Upcoming Projects

Well...I am still moving. There were some hiccups, and now I am moving to a different place over the course of the next week or so. However, most of my supplies are still packed up, so the shop will remain in vacation mode.


In the meantime, I am planning 3 baby gifts for friends. Well, I say 3, but for one of them I have 3 separate ideas. Regardless, be on the look out for...

Lavender, Cream & Tan Hedgehog Set
I fell in love with a hedgehog plush pattern that I found, and the theme just feels right for my one friend. I really want to make a coordinating blanket, but she and I have made other arrangements, so to accompany the lavender hedgehog I am thinking of bonnets and mary jane booties.

Blue, Tan, and White Lamb Set
My friend showed me a blanket that she would like and I switched up one of the colors and thought of ways to expand into a gift set. I found an adorable lamb plush I am going to make to coordinate with the blanket, and she is also going to get a set of loafer booties (just to switch things up from the Chucks, plus they are darling! It was actually between loafers or buttoned boots...)


I am also throwing around a few more ideas as possibilities for the same person. They will probably still all happen, even if not a gifts (although, given how many friends we have in common...lol)

Rainbow of Chucks Booties
Who am I kidding? This is definitely happening. Ever since these two got married, I've been saying this would happen. I am going to make as many Chucks as I can in all different colors, so their baby has some awesome footwear this winter.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Set
I honestly am not sure what this would entail. I am thinking a beanie with an attached mask that can flip up...or a shell (photo prop or possibly sweater, still working out details). And of course there is the option to make plush characters, or weapons, etc. We will see where this goes if it happens.

Owl Set
The mommy to be loves owls. And now that I know she is having a little girl, I feel like they are easier to incorporate. There are a ton of cute patterns out there for blankets, plush, hats, and scrubbies. We will see if this amounts to anything, but I feel like at least one owl thing will sneak it's way in.


I've also got a few orders lined up. One which was just placed today and is due in a week, another due shortly thereafter thankfully these are both blankets only), and a large video game themed set due at the end of the year.

Peach, Yellow & White Blanket
A coworker came up to me today asking how quickly I can make a baby blanket. She technically already gave a gift, but now that there is also a shower going on for her friend, she wanted something simple to give. We discussed colors and finally set on this theme with the baby girl's name sewn on in fleece. Keep an eye out for pictures, as this sweet blanket will be finished in about a week.

Baby Girl Blanket
A friend of mine is ordering the blankie for her little girl from me. I don't have any more specifics yet, as I think she is picking out the yarn. Little girl is due soon though, so more updates and hopefully a finished item within the next month or so.

Video Gamer Set
A buddy has commissioned me to make a video game themed set for one of his gaming friends. The set will be for a little girl, and I think we have all the items finalized. We are going in a few different directions with Nintendo, XBox, and PC. There is definitely going to be an XBox controller rattle, and another plush toy based off a character from League of Legends. Other items include a blanket, and hat & booties. I'm keeping these under wraps for now (especially as I am designing the blanket and am not 100% sure how it will work/turn out), but they will be based of some traditional Nintendo characters.


I am also working on some basic kitchen & bath items (wash cloths, pot scrubbers, exfoliating pads, hanging towels, hand towels, etc) to add to the shop--great for regular use or new baby items.

So...keep your eyes peeled for some of these items, and remember you can always contact me for something similar, or completely unique. You can always contact me via my blog, Facebook, or Etsy convo (I still check them), and I plan to have my shop live again after Labor Day!

Playing Catch Up

The shop is back open! I had it on "Vacation Mode" for the last few weeks to catch up on some big projects, and once those were done I was getting ready to move. I was sad to do it, but you guys have been keeping me pretty busy with a steady stream of orders which I LOVE  but I was in need of some extra time. I'm all caught up and unpacked now though, so let the orders roll in again n_n

I've been posting the projects that have been occupying me on Facebook as they've been completed, but here is a quick collection of what has been going on the past few weeks...

Patchwork Puppy & Matching Blankie
I made this as a gift set for a friend of mine. She let me know the colors and theme (puppies & kitties), but also hinted that she loved the turtles I have made. I had to find a way to make it work, so using two Heidi Bears patterns, I compiled this little fella.

