Etsy Anniversary


One year ago today, I officially opened my shop on Etsy by listing my first knitted items for sale. It was such an exciting time for me and this year has been nothing short of amazing.

Although my shop looks quite different than it did a year ago (I'm not currently selling hand knits, but just patterns), I wanted to do something special for the big event.

If you head to my Etsy shop today, all my patterns are 50% off their normal Etsy listing price. This won't last long (I'll change them back before I hit the hay tonight), so if you've been holding back from buying any of the patterns, today's your day!

You will need to follow this link to get to my Etsy shop- this is the only place you'll find this deal.

Hurry- time's a'wasting- thanks for a great year!

Knitterella, Knitterella

A couple weeks ago I had the priveledge of attending Yarn Harlot Day with my new friend Jill. In the online/blogosphere world, Jill is commonly known as Knitterella.

A graphic designer by day, Jill combines her love for knitting with her artistic ability to bring knitters everywhere one-of-a-kind knitting stationary. Not only is the stationary creative and beautiful, but it is also hilarious. When we went to the Detroit Public Library to see the Yarn Harlot, Jill debuted her new line of humor note cards ( to follow up with her humor gift tags).

Note cards includes saying such as, "I'll show you my stash if you show me yours" and "If knitting is wrong I don't want to be right".

My favorite, though, are some of the gift tags. It is impossible for a knitter to read these tags and not crack a smile. "I made this especially for you. Even if you don't like it please act like you do!" and "Just because it's handmade doesn't mean it was cheap" are a couple of my favorite. You can check out the rest of the line here in the Knitterella store.

Jill's gift tags have recently shown up in Interweave Knits, Vogue Knitting, and Knit Simple magazines. If you think they look familiar, this is probably why!

So, not only does Jill run a fabulous knitting blog (which needs to be added to your Google Reader!), she is also hard at work creating wonderful gifts specifically geared at the knitting community. I can't wait to see what she adds to her line next!

On Swatch Watch... Take Two

Three new colors- I think we finally have some winners. After some of the new floor went down, it seemed to completely change the look of every swatch we had put on the wall. Here were the original 9:

The color that was my favorite (the beige around the outlet on the right) began to look 'fleshy' against the tone of the wood.

Here is an update of the actual craft room/knitting studio area:


Now the trouble is just deciding what color should go where... it never ends!

Ishbel Off the Needles

A couple weeks ago I officially jumped on the Ishbel bandwagon. Unfortunately, somewhere between the new patterns and basement renovations, I forgot all about posting my finished shawl. The good news is, I got to try my hand at taking pictures in my new knitting studio.


Although the walls have yet to be painted (and yes, there are even more swatches on the walls now), and finishing touches need to be made, Joe and I did start installing the floor this past weekend. I am loving the light I get in the studio. Even though it's in our basement, it's not dark by any means. There are actually more windows in this area than most rooms in our house.

I have to admit, this Ishbel is a copycat. A couple months ago, when I was visiting Chicago, I went to see Carol at My Sister's Knits in Beverly. Carol had her very own Ishbel on display, in the lovely Malabrigo Pearl Ten colorway. No one had to bend my arm- I was sold and left with two skeins (but actually used less than one for the larger version- there may be another on the way!).



Crafting Space... The Little Details

My new studio is moving right along. No, I still haven't chosen a color, but I have bought 3 more samples to try... unbelievable! We have made the decision to get the floor down first, then see how the samples look.

There is a new folder at the top of my internet browser that reads "Craft Room Inspiration". Today I want to share a few items that I love, and if I haven't purchased them already, I plan to before project completion.

Thanks so Country Living, I am totally convinced I need a vintage tobacco cabinet. Why, you ask? Just look...


This Letterpress Poster is great. I have not yet decided on what color to order, I'll wait until the end for that.



I already have this clipboard, but I very well may be purchasing a few more once colors have been decided on. So many more colors, its very hard to choose!


I love the look of an old card catalog. I'm not exactly sure where to find them (I have seen a couple on Craigslist- but they were a little out of my price range), or where I would even put it, but if the space is available, I may be on the lookout!


Although my folder is very full, I will save some items for later. Anything you can't live without in your home office/ craft room? I'd love to see it!