Lately

I've been working hard on new items for the shop, and I'm getting excited about the big reveal. I'm planning it for the beginning of March, with possibly some Valentine's Day items up before then. It can be difficult, juggling a full time job with a side business (and now a second job—at an ice cream shop!), but I'm hoping this is the year I can figure out a balance. I had a couple big milestones in 2014 (my first sale! finally getting serious and ordering business cards!), and I'm ready for 2015 to be the year that I create (and meet) tangible goals for myself and my business. One of them is to share more here and document this time in life.

Happy Thanksgibing back.

Today is the first predicted snow day of the season. I'm working from home before the holiday, sipping coffee, soaking bread pudding, and knitting on breaks. This is one of my favorite holidays, so I thought I'd extend my well wishes via a coupon code to the shop. Just use THANKSYALL for 10% an order of $10 or more until Sunday, 11/30!

Made | Simple winter hat with neon pom pom!

I found this neon yarn when I was home this past Christmas. I had made several of these scarves, and my stepmom wanted me to make her one, too. We went to Michaels so she could pick out the yarn she wanted, and I couldn't help but pick up three skeins of this chunky neon yarn. I got this neon pink, highlighter yellow, and a neon orange. I figured what better way to bring a pop of color to the predominantly white landscape of winter than with neon pom poms, and I was right. I love how soft it is, and it fashions into the poofiest, fluffiest pom I've ever made. 

The hat itself is a simple pattern I came up with, tall enough to fold the brim over for warmer ears, but short enough to wear as a floppy hat, letting that neon pom bounce around in the wind. We're nearing the official start of spring, but I have a feeling we'll be braving 20 degree weather for a while yet, so this hat is my plan on how to transition into spring without freezing to death. 

Want your own simple hat with neon pom? You can find it in the shop here and here.

Made | Turban-style knit headband

This little headband is pretty close to my heart because it's the first thing I designed and made for my shop. It's a simple design, which is very much my style, and the little leather detail takes it from a keep-me-warm-headband to a little bit of a okay-this-can-be-considered-fashion.  

This little lady is pretty simple: it's a stockinette stitch sewed up and then cuffed with a little strip of real leather. Honestly, the hardest part is sewing the leather, but it's worth it. I love this robin's egg blue color, but I think I'll be whipping up some pinks and creams for the (alleged) spring. 
I've worn this thing on the way to the gym, for a quick walk to the store, or to cover up that I didn't have time to shower. I also love that it doesn't overheat my head so I can wear it even when I'm inside. 
 Want one of your own? These headbands are available in the shop.

Made | Super soft seed stitch cowl

It's kind of a shame—I've been knitting up a storm since Thanksgiving, but I really haven't talked much about it here. I found myself focusing on opening up the shop, and sharing my projects kind of took a backseat. Now that the shop is open, I'm back to finding a good balance between the two (and, you know, my day job and personal life). This was one of those projects that helped me master a new(to me) stitch: the seed stitch.  

The seed stitch is a super simple stitch that adds a lot of interest to the work (and to the process). I made quite a few of these cowls while I was home for Christmas; I made one for my sister as a gift, then my mom and my stepmom were all over me to make them one before I left. I finished my mom's while she was napping (during a movie of course!), and I placed it on her chest. It was a nice surprise for her when she woke up. 

And now some pictures of my beautiful mother modeling her cream tweed seed stitch cowl. I hope I look just like her when I'm almost 60! (Though I'll always be about two feet taller than she is.)

Want your own seed stitch cowl? You can find one in the shop!

Made | Colorworked Aztec Hat

I still consider myself fairly new to the knitting world. I'd dabbled before, but my main yarn craft had been crocheting before this year. I'd always admired the clean, tight stitches in knitted works, but thought I couldn't actually make them myself. But once I mastered knitting and got a grasp on knitting in the round, I wanted to set my sights a little higher. Enter: colorwork. It makes knitted works so interesting and personal, and since everything can be mapped out on a grid I figured, how hard could it be?

My first ever colorwork was this triangle hat in Patton's pure wool. It's a very simple pattern (doing the math kind of intimidated me, so I went with simple shapes that could be repeated), but I really love how it turned out! Now I have a better grasp of how to hold the yarn and keep them straight (though I did end up with some tangles every now and then), and I think I'm finally ready to tackle a more intricate pattern.

It probably would've been easier to try my first colorwork project on some chunkier yarn, but I love the Patton's wool for hats, and the doubled up yarn makes for a warmer knit than usual. I love it! It's one-of-a-kind, and is available in the shop.

Have you ever tried colorwork in your knitting before? I'd love any tips or favorite patterns!

I did it! The shop is open!

You guysssss, I finally did it! The shop is open! I've been hemming and hawing, knitting and photographing, editing and editing and editing, and I've finally taken the leap. The things they made Etsy is now open!

I plan to get knitting on newer items, but I wanted to get the ball rolling now because, if not now, then when? And to welcome all of you to my newest endeavor, I wanted to extend a little thank you for following along with me with, what else?, a coupon code. Enter WOOHOO into the coupon code for 10% off any item through Sunday, January, 26, 2014. Not only is this my first Etsy shop, this is my first coupon code. Everything is happening at once!

If you have any custom requests (or advice for new Etsy shop owners), please reach out! Now go take a look!

Life lately | Coffee & knitting & etsy sneak peek

Lately I've been snuggled up next to our space heater and this sweater (it's my favorite). The temperatures have dipped low, and so my baking and knitting habits are in full force. Last week, I baked a chocolate pecan pie and a regular pecan pie for Thanksgiving at work. They were both delicious and the leftovers are still mocking me sitting in our fridge.

I've been knitting up a storm so I can finally open up that etsy shop I've been talking about forjustaboutever. If you want a different outcome, you have to change your strategy so that's what I'm doing. I'm done just reading about artists and designers and feeling inspired, and I'm jumping in and learning all I can. My plan is to get at least one or two of everything I plan to open with ready to ship before I open up, so I have about a week left to go. If anyone has tips on opening an etsy shop, marketing, shipping, anything, I'm all ears! I've been scouring the etsy seller handbook and getting excited for this new venture. Needless to say, this year, I'm thankful for new beginnings.

Made | Sweet Sunday surprise.

Sundays aren't for working, but today I'm having to go against all my greater instincts and get a headstart on the crazy week ahead of me. And during one of my can't believe I'm working on a Sunday breaks, I found this lovely surprise at Ashley's blog, The Sweet Season. Ashley is the very talented photographer behind Ashley Slater Photography based in Michigan. At the end of last year, she requested some newborn props for photo shoots she had coming up, and I so happily obliged. I've let my plans for an Etsy shop fall to the wayside, and this was just the push I needed to get back to it. Thanks, Ashley!