Baby Gabriela with her adorable ankle boots and sleeping owl hat! You can find more of these items in the following sections of my Etsy shop:
Baby footwear
Animal Hats
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Baby Gabriela!
I absolutely love seeing my little creations on the babies they were made for, and so I present to you...
Baby Gabriela with her adorable ankle boots and sleeping owl hat! You can find more of these items in the following sections of my Etsy shop:
Baby footwear
Animal Hats
Baby Gabriela with her adorable ankle boots and sleeping owl hat! You can find more of these items in the following sections of my Etsy shop:
Baby footwear
Animal Hats
Double Pom Newborn Beanie - Pattern!
Hi, everyone! My September was taken up with custom orders and getting myself used to my new job, so I didn't have much blogging time.
Last Friday, I noticed that I still had 50g of a beautiful Italian yarn that I bought at Lanas Pinguino last year. Lanas Pingouin is located in Chamberí, at calle María de Guzmán, 55. I used to live around the corner from that yarn shop, and I didn't purchase much there, but I love the quality of the yarns that I did purchase. In fact, I'm thinking of heading back soon, because the owner had great prices on thicker yarns. I wanted to use up the blue-grey yarn, so I made this cute little beanie, and I thought I'd share the pattern with you.
Even though I've written lots of them, this is my first attempt at sharing a pattern. If anything is unclear, please let me know.
Materials:
R1: Make a magic ring. Ch 2 and 8 hdc in ring. Close ring and join with a sl st to top of 1st hdc. (8)
R2: Ch 2. 2 hdc in each st around. Join with sl st to top of 1st hdc. (16)
R3: Ch 2. 2 hdc in joining st. 1 hdc in next st. (2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in next st) around. Join with sl st to top of 1st hdc. (24)
R4: Ch 2. 2 hdc in joining st. 1 hdc in next 2 sts. (2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in next 2 sts) around. Join with sl st to top of 1st hdc. (32)
R5-8: Ch 2. 1 hdc in joining st and each st around. Join with sl st to top of 1st hdc. (32)
R9: Ch 1. Sl st loosely around hat. Join with sl st to ch 1 and fasten off. Weave in ends.
Make 2 large pom poms (I wrapped the thick yarn around 4 fingers 25 times for each pom pom) and attach to hat. Trim pom poms to appropriate size.
I hope you enjoy this pattern! :)
Last Friday, I noticed that I still had 50g of a beautiful Italian yarn that I bought at Lanas Pinguino last year. Lanas Pingouin is located in Chamberí, at calle María de Guzmán, 55. I used to live around the corner from that yarn shop, and I didn't purchase much there, but I love the quality of the yarns that I did purchase. In fact, I'm thinking of heading back soon, because the owner had great prices on thicker yarns. I wanted to use up the blue-grey yarn, so I made this cute little beanie, and I thought I'd share the pattern with you.
Even though I've written lots of them, this is my first attempt at sharing a pattern. If anything is unclear, please let me know.
Materials:
- 50g bulky yarn
- 6.00mm crochet hook
- scissors
R1: Make a magic ring. Ch 2 and 8 hdc in ring. Close ring and join with a sl st to top of 1st hdc. (8)
R2: Ch 2. 2 hdc in each st around. Join with sl st to top of 1st hdc. (16)
R3: Ch 2. 2 hdc in joining st. 1 hdc in next st. (2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in next st) around. Join with sl st to top of 1st hdc. (24)
R4: Ch 2. 2 hdc in joining st. 1 hdc in next 2 sts. (2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in next 2 sts) around. Join with sl st to top of 1st hdc. (32)
R5-8: Ch 2. 1 hdc in joining st and each st around. Join with sl st to top of 1st hdc. (32)
R9: Ch 1. Sl st loosely around hat. Join with sl st to ch 1 and fasten off. Weave in ends.
Make 2 large pom poms (I wrapped the thick yarn around 4 fingers 25 times for each pom pom) and attach to hat. Trim pom poms to appropriate size.
I hope you enjoy this pattern! :)
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Photo Face Lift!
I have been super busy this month! I started a new job teaching English in a school in Móstoles, Spain, and dealing with first and second graders sure takes the energy out of you! You can read about my adventures as an owl-xiliar on my Tumblr page. I have a goal to write one entry for each and every school day!
I have also been working on three custom orders for my Etsy shop! I have finished all of them and will be shipping out the third tomorrow!