Heidi is pretty awesome and is cool with selling items made using her patters, so if you are interested convo me on etsy. However, these guys will not be regularly posted as they take quite a while and a good amount of yarn. This also means they will cost a bit more (like $30-35 for larger guys like this, probably).

Giraffe & Matching Blanket
This set was made for another friend (2 down, 3 more to go... this year!). It came about because they are keeping the gender a surprise. I was trying to figure out gender neutral combos, and thought these colors looked cute together and lent themselves well to a giraffe. This couple actually has another little gift on the way in the form of Jayne Cobb hats n_n

Nightmare Before Christmas Set
This set was so much fun! It was actually a commission, requested by my friend's husband for a coworker (the same one who requested the Nicor set...I love his requests! They are so much fun n_n). He wasn't sure what he wanted exactly, but his coworker loves The Nightmare Before Christmas. He got as far as booties, and something with Jack's face. This was the result and I am loving it.

This set may not be a regularly posted item, but if you are interested I am taking custom requests for it and/or individual items. Zero is actually a lovey/blankie buddy so his body is larger than normal and his collar is incorporated into the blanket part.

Wedding Mittens
These guys are more complicated to work on at work than I thought, so they took quite a bit longer. However they are now complete and below are the two different styles of pairs that were requested

*The two blankets in these pictures will be some of the pattern options available to you when I get the create your own blanket postings made. Until then, if you like the designs and are looking for a blanket, feel free to request one in the colors you want.

Shop Update! and some other stuff

Whew...it's been quite a while! The holidays always get super busy for me between gift knitting and the increase in orders (and some last minute orders lol). My online presence always seems to disappear at that time, but I promise you I am still here and will reply to any of your messages/comments.

I wanted to get a ton of samples done before posting more items to my shop, but time is getting away from me. So, I have gone ahead and made some listings with swatches for now (I will update when I get around to making all the samples). This has resulted in 4 new listings, plus another that I don't think I highlighted very well before the holidays:

Choose from 11 accent colors!	Choose from 11 accent colors!	Choose from 10 shoe colors!
Choose from 18 shoe colors!

I don't always make posts like this, but you can usually find links to my new listings on facebook, twitter (and Google+ when I remember...heh). You can also always find my new listings on the New & Upcoming items page (click the link or use the tab at the top of the site). The New & Upcoming items page also lists products I am working on currently and hope to have listed soon, as in within a month. You can also find a list of future items, which are products I am planning out but currently do not have the time to sit down and make samples of. If you see something listed that is not available, but you are interested in, please just let me know and I will be happy to give you a description, mock-up, whip up a sample, or list a reserved item for you n_n

So...now the reason for why samples have been super delayed. Christmas, predominantly. I finished my last needed gift Christmas morning. In fact it was lace and never even got blacked (not that my sister much cared, in fact she is a knitter herself and I don't think she has even bothered to block it since!). Then I was trying to finish the same sister's gift from last year (I ran out of an expensive yarn) before she flew back to Japan, which did not happen. It almost did and now it is waiting to be bound off and blocked because she said to hold off on sending it as she may be ordering stuff to the house and then I can make 1 shipment. I also basically finished my boyfriend's blanket! Finally! The backing is only sewed to the two  long sides, so when he comes home for spring break I will need to seam the top and bottom, and tack it down in some places as it gets billowy, but it is useable and awesome.

So that takes us until 3 weeks ago lol. Now I am working on new samples for the bridal party mittens (the original yarn did not make a mitten as nice as I wanted for wedding pictures), this includes one full mitten to make sure the bride likes the look and to decide which of the 3 button options works best, and 4 swatches just to give an idea of how the other patterns will look once knit (as currently we had been working with mock-ups in excel). This is taking most of my free knitting time as she and the bridesmaids are going dress shopping this month! I want to make sure she likes the look so that once dresses are picked I can find matching yarn and get moving. I am also in the midst of designing a gift for my friend's two year old daughter, so that project is currently a secret but you will see pictures in the future and it may even become a purchasable item in my shop. I've also had a few non-official requests, so if the requesters follow up with details of what they want you could see some fingerless mitts, slippers, and maybe a Pokemon plush soon!

