To Etsy or not to Etsy....that is a Question.

After almost 6 years of being a Stay-At-Home-Mom, or perhaps the better description is a Work-At-Home-Mom without a salaried gig, I am once again back among the ranks of the worker bees who go to their place of employment Monday through Friday for 8+ hours a day.  Hubby, only half joking, refers to this as being a mouse trained to push the food pellet button everyday.  So now my kiddos will be in daycare outside of their school hours.  I am not sure who will have the tougher time acclimating, them or me.  I start this Monday and I am both excited and sad to be entering this new phase of my life and my children's lives.

I like what I do for the most part and my new employer is a decently large company with little chance of being put out of business anytime soon.  The fact that I was hired while they were technically amidst a hiring freeze makes me feel pretty good about not getting laid off anytime soon.  So, yeah...  now that we have a second steady income, we might be able to get out from under a car loan, to replace my aging/high-mileage-doesn't-start-in-winter car, to put more money into college funds, to work on paying off the house early, and to retire (hopefully) before we are 70. 

It also means that my crafting time just became much more limited.  So now I am wondering if I should keep up with my Etsy shop or not.  It is not as though I am doing volume business there.  I enjoy creating and crafting.  Marketing and selling are just not a part of my bliss.  I like coming up with new patterns and putting them out there for people to try.  I like making things that make my kids and friends smile.  The Etsy shop was my attempt to justify the time I put into crafting and the different things I wanted to try and make.  I will admit to a euphoria when someone likes my crafts enough to buy something.  It's a nice validation that what I've done is worth something to someone other than myself, but I might be able to get that same validation by donating stuff to children's hospitals and troop support groups as well as making gifts for friends and loved ones.  So where does that leave my shop?  Should I keep it?  Or should I let it go?  I am still pondering.  I'll have a better feel for things after the first couple of weeks I think.  The shop will stay closed until I make a final decision. 

I will still keep up with writing this blog and The Midwest Texan.  I like writing and it's a nice way to journal things for myself, friends, family, and whoever (if anyone at all) actually finds me or my creative processes interesting.  But the Etsy shop....  I just don't know what it's fate will be.  Time just became a lot more precious to me and something... my crafting extra curriculars... will have to give.  

Baby Bib - Modified Pattern

I picked up a copy of Easy Baby Knits by Claire Montgomerie at Half Priced Books a couple of years ago.  It is a compilation of patterns for clothing and accessories for babies up to 3 years old.  The designs are lovely, basic, and elegant with a classic/vintage feel.  The only negative comment that I have is that you have to be very aware of gage and double check it against the intended size of the pattern.  Of course, this could just be an issue idiosyncratic to my knitting.  I had the sizing come out a bit funky on the Overalls pattern, even though I have met gauge, and have had to frog back quite a bit to make some adjustments to get it  back on track.  Of course, it could be the yarn I chose too - Caron Simply Soft, which I am beginning to hate.  Once it is used up out of my stash, I'll never buy it again.

The second to the last pattern in this book is Special Baby Gift Bib (page 116).  It is a basic, fast, very easy knit and I love it.  It would be a wonderful first pattern for a beginner knitter.  Most people would not think to knit a bib for a gift so you know that it will be a unique handmade thing to give.  Also, if made with a standard cotton yarn like Sugar'n Cream or Peaches & Creme, this is a nice absorbent dribble catcher that covers most of baby's torso, which is the whole point.  Speaking as a mother of two, I can tell you absorbent is nice, especially during the teething phase when my little ones wore their bibs every waking moment.

Me, being me, I did not like the pattern's original hook & loop closure arrangement.  This is, strictly, a personal preference.  I am tired of having hook & loop items go through the laundry and come out stuck on to sweaters and fleece, regardless of prewash prep.  The pattern as it is looks great and the original design would cover baby's shoulders, but I just can't get past the hook & loop.  I suppose you could use a button or a snap instead but then you might loose some of the "grow-with-me" potential.  A good bib is something baby can use from birth to preschool. So I chose to get rid of the hook & loop by altering the original pattern to include I-cord ties instead.  Below are my alterations. 

I cannot, nor do I want to, reprint those parts of the pattern that I did not modify.  So you have to get your own copy of the original pattern. 

