When your output greatly exceeds your sales...

It's kind of discouraging. I won't lie!

My knitting output has ALWAYS exceeded my ability to give away or pass on the many items I make. My social discomfort usually means that unless the directions to send things to charities is VERY concrete and straight forward I won't even try. The potential for messing it up is too great and I just keep stockpiling while feeling faintly guilty that someone could be using the 17 beanies I knit 5 years ago if I was confident to send them somewhere where they would actually acknowledge they received them! Otherwise I worry about that too!

But with the toys I felt a certain amount of confidence. Unique handmade toys always resonate comfort to adults as well as children and the patterns I indulge in turn out DESPERATELY cute toys! I have had great success at different times, selling many bunnies but I've never managed to maintain the momentum.

I'm not a good self-promoter.

I don't have any money to put into promoting my goods.

And it's lovely to receive likes and kind comments from people on Instagram and Facebook about how lovely the toys are...

But no-one buys.

I thought I'd at least get nibbles at this time of year but so far it's been really quiet for months. 

I sold one custom order to America in October. $35aud. Not a lot for the last 3 months really.

I'm a technician. I know that. I love doing. I could make things till the cows come home. But I feel as exposed as a peeled prawn when I have to try and sell my things. I'm uncomfortable, embarrassed by the praise while slightly pleased but desperate to earn some money without exposing that desperation to the people browsing.

I'm not sure what will happen. I can't stop making things. It's a constant battle not to get terribly discouraged with my apparent inability to understand how technology and social media work together. But I'll keep plugging on...

...I'll cast on another toy project. And when I finish it, outfit and all, it will make me smile. Maybe someone else will feel that too when they see it in my shop....

...It could happen!

God Bless you all!

Dx

Sometimes my brain highjacks my body!

Recently, for some reason or other, my brain has become dissatisfied with the cellophane bags I put my knitted bunnies in when I ship them. They work fine since the bunnies usually travel in a postal bag.

BUT...their ears always get flattened.

See!

So I started looking at the lovely way other handmade soft doll makers shipped their toys and the idea slotted into my mad cataloging brain...

It said,YES! WE MUST HAVE IT!!

Pointing out that it was already 10pm, that there were dollies I was already knitting waiting had absolutely no effect. The hamster in my brain kept running madly in his wheel, loudly percolating ideas...

I WANT PRESENTATION BOXES FOR MY BUNNIES!

Yeah, great but we don't have any money. And even if we did we'd have to order them and that'd take time and...

WE HAVE CARDSTOCK. I BET WE COULD FIND A BOX TEMPLATE SOMEWHERE!

Yeah, probably, but...

HERE! ORIGAMI RECTANGULAR BOX WITH LID. EASY! COME ON! GET THE STUFF!

But the card's not big enough for the boxes we need to make!

...STICKY TAPE THEM TOGETHER! THEN THEY'LL BE BIG ENOUGH!

Not too professional looking but, hey! What do I know?...

MUST GET IT DONE! HAVE TO HAVE BOXES!!

And now I have boxes. 

Which are sweet but not nearly as nice or sturdy as I'd like but they're good for making them easy to find when people buy them. 

So I guess the crazy side of my brain wasn't far wrong. Even the little pics on the end of the boxes was a good idea!

I hope, sometime in the future that I sell enough of my bunnies and toys to purchase professional lidded boxes that could actually withstand the postal service because these wouldn't last a minute! But I guess I can fit them in mailing boxes now without them sloshing around.

And the Obsessive Ideas part of my brain is appeased and I can have my brain and body back and the hamster has curled up in his little house to sleep until the next obsessive idea come along and he jumps back up and gets back in his wheel. 

Ah well, life in my brain is never dull!

God bless you all!

Dx

Why I knit.

I LOVE watching the Sea! All that focused turmoil!

I began to knit often because it calms my anxiety, which needs nothing to activate. It can just sit there, in a state of constant percolation, but when I’m knitting and following a pattern I can zone out the sound of the constant anxiety and just enjoy what I’m doing. There are very few other things that allow me to do that.

