Scarf Designs For the Special Olympics Project Coming Soon

I just finished another bacon and egg scarf for a custom order. Today has been a whirl.  I have 3 new videos in the making but I didn't get any of them done today! The advent calendar is taking a long time as it has so many parts.  Twenty four pockets,  plus the background and backing and numbers. Come to think of it, it's still on the porch and it's dark now so I better go bring it back inside.  Sure can't video tape in the dark! Haha.

My editors asked me to come up with two scarf designs for the Special Olympics. I'm honored to be asked and will work on that as soon as I get all my custom orders done.

In other news, my grandson is due any day now, so I'm afraid to make too many commitments. I'm not sure yet if I'll be traveling 300 miles to see him or what exactly. Sometimes new parents need some alone time you know.  They don't necessarily want everyone showing up on their doorstep. As it is my other daughter and grandson will be staying with them as the birthing coach.
I do hope to see him for Christmas or at least New Years. We'll see how it goes.

Sca Heatherwyne Craft Fair

I'm back from the Heatherwine merchanting event in LaVerne. Sold quite a few arrows, some beef jerky and other archery related items.

Then I came home, rested a bit, and made some Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats to take to the Paleoplanet meeting in the morning. The recipe is on the Rice Krispy website.

I met another Kumi Himo person and got some more disks from her. That way if I want to teach  a friend or do a class I'll be ready.

From another seamstress I got 2 patterns.  One has Medieval dragons and lions on it for cross stitch or needlepoint.  The other is for blackwork and it an acorn pattern and a celtic knotwork pattern. The designs were inspired by a trip she took to England. She's also tried to find documentation on stick weaving and hasn't had any luck either.

Another woman who was vending has a range near San Diego. She was merchanting with her two daughters. They had all kinds of wool from their sheep and goats as well as some quilted items and hats and scarves.

Then they had the booth where people donating items that were gently used. I got a box full of quilting books for $5.  And I got a bag with 10 crochet hooks, some eyelets, some snaps and an eyelet setting tool for $3. I love bargains! Can you really have too many crochet hooks?

Tomorrow is our Paleoplanet gathering.  It's already rained tonight so I'm hoping the morning is storm free. I want to take my atlatl equipment and my juggling props, neither which will be useful in the rain.

I need to get to bed. Tomorrow is going to be another busy day.

I Sold a Scarf, YAY.

I just sold something on Etsy. Yay, it is possible. I sold one of my almost famous bacon and egg scarves.But I won't even have time to look for it until Monday. Because I didn't find out about the sale until after midnight, and I'm leaving at 7 AM to do an SCA event on Sat, and then on Sunday I'll be at the archery workshop in Pasadena, CA and then to visit relatives. With any luck I'll be home by 10 PM and there is no way I'm tearing through boxes of inventory at  that time of night. Plus Sat. night after the SCA event I promised to make Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats for the archery meeting. Super busy weekend.  I'm glad I sold something but the timing is challenging.

Now to bed I go so I can get up early.

Time Management and Arts

My Tweeters and Hooters shop hasn't had any new additions lately so I started working on a new owl baby tonight. This one is a medium gray. I can't wait to add the eyes.

My video 'job' has eaten up bunches of my time so I'm behind on practically everything else. So I decided to limit the videos to four hours per day, because the task really was expanding to fit the time. It's hard to make four videos a week.  Especially if it's a bigger project.  For example if it's a tutorial on knitting a pillow, the videotaping only takes so long, but somewhere in there I actually have to knit, stuff and sew together the entire  pillow. The items don't just magically appear.  Right now I'm making a knitted advent calendar, and I'm barely into making the pockets, so it will have to be a two part video.

Also, I want to have time to make videos that aren't tutorials. I want to make some VLOG videos, and some comedy stuff, and maybe a puppet show. I guess I"m going to have to live with a little less money, because life is about balance. I quickly become frustrated if every motive revolves around money. In hindsite, the tutorials don't pay much if it takes me 20 hours a week to make 4 tutorials. That's barely $5 an hour, and sometimes they take me more than 20 hours a week. The 20 hour mark is the new cap I put on it.
And if the editor doesn't like it, and I have to start over, I make even less money. It was so much simpler when I only had myself to please.

Oh Holidays, Why Do You Muck With My Schedule So?