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Hynek's Handmade Alterations for Claire Montgomerie's Special Baby Gift Bib

Work as directed by original pattern until you get to Row 5 of the Shape Front Neck Section.  This is the place where the front neck edge bind off is complete and the stitches for the right and left shoulders are still on the needles.  I work both sides at the same time instead of putting the right side onto stitch holder as directed.  I also used an ombre yarn instead of working stripes. 

Work both sides as follows:

Row 5 - Seed Stitch 4, K7, Seed Stitch 4
Row 6 - Seed Stitch 4, P7, Seed Stitch 4
Row 7 - Seed Stitch 4, Sl-K-psso, K3, K2tog, Seed Stitch 4
Row 8 - Seed Stitch 4, P5, Seed Stitch 4
Row 9 - Seed Stitch 4, Sl-K-psso, K1, K2tog, Seed Stitch 4
Row 10 - Seed Stitch 4, P3, Seed Stitch 4
Row 11 - Seed Stitch 4, K3tog, Seed Stitch 4
Row 12 - Seed Stitch all
Row 13 - K, P, K2tog, P2tog, K, P, K
Row 14 - Seed Stitch all
Row 15 - K, P, K, P2tog, K2tog
Row 16 - Seed Stitch all
Row 17 - K, P2tog, K2tog
Row 18 - Seed Stitch all
Row 19 - Seed Stitch all

Place one side on a stitch holder.  Switch the other side to 2 DPN needles and work a 3 stitch I-cord until it is 15 inches long and bind off.  Then work the other side in a 3-stitch I-cord for 15 inches and bind off.  Weave all ends.

I need to test knit it one more time to be certain of the stitch counts.  However, I think you'll get the general idea once you get it on the needles.  I tried to maintain the integrity of the seed stitch pattern border.  It turned out pretty well I think.

Testing Patterns and Products

Original pattern had velcro closure

I have always been a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) kind of gal. Mom started teaching me to sew and to use her sewing machine when I was around 8 years old. I started with doll's clothes and progressed to making clothes for myself. My knitting was a nice augment to my sewing. Variety is a good thing and this is a useful skill set.

Now I am beginning to branch out from using other people's patterns to making my own. I started by tinkering with existing patterns to modify them to my style and preference. Now I am starting to simply make a sketch and then pull out my calculator to figure out the number of stitches I need to cast on my needles or the yardage of material I'll need. The first few times I did this I was a little nervous about wasting my time and materials budget on something that might not work out. So I started out on things that were for use in our home: curtains for my sons' rooms, EVE pillows for Christmas, and a new sweater for an old Pooh are good examples. Every time I look at these things I see what I would change or do differently the second time around - but that is just my design process.

A new sweater for an old Pooh





There is something incredibly liberating about crafting 'without a net' and on the fly. So what if I screw up, I'll just take it apart and start over. So what if some material gets mucked up, I just add it to the scrap bag and it will get used by another project. The hard part now is to remember to journal what I do so I can write down the pattern and instructions to improve or reproduce the product. Some of these on-the-fly patterns are very spur of the moment, like my Bottle Cozy pattern, or simple experiments in texture and materials like The Ashton Hat or Lorica's Toque. However, judging from the number of hits that those particular blog pages get and the fact that some other pattern sites are beginning to link to my blog, I think I am having some small successes.

EEEVAH! for Xmas

Improvement and reproduction is the kicker in pattern development, particularly if I want to publish the pattern or a tutorial as a freebie on the blog, or maybe even begin to do pattern sales via Ravelry and Etsy, one of my goals. How many times do I need to test knit something and in how many different sizes before it's good enough to put out there for other people to use? How will my product hold up to use and wear? How much testing should I do before it's something worth selling? It's one thing to make something and give it away. It's something else entirely to sell it. I want people to get their money's worth. Then there is money itself. How do you place a value on your development time and production time? These are just a few of the cares and worries I have in selling my work and making things available on my blog.


So far, with my free patterns, I have done the test knitting myself. I would love to have a friend or family member test knit them as well but I don't see that happening in a timely enough fashion to make it a viable form of proofing prior to posting. When I get to the point of selling patterns, I'll pay for a professional technical proof reader. However, while my patterns are free, I just can't swing that; but, if I get useful feed back regarding these patterns from other knitters, I will definitely incorporate it.