I can keep my hands busy instead of fidgeting about or getting bored. I can remember as a child, when being chided about reading at the table when having a meal that I’d try and explain that my brain was bored. My mind would wonder about like a balloon, with nothing to fix on while my hands got on with the mundane business of eating. My hands being occupied wasn’t enough. I needed something to engage my brain as well. Knitting answers both of those needs. While the motion is mechanical there are things to think about. What stage am I up to in the pattern? What will the next stage require? How does it look? Do I need to change anything? 

My brain is never quiet. There is a CONSTANT monologue going on in my head. If I don’t fill it with something to occupy itself with it will fill it with something else...which often isn’t healthy. My anxieties will flood in, my worries for my type 1 diabetes, the fact that I don’t work, that my dear Hubbie has to support us both. I worry about my adult children, especially the youngest who has Aspergers Syndrome and struggles daily with issues due to that. If I don’t fill my mind with something that gives me a little joy, eventually the other thoughts fill it instead until I’m so overwhelmed I just want to disappear.

So...I knit. It’s seems pretty benign but it has given me at least a little hope that I can be productive doing something that is positive to me and can give someone else a little tangible moment of joy for themselves. 

And for that, I am grateful!

Dx

Finished my new Dollies

I recently found a new toy pattern that I'm really loving, almost as much as Little Cotton Rabbit by Julie Williams ! My new friends are the Oak Folk by Sandra Magalhães , her Etsy shop has a name I don't understand because I think it's in Portuguese but her patterns also come in English. And they are WONDERFUL!

First Dolly I finished from The Oak Folks

As you see, I even managed to knit them while I was on our 5 week caravan holiday up to Exmouth and Karratha. And I immediatelly fell in love with her! So I had to do another one!

Second Dolly! So much fun!

So now I had two! There were so many ideas percolating in my brain by then. The most prominent one was "I can't wait to get home so I can have access to ALL my stash and ALL my needles!" You don't realize how difficult it is to get knitting tools outside of a fair sized city! The holiday was nearly over and we came back to Perth and visited Darling Daughter and her Hubbie and of course, the precious grandchild...Eugene! A busy 2 year old. Who would be better to test the Dollies? So I gave him a go...

He LOVED them! In the end, I let him have them and he terrorises his mother now by wrenching off their bonnets and insisting that she puts them back on again! (Fortunately, he hasn't found out that the shoes come off too!) They more than stood up to the rigors of being pulled, squished, having their little faces crushed against each other as they kissed each other and being stood on, rolled on and carried around by an arm or a leg. And they are such a versatile toy for a small child.

Thus encouraged, I decided to knit some more. So I ddecided to knit two more dollies once I was home with my stash.

New Dolly 1 and New Dolly 2!

With tan and white cotton I made up the bodies and I used the same technique for the eyes as I do with the bunnies. They sit better in their little faces than the ones on the pattern. And I was used to working them too after all this time! Nice. Then the fun stuff, Dressing them!

Dolly 2 in Blue!

 I decided to dress Dolly 2 first because I'd already decided what colours to use. The bonnet is an old baby acrylic, the cardigan is part of a reclaimed jumper that I'd unravelled and knit held doubled. The rompers are a free ball of yarn from a knitting magazine pattern that I never used and the shoes are an old ball of baby yarn with an angora blend.

Cardigan, rompers, bonnet and shoes. All removable!

 I was very happy with how she turned out. The colours worked, the textures were nice and soft. Easy enough to wash with a bit of care...Brilliant. Okay, onto Dolly 1!

Dolly 1 in Red and Orange

 I decided on rich autumn-like colours. I love the different hues of the orange parts especially. The cardigan was difficult because I wanted a particular golden yellow colour but I didn't have any acrylic in it. So in the end I used a cotton/rayon blend I had and it was just what I wanted!

Cardigan, romper, bonnet and shoes are removable.

I changed the pattern of the pixie bonnet a bit because I didn't want the different stitch patterns on the original. I wanted a smoother, less chunky look. So I just garter stitched the front and did the back shaping in stocking stitch. It worked just as well and matched the rest of his clothes very nicely!

Dolly 2 and Dolly 1...what next?

So, now, much satisfied with myself and thinking on everything, I have only one more question. Would it be worth while knitting some more of these lovelies and seeing if anyone might like to buy them. I'm still doing the Bunnies but everything has been very quiet for months and I'm starting to get despondent again. I can never seem to keep the momentum going!

