Bi-annual report

I might delete this blog. I never seem to update. For some reason, I can update like crazy to my LJ, to MySpace, and to Facebook. But not here.

Not long after the last post, I learned that I was pregnant again. Started the blood thinners and everything was going very well. Unfortunately, I started dilating early. The doctor put a stitch into my cervix and kept me in the hospital on bedrest, but I still delivered prematurely at 21 weeks. Ronan DeWayne Ivey was born on September 21 at 12:23 pm and passed away at 12:53. He weighed 14 oz and was 11 inches long.

I ended up with a serious infection and spent another week in the hospital. during that time, I did manage to crochet a little pouch that Greg and I were able to place Ronan in for the cremation. I used the yarn that I had been saving for his blessing ceremony.

Greg and I are doing ok right now. We have planned a memorial service for the first Sunday in November, All Soul's Day. Greg goes back to work tonight. I'm off until the end of the month. I'm going for daily antibiotic infusions for another week.

I took pictures of the little pouch. I might post them later. I wish I would have taken pictures of the little wooden cross and sword Greg carved for him, but I don't think that I did.

YIKES!

I can't believe it's been SIX MONTHS since I posted anything. Bad, bad, bad blogger.

I have actually blogged at my other site (www.revia.livejournal.com), but there's been a lot going on in my life, and I completely forgot about this site. Sorry!

Greg and I had another miscarriage in January. We have since seen a fertility expert who has diagnosed me with a clotting disorder. If I get pregnant again, I will have to go on blood thinners throughout the pregnancy.

I've been seeing a chiropractor for some back problems. And an ENT about some allergy problems.

And I have been working my butt off. And crocheting until my fingers go numb.

I finally opened a shop on Etsy. You can find it here. I hope to add more stuff as I go... and I hope people will buy some of my stuff.

OK, it's kind of late and I need to get to bed. I will try to post more soon. I promise!

Yeah, I haven't posted in nearly a month. Other than the OT, I have also been writing a novel for NaNoWriMo. I have to get going, though. I have some more lap blankets to finish, and I need to get started on Christmas/Yule presents.

BUT... Guess who I ran into when I went to a NaNoWriMo meet-up?



It's Lesa, aka MollyKnitsSweaters! Yeah, the picture isn't great. It was taken with my cell phone that doesn't have a zoom feature. Crappy phone!

Anyway, she was at her SnB, knitting away at socks. I was typing away at my zombie novel.
I might join her once November is over.

Oh, and for those who are interested in my zombie novel, you can read it as I write it here.

OK, I need to get going. Later all!

iSux

I haven't posted in ages. My cable for my camera is lost. I haven't been crocheting much. And I have been working a gazillion hours. A minimum of 60 hours a week since the beginning of September. As many as 96 hours one week. Great checks. Very little me time. Somehow I have managed to do it without getting seriously ill.

I have been posting to my other blog, but since it is "friends only", you need to have an LJ account and be a friend to read anything.

I have other interesting pictures that I will post as soon as I find the cable. I will show pictures of the lap blankets I have been working on. And maybe I'll actually start and finish another project before too long. The holidays are coming and I think everyone deserves crocheted items. Or donations to the Heifer project made in their name. They have a gift called the Knitting Basket.
It provides a family with four wool-producing animals (sheep, llamas, or alpacas), to allow them to earn an income from the wool. I wonder how many "baskets" could be bought if all the online knitters were to donate a few bucks. Hmmmmm......

OK, I need to hop in the shower and get ready for another shift at work. My head hurts a bit and I really do not want to go, but I told my boss that I would not only work, but I would come in early. I'm such a trooper!

Tomorrow morning, though, I am going out for breakfast with my dad and then we are going to check out the shiny, new Cabela's that opens.... tomorrow! YAY!

New patterns?

So, exactly when does a pattern that you are using become your own? As in, how many changes do you need to make before you can claim that it is your own original pattern? I have modified a few patterns, mostly because I believe that the instructions were wrong.