Product testing is tough for me when it comes to baby things because I don't have babies any more. I do gift things but I always take any feedback I get about these gifts with a grain of salt because most people are loathe to criticize, in particular, handmade gifts. However, experience as a mom and with knitting in general has given me a good feel for what works versus what doesn't. Still, feedback is nice.

Cotton-hemp soap sack in beta testing now

Lately, I have been experimenting with non-clothing items such as reusable produce bags and home spa products. These require more product testing. I have to make sure my produce bags can be ultra light weight and still stand up to holding a bunch of broccoli. My family and I have been and will be using these beta models for awhile before I make them publicly available. I am probably going to send my cousin and my mom a couple of things to try for a while too. Product testing is a definite kink in my product release schedule of late but, hopefully, it makes for a better product.

Lorica's Spring Toque

This is a variant of a hat I came up with several months ago.  I like this version much better and it's drawn some immediate interest on Ravelry so I am feeling pretty good about it.  The inspiration for this design came from my cousin's two little girls, who both love pink and purple and all things ruffly, lacy, and girly.  They've just moved to the Las Vegas area so cotton seemed the best choice of yarn.  It does get cool enough in the evenings in the desert to warrant a light weight hat during the winter months so I am hoping these do the trick. 

I used a Peaches & Creme ombre to make these and I just love how the yarn's color pooling worked out into a candy stripe effect.  I did one in pink and the other in purple.  The girls can, or perhaps my cousin should, decide who gets which color.  For those who are interested but don't knit, I will be making more of these for sale in my Etsy shop but I am certainly able to take custom orders for color requests. 

Note: I have test knit this pattern 3 times; however, I have not had a second set of eyes or hands review or test knit it yet. So if you find an error or if something is not clear in the instructions, please let me know so that I correct and/or improve the pattern.

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Lorica's Spring Toque

You will need:

• 29-in circular needles US #7 (or size to obtain gauge)
• 16-in circular needles US #7 (or size to obtain gauge)
• Set of 4 DPNs US #7 (or size to obtain gauge)
• Yarn needle
• Stitch marker

Yarn:  Worsted weight yarn (~150 yards) Samples pictured here were made with Peaches & Creme #183 Lilac Ombre and #144 Strbry Cream by Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co., Inc. - 100% cotton)

Gauge: 4 1/2 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch on US#7 needles

Size: 0-6 months (6-12 months, 1-2 years, 2 years+)

Pattern:
Beginning and Ruffled Brim:

Cast on 256 (288, 320, 352) stitches using the 29-inch circular needles.  Mark the beginning of the round with the stitch marker and join the ends of the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.

• Round 1 - K2tog to the end of the round. 128 (144, 160, 176) stitches remain.
• Round 2 - Switch to 16-inch circular needles.  K2tog to the end of the round. 64 (72, 80, 88) stitches remain.



Close-up of the lace pattern

• Round 3 - Knit all stitches.

Lace Pattern:

Begin the lace pattern knitting as follows:

• Round 4 - *YO, K2tog, repeat from * to the end of the round.
• Round 5 - Knit all stitches.

Repeat Rounds 4 and 5 until piece measures 5 (5.5, 6, 6.5) inches from the start of the lace pattern knit.

Decrease Sequence:
Begin decreasing as follows:

• Round 1 - *YO, K2tog, YO, K2tog, YO, K2tog, K2tog, repeat from * to the end of the round. 56 (63, 70, 77) stitches remain.
• Round 2 - *K5, K2tog, repeat from * to the end of the round. 48 (54, 60, 66) stitches remain.
• Round 3 - *YO, K2tog, repeat from * to the end of the round.
• Round 4 - Knit all stitches.
• Round 5 - Switch to DPNs.  *YO, K2tog, YO, K2tog, K2tog, repeat from * to the end of the round. 40 (45, 50, 55) stitches remain.
• Round 6 - *K3, K2tog, repeat from * to the end of the round. 32 (36, 40, 44) stitches remain.
• Round 7 - *YO, K2tog, repeat from * to the end of the round.
• Round 8 - Knit all stitches.
• Round 9 - *YO, K2tog, K2tog, repeat from * to the end of the round. 24 (27, 30, 33) stitches remain.



Close-up if finished decrease sequence

• Round 10 - *K1, K2tog, repeat from * to the end of the round. 16 (18, 20, 22) stitches remain.
• Round 11 - K2tog, repeat to the end of the round. 8 (9, 10, 11) stitches remain.

