Today DH and I are leaving to France to visit my parents for 2 weeks. It's a surprise for my dad, truthfully, since it's going to be his 60th birthday next week. I'm super excited to go, and to see packed suitcases in the living room for the last 2 days makes leaving a little more exciting.
I'm hoping that airport security will allow me to bring knitting needles on the plane - I've purposely bought wooden circular needles to knit up a pair of socks. So, this flight, I'm in truth teaching myself how to not only knit socks on circulars, but from the toe up as well. I've heard from a few peope that as long as I'm not bringing dpn's on the plane then I'm fine, and as long as they're wood (to avoid sounding off the metal detectors) then that's preferable too. Here's hoping.
For the next 2 weeks I'll have no internet service, so no blogging for me! But I'll be sure to update on whether or not the circ's made it on the plane, and also posting photos of my trip! woo hoo!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
a sad/bad end to a mediocre week
Eesh, I'm not having a good day today. Hopefully the weekend will find me productive and more positive.
Firstly, I've had to leave my first negative on etsy. I hate leaving negives on etsy or ebay. I've only had to leave one other negative before, and that was on ebay. I know that we live now in trying times with the recession, and it'll result in unpaid items, but why on earth would you put the effort into buying something that you know you're not going to pay for? :P I guess I just find it a little frustrating, especially since this person and I have been convo'ing for at least a week about what she wanted to buy. She had the choice to not buy it whatsoever... but then to not only to buy it and not pay for it, but then getting upset with me for leaving negative feedback? Puh-leeze. o_O
Secondly, I've gotten another publication rejection. I've sent in what must be my 10th submission to knitty.com to try to get something published, with no luck. I'm starting to get the feeling that I need to somehow master the skill of lace or sock knitting and to come up with a pattern using either of those, to have something worthy of publication.
I suppose I can always try to get my current pattern published somewhere else... but it's still depressing a little, to be consistantly rejected by the same place over and over. Getting published just isn't all that easy.
Firstly, I've had to leave my first negative on etsy. I hate leaving negives on etsy or ebay. I've only had to leave one other negative before, and that was on ebay. I know that we live now in trying times with the recession, and it'll result in unpaid items, but why on earth would you put the effort into buying something that you know you're not going to pay for? :P I guess I just find it a little frustrating, especially since this person and I have been convo'ing for at least a week about what she wanted to buy. She had the choice to not buy it whatsoever... but then to not only to buy it and not pay for it, but then getting upset with me for leaving negative feedback? Puh-leeze. o_O
Secondly, I've gotten another publication rejection. I've sent in what must be my 10th submission to knitty.com to try to get something published, with no luck. I'm starting to get the feeling that I need to somehow master the skill of lace or sock knitting and to come up with a pattern using either of those, to have something worthy of publication.
I suppose I can always try to get my current pattern published somewhere else... but it's still depressing a little, to be consistantly rejected by the same place over and over. Getting published just isn't all that easy.
Friday, March 13, 2009
gettin' jiggy with my first power tool!
I recently got the idea that I want to make some mitten and sock forms for my etsy store... but despite all the tools that DH has, a jigsaw is not one of them.So, I decided to not only go out and buy a jigsaw, but also to blog about it using a bad joke as a blog post title. Bear with me, in my mind it's hilarious. Get it? Jiggy with it? Jigsaw? Isn't that so unfunny, it's hilarious?
Ok, maybe/maybe not. What's done is done. Let's see if I can use a power tool on my own without lopping off limbs.
Monday, March 9, 2009
PIF- paying it forward
I will rarely post items I have for sale in my etsy shop, so this is an exception.
I've got this afghan, which is hand crocheted - it's been marked down, and I've also marked down the shipping by at least 2/3's so it'll hopefully move faster.
If it sells during this current listing, I'll be donating $75 of the sale to www.kiva.org, and as that loan gets repaid, I'll continue circulating that $75 into the site as a lone over and over. It's a way of my paying forward some of the kindness that others have shown me, and I want to be able to contribute to others as well in a random act of kindness.
