2010 - The Year of the Loo Roll Doll

I've been drawn back to the loo roll doll.

The variagated yarn inspired me with camouflage, and so here is my entry for the etsy hookers challenge :-)

This and That

I’m trying to build up a collection of granny square scarfs for the Felt shop for the kiwi winter since they seemed to be quite a popular item for the northern hemispheres colder days, this means I’ve let my etsy shop sit there having renewals. Which is okay I think for a week or two as etsy is undergoing some kind of change in the way it does the relevancy search, so I thought I could keep an eye on it from afar and see what happens. The Felt shop is ticking along; I’ve just had my 3rd sale there which is really fab!

I’m also wanting to do something creating with variegated yarn as the etsy hookers team are having a challenge and I’d love to take part, so I have the yarn and now I just have to do something with it… I’ve found that I’m crap at creating when I really want to, the whole pressure of it! So I’m trying to relax and forget about it and one day just pick the yarn up and voila – a masterpiece! Fingers crossed :-)


Talking of variegated yarn... Pip the pink fairy was featured here this week:

http://satinstitchery.blogspot.com/2010/01/sunday-shopping-on-handmade-highway.html

Monday is a holiday here this weekend – Fantastic!
We have some plans – perhaps pop to the races on Audrey for an arvo (she’s fixed – hurray!), finish off stripping an old desk and a bike ride of course. Long weekends are brill :-)

Happy weekend!

The craft of cycling

I’ve been working away from home for the past week up at the top of the North Island, (very warm and not too green, they really need some rain).

Normally when I’m away the crochet hook runs hot and I come back with loads of almost finished creations after all what else is there to do in a small town in a motel except watch movies and crochet? This time Andrew took the week off work and came with me, and I didn’t make one thing! The evenings were more fun, not so productive. So I don’t really have much to tell you on the craft front.

Instead, here is a picture of our bikes.

In March we are cycling the Otago Rail Trail in the South Island, we need to be able to cycle for about 45 km a day on shingle with some inclines. Today we did 32 km on flat tarmac, so we’re getting there :-) We pop the bikes on the back of a car and drive to the beach where there is more to look at, lots of people watching to do, easing our way into the whole cycling lifestyle :-)

Back up north tomorrow, this time by myself so the crochet hook will be back in business

Nico Design an Etsy Blogger

The Etsybloggers featured team member of the month is http://www.etsy.com/shop/nicodesigns

There are heaps of fab totes in the shop, and some very cool pincushions.

Here are a couple of things that jumped out at me that I’d like to share, the first one is a set of pear pincushions, though I think they’d look just lovely on a shelf in a bedroom.



And the other item I picked was a bit strange for me since I’m not really a baby person (I think I’m allergic), they are cot slippers, and I think I’ve probably picked them because I want some too!
Enjoy having a look around Nico Designs , and take a look at her blog here http://designsbynico.blogspot.com/ she has some great tutorials as well.

Barbie, Audrey and a Snood

Every so often I am proud to pick a couple of items of a fellow etsy hooker team member and show off their creations.
After looking at this shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/noradora it reminded me that I have talked about my admiration for Audrey, and yet I haven’t mentioned Barbie

I kinda fell into collecting Barbie dolls about 15 years ago, and I have some fabulous ones in their boxes, and some play ones too. I even have one called Gillian with brown hair and freckles (a favorite after the 2 Breakfast at Tiffany Audrey ones) . I used to have them all out on display, unfortunately there’s no room at the cottage.

What I would like to do is to urge you to bring out your inner child, pick up a doll, change its clothes , comb its hair (or cut and dye it if you fancy, although our hair dye doesn’t take too well to Barbie hair – I have experience) see if you can make it talk out loud (I think this is the real test!) :-)

And also by the same talented lady in her other shop is a snood. I thought I'd share this because I'd never heard of one before I saw them in this shop last year and I think they are quite posh.

Just a quick side note talking of Audrey – Audrey the Vespa is at the Doctors – I think Andrew is too rough when he drives her because she broke and a fella had to come and pick her up in a truck because she couldn’t get out of 2nd gear. I think I’ll have to get my full license so that I can do all the driving!

Tonnes of Textiles

And what to do with it?

We seem to amassed an amazing amount of material, lots of it gifted and some collected from the local thrift stores.

Andrew threw together a fab clothes peg apron bag yesterday, incredibly handy and practical

This has encouraged me to embrace my inner sewer and so I've spent the day trying to make friends with the sewing machine.... again.
I think we're coming to a sort of mutual wary respect which is a great leap past the previous feelings of fear and loathing.

And here (drum roll please).......... is the outcome of the day that Gill sewed.



Not quite practical, I'm fairly pleased though, I've called them Rag Bag Monstas and popped them in the Felt shop :-)

Looking back and looking forward

The etsy bloggers carnival is on again, one of the topics is

"Now that 2009 has come to a close, what will you remember most about last year?"

Here are some of the things that will stick with me about 2009:

People I didn't know bought my creations

People I don't know are supportive of my creations

I have sold my creations at the local market

I've learnt how to blog

I've learnt how to Twitter

I learnt how to have a Facebook fanpage

I learnt how to open and operate 3 online shops

I have semi learnt how to market my creations

Google Analytics is an amazing tool that scares me

There are people out there in the world that love to create and are friendly even if you don;t meet them face to face

I have learnt all sorts of new and amazing crochet tricks and techniques

I have learnt that I love to buy handmade

All in all a pretty good year crafty wise. I think 2010 is going to be even bigger!

This is where we went on New Years eve day - gobsmackingly beautiful, all about the past and the present and the future

Bridal Veil Falls - Raglan New Zealand