Finishing:

Cut yarn leaving a 5 inch tail.  Thread tail onto yarn needle and pull it through the remaining stitches.  Pull tight to close ring completely.  Thread the tail to the inside of the hat and weave the end.  Weave the end at the cast on edge.

The Ashton Hat

My cousin is pregnant with her second child, a little boy this time.  I am very happy for her. Watching her prepare, via blog, for the new little guy has been fun. She is a very creative and talented woman and I am very proud of her.

My own kids are now past the baby stage so knitting tiny clothes is no longer something I can do for them. I just love knitting baby things though, so I try to do gifts for friends. My cousin's new baby has given me an excuse to test knit my Bottle Cozy pattern; a chance to begin experimenting with knitted bibs; and a reason to design a new baby hat pattern.

I elected to make this one 100% cotton because my cousin lives in Texas and it just doesn't get cold enough for wool there. I used a Peaches & Cream blue ombre that I already had sitting in my stash and I love how the color pooling created a striped effect through the seed stitch portion of the pattern. I will have to make a second hat with this yarn to see if it will pool that way again or if I just got lucky. Regardless, I love how this hat turned out! It's very cute and fast to knit and the textures are great.

Note:  I have not had a second set of eyes or hands review or test knit this pattern yet. So if you find an error or if something is not clear in the instructions, please let me know so that I correct and/or improve the pattern.

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The Ashton Hat                            

You will need:

• 12-in circular needles US #6 (or two sizes smaller than size to obtain gauge)
• 12-inch circular needles US #8 (or size to obtain gauge)
• Set of 4 DPNs US #8 (or size to obtain gauge)
• Yarn needle
• Stitch marker
• Worsted weight yarn (I made the one shown here with Peaches & Creme #133 Shaded Denim Ombre by Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co., Inc. - 100% cotton)

Gauge: 4 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch on US#8 needles

Size: 0-6 months (I have yet to pattern test for larger sizes)

Pattern:

Beginning and Rib Cuff:

Cast on 64 stitchs using the small circular needles.

Mark the beginning of the round with the stitch marker and join the ends of the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.

For the first 1 1/2 inches, knit using K2, P2 pattern (2X2 Rib).

Seed Stitch Section:

Switch to larger circular needles and begin Seed Stitch pattern as follows:

• Rnd 1 - K2tog, *P1, K1, repeat from * until 1 stitch remains, K1 (63 stitches remain
• Rnd 2 - *P1, K1, repeat from * until 1 stitch remains, P1
• Rnd 3 - *K1, P1, repeat from * until 1 stitch remains, K1

Continue in Seed Stitch pattern by repeating Rnd 1 and Rnd 2 until piece measures 4 1/2 inches from cast on edge.

Stockinette Section:

Begin Stockinette Stitch pattern as follows:

• Rnd 1 - Increase in the first stitch by knitting in front and back of the same stitch, knit to the end of the round (64 stitches)
• Rnd 2 - Knit to end of the round

Continue Stockinette Stitch pattern by repeating PatRnd 2 until the piece measures 5 1/2 inches from cast on edge.

Decrease Sequence:

Begin decreasing as follows:

• Rnd 1- K6, K2tog, repeat to end of the round (56 stitches remaining)
• Rnd 2 - K5, K2tog, repeat to end of the round (48 stitches remaining)
• Rnd 3 - Knit
• Rnd 4 - Switch to DPNs. K4, K2tog, repeat to end of the round (15 stitches on 1st needle, 15 stitches on secnd needle, and 10 stitches on third needle - 40 stitches total remaining)
• Rnd 5 - Knit
• Rnd 6 - K3, K2tog, repeat to end of the round (32 stitches remaining)
• Rnd 7 - Knit
• Rnd 8 - Knit
• Rnd 9 - K2, K2tog, repeat to end of the round (24 stitches remaining)
• Rnd 10 - Knit
• Rnd 11 - K1, K2tog, repeat to end of the round (16 stitches remaining)
• Rnd 12 - K2tog, repeat to end of the round (8 stitches remaining)

Finishing:

Cut the yarn leaving a 5 inch tail. Thread tail onto yarn needle and pull it through the remaining eight stitches. Pull tightly to completely close the ring. Thread tail to inside of hat and weave end. Weave end at cast on edge.

