New Goodies in the Etsy Shop!

It's been a while since i had the chance to add anything new to my little Etsy shop! Christmas orders kept me busy, but now that things have slowed down a bit, it's time to get to work on some things i've been wanting to make...Lola has been playing with her dollies more lately and asked me to make her a blanket for them. I really enjoyed making her blanket and thought, why not make a few for other little girls and their dollies??? This little granny square blanket is just the perfect size (15" X 15") for the little cradle that my girls played with when they were little. Now it is Lola's doll cradle.

I've also fallen in love with the Waldorf style dolls. These little knitted gnomes are super cute and super fun to make. I love their little pot bellies...There's nothing like a gnome to bring you Luck!

This one has a heart button around his neck in hopes that somebody will take him home as a gift for their sweetheart...

And here is another granny square dolly blanket for a bigger doll (18" X 18")

There are also a few "Twinkle Stars" that i have added to the shop. These are not toys, but made for decorative purposes.

They look sweet hanging in a window or on a wall, or hung over a baby's crib.

and they sparkle with glitter too!

And last but certainly not least is Rosie. She is not new to the shop, but she has changed her attire and put on her favorite warm scarf, because it is pretty darn cold out there! She is also carrying a crocheted heart Valentine in hopes that someone will fall in love and take her home... There are more goodies to come! Stop by for a visit!

Holiday Busy-ness

I haven't been very good at keeping up with my blog on what is going on around here this year... I have several "experiences" documented in photos that i meant to put up as posts, but never did get to it! We had a mini vacation in the Fall, a trip to Lake Placid, and some nice trips to Indian Ladder Farm to visit the farm animals with Lola too. Maybe during the dark cold Winter months i can add those to the blog. But for now, I have been so busy with making special things for the Holidays that i haven't had time to catch up!

This past weekend i was asked to put some paintings up on the walls at The Marketplace Gallery (thank you Samson) and my daughter Kate and i participated in a holiday craft fair there too. Between making hats and cowls and scarves and dolls for the craft fair and the shops in downtown Troy, there hasn't been much spare time to sit and post or read my favorite blogs.

Of course, i know right after the Holidays things will slow down and i will be able to stock my Etsy shop and make some things i have been wanting to try out.. Here are just a few of the dolls i had for the craft fair, and right after we packed up and left that show, most of the dolls went right into inventory in the brick and mortar shops downtown. I hope you are busy doing things you Love and are getting ready for the wonderful Holidays ahead!

The Little Mommy

Lola's dolly cries until she picks her up and hugs and rocks her

i am hopelessly in love...

Crochet Away...

One of the things i am planning to accomplish for this new year is to read and follow knit and crochet patterns better..to not be intimidated by more complicated twists and turns type of instructions. One of the ways i am trying to get over my fear of making a mistake is to knit and crochet things i REALLY want to learn how to make. Like more toys and dolls...

Meet Alphonse... or Al for short. He is a little monkey crocheted in the round..No seams, just crochet the parts and stuff him and sew him together.

He is currently looking for work as an actor, following the path his Grandfather took (His Grandfather performed with an organ grinder back in the days...)

Al is waiting for his next gig in my Etsy shop.

And here's Mimi.. She is a flexible, talented little mouse.
She is a figure skater in the Winter and a ballet dancer during the rest of the year...

She is waiting for someone to discover her...

She can be reached in my Etsy shop also, waiting right along side Alphonse for their big break....

And then there are the easier projects, like this cowl...No bells or whistles, just beautiful color and chunky warm wool blend yarn

meant to keep you warm no matter how cold it gets out there...

And if it snows? Just pull it up over your head to keep the snow off your roof!
(And that model? It's me... I just couldn't get a good picture of a cowl unless it was on a body, and Bill just wasn't up to modeling! So i am practicing taking my picture in the mirror...VERY difficult for this little dyslexic brain of mine! ) So! That's what I've been up to! I have several teddies knitted or being knitted and put together~both the regular patterns and a few new, more complicated ones...

And i have a crocheted elephant in the works! So far, so good with the harder patterns. Of course i started with the easier patterns on top of the pile....We'll see how it goes as the going gets tough. If i get stuck i KNOW there are a lot of experts out there that can give me good advice, right?

What's New?

