Very Interesting

My first craft show is over. It was very small with only about 15 vendors. I think a combination of little or no advertising plus the incredibly awful flooding weather we had this past week kept people away.

It wasn’t a total loss. I sold a couple of Tunisian washcloths, a toboggan and four cookbooks. By luck I grabbed the box of cookbooks I’d done of my mother’s recipes.

  On the bright side, while sitting there I made this bright green hat that caught people’s attention and finally conquered the rectangular loom (that project is turning out nicely).

I look at the whole day as a learning experience. I now know what customers were more interested in. Therefore I know what to not waste time making for resale. I know what I brought too much and not enough of, so I know I could have packed better. I think I’ll get a different table cover next time. The Christmas quilt I used looked good at home, but wasn’t what I’d pictured when I got there. There were just a lot of little things I would change, like using better signage and of course, better display.

But I guess we learn by doing.

Blogger Labels: learning experience,crochet,washcloth,craft show,combination,Tunisian,toboggan,luck,customers,vendors,cookbooks,recipes

Craft Show Dead Ahead!

It’s finally here! On Saturday I will be at my first craft show as a vendor. Unfortunately at this point I don’t have high hopes. I’ve found out that there are only about 10 booths (it’s the center’s first craft show too), and they are all being put inside. That means no spontaneous traffic making visual contact. AND I now know that one of the major craft shows in the area is being held the same day.

Even though things don’t sound too good, I am using this as a learning experience. I’m sure we’ll get customers from the center alone. It’s a relatively new senior resource center and a recent health fair had about 150 people show up. One can only hope…!

So I’ve got all my yarn items out from the office and into the dining room. They are on the table with my little Christmas quilt under them, all laid out as if it were the real McCoy. One piece of advice I’d received was to do a test run. I’m hoping the white plastic table they give me is longer than my dining table; extra space is always a good thing.

I’m still debating whether to put price tags on each item or the divide items into sets with a big tag in front… sort of like when you go through a box of yard sale stuff and the box says anything in here $1. Any advise appreciated!!

Gosh! So much to do! So little time!

Blogger Labels: Craft,Dead,Ahead,vendor,traffic,visual,area,customers,resource,health,yarn,items,office,room,Christmas,quilt,McCoy,piece,advice,item,yard,sale,booths

Christmas Hat

Hey! I made a knitted Christmas Toboggan Hat. I had this awesome red, green, and white yarn. I tried making a few other things, like a petal doily and a coaster, but they just didn’t suit me. “What the heck,” says I, “I’m gonna make a hat!” And so I did.

It turned out really neat. The double strands of yarn that I used fed off the skein to make an alternating striped affect. I couldn’t have planned it any better myself. It’s long enough to turn up a brim over your ears and stretchy enough to be comfortable on anybody! And it looks great worn! I tried it on and liked what I saw!

See this and more at LadieAnn Toboggans Plus!

Blogger Labels: knit,Christmas,Toboggan,yarn,brim,LadieAnn,Toboggans

Just a Few More

I love making the Soap on a Rope holders. I had to make “just a few more.” This time I’m making them out of white acrylic yarn. I figure you can toss them in some bleach if necessary. These are terrific for washing! The texture makes them ideal for facial cleansing! They measure 3” wide x 4” long with about an 8” drawstring for hanging in the shower.

I like to sleep in a cool bedroom. Sometimes in the middle of winter, though, your head gets a little too cold. Hub’s and I used to get up and grab one of our toboggans; often they were a little bit too bulky. So, voila! The Nightcap!

I know you’re thinking “hello, pull the blankets up” but when you breath under blankets it gives you a headache from rebreathing all that carbon dioxide. This way you’re snug and warm without being entombed.

This one is loom knitted using a single strand of soft wool yarn in a neutral light tan. For outdoor use, this would be way too thin to do you much good. But indoors, it’s light-weight, and snug enough to stay put with out all the bulkiness. Plus, it’s stretchy enough that you can pull the roll brim down over your face when those sinuses kick in and need a little more warmth.

Check out all my crochet toboggans and more at LadieAnn Toboggans Plus!

Blogger Labels: loom,crochet,Just,Soap,Rope,yarn,texture,winter,Nightcap,breath,headache,wool,brim,holders

Now a member

I finally took the time to join the CafeHandmade Ning social group. I really like Nings and this one is here at the right time. When I joined I discovered I already had friends there – even better. It has links to all the places I keep working with, hunting for, and more all in one place. If you do any craft handmade stuff come over and network with your new friends! I’ll be glad to hook up with ya!

See, my wolf icon is on the front page still, where I just joined!

