Great Expectations For Spring

Spring is finally here and so far for me that has meant many things...watching my daughters plant flowers and veggies in the backyard, the grueling task of switching out everyone's winter clothing to spring/summer clothing...and well...designing new goodies for spring and summer! While skipping around Facebook a few days ago I came across the mentioning of a new floral knitting book by Nora Bellows entitled Noni Flowers which is rivaled to be an exquisite collection of 40 knit and felt flower patterns that incredibly life-like. I went to Noniflowers.com to preview the book and I have to tell you...I was in awe!! I learned that the book was due to be released this month but had also learned that there were some individuals who were able to snag a copy earlier. I searched around and am glad to say that I was fortunate to be able to order the book!

If you pre-order the book directly from Nora, you will receive a signed copy of the book PLUS a bonus hibiscus knit pattern.

The difficult part now is the wait...ugh. I do however have a few projects to keep me busy in the meantime. When the book arrives I can't wait to share with you all what I think about it and what I've created with Nora's designs! Till next time, "Yarnie" :)

Project # 2!!

Yep! I have moved on to project #2 and I can't wait to see how this one turns out. I still have 2 and a half balls left over of TK Yarn in Delicious Tweed, so I'm going to see if I can combine two of my designs and make either a capelet or a sweater...hmmm...this is going to be interesting! :-)

My BIG Surprise! :-D Thomas Kvist Yarns!!

BEFORE YOU READ THIS ARTICLE PLEASE READ THE UNFORTUNATE UPDATE TO THIS EVENT and PLEASE TAKE NOTE...and be AWARE of people like this!!! PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING HIGHLIGHTED ARTICLE FIRST! UPDATE TO THE THOMAS KVIST FIASCO I've been keeping a secret...and I'm about to BURST!! A few months ago I received an email from a very nice man named Thomas Kvist. He explained that he saw my designs on my Facebook Fan Page , was very impressed with my designs and wanted me to make something with his yarns. He went on to say that he wanted to send me some samples of his yarns to "play around with" and come up with something unique. All I would have to do was make something from each of the samples and photograph the results. OK LET'S STOP HERE Now, if you're a knitter...a yarn oogler/lover like me, that's like saying to a person, "hey, I've got these fabulous diamond earrings, rings and necklaces for you to try out and I would like for you to wear them and come up with some great outfits with them and tell me what you think!" OF COURSE I WOULD!!! I tell you, when I received this email from Thomas my heart was beating so wildly...that a yarn manufacturer/broker thought my designs were beautiful and worthy enough to say that they were made with his yarns...truly a blessing. SO for weeks I waited with anticipation as the yarns were coming from Sweden. When the mailman was standing at the door holding a large box, I knew that Thomas didn't just send me a few skeins...20 total...enough of each color to do something really nice! I thought to myself...hmmm...this is my chance to really make some couture pieces! Each yarn has different fiber contents such such as cashmere, cotton, alpaca, and silk...truly a scrumptious assortment! They also have different textures..rustic, silky, soft, and a couple have a sort of urban 'feel'. It was really difficult to decide which one to start with, as they all are so yummy! I have decided to start with the Delicious Tweed yarn, which is the blue yarn in the bunch.
Fiber content includes lambswool, angora, cashmere, and a small amount of poliamide. I will be keeping you all abreast as to how my projects are coming along with lots of pictures. I am just thrilled about all this and would like to thank Mr. Thomas Kvist from the bottom of my heart for believing in me and giving me this wonderful opportunity! Be sure to check out Thomas Kvist Yarns to view his complete collection and information on where you can purchase his wonderful yarns.

Until next time..
"Yarn"

Feeling BLAH...

Trapped in the realm of boredom today I am feeling blah...in a funk...etc. I have so many ideas of what I want to do...what I want to create with my yarns. I have so much emotion that I want to convey with my pieces. Many times I'm afraid that if I pour all my emotions into one piece it will be frightening or that the message won't be clear and may turn folks away from me or my designs. I just need a muse to bring out the voice of my spirit through my hooks and needles. Freeform crochet and knitting has crossed my mind....it allows me to express myself without any commitment, in a sense that I won't have to re-create the piece again...it will be unique. I have been spinning yarn lately. I purchased a Fat Fiber sample box a year ago and a spindle and began experimenting with different yarns. I have to say that my favorites are alpaca, merino top and tussah silk. Here's a few of goodies I have spun so far:


Maybe I'll create something spectacular!!! Or maybe my new handspun will just sit and keep the rest of my stash company...who knows. I tell ya, if I don't get out of this funk I may just resort to making something simple using an ordinary pattern...perish the thought!