Hat can be worn with ribbed cuff up or down.

Baby Bottle Cozy

I love baby projects. They are small and cute but then everything in miniature is cute. The best thing about baby projects for me personally is the fact that they are fast. I am someone who loves instant gratification and baby projects provide fast, almost instant gratification because their size dictates that they don't take long.

I am always trying to think of something unusual to make for baby gifts to friends (and, to be quite frank, something that might sell well from my Etsy shop). While I love baby hats, everyone makes them; the same goes for baby blankets as well. A knitted baby bottle cozy though, now that's much more unique. It's practical too.

Baby bottles can get a little slimy, what with little hands coated in mother's milk/formula, teething drool, and baby urp-up grabbing the bottle to 'help'. This can make that bottle not so easy to hang on to, especially during those 3AM feedings where mommy is half asleep herself. A nice bottle cozy made of worsted cotton yarn absorbs the moist sliminess and adds traction for mommy's hand. It may also help keep that warm bottle warm just a bit longer for those slow eaters and, I think, it looks pretty darn cute.

To be honest, this wasn't my original idea. I saw a crochet version in a book and thought it was a great idea so I sat down and came up with my own knitted design. It's very easy and, this is the part I like, it's very fast. I can whip a couple of these in an evening. This pattern is sized to fit the standard Gerber-style baby bottles, plastic or glass, with a 2-inch diameter (measured at the bottom, since they kind of taper at the top). You can vary the length as noted to fit the 8-ounce bottle or the shorter, 4-ounce bottle.

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Baby Bottle Cozy


You Will Need:

• Worsted weight cotton yarn
• 1 set of 4 double pointed needles, size US7
• 1 16" circular needle, size US7
• 1 stitch marker
• Yarn needle

Gauge: 4 1/2 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch

Pattern:

Cast On 224 stitches onto Circular needle. Use stitch marker to mark the end of the round.

Join being careful not to twist the stitches and work in the round as follows:

• Round 1 - K2tog to end (112 stitches)
• Round 2 - K2tog to end (56 stitches)
• Round 3 - Switch to DPNS. K2tog to end (28 stitches)
• Round 4 - Knit
• Round 5 - *YO, K2tog, Repeat from * to end (the eyelet row)
• Round 6 - Knit (28 stitches)
• Round 7 - *K2, P2, repeat from * to end

Repeat Round 7 to work piece in 2X2 rib until piece measures 6.5 inches from eyelet row of 8-ounce bottle or 3.5 inches from eyelet row for 4-ounce bottle.

• Next Round - K2tog to end (14 stitches)
• Next Round - Knit
• Next Round - K2tog to end (7 stitches)

Cut a 4 inch tail and thread yarn needle. pass the yarn end through the remaining stitches and take them off the needles. Cinch the hole closed. Secure and weave end on the inside of the piece. Weave the yarn end at starting edge.
Next make an I-Cord drawstring tie as follows:

• Using two DPNs, cast on 2 stitches.
• Knit the stitches but do NOT turn the work.
• Slide the stitches to the other end of the DPN. The yarn now comes from the last stitch.
• Bring the yarn around the back and and knit the stitches. Once again, do NOT turn the work. Simply repeat the process of sliding the piece to the other end of the DPN. You will be essentially working in small tight round using two DPNs.
• Continue until I-cord is 24-inches long.
• Periodically pull down gently on the cord as it forms to help the stitches fall in place and prevent kinking.
• Bind off then cut the yarn and pull it through the last stitch to secure it.
• Weave the ends by pulling them back up through the middle of the I cord using a yarn needle.

Weave the I-cord through the eyelet row. Insert baby bottle into cozy and tie I-cord in a bow to secure the cozy to the bottle.

Monkadoodle's Stocking Hat

My youngest son, then two, grabbed a skein of Lion Brand Home Spun yarn out of the bin while we were at Walmart several months ago and said, "Mommy, can I have this one? I like this one. Can you make me a hat please?"

I was in a hurry and trying to stick to my shopping list that day. Thus, I almost said no but he had such a big smile on his face, his eyes were shining, and he had never asked me to knit him anything before. So I said, "OK, buddy. One Monkadoodle hat. Are you sure you want that yarn? You can pick any other yarn here if you want or we can go to the yarn shop and get something really nice."

