for a chance to win my new rug. The contest ends in a few days.

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