Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act

It seems like we all have more questions than answers about this new law.

Basically, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act requires any item for children under 12 to be tested for lead and phthalates. Not having lead in children's toys sounds like a good idea, especially with all those toys with lead in them being imported. Despite its feel good name, this is a horrible law. The third party testing this law requires is very expensive. If you buy or sell children's items, this will affect you.

This law just doesn't make sense. Say you make some wood blocks, either natural or finished with beeswax. How on earth would lead get in that? This law hurts small business and even larger business. It hurts people making natural and handmade toys and children's items, items that are already designed to be better and not harmful.

Spread the word about this, write to your representatives and the president.

For more info:
http://nationalbankruptcyday.com/
http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/
http://www.cpsc.gov/ABOUT/Cpsia/cpsia.html

Read the whole thing here:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.4040:

Results Are In December 22th Blog Carnival

For all those Holiday traditions:

http://stormydesigns.blogspot.com/2008/12/december-22-edition-etsy-bloggers.html

Christmas/ December 22 Blog Carnival

I'm writing this before the week is suddenly over! I've been busy with work, although not as busy as before, and shopping, and trying to find time to create!

Christmas traditions
Christmas Eve we go to the candlelight service at church. Then we come home, have snacks and hang out, we usually end up opening a present each.

This will be my first Christmas Eve night not sleeping at my parents house. When I lived far away, I'd be there on vacation. Now I live close by with my baby (kitten) who doesn't get to go.

Christmas Day I'm usually woken up by people wanting to open presents right away. I wonder if I'll get wake up phone calls at 6am this time around... We exchange gifts and hang out some more, then do a big family lunch.

This year we'll also do Christmas stuff later for the people who don't get to be there on the day of.

Christmas Spotlight
I don't have Christmas themed items in my shop right now, but I do have lots of things that would make great gifts!
Here are some more gift ideas from my etsy friends:

For little ones:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15884825
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_17&listing_id=18637483
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6223847

For knitters:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13258254

Or Spinners:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15791795

For people who wear belts:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12526850

For your favorite craft fair vendor:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12258538

For people who like to bathe with yummy soaps:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_11&listing_id=18742503
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_4&listing_id=18585287

For someone who deserves a beautiful flower:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13972246

Or an angry cookie:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15685654

New Batch of Magents

These are of a variety of places... Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois.

Results Are In December 8th Blog Carnival

For lots of talk about Brownies and Flowers!

http://homemadeoriginals.blogspot.com/2008/12/etsy-bloggers-carnival-december-8.html

For the Hero of Canton

A friend of mine was talking about dressing up as Jayne Cobb, and we got to talking about me knitting a Jayne hat. Well, it took me a while, but I got it done! I made a pattern for a Jayne hat.

As a Christmas present to all you Browncoats, I've decided to post it here!


For you non knitters, custom knitting services are available...



Jayne Cobb Hat Pattern

Wool-ease Super bulky Weight
Size 11 needles
guage: 2.5 stitches per inch

Made for a head 22 to 24 inches around

Cast on 56 stitches in orange and join

Work 1 by 1 rib for 3 rows
Then knit 2.5 in of orange (3.5 in orange total, 13 rows)

Length of hat body = 8 in

knit 6 rows yellow
Begin decreases
row 1: k2tog, k6, 7 times around
row2: knit
row3: k2tog, k5, 7 times around
row4: knit
row5: k2tog, k4, 7 times around
row6: knit
row7: k2tog, k3, 7 times around
row8: knit
row9: k2tog, k2, 7 times around
row10: knit
row11: k2tog, k1, 7 times around
row12: k2tog, 7 times around

Pull end through remaining stitches

Ear Flaps

Placed slightly towards the back of the hat.
Pick up 15 stitches
Knit 17 rows stockinette
K2tog, K2tog, knit till 4 st remain, SSK, SSK
P2tog, purl across, P2tog
K2tog, knit across, K2tog
Repeat last two rows until 3 stitches remain
Cut yarn, pull end through last 3 st, tie, and leave end to hang.
Weave in end at top.