And, the bonus for the person who buys it is that they both have the satisfaction of knowing they're helping, as well as being able to snorgle into a good comfy blanket!
If you've a chance, please check it out.
I've got this afghan, which is hand crocheted - it's been marked down, and I've also marked down the shipping by at least 2/3's so it'll hopefully move faster.
If it sells during this current listing, I'll be donating $75 of the sale to www.kiva.org, and as that loan gets repaid, I'll continue circulating that $75 into the site as a lone over and over. It's a way of my paying forward some of the kindness that others have shown me, and I want to be able to contribute to others as well in a random act of kindness.
And, the bonus for the person who buys it is that they both have the satisfaction of knowing they're helping, as well as being able to snorgle into a good comfy blanket!
If you've a chance, please check it out.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Today, I blog about laundry
Laundry's knitting related, right?
:P Well, it sort of is, today. A while back I bought some Soak wash, and with it I got 2 mini free samples of Soak in different scents than my bottle. I finally got around to using one of the mini free samples today, and I'm soaking 2 handknit pairs of socks, a handknit pair of slippers I made for DH way back when, and a bra. In my sink.
And, if it's not enough that I've made a sink-full of soaking laundry a blogworthy event, I've even made it picture-worthy:
So there.
I'm going to spend the rest of my day whipping up some granny squares that'll go towards a blanket that I hope to finish - well, let's be realistic - by the end of the year!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
treasuries on etsy
I've become newly obsessed with doing treasuries on etsy. I've already managed to put together 3 last month, which were so fun to do! Two of them were knit and crochet themed, but I think this month I want to focus on other things.
After spending a lot of time in etsy's chat rooms, I've come to realize that there are people who want to buy, but don't have the funds to necessarily go on a spending spree. So, what I want to focus my treasuries this month is finding items $20 or less... still with a theme for each.
Also, the goal is to put together at least 5 treasuries this month. I really need to get myself more involved in the inner workings of etsy, and doing a bunch of treasuries, I think, may be a good start.
After spending a lot of time in etsy's chat rooms, I've come to realize that there are people who want to buy, but don't have the funds to necessarily go on a spending spree. So, what I want to focus my treasuries this month is finding items $20 or less... still with a theme for each.
Also, the goal is to put together at least 5 treasuries this month. I really need to get myself more involved in the inner workings of etsy, and doing a bunch of treasuries, I think, may be a good start.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
too long between posts... :(
It feels like forever since I've last blogged. I've been so distracted with a thousand other things, lately, that there are days where it seems my brain, my hands, and my feet are each going their separate ways.
I've pulled another all nighter Sunday night to work on that knitting pattern that I wanted to submit for publication. Still under wraps atm - I want the big reveal of it to be when (or if!) I manage to get it published. I really need to get it done this week.
I've also been updating my etsy store like crazy... I haven't been paying enough attention to it for a very long time, so I've spent the last month or so concentrating as much as I could on it. It's paid off so far - I've made 2 sales this month (actually two sales within the last week!) which is a new record for me!
Plus I've been hanging around etsy a lot - and for the first time since I joined for that matter. I've discovered treasuries, and have so far created 2 this month. I've been hanging out in the etsy chat rooms too, and have met some great new people because of it. It's always awesome to get some great advice from fellow etsians, and to explore their shops as well.
Have I mentioned that I'm going to a knitting group two Tuesdays a month? I think the next meeting is tonight. It's out in Port Credit, which is only about 10 minutes away driving, but since I don't drive, it's in fact 2 buses away. Not far. But it's fun, and it's great to hang out with fellow knitters, something that I've never had a chance to do before. I'm getting a lot of great advice there too, and it's a fun group to hang out with too.
Well, I'm off to loiter on etsy again... will blog more frequently, I promise...
I've pulled another all nighter Sunday night to work on that knitting pattern that I wanted to submit for publication. Still under wraps atm - I want the big reveal of it to be when (or if!) I manage to get it published. I really need to get it done this week.
