Hair Bows & Bow Ties


I finally got around to trying this nifty little pattern back in March (was it really that long ago?), whipping up quite a few more than I intended, and I'm ecstatic to introduce it in the Etsy shop!

Add a bow to any hat or headband in the shop

I think this pattern was originally intended to be a little girl's hair bow but I have been on a quest to find cute *boy* clothes & accessories before EJ was born.  Using my grandfather and his adorable bow ties as inspiration, I think these would make wonderful bow ties for a little boy!  What do you think??

I haven't figured out how to safely (i.e. not a choking hazard) attach these around a little neck, but I'm open to suggestions.  In the mean time, I'm also selling these under supplies.

I plan to add many more colors soon; I just had this baby blue skein to use up.  What are you working on today?

Discovering Cloth Diapers

This Saturday was a total blast!  I went up to Ann Arbor, Michigan with a new cloth diaper convert friend to visit my also-pregnant cousin (she is 15 weeks behind me, due at the end of July) and we shopped two rummage sales (aptly named Moms 2 Moms), a local natural baby store called The Little Seedling where we all received a wonderful education on cloth diapering & baby wearing; and stopped at both Cherry Republic & Trader Joe's before calling it a Very Productive day.  :]

Cloth diapering has been a long-time research "project" for me and after many years I feel like I can finally say with some confidence that "I think I get it!" after having visited and talked with the ladies at The Little Seedling.  For the longest time I couldn't tell the real difference between All-in-Ones and Hybrids and Pockets and Fitteds and then I recently discovered "Flats" which are considered another version(?) of Prefolds.  Too many different styles and terms, I'm sure you're thinking.  Anyway, the exciting part is now that I feel confident to cloth diaper my little babe when he or she finally arrives in the next 2 or 3 weeks, I'll be plenty confident to make and use my own longies on my little one come this Autumn which means more adorable baby models for the Etsy shop! :)  yay :)

And I can't wait to tell you my even MORE exciting news (that has to do with my Etsy shop and all things knitted baby) once I have confirmation that it is all a go.  Stay tuned! :)

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2014 Goals

I know it may seem a little late to be posting goals for the new year, but these have been swirling in my head since the end of January and I think they are finally ready to be listed and documented.  Not to mention by publishing them I can hold myself accountable and keep myself on track for the year.

  1. Finally get my Tax/ Incorporation in order.  Aka, am I a sole proprietor or LLC?  I meet with my uncle who does taxes for a living to figure this out next week.  :)
  2. Commit to at least one show/fair/market per month.  Obviously I missed the first three months this year but so far I'm on track to start in April with the Merchant's Landing Show April 12 & 13.
  3. Post to this blog once a week.  If more is happening that's worth posting about, I'll be sure to post it as well, though it may be less wordy.  Who is ok with just a picture post once in a while?
  4. Get my wares into a physical brick & mortar store.  More to come on this once things are settled.  I'm currently talking with two different shops and it just makes me super excited for new possibilities!
I've also started reading this great book that has some nice exercises (I'm not usually a fan of "exercises" in a book) that really spoke to me after I met my goal of doing 1-3 physical shows in 2013.  I felt so empowered and excited I couldn't wait to make more goals for this year & feel an even bigger empowerment at the end of this year.  Thus my mind has really started opening to the possibilities because of this book & it has really inspired some energy in me for this year's success.


So far my favorite passage is on goals & goal setting (thus inspiring this organized post instead of just a note to self on a scrap piece of paper):

Goals are really amazing things.  They give you focus and set your course.  [...]  Goals support Intentions.  By actively working on these goals, the end result will be accomplished.  You can use your intentions to make sure you keep your business on track. [...]  Your goals should be your friends; they should excite you, and you should look forward to working toward them.  Goals are not chores.
Exercise: Make a list of all the goals you've had since you decided to be a creative business owner.  Now circle all the goals that you've already accomplished.
Quote from Jolie Guillebeau: "Take small steps consistently.  Do something every single day to make a little progress toward your goal." 
Grow Your Handmade Business - Kari Chapin

Anyone read anything inspiring lately?

