Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Timmy the Tiger

Meet Timmy, my latest creation. He's a tiger, obviously. Isn't he cute?














Here, drink in the full view of Timmy.














Now, from the back. Isn't that a sweet little tail?














I have a feeling that if I ever get the time to make more of him, I'll sell a zillion. This one is already spoken for. Remember that potentially large Etsy order I mentioned in my last post? Well, Timmy is part of that order, along with a snail and an elephant. I'm also making two horses for the buyer. I'll be starting on those tonight.

I wrote up the baseball/basketball pattern for Max's daycare's receptionist last night, and I ordered the yarn for the football and basketball. I already have white for the baseball. The yarn shipped today, so I'll probably be able to make the balls next week.

Obviously, I have plenty of knitting to keep me busy for a while... in addition to preparing for my dissertation defense (it's only three weeks from today!). Ahhh, the end of graduate school... it sort of scares the crap out of me.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Custom Creations

Well, guys, I have to say that Market on the Square could have been more successful. It wasn't a complete disappointment, though. I did sell four toys and make $67 in the process. More importantly, I gave out tons of business cards, and there may be a large Etsy order on the horizon for me because of it. In addition to that, I just got an order from the receptionist at Max's daycare for a collection of plush sports balls. I am now on the hunt for the perfect football-colored yarn. And contemplating the feasibility of knitting a soccer ball. I may end up just doing a football, baseball, and basketball. Perhaps I'll throw in a hockey puck... because, as you may or may not know, hockey is the best sport there is.

I also got a request for two horses, but it isn't a firm request yet, just an inquiry at this point. Hopefully it will turn into an actual order.

In the meantime, I'm *thisclose* to finishing up a tiger, and I am super in love with it. I'll have to make more, I'm sure. Elephants and tigers are popular critters here in southern Alabama. Hopefully I'll get the tiger finished up tonight and photographed and listed on Etsy tomorrow. I just have to knit the tail then sew the legs and tail onto the body.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

I LOVE This Yarn

And I don't mean the yarn brand I Love This Yarn! (which I actually don't love at all - if I'm knitting with acrylic I like Caron Simply Soft). I'm talking about Shine Worsted Yarn from Knit Picks. It's a blend of high quality pima cotton and beechwood fiber, and it's my favorite yarn EVER. It's so so so SOOO soft and luxurious feeling, and the colors are amazing. It is, admittedly, a bit pricier than, say, I Love This Cotton yarn from Hobby Lobby (which I also really like) and way more expensive than a relatively soft acrylic like Caron Simply Soft. And you have to order it and wait for it to arrive in the mail. But it still isn't that expensive (it's cheaper than most of the specialty eyelash yarns available in every craft store). And you get free shipping when you order a ton of it, as I always seem to do. I also bought a bunch of sock yarn with my last order, though. I haven't tried it yet, but there are definitely a few sock projects in my future.

I just made two teddy bears from my stash of Shine Worsted Yarn, and they are the softest, most wonderful stuffed animals EVER (if I may say so).

















Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Creepy Crawlies!

I finally found the time knit up some of the ideas I told you about in my last post. Sadly, I still haven't knitted an elephant. The first thing I started working on after my last post was a zebra. I named him Zack. I've tweaked the pattern a bit since then, but I haven't made another one yet.















After the zebra, I decided to start on those creepy crawlies I mentioned. First is a caterpillar. I think he turned out pretty cute. I think I'll leave this pattern as is... but I'll probably play with the colors more on the next one.
















Next up, a bumble bee! Pretty cute, but the proportions are a tad off. Tweaking this one to make the head a little larger.


















Stay tuned! I've been super busy, and I also have a teddy bear knitted up. No pics of him yet, though. Looks like I'll have plenty of cute toys for sale at Market on the Square this weekend (in Cathedral Square in downtown Mobile). That is, if we don't have an annoying tropical storm or hurricane raining out the event. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.