I guess I'll have to wait and see. Maybe play around with seeing if the Bunnies can fit into the Oak Folks clothes. That could be fun!

God Bless to All!

Dx

Back and just as anxious!

And here we are again!
Another attempt to make something out of nothing!
I don't have a lot of resources. My anxiety and social awkwardness are such that Craft Markets and such have never worked well for me. Unfortunately, I've developed such a good mask of quirky cheerfulness, people don't realize the agonies of anxiety and fear that churn away just underneath.

I like making things. Lovely things. Comforting things. Things that make people smile.
Unfortunately I really struggle with the kind of self belief one needs to promote myself and my products. I suck at selling!

Goodies on my Etsy Shop
www.etsy.com/shop/danie17

So here I am, again trying to put together a facebook page with my knitted toys and goodies in it. I still have my Etsy shop, which occassionally has many sales and I'm so happy but then long droughts where I think "I am never going to get enough momentum to keep this thing going."

Little Dolls
www.etsy.com/shop/danie17

But despite all that, I keep knitting. Because it makes me happy. I feel deep satisfaction with each beautifully turned out bunny or doll.

A lovely custom order for a lady's mother to hold while she has chemo.
A little friend to be there with her through it!

I don't get that sense of deep contentment with anything else in my life, although I am blessed with a loving family, children who are grown and building their own families and still get to see often. I have a wonderful life!
And a lot of mental health issues due to possible Aspergers. And type 1 Diabetes.

My lovely Mother. Dad died this February.
Mum is the loveliest person I know!
 

My wonderful Hubbie, who puts up with a lot!

So I'll keep plugging on, knitting and doing my best because after all is said and done, what else can you do?
I am thankful. The Lord has blessed me more than I can fully appreciate. And with his help and all those He's placed around me, I'm sure I will do much!

God Bless to All!
Dx

Risky Business!

I know this is risky, and I hope this doesn't blow up in my face, but I've been making Cross Stitched Pinkeeps for the last several weeks and I've finally got a collection of designs and shapes I like. But I need to sell them for some Christmas money. So before I go further I just want to say...I did not make any of these designs. I am only using them to pretty up the face of the pinkeeps. If anyone has a problem with that, by all means, email me. I'll be mortified and embarrassed, but I will do my best!

So far I have only got the pics of the designs I've made myself, so hopefully I'll be able to build on these and anyone who wants a design that I don't have on hand, I will be able to sew another one. Simples!

Where possible, I will give credit to the actual designer, but since all of these came from Pinterest, obviously that is not always possible. Okay, disclaimer over...

Thread and Needle Square Pinkeep-

About 7.5cms across on 26 aida.

$10 for completed item.

$6 postage in Australia

Purple Flowers and Dark Leaves Wreath

About 7cms across on 28 count evenweave.

$10 for completed item.

$6 for postage in Australia.

Monochromatic Sew Pinkeep

About 8cms across on 28 count evenweave

$10 for completed item

$6 postage in Australia

Thimble, Needle, Thread and Scissors Pinkeep

About 9cms across on 28 count evenweave

$15 for completed item

$6 postage in Australia

Scandinavian Birds and Tree Pinkeep

About 6 cms across on 26 count aida

$10 for completed item

$6 postage in Australia

This will do for the time being and it's only the tip of the iceberg! All of these have endless variations available. If you want it on heavier or finer count cloth, colours and material for the back side of the pinkeeps. At the moment I'm relying on what I have on hand. If I can make enough to replenish my stores, I will be stoked beyond words. Anyway, the easiest thing is to comment if you have any questions and then I can contact you and we'll see where we go from there.

Cheers!
Dx

A Pleasant Time

I've been enjoying a bit of company lately while youngest son, Jordan (who looms over me alarmingly!) has been spending the week here with us. Saving some money and eating free food! I'm more than happy to have him. Hubbie's quite often pre-occupied with work or training and there's no-one else to talk to but the dogs and the cats. So I have been enjoying it greatly!

He even was good enough to join me working with polymer clay!

His water lily was so nice too but he discovered that if you roll the clay too thin it really does compromise the stability of the whole thing and sadly the middle petals fell apart. But I have pictures to prove it was beautiful!

