get ready for fall with my pattern sale!

I have a variety of goals with this blog post:
  1. To experiment with embedded posts from my Facebook timeline
  2. To experiment with Ravelry coupon codes (I wanted to do this via Etsy, but the functionality that I wanted required too much specificity that just isn't built in yet)
  3. To get you excited and prepared for my favorite season!
Here's the scoop:

Post by JennyHats Handmade Custom Knit & Crochet.



Make sure to hurry, though, because this one-time promotion ends on Sunday, September 8th!

crochet baby hats obsession

I've gone from not wanting to do anything to only wanting to do one thing: crochet baby hats.

I guess it all started when I listed a bunch of baby photo props for sale on my Facebook page.  They were custom ordered and made about a year ago, but never picked up in my shop.  They're a decent amount of items just sitting around in my craft room, and I don't see a reason why a photographer or new parent shouldn't be able to enjoy them because Lord knows I can't.

Which led to looking on Etsy for pricing of similar items so I could price them competitively.  I think we all know what a rabbit hole that can be; I wound up favoriting a ton of baby hats and deciding to take on a ton myself.

And I loved it.  They work up so quickly and look way too adorable.  I mean, who could pass these up for their Autumn newborns?

I'm partial to the mustache hat, myself.  I realize that's not the best photo in the world, but they're cute to look at anyway.

I wasn't going to keep making them, but since it seems like they're helping bring my urge to craft back to life, I'm going to keep at it.  And I love the pumpkin hats.  They're just so simple, but look amazing.

Hope you're all having a good summer.  It's flown by and soon we'll be camping for Labor Day Weekend.  I plan on taking a couple books and some yarn, so I'll keep you posted :)

the one where i ask for donations of mojo

I've got nothing.

And I really mean that.

I'm still working on some top-secret projects (and by some, I mean "two"), and for whatever reason, they're just dragging.  I don't know if it's this whacky weather we've been having or what, but I've been exhausted and completely unmotivated.

Which means I've been doing nothing.  Like... nothing.

But I have bought yarn, which is so unproductive, I can't even begin to describe it.  I started cleaning up the disaster my craft room has become and almost fainted - there is nowhere to put the amount of yarn I've purchased over the past couple months.

I think part of my problem is that I have so much good yarn that I'd rather hoard it than making something with it.  Is this a thing?  If it's a thing, are there meetings I should be going to?

Summer is always like this, though.  Every July, I say I should work on some stuff for my shop so I'm ready for Fall and the holidays - then I sit around reading all the time instead.  And I've finished some good books this summer (and some awful ones, too).  So I guess it hasn't been a complete waste.  But it's something.

That's all I've got.  SOMEONE HELP ME GET MY MOJO BACK!

ocmd beachy yarn haul 2013

Well well well... Here I am after a month of just pure shenanigans.  What's new with me, you ask? I believe the last time we spoke, I was headed to our annual vacation in OCMD with a small group of our friends.  We ate, we drank, we sat on the beach and roasted, we listened to audiobooks (well, I did, anyway), and we are now home.  Le sigh.

As promised, I managed to make my way to Salty Yarns, a craft shop right on the boardwalk.  I've made it my "thing" to go and visit on whatever day happens to be a little rainy.  This year, it was our second day in when the rain came, so I was obviously thrilled to get to my favorite part of the trip almost immediately.

Here's what I walked away with:


Yum!  In case you can't catch the yarn, it's Noro Taiyo Sock Yarn in a pretty variety of colors.  Here's a close-up:


I keep trying to finish a pair of socks, so I've started buying anything that might motivate me.  I can finish one and then I'm like, "Eh, a second one seems so boring."  Hence the purchase of a new sock knitting book.  I guess we'll see what happens; since getting it at the end of May, I have yet to look at it any longer than it takes to snag a photo.  I'll keep you updated :)

Anything else exciting happen so far?  Yes: I did, unfortunately, turn the tender age of 30.  30!!!!  Is that possible?  I still remember turning five.  I'm pretty sure I got one of those balls you could bounce around on - it kind of looked like Saturn.  But at 30, you don't get toys as much as "experiences."  And this year's experience included a Segway tour of Philadelphia.  Aside from one snafu when I got stuck in a gutter and had to pull myself out, I somehow managed not to die... which is why I'm here to tell the tale.

Oh, and one more thing: I got a new job!  If you haven't heard from me in awhile (and most of you haven't), it's because I've been running around like a crazy person - actually enjoying life for a change.  I love what I'm doing and I'm happy with my decision.

Happy Summer to me! 

prepping beachy yarn excursions


blog [blawg, blog]
noun

  1. a Web site containing the writer's or group of writers' own experiences, observations, opinions, etc., and often having images and links to other Web sites.
  2. that which I continually neglect day after day, week after week
(And also, do people really spell "Web site" that way anymore?)

I've got nothing.  Okay, not entirely true.  It's not like I haven't been working on things.  Most of them are custom orders for products you've already seen about a bajillion times.  Other things are smaller projects that I haven't had a chance to photograph because either I'm really really busy or really really lazy - I haven't decided.  And finally, some projects are super top secret because they're gifts.

10,000 meter challenge = fail.  I surrender.

BUT...

I'm going to beach next week for our annual roasting session - I mean - vacation.  I plan on taking a project or two with me for those occasional downtimes when we're locked in our hotel room enjoying some newly acquired Dogfish Head.  It might not be the best idea to indulge in craft beer while working an intricate lace pattern, but you only live once.

And let's not forget that yarn shop I found on the boardwalk last year.  If I managed to spend $100 on yarn when I could barely stand from sun poisoning, well then, my bank account is in for treat.

I'm sure I'll have photos to post once I'm back that include - God willing - a yarn haul.  What should my theme be this year?  Last year, I went for some mohair lace yarn that matched ocean-y beach colors.  I'm thinking this year's theme should be... "insane hoarder"?

I mean, look at this mess:



That's my craft room.  Do I really need more?

Yes.

So with that said, I shall see you all on upon my return :)  Hope you have a great Memorial Day Weekend and are surviving this whacky heat wave.