He stood that for a moment looking at all the different yarns and colors around him in the aisle, walked up and touched different skein, then, shaking his head, turned back to me saying, "No, I want this one."

Out of curiosity I asked, "Why that one?"

He grinned and said, "It's soft and BLUE!"

How could I argue with such an emphatic love of blue. Laughing, I said, "It's good that you know what you like, Monkadoodle. OK, put it in the basket. I'll try making a hat for you with this stuff. I can't promise how it will turn out because I've never knitted with this yarn before but we'll see what I can come up with."

So we got home and I tucked the skein away in my stash and spent the next few months thinking about what kind of hat I could make with Home Spun. I love the color, Montana Sky. It is blue with subtle changes to blue green and it is soft. It's the first #5 bulky yarn I've ever tried. It looks almost like a boucle', except the strand is stronger.

So after looking around online at different projects made with this stuff and scratching my head, I decided that this yarn was not going to give me very good stitch definition so a basic ribbed hat would probably be the best. I also wanted this to be a hat that he could wear for several winters and ribbing makes for a nice stretchy, able-to-grow-with-a-growing-head kind of hat. So this is what I ended up making for him.

This is a very easy, basic hat pattern. There is nothing special about it in any way, shape, or form and there are probably a dozen similar patterns running around out there either free or for purchase. I've made so many basic hats that I don't really look at a pattern anymore and all the patterns I have used are beginning to blur together in my mind anyway. I did not even check gauge on this prior to making it. I just cast on what looked like about the right amount based on other hats I've made and went from there.
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MONKADOODLE'S STOCKING HAT

You will need:

• #9 16-inch circular needles
• #9 DPNs
• 1 skein Lion Brand Homespun Yarn (but you can probably use
  just about any yarn you want just make sure to adjust needle size and # stitches
  cast on so that it will fit the desired head circumference)
• Stitch marker
• Yarn Needle
  

Gauge: 4 stitches = 1 inch in stock stitch (I did not measure gauge until after I was finished So this is how it worked out.)

Pattern:

• Using circular needles, cast on 72 stitches. Put a stitch marker on the right needle to mark the beginning of the round.
• Join, being careful not to twist the stitches and knit every round in 2X2 rib (K2, P2. Repeat to end of round.) for 6 inches from cast on edge.
• Switch to knit stitch. Knit all rounds for next 2 inches (total of 8 inches from cast on edge).
• Next begin the decreasing as follows:
  Round 1: K6, K2tog. Repeat to end of round. (63 stitches remain)
  Round 2: K5, K2tog. Repeat to end of round. (54 stitches remain)
  Round 3: Knit
  Round 4: Switching to DPNs, K4, K2tog. Repeat to end of round. (45 stitches remain)
  Round 5: Knit
  Round 6: K3, K2tog. Repeat to end of round. (36 stitches remain)
  Round 7: Knit
  Round 8: K2, K2tog. Repeat to end of round. (27 stitches remain)
  Round 9: Knit
  Round 10: K1, K2tog. Repeat to end of round. (18 stitches remain)
  Round 11: K2tog. Repeat to end of round. (9 stitches remain)
  
• Cut yarn leaving 5 inch tail and thread onto yarn needle.
• Pull it through the remaining stitches and cinch it tightly to close the hole.
• Weave in the end on the inside of the heat. Weave the end on the brim of the hat being mindful that the cuff will be turned up on the hat.
  

This pattern is based on the notes I jotted down as I was making it. I have not tested this pattern yet but plan to in the near future. Thus, it may be subject to a few changes in the future. If anyone out there is interested in becoming a pattern tester for me, please let me know.

Caroline's Spring Toque

I was not blessed with daughters but rather sons. I get to make things adorned with pirate flags, dinosaurs, space, trains, trucks, and things that fly. Knitting or sewing something pink and frilly is just not something I do very often, since I myself don't typically wear pink or frills. I am not complaining, mind you - not one iota - and I would not trade my wonderful boys for anything in the world. I happen to love pirate flags, dinosaurs, space, trains, trucks, and things that fly. But every now and then , I wonder what life would be like with a daughter running around. Well, I caught a glimpse of the possibilities this past week.