I found a delightful shawl pattern that I started working on in one of the Jiffy yarns. But, I didn't have as much of the same dye lot as I thought I had, so I put it aside, probably to get frogged at a later date.

I didn't have any more bulky weight yarn, which the pattern called for. But I did have this wonderful "vintage" mohair blend that Greg found at a yard sale a couple of years ago. It's closer to baby weight, so there would obviously be a gauge issue if I decided to use the pattern as written. So, I changed hook size to something smaller, added more stitches, added more rows, and changed some double-crochets into trebles. I'm about half-way done (I will post pics later when I finish), but it's already looking more gauzy and delicate. It still looks like the original, in a way (at least to me), but the gauge is completely different, and the pattern has definitely changed. But is it mine yet?

Whether it is or isn't, I need to get back to work on it. TTFN!

Yay

I got my invite to Ravelry. Yippee! This is just what I needed, another time suck. :-P

I didn't make to Lollapalooza on Saturday or Sunday. I was too sick. Still sniffling a bit, but at least I am no longer running a fever. I spent most of the weekend on the couch, watching TV and attempting to crochet. I made a choker that should have taken me an hour at the most but instead took me 3 or 4 hours. I really don't like the way it looks, but I will post it here to get comments from the peanut gallery.


I do have a few photos for you all...


This is a picture of Deb after she was turned into a zombie. Actually, it is Deb and Julie on the losing side of a Kubb game. I'm not exactly sure why she looks like that.



And this is Deb making the campfire go "whoooooosh". I don't know why I seem to have so many pics of Deb. Maybe I'm subconsciously trying to steal her from Suzanne.

This year, at Lollapalooza, there was a big push to make the festival as green as possible. There was recycling, and biodegradable cups and TP, low-emission lighting rigs, and even solar panels:





She was sparkly. That's the worst part of missing Lolla... missing all the people watching.

I did get to see one band that completely rocked. At least in my opinion. I captured one of their songs on my camera. The sound sucks and the video isn't that great either. I'm still learning.



OK... I have some stuff I need to do that doesn't involve a computer. I will try to get back and post more camp out photos later. I might even have one or two of Suzanne!

I know, I know

I haven't posted in a while. Had the awesome camping trip with NIPA (and got to see Deb and Suzanne!!!!!), then had to read HP&tDH, then had to go back to work. Damn work.

I am supposed to be going to Lollapalooza this weekend. I am volunteering, so I get into the concert for free. Yay me! Right now, however, I am developing a cold. I thought it was just my allergies, but I took my meds, and took some extra, and now it feels like a cold. Grrrr..... I am going to spend the day taking cold meds and doing as little as humanly possible. I really don't want to cancel this weekend.

I have been crocheting, I've made quite a few wash cloths and I am working on a Goddess tote done in filet crochet. It's about half done. I will take pics as soon as I am finished with it. I will be selling my cool stuff at Pagan Pride Day, so come on out if you are in the area.

OK, I need some more drugs and some sleep. I will post pics later. I promise!

Going camping

Leaving for the annual camping trip in an hour or so. Going to see Deb and Suz. Going to renew vows with the hubby. Yippee! Gotta go!

Angels and organization

Taking a short break from a massive cleaning/organizing blitz. I have filled 3 12-gallon bins and 8 rather large drawers of 3 storage organizers. With yarn. The bins are filled with acrylic (and there is still more to organize!). I haven't separated them into colors or types. They are my lap-blanket and oh-my-god-the-baby-shower-is-this-weekend-and-I-completely-forgot-better-whip-up-a-
generic-baby-blanket yarns. I have had a couple of large donations. Most notably, 5 trash bags filled of yarn that a coworker gave me after sorting through his mother's house before they sold it. Some of it was pretty nice. A lot of it was hideous. A lot of it was thread. Size 10. Filled up all three drawers of one of those organizers. Anyone out there make doilies? And really like white or ecru?

