Art Fire Vs. Etsy

So in an attempt to actually sell something, I've cross-listed my Etsy items on ArtFire. I like that ArtFire doesn't charge a listing fee or take a cut of your sale price... it's absolutely free to sell there! You can upgrade your account to list as many items as you like and access all kinds of features. If I end up selling anything there I will probably do this. It's not as pretty or as well known as Etsy, but that may work in my favor because there isn't as much there. Who knows.

What do you think of the shops?

Here is my ArtFire Studio

and here is my Etsy Shop.

Any input would be appreciated!

A Leg Up

2 Things:
1. I finished Anouk!

2. I made a Leg!

I got inspired this weekend after seeing a tutorial on how to make a custom dress form (which I'm totally going to do) and thought it might work for other body parts as well. I got to thinking about how I've really wanted mannequin legs/arms for the modeling of socks & mittens and wondered if I could apply this technique.

So, if you want to make your own model leg, here's what I did...

First, wrap your foot & leg in plastic wrap:

Then, wrap your leg with duct tape. I recommend using strips & not simply winding the roll around your leg. This will give you smoother lines and will prevent you wrapping your leg too tightly & cutting off circulation. The smaller/thinner strips will allow you to create greater definition on the heel & toes as well. I did 3 layers of tape.

Once you have finished taping, gently tease the tape & plastic wrap away from your leg and cut down the side using very sharp scissors.


The plastic wrap I used (Glad Press 'n' Seal) adhered to my leg a little too well, so you may want to use something not so sticky. The tape allows for a good bit of flexibility so removing the form isn't too difficult, however the getting your foot out can be a bit tricky... Like a pair of boots that are a size too small!

After you've removed the form, tape the cut edges back together and stuff the form with newspaper. Viola!


I plan on playing with paper maché and decoupage to try and pretty it up a bit and add extra stiffness. I'll let you all know how it goes!

OK, So I Lied!

Yeah. I lied. I promised to blog more in August and here it is November and it's only my second post of the year!

I blame facebook. I spend all my computer time there these days & have only just started getting back to Ravelry and blogs. I have been knitting however, and doing a bit of spinning. I've also opened an Etsy shop (check sidebar) to try to raise a little extra income because my hubby is still in need of work.

Currently I'm working on a dress for my friend's new baby niece. The pattern is Anouk from Knitty. I'm using the same yarn but the body is pink and the trim is white. The pockets will have a white background and purple flowers. Depending on how much yarn I have left, I may even make a complimentary diaper cover.. we shall see! I will post project pics later.

No promises, but hopefully I'm back. :)

btw- how do you like the new look?

That's right, I knit!

I can't believe it's been over a year since I've posted here! Wow. So,life kinda interfered and I haven't even thought of blogging in ages. Short version, hubby got laid off, father had a heart attack and subsequent triple-bypass surgery, and mom is still bed ridden. So with all that going on I haven't had time to knit, let alone blog about knitting.

A few days ago I picked the needles back up to start on a baby sweater for my cousin and I thought it might just be time to come back to the blog. Hopefully I can keep it up again.

Thanks for reading. :)

Excited!

I received my monthly newsletter from the fabulous ThreadBear this morning and was jolted awake when I saw this: "Announcing Workshops with the Fabulous CookieA"! Fabulous indeed! I quickly skimmed the newsletter for the relevant information: 2 workshops, one on top-down sock design and the other on toe-up design, $35 fee... 16 person limit!

I hurriedly dialed the store & they still had spaces (I think my excitement greatly amused the lady on the phone)! So, this September I will be taking a 3hr design workshop with Cookie A.

Oh! And Trek received her socks!

There is is much Squeeage going on today. :)

Note: Please excuse the excessive use of the word "Fabulous" in this post. Apparently I need a thesaurus. :)

Trek's Socks

I've finished Trek's socks!


Overall I'm very pleased. They are drying now and should be on their way to her on Tuesday. :)

I've cast-on another pair of socks (surprise) for another swap I joined. It's a Discworld themed swap called "Music With Socks In" that's being held through Ravelry. The idea is that you make your partner a pair of socks (or send them the necessary items to make their own) and include a cd or 2 in the package. Since there is a possibility that my partner might read my blog (it's not a secret swap) I won't be posting any project details until I've shipped. I'm very excited about this swap. I wasn't able to go with my first idea for the socks, but I think she will love what I'm doing. And the music aspect is great, I'm having a lot of fun going through my collection for ideas!

Edit: Oh! I almost forgot to tell you a bit of exciting news! There's a yahoo group that is dedicated to translating knitting patterns into foreign languages and they've requested permission to translate my MJs pattern! I'm so geeked!

Weekend in Vermont

This past weekend I went with Honey to Vermont for a couple of Circus shows. There really isn't much to relay about the trip. The weather was lovely and I got to actually spend time with a few people that I've met at the shows. Of course, the only pictures I took ended up being far too dark and I've been unable to successfully clean them up so far.

I was able to sneak in a little yarn shopping. There was a gift shop in the tiny town we were at and at the very back there was a small yarn shop, which was stocked with some pretty nice stuff. I couldn't resist picking up this:

2 skeins of Araucania Nature Cotton in sage green. It is incredibly soft! I haven't seen the yarn locally, so that was all the incentive I needed to buy it. I've no idea what I'm going to make with it yet. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about dye-lot if I end up needing more. It's all hand-dyed, so there will be variation no matter what! :)

And the 28hr round-trip drive gave me time to knit this...

Trek's Sock

I've finished the first sock and have started the second. I'm just past the cuff now, but hopefully I finish it up this weekend.

The yarn is really lovely to work with, although it is pooling something awful. Even so, the sock is still quite pretty. I was originally going to do a fancy rib pattern, but the darkness of the yarn hid the pattern. Instead I went with a simple 2x2 rib for the cuff and stockinette for the leg & foot. I did a slip stitch heel for a little oompf.

Now I just hope they fit! :)