What's new for you on the very last day of 2008? Now that the Holidays are coming to an end (at least for now) i have been able to finish up some projects, and am even noticing some changes taking place around here.... I finally finished that baby sweater. This one is for The Paper Sparrow. So many little baby sweaters were sold as Christmas gifts (including one of mine! WooHoo!) that the racks need to be filled again!

I edged this sweater in a soft grey and embellished it with these little car buttons. What a difference those little buttons make to a plain sweater!

I finished another hat and scarf set for a child too...
And there are more knitted teddies on the way! Two of my bears were sold at the shop and the proceeds will go to the Mother Bear Knitting Project.

In the Change department....

On the home front, the plants are starting to wake up! It seems for them Spring is a - comin'! The orchids are throwing out flower stems, and the cactus are blooming...The violets are perking up and the bonsai are starting to wake up.... But if you look past the plants out the window, you can see we are getting new snow on this last day of 2008. It's cold out there but very pretty....

Still on the warm sill, the cactus are thriving regardless of the weather outside.

This is because they are perched high up on the window sill and Pollyanna the plant eater cannot reach them!

I love these white blooms with the pale pink throats....
As many of you know, my Dad is recovering from heart surgery, and doing very well. Again, i thank each and every one of you who prayed and thought of us during this stressful time. In this process, i've noticed one thing about myself....At the ripe old age of 54, when i get stressed, i buy TOYS! And i don't mean games and electronics, but....

real, honest to goodness toys...Like Natsuko the sock dog, from Stacey at Three Red Trees

And Pinky from Felicia at Fluffy Flowers

And i have new pattern books ordered and a handmade teddy bear coming from Jess's brand new Etsy shop too! Ok, enough chatter...time to get to work on those bears and start getting ready for New Year's Eve! Lola will be spending the night with us for the first time!

HAPPY NEW YEAR Dear Friends!

Keeping Busy!

I have been away from my blog and email lately, and it feels good to get back to it and to all my good blogging friends...I've been so busy getting ready for the Christmas shopping season. My daughter Kate at The Paper Sparrow has asked for more dolls, more jewelry, more prints, more...everything! And i am very happy to be asked! So here is what has been going on around here...

From this tangled mess, comes.....

some new jewelry, with more on the way. Here we have a blue lace agate necklace, some chunky garnet pieces, and as always the popular pearl pieces, some bracelets and gobs of earrings....

...more teddy bears knitted up, and waiting to be stuffed and sewn together. Some will be for small children, embellished with embroidered features and a few will be thread and button jointed with safety and button eyes....

And in this pile you can see a little baby sweater almost finished in a soft blue and pearly white yarn, a new patterned hat for Lola, a super small dog sweater in the works(my first one) and a loomed snowman doll almost ready to be stuffed and shaped.

And as if that wasn't enough, my new knitting class started at The Paper Sparrow. This time we are learning to knit mittens....

My teacher Linda is starting me out with two different methods of making mittens to see which one i like best...The traditional double pointed needle way, and the "Magic Loop" way on circular needles. I like both methods but i think so far the Magic Loop is my favorite. I know that with more practice, both methods will get easier, but right now knitting with four needles feels like i am wrestling with a porcupine in my hands! (Keep your fingers crossed for me that i can get this lesson right)

So as i type this, this is what my kitchen table looks like at this very moment. What a mess! But with time and a little bit more focus, i should be able to wrap a few of these projects up and get them to the shop before Troy Night Out and the Victorian Stroll. What have you been up to?

Meet Daisy May

This is Daisy May. She is a Spring lamb and the newest doll i have made with the Knifty Knitter looms. I need to do some work on developing the ear shape a little better, but my granddaughter didn't notice that flaw. She liked her just the way she is!

Getting Ready for the Big Day!

I'm spending the weekend getting things ready to go into my daughter Kate's shop

The Paper Sparrow

I just finished these crocheted flowers to adorn little jumpers sewn by my daughter to go into her shop

And I'm getting ready to tag this bale of turtles sunning themselves on the deck

Here is a closeup of one of the little girl turtles! They were made on a flower hand loom.

And this is Abbie Bunny. She is a little fuzzy lop rabbit i made on my hand loom. She is one of many little dolls made on the looms here. I hope she makes someone happy!

I'm very happy with her and i think she looks happy too!