Make a pompom and attach it at the top, weave in any last ends, and you're done!

Featured Etsy Blogger for December

Each month the Etsy Bloggers choose a member to feature and write about. The featured Etsy Blogger for December is SpottedCowSoaps.


You can find her blog here http://SpottedCowSoaps.blogspot.com

and her Etsy shop is here http://SpottedCowSoaps.etsy.com

SpottedCowSoaps sells a variety of soaps, lotions, and bath accessories. She has so many delicious looking soaps!

Winter Flowers Blog Carnival

This topic just made me think of BeadFloraJewels. She makes such pretty flowers! She has some gorgeous wedding bouquets, I just love them!

BeadFloraJewels is one of the Challengettes in Bittersweets One A Day Challenge. She makes her flowers with lots and lots of tiny seed beads.









You can check out her whole shop at: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5621213
and her blog here: http://beadflorajewels.blogspot.com/


You can see items by all the Bittersweet Challengers here: http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=tag_title&search_query=oneadaychallenge

Etsy Knitters Holiday Calendar

http://etsyknitters.blogspot.com/2008/12/day-1-of-holiday-calendar.html


The Etsy Knitters Street Team is featuring a Holiday Calendar. It's looking pretty cool so far. Something from my blog is going to be on there....
Enjoy and keep checking back to see the whole calendar!

It's Midnight Somewhere

Screen shot goodness of my 2 hours...

Own The Hour

http://etsy.ownthehour.com/

It's a website I first heard about from the One A Day Challengers. It seems like a neat idea. Sellers on Etsy can purchase front page spots on their website. It's normally 50 cents,but for this weekend it is 10 cents. I figured 10 cents wasn't bad for a little advertising so I'm trying it out. Check it out tonight between 12am and 2am EST or 11pm and 1am CST to see my spot. They only sell one day at a time, and the only spots left were late night/ early morning. There will be plenty of people surfing around then, especially farther west.

The main question I have is how do they get people to go to their site. So far it seems to be mostly sellers looking. Its the same problem that Etsy has. They sell to the artists/sellers and so they market to us. It would benefit us all to market to people looking to BUY. There are so many sellers on Etsy, and Etsy makes their money from all the listing fees and a commission when things sell. As long as they have people listing and relisting to get their stuff seen, Etsy is making money. They need to focuse on drawing buyers to the site. For Etsy it would bring in commission fees and give their customers (the sellers) better results, and for Own The Hour they are selling an advertising service, if buyers aren't seeing it, then what incentive is there to buy spots?

So I don't know how much visibilty Own the Hour will give me. We'll see, maybe the sales fairy will visit tonight...

Results Are In November Blog Carnivals

Want to know what the other Etsy Bloggers are working on?
Here it is: http://shellmitchell.blogspot.com/2008/11/welcome-to-november-10-2008-edition-of.html

And what they're doing for Thanksgiving and the holiday rush?
http://jerseygirldesign.blogspot.com/2008/11/etsy-bloggers-november-24-edition.html

Current Project

If you've seen me on Ravelry you may have noticed that I'm working on a hat. I wanted to make my boyfriend a really nice and warm hat. He picked out everything. He even went to a fiber festival with me and picked out some alpaca roving to make the hat with. I spun the yarn a couple months ago, and now that its getting cold, I'm knitting the hat. I'm knitting this pattern that he picked out: A Hat Fit For A Boyfriend.


Its a small project so I knitted one with yarn I had around here. I think the recommended needle size is a bit big. I used a size 7 needle for the first hat, and a size 4 needle for the hat with my handspun yarn.

How are you going to prepare your business for the holiday rush? Blog Carnival

How am I going to prepare my business for the holiday rush?

I'm just going to list a few new things and renew a few things. I'd love to see an increase in sales, but who knows if that will happen. I can't really expect a rush with the economy the way it is, plus there wasn't a rush last year.

I am happy to upgrade to a faster shipping, and remember that custom orders take time, so plan in advance.

What's new?