I've also been updating my etsy store like crazy... I haven't been paying enough attention to it for a very long time, so I've spent the last month or so concentrating as much as I could on it. It's paid off so far - I've made 2 sales this month (actually two sales within the last week!) which is a new record for me!
Plus I've been hanging around etsy a lot - and for the first time since I joined for that matter. I've discovered treasuries, and have so far created 2 this month. I've been hanging out in the etsy chat rooms too, and have met some great new people because of it. It's always awesome to get some great advice from fellow etsians, and to explore their shops as well.
Have I mentioned that I'm going to a knitting group two Tuesdays a month? I think the next meeting is tonight. It's out in Port Credit, which is only about 10 minutes away driving, but since I don't drive, it's in fact 2 buses away. Not far. But it's fun, and it's great to hang out with fellow knitters, something that I've never had a chance to do before. I'm getting a lot of great advice there too, and it's a fun group to hang out with too.
Well, I'm off to loiter on etsy again... will blog more frequently, I promise...
Sunday, February 15, 2009
so, I knit for Valentine's Day....
DH has been requesting socks and slippers off and on for the last while, so I finally got around to knitting a pair:
I used the Knit Dorm Socks pattern - and as far as I can tell on Ravelry, the pattern's only been used with Red Heart Strata yarn, as the original pattern is intended for. These are great socks because they're nice and thick, and double as slippers. (Although, too thick to fit in shoes!) I picked up the yarn at my last SnB meeting this past Tuesday, using some Drops yarn.
I used the Knit Dorm Socks pattern - and as far as I can tell on Ravelry, the pattern's only been used with Red Heart Strata yarn, as the original pattern is intended for. These are great socks because they're nice and thick, and double as slippers. (Although, too thick to fit in shoes!) I picked up the yarn at my last SnB meeting this past Tuesday, using some Drops yarn.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
two things
I will note only two things, very briefly:
1) my etsy store now has vintage patterns! I found a bunch, and will be adding them in stages. A few are up now.
2) I will not get into detail atm, but I will say this: I have lobotomized teddy bears in my living room.
Live with it.
1) my etsy store now has vintage patterns! I found a bunch, and will be adding them in stages. A few are up now.
2) I will not get into detail atm, but I will say this: I have lobotomized teddy bears in my living room.
Live with it.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
another February
Changed the look of my blog once again - I just felt like it needed a bit of a facelift, it's been a while since I've changed the backgorund!
Still working away at that bear pattern - knitting a second one to retest my pattern, to ensure that my revisions are correct. So far, so good.
Got an email back from knitty - I had sent a pattern a couple months ago, hoping to get it published in the spring issue (March), it was a pair of wrist warmers that I designed for my brother. Rejected. So far I'm 0 for 2 in trying to get something published in knitty. I had submitted 3 (maybe four?) patterns for the winter issue, which is currently out, and all of those were turned away. :( A bit discouraging. I know that a lot of people submit patterns, and it's hard to pick just a handful for publication, but still... maybe I'll have better luck with this current pattern?
I suppose I can always try submitting patterns elsewhere before posting them in my blog - it'd be nice to see them published in a mag somewhere. Last resort will be to sell a pdf of them... I just hate having to wait for responses back!
Still working away at that bear pattern - knitting a second one to retest my pattern, to ensure that my revisions are correct. So far, so good.
Got an email back from knitty - I had sent a pattern a couple months ago, hoping to get it published in the spring issue (March), it was a pair of wrist warmers that I designed for my brother. Rejected. So far I'm 0 for 2 in trying to get something published in knitty. I had submitted 3 (maybe four?) patterns for the winter issue, which is currently out, and all of those were turned away. :( A bit discouraging. I know that a lot of people submit patterns, and it's hard to pick just a handful for publication, but still... maybe I'll have better luck with this current pattern?
I suppose I can always try submitting patterns elsewhere before posting them in my blog - it'd be nice to see them published in a mag somewhere. Last resort will be to sell a pdf of them... I just hate having to wait for responses back!
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