Well back to knitting, work, and school! See you guys next week n_n

Winter Wedding Mittens

Following off of last week's Shop Info post, I am working on an order for someone local who knows me and the kind of projects I get myself into (If you want to know what I am talking about, check out my Sent Swap Packages album on flickr...sometimes I am rather ambitious n_~). This girl is having a winter wedding and saw an adorable wedding picture on Pinterest where the bride and her bridesmaids were out in the snow in their dresses, and all the bridesmaids had on coordinating mittens. So her request is that I make 6 pairs of different mittens in her colors: grey, teal, and white.

I've been spending the past few weeks swatching away, trying to come up with neat ways to pattern the colors for the bride to choose from. Some of these designs actually lend themselves to being repeated, depending on which color is made dominant. I started without a swatch of the dress color, just to get some ideas of how the colors would work up, figuring I can also get more accurate colors for the actual mittens if necessary. 

these are the mock swatches the bride chose,
click the picture to see a .pdf of all the ones I came up with

I also spent some time hunting for generic mitten patterns or formulas. I would just figure it out on my own, they are a rather basic construction, but I have incredibly tiny child hands so am a bit concerned about making them too small. I looked around and found a lot of patterns using similar stitch counts and measurements for an average woman's mitten, so instead of making a striped swatch I made a striped mitten using this information for the bride to try on.

Mitten picture forthcoming...

The bride also wanted buttons like in her inspiration picture, but thought that sparkly snowflakes would be cuter. I have been browsing around and collected a few different ones for her consideration. We may explore other options, but the rhinestone snowflakes seemed to be the best looking sparkly options.

click to enlarge for detail,
but this image best represents actual sizes
(UL: 3/4", LL: 7/8", R: 1")

The wedding is not until winter of 2014, and the bridesmaids won't be picking their dresses until February so I have a bit of time. Luckily Christmas knitting won't interfere at that point, so as soon as dresses are picked and the teal color is finalized I will be speeding my way through these mittens. Expect to see the finished order on my blog and in my shop early next spring. If you are interested in something similar, just contact me*!

* I am very easy to get a hold of...Send a message or post a comment on Facebook/Google+, comment here, use the email button on the side bar, etsy convo me, or use the "Request Custom Item" button in my shop n_n 

More Custom Order Reveals

The turtle plush I made last week and posted teasers of on facebook is finished. The little girl it was given to loves it and I am told the little guy has made it as a bed toy.

I had already had a second order sight-unseen for another one, and when this little guy was delivered the requester confirmed wholeheartedly that she wanted one. The next turtle will be in the typical greens and tans. Later that evening I got an order for a second one with a slightly different theme. The turtle will be green, and his shell will be made to mimic native american motifs. I am thinking this granny square/hexagon pattern will achieve that:

blanket (c) Avalanche on ravelry

The Three Strikes for Sean donation was picked up yesterday. The lady who had reached out to me was happy with the results.

It is also time to start thinking about Christmas gifts! I know, I have almost 3 months, but I make most of my family's gifts (at least the girls, so that's mom, grandma, sis 1, and sis 2...maybe the boy's mom, grandma, and sister...whew!). My one sister has already given me her knit item wishlist! Luckily, she wants fairly simple things (and she knows it, and she knows I need time to work, so I love her not only for her choices but early notice n_n). I still need to plan out the others...

My shop is also picking up speed. It's still mostly local and in person orders from family, friends, coworkers, and friends of acquaintances but the online sale trickles in here and there. I am hoping to come up with some cute Christmas and winter themed items as well, once I finish up the sets and custom listings I have planned to work on this month. So hopefully between my connections and the upcoming Christmas season, things will be getting busy on the shop front too!

Oh, the holiday season is upon us and it's not even Halloween*!

*stay posted for a Monday post about Halloween at my house...we are hard core!

So many projects!