The first was for a friend from my university. Her baby, Gabriela, will look so adorable in this owl hat / ankle boots set:
She also ordered a baby elf hat in turquoise and white to match her magenta winter coat. I would have never thought of that color combination, but it will be so adorable! I added a little white bow to make the elf hat extra girly. :)
Then it was on to custom order number deux. This was a second order from a French photographer. Her business is Art Est Sur Images, and you can check her out on Facebook. This included two Christmas elf hats, in red and white, for 3-6 months and 12 months. They turned out so adorable.
She also requested an elf hat in blue and green for her 2 year old nephew. I had never made such a large hat, but I figured out how to do it by googling a bit, and it turned out really nice. The tail will be really long (think Randy from "A Christmas Story") but, as my boyfriend has reminded me a couple of times, that's why it's so cute.
I have also been working on three custom orders for my Etsy shop! I have finished all of them and will be shipping out the third tomorrow!
The first was for a friend from my university. Her baby, Gabriela, will look so adorable in this owl hat / ankle boots set:
She also ordered a baby elf hat in turquoise and white to match her magenta winter coat. I would have never thought of that color combination, but it will be so adorable! I added a little white bow to make the elf hat extra girly. :)
Then it was on to custom order number deux. This was a second order from a French photographer. Her business is Art Est Sur Images, and you can check her out on Facebook. This included two Christmas elf hats, in red and white, for 3-6 months and 12 months. They turned out so adorable.
She also requested an elf hat in blue and green for her 2 year old nephew. I had never made such a large hat, but I figured out how to do it by googling a bit, and it turned out really nice. The tail will be really long (think Randy from "A Christmas Story") but, as my boyfriend has reminded me a couple of times, that's why it's so cute.
The third custom order was for a family member, and since it is a gift to another family member, I can't post any more details! :)
It has been so flattering to get so many custom orders all at once, and it was so rewarding to finish them all!
In my other (spare) time (haha), I have been working on my crochet photography skills. As a novice photographer, I quickly learned that taking pictures of tiny little booties in your apartment is nothing like taking pictures of architecture, people or landscapes. It requires specialized lighting and exact positioning. I got the positioning down quickly, but the lighting in my apartment is... special.
Because it's so hot in Madrid, and we live on the top floor, I have to keep the blinds drawn all day. Yes, it makes me feel slightly like a vampire, and it also makes it really difficult to take pretty pictures. So I pull up the blinds and roast, but even then, I had shadows and my (beautiful, lovely, precious) yellow walls gave the white backdrop a tinge that made me crazy... and not in a good way.
After some research out on the interwebs, I found a way to make a homemade lightbox.
I made one with some white construction paper, and even though I just laid them in the box instead of taping / draping / crazy-woman-making, I usually don't photograph the sides or the corners, so you don't see the seam. I also bought two small lamps from Ikea (oh, the European Wal-mart) and use those if I am taking really, really close shots, like this one:
I made one with some white construction paper, and even though I just laid them in the box instead of taping / draping / crazy-woman-making, I usually don't photograph the sides or the corners, so you don't see the seam. I also bought two small lamps from Ikea (oh, the European Wal-mart) and use those if I am taking really, really close shots, like this one:
Encouraged by my improved photos, I decided to give the front page of my Etsy shop a face lift. I photographed all of my items (except for two, because the sun set... I shake my fist at you, Mr. Sun!) and edited them. I made them the first shot of each listing so that my main shop page has a more uniform appearance. I didn't like the cluttered look before I did this, and I feel much better after all that hard work!
Why don't you check out my new and improved Etsy shop page? Oh, and give us your photography secrets in a comment! :)
Stay tuned, as I will be posting the pattern for my vintage marguerite bonnet soon!
Monday, September 3, 2012
Back from vacation!
After two weeks of sleeping in, daily siestas, delicious food, and virtually no schedule to think of, I quite understand why Spaniards become so grumpy on September 1. Vacations are over and it's back to work after quite a long time away from reality. I start my new job tomorrow, and I spent my last day of "vacation" getting Madrid Metro Mod back up and running as well as listing all of the little confections I made while away from Madrid.
Vacation was amazing! We spent the first week in Olombrada, Segovia (Spain), the town where my boyfriend's mother grew up. I can't imagine growing up in the house that she grew up in, mainly because the hallways have a lot in common with the staircases at Monticello (that is, to say, they are very, very narrow) and there is no heat in the house. It was in the 90s during the day, but we still slept with blankets at night. I also met the boyfriend's Aunt Reme, who is a nun in Navarra. She was really nice, did a lot of dishes, and taught me three new card games. We played cards... a lot.
