New Yarn, Old Obsession

12 days into the new year, and my resolution to not purchase any yarn still holds. Although, truth be told, it has not been easy. At. All. Especially when I see yarn on sale.

One thing that has helped some was that I received a shipment of yarn (it was ordered on December 31, before my resolution began -- haha, so there!). Nothing like opening a box of yarn-y goodness to make your day:

Red Heart Soft Yarn in Lilac, Pink, Lavender, Guacamole and Honey (clockwise from top left):

 I also bought 3 skeins of a multi-colored shade called Plummy:

I originally thought I would make a blanket of African flower hexagons with this new yarn for my great-niece, but now I'm not sure. I love the hexagonal flowers; in fact, it is an obsession of mine. Proof of my obsession:

There are more than 100 motifs here. And they are all different! Which I guess speaks to my hoarding of cotton yarn as well as my obsession with African flower hexagons. Each hexagon begins with white yarn. For Rounds 2 and 3, I used an ombre (remember, they are all different), and Round 4 ends with a coordinating solid color. My plan is to complete Round 5 in white and then join all the hexagons into one mega-awesome, colorful, one-of-a-kind blanket!

So in the meantime, I am putting my obsession aside and I need to decide how to use my order of girly-girl yarn. Maybe stripes? Or maybe the obsession will continue. I still have some time to decide.

I also adore this sweater:

 

It was published in the January/February 2009 issue of Crochet Today. The little moose applique is so darling! I just checked the pattern, and I am pretty sure I will need to order the yarn to complete this because I don't usually buy baby-weight yarn. And the yarn that was used in the sample is discontinued. I guess this means that when I finally do break my resolution, at least it will be for a good cause!

Where Does the Time Go?

I just realized today that it has been a month since my last blog post. Where did the time go? Well, I stay busy with 3 boys at 2 schools plus the baby at home. (Okay, so the baby is 3 now and talks up a storm, but he is forever and always "the baby".) I serve on a PTA board and a Council of PTAs board and now a Bond Committee board. Then there's my part-time, mostly weekends job and oh yeah, I just got re-hired at a previous job. So to an extent, the things that have suffered the most from my "busy-ness" have been my Etsy shops and obviously, this blog.

I have found time to crochet, though, in the midst of this madness. I am working on a large wholesale order for The Lavender Lizard. Here's a sneak peek:

I'll have more information on these later, so stay tuned!

Plus I've just finished a custom request for silver metallic stars in 3 sizes at The Lavender Ladybug. They will be sewn onto a sweater for a Halloween costume. I can't wait to see how that turns out!

And I did finish both the market bag for my friend's daughter (no pics, though) and the one for my sister:

Sadly, DS3's bookbag is on the backburner. More than likely, it will be a Christmas gift now. After all, Christmas is less than 3 months away, so I do have some time to finish it.

(Proof that time really flies: Happy 12th Birthday, DS2!)

A New Design and Other Musings

I've been thinking about indian corn (you know, the chocolatey candy corn) motifs for a while now, and I whipped up a set this weekend. They are posted now at The Lavender Ladybug, along with the original candy corn motifs. What do you think?

I also made this tiny fried egg. I'm not sure why -- I just thought it was a cute idea.

I finished a market bag for my mom's birthday, and I'm working on one for my sister. I'm also working on a book bag for DS3, who starts 3rd grade in 7 days. Hopefully, it will be finished on time **crossing fingers and making wishes**

Here's Mom's bag:

Other market bags are available at The Lavender Lizard. They feature a round solid bottom, mesh sides that stretch, and knitted handles that also serve to close the top. You can sling both handles over one shoulder or wear it like a backpack. And as always, custom orders are happily taken!

Speaking of DS3, he was decorating a pencil tin the other day for school. Here's the conversation that ensued:

Me: Do you want me to help you find the letters for your name?

DS3: I need a "p".

Me: There's no "p" in your name.

DS3: I'm spelling "private".

Here's the finished pencil tin:

What can I say? That boy has personality!

I just love the little smiley face!

Etsy Front Page and a New Product!

A couple of days ago, I received a message from Jennifer of JenniferABoston and The Crafty Dragonfly. She wanted to tell me that one of my items was on the Front Page of Etsy! Of course, I clicked over there as quickly as possible, but sadly, I missed it. (Thanks, Jennifer!)

Here's the featured item, a silk/bamboo wave patterned scarf (chosen because of its "eco" tag by Etsy Admin):

Great news -- the scarf received 9 new hearts and The Lavender Lizard received 6 new hearts! (Hearts are a way to mark favorite items or sellers.)

Over at The Lavender Ladybug, I received a request to crochet a tooth/molar motif. Here's what I came up with:

Marnie of AdornWithAAndM used the motifs to create a new product -- the Tooth Fairy Pillow Clip. I think they are adorable!

Marnie had previously requested chili peppers from me for her kitchen. The chili peppers inspired me to create paisley motifs (my favorite design element, ever), which I paired with small round dots:

I'm currently adding these in several colors at The Lavender Ladybug. As always, if you different idea for a motif or color, please contact me. I ♥ special orders!

Coming up next, crocheted borders for embellishing scrapbook pages! Stay tuned!

Attn: Scrapbookers!

Back in March, I received an Alchemy request from Pam, the owner of a cool site called Kraft Girl Kits. She requested orange and yellow flowers from The Lavender Ladybug to add to her May scrapbooking kit.

Needless to say, I was soooo excited!

Well, May is here and so is the kit! Here's a photo of the items included in the kit:


I really like the Gallery at Kraft Girl Kits, where designers take the current kit and each create scrapbook pages or cards. Be sure to check out the projects -- you will be inspired, no doubt. For a sneak peak at the Gallery, here is my favorite project (it's titled Proof You Are Mine, and it was designed by Danielle Holsapple):


It's so sweet, and I'm reminded of the 4 baby boy bracelets I still have. See, they really are all mine.

So if you scrapbook or paper craft, please check out Kraft Girl Kits! Monthly subscriptions are available as are some previous month's kits, and the 2008 kits are now 40% off.

Thanks, Pam! I'm so happy to be a part of the May kit!

So What Do You Do With Those Little Flowers Anyway?

I get that question a lot -- it's in reference to the flower, star, fruit, veggie and other motifs I have listed at The Lavender Ladybug.

Thankfully, I can show you what two different buyers chose to make!

The first buyer is an ETC teammate and friend of mine, Tricia of Handmade Whimzy and Pink Pear Designs. Turns out she sews also. She requested aqua flowers and leaves and a chocolate brown bird for a pillow she was planning to make. Here's how it turned out:

Gorgeous! To read about how Tricia crafted her pillow and see more photos, check out her blog!

The second buyer is Marnie from AdornWithAandM, an Etsy shop she co-owns with Amy. Marnie recently moved, and her new kitchen is decorated with peppers. Amy saw some of my motifs and asked if I could design peppers for Marnie's kitchen. Marnie took the peppers and added them to a decorative plate:

And another set (in custom colors) was made into magnets:

Finally, one pepper was added to Marnie's business card holder for craft shows:

I think all of these projects turned out great! Thanks to Tricia, Amy and Marnie, for their wonderful inspiration! And thanks for sharing these projects with me!

P.S. Next up at The Lavender Ladybug -- paisley motifs! Stay tuned!