I have put some of it to use. I made this little angel for my godfather's mother:



My mother and Greg were incredibly impressed that I made this with my own two hands. I don't think it's that spectacular, but they liked it a lot. You'd think that everything I ever did before was crap the way they kept carrying on. :-)

I'm also working on a filet crochet altar cloth. I've come up with a pattern for the phases of the moon Goddess symbol, which I am going to repeat around the edges, with the outstretched-arms Goddess symbol in the center. Like the one from the tarot bag. I really want to play and experiment on it NOW, but I have more important things to work on.

Such as the booth I will be having at Pagan Pride Day. I will be selling some of my handmade goodies there. I know that I will have a plethora of washcloths, and probably some tarot bags. I'm also thinking of making some felted bowls, in elemental colors. They would look cute on an altar. If I still have time after all of that, I will then work on the altar cloth, see how fast I can work that up, and maybe make one or two of those. They would cost far more than some of the other stuff I make. This designing your own patterns thing, then having stuff that needs blocking, is hard work. :-)

OK, I need to get back to cleaning. I can't stay up too late. Have to go to work tomorrow. I haven't been there since Tuesday, I'm sure they all miss me. Of course, I'm only working 2 days, then taking another week off to go camping! Yay, camping!

A tarot bag

While at work yesterday, I created this little Tarot card bag:



I designed all of it myself, not liking the patterns I saw online for Tarot bags. It was my first attempt, and I figured out all the stuff that I wanted to change about it as I was working on it. I could have frogged it when I was a bit over half-way through, but it seemed like an awful lot of work for me.

It was made using A-MAIZing corn fiber yarn. Used most of the skein of green, not too much of the white. I like this yarn, but I think it would be more useful in knit patterns. It's light-weight, but works up almost like worsted-weight yarn. It would drape lovely in a knit pattern. Not so much for crochet. (Almost sounds like I know what I'm talking about, eh?)

I'm gifting this bag to Kris. I plan to make more using the same pattern, may try other designs such as Celtic knotwork or a pentacle. I finished it rather quickly (maybe 6 hours total, probably less). I think the next one will be made from cotton, or maybe wool.

Tomorrow is Greg's and my anniversary. 10 years! Woot. Unfortunately, it looks like we might spend it at the hospital with my dad. Yippee.

I need to take a bath and get out of this house for a bit. It was supposedly a beautiful day (wasn't it, Weather Avatar ------->), but I spent it sleeping off the effects of a 36-hour shift. 'Sokay, though. I don't have to go back until Monday. Then, I work Monday and Wednesday and don't go back for a week! 'Cuz I will be CAMPING! With NIPA. And Deb and Suz are coming home to camp with us!!!!! YAY!

Staying up late....

...finishing this:




It's a tote bag made from the tape from a VHS cassette. Pretty nifty way of recycling the tapes that we have replaced with DVDs, huh? I still need to work out the strap so it's more secured... I sort of did a Frankenstein on it. Here's the pattern I used on it (I used an N-hook):

Chain 30
Round 1: HDC in second chain from hook and in chain across (front loops only). DO NOT TURN.
HDC in free loops along other side of chain. Join to beginning HDC with slip-stitch.
Round 2: Chain 2. HDC in each HDC around. Join with slip stitch.
Repeat until bag measures about 11 inches or so (however big you want the bag).
On next round, HDC in next 27 HDCs (to opposite end of the bag). Chain 40 (or length you want the strap). Join with DC to HDC just before start of new round. Slip stitch into HDC just before that. HDC across chain. Join with DC to bag in HDC next to chain. HDC around remainder of bag. Join with slip stitch to strap. Fasten off.

OK. So this is the first pattern that I have written out. I'm not even sure if I can understand what it says. Like I said, I need to work on the strap. I tacked it on a bit better after I did what I wrote above, it seemed a little flimsy. I want to use this as a grocery bag, so it needs to be sturdier.

If I ever do the Etsy thing, I might include these. They don't take much time (I finished it in one evening after taking it apart multiple times and taking many breaks). And they really don't cost me much except for my time. The tapes were going to get tossed anyway. I'll work on the pattern a bit more before I would actually sell them, though.

