Orders and ordering

I have a couple hat orders on the table now. The Princess Leia hat- it took me a while to wrap my head around how I was going to make it, but I think my idea will work. I have even found a nice solid dark brown.
More ILY hats- I gave a hat to the NCSD family fun day as a door prize and several people said they wanted to order those. That was a fun hat to make! I am hoping to make many more.
And a Gir hat- Invader Zim! I love the big eyes and the square tongue, I am looking for the right green to start that one- I would like a sturdy yarn, like Red Heart.
Also a couple of folks have asked how much I would charge for a bag made from recycled bags- and I honestly don't know! the can cozies are not an issue, but larger projects from the recycled bags strain my hands so I will need to come up with a schedule where I switch off from one project to another over the summer.

Also I made a monkey hat and several folks have asked about other children's hats with different animals on them so I will play with bears and frogs and butterflies this summer too.

Plus of course the stained glass afghan will be simmering away in the background!

Monkey hat

This hat, a commission, was a fun one to make! The challange was to find the correct browns to make the body of the hat, and the monkey to that it matched well but still stood out clearly.
Toddler sized hat with earflaps, I added the braided ties for fun effect also. The monkey sits on the child's head, ears sticking out and looking jaunty. As soon as I have some time, I am hoping to make a few other animals- a bear, frog, what else?

Stained Glass Afghan update

I have not finished the afghan yet, but I am pretty excited about my progress. I have used up a ton of variegated yarn (And admit it, when the project is done,sometimes variegated yarns are hard to use up!) I have not finished off the "squares" or joined them yet, but you can get a general idea of the direction I an going in! The nice thing about recycling yarn for this project is that I know what each yarn came from- this one was from Jodie, that one is Patric's hat, that one is a hat I made for Laura, etc etc. So I am collecting memories as well as making a cozy afghan!
I figure I am about a third of the way done, so as my projects unfold, look for me to lean toward variegated yarns, so I can recycle them! ^__^

Washing Up

When I was doing my spring cleaning, I found some cotton yarn I had gotten and decided to make some new washcloths. But I can't decide which pattern for them I like best. At the moment I am leaning toward a roundish one as it seems to fit the hand very well. I also made one in that pattern smaller, for use as a facecloth.
What are your favorite washcloth styles and why? there are gazillion patterns- the really fancy ones I never bother with because they look pretty but uncomfortable to actually USE...

Showing off the Goods

I wanted to talk a little about presentation of crafts. It is VERY important and I was not even aware how much until I made a cute little peach hat with bunny ears. It was a commission and I was so confident that it would look adorable! I wanted to take a photo before I sent it off, in case I did not get to see a photo of the hat on the baby. There are no babies at my house, so I borrowed a baby-doll of similar size and took the top photo which is cute.
And then I saw the photo of the real doll baby wearing the hat! Oh HOW cute is that? I realized on the spot that your model for a craft product does not change the product but it enables you to show off exactly what you had envisioned. I KNEW that hat was adorable but the bottom photo shows everyone what I had in mind when I made it so much better.
So, now I need to figure out where to find models for various sized hats more easily! ^__^

For this hat I used Caron's "Simply Soft" 4 ply acrylic yarn. It is a basic beanie with white picot trim, and small bunny ears, also picot trimmed

I also want to thank Rae LeGrone for allowing me to publish the photo of her darling daughter in my blog.

Still here, still crocheting!

I realized my last post was titled Poopets instead of poppets... not a soul said anything so I am assuming I am blogging to myself at this point, but I fixed it anyway. I am not sure who to invite to view my blog- who crochets?
I do.
Still working on the 6 sided squares- I have 24 done, the afghan calls for about 50 more. Since i have used up most of the variegated yarn in the whole house, I had to start a new project for the leftover yarn- seriously. Eilish wanted handwarmers made from variegated blue, so I am making those now. I also have spring cleaned my craft area on the porch, and collected any stray yarn from out there. This afternoon I have some paperwork to attend to, then I will start working on my library space, and tomorrow it is the bathroom, starting with the CLOSET of DOOM lol.
This morning is just for me, cause I deserve it. I am going to visit a friend, take a walk and enjoy the company with a cup of coffee and some good conversation. Call it a mental health break!
I was thinking that I need to set a schedule for myself- this is the time of year when I should be able to finish all my projects, and get some stock ready for fall- I think I will take the plunge and commit myself-- to trying at least one craft fair. So far all the craft fair sales I have had have been from a friend who puts my stuff on her table, which is WONDERFUL but I suspect that I need to be at the craft fair too, and hear what folks SAY so I can know what directions to careen off into next.
When the handwarmers are done, i have some kids hats to make, and I need to find the Princess Leia yarn, and then I am going to just go to the store and buy yarn in random fun colors to make up some hats for stock- so if you have any hints or suggestions throw em over. Keeping in mind however that I tend to make hats that are not the typical- the Zombie hats are on the table, and Ankh hat, and Moon hat- the poppets and can cozies and butterflies will all be there too. I REALLY enjoyed making the monkey hat, I was thinking of trying a few more, different animals- frog, cow, etc. ALL ideas will be taken in, fed and entertained....

Poppets

Still working on three things at once. The weather here has been lovely and i ended up using the dowels I had purchased for the mobile to make plant stakes. I will go get more soon ^__^
Another project I designed recently are Pocket Poppets. They are little "dolls" that are freestanding with a big pocket. The idea is to write a secret, or a goal, or concern on a paper and then let the poppet carry it for you. You can put it on your desk, windowsill or nightstand, wherever will help you the most, and she will gently remind you of your goal.. These require scraps of yarn and can be made in a variety of colors. I thought she was fun! Anyone want the pattern?
i was also thinking they would be cute as a Tooth Fairy helper, the child could put the tooth in the pocket.