Today I got up early to make tutorials and it was too cold on the porch for my hands. I'm going to have to find some way to make tutorials indoors.

I did get started on a snood tutorial. Then I had an idea for a knitted advent calendar so my focus shifted.  Ack! Now I'm doing 10 things at once.

My boyfriend was going to make a turkey today and he just got back from the store. But then he decided to do it tomorrow instead, which is a relief because I don't really have time to go help him or clean the kitchen right now. Because I realized my editor probably has Thursday through Sunday off for the holiday, which means I need to get 4 tutorials in by Wednesday at the latest. It entails making the videos, saving them to my computer, then saving them to youtube, then sending my editor a copy, then she has to upload it to youtube.  All that waiting for uploads takes time. And then somewhere in there the editor has to also send it to the people that send me money. Yay money.

I also needed to get my autumn project up on the zombie nanner gang blog. I'll put a photo of my harvest pillow here for you guys to enjoy.

Cypress Craft Fair

It's a rainy day in CA. Two rainy days in a row in fact.

Yesterday I found out my friend Doris was doing a craft fair in nearby Cypress, so I went to see her crafts and lend support. I figured with the poor weather the turn-out would be poor.  I was wrong. The place was bustling, most of which was due to the fact that dance performances were going on so of course the parents showed up with their kids in costumes for the show. Rain or shine.

Doris said sales were good. Her son was there helping her with the details.

Kumihimo and Beads

I just started a more advanced kumihimo project.  This one has 16 strands. Four of the strands have beads. The tricky part is getting the tube to form without losing the beads on the interior. The colors remind me of ocean waves. I picked out two pendants to hang from it. I haven't decided which one to use yet. We shall see. One is a fused glass square with lines of various colored glass across it.  The other is a collage of items.  I think it's got a key, a ball, some rhinestones and more. 

I didn't even think to get a green pendant to go with the cord I just finished.

The Only Present I Need

I think I need to relax and quit worrying about all the things I am behind on. It takes the joy out of life. People expect so much during the holidays. Right now the only thing I'm really hoping and praying for is that my daughter gives birth in the least painful way possible to a healhy baby boy in the next few weeks.  That's all the Christmas, birthday and holiday presents I need right there in a nutshell.

Crocheting and Zazzle

I just finished a tutorial on how to crochet around a metal circle. And I have the clips already of tomorrow's tutorial on how to make a mobile. I just ran out of time to link them all together.

Once I got that out of the way I worked on my Japanese Cord Braiding. I'm almost done with one I made in the Caidan colors. I just can't remember WHY I made one in the colors of Caid. What was I going to do with it?

I was hoping to work on my new leather quiver today, but wasn't feeling all that great. Leatherwork isn't the most forgiving medium, so it's not something I want to work on when I'm not feeling 100%.

Tonight I got some new items added to my Zazzle shop. And I'd even give you the link if I wasn't so tired. My Zazzle shop is called PersonalizeMe. I added some new postcard and postage stamp designs.

http://www.zazzle.com/striped_rose_postcarfd_postcard-239341760563770490

Back From Camping

Did anyone miss me while I was out camping?
I'm back now and ready to share more crafts.
On the camp-out I got out my Japanese cord braiding kit and made some headway on my cord. It's been months since I worked on it so it was challenging figuring out how to start in the middle of the pattern.  But I think I got it squared away.  I want to finish this plain one so I can try some of the beaded ones in the book I bought a month ago.

I also used my knitting loom whenever my hands were warm enough and the light was good enough. I'm almost done with the black and yellow hat from my loom knitting tutorial. Then the below freezing nights got me going on a new knitting project for a loop scarf to cover my neck, ears, and head in the sleeping bag. I'll probably use it for my next tutorial. The only problem is I had to use the yarn I took with me, and I think it's not going to be enough.

I also forgot to take the box of  finished earrings I was planning to sell, so had to start from scratch. I made about 7 pairs.  Then I found out one of the archers was also selling peyote stitch earrings, only hers were $2 a pair.  She sold out of the $2.00 earrings. I sold nothing. So it was pretty much an exercise in futility.

Today I worked on the Japanese cord braiding some more. But mostly I was tired from unpacking the truck and doing the grocery shopping.  I also bruised my thumb pulling out a tent stake, so I had to lay off the crafts for the day. I have two band-aids on my thumb.