Gots to get some sleep now, though. Way past my bedtime! 'Night!

still alive...

Once again, I'm sorry I haven't posted much recently. My dad spent the last week in the hospital, going in the day after we got back from camping. He was in for a couple of days before the trip as well. So, I've spent most of my time at work, comping, or at the hospital for the last 2 weeks. Not nearly as fun as it sounds...

Speaking of fun, camping was not very much fun. I really do not like spending that much time with my brother and SIL. I love the kids, but I don't feel that it is my responsibility to keep them in line when their parents are around. I also do not like to clean up after anyone other than myself (and occasionally Greg). And my brother's family is lazy. Plus, it stormed on the last night we were there. So, the next day we wasted no time in packing up and getting out. I felt kind of bad, because my brother was hoping to spend more quality time with us, but my dad was sick, and everything was wet, so we wanted to get out of there.

I didn't get to do any real hiking. I'm not sure I would have been able to manage anyway. I tried taking my dad's dog on one short trail, but she doesn't do stairs. Then I tried to take my niece and oldest nephew, but my niece had to pee after we made it down the 40 or so steps and insisted that we had to go back to the campsite. I didn't bother trying any more. My knees were starting to hurt anyway.

I did get some lovely pictures, though.



This is a view from trail 7 at about 6 am on Midsummer morning. Pretty place, no?




These are some strange mushrooms found on the same trail, about 5 minutes before Krystal decided that she didn't like stairs.



And this is a snail found while taking Krystal for another walk.

I think nature photography is going to be my new hobby. I REALLY love my new camera!

Finally, here is the whole group of us at the end of the trip:


From left to right (for those who don't know the people involved):
Top: Greg, my brother James, my dad, baby Brendan (the youngest nephew), and my SIL Jen.
Bottom: Me, my niece Korrine (aka Lupa), and my nephew Alexzander.

Krystal was sleeping in the car.

In crocheting news... not a whole lot going on. Working on a lap blanket. Got some organic cotton yarn for dishcloths, bath supplies, etc. I'm also jazzing up some flip flops for friends and family. Once I have something interesting to post, I will take some pics of everything.

Not much else to post right now. I have a ton of housework to do. I'm thinking of skipping it and mowing the lawn, though. It is a gorgeous day outside, and I want to have an excuse for being out there that doesn't make me look like a slacker. TTFN!

I knew I had forgotten something...

Actually, I hadn't forgotten about this blog, I've just been busy, and my internet has been acting up. But, I have a new camera, and I finally got around to installing the software, so..... NEW PICS! Yippee!

First, I got my gifts from my secret pal. I still haven't had a chance to go to her blog and check her out more, but I was very happy! I got some Maggie's Linen that I have coveted for about a year or so. I have no idea what I want to make with it, I just love the stuff. It's soft and texture-y and absolutely scrumptious. See for yourself:



And she also made me this awesome doily:


I love the colors. It's like some mod, paisley, hippy doily. It is SOOOO me.

She also sent some awesome sandalwood soap. I luvs sandalwood. AND... a tub of Cosmic Catnip, my kitties favorite. I was wondering why they were crowding around me when I was opening the package. I gave them all some, watched them roll around in it, then I placed the tub (with the lid on) on the couch while I went to get something. I came back to find Zorro carrying the tub in his mouth (by the lip of the lid), trying to figure out how to open it. Happy kitties everywhere!

I am late sending my pal's package out. I was supposed to send it out last week, but I didn't get the chance. I am sending her this lacy shawl pattern, enough of this yarn to finish it (I hope!):


And I also sent some of this fluffiness:

The colors don't show up that well. They are muted pastels. My brain isn't functioning properly, or I would be able to tell you what it's made of. It's soft and fluffy. Mohair? Angora? I can't remember. I know it's a blend, and it has the dreaded acrylic in it, but it was so touchable and soft, I had to get it.