Some of my new listings are ceramic pieces. I made these cute business card holders. They could also hold a small picture.I also made a vase, pitcher, and bowl.

Featured Etsy Blogger for November

Each month the Etsy Bloggers choose a member to feature and write about. The featured Etsy Blogger for November is Storybeader.

You can find her blog here http://storybeader.blogspot.com

Storybeader makes lots of jewelry and other beaded items, and she write a haiku for each necklace!

Her Etsy shop is here http://storybeader.etsy.com

Relax Blog Carnival

For this blog carnival we are supposed to blog about what we do for work or what we do to relax.

I choose relax. I'd like to do more of that lately.

I do this kind of stuff to relax. I make things, I knit,spin, etc. In addition to all my craftiness and blogginess I like lots of outdoor stuff. I like to camp, kayak, hike, ski...
And I like to play with my kitty.

Featured Etsy Blogger for September

Each month the Etsy Bloggers choose a member to feature and write about. The featured Etsy Blogger for September is Joey & Aleethea.

Joey & Aleethea makes very cute baby and children's clothes and other items like blankets and burp cloths. Also she is the team leader of Etsy Bloggers! Thanks for your hard work!

Her blog is here: http://joeyandaleethea.typepad.com/blog/

and her shop is here:http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=80947

Here are some things you'll find in her shop!

I've Been Featured!

I've been featured on the Etsy Bloggers Blog! Thank you Cozy for the lovely write up!

The Results Are In: EtsyBloggers August 18th, 2008 Blog Carnival

The topics are "Back to School" and "Tools of the Trade". You can read all the posts here:

http://lazytcrochet.blogspot.com/2008/08/its-blog-carnival.html

Tools of the Trade Blog Carnival

I could not make my yarn without this tool. I could use a drop spindle, but I can make better yarn faster using my spinning wheel and its a fantastic wheel. My spinning wheel is a Lendrum and a modern castle style wheel. Some of the parts have funny names.

It is a single treadle, which means there is one, I think of it as a peddle, to push with your foot and make the wheel turn. It is single drive, which means that the drive band wraps around the wheel once. Scotch tension controls how fast the yarn wants to be wrapped on the bobbin, it slows down the bobbin. The whorls are like different gears, they control the ratio to the wheel. If you want to spin tiny yarn with a lot of twist, put it on the smallest whorl. The flyer will turn faster. If I want to spin really bulky yarn, I will switch to a larger flyer that has even bigger whorls and a bigger orifice to accommodate a thicker yarn. If you look closely you can see a second drive band hanging behind the wheel, that is for my bulky flyer which is taller and needs a bigger driveband. To switch them you have to take off a C clip, so it is easier to keep them both on and just tie the unused one at the back. The bobbin is where the yarn collects. The mother of all is the whole top assembly and the maidens are the arms holding the flyer up.

This wheel has a sealed bearing which doesn't need oil added to it. All wheels need some oil, but they vary greatly in how often they need to be oiled and how much they need. Compared to some wheels, this one has fewer places that need oil. I like that feature. This wheel also folds down and fits in the car easily.

It is a versatile wheel that can spin a variety of yarns. If you're looking for a wheel consider what types of yarn you will be spinning and try out as many different styles as you can so you know what your preferences are.

Any questions? :)

Something to Blog About Treasury

I had some good timing checking out T west, and got another treasury! This time I featured some EtsyBloggers! It can be hard to find so here's a link http://www.etsy.com/treasury_west.php

A Day at the Beach Treasury

Treasuries are even harder to snag now and when the time comes there are often over 600 lists! I hope the beach theme shows through in the items. The idea was sunny things at the top, blue/watery things in the middle, and sandy/beachy things at the bottom, based on color and description.

The Results Are In: EtsyBloggers August 4th, 2008 Blog Carnival

http://spottedcowsoaps.blogspot.com/2008/08/etsybloggers-blog-carnival-august-4.html

Check out the rest of the blogs in this carnival here.

Book Review Blog Carnival

Choosing a book to write about was the hardest part of this blog carnival!
I decided to write about The Knitting Answer Book by Margaret Radcliffe. It's a pretty small book that might be easy to overlook in a store, but it has some excellent information.

