Yeah Baby!

NY Football Champs Project Bag by crookedknits on Etsy:

'via Blog this'

Shop Update

So I'm finally slowly updating my Etsy shop again.  So far I've added some items for the Chinese New Year:

A kimono inspired project bag

Year of the Dragon stitch markers

There's also some Swarovski bead stitch markers:

Under the Tuscan Sun stitch markers

Let it Snow stitch markers

I plan to add to the shop slowly, even though I have tons of stock made for it.  I like to spread the updates out a bit.

I went on a jewelry kick right around Christmas, resulting in a lot of stitch markers and jewelry.  I wish it wasn't so cold so I could get out to the screen house and stitch up more projects bags.  I have some NY Giants fabric to make Julia a project bag and, well, it's kinda perfect timing for that big football game everyone but me cares about.  Maybe I'll luck out and we'll have a warm Saturday, the only day I'll be home this week.  Or we might just get snow again and I'll have to play with my snowflake stitch markers :o)

Happy knitting!

Some Lovely Things

Happy Valentine's Day!!  A little late, you say?  Well, not for me.  Because of crazy work/school schedules, The Boy and I just celebrated Valentine's Day Monday night so therefore I've been putting off my Valentine's Day post too.

Here's my baking for Valentine's Day (or at least what I haven't shown yet):

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting (at the bottom)

(also available on the package of Hershey's Cocoa Powder)

*it's amazingly delicious*

Yummy Sugar Cookies

Brother ate all of these :o)

Cupcakes

These were supposed to be for Valentine's Gifts, but I had so many extras I wound up giving them away to customers at the card store and The Boy gave some away at Red Lobster.  Dad did have a bunch for breakfast too though the next morning :o)

This was supposed to be a Christmas gift but it didn't ship in time.  I say it was a great Valentine's gift instead:

It's a necklace.  The charm is a ball of yarn with knitting needles sticking out.  :o) yay!  Unfortunately, the charm seems to be too heavy for the chain and the chain keeps slipping through the jump ring.  Gotta get a thicker chain for it I guess.

Here's the finished Emma on the birthday girl (full post to come later):

Oh Brooklyn Flea, how you tease me.  I did not find the Scavenger Hunt item :o(  I did find a bracelet that I liked but The Boy didn't.  I didn't buy it.  Figured I'll come back later if I'm still thinking about it.  While I wasn't looking, he bought it for me :o).  Such a sweetie

The wrist chain is HUGE though.  But I'm thinking since I've been dabbling in jewelry while making stitch markers for the soon-to-be Etsy shop, I have the tools to alter it a bit and find a way to shorten it.  I think it's going to need a new, smaller clamp to hold it close and I can take all the extra jump rings off because I obviously don't need the option to make it longer.  Other loves from Brooklyn Flea:  my Mash Veggie Dog from AsiaDog and a Banana Peanut Butter Cupcake from Kumquat Cupcakery.  (Notice how it's all about the food with me...)  I did see some super soft awesome printed tees there too.  Grabbed the guy's card but I don't know where I put it now.  He did have an Etsy shop though so when I find it beware!

After the Flea a friend and I headed over to Brooklyn Central Library for the first meeting of the Brooklyn Yarn and Fiber Guild (yea we picked the name during the meeting hehe).  It was pretty interesting- we discussed bylaws, dues, meeting places, and had some getting-to-know-you going on.  Of course I have work scheduled when the next meeting is but I'm gonna try to switch days maybe.

Yesterday I came home after class to a teensy box sitting on the floor of the vestibule with my name on it.  What could it be?  (Of course I forgot all about the package I've been waiting for, but then again it wasn't supposed to be here until March 4th).  My business cards came!  Thankfully everything was printed correctly and they look great!  I used a general template from the free section of Vistaprint for now until I get a banner/logo created for the shop.  I just had to order these though so I can start handing them out on the subway.  People stare at me working so I might as well make use of their interest right?

Oooops

So much for trying to update more often.  Can't believe it's been a week already!  For a week of no subbing (public schools are on vacation), I've been pretty busy.  I did work at the card store 2 days and then The Boy and I have been just hanging out a lot- taking advantage of us both having some free time for once.

It's been a month since I gave an update on the NLC.  I really haven't gotten all that much accomplished on it in the past month, mostly because of the nonstop hat commissions.  But there has been advancement!  I've joined the sleeves and started the colorwork.  Check it out:

Starting to Separated the Sleeves

Getting there...

From one to two!

Waiting to be joined to the body

Here's how it fits so far

It's hard to try on when the stitches barely fit on the needles all scrunched up

Laid out

Colorwork closeup

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I'm still concerned about the sizing.  We'll see about it though as the knitting progresses.  Oh and another problem:  I still can't find buttons.  I went to 3 yarn stores today and nothing.  I'm gonna have to venture into the city one day and check out some of the fabric stores in the fashion district I think.

In other news, I've started developing the etsy shop.  Nothing is listed yet because I want to make a decent stock of items before actually "opening."  But here's a sneak peak of some of what I'm working on...

I've also finished another pair of Weekend Hats, with quite a bit of yarn leftover:

My first customer, Tijah has just requested another 2 hats!  That'll be 4 in total for her.  She's awesome :o).  I didn't have enough of this black leftover for the plain black hat she requested :o(.  I got some great Crock-O-Dye yarn at Gotham Fine Yarn to make the olive green and off-white hat she requested.  She said I can go crazy with this one (yay no more stripes!!!) so I'm doing argyle.  I knit up 2 swatches to see which order she likes better.  And while we were at the yarn shop, the girls there said The Boy is my Hat Pimp.  I think it's true haha.

Today I ventured out to check out two new yarn stores:  La Casita Yarn and Brooklyn General.  La Casita is new (I think?) and in 2 weeks will be adding the cafe portion of the shop.  They will be serving wine, pastries and coffee.  Can I just move in?  

Brooklyn General was everything I heard it would be and more.  Oh my gosh the amounts of yarn they have.  The store is probably as big as my apartment and one loooooong wall is pretty much only yarns, plus little stands here and there.  There's also amazing fabric...can't wait to go back for some to make some box project bags.  

Purchases today weren't too interesting:  some plain black yarn for one of Tijah's hats, and then some mystery yarn and notions for my Magic Yarn Ball Swap.  Oh and I bought more Fez for some new Emma Hats in more sizes so I can write up the pattern (hers so didn't fit but she liked it anyway) and some blue yarn to knit a laptop sock with the leftover black and grey yarns.

Off to do some knitting!

- <3 -
Steph
xxo