Slow Going

I know it’s been a while since my last update. Part of the reason is that things have been in chaos around here. I moved my entire office into the former dining room, including two large credenzas and two desks that weigh a ton. But things are settling down now.

The next reason and I think a good one is that my collarbone “popped out” and it hurts for me to do much for more than about 15 minutes at a time. They have fixed it twice, but I still have difficulty which will only get worse I’m afraid. (I am prone to joint problems in a big way).

Another reason i haven’t updated is that i haven’t been doing too much in the needle arts dept., especially having my crocheting on hold. My SIL has the knitting bug and even though I’ve said all along that knitting is not my thing she now has me at least doing the simplest stitch there is.

I must have pulled my little piece of yarn out 15 times by now, starting over and over and over. I just have a hard time bypassing a mistake. I learned a long time ago to just stop and yank the yarn out of my crochet projects when I see an error. if you don’t you’ll regret it later.

My problem is keeping the darn yarn on the needles. I’ll be going along fine when suddenly they come to life and leap over the end of the needle. I try to quickly get it back into place before I get too confused. Sadly, it doesn’t seem to be getting any easier.

I guess it’s sort of like which came first; the chicken or the egg. If you learn crochet first, then knitting is the odd one. If you learn to knit, then crochet is wicked. Thank goodness for the looms! That’s my only hope of ever doing any knitting.

Mom has expressed an interest in trying her had at the loom, probably because the knitting group formed and one of her friends went and enjoyed working on a loom. I’ve offered Mom to take one of mine to see if her arthritic fingers will be able to handle it before she buys anything. I’ll let you know how it goes.

With winter upon us now’s the time to really get those afghans going. I love working one up while it keeps my lap warm.

Blogger Tags: knitting, crocheting, looms, arthritis

It’s Win-Win

Today I transferred my LadieAnn Toboggans Plus hats to my Eccentric Thrifter store. They can be found under the HANDMADE category.
Since Hubster retired (and is home) it’s been harder to devote so much time to two stores. That, plus the fact that I have 100 times more feedback and sales at the thrift store will hopefully, generate confidence for buyers to consider my articles.
I have lowered the prices and updated the shipping to meet the new USPS standards changed earlier this month.
The LadieAnn.com link is still good and will take you directly to category page
I think it’s a win-win situation.

Don’t Do It!

I put on one of my warm fuzzy scarves yesterday, one made of some of the lovely Lion Brand Homespun yarns. Back when I made the scarf I decided to experiment by adding fringe on the ends using the remnants of the same yarn. BIG MISTAKE!
The fringe just kept pulling and pulling. It looked great like that, but boy was it a beast to live with! I had to wet my hand to roll up the strands that invariably got on my pants, my shirt, my coat, you name it. It just absolutely sucked.
Unable to stand it a moment longer, while Hubster was in the grocery store I waited in the car and pulled them all off of the scarf.
My final conclusion is that this kind of yarn is perfect for hats and ok for scarves, but don’t even think about making fringe with it.

New Year of Yarn Adventures

Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve posted here, but Christmas and New Year’s have a way of postponing things.

  To update a

little: I finished the orange loom knit hat, but decided to wait a week and gave it to Daddy for his 84th birthday. He' rides his ATV all over the farm as well as hunts, and this hat will keep him extra warm out there. Plus the orange color will make him visible to Momma and other hunters As you can see in the photo he liked it and wore it for the rest of his Happy Hour Gang birthday party.

The triple threads included one of a lighter color than the other two – this made the hat look like it had a bit of a glow to it. It turned out really cool.

I had enough yarn left for making one more hat. Here you see my big silver mixing  bowl works perfectly for corralling the skeins of yarn. Rolling them into balls is not necessary.

Blogger Labels: birthday,hat,Happy Hour,Yarn,Adventures,Daddy,Momma,photo,Gang,threads,bowl,hunters,balls

Murphy’s Law

It has to be Murphy’s Law. I got up about 4:15 this morning and finished up my orange knit hat, which turned out great by the way. Then I snagged some of the really nice fluffy yarn to start making a scarf for a friend. I worked on it for 2 hours. Everything went incredibly well (not counting when I decided to pull it all out and start over and make it wider).

I reach over to get the little plastic needle so I can finish off the ends of the yarn that are still on the round loom. What happens?! Murphy’s Law kicked in!

The next thing I know the yarn has popped off of 2 pegs and I had inadvertently pulled at least one stitch out. Since it is the “fluffy” yarn there is no way at all to see what’s what enough to put it back.

In a small panic I grab some leftover orange yarn and thread that through the top where it was supposed to be finished off (in case more popped off. I figured I could see the orange among all this variegated beige and tan. Than I found a row about 2 inches below the now destroyed edge. I took a new piece of the same beige yarn and started threading it through there.

I felt so forlorn. It was all I could do to keep trying instead of just throwing it all down and coming back later to pull everything out.

But I kept at it and FINALLY I got everything threaded. Upon pulling it worked! Eureka! Snip with the excess and out came the orange. Then it was just a matter of pulling out the crapola back to where my new edge was waiting.