The Knitting Answer Book has a question and answer format, starting with the basics and progressing to a wide variety of techniques. I still find this book very useful as an experienced knitter.

There are 13 chapters: Casting On, The Basics, Binding Off, Tools, Yarn, Reading Patterns, Pattern Stitches, Circular Knitting, Color, Shaping, Fitting, Finishing, and Embellishments, followed by a very handy index.

There is just so much useful information in this book. I like to use it for looking at different ways of doing things, such as if I want a different type of cast on or button hole.

If you want to know how to use a nostepinne, cable without a cable needle, how to do Kitchener stitch in garter or stockinette, its in here. If you have a knitting related question, this book is likely to have the answer.

New Items

Some new items for my shop are this scarf and these new original artwork magnets. The scarf is part of EtsyFast's July challenge to make this with stuff we have in our stash. I used an acrylic and cotton yarn that I already had. You may notice that other items in my shop are made with the same cotton yarn.


















Magnets in general are pretty new to my shop. My first ones have aviation charts on them while with these I decide to draw. I must have left all my colored pencils at my parents' house because I couldn't find them. So, I decided to use some crayons! I hadn't used those in so long, but these were fun to make. I also made one with a weighted companion cube on it for the bf. Any Portal fans here? I hope someone else knows what that is! :)

Featured Etsy Blogger for July

Each month the Etsy Bloggers choose a member to feature and write about. The featured Etsy Blogger for July is A Keeper's Jackpot.

A Keeper's Jackpot makes some beautiful necklaces with wire wrapped pendants. She also does wire crochet, polymer clay, and decoupage, and has a variety of jewelry and some bookmarks to choose from.

You can find her blog here http://akeepersjackpot.blogspot.com/
where she talks about her trips and and useful tips as well as her artwork.
I especially liked her posts about bicycling in town and how to avoid bears while hiking.

Her Etsy shop is here http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5357229



Here are some of the things you'll find from A Keeper's Jackpot

The Results Are In: EtsyBloggers July 21, 2008 Blog Carnival

You can see all the posts in this blog carnival at

http://stormydesigns.blogspot.com/2008/07/etsybloggers-july-21-2008.html

Heatwave Blog Carnival

Since I can't choose a favorite item (I really tried), I'm blogging on the topic of the heat. So, things I do to keep cool or have fun. I'll preface this by saying that I don't like the heat. I like weather where long sleeves are appropriate. Unfortunately, I'm currently living where it gets very hot in the summers and not so cold in the winters, and this is has been mild compared to other years I've been here.

#1 Hide inside with the air conditioner. I do this the most.
#2 Go to the beach. It's one of the more fun options but its pretty far from here (as in hundreds of miles :( )
#3 Go to the pool. The town has a really nice pool here, and water slides even, for $4, but it's crowed a lot.
#4 Move North. I plan on doing this, hopefully soon.

My Mom makes fun of me for still living here after I said I never want to spend another summer here, because its too hot! Well how much do you like going from work to class (45 min drive at least) when its 105 degrees F, really high humidity, and the AC on the car is broken? I'd drink lots of water and it just leaked out of my skin and left me all gross.

On the bright side I have a different car with a working AC now. :)

New Items - Magnets

My Aviation Chart Mirrors have been my most popular item. Now I'm expanding on that theme to bring you Aviation Chart Magnets!!!!

I've made a bunch already and will be listing them in my shop. If you want one of a specific place, just ask. These are made with expired sectional charts, so its just a matter of if I have the old chart for that place.



If you look closely, you may notice that the top left magnet pictured is of Meigs Field in Chicago. I found my old chart from before it was destroyed! That one goes on my fridge. I'm also keeping the one of the first airport I took lessons at, from before the new runway was built.

I'd be happy to make personalized magnets too.

Blog Edits

You may have noticed that my blog looks pretty different. I changed the template and made it wider. :)
If you want to change the width of your blog check this out:
http://beginblogger.blogspot.com/2007/02/tip-5-making-your-blog-wider.html
Thanks, Colm Smyth, for explaining how!
And Thanks to Artsy Chaos for giving me the link!