The first night of vacation was spent dancing to a street band in Cantalejo, a neighboring town that had its yearly festivals. We ate churros y chocolate (think funnel cake meets really thick hot chocolate and they had a trashy love affair in your belly) and danced until super tarde... or 1am, when I was about to fall over.
The next morning, to do penance for our sins - and mainly to have a drink at the wonderful café next to the church - we attended mass at El Santuario de la Virgen del Henar. Legend has it that the Virgin appeared there to some shepherds and made the water begin running in the fountain that had dried up. It still runs to this day, and I love going to mass here every time we go to Olombrada.
We went swimming at the local pool, we went shopping in Cuéllar, and on the way home, we ran into a herd of sheep! With a shepherd! And I took a picture with them, because I thought they were incredibly awesome.
While in Olombrada, I also made my first tortilla española, or Spanish omelet. The trick is to use about a gallon and a half of olive oil to fry the potatoes at a low heat, then remove the potatoes, mix them with the beaten eggs, and then put it all back in the skillet with some oil. It was lots of fun, and I didn't drop the tortilla when I flipped it!
On our last day in Olombrada, Jorge took me to Peñafiel, a town that has a medieval castle that dates from the 10th century. It was amazingly horrific, especially the open areas of the castle where the guide reminded you several times to hold onto your small children because they can fall through the cracks. If you get too freaked out, you can go have a drink in the Museo Provicinal del Vino, or the province's wine museum. It was pretty cool to learn so much about how wine is made! I promptly forgot most of it over a glass of tinto.
Although I loved being in Olombrada, the best cure for "end of vacation blues" is to promptly go on another vacation, which we did. We packed up five adults, a bird, a dog and luggage for a week (please, read that again... I'll wait) into a Honda CRV - which, might I add, is considered a small SUV in the United States - and headed to Calpe, Valencia.
Beaches on the Mediterranean are nothing like the Carolina coasts where I grew up vacationing. The beaches tend to be very small, overcrowded with umbrellas and people, and there are very few waves. If there are waves, it's because there is a storm, and the red flag goes up and the lifeguard (yes, there was a real, live lifeguard) tells you to get out of the water, and you promptly get soaked by a downpour. This happened several times, but the beach was gorgeous.
In Calpe, we visited some super important caves where cavemen and their dogs lived over 50,000 years ago! We also saw the Fonts del Algar, a natural spring with waterfalls that you can swim in... or, perhaps, kill yourself, as I saw lots of people fall on their culetes while attempting to traverse the rocks.
I also had a birthday while in Calpe! As a present, I threw caution to the wind and went for a 20€ haircut in a salon with a bald barber and a lesbian stylist. It turned out to be one of the best haircuts I've ever had!
After two long weeks, a birthday, missing my family, and surviving a double ear infection and gastroenteritis, I hopped back in the Honda CRV with the other four adults, one bird, one dog, luggage, and souvenirs, and traveled back to Madrid. Tomorrow, back to work, but I can't wait for next year's vacation... possibly in the USA!! :)
Oh, and yes I did do some light hooking on vacation. Allow me to toot my own horn and say that I think I made some cute things, as the first pair of ankle boots that I listed on Etsy today sold within the hour! Yipee! :)
Vacation was amazing! We spent the first week in Olombrada, Segovia (Spain), the town where my boyfriend's mother grew up. I can't imagine growing up in the house that she grew up in, mainly because the hallways have a lot in common with the staircases at Monticello (that is, to say, they are very, very narrow) and there is no heat in the house. It was in the 90s during the day, but we still slept with blankets at night. I also met the boyfriend's Aunt Reme, who is a nun in Navarra. She was really nice, did a lot of dishes, and taught me three new card games. We played cards... a lot.
The first night of vacation was spent dancing to a street band in Cantalejo, a neighboring town that had its yearly festivals. We ate churros y chocolate (think funnel cake meets really thick hot chocolate and they had a trashy love affair in your belly) and danced until super tarde... or 1am, when I was about to fall over.
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| Churros y chocolate from a street vendor. Yum! |
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| The best son in the world, taking his mom for a stroll around the dance floor. |
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| The boyfriend's brother and mom, dancing! |
 | ||
| The plaza filled up quite a bit when Paquito el Chocolatero (think Spanish YMCA) started playing! |
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| The ceiling of the church, like the rest of it, is absolutely gorgeous. |
While in Olombrada, I also made my first tortilla española, or Spanish omelet. The trick is to use about a gallon and a half of olive oil to fry the potatoes at a low heat, then remove the potatoes, mix them with the beaten eggs, and then put it all back in the skillet with some oil. It was lots of fun, and I didn't drop the tortilla when I flipped it!