Only I could go to a four day archery event and not shoot a single arrow.
I thought I'd downloaded the photos, but then I found out I had my boyfriend's camera. My camera must still be out in the truck. Shows you how tired I am.

I-Cord Hair Ties

I guess I can only put one embedded video per post so here is the 2nd one for hair ties.

Knitting I-cord

My two latest knitting videos are about I-cord. I-cord can be used as ties on hats, belts, packages, and also as a decorative feature on hats and clothing. It's portable and easy and you can stock up on it to have on hand for knitted, crocheted and woven projects. You can use any medium to large double pointed knitting needle or even circular needles, though that's a bit more tedious. You can use worsted weight yarn, novelty yarns, fuzzy yarns, cotton, wool, or whatever looks interesting. Have fun making your faux dreads.

Gene Foster Shoot

I'm glad to have some new followers this week. Sometimes I get followers that trickle in, but other times it could be months before anyone new follows. I'm not sure why that is, since I do social networking constantly. But if you just joined, welcome.

For those of you brilliant people that have been following me all along, I haven't forgotten you either. I don't feel so all alone when I see your smiling faces over there in the sidebar.

Today actually feels like autumn in S. California. I'm wearing a sweater in the house.
I am packing for another camping event. So I need to ferret out anything I own with long sleeves. I finally get to use some of those hats I've knitted and crocheted too. Last time I did a really poor job of packing and took mostly shirts and socks and nothing else.  It's a good thing we only stayed one night instead of the two we'd planned.  This campout is 3 nights. I hope I make it. As much as I love the 'concept' of camping, I just can't sleep through the night. Of course last time I went it poured all night and no one slept.  And it never fails, when I unzip the tent at 2 AM, 4 AM, 6 AM and 8 AM I wake my poor boyfriend up too. I'm seriously thinking of buying another tent and sleeping far from him.

I need to decide which projects to take. Last time I took a dozen projects and we only stayed 24 hours so I didn't get to do any of them. HA. Oh wait, I got to make 2 pairs of earrings.

Happy Veteran's Day to all you Vets out there. Thanks for serving. Here's a link to the archery event I'm going to. GENE FOSTER SHOOT

Working on I-cord

Busy day. I made some I-Cord for two tutorials. The 2nd one is loading to youtube now. That took most of the day. I'm always amazed that it takes so long. Just stringing the bits together can take over an hour. Then an hour to save to my computer, 30 minutes to save to Youtube, 30 minutes to send to the editor. It all adds up with the minutes clicking away. And that doesn't count the time it takes to actually make the item the tutorial is about. I have a new respect for movie directors.

Normally I would have 4 days to finish 4 tutorials, but we are camping again this weekend so I only had two days to do the tutorials, one day to pack for the trip, then off we go.

So tonight I was going to relax in the Etsy chatroom, only there was only one person in the chatroom and they were away.  There was a 'featured seller' chat with about 7 people in it but I never go in those. So I went to the chatroom over at the Steampunk Empire. It was busy, but I didn't know anyone there and had nothing to add, so I only stayed a few minutes.

During a break today I worked on my yellow and black  hat on the knitting loom. I made some good progress on that but I don't think I'll have it done in time for the trip. I'm not sure when I decided to keep it instead of sell it.  My mind seems to make a lot of these decisions without me. It's not like I need another hat, but I really want to show off my new design, and wear it in public.
I saw a baby hat on Etsy that looked like it was made on a knitting loom, but when I asked the seller in chat she said, "I use many techniques."  That's craft lingo for 'I'm not sharing my secrets with you so I'm just going to be really vague." Shrugs.  I wasn't planning to steal her design...I've made hats just like that anyway. I just wanted to bond with another loom knitter.

You can be one of the first people to view my new I-cord tutorial.

Embellished "Gaia's Garden" T-shirt

Photos of the t-shirt I just mentioned. Blogger wouldn't let me post them earlier today so I have my fingers crossed.

Embroidered T-shirt is finally done.

http://efreeme.com/item/Gaia%27s-Garden-T-shirt-Silk-Ribbon-Embroidery-Beadwork-OOAK-Embellished-Woman%27s-Size-Small/20234

I finished the t-shirt with beadwork, ribbon embroidery, crewel work and freeform embroidery today. I listed it in my new shop on http://efreeme.com.

