Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Little Lulu in the rain

This month has been really lucky for work. Well, bead-work at least.
After many request and a couple of trials, I made my first tutorial and sold it twice the same day! I was afraid it wasn't clear enough, so I made it super detailed and beginner-proof. So far it's been appreciated.

The most exciting thing was to hear again from my Xmas customer, who asked me to make another Little Lulu doll, under an umbrella.

She wanted a brooch and I had just ordered some bead backing from Nicole's shop and was eager to try it!
At the last time she changed her mind and decided to have an earring instead of a brooch. It actually makes more sense since it's really cool to see this



floating in the air.
I'm pleased with the result and hope the client will be as well.

Thinking about making a tutorial for beaded dolls since I haven't seen any around...

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Knitting list

For my 100th blog post (yeah!) I decided to change topic and just share this funny list I found on this nice blog. You just check all the things you've already done and maybe highlight the thing you actually want to try - things I've already tried are BOLD:

Afghan/Blanket
American/English knitting
Baby items
Bobbles
Buttonholes
Cable stitch patterns
Cardigan

Charity Knitting
Combination knitting
Continental knitting
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm-warmer
s
Darning
Designing knitted garments
Domino knitting
Drop Stitch Patterns
Dyeing Spinning Fibre
Dyeing with plant colors
Dyeing Yarn
Entrelac
Fair Isle knitting
Free-form knitting
Fulling/felting
Garter stitch

Gloves
Graffiti knitting
Hair accessories
Hats: Cuff-up
Hats: Top down
Holiday related knitting
Household Items
I-Cord
Intarsia
Kitchener stitch/grafting
Knitted flowers
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Knitting for Preemies
Knitting in public
Knitting Items for Weddings
Knitting on a loom
Knitting smocking
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting to make money
Knitting two socks simultaneously with double-knitting and magic loop method



Knitting with alpaca
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Knitting with corn yarn
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Knitting with beads
Knitting with Camel Yarn
Knitting with cashmere
Knitting with circular needles



Knitting with cotton
Knitting with dpns

Knitting with Linen
Knitting with metal Wire
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Knitting with silk
Knitting with soy yarn
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Knitting with wool
Knitting with your own hand-spun yarn
Lace patterns
Long Tail CO
Machine knitting
Mittens: Cuff-up

Mittens: Tip-down
Moebius band knitting
Norwegian knitting
Participating in a KAL
Pillows
Publishing a knitting book
Purses/bags
Rug
Scarf
Shawl
Short rows
Shrug/bolero/poncho

Slip stitch patterns
Slippers
Socks: toe-up

Socks: top-down
Steeks
Stocking stitch
Stuffed toys
Swatching
Sweater
Tassels
Teaching a child to knit
Teaching a Male how to knit

Textured knitting
Thrummed knitting
Toy/doll clothing
Twisted stitch patterns
Two end knitting
Writing a pattern
Spinning
Double-knitting socks two-at-a-time

I've learned a lot of new stuff in these last months and hope to fullfill this list by the end of the year!

I'd like to add some very important skills I also have acquired and recommend:

-Knitting while your cat plays with your yarn ball
-Realizing you're knitting your hair together with your yarn
-Knitting on the train while young guys make dirty jokes about what you're doing
-Spending 3 times the time you needed to undo a wrong row just trying not to make it look like a mistake
-Knitting 80% of an item just to realize you don't like the color at all. Or the yarn is scratchy like hell. Or you just ran out of that beautiful yarn you bought 10 years ago and can't find anymore. Or the gauge is wrong and you're actually making a doll size cardigan (could go on forever..)
-Buying a very expensive yarn to make, let's say, a blanket, just to realize your boyfriend is superallergic to that.
-Wishing for snow in spring so you might finish the freaking sweater you totally forgot about while it was cold enough to wear it

I should make a list for beading too...

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Destinations

If I could really escape this city for a while, I would choose some place cold where I can still wear a fluffy, hand knitted sweater (like the one I'm trying so hard to finish!) and drink a hot, steamy tea looking at the snow from a window.
Instead I have no time for tea, nor for beading, so I didn't enter this month Etsy Beadweavers challenge.

Fortunately a lot of fellow beadweavers did:



Aren't they gorgeous?!!! I already have a favorite... and I promised myself I will make the entry I have in my mind anyway, no matter how much time I'll spend.

Got to EBW blog, voting starts March 9 - March 15th, don't miss it!