On our last day in Olombrada, Jorge took me to Peñafiel, a town that has a medieval castle that dates from the 10th century. It was amazingly horrific, especially the open areas of the castle where the guide reminded you several times to hold onto your small children because they can fall through the cracks. If you get too freaked out, you can go have a drink in the Museo Provicinal del Vino, or the province's wine museum. It was pretty cool to learn so much about how wine is made! I promptly forgot most of it over a glass of tinto.
 |
| The castle sits on top of a terribly high hill. |
Although I loved being in Olombrada, the best cure for "end of vacation blues" is to promptly go on another vacation, which we did. We packed up five adults, a bird, a dog and luggage for a week (please, read that again... I'll wait) into a Honda CRV - which, might I add, is considered a small SUV in the United States - and headed to Calpe, Valencia.
Beaches on the Mediterranean are nothing like the Carolina coasts where I grew up vacationing. The beaches tend to be very small, overcrowded with umbrellas and people, and there are very few waves. If there are waves, it's because there is a storm, and the red flag goes up and the lifeguard (yes, there was a real, live lifeguard) tells you to get out of the water, and you promptly get soaked by a downpour. This happened several times, but the beach was gorgeous.
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| Jorge and his family in Benidorm, another beach close to Calpe. |
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| Calpe on the last night of vacation! |
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| The diving area of Fonts del Algar. |
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| The original cave entrance in Cueva de las Calaveras. Can you imagine having to climb down that barefoot?! |
After two long weeks, a birthday, missing my family, and surviving a double ear infection and gastroenteritis, I hopped back in the Honda CRV with the other four adults, one bird, one dog, luggage, and souvenirs, and traveled back to Madrid. Tomorrow, back to work, but I can't wait for next year's vacation... possibly in the USA!! :)
Oh, and yes I did do some light hooking on vacation. Allow me to toot my own horn and say that I think I made some cute things, as the first pair of ankle boots that I listed on Etsy today sold within the hour! Yipee! :)
Friday, August 17, 2012
One last quick word about yarns before V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N!!!
I just had to update about my quest for the best yarns in Madrid!
I recently embarked upon an Odyssean journey to El Corte Inglés to mail a package. The local post office closes at 2:30pm in August (which, had I known, I would have left the house before 2:55pm, and thus arrived on time!), so if you want to mail anything after that time, you have to go to a bigger branch. I decided to head to El Corte Inglés in Puerta del Sol because I have a direct metro line there and the train system is an f(·/$%ing nightmare since they closed the Recoletos tunnel and it won't be fixed until I leave for vacation which is really, really inconveniente!!!... So, ahem, I ended up at El Corte Inglés Preciados.
Since I trekked all the way up there on a day when the high temps were well over 100ºF, I decided to take full advantage of the air conditioning and visit the Rowan Corner - that is to say, the yarn supplies shop, located conveniently next to the baby apparel shop... talk about inspiration!
If you've never heard of El Corte Inglés, it's sort of like Coach, Macy's, Target, Carolina Herrera and Bergdorf Goodman had an only child and spoiled him rotten until he became the only respectable place to shop for those who make more than 1,500€ per month. I'm not kidding. It's huge, and remarkable, and they have everything when you can't find it anywhere else... even Peter Pan peanut butter, for a minimal fee of 4.65€ for about 4 ounces. That kind of quality, it seems, doesn't come cheap, folks!
Twice a year, El Corte Inglés looks down upon the face of the mileurista (sort of a minimum-wage working class Spaniard-esque term) and sees him sweating to afford quality clothes not sold by a chino (that's Spain speak for "Chinaman"). The CEOs take pity and decide to start up REBAJAS, a sale that comes as close to clearance as Spain ever gets. Yep, there's no Target 75% off rack to be had in Spain. It's rebajas or nothing.
Now I usually don't get too hyped up about rebajas, because for me, that dress that used to be 69.99€ on sale for 39.99€ is still a little... as they say... outside of my price range. However, when it comes to the yarns, drop what you're doing and get to the rebajas now!!! Pronto. Ahora. Now.
So what did I discover at the Corte Inglés on that hot day? Well, they had a bazillion yarns on clearance for 0.99€. We're not talking acrylics (although they had huge "super saver"-esque skeins for 1.99€), we're talking the real deal. Cottons, wool blends, silk blends, all for 0.99€ for 50g! That's amazing!