Lovin the Craft Blog Carnival

This blog carnival is about what we make and keep for ourselves. I make and keep a lot of things. I posted about the orange lace scarf that I finally finished not that long ago. Of course I got started with all this just because its fun and I like making things.

I keep a lot of my firsts.
This is the very first bag I knitted and fulled (the strap is soooo long I tied it in a knot) and the second picture is my first wet felting thing and my first yarns. The middle is my first yarn ever (on a drop spindle) and the right is my first yarn on a spinning wheel.

















I keep the more time consuming items. I made this sweater for myself. I would consider doing a custom order for a sweater if I were to be paid for my time. Not that many people want to spend hundreds on a sweater though.
















I keep things I make from patterns by other artists like this purse. The pattern is on Knitty.com .




















I keep things that I make and just love. This is my bowl. You can't have it. :)

Featured Etsy Blogger For June

Each month the Etsy Bloggers choose a member to feature and write about. The featured Etsy Blogger for June is Alicia Mae.

You can find her blog here http://www.xanga.com/aliciamae_8

She has a lot of different interests including woodburning, painting, cross stitching, bracelet weaving, polymer clay, and photography.
She is pretty busy, as she runs 3 Etsy shops!

One for crafts and gifts http://AliciaMae.etsy.com
One for photography and prints http://AliciaMaePrints.etsy.com
and one for supplies http://randomsupplies.etsy.com

Here are some of the things you'll find from Alicia Mae

The Results Are In: EtsyBloggers June 9, 2008 Blog Carnival

You can see all the posts in this blog carnival at
http://akeepersjackpot.blogspot.com/2008/06/etsybloggers-june-9-2008-blog-carnival.html

My Studio Blog Carnival

This time around we have a choice of two topics. I'm choosing to talk about my studio or lack of a studio.

Right now I have more space than I did in the past. Having an apartment is much more fun than having one room. In the past I just set up a corner with all my fiber art stuff. Here in my new place, I usually knit and spin in the living room, but I have shelves off the kitchen for most of those supplies. I do my felting and dyeing in the kitchen since its a little messier. Even though this way tends to have some clutter in the living room, I like it. I like to knit or spin while hanging out. What I would really like a separate studio for is ceramics. I dream about an enclosed porch type room with lots of ventilation but protected from the weather where I can set up a wheel and kiln, and all those supplies. I love too many different types of art. :)

Here is a peak at my stash..























It's a little disorganized, but at least its mostly in one place.

The Results Are In: Etsy Bloggers May 26th Blog Carnival

Geek+Nerd has hosted this Blog Carnival of tutorials:
http://www.geekxnerd.com/2008/05/etsy-bloggers-may-26th-blog-carnival.html

Tutorials Blog Carnival - The Best Cookies Eva!!!!!!!

The blog carnival topic for May 26th is to post a tutorial. It could be a craft tutorial, a recipe, something like that. Since I won't have access to a video camera until after this is due, I'll go with the recipe, but it still gives me an idea for a later post!

I've decided to share with you my totally awesome chocolate chip cookie recipe.

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick of butter (half a cup)
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 package (11-12oz) dark chocolate chips

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. It may help to soften the butter a bit first, but don't completely melt it. If it is still too dry add just a little (2 oz or so) water to help the ingredients mix.

Bake at 375 for 9-11 min or until done. Don't let them burn!

This has a lot less butter than a lot of cookie recipes out there. It makes the cookies just a little better for you and helps the cookies not spread out and run into each other in the oven.

Day By Day Treasury

One A Day Challenge Continues

It's almost the end of the month. The official challenge is until May 15th. Meagansdesigns made this treasury for us! I've seen so much neat stuff from the other challenge members. There's a bunch that I wish I could buy.

Sunday Sunday Treasury

Knitting Mette made a treasury of EtsyFast and EtsyKnitters and kindly included my crochet and felt mug.