SALE TIME!!

***THIS WEEKEND ONLY DECEMBER 4 & 5*** Save an additional 20% off ANY item in my shop! SPECIAL IN-STORE PROMOTION Enter The Code "YARNIE20" in the code box when placing your order! THIS WEEKEND ONLY! Now's the time to grab all those goodies that you've been eyeing...but don't dawdle! Many of the items in my shop are OOAK One-Of-A-Kind and are very unique. All of my items come nicely wrapped in tissue and ribbons, ready for gift giving! Ok...ready...set...Shop Yarncoture NOW!

I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!

Returning from a long vacation is never easy...getting back into the daily grind of the ole routine...homeschooling, running a business, being a wife and mother. It became very overwhelming as I thought about my upcoming BlogTalk Radio interview on August 2 with Jahzara Bradley, and the new video that I had to work on for my store, along with developing new strategies to promote my new website Yarncoture.Com AND work on a custom order that one of my dearest childhood friends placed while I was on vacation. Nevertheless I have decided to grab the reins and keep on bucking! Bessie is kicking up a lot of dust but hey, the only way I know is to keep on riding, so giddy-up Bessie....we've got things to DO! :-)

I'm Finally A KNITTER !!!

Okay so I have been knitting for like 3+ years now and when I began learning, I would never consider myself as a "knitter". In my mind, a knitter was someone who could knit cables, lace, haute couture designs that you would see in Vogue Magazine, etc. To me, knitting took WAAAY TOO LONG but the beautiful results were well worth it. The first thing that I knitted was a purse for my daughter....basically 2 rectangles that were knitted in stockinette with a few garter rows in between. She loved it and still uses it today.. I began to knit lots of things and slippers were my number one choice to knit. It still seemed to take a long time to knit though, as being a self-taught knitter I first taught myself using the 'throwing' method. I thought to myself, "there has got to be a better way" and I then discovered the continental knitting method. It literally cut my knitting time in half! Since then I have overcome my fears of knitting in the round, cabling and textured knitting. I'm slowly entering the designing phase and am realizing that I can actually be a knitter...heck I AM A KNITTER!! :)

Craft Fair Recap...

Well, another craft fair has come and gone. The North Haven Garden center hosted its Holiday Show on December 5th and 6th and the turnout was yet again sparse. We arrived Saturday morning at about 9:15 a.m. and got a spot right at the door. It was pretty chilly outdoors but because the fair was held inside the greenhouse we kept warm and cozy.

I set up my table rather quickly as I had arranged all of my items in packing containers the day before. With all of the rushing I didn't have time to make a banner for my table, so I made sure that every item had a Yarncoture tag with pricing/sizing information. One small table held all of my spa/kitchen related items as well as my daughters' famous keychains (to which they sold quite a few), while the larger table held my hats, scarves, shawls and other miscellaneous items.

I had a quite few new items that were on display that I had not yet listed in my Etsy Shop and to my surprise, I sold a couple of them! My new head mannequin "Helga II" made her debut and definitely helped me to sell a couple of hats, one of which was a custom order that I whipped up and sold the very next day!


My daughters were with me again and they were as usual the social butterflies that they are! They hit every table and sold about 7 keychains between them. It was a wonderful experience for them as future businesswomen!

Overall, this craft fair proved to be yet again another wonderful learning experience. I got loads of helpful pointers and tips from other attending sellers and met a few new friends! Some of the wonderful shops in attendance were:

Haster's Toffee
Enchanted Frog Soap

Natures Images Photography
Karma Crochet
Hats By Millinerium
Beautiful Crochet by Modest Ambition
Alicia Colina-Ashby Designs
EBRAUNNAGEL
Cut Out And Collect Designs
Three Yellow Starfish
Eye On The Sparrow Designs
Scentsy
The Pig And The Peacock
Yoga In The Pines
Fis For Frank
JMargot Jewelry Designs
Tefi Designs
and Emma Allison Designs (who by the way, made some gorgeous earrings for my daughters!)

