A few things that have been keeping me so busy

   So I think I am pretty much a failed Blogger ;p but I am making my peace with that. I am going to have to be content with posting whenever I can and that because of my unpredictability I will probably never have many followers. 
  I must say in my defense I have good reasons- I wanted to share a few pictures of the orders that keep me too busy to be a good Blogger. Maybe I will be forgiven?? Either way I am having a blast creating some wonderful keepsakes! 

Just One Downside

  Wow this year sure started off with a BANG! I have been just swamped with orders and crocheting my little fingers off! I absolutely LOVE IT when it's like this but I realize it ends up being weeks between any Blog posts or communication on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest :(
I seriously have to give Kudos to those Bloggers who can stay connected while working on many orders. I personally know a few who do and they do it quite well! No slack in quality at all!
  I am still looking forward to sharing a few new items and patterns in the near future so stay with me -even thru the dark times ;)
Here's a quick share on what's been keeping me so busy then back to the Hooks and Yarn --aah LOVE IT!

   

New Favs Part 2

  So in between being super busy working on some awesome orders I wanted to share the second part of my "New Favs" The first post showed the most amazing slippers ever! Click here if you missed it. Now I want to show off two more items I adore. 
   I fell in love with this design and I knew just who I was going to make it for! It is a wonderful combination of cowl and hat. The added ears just make it a "have to have" and elicits the "isn't that the cutest thing ever!" response where-ever you go. I made the first in an adult size for one of my favorite people and the second to fit a 5 year old (my niece). The design is equally suited for any age and can even have the ears omitted for a more conservative/ classic look. Both warm and perfect fashion accessory, it can be customized to suit any wardrobe!

These two look a tad off because they are pictures of the smaller size Hat on an adult size mannequin head. The hats actually fit a small child as shown in the first two pictures (more loose and floppy).

 These sweeties are simply too cute for words! My niece (an older one) asked if I could make her a seal and showed me a picture of the most adorable little one. In my quest to make it for her I discovered that there was a little treasure trove of creatures you could create! My son just had to have the set and then I made a set for my nephews and I would love to make a set for you! Each set includes a Seal, Blue Whale, Orca Whale and a Shark. They are very small- about 4 inches each and simply to die for! 

 

I have a few more items I am hoping to share very soon. You can find these on my Etsy shop available for purchase and as always fully customizable in any color(s) and sizes you desire.*
*Please note: I have a large number of orders at this time so my current turn around is 3-4 weeks. If you need something by a certain date be sure to contact me ahead of time to check if I can accommodate your needs. 

New Favs Part 1

  This Christmas I had such big plans for my family and friends. Unfortunately I felt like the proverbial kid whose "eyes are too big for their stomach" and many items did not get made. Add to that a few that did get made that would definitely qualify for more Pintrosity posts :/
 The good, no make that great news, is that I found a few amazing new items I am adding to my Etsy shop. Today I am sharing my absolute, hands down, phenomenally cute new item! I made them for my grandson (planned to make them for all my nephews, my son and my other grandson but only one pair made it into being) and he loved them as much as me..... drum roll please...
TA DA!

 Aren't they awesome! When I saw the pattern I knew I had to have it! What I didn't factor in was that the pattern is written for adult Men so I had to play around with Yarn weights and Hook size to come up with a Child's size 12-2 (approx) Add to that all the pieces and assembly and that helps explain why I only got one pair made in time. 
  
The color options and size choices are endless and of course they could be made "girly"--actually I have some pink camouflage yarn that would be so cute. The slippers are for sale now in my Etsy shop or if you would rather make them yourself the pattern is sold here. 

 

Don't know how they do it..

 Well I had the best intentions this Holiday Season to post lots of blogs and be very interactive. However, life has a way of interfering with the best laid plans. Two major blessings have side lined my ideas for this season so this is not a complaining post at all!
 First: my husband and I have started a Church - a desire that has been in the works for several years and after a very, very, very long season it has become a reality. Needless to say it is another full time position added to an already full plate of responsibilities, This one, though, is by the best time investment we have ever had! So Sunday school lessons, Newsletters, Potlucks, cleaning, minor remodeling, and and and ....have become the weekly norm. Honestly we are loving every minute of it!
 Second: this year my Etsy shop just took off! I have been working and trying for to get it to this point and unexpectedly it did! So orders since October have been constant and at times, overwhelming. For both Halloween and now Christmas I had so many orders I had to stop taking them! Such a sad thing truly but necessary to ensure the highest quality and timely shipping for those who have ordered. I am currently working on the last two orders and hope to be able to open up for more soon. It is a serious blessing as nothing brings me more pleasure than to create a one of a kind item for someone.
  On that note I want to share a Custom Order that just shipped out. I am always willing to do any color combinations and get so amazed at how gorgeous they turn out. So these are the latest Customer choices:

What's on your DIY List?

   I haven't been posting too much lately and thought I would share a few reasons why. It's all the fault of the upcoming Holidays and the fact that I love making gifts if possible. Couple that with making gifts (?)/ orders on my Etsy shop it doesn't leave a lot of extra time of the little extra time I normally have. Does that make sense to anyone other than me?? ;)
 So here's a peek at a few things I have been working on..since they are gifts, I can't elaborate more yet but I hope to post pictures of the finished products once it is safe!

Another Reason I Adore Custom Orders!

   Ok so a quick post to show why Custom Orders are absolutely wonderful! Customers come up with the most amazing color combinations.. ones that I would never think of on my own.. ones that make me go "why didn't I think of that!" 
Well these booties are a PERFECT example! 
Huge KUDOS to Anna Simon on Etsy for her fantastic taste!

Kitty Cat Purse

  A while back I had run across the most adorable Kitty Cat Coin Purse on Pinterest. I immediately pinned it under inspiration because it was too cute not to :) Later when I had a chance I clicked on the actual picture to see where it had originated from and to see if the pattern was available for it.
  Unfortunately the picture went to a very strange website that had a lot of pictures that were not linked to anywhere and had no information about them. To add to it, it had a disclaimer on the side panel saying it could take up to 3 hours or more for the page to fully load???? Insert eyes rolling around and around and finger strumming my lips. 

  Sooo as I find myself doing more and more I figured I would try to make my own version of a Kitty Cat Purse. It actually came out better than I had hoped and what's awesome is, given the style of the little purse, you can alter the colors and buttons/ eyes, whiskers and ear placement to create endless variations. You can also use it as a coin purse or clutch or add a a strap and use it as a shoulder bag. 

  Depending on the colors and style you use to create it, it would be equally appropriate for any age female :)
 The Pattern is available in my Etsy Shop or on Craftsy as some people prefer one to the other. Hope you enjoy making it as much as I did <3

I'm in LOVE!!

  So I have been MIA for a very good reason. Seems this month my orders went thru the roof so every spare moment (is there really such a thing?) has been spent crocheting away! I actually had to put my shop on a temporary Vacation mode to allow me to catch up a bit which I am hard at work doing :)
  I did have to stop for a few minutes to make this post because I just couldn't wait. Awhile back I posted about a Link Hat I had made for a good friend and offered up both the finished item or the pattern for purchase. Well for Halloween I had the pleasure of creating a baby sized version! It was so much fun and my customer was kind enough to send me a few pictures of the hat on her baby.
  The pictures are sooo adorable!! I was so happy with the way the hat turned out and how well it fit but that little boy with those gorgeous blue eyes stole the show!!
A huge THANK YOU to his mommy for sharing these photos with me and now with you :)