If you want to make a shop where you can list items for free, click on this link: http://efreeme.com/FormCreateStore?link=bwwnyykliazjnifmjzoc Right now they'll pay you $5 if you list 20 items as an incentive. Which means I have 19 more items to list. I'm hoping to put some wire wrapped jewelry on there. But I ran out of daylight today so it will have to wait.

Embroidery and Beadwork on a T-shirt

I just posted my first item in my brand new efreeme shop.

http://vespertine.efreeme.com/

Woodcraft Announces 7th Annual Veterans Day Turn for Troops Initiative

Woodcraft Announces 7th Annual Veterans Day Turn for Troops Initiative

I went to the Stanton Woodcraft store and made two pens today to donate to the troops. I'd never done it before but had 4 good teachers there. They kept six lathes turning all day as people with and without experience dropped it to turn a pen or two. They donated all the parts and tools, so without spending a dime out of my own pocket I learned a new skill and met some great people. They will be sending the pens to the troops in a week or two. Each of us put a note with the pens we made to make it more personal to the recipient.

This Week's Tutorials

Soon I will have 1000 posts on my humble blog. That makes me happy. This is post 888.
I just joined a relatively new craft store site called Zibbet.com. My name over there is Vespertine. I haven't listed any items yet, but they let you list the first 50 for free. 

This week I made four new tutorials. They include a crocheted snowman pin, part 1 and 2 of an envelope hat knitted on a loom, and a how-to join crocheted granny squares tutorial. I'm not sure how long I can keep up the pace of four per week. Other things I used to do before I started this are falling behind. I'm not even going to do Nanowrimo this year because I just don't have enough hours in the day. For the same reason, I've listed hardly anything in my Etsy shops.

So why all the tutorials? A company is paying me a small stipend to add their links to my tutorials, and that is the only solid income I have right now. A bird in the hand so to speak. If I was making $100 or more a week on Etsy I wouldn't have to do the tutorials.  I'd rather sell art. But I'm glad for an income source and the people there have been super nice to me and appreciate what I do. There again, how often are my craft skills appreciated?  I'd almost do it just for the applause from my editors.

Just click on any of my videos on my blog and they will take you to my youtube account, where you can subscribe if you wish. If you want to comment on the videos, then befriend me on youtube, since I have it set to friend's only. That's because you know how youtube is...lots of haters out there and who needs that.
People comment more responsibly when they know you can remove them from your friend's list.

Enough rambling by me. Go create something epic.

Loom Hat

One of my readers wanted to know how to make a hat on the Knifty Knitter Long Looms. So I designed one yesterday and I really like it.  I used a round loom, but it's still a flat panel, so can be made on any of the KK Looms. The first one I made was baby size. Now I'm working on one in teenager size.  If it turns out I'll make a tutorial today.  I also figured out how to make two tassels at once, which saves time and makes them more even. I have a feeling I'm going to be making a lot of hats like this.

I keep forgetting to buy a doll to 'model' all my hats for photographs, since I don't have a baby handy. Kind of ironic considering 6 of my friends and my daughter are either pregnant or just gave birth. Unfortunately none of them live near me.

Please use my tutorials to make hats for your own personal use and as gifts to family and friends only. I'll be selling them in my Etsy shop, so please resist the urge to make a bunch to sell in your Etsy, Artfire, or wherever shop, craft fair, or local boutique. 

Gotta Love After Halloween Sales

I've found myself needing cheap wigs to display my handmade hats on, but also for youtube videos, especially vlogs, and for the improv comedy I want to get back into. So I was anxiously awaiting the  day after Halloween, when department stores slash their prices on Halloween items.

So now I am the happy owner of half a dozen wigs, some bizarre and amazing false eyelashes, and some tights I will repurpose into gloves.  And since they also put their Halloween t-shirts on sale, I got about 8 t-shirts for $2.50 each. Some didn't even fit me, but I can repurpose those into some awesome halter tops for summer.  And 3 colors of glitter hairspray.

Let's face it, if you are a witch, the best time to stock up on gothy style designs is around Halloween. I got bats, cats, witches, and a shirt that looks like Frankenstein's face.

The one thing I've been looking for since Nov. and never did find was a red wig. Ah well, there is always Ebay.