A number of things have been taking up my time lately. My mother's birthday was at the beginning of the month. I bought her a red hat and took her out to lunch and then we went to a swap meet. Here she is in her hat:

And here is my dad in her hat:

We have been working on the house, bit by bit. Put in a closet organizer in the master bedroom and we bought some new bedroom furniture. KING-SIZED BED! WOOT! The new furniture takes up most the room, but it is so worth it. I will try to get some photos soon.

And speaking of the house, last week we had this little guy:

pecking at our windows. Every morning for nearly a week. It drove the cats crazy. And he would peck even more if he saw the cats in the windows. Must have a nest nearby and felt he was protecting it.

OK. I need some sleep. We are leaving for our first camping trip of the year on Wednesday, and I have a gazillion things to do tomorrow. We want to be able to leave as soon as we get off work Tuesday morning, so the van needs to be packed tomorrow. And I have my book club (and I need to finish the book!), so it's going to be a long, long day!

TTFN!

WIPS

My SP10 hostess has asked us to post about our oldest WIPs. She also mentioned taking pictures of the blasted things, but I am refusing to take any pics until the new camera comes in. Which is supposed to be Thursday. This old one just pisses me off anymore, and I can't take it. Especially after using my mother's for a couple of days. The color difference is unbelievable.

I might relent and post some pics on Wednesday if the weather is nice and I have time.

I'm not sure what my oldest WIP is. When does it officially stop being a work-in-progress and become a UFO? Is there a certain amount of time when you realize that you will NEVER even attempt to finish said project?

I would have to guess that my oldest WIP is a baby blanket that I started for my niece's baby. I started it sometime early last fall. The baby is 5 months old now. I might go back to finishing it. It was the sock monkey blanket from the Happy Hooker book. Unfortunately, the yarns I got weren't exactly right, and I didn't actually read the directions, and I never could get the hang of making the monkey heads.

I also have the blasted tote that will someday be finished, felting and all. I used the wrong yarn on one of the stripes of the bag, so I had to take out another 10 rows to fix it. And now, I'm not exactly sure which hook I used. I really need to get a small notebook for my bag so I can keep track of my projects, the types of yarn and the size hook. Maybe I could use that lovely little book that Noodle Girl gave me. I could even put swatches in it. OK... I could barely type the word swatch without busting out in laughter. As if I would ever swatch! Where's the fun in that? It's almost unsportsmanlike!

SP10 will be drawing to a close soon. I need to get the last-minute goodies I want to send my pal... I was thinking of ordering some yarn online, but I think I might just go to my LYS and get her a skein of Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn. It is so soft and comes in lovely colors. Hmmmm...

Alrighty... off to bed. Later, peeps!

Outdoors pics

Sorry if these take a while to load. I thought the bigger pics would be better for detail.

I took these with my mother's camera, which happens to be the same kind of camera that Suz has. I liked it so much, I bought one off of Ebay. I can't wait for it to get here. Finally, clear pics!

So, this is my rhododendron. The thing is frickin' huge. The top branches reach the bottom of my roof. And it really is hideous, except for one glorious week in spring! Actually, it's been in bloom for about 2 1/2 weeks, which more than makes up for the other 50 weeks of weird-looking-plantiness.




And here is one of my mystery flowers. Almost looks like some sort of lily, but it's on a woody, trunk-like stem. It's a perennial, and it has been cut back a few times. I don't know what it is or how big it could get. Anyone have some ideas? I'm really new to this gardening/landscaping thing.


Another mystery plant. I actually think I used to know the name of this when my mother worked for a florist, but I don't know it anymore. It's some sort of succulent. And for the life of me I can't remember if it ever flowers or not. It almost reminds me of those horrid hens and chicks plants that I despise. They might actually be related.


Hopefully I will get my new camera soon. My peonies are ready to bloom and I want to get pics before they go away for the summer. I also have a rose bush that I need to plant, might do that today.