All the Spring Blooms

The Spring Bloom Blog Carnival for May 12th is Complete. You can see the rest of the entries at:

http://doodlesprouts.blogspot.com/2008/05/etsy-bloggers-are-blooming.html

The Challenge Week 4

Here are my things for this week. I'm having trouble keeping up, but I'm pretty happy with the new items I've come up with.

May 1 Lacy Soap Sock
May 2 Double Point Needle/Crochet Hook Travel Case
May 3 Felt Friend - Turtle
May 4 Felt Friend Seal
May 5 Sunshine Cotton Lace Scarf
May 6 Pattern - Sunshine Lace Scarf
May 7 Almost Midnight Handspun Yarn - 172yards
May 8 Set of 2 Handknit Cotton Wash Cloths

Spring Bloom Blog Carnival

Blooming in my craft...

I've been making all sorts of things lately and Etsy certainly encourages that, especially since I met up with the OneADay group. I've been knitting for over a decade now, and I'm always looking to try something new. Knitting is my gateway to all fiber arts. It all started with knitting and then knit and fulled items, then wet and needle felting, and of course I have to try spinning my own yarn and then dyeing it, all with some sewing on the side. There are the new techniques too. There are the knitting basics, and then I'm making all sorts of clothes, and trying double knitting, and magic loop, fancy color work which leads to two yarns at once. Since I knit english that meant I taught myself continental too, which I'm still kinda slow at. I like my socks two at once from the toe up. I haven't really been one for following patterns. I tend to make up my own or modify a pattern because I want it a bit different. My needle and yarn stash has really grown too!

Featured Etsy Blogger For May

Cozy is the featured Etsy Blogger for May, which means that lots of other Etsy Bloggers will be writing about her this month.

Cozy does knitting, crocheting, and hemstitching. She has a variety of headbands, and some bandannas and scarves in her shop. She's been crafting for as long as she can remember and as tried all sorts of crafts.

You can visit her shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=100535
and her blog at http://cozyetsy.blogspot.com

I've made this etsy mini to show some of her items. Enjoy the month of fame Cozy!

The Finally Finished Scarf

I started this scarf in January. My friend showed me her finished one so I wanted to get this done. I worked on it a lot yesterday and today, and now its finally finished!

The Challenge Week 3

We just started week 3 of the challenge. We're getting to know each other better and encouraging each other.

I created my crochet and fulled series because of this challenge.


Here is what I did so far.
April 24 Lacy Soap Sock
April 25 Daydream Lace Scarf Knitting Pattern
April 26 4 Stripy Coasters
April 27 Crochet and Fulled Coffee Mug
April 28 Crochet and Fulled Pitcher
April 29 Crochet and Fulled Teapot
April 30 Felt Coasters - Set of 4

The Challenge Week 2

April 19 (an extra) Soapy Soap Sock
April 20 Spring Keepsake Purse
April 21 Soapy Soap Sock
April 22 Umbrella Keepsake Purse
April 23 Soapy Soap Sock

Here are my challenge items so far this week. The group has a lot of fun items.

The hardest part of this challenge for me is coming up with things that can be made quickly. I've been making a lot of soap socks and new and different ones, but I'm wanting to make some other things too. I spent a while working on another scarf. It's an easy lace pattern that I made. (If I get some interest I just might post it for all to see) I only have a foot so far! Then I started some coasters so hopefully I'll finish those tomorrow.

Mom's Hat

I've been working on this one since oh, about December. It was slow going for a while, but what really got me motivated to finish the hat was.... wanting to use the needles for another project. Is that bad? I have it finished in time for Mother's Day, which I know isn't the best time to be wearing an alpaca hat, but it matches her awesome mittens.

The One A Day Challenge

Over on Etsy Bittersweets challenged us to create something everyday for a month. I'm giving it a try and have done pretty well for the first few days after getting a late start.

I was lucky enough to snag a treasury today so I filled it with things we made during the challenge. To find more challenge items just search for "oneadaychallenge" over on etsy or browse through the forum thread http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5568166&page=1.