I still need to add some fringe but I think it’s all going to be terrific afterall. My intended receiver will never know how much heart I put into this little handmade gift! Aren’t they the best kind, after all?

Blogger Labels: loom,Murphy,yarn,scarf,friend,ends,piece,Upon,Eureka,Snip,receiver,heart,gift

To Fix or Not to Fix

I’ve been working on a loom knit hat as a Christmas gift. I wanted it to be really thick and warm so I have been struggling to make it using 3 strands of yarn at the same time. It was all so tight! I’m also using the largest loom so everything is taking longer.

Alas! Woe is me! With about 10 inches done now I see 2 dropped stitches that occurred when I first started. In the beginning it had taken me a while to develop a ‘struggle’ style. Soon I discovered that if I held my needle like you would to  pull a slot machine handle the yarn worked nicely, tight, but nicely. (No, I don’t do slots; it’s just the best motion example I can think of).

During that learning time I missed a couple (of stitches) and now I either have to ignore them or pull everything out! I know those threads won’t make a bit of difference to how the hat works or how warm it is. I just feel bad making something with a flaw like that.

On the bright side, the “gift” is for a family member who really probably won’t notice or care if they did. Knowing that eases my decision – I think I’ll let it slide this time. Christmas is too close for me to start over. We’re hosting the family dinner so there’s a ton to do.

That’s my decision and I’m sticking with it.!

Blogger Labels: loom,Christmas,gift,yarn,machine,example,threads,difference,flaw,member,decision,dinner

It’s almost here!

Christmas that is! And with Christmas comes the cold weather. And with cold weather comes more sales in the crochet toboggan hat department! I’ve been waiting all year for this!

So far, as with any venture, things are a bit slow. That’s compounded by the fact that I have little or no feedback from any customers. Of course, sales made at craft shows do not transcend to the data based on online sales.

I’ve sold lots of things, with great feedback from my customers. I guess at this point in time, with little evidence located at the LadieAnn Toboggans Plus Ecrater store you are more than welcome to check out the feedback I have gained in my Eccentric Thrifter store. No surprise finding feedback there since I sell items that are in demand all year round and not just for cold weather!

My future agenda includes expanding my line of crochet and loom knit items. I’ve dabbled in a few things, simple experiments really, just to see if I could do them. (Actual knitting is still a basic butt kicker for me. I may give that another try sometime next year as well).

I’ve been slack in producing scarves like I used to, and sadly I have very little stock in that department. And they really turn out so nicely.

Since back therapy is now over I plan to sit by the fire, with a cup of hot chocolate, the remote control nearby and my crochet yarn going full blast when the winter storms begin.

Just make that right after Christmas, as soon as the elves leave!

Blogger Labels: scarves,Christmas,toboggan,department,fact,feedback,customers,data,LadieAnn,Toboggans,Plus,Ecrater,Eccentric,Thrifter,items,agenda,therapy,yarn,winter,sales,crochet

I Need More Room

We’re trying to make room in the house so we can actually have Christmas. Today I brought all my yarn out of the house and into my office. Since I moved Hubster’s little corner office out of here, he’s now taking up temporary residence in one of the extra bedrooms, where he can write his bills in peace.

I have an extra credenza out here and my thought was to put all the yarn in the drawers and cubby spaces in that. I’ve been sorting by color to a certain extent and discovering just how much stuff I have and how much variety. It’s mind-boggling how this stuff grows on its own!!

No, everything didn’t fit. It will never fit. I guess my only recourse is to start crocheting and knitting. After Christmas is over it will be yarn season for sure. I love to make afghans when it’s cold outside. It’s so snug and warm under my work!

Boy! Do I have my work cut out for me!! I just simply need more room!

Pleased As Punch

Today I have officially linked up with the Official Mikeyssmail Website. Mike and his partner, Diva Dan, seem to be taking the world by storm; I know they can count me among their many fans. I first discovered this dynamic duo when I was researching knitting looms. To my surprise and delight Mike, the yarn guru, had a video showing how to make Christmas stockings, which I’ve now seen several times. No, I haven’t taken up the challenge yet, but one of these days I’m sure it will happen. Diva Dan seems to be the musican gardener. I can’t wait for Spring to get here so I can try out some of his great ideas!

Take a moment to click the link on the right and give them a visit! If you’re a yarny person yourself, link your own blog or website to them and keep spreading the joy!

Blogger Labels: Mikeyssmail,,Mike,Diva,world,yarn,guru,Christmas,times,ideas,

By Request

I like to hear from my customers. I recently got an email from a lady whose search for a purple toboggan had finally led her to my site. She loved the hat but wondered if it would be possible to add a white pompom to the top. Not necessarily to my personal tastes, but yes, of course it would be possible and I got right on it.

Today I uploaded the photos for her to make a final decision. Since she had a time frame she needed it by I also, after emailing her the info, changed the shipping etc to a flat hat cost of $25 with free shipping and tracking. The original costs were pretty close to this figure anyway and making it one specific charge makes everything easier on the customer; no add a dollar here for tracking, add more here for additional whatevers... much easier.

All that's left now is to hear back from her and wait for the payment notification. I love it when a plan comes together!