In hooking news, I'm working on my first doily. Not exactly sure why I decided to make one. I had a pattern, I had the thread, I had the hooks. I want to be able to make lacier things eventually, and figured a doily would be a nice place to start. I finished most of last night. I'm hoping it won't look as wonky once it's finished and blocked. I think I might give it to my SP10 recipient. She collects lacy things and apparently has a small doily collection. I wanted to send her socks, but there's only a month left, and I won't get them made in time, and Greg won't make them for me.

Later, gators!

SP10 contest

My hostess has a contest going on where we are supposed to post about where we knit/crochet. I was going to put all sorts of pretty pictures, but I borrowed my mother's camera to "test drive" it, then realized I have no way of getting those pictures from the camera to my computer. My mother did not include the cable when she loaned me the camera. I'm not sure she even knows that there is a cable. Hi, Mom! (in case she is reading this!).

So, here is the post without pictures. Most of the time, I crochet (and once in a while, knit... the same scarf I am practicing on) on a couch in front of the TV. Either at home or at work. If I am at home, I also have an 8 pound ball of fluff sitting on my knee. Morganna likes to keep my right knee warm while I crochet. Occasionally, she'll help keep the yarn properly tangled.

When I have the time, I pop in a TV series that I never had a chance to watch when it actually aired, and I will crochet through a season of TV shows. Or, I watch whatever movie that "accidentally" wound up in my Netflix queue. Not sure how Katherine Hepburn films end up in the mailbox. Greg is threatening to sue. :-)

Not terribly exciting. Not very original. I crochet while I watch TV. But there is more...

A number of us bring our knitting/crocheting to church. It was quite the scandal at the beginning, so we asked the minister if he minded (since, really, he is the only who should be able to see us). He said he would rather see us knit than sleep during his sermons. It helps that many of us are making lap blankets for nursing home residents, or mittens/scarves/hats for the Christmastime mitten tree. So, it's charity, at church. And it keeps our hands busy so we can actually pay attention to what is going on.

AND... I often keep small projects in my purse, like dishcloths and baby booties. At least, when I don't have a book to read or I am going to be spending time with someone who will be interrupting my reading.

OK, that's it. I need to go and take up my spot on the couch. Greg bought me seasons 1 and 2 of Red Dwarf for my birthday!

Landscaping

I posted about this on my other blog, but I know that some people don't read that one, so I'll post about it here.

I've been doing a lot of yard work lately. OK, I only watched as my tree was cut down, but it seemed like a tough job. And I put a pond in Monday. It's only a 30-gallon pond, but it quite a bit of time to work on it. I had to remove about 50 daffodils, move about 20 or so rocks, tear up a bunch of creeping Charlie and dandelions, dig a hole, and plant a bunch of flowers. I am still sore. I still have some dirt under my nails (I refuse to wear gardening gloves, I love digging in the dirt and actually feeling it in my hands. Have I mentioned that I am an earth sign?)

And here is what it looks like:



I really need to get a new camera that will take better pics. It was also dusk when I took the picture, and the house was between me and the setting sun. I chose rocks to put around it that had interesting shapes so they would form some fun little hiding places for the wild critters that hang out in my yard. The large rock in the back is going to be an altar/place-to-leave-offerings. I still need to put in a border and maybe some mulch.

I have so much work left to do on the yard, front and back. It is my goal to have flowers from early spring to late fall. Right now, I have the daffodils, day lilies, tulips, a rhododendron, a star magnolia, an apple tree, hostas, peonies, salvia, I think some kind of delphinium, and a bunch of other things that I don't know the name of. Maybe I'll take pictures of the stuff I can't identify and post them here. Maybe someone out in the ether can help me!

OK, that's all for now. I will be posting again later this week. I need to get some pictures for the new contest my SP10 hostessing is having.

TTFN!

I hate titles

I can only rarely think of an appropriate title for posts. And my brain isn't really working properly today.

I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy with work and a little bit of social life. I'm still a bit sick. My sinuses are protesting the weather change. It's now moved down in my lungs.

On top of it all, I've been scrambling to get enough continuing education hours to keep my critical care certification. I just realized today that I probably have more than enough, I just wasn't figuring some hours that I thought didn't count.

