Update

First of all -- big big thanks to the wonderful Carrie for giving my blog a bit of a facelift - I love it!! Hugs and kisses xxxx

I know I'm not going to be the world's best blogger in the world but I'm going to try and post at least once a month; that will hopefully be a reasonable target.

I bought a load more yarn in Killarney recently - I now have three great big boxes full of it -- all sorts of different things to try out, though I don't know when I ever will get round to using it all.

I've even started listing my 'destash' stuff in my Etsy shop (at cheaper than RRP) and it's been a bit of a success so far - and helps keep Peter from muttering about how 'wool is taking over the whole house'




I've just listed two different shades of Rowan Kidsilk Spray - pebble and medici (kind of coffee and cream, and shades of blue) so we'll see how they do. Hopefully they will catch someone's eye...

I've had a grand total of 64 Etsy sales now - which is brilliant though it would be FAB if I could just reach 65 by the end of this month. It's a year this month since I registered with Etsy, though I didn't put anything in my shop until May or June I think.

Peter's put up a massive map of the world on the wall in here and we're going to get some tiny stickers so I can record just where each of my items has gone to - it's quite exciting really in a geeky kind of way! I've even sold one pair of wrist warmers to someone in Australia now :)

I somehow think I won't become a millionaire from Etsy, but that isn't what it's all about (for me at least) - I get ridiculously happy when I have a sale...that feeling never seems to wear off. I love it, but especially adore it when you hear back from someone either via the feedback system on Etsy, or through emails or private messages on Etsy that they like what they've bought from me.

I've yet to sell any of my organic cotton scrubbies but I love them and have great faith that someone else will too! They're such a fab idea - very gentle on the skin and enviromentally friendly to boot, which is always a good thing.


I've been busy over the weekend and have ordered 100 business cards (!!!)and another book of stickers - all from Moo (oh I love that company but I wish they were cheaper!)I think I'm being a bit ambitious with the 100 business cards but you have to have faith in yourself - if you don't then no one else is going to do it for you. I've easily sold over 100 items by now anyway - what with Etsy items, things I've sold locally or given to friends and family.

The latest thing I've finished is this unbleached cotton beach bag with cotton applique flowers - I was just going to leave it plain but it looked like it needed 'something' and you can never have too many crochet flowers! - you might notice that the flowers are in the same cotton as the scrubbies - I love purple and pink!

This is a bit of a sneak preview as I haven't listed it on Etsy or my facebook page yet...oooh a world exclusive, ha ha. I think it's quite cute.




I love taking the listing photos down on the beach - it's so much more beautiful than our garden is this time of year, and you don't end up with chickens or stuff in the background!

I'm loving this time of year now that things are starting to get spring-y and I can work outside, either in the garden or down on the beach (if I wrap up well) - you can't beat crochet al fresco! I quite like the idea of including a photo of me making things in my Etsy listings - I love where I live and I like to share that when I can.

*blush*

Sigh, I think I am a hopeless blogger, I keep forgetting that I even HAVE a blog...and then when I remember and think 'oh yes, I must put this in my blog' it's usually when I am away from the computer or have 101 other things on the go...which is why it's now the middle of February and the last time I wrote here was back in October...sigh sigh sigh!

Gosh, well since I last wrote things have come on quite a bit. I've had a total of 54 sales now in my Etsy shop; coming up to Christmas was really busy, with sales from the shop aswell as friends and family asking me to make things. I'd like to be better prepared for it all this Christmas, and I'm trying to build up my 'stock' in the shop all the time. At the moment I have 44 items up for sale on there; sales have really slowed down afer the Christmas 'rush' but I'm trying to keep making stuff and not stress about it all slowing down.

I'm trying to think of some other crochet items to sell, as I guess you can have TOO many pairs of wrist warmers after all! So I made another one of those 'beach bags' and bought a whole load of wool from the wool shop in Killarney last week, which has given me a lot of inspiration!

You really need to click on the photo to see it in all its glory - so many wonderful things!



I got a lot of 100% pure organic fair trade cotton in that stash, so I've tried making some crochet 'scrubbies' (which you use instead of cotton wool, for taking off make-up etc). I made a trial run of three for myself to test out, then tweaked my pattern a bit (changing the stitches so it would be a bit 'denser') and have made a little set of four to list at some stage...we'll see how they go, I can't see myself making that much of a profit from them but it's nice to make something different!



We're heading off on our travels at the end of the week so hopefully we will be able to do a bit of a detour via the wool shop for a bit of a stock up again :) I'm having to buy a third big plastic box for my wool stash so I guess I may as well fill it up!

In the yarns that I bought there, I got some gorgeous kid mohair and silk mix -- Kidsilk Haze by Rowan; it was a bit of a bargain so I'm hoping that I can buy some more...I should be able to get three pairs of wrist warmers out of two balls of it.

I've already made some chocolate brown ones in the yarn and they are just sublime - really warm but feather light, only 7g each in weight!



I'm halfway through a pair in the same yarn but in a lovely blue marl, I may keep a pair of these for myself...

I was able to get the Kidsilk Haze in an oatmeal colour and black, aswell as the blue marl and chocolate brown! It's a nightmare to work with at first as it is SO fine, like thread, but once you get into it it isn't so bad.

New Wool Order :)

Oh my gosh look what came in the post for me today - also included was 'Grannys gone wild' and a pack of wool sewing needles.

I thought eventually I might make an afghan throw or blanket for us; some of them look quite complicated though!

