August!

Wow, it's already the 20th August and this is the first time I've sat down to update my blog so far this month - work is still very busy (we'd nearly 400 cars by the time I finished my shift this afternoon) but it's starting to feel like we have turned the corner on the busiest of the busy season and I'm starting to feel like I can breathe a little again.

My days off work are still incredibly precious and I try to make the most of them, taking photos so that I remember these moments of calm rather than the whirlwind that is my day-job right now.

 The peak of the ferry season is the August bank holiday weekend - and it was memorable this year, but for all the wrong reasons. It was blowing an absolute gale and the sea was so rough that the ferry had to stop, not only on the Sunday but also the Monday of the long weekend. It was devastating really, as they should have been our busiest days of the season, but to be honest I was very grateful that we had stopped (it isn't a decision that they take lightly, and safety has to be the most important thing at all time).

Since my new head mannequin arrived I've been busy re-photographing all of my hats from my Etsy shop - all twenty five of them! It took a couple of days to get them all done but things will be easier from now on. I'm so happy with her - I think she looks much more professional and more photogenic than my poor other one.

I've been to the Portmagee market twice this month and have done really well both times - maybe my Ondine is helping? - but I sold three hats yesterday there! Yesterday was a great day there for me, I sold a total of seven pairs of crocodile stitch wrist warmers, thirteen cards and one of the shower mitts!

My 'stock levels' are severely depleted thanks to my success at the Portmagee market - at this time of year I don't get to crochet so much thanks to being so tired from work, but I will have time to rebuild my levels back up from now on, and hopefully will have a good selection again, ready for the Christmas markets :)

Talking about re-building stock...I recently ordered all of these from Deramores (in the UK) - lovely shades of King Cole's 'riot dk' which I am using for crocodile st. wrist warmers.

I had already made one pair of wrist warmers from this yarn before the last craft fair and sold them that day, and then I was in the middle of making another pair (in the gorgeous purple and green shade at the bottom left) yesterday at the fair and someone wanted to buy them straight away! - the colours in this yarn are so eye-catching; they are always popular as wrist warmers :)