I went up to Chicago on Saturday. The overall details are posted on my other blog. I was exhausted, happy, and sore. I also got to touch some very soft wool yarn, some alpaca yarn, and some fluffy, unspun angora. The owner of the farm/retreat/yarn-heaven was spinning on a small wheel. I would have liked to get a real demonstration, but it was crowded and she was busy with other people. I did get a very nice card to send to my secret pal. I'm going to send it out tomorrow along with the stitch markers I have made.

I'm still working on the tote-from-hell. I've also made a couple more dishcloths. And I'm planning on some patterns for totes. And I have a very special idea for a crocheted bag. I'll reveal more when I have a chance to figure out how to work it.

OK, I need to pay bills. And I have a meeting for the Witches' Ball tonight.

I leave you all with this:

You scored as Traveling Matt Fraggle. You left everything you knew in Fraggle Rock to begin the exploration of the last great frontier of Fraggledom – Outer Space. You send postcards back to your nephew in the Rock from time to time to impart your wisdom to him in hopes that the brave service to all Fragglekind will be beneficial to those who need it. You're not sure that you want to come back home because the world of the Silly Creatures is very interesting, but your homesickness shows through in almost every postcard you write. Boober Fraggle 100% Traveling Matt Fraggle 100% Red Fraggle 83% Gobo Fraggle 83% Wembley Fraggle 83% Sprocket 67% Doozer 50% Madame Trash Heap 50% Mokey Fraggle 17% Junior Gorg 17% Which Fraggle Rock character are you? created with QuizFarm.com

A little help, please

Maybe some of you who read my blog can give me a hand. I'm working on those totally awesome washcloths that I want to sell on Etsy. I have 5. I'm waiting until I have 10 cloths and maybe 3 or 4 bags before setting up shop.

Here's where I need the help. I have no idea how much to charge for any of this. I have looked for similar items on Etsy, and the prices are kind of all over the place. Anywhere from $3-$7 for the cloths. I can't remember what I saw for the bags. A couple of the bags were made from recycled grocery bags, but nothing was made of organic or recycled yarns.

The recycled yarn (recycled from the textile industry) that I bought costs me $8 for a 100 gram skein. I made three dishcloths out of it, and had a little yarn left (not enough for I full dishcloth, though). Playing with my patterns, I probably could get 4 cloths out of it, though. The organic yarn cost $8 for 50 grams. I have found a different (and cheaper) supplier for it, though. I still have not worked on reclaiming my own yarn from thrift shop sweaters, so I don't know the cost ratio for that, yet.

I don't want to overprice anything so that people won't want to buy them, but I also don't want to under-price and lose money. I am also very aware that people are sometimes less likely to buy a cheaper item, believing (at least subconsciously) that it has less overall value.

So, that is my conundrum. Thoughts?

Stuff!

Got an really big envelope in the mail yesterday! Filled with cool stuff from my Secret Pal Luckdragon Smee. Luckdragon is a kitty who is taking care of the Secret Pal 10 stuff because her (I think it's a her) meowmie is an awfully busy woman!

So, what did I get? Bumper stickers!!! And we all know how much I love bumper stickers. I don't believe that you should see any metal on the back of a vehicle.

Here are the stickers I now have:





And I got a very cute card:


Made me giggle. Thank you, Luckdragon Smee. And thank your meowmie for going and buying the stuff.

I've made a couple more dishcloths. These were made from recycled cotton from Earth Friendly Yarns:





The Granny Square one is a little smaller than the ones I normally make. I am very happy with the waffle-stitch one, though. It worked up pretty quickly once I got the hang of it. And it's very soft and squishy. I have enough yarn to make one more dishcloth out of this skein, and I can probably make another 2 out of the organic cotton that I bought.

I've also bought some sweaters made of cotton yarn at the dollar store. I'm going to try and frog them and see if I can reuse the yarn. I'll let you all know how it works out.

OK, I have housework to do and I need to go grocery shopping. Later, everyone!