A great time was had by all...here's to the next show!

OverWHELMED!!

That's how I feel right now... This Saturday and Sunday Dec. 5th and 6th I will be participating in the NHG Holiday Show where I will be selling my knitted and crocheted items. I've been knitting like crazy to prepare for it, and as always it seems as if there will never be enough time to knit and crochet everything that I would like to! My two daughters will be attending the show to help keep me company as well as assist in sales. During the last month I had a wonderful custom request by my dear thread mate Dorana from the MMG BNR thread. She was in need of a wrap to wear at her upcoming wedding that would take place outdoors. I was able to create this very special wrap for her. This beautiful wrap was crocheted with a luxurious alpaca, silk and wool yarn that is extremely warm yet elegantly delicate. I then received another request from a returning customer for another Vintage Inspired Ascot Necktie in a beautiful cherry red silk-alpaca-wool I also had a couple of requests for a uniquely knitted and felted hat designed by Terri Barr in which the top is left open to let dreadlocks or braids spill out and hang down.





These hats were felted by me BY HAND! No washing machine was used because the hat felts up rather quickly and doing it by hand allows me to control the shrinkage for a perfect fit. I definitely will be adding more of these to my shop after the NHG show!

!!!BIG SALE THIS WEEKEND!!!!

So I decided to have a hoot of a sale this weekend in my Yarncoture.Etsy.Com store.....

Starts MIDNIGHT **TONIGHT 9-03-09 And Ends Sunday Night 9-06-09**

15% OFF Your ENTIRE Purchase

Annnd **FREE SHIPPING** On Most Scarves!

Just enter the code "WEEKEND DEALS" at the checkout and your 15% difference will be refunded by paypal!

You May NEVER See A Sale Like This Again This Year!!

Time's Running OUT!!

For what you ask? I entered my Vintage Inspired Ascot Necktie in the DIY Wedding Crafts contest hosted by The Martha Stewart Show in conjunction with Etsy! The more views and comments I get, the better my chances so please click on THIS LINK to view my ascot along with all the other wonderful entrants! The grand prize is the winning item being shown on the Martha Stewart Show! The contest ends on Sept 1, so please go and take a look at some of the cool entries, totaling 2000+ so far!

I Got Some YARN In The Mail!!!

Yep! Here's a pic of my gorgeous yarn that I won from KittyGrrlz !!!! Here are the specs:

~ 58 Yards
~ 2.4 oz.
~ 70 grams
~ 80% merino
~ 20% silk

Overall the yarn has a nice feel to it..the colors are beautiful..reminds me of my dream granite counter tops that I hope to own someday! Flecks of teal, muave, blue,and wine are evenly distributed through out the skein. Also included in the package was a lovely bookmark that is actually a photo print of some of her beautiful yarn...thank you KittyGrrlz for this wonderful yarn and cool bookmark! I have some ideas as to what I want to make from this but until then...MY LIPS ARE SEALED! :)

Annnd..

I bought some gorgeous destash yarn from My Mix Mix that I've had my eye on for quite some time. This yarn is a really beautiful colorway from Gedifra Yarns. This yarn is super soft, not itchy (I ran it across my neck to be sure!) and will be just perfect for a neckwarmer for the Fall/Winter season.


I know EXACTLY what I'm making from this yarn, as most of my yarn projects are born from the texture and quality of the yarn...trust me, it's going to be fabulous!
;)

**Summer SALE**

As many of you may already know, Yarncoture has been having an incredible sale this summer! Free Worldwide Shipping is offered on most of my Scarves, Scarflettes, and Neckwarmers AND my SUMMER SALE SECTION has many new items as well. You can choose free shipping on my scarves or save up to %70 on many items in my sale section. So, what are you waiting for?? Stop on by and $$SAVE$$ !

Mitts For My Sis!

I came across these mitts today while packing an order for a recent customer. I knitted these gloves for my older sister...*ahem* last year, but never gave them to her.. Fingerless gloves have been on my mind a lot lately which means that I've got to get cracking so that my shop will be well stocked for the upcoming winter season. These particular gloves were knit using soft acrylic yarn and will be available in my store soon!

I'm So Happy!!

