adorable alert

Fresh from the studio of A Speer  comes this ridiculously adorable yarn bowl in the shape of an elephant. If I thought for a second I would wrap my yarn into balls I’d be purchasing this. Lucky for me this talented artist makes other things, like this berry bowl, that is moving to the top of my wish list!

flying by the seat of my pants

I like this quote, “I’m an idealist, I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way.” because it tells me I don’t always need to have a plan. As a planner and a list-maker there’s quite a bit of freedom there. When I came across this ridiculously soft yarn in shades of chocolate and strawberry I knew there was a birthday gift for my niece in it. Without a plan, in the midst of the end-of-the-year holiday chaos, I bought a few skeins figuring six months was plenty of time to make something.

It’s truthful to say I didn’t procrastinate. I mulled over what to make for quite some time and second-guessed myself often. Do I lose points as a favorite auntie by crocheting a gift for a tween? Heavens. More than once I asked myself what I was thinking when I bought a bunch of yarn without any idea of what I was going to make.

Six months is plenty of time to make a gift. I don’t recommend spending four or five months planning, however. Especially if your niece’s birthday lands on the same day as a huge deadline at your day job. Working 14 hour weekdays and over the weekends doesn’t leave a lot of leisure time. 

Flying by the seat of my pants has it’s place. Next time I think I’ll have a plan before buying the super soft, super cute yarn that is perfect for someone.

If you're wondering... in the end I made niece-sized and American Girl-sized hats and bags. In a moment that hardly smacks of supergirl-ness I had to run out to the store for an additional skein of yarn to finish the project.

 

puppy love

Lemmy, a lucky puppy hailing from San Fran, has a pretty great person. She got him a trig basket just to store his toys in.

TAG – you’re it!

I’m quite sure my baskets will sell like hotcakes now that I have real tags.

to sell or not to sell

Having an etsy shop that is more of a hobby than a business can make it tough when deciding whether to sell something  or not. This necklace is a good example. I love it and have a variety of places I could wear it. It’s crocheted out of hemp, which is not particularly easy to work with and I invested a lot of time in crafting it. Do I keep it and enjoy it myself? Or share it with the big, bad world and see if there is someone out there willing to trade  their hard-earned money for it? If this were a real business I’d look at ROI. In this case, as in pretty much everything I’ve posted on etsy, the answer is nil. I don’t buy wholesale or have any “economies of scale”. Everything I make is inspired by something I’ve seen or a beautiful material I can’t pass up at the store. So, what to do?

crocheted decor

When I think of crocheted decor I think of doilies. Until pinterest happened to me. And I saw potted plants with crocheted pot holders. Of course I had to create my own version. Modern, casual and a little bit different.

market research vs. adventure

I thought I was being so inventive when I made a wine bag out of wool. It makes a great gift bag and absorbs condensation from a chilled bottle. Look at it. Can’t you just picture yourself on a bluff in Ireland with your Land Rover parked nearby, a huge blanket on the ground and the perfectly chilled bottle of your favorite beverage being presented in this lovely bag? Yes, well, it turns out lots of other people have had this idea. A quick search on etsy brings up everything from simple wool to vintage poodle cozies.  The lesson to be learned here? Market research should be done first if you’re running a real business. Thankfully, I am not and I shall continue to consider myself an intrepid, crocheting adventurer.

photo shoot guest

Curiosity got the best of my little puss-in-boots during the last photo shoot.

One thing I’m learning about having an etsy shop is taking good photos is time consuming. It does give me a good reason to poke around in thrift shops though. On my last trip I found a necklace made of coconut beads. Way too fun to pass up.

bittersweet

Giving things I’ve made to friends and family as gifts generally means I will see the items again in the future. It was a sad and joyful occasion packing my first etsy order for shipment.

favorited

I added a couple of new baskets on etsy and then… came across these baskets. Which are lovely… and favorited by me. Très elegant in their simplicity. Her photography is inspiring, too.
In other news, I’m happy to report my etsy shop and a couple of baskets have been favorited by total strangers. Pretty amazing, right?
Here are the latest additions to trigonetsy.com:

raise your scissors

I hung out at the Urban Craft Uprising this weekend, Seattle’s largest indie craft show. It’s so fun to meet people whose shops I’ve admired on etsy. A little surreal, too. I mean, these people are uber creative and wow, they’re human, too. I could run on about the jewelry for a few pages, lots of beautiful, vintage inspired pieces. I ate a GF brownie and savory shortbread from Dolce Lou that were good enough to drop the GF from the title. And I encountered “shower art” for the first time. Waterproof, acrylic coated art with suction cups to hang in your shower. I’m thinking that’s a new niche with a lot of potential. Seriously.
Coming soon to an etsy shop near you: a pair of petite baskets with freshwater pearl accents.

the house scarf

My mother is petite and slim and one of those souls who gets chilled. In the middle of the summer she requested a “house scarf”. About yay big, holding out her hands. “And not too thick.” Thick, in this case, meaning wide, further conversion explained. I set forth with a soft, fuzzy yarn and for kicks crocheted it the long way. The scarf is only 10 rows wide. Upon finishing it I realized it needed a finishing touch. A trip to the fabric store resulted in a big button made of coconut and I was feeling like I might need a house scarf myself. I admit, I tried it on. And function won over fashion when I added a small piece of Velcro as a way to to hold the scarf neatly against the throat.
I surprised her with it on her birthday and it makes me super happy she requested another. “One for upstairs and one for downstairs.” Of course.

scrambled eggs for lunch

I really love this basket. The color of the yarn reminds me of one of my best friend’s eyes, a pleasing shade of grayish blue. The texture of the yarn is perfect for a crocheted basket; strong enough to keep it’s shape and soft to the touch. The accent row and the wood beads finish it off nicely. That’s not why it warrants it’s own post. The funny part of the story is, yes, there were egg casualtes in the making of this picture. I knew it was going to happen when I took the eggs out of the fridge. Do I stop myself and say hey, self, do this another day. Noooo. Of course not. I prayed the eggs wouldn’t break in the basket. Thankfully, none did. I had scrambled eggs for lunch that day.

cozy scarf

I picked up some nice, thick yarn at the craft store and knew immediatley I had to make a scarf. Sure, there’s a wacky corner on one side, I call it ”character”. I also blame the cat. I find it’s hard to tell if my edges are straight when I’m crocheting over my head because the cat is circling around in my lap endlessly. Then there’s the point that I sometimes forget I’m short so it’s too long, but I’m pleased with it nonetheless. The little sparkle of beads makes me happy when I see them accidentally.

my first basket

Many moons ago. Many, many. My Mother devoted a fair amount of time teaching me a variety of sewing crafts, including crochet. It didn’t take. I’ll sew a loose button on here and there, but no one is surprised if, say, I need something hemmed and ask for her assistance. And when I say assistance I mean ask her to do it. So when I picked up a crochet needle in the not too distant past it came as a surprise to both of us that her instruction was not wasted. My first basket sits front and center on our media cabinet and holds Netflix DVDs. It’s not perfect. Obviously, the basket should be holding diamonds but hey, at least the DVDs are neat and tidy.