Now that I have smaller sized wool needles I was able to sew in the loose ends on those purple-y wrist warmers I'd made for myself in the 4-ply. I love them!

I also made this pair for myself but it's an AWFUL photo as Peter is over in England and I had to snap it myself, and in poor light to boot!



They're made in the Noro Kuryan (spelling?) 100% wool and are FAB, the colours are much nicer in real life. I'm really happy with them too. So I now have three pairs of 'proper' wrist warmers :)

I must get back to making some to try and sell on Etsy.

I've just had a message from a lady in America about the black with white flecks but I'm not sure if I'm making her a pair to measure or selling the pair I'd listed in my shop - either option is grand with me so I'm waiting for her to get back to me about it

Something Nice for Myself

I've been making a pair of wristwarmers for MYSELF!

They're in 4-ply, which is so fine; it really has taken some getting used to as it's like working with thread compared to Aran weight or even double knitting (I've been working with mostly Aran weight)

It's so slow to work with and I found that so frustrating at first, as I tend to crochet very quickly and am used to things just taking a couple of hours and then they're done and I move on to the next thing....but 4-ply takes FOREVER!



I know this sounds really philosophical but I've now realised that this isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it means that each piece takes longer, so in a weird kind of way it's saving me money (because normally the more I make, the more I want to make more...so I buy more and more wool!) -- fuzzy logic I guess, but that's how my brain works! It makes sense to me anyway.




Added to that, the colours in this yarn are just beautiful so it's a pleasure to work with now that I'm used to it! It looks so neat!

I've got one all finished (apart from tidying in the loose ends) and am about half way up the second one - I can't wait to be able to wear them :)

In fact, I like it so much that I've bought myself another ball of this purple, and also a midnight blue (and I think another...it's a bit of a blur when I start ordering wool *blush*) Oh I think I got one with shades of red in it too.

I should get my next order from Springwools early next week - hopefully on Monday, but I only ordered it on Friday afternoon so I think it mightn't be til Tuesday. I managed to spend more than ever this time but it'll have to last now until I make some more sales.

I've got eleven pairs of wrist warmers listed on Etsy now - all different, and my two ruffley bags, a beach bag and two peg bags...I've ''only'' had three sales so far this month (and two of them were crochet hooks) and I'm trying not to stress so much about it. I keep telling myself that the 'right' person for each piece will be the one who eventually buys it...but I want them to hurry up and find it now!!!

As you can see from the first photo, the weather was so great today that I was able to sit out on a deckchair and work in the garden :)

More Wrist Warmers

I seem to spend all my time making these guys just lately, but that's ok and they do (sometimes!) seem to sell well on Etsy, and locally too...

These are the ones I've made since my last post...








All from lovely Springwools wool :)

I'm thinking this great big chunk of driftwood might make a better backdrop for the photos for wrist warmers etc - it's more 'bland' than the blue walls of our shed and house! I think it looks kind of cool...

I've started making a pair of wristers in 4-ply yarn this afternoon, but oh gosh it's so fine...it will take me forever! It's beautiful though, deep deep shades of purple (my favourite colour) and 75% wool - I may keep them for myself :)

Treasuries and Etsy Sales

I am so bowled over (and mega-impressed!) but I've had 15 sales from my Etsy shop!! I've only been listing stuff on there since July (I think) so I'm really happy with that.

It's wierd but some times things sell just after listing them - literally within hours or a couple of days, but other stuff has been there all Summer. But I guess eventually it will happen, I need to be more patient...not easy, I know!

A quick update -- the Autumnal Tivoli Ocean ones I mentioned before sold very quickly; then Michelle from Growveg bought the Irish rose scarf/wrap, then the chocolate brown mohair mix ones sold, then a pair of King Cole Riot berry colours sold to the lovely Jacquie, then I made a pair of the same ones for Pepper from Growveg (and she also bought the soft blue cowl), then I sold another pair of the Tivoli Ocean blue wristers (love them so much!) and then finally I sold a pair of the black and white Tivoli Colourblend wristers!

Gosh, that does sound like a lot, doesn't it?! Jana from the Island bought a pair of the black and purple Tivoli Colourblend wristers just today so I've deactivated that listing. I must make another pair to relist though but there's no rush!

Oh gosh...

How hopeless am I at keeping this updated? - don't answer...I already know.

My lovely wool order from September arrived, and just the other day I placed another oreder with them (lovely Springwools up in Dublin)



Isn't this like a lovely snuggly box of chocolates? Most of it is all going to go on stuff to sell on Etsy but I decided to treat myself to some post yarn so I bought two balls of Noro Kureyon for a pair of wrist warmers or something for MYSELF!! It's 100% wool and has the most gorgeous colours! It'd be great in a hat, but I don't really wear hats so I'll have to think of something else :)

I ordered some more of the Tivoli Colourblend, which crochets up very well - I already had the white and black, and the purple and black before so I bought a couple of balls of the green and black to try too...




I'd also ordered some more of the King Cole riot yarn in Autumnal colours, and got some of their metallic silver/grey too, to see how that goes...hopefully all this will sell!



I got my big boxful of lovely stuff this afternoon when I came home to work :) and have already started on a pair of wristers in the Freedom Spirit by Twilleys of Stamford - it's gorgeous: 100% wool but it doesn't have that scratchiness you sometimes get with wool. It's a lovely colour, like raspberries and other nice things; I'd buy this again (maybe try other colours next time as well)