Wow, another front page appearance on Etsy!! I am so happy and grateful!
The only thing is..I always miss it...I never get to see it while it's there, lol!

Vote For Me Pleeeeeease!!

I entered my Vintage Inspired Ascot Necktie in the DIY Wedding Crafts contest hosted by The Martha Stewart Show in conjunction with Etsy! The more views and comments I get, the better my chances so please click on THIS LINK to view my ascot along with all the other wonderful entrants! The grand prize is the winning item being shown on the Martha Stewart Show!

Oh... My BABY!!

Recently I opened a section in my shop entitled Made By My Kids that showcases items that my daughters and sons made. Well today I listed this beautiful Flower Petals Neckwarmer and Cuffs Set !! My 10 year old daughter made this set all by herself (with the exception of me sewing on the bow) and I couldn't be more proud! Pretty soon, she's going to put me out of business, lol!!

Craft Fair Success!!

Wow what an interesting day! We arrived at Northaven Gardens at around 9:15 a.m. to set up. Many of the other vendors had already set up their booths, so we picked a spot next to GilstrapDesigns who had some exquisite jewelry, artwork and woodwork and KarmaCrochet with her beautiful crocheted items and scrabble pendants! I began to set up my table and my 2 daughters were eager to get started. My daughters mingled a bit while I added the finishing touches to my booth.

The weather yesterday was really rough as it rained like cats and dogs for the most part of the day. There were tornado warnings in the area (gotta love that Texas weather!) so the turnout was sparse. I think my booth looked okay for a first attempt.. I learned so much from observing the other vendors there.
Quwwaart designed this wonderful t-shirt for my shop!

The day turned out pretty wonderful! My first sale was made by my youngest daughter who crocheted a cute keychain for the event.

My ascot neckties were a hit and I handed out lots of flyers to passers by. My oldest daughter even sold one of her hand crocheted keychains that she brought and whe was just thrilled! As the hours passed by, I mingled with the other vendors and was thrilled to meet JaneJoss who has beautiful fabric leaf creations, ReallyBadKitty gorgeous flower bouquets made from buttons! Emma Allison Designs beautiful jewelry! Sydney's Designs was there with her cool upcycled knits! There were other vendors there that displayed some fantastic talent and designs. I would like to give a special thanks to Nikki Crain from the Northaven Garden Center for inviting me to attend as a vendor! It was a wonderful day for me that I couldn't have gotten through without the Almighty's help and my family's love and support. Thanks guys!

Craft Showwwww!!!!

I am sooo excited!! I met with the show director at the Northaven Garden Center in Dallas this morning to show her some samples of my work and confirm my standing as a vendor at the upcoming craft show on May 2! She loved my work and I am just tickled pink! Now the adrenaline is really flowing through my veins as I try to make final preparations for the show. If you are in or near the Dallas area, do stop by and offer your support! The craft show is being held to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer awareness. Show hours are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. ! The Northaven Garden Center is located at 7700 Northaven Road, Dallas Texas 75230. Don't miss it!

My First Bloggy Giveaway!!!!

Hi Everyone!! I thought it would be neat to run a GIVEAWAY!!!! To promote my Yarncoture Spa/Kitchen Collection I will be giving away this lovely spa set, crocheted in a multi-colored pink and cream 100% cotton yarn with contrasting but elegant white cotton yarn. I will also include a bar of peppermint soap from Gassner Custom Soaps (one of my favorite scents!) ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS

1) FOLLOW my BLOG and *make a comment* about which one of my items you like in my spa/kitchen collection and WHY.

2) Pick a number between 1 and 100 and CHECK THE POSTS because no number may be posted twice! Also..if the number that I have chosen has not been picked, the entry with the closest number to it WITHOUT GOING PAST THE NUMBER wins! That's it! The deadline is February 3! Please INCLUDE your e-mail address IN YOUR POSTS. The spa set includes:

~ 1 double-sided ruffled bath sponge
~ 2 medium sized exfoliating cloths (I have one of these and I use it everyday!)
~ 1 ruffled bath mitt
~ 1 bar of peppermint soap!

The winner will receive the complete set shipped for free and gift wrapped !! Ok...POST AWAY! **WINNER ANNOUNCED FEBRUARY 4**
More giveaways here at Bloggy Giveaways!