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Any sponsorships that you see in my sidebar are handpicked by me because I believe in their products + services and think they could benefit you.

First Towel Set!


It's finally here!  A kitchen towel set in the shop!


I've made many sets, but never had the time or motivation to make a set "just because" (even if it is for the shop).  It seems like I needed more motivation and a little extra inspiration for a specific someone to push me through the marathon of knitting a whole towel set versus a fun sprint of dishcloth-ing. ....


I'm especially in love with this color palette.  Yay for cool spring colors!  :]


Longies in the Shop!

They are finally up + available for purchase.  :)


I admit it was like pulling my own teeth to sit down + edit pictures.  I was anxious to just hit the publish button about two or three days ago but I had pictures + measurements to finish up.


Hopefully I'll be able to improve my longie photographs soon.


I have a couple more colors on their way.  Anyone looking for a particular color?
Happy Groundhog Day, tomorrow!

More Cowl Colors

(That's a bit of a mouth full to say... "cowl colors...")


Remember this sneak peak?

With my custom sock order winding down, I'm happy to announce more color options for my favorite cowl pattern will be available in the shop.

Oatmeal Cowl
Rust Orange Cowl

What colors would you like to see?  Sometimes I feel like this guessing game is hit-or-miss for me, so I'd love a little hand in this department.  Who wants to be my assistant designer?  ;-)

Socks - Completed!

Lynn contacted me at the end of November to knit up some socks for her two grandkids and herself, two pairs each.


Six pairs, that is!

little girl's pair #1

little girl's pair #2

boy's pair #1

boy's pair #2

Lynn's brown & pink stripe pair
Lynn's oatmeal pair


And I'm happy to say I now have my basic sock pattern memorized!  Maybe there will be socks for the shop in the near future...

Remaining Christmas Gifts

A few last Christmas gifts to share:


I gave my sister my first Granny Afghan.  She kept eyeing it while I stayed with her after her wisdom teeth surgery so I knew it would be a good fit.

And she gave me this beautiful card holder which she engraved herself!  (She engraves at her job, but I think she is really good at it, looking at her handiwork)


Now I have to figure out what to give her for her birthday Saturday.  Any suggestions?

Newest Cowl

I'm so excited about this new cowl.  Not only is it my favorite style to wear, but I was also able to get my beautiful cousin to model it for me while we visited her family for Christmas!  :)


I have to admit I'm not normally much of a color-red fan, but this variegated skein was calling out to me in the store and I couldn't wait to get it on my needles.

Long enough to wrap around twice for extra neck coverage.

I was hoping to have enough to make two double-wrap cowls but I guess I didn't realize how much I truly needed.  So this time I have one long (above) and one shorter (below).


How do you think they turned out? 

It's One of Those Days

The ones that are too-few coming in 2012 but have hit me like an Energizer-Bunny tonight :]

The beautiful productivity of constant-motivation (still going strong for over 4 hours!!).  Almost seems like one of those new 5-hour-energy commercials.  Anyway, check out all the progress!

I have photographed & drafted 6+ listings today; including a new cowl with my cousin modeling!



I will be staggering the dishcloth listings over the weekend, but you can enjoy the new cowls tonight!

My Autumn earwarmer was featured in a treasury today!

See it?  Bottom-right corner.

Did I blow up your Newsfeed today?  I apologize; some sort of creative bug grabbed hold of me this afternoon and I couldn't help feeling the need to share those stories with my followers.  Did you find any inspiration?  Or should I stop sharing others' posts/pictures and keep it to just Etsy shop-related stories?

I have more to share but I guess I ought to save some for another post and that energy is finally starting to slow (after 6+ hours!).  Anyone else excited for the new year?