I snagged 6 balls of a gorgeous summery-mustardy yellow in 100% cotton for.. yep.. 0.99€ a pop. I also got three balls of silk / acrylic blend for baby booties that is so soft and shiny that I just want to rest my face on it. Yep, you guessed it, 0.99€ each (normally 2.60€). They also had huge deals on other European yarns, such as the French Cabotine that I used to make an adorable piggy hat and diaper cover. It was on sale for 3.45€ per 50g.
If you happen to be visiting Madrid in January (usually from January 6-31) or August / September, be sure to visit El Corte Inglés for their rebajas pricing on beautiful yarns! You will be glad you did!
And with that said, I'm packing my bags and am off for the land with beautiful weather, tractors in the streets, sheep herders living large... and no internet. See you in September!
I recently embarked upon an Odyssean journey to El Corte Inglés to mail a package. The local post office closes at 2:30pm in August (which, had I known, I would have left the house before 2:55pm, and thus arrived on time!), so if you want to mail anything after that time, you have to go to a bigger branch. I decided to head to El Corte Inglés in Puerta del Sol because I have a direct metro line there and the train system is an f(·/$%ing nightmare since they closed the Recoletos tunnel and it won't be fixed until I leave for vacation which is really, really inconveniente!!!... So, ahem, I ended up at El Corte Inglés Preciados.
Since I trekked all the way up there on a day when the high temps were well over 100ºF, I decided to take full advantage of the air conditioning and visit the Rowan Corner - that is to say, the yarn supplies shop, located conveniently next to the baby apparel shop... talk about inspiration!
If you've never heard of El Corte Inglés, it's sort of like Coach, Macy's, Target, Carolina Herrera and Bergdorf Goodman had an only child and spoiled him rotten until he became the only respectable place to shop for those who make more than 1,500€ per month. I'm not kidding. It's huge, and remarkable, and they have everything when you can't find it anywhere else... even Peter Pan peanut butter, for a minimal fee of 4.65€ for about 4 ounces. That kind of quality, it seems, doesn't come cheap, folks!
Twice a year, El Corte Inglés looks down upon the face of the mileurista (sort of a minimum-wage working class Spaniard-esque term) and sees him sweating to afford quality clothes not sold by a chino (that's Spain speak for "Chinaman"). The CEOs take pity and decide to start up REBAJAS, a sale that comes as close to clearance as Spain ever gets. Yep, there's no Target 75% off rack to be had in Spain. It's rebajas or nothing.
Now I usually don't get too hyped up about rebajas, because for me, that dress that used to be 69.99€ on sale for 39.99€ is still a little... as they say... outside of my price range. However, when it comes to the yarns, drop what you're doing and get to the rebajas now!!! Pronto. Ahora. Now.
So what did I discover at the Corte Inglés on that hot day? Well, they had a bazillion yarns on clearance for 0.99€. We're not talking acrylics (although they had huge "super saver"-esque skeins for 1.99€), we're talking the real deal. Cottons, wool blends, silk blends, all for 0.99€ for 50g! That's amazing!
I snagged 6 balls of a gorgeous summery-mustardy yellow in 100% cotton for.. yep.. 0.99€ a pop. I also got three balls of silk / acrylic blend for baby booties that is so soft and shiny that I just want to rest my face on it. Yep, you guessed it, 0.99€ each (normally 2.60€). They also had huge deals on other European yarns, such as the French Cabotine that I used to make an adorable piggy hat and diaper cover. It was on sale for 3.45€ per 50g.
If you happen to be visiting Madrid in January (usually from January 6-31) or August / September, be sure to visit El Corte Inglés for their rebajas pricing on beautiful yarns! You will be glad you did!
And with that said, I'm packing my bags and am off for the land with beautiful weather, tractors in the streets, sheep herders living large... and no internet. See you in September!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Going on vacation!
Even though I have been "on vacation" (aka, unemployed) since July 31, I am leaving for parts unknown on Saturday morning.
Having August "off" has brought forth a few changes in my life.
First, I feel like a "real" teacher, resting up for the 9 months ahead of screaming primary students.
Second, I have finished the rewrites of the first chapter of my dissertation (finally!) and I began writing the second chapter. I have always been a very fast writer - finishing my MA and PhD exams in record time, finishing term papers in one day, whipping up a blog post in 7 hours (err.. ok, blog excluded) - so I wrote my first chapter like everything else: quickly and without much editing. When my adviser returned my chapter with the dreaded "Start again, please," I feared editing, but it turned out to be a great process. I started formatting my dissertation properly, learned that you only use one space after a period for MLA (and not two) and began enclosing my punctuation "within the quotation marks," instead of "outside the quotation marks". The second chapter is coming along much better because I am setting smaller writing goals and only write one section at a time, instead of pages and pages over one hard day. I should be finished within a month, and I'm certain that this chapter will be much stronger than the draft of Chapter 1. Yay!