As I mentioned Friday, I ran out of time for designing and making the Curious George plush and toddler sized yellow hat. However, that doesn't mean I've been doing nothing all this time n_~

Last week I completed the Paw Print Beanie and Roller Skates gift set. It turned out pretty darned cute, if I do say so myself. The person that ordered the set just loves it--I can't wait to hear the reaction of the person she is gifting it to!

I am also finishing up my donation items for Three Strikes for Sean. This is a local fundraiser trying to help raise the money needed for his extensive doctor visits, treatment, and medications. A group shot of the donation coming soon, but in the meantime here is a collage:

I am also still working on that turtle plush (sadly no progress pictures yet). He isn't even done, and I already have a duplicate order request! So once this little guy gets assembled, I will be making another one in all greens! 

Since the Curious George set was not going to happen in time for this Saturday, I had to come up with another gift. I mentioned Friday I have been obsessed with dinosaurs. I changed things around a bit and now I am making a dinosaur play mat with some plush dinos (from Planet June's Dinosaurs Set 1). I am very excited about the mat, and am buying the fabric tonight after work. I will be a circular mat that plays on colors and textures:

• the ocean will be blue satin because it is smooth
• the beach will be tan felt because sand is soft but has a texture
• the beach will also have a felt cave for the dinos
• the grass will be green fleece because it is tall and fluffy like grass
  (and less messier than faux fur, which I also considered)
• the grass will also have a crocheted palm tree
• the rocky mountain are will be brown canvas because it is stiff like rock
• the mountain area will also have a crochet volcano, complete with lava

I haven't decided yet if the terrain features should be secured to the mat. The cave should be, but we will see how placement of the tree and volcano work out. They might have velcro to keep them in place, but also allow for ease of packing.

I am rather happy with my plans for packing up the play mat. I want to make a white backing for the mat, which will also function as the outside, that looks like an egg shell. There will also be a drawstring that runs around the mat--it will lay flat on the mat when it is in play, but it will allow you to cinch the whole mat up into a bag and function as a handle for clean-up or transportation.

I haven't figured out the size yet, so will be overcompensating when I buy fabric. If there is enough left over, I may be making a second play mat for the shop! I feel like George and a child's yellow hat may also be showing up sometime in the future, if not ready-made then available to order at least n_n

More Custom Orders

Wow! I was expecting September to be a slow month, but the requests just keep coming in! This is great news for the shop, although it is pushing back my planned ready-made and customizeable items. Don't worry though--those ideas are still there and just keep growing over time!

So last week when I was delivering the First Grandson set, another coworker saw the cap and asked if I could make one for her son now that fall is coming up. She was thinking navy, but left the color choices up to me. I went navy with a gold border. I delivered it yesterday and she was thrilled! As an added bonus, she had just picked up a fall shirt in the same colors so now her little boy has a fall outfit n_n

The customer that ordered the penguin plush for her niece, just put in another request for a turtle plush for her daughter. At first she asked for the turtle to be green, but then she mentioned her daughter's favorite color is purple. I decided to go with a sea foam green body and a purple granny square shell.

Another request that came in last week was for a pair of skates and a beanie with a paw print, in blue and green. We decided on royal blue skates with neon green wheels and laces, and a royal blue beanie with neon green paw print. So far these are still in the designing phase, but I've got the hat chart figured out at least.

The train set is still in the works, but has gotten pushed back. Luckily this is an order for a friend and she has no real due date. It is just a gift she wants to give, and unless she wants to wait until Christmas there really isn't an event as the baby was born in spring (the request came though during summer). Everything is designed, I just want to get the baby's current age so I know what size to make the conductor's hat.

I am also working on a personal project for a friend. Her son turns 2 this month and his party is Curious George themed. I definitely want to do a George plush, but am playing around with ideas to go with it. Currently I'm debating between a yellow hat or a cardigan.

I also think I've finalized the 3 Strikes for Sean donations. I decided to make two pairs for boys and two pairs for girls. For the boys I am sending in soccer cleats (in white and red), and Chicago Bears logo cuffed booties. For the girls I am sending in purple mary janes and pink flower sandals.

And that should take us through the end of September! Whew...