Friday 17 October 2014

Ponderings

I am sitting here while my girls are sitting on the front doorstep eating hula hoops.  Other school mums are probably walking past pitying them, but they think this is the best thing that has ever happened to them.  They rarely eat such treats and to be sitting on the front step watching the world go by, well it's as close to sitting in a Parisian cafe as they're likely to get at the moment!

So I'm pondering life.  I'm wondering what direction things will take over the next 12 months.  I want to expand my "business" and have some exciting collaborations coming up as well as several cool events.  I don't want to overstretch myself but yarn shows are clearly more successful for me than craft shows.  I loved Duck Pond Market in Highgate and will be there again in December, but if you don't knit/crochet/weave then you don't randomly pick up a skein of yarn....  I plan to have some more ready made gifts available (brooches, hair accessories and hats mainly) as well as kits with patterns and a skein of yarn already packaged together.  But my bigger plans involve specific yarn shows - I'll be at Waltham Abbey Wool Show in January and will be travelling up to Scotland in March to take a stall at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival  These are both guaranteed to be successful and will really help me build my current small client base!  I would like to go to Woolfest, Fibre East and at least one other show.  Just need to keep things calm and not too hectic as from January I am also going to be increasing my NHS commitments to 5 days in two weeks.  I hope to have two days a month to concentrate on yarn related work with no childcare commitments!

If I can successfully combine work, childcare, caring for my disabled 11 year old when he's home from his residential school and keep up Shamu Makes I'll be very pleased.  I love the creative process whether it's dyeing or kntting or designing and it helps keep me grounded when the going gets tough.

Watch this space and keep me on track!

Monday 13 October 2014

Weekend WIPs

Oops. It's been a while since I updated here.

Lots to tell you about this week. I am working on a set of single skein designs for warm winter accessories many of them glamorous and special!  I've finished a moebius cowl in double knit Selkie yarn with a beaded picot edging. It's silky, warm. Glamorous and practical!  What else could you want?

I'll add photos as soon as it's dry enough to get a good picture!

My current project is for some glamorous gauntlets - fingerless mittens with a beaded ruffle and picot edging. They are glamorous but practical and will make the most luxurious special Christmas gift. I have knitted them up with a skein of double knit Selkie twinkle yarn.  I will be selling the pattern along with beads and ribbon to embellish them as kits - available at Duck Pond Market in November and December and will list them in Etsy in kit format too. The pattern will be available on Ravelry too

As winter draws near I have started knitting up toddler Pixie Hoods for my sling wearing friends - the first has been delivered to its new home and I'm about to knit an autumnal red, brown and gold hood. It's going to look fabulous!

What are you knitting?