Third, I have a had a lot of time to work on my Etsy shop. I've been working with new patterns, buying new yarns, and creating adorable little things. My favorites of the month have been, hands down, these crochet ankle boots, these adorable elf hats with matching leg warmers, and headbands!
I have finished skeins of yarn - a huge accomplishment for someone who, throughout most of her life, has had a problem finishing projects - and I think it's because it's really rewarding to add to my projects on Ravelry and to see my shop stats grow on Etsy.
So, after a great fortnight, I am headed away from Madrid! I will be spending a week in Olombrada, a very small town in Segovia, with my Spanish boyfriend's family. They have an amazing house with a private patio, and my puppy loves to walk off-leash and be outside all day long. I also get to meet Aunt Reme, and I hear that she loves to play Parchis (my new favorite Spanish board game) and cinquillo, an awesome card game. I taught my boyfriend to play "Go Fish!" and will teach his family there.
After a week in Olombrada - where the nightly temperatures call for a jacket! - we head to Calpe, a beach area in the Mediterranean. I am really looking forward to going to the beach and have had lots and lots of fond memories of beach trips with my own family over the past few weeks. We will be staying in a small apartment (so that the puppy can join us) and I'm sure that we will have lots of adventures!
While I'm gone, I am going to dar de baja - or close - my Etsy shop, because I would hate to have someone order and not be able to ship until September. I hope that when I get back, I will be able to list lots more adorable items... and... I will be debuting a few patterns that I have been working up over the past month!!
The best part about going on vacation is spending it with people you love and experiencing new sights, smells, and tastes, but it's also very exciting to come home from vacation with new and exciting projects... and a brand new job that I begin on September 4!
Yep, August is shaping up to be a pretty awesome month! :)
Having August "off" has brought forth a few changes in my life.
First, I feel like a "real" teacher, resting up for the 9 months ahead of screaming primary students.
Second, I have finished the rewrites of the first chapter of my dissertation (finally!) and I began writing the second chapter. I have always been a very fast writer - finishing my MA and PhD exams in record time, finishing term papers in one day, whipping up a blog post in 7 hours (err.. ok, blog excluded) - so I wrote my first chapter like everything else: quickly and without much editing. When my adviser returned my chapter with the dreaded "Start again, please," I feared editing, but it turned out to be a great process. I started formatting my dissertation properly, learned that you only use one space after a period for MLA (and not two) and began enclosing my punctuation "within the quotation marks," instead of "outside the quotation marks". The second chapter is coming along much better because I am setting smaller writing goals and only write one section at a time, instead of pages and pages over one hard day. I should be finished within a month, and I'm certain that this chapter will be much stronger than the draft of Chapter 1. Yay!
Third, I have a had a lot of time to work on my Etsy shop. I've been working with new patterns, buying new yarns, and creating adorable little things. My favorites of the month have been, hands down, these crochet ankle boots, these adorable elf hats with matching leg warmers, and headbands!
I have finished skeins of yarn - a huge accomplishment for someone who, throughout most of her life, has had a problem finishing projects - and I think it's because it's really rewarding to add to my projects on Ravelry and to see my shop stats grow on Etsy.
So, after a great fortnight, I am headed away from Madrid! I will be spending a week in Olombrada, a very small town in Segovia, with my Spanish boyfriend's family. They have an amazing house with a private patio, and my puppy loves to walk off-leash and be outside all day long. I also get to meet Aunt Reme, and I hear that she loves to play Parchis (my new favorite Spanish board game) and cinquillo, an awesome card game. I taught my boyfriend to play "Go Fish!" and will teach his family there.
After a week in Olombrada - where the nightly temperatures call for a jacket! - we head to Calpe, a beach area in the Mediterranean. I am really looking forward to going to the beach and have had lots and lots of fond memories of beach trips with my own family over the past few weeks. We will be staying in a small apartment (so that the puppy can join us) and I'm sure that we will have lots of adventures!
While I'm gone, I am going to dar de baja - or close - my Etsy shop, because I would hate to have someone order and not be able to ship until September. I hope that when I get back, I will be able to list lots more adorable items... and... I will be debuting a few patterns that I have been working up over the past month!!
The best part about going on vacation is spending it with people you love and experiencing new sights, smells, and tastes, but it's also very exciting to come home from vacation with new and exciting projects... and a brand new job that I begin on September 4!
Yep, August is shaping up to be a pretty awesome month! :)
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Why I love Ravelry (and why you should love it, too!)