Blogger Tags: Cafehandmade, Ning, crafts, handmade, wolf, friends

The Ice has Broken

You know no one wants to be first. But somebody has to be first. Today a brave soul  became my first official buyer at LadieAnn Toboggans Plus. I must say, I was absolutely thrilled. They got a great deal on the hand crocheted short scarf that I had on there. It was kind of peachy with lavender, blue, yellow and a few other colors that blended from one to the other. The photo didn’t nearly do justice.

I can’t tell you how much I appreciate my first online customer! You always wonder a little whether to click “enter” when you’re on a site with no obvious sales before you. I have plenty of feedback on eBay and at my online thrift store, but none at LadieAnn. I’ve sold items here locally, but that doesn’t help much when a customer or potential buyer is out in Idaho or somewhere else.

Hopefully my brave little soul who has made my day by purchasing from me will be leaving feedback soon. I have made every effort to make this sale a good one and shipped the scarf out on the 10am postal truck this very day.

There is no grass growing around me, not when the ice has finally been broken.

Blogger Tags: brave, soul, buyer, purchaser, hand crocheted, short scarf, scarf, customer, online thrift store, LadieAnn, locally, potenital buyer, feedback, postal

Variegation is the Spice of Life

It’s not just variety, but variegation in Pink and Black can be the spice in your life with this newest loom knit toboggan hat! You never know exactly how the pattern (if any) will turn out…it’s different no matter where you look!

I used 2 strands of Black yarn plus 1 strand of Pink yarn to make an extra thick and warm toboggan that is still soft and pliable. Would look great with that favorite black coat this winter!

It’s all acrylic so that means washable and dryable!

The naturally rolling brim can be rolled to whatever you want or you can flatten it out to cover the ears more. Plus there’s plenty of room up top for the long hair!

Check it out on LadieAnn.com under Toboggans!!

Blogger Tags: toboggans, hats, variegation, variety, pink, black, strands, yarn, acrylic, washable, brim, rolled, flattened, ears, ladieann.com

Take Two

It was an orange hat redo. I don’t know why I finished the thing in the first place. I noticed the error right as I was tying off the top of the hat. Suddenly, there it was, glaring at me. Somehow, probably during an interruption like a phone ringing incessantly, I had missed a stitch.

I thought about just giving the hat to Hubster. He would never have noticed. But I WOULD HAVE KNOWN! So I first tried to put the hat back on the loom after taking the top apart again. Big mistake. Luckily, I quit while I was ahead. I ended up taking the two threads from the top and tying another slip knot, calmly started over again. I must say that the yarn pulls out very easily; I just worked the new hat onto the loom while it fed from the old hat.

Beautiful – I love when a plan comes together!

And meet my new little helper, lately rescued from attic abandonment. She was getting cold while waiting for her dirty little dress to be washed so she’s started wearing my preemie hats. This orange one is actually a lot bigger than it looks on her!

Blogger Labels: yarn,hat,loom,error,interruption,Hubster,threads,Beautiful,helper,attic,abandonment

It follows me

I keep saying I’m not going to buy anymore yarn, and what do I do?! I go thrifting and see, what else, yarn; lots of it. I’ve quit using a cart and limit myself to what I can carry. Ok, so I get my Hubby to carry some too. What can I say. Who can turn down 58¢ yarn?

Today we checked out some new thrift stores that are quite a distance from us. There it was – a whole big plastic storage bin of it, some tangled, some not, some fuzzy, some falling apart, some new. Hubby is so sweet…he helped me go through, picking and choosing until I had 22 skeins of various sizes, styles and textures. We had to get a cart (his idea, guess he didn’t want to carry it).

They were only 50¢ apiece, but the lady in charge had told me if I bought a lot she’d make me a deal. When we checked out, the other girl looked puzzled, so thinking to nip this in the bud I offered $10 for the lot and hauled my treasure out of there!

Since I ended up getting my first “holiday” yarn in reds, greens, and white I guess I better get cracking on the crocheting. Maybe I need to watch that stocking video again.

I also have to tell you I added my little tan hat to LadieAnn.com. It would be great for a preteen, since it’s snug on my head. More like a beanie with a little roll brim, it’ll go with anything. This one’s crocheted in double on top and single on the sides for tightness and warmth! 

Blogger Labels: yarn,Hubby,thrift,stores,storage,lady,girl,LadieAnn,brim,sizes,textures

A Little Bit of Fluff

Another moment in time sitting in yet another waiting room. This time I was able to completely start from nothing and finish a cute little White Fluffy Baby Hat in  acrylic yarn. It’s about 6 inches high to accommodate Baby’s winter growth. The opening inside is 6 inches across. Of course since it’s a loom knit hat I’ve closed the top “draw-string” style.

Another recently completed project is this Lavender and White Premmie Hat. It is very tightly knit on the smallest loom using 3 threads. Check it out at LadieAnn.com 

Blogger Tags: yarn, loom, hat, white hat, lavender and white hat, premmie, Baby, fluffy hat, white, Ladieann