Caroline, one of the little girls in DS1's preschool class, turned 5 years old last week and invited her friends over to her house for a birthday party after school. The party invitation said 'no gifts please' (and I definitely understand not needing/wanting anymore toys around) but every kid needs presents at their birthday party so I sat down to think of what I could make rather quickly that Caroline might like. She is always wearing pink and purple, sparkly, frilly little outfits and from what I hear she loves playing dress up, so I thought a hat might be in order. But, Spring is springing and its getting to be too warm for a stocking cap and I wanted this gift to be something she could wear before next winter. Lace seemed in order so I came up with this cute little knitted lace toque embellished with a little bit of fun fir.

What is so cool about this hat is that I came up with the pattern on my own. Most of my stuff is based on other people's designs that I modify to fit my own style or material preferences. This is the first time I have flown without a net, as it were. Now, this is a very easy stitch pattern and hats are not all that difficult; but, heck, I didn't even right the pattern down (very unlike me), I just knitted. I really like how it turned out and I will definitely be making a few more of these to put up for sale. In honor of little Caroline's inspiration, I have named the hat pattern after her. I hope she enjoys wearing it as much as I enjoyed knitting it and I hope I'll get a chance to see her wear it sometime. Happy Birthday, Caroline!

Lil' Cottontail - Just in time for Easter

I found this adorable little bunny hat pattern in Susan Anderson's Itty Bitty Hats book. (I love and highly recommend this book!) I thought it very sweet but not nearly fuzzy enough to do justice to a child's inner rabbit. So after a brief search at a local yarn sale, I found an relatively inexpensive, fluffy, white, baby boucle' yarn with which to experiment. The pattern was not written to work with a bulky yarn but after a gauge swatch and some math I had a workable modification.

I have never worked with boucle' yarn before and I do not hesitate to say that it is a pain with which to knit. It does not slide as nicely on the needles and keeping yarn tension is more difficult because it tends to bind up a bit as you knit. Mistakes are much tougher to see due to the fluffiness and, since I tend to check my work visually for mistakes as I go, I found this particularly aggravating. However, for all its frustrations, the fabric created from knitting with the boucle' has a very interesting and soft texture. The fluffiness factor is nearly rabbit perfect and it seems as though it will be warm and comfy next to the skin, which is important since this is a stocking cap after all.

I am a little disappointed that the boucle' yarn does not knit up with the same stretchiness that worsted weight or even baby yarns have so I do have plans to modify the pattern further (and perhaps beyond all recognition) to a use a different knit pattern, such as a 1X1 or perhaps even a 2X2 rib to try and increase the stretchiness. I will update this post later on once Cottontail version 2.0 is complete to let you know how things turned out. In the meantime, this little hat is quite a fun number and my kids (ages 2 and 4) just love it. Since they are the target demographic for this hat, that is all that is important.

My First Sale

I have made my first sale from my online shop, Hynek's Handmade. A wonderful woman (she must be wonderful because she liked my product) from Elgin, Illinois purchased a little boy's layette, which I had dubbed 'Weigh Anchor'. She made her purchase via PayPal last Friday afternoon, an event which left me momentarily giddy and had my 4 year old son saying, amidst hugs and kisses, "You did it, Mommy! You did it!" Thus, begins my crash course in the nuances and technical requirements of selling and shipping from a web based store.

I use PayPal so as to entertain credit card purchases. I have used PayPal to make purchases for a couple of years now but this is the first time that the money flow has ever been incoming. I discovered Friday afternoon, after the bank had closed it's books for the week, that you have to be a 'verified' PayPal customer to receive payments. This is a process which requires a test 'handshake' between PayPal and your bank account. Thus, I was not going to be able to claim my payment from my first sale until the handshake posted this morning. Already, I am three days later than I prefer in completing my end of the transaction and shipping the product. Not the most auspicious start; but I figured hey, I am new at this. So I penned a quick thank you note, printed up care instructions, gathered up my packing materials, and staged it all to be ready to go first thing this morning. That's when I discovered that the small flat rate box I was confident that I had was no where to be found. Oops.... Well, at least that is cured with a quick trip to the post office near my house. No great delay.