When I lived in Columbus, many moons ago, my crafting supplies were stored in the closet under the stairs (ahem, note the recurring Harry Pottery theme... thank you very much!). Later, I found out that they were also stored in the upstairs guestroom closet. Then I realized that they were also stored in my bedside chest of drawers. From patterns to yarn to hooks, to chocolate lollipop supplies, to a sewing machine and all necessary haberdash, my 700 square feet apartment was like a treasure trove for crafters.
When I moved to Madrid, I sold the chocolate supplies, I sold the yarn, I sold the patterns, and I kept the sewing machine in storage. And I resisted the urge to travel across the ocean with my hooks. This, in retrospect, was a mistake... not that I'm bitter, mind you.
Now that I live in a much more humble 500 square feet apartment with only one closet and a Spanish boyfriend who - surprise! needs his own space, too - I have to be smart about my crafting supplies. There are days when I leave the house with four or five skeins of yarn on the couch (and beg for mercy, or at least mumble an apology as it's 6:30am and I am not fully awake), but for the most part, I have figured out ways to be more organized.
Tangent: That's one thing that I like about Spaniards. They don't clutter. They live in very small apartments (by American standards) with small children, who eventually turn into big children, who then turn into live-in adult children, and yet the house is usually presentable and the clutter is hidden. If my nieces and nephews saw that there was no space in Grandma and Grandpa's house for their 3 laundry baskets of toys, they would probably throw a hissy, but I quite like the idea that less is more.
I store all of my yarns with members of the same genus and species (Nilo in the 2nd row, Lanas Stop in the 1st row, all Gato Negro yarns in their neat little balls in a box, scraps in the right top corner) in one drawer of an armoire in our living room. I store all of my items from my Etsy shop in another drawer in a second armoire in our living room. I store my buttons, hooks, scissors and threading supplies in a small plastic Ikea box that I can throw in a small bag or in any of the above-mentioned drawers. It works.
But once I started my Etsy shop (aka This is a plug), I realized that I had to keep more than my yarns organized. Inventories and pricing lists and order invoices... not to mention the patterns! How could I keep my projects organized as effectively as my yarns?
I discovered Ravelry as a fluke, but it has since become my favorite place to keep my Etsy shop organized! It's free, and you can create an account quickly. You can use Ravelry to:
In your Notebook, you can keep track of your projects, your yarn stash, your favorite patterns, your needles and hooks and your interaction with other Ravelers. So how does the Ravelry Notebook work?
Let's say you want to crochet this amazing bonnet that you found when you were browsing the amazing selection of patterns:
From this screen, you can access the pattern (description), see who else has made this project and what pictures they have posted ("10 projects"), check out yarn ideas and... add it to your notebook. There are four ways to do this, all located in the top right corner of the page:
When editing the page, you add in all the information (which is a really helpful way to keep track of this project in case you want to reproduce it in the future... say, for example, if it's something you list on Etsy, sell and need to make more). You can even add a picture, the date you started and completed the project, state how difficult you feel the pattern is, and put notes to yourself (very helpful if you, like me, are constantly modifying patterns).
Adding a project takes about 2 minutes once you finish the project, and it can save you a long time of looking through a million bookmarked crochet patterns in search for the very one you used to crochet the first baby booties you made this year and now you can't find the f")$/"@∞|@ pattern but you need it para hace cinco minutos!!! (Not that that's ever happened to me, mind you.)
Here's my current projects page:
Every time I start a project, I add it to my Notebook, even if it's just to put down the hook size and yarn and pattern source. I update it as I go along if I find errors in the pattern or modify the pattern. When I'm finished, I note the date and jot down any last minute notes. After I list the item on Etsy, I put a picture so that I remember exactly which item I made. It really helps when you start getting upwards of 25 projects... and imagine how much it can help when I have sold hundreds of items (to my closest friends and relatives) and end up making hundreds of euro pennies!!! Ahem...
So that's that. You should join Ravelry. You should take advantage of an amazing and free site that lets you connect to the bigger brain cloud of yarn crafters all over the world. And you should look me up. My name is scuttleboose.
.... and now for the credits:
I am honored to thank Katherine and her blog Crochetlatte for amazing patterns that she shares with us and some of the best yarn photography I have yet to see. Her site is still developing, but she has some amazing things! So, credit where credit is more than due, please check out Crochetlatte's blog.
When I moved to Madrid, I sold the chocolate supplies, I sold the yarn, I sold the patterns, and I kept the sewing machine in storage. And I resisted the urge to travel across the ocean with my hooks. This, in retrospect, was a mistake... not that I'm bitter, mind you.