My entries are:
April 17 coasters
April 18 soap sock
April 19 keepsake purse

Spotlight on EmbraceBathandBody

Sometimes a seller or product just really stands out. A little bit ago, I was looking for some lip balm on Etsy. I wanted a good product that made my lips feel nice and not all dried out again a little later and in new and yummy scent.

I found EmbraceBathandBody, a relatively new shop (started Jan 08, 2008) with professional looking items and good descriptions. Lanolin is in the lip balm and that really caught my eye because I know lanolin from my spinning and its something I hadn't seen in beauty products before. Maybe I didn't look closely enough because as Lori told me that's where Oil of Olay gets its name. I didn't know you could buy it separate from the wool before.

I asked about it and Lori was very helpful with that and my other questions. I bought two lip balms and am very happy with them. The Dulce De Leche is an unexpected scent that reminds me of sugar cookies. The Peppermint is a very nice peppermint, not too strong. Some of her soaps have me wishing I could smell through the screen.

Here's the shop if you want to check it out http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5528943

Every Day Art

I was making some place mats earlier today and that got me thinking about art that you use. It could be a handmade mug, a knit sweater, a carefully constructed household object - beautiful things that could be decorations, but are more than that. That's how I hope people see my place mats. You could hang them on the wall when they're not on the table.
I have one done and drying right now, the other is laid out ready to felt on the kitchen counter. :p

I did some spinning

I got my spinning wheel set up finally and worked on an idea I've had for a while. I have 3 different colors of shetland wool. I spun a single alternating between the 3 colors. Then I plied it onto itself and two of the three colors are paired randomly.




I like the way it turned out.




I wanted to post this earlier, as in days ago, but Google and Blogger seemed to be having some dns problems.

April Challenge Pin Cusions

I was thinking about making some more pin cushions and I noticed that EtsyFast chose Storms as the theme for April's challenge. These are what I came up with.



Storms is an appropriate theme, and not because of the weather.

New Items

I listed some more of my Constellation Bead Yarn today. I had fun spinning this one, but it was a pain when I put too many beads on at a time and the yarn broke and the beads went flying all over the room! Anyway, it reminds me of stars in the sky somewhere without lots of light pollution. Enjoy.















Ah, this one is a bulky wool yarn (the blue is the same as in Constellation) that I spun up a while ago and was just taking pictures of to list. Maybe you saw it with me at a craft fair. :p I'm really liking my bulky flyer with this one!

Sterotypes

My friends over at KnittingHelp.com were talking about sterotypes today. What do you think of when you think of a knitter? An old lady? I've been told that I'm young for someone who knits. Why is that? There's no age limit! It's a really fun hobby and who cares about your age or gender or whatever. I understand that humans like to categorize things, but sterotypes just aren't that helpful. So many people don't fit in them, that they loose their usefulness as a category. There are people of all ages in my local knitting group and groups I've been in elsewhere.

Pictures Finally

I was finally able to take these pictures of my projects to post. I ran out of yarn for the orange lace scarf. I started it in a hurry so I just used some leftover yarn my friend had. I didn't realize it would be such a pain to find more! I went to the store she bought it at and they don't carry it anymore. They only have Lamb's Pride in bulky not worsted. That was a bit disappointing. I also got a lecture about dye lots. I only asked because the same store might have some left from the same lot. It hadn't been THAT long since my friend was there. Well, I ordered some more yarn and I'll see if it matches. If not I'll make some really long stripes.
















Here is the progress on the hat I've been working on. I'm almost ready to start the decreases.

I know I've been slow to post, but

that can sometimes happen when you get a new job and move a bunch. I'd have pictures of the hat I'm making for my Mom and the lace scarf I'm working on, except that the cable to connect my camera to the computer is about 300 miles away. I'm doing the scarf in orange Lamb's Pride worsted on size 9 needles. It was kind of a hurry to find the yarn and needles to start the project for a knit along, so I hope finding more yarn that color isn't a problem. The hat is in blue and greenish Atacama alpaca on size 4 circs. I wrote out the decreases and am kinda making the color pattern up as I go.