When I first set up my Etsy shop, I had settled on Priority Mail Flat Rate shipping as my method of choice. My thought was that that most of my products were small enough to fit in the smallest of the flat rate boxes which meant $4.95 to anywhere in the USA, a price that seemed reasonable at the time. However, no matter how I folded my little nautical layette, it would not fit in the small Priority box with out mangling the box, a very unprofessional package to say the least. So I located a box that did fit and, with a quick perusal of the USPS website, found that I could still make that $4.95 shipping payment. However, I also discovered that I can probably figure out a way to ship my products for less with a comparable amount of transit time. Ah, but that is a issue I will have to address another time. I must get my beloved first sale shipped to that wonderful woman in Illinois, who is probably already beginning to wonder where the heck her purchase is and why is this seller being such a slacker. I also have to pick my son up from preschool and get all my errands finished before the forecasted snow storm hits trapping me in my house for the next 24 hours; but these are all trivial details.

I walked in to the post office for the second time today, once more giddy with delight at the thought of completing the process of my first sale. The post mistress was great and a font of good information, I wish I could download her brain into my computer. It turns out that Priority Mail does not include package tracking. This is an extra service which costs additional money, beyond the $4.95 that I allotted for shipping. This is the point where I slap my forehead as though I should have had a V-8 and realize that, as a SAHM, I have been away from the business environment too long. OK, so I have had an inept and naive last few days, but I am going to remedy the situation with the shipping comparison spreadsheet that I am building tonight. I am determined to optimize things a bit and make the chaos of today improbable in the future.

The important thing is that the precious little 'Weigh Anchor' set is now on its way to Elgin, Illinois. I hope it gets there alright. I hope my wonderful first customer likes it. I hope it withstands the drool and spit-up to which it will soon be subjected. I hope I measured it right when I sized it.

Tending My Knitting

I have been knitting since I was in the 5th grade. I give credit for this to two wonderful women, neither of whom knew how to knit - my mom and my grandmother.

I surprised Mom when I expressed an interest and I remember the look on her face when she told me that it was something that she couldn't teach me. As a parent myself, I now understand what that look meant - "I really wish I could help you, darling, but I just can't. I feel helpless on this one." Seeing my disappointment, Mom suggested what my parents have always done when they did not know something, getting a book. She and I made a special trip to the library and we found a how-to-guide to knitting. Then she dug out her mom's (Grandma Emily's) double pointed sock knitting needles and some old rug yarn which had both been living at the bottom of her sewing box for 25 years or more so that I could practice the stitches pictured in the library book.

A couple of weeks later, I was visiting my grandmother in Houston. She saw me sitting quietly with the library book in my lap practicing my knitting and asked me about it. After I explained what I was up to, she observed that I was running out of yarn. She called a good friend of hers, who knitted, and asked where to shop for such things and got the name of a needle arts store not too far away. I remember walking into that store and being amazed at all the different yarns in the bins that lined the walls from floor to ceiling. Then there were the all the different types and sizes of knitting needles and crochet hooks hanging from the floor displays. I was in heaven.

Grandmother explained to the shop keeper what I was doing and I showed the woman my sampler. She made a suggestion for a real first project, a garter stitch afghan in two colors. She wrote down the instructions, set us up with yarn and a pair of knitting needles. I spent my entire two week summer visit with Grandmother working on my afghan. Grandmother was very proud and told all her friends about my project. I still have it to this day tucked away in the bottom of our blanket storage. It is a study in learning to knit. You can see in the stitches where I finally learned the nuances of yarn tension and consistency.

Until I reached my 30's, I had always been shy about my knitting. I made a sweater for Mom, a couple of scarfs for cousins, and a sweater for a college boyfriend (which took a ton of courage). But for the most part, my projects were for personal use and the frequency of my knitting became few and far between. Then our friends started having babies and I picked up my knitting needles again to discover that I liked knitting baby clothes. The projects are small, relatively quick, and satisfying to complete. The compliments on the handmade layettes I have given away have done much to bolster my confidence.

Now I am a stay-at-home-mom seeking a way to feel as though I can provide something to our financial bottom line. After reading some encouraging articles about other women who have made successful businesses with their knitting, I have illusions (or maybe delusions) of grandeur for my own knitting potential, never mind the fact that such businesses have a much lower success rate than even restaurants. But, I have put together a simple business plan, have been chanting the mantra, "Start simple and small and work up", and have picked up my needles again. In the weeks that it has taken me to organize and build a small inventory, I have learned some new techniques/skills and have experimented with different yarn. I have all kinds of product line ideas and I love the creativity that is flowing. So we will see what happens. In the meantime, you can check out my new online store, Hynek's Handmade, on Etsy.