Now that I live in a much more humble 500 square feet apartment with only one closet and a Spanish boyfriend who - surprise! needs his own space, too - I have to be smart about my crafting supplies. There are days when I leave the house with four or five skeins of yarn on the couch (and beg for mercy, or at least mumble an apology as it's 6:30am and I am not fully awake), but for the most part, I have figured out ways to be more organized.
Tangent: That's one thing that I like about Spaniards. They don't clutter. They live in very small apartments (by American standards) with small children, who eventually turn into big children, who then turn into live-in adult children, and yet the house is usually presentable and the clutter is hidden. If my nieces and nephews saw that there was no space in Grandma and Grandpa's house for their 3 laundry baskets of toys, they would probably throw a hissy, but I quite like the idea that less is more.
I store all of my yarns with members of the same genus and species (Nilo in the 2nd row, Lanas Stop in the 1st row, all Gato Negro yarns in their neat little balls in a box, scraps in the right top corner) in one drawer of an armoire in our living room. I store all of my items from my Etsy shop in another drawer in a second armoire in our living room. I store my buttons, hooks, scissors and threading supplies in a small plastic Ikea box that I can throw in a small bag or in any of the above-mentioned drawers. It works.
But once I started my Etsy shop (aka This is a plug), I realized that I had to keep more than my yarns organized. Inventories and pricing lists and order invoices... not to mention the patterns! How could I keep my projects organized as effectively as my yarns?
I discovered Ravelry as a fluke, but it has since become my favorite place to keep my Etsy shop organized! It's free, and you can create an account quickly. You can use Ravelry to:
- Search for Crochet and Knitting patterns
- See lots of pictures of other people who have made the same pattern and brainstorm for your next project
- Research yarns that you like and see ideas for new projects
- Get to know other Ravelers in your area and attend their meet-ups or other events (note to self: this doesn't work so well in Spain)
- Ask questions or read topics in the forum
- Buy from friends and Ravelers in the Marketplace (meaning that you might save money on a pattern)
- Buy yarn! (I haven't tried this yet as I'm in Spain, but if you have in the US, please leave a comment and let us know how it went!)
In your Notebook, you can keep track of your projects, your yarn stash, your favorite patterns, your needles and hooks and your interaction with other Ravelers. So how does the Ravelry Notebook work?
Let's say you want to crochet this amazing bonnet that you found when you were browsing the amazing selection of patterns:
- "add to favorites" - this is a great option if you're browsing, but you aren't committed to the pattern
- "add to library" - this adds it to a wonderful library with thumbnail views of your favorite projects, sort of a way to browse within your own little collection of wonderful (note that on my screen it says "In my library"... well, cause I've already added it!)
- "add to queue" - this helps you save the pattern for your future projects... so if you're buried in three projects, but you want this to be the very next one you begin, put it in your queue in position 1
- "hook it" - this is your note page on the project, where you can put down what yarn you use, what hook you use, what size you make, etc.
When editing the page, you add in all the information (which is a really helpful way to keep track of this project in case you want to reproduce it in the future... say, for example, if it's something you list on Etsy, sell and need to make more). You can even add a picture, the date you started and completed the project, state how difficult you feel the pattern is, and put notes to yourself (very helpful if you, like me, are constantly modifying patterns).
Adding a project takes about 2 minutes once you finish the project, and it can save you a long time of looking through a million bookmarked crochet patterns in search for the very one you used to crochet the first baby booties you made this year and now you can't find the f")$/"@∞|@ pattern but you need it para hace cinco minutos!!! (Not that that's ever happened to me, mind you.)
Here's my current projects page:
Every time I start a project, I add it to my Notebook, even if it's just to put down the hook size and yarn and pattern source. I update it as I go along if I find errors in the pattern or modify the pattern. When I'm finished, I note the date and jot down any last minute notes. After I list the item on Etsy, I put a picture so that I remember exactly which item I made. It really helps when you start getting upwards of 25 projects... and imagine how much it can help when I have sold hundreds of items (to my closest friends and relatives) and end up making hundreds of euro pennies!!! Ahem...
So that's that. You should join Ravelry. You should take advantage of an amazing and free site that lets you connect to the bigger brain cloud of yarn crafters all over the world. And you should look me up. My name is scuttleboose.
.... and now for the credits:
I am honored to thank Katherine and her blog Crochetlatte for amazing patterns that she shares with us and some of the best yarn photography I have yet to see. Her site is still developing, but she has some amazing things! So, credit where credit is more than due, please check out Crochetlatte's blog.
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