I've also finally discovered a way to use the clay that I like. The pendants and the large disc have given me renewed hope that I might actually like using polymer clay. I've finally used up my pendant trays so now I'm wondering how to proceed...ordering more is NOT an option. 

I'm still making progress with the combo yarn beanies and the Monty Python cross stitch. 

I've finished up the last beanie using the blue combo yarn...

...And I finished the third line of characters on the cross stitch. Only one more line to go!

Still busy, still compulsively crafting!

I find it sometimes really discouraging to think of how many completed projects I have stored up, jewellery, tatting, knitting, various crafts that I have no use for. I will never wear all the things I make. If I were a bit more like everyone else I might. My mothers has hundreds of earrings and wears many of them because she likes social occasions and is both gregarious, cheerful and outgoing. 

I am not. I'm just an overly anxious introvert!

Social occasions fill me with an underlying wave of panic and anxiety that I can usually disguise adequately enough when I have to but invariably leave me washed out and exhausted afterwards. It's lovely when people compliment me about the things I make, but sometimes I question what point there is in me constantly churning out various crafts when all it does is cost me money. I feel a bit like a crazy crafting ant. Constantly creating things I have absolutely no aptitude to convert into anything useful. 

Obviously I'm still a bit blue at the moment. On Friday I'll be driving Jordan back to Perth. 

I think I'll even miss the continuous talk about movies and famous Directors...

Ah well.

See you all later

Dx

I found another craft to tinker with!

Polymer clay!

I bought some clay in Albany a while back. But it was all white and I wanted to try colours. I have art pastels and used those to add colour to the white polymer clay. I wanted to make something small but the clay got so hot in my hands it was difficult to work with. I found out later that Fimo is much better for detailed work but Sculpey is a bit softer and not so good for smaller details. Anyway, I made a cute little gnome house to try it out.

It's certainly cute but I still don't have a handle on dealing with the clay before it gets impossibly tacky. So, for my birthday I bought a lot more clay (still Sculpey. There didn't seem much point trying anything else when I already had Sculpey) and some more tools. But even with the colours I had I had trouble wrapping my head around what I wanted to make and what I could actually manage.

I tried cutting out medallions and impressing tatted motifs on to them. Of course, totally forgot to put a hole at the top to hang them from. I tried pushing coloured clay into the tatted impression but that didn't workout as well as I had hoped. I tried making a pendant with lots of flowers on it but I used a phillips head screwdriver to mark the tops and actually the pendant looks like a horde of molar teeth covered in murky paint. So as you see I haven't really been very satisfied with my experiments. I used ink and watercolour paint to colour in the impressions. Not bad but not brilliant either. 

The only pendant that I liked I ruined when I had to fix the back because it cracked. I tried to protect the clear coating I had put on the design when I recooked the new back but...it didn't work. It went kind of bubbly and cloudy. Not happy...

But, nothing daunted, I tried some more. I had a lovely mould with heaps of faces so I thought I could play with that...

I like this better than anything I've done so far although it still frustrates me that the flowers became difficult to handle as my hands heated up the teeny pieces of clay. And as for trying to get them to attach to the face...Arghhh! As you can see with the face, my big, hot, clunky hands have battered it around a bit, flattening the detail.

I still have hope! I decided to try something different. I tried using stamps dusted with chalk to make more medallions. I'd have used ink pads if I'd had any that were any good but they had all dried out from lack of use. They're nice enough but not really very good.

And with the new cutters I have I added leaves to the flowers on another face. I tried adding colour to the lips but I don't think it worked very well. Sigh.

 I'm enjoying playing but I get so frustrated when my expectations fall dismally short. But I will not be defeated! I've ordered some more colours and maybe I'll manage to get a pasta machine so I can condition the clay that way instead of in my hot little hands! But there's a huge potential here for a lot of cute little creations...if I can just come to grips with the medium!

Polymer Clay! Great stuff!

See you all later!

Dx

Late! So late!!

But I couldn't think of anything really earth shattering to share since last time so instead I've decided to be quick and brief.
I have been knitting like a machine with my combo beanies. I'm really starting to use up all that combined cone yarn I turned into more knittable 8 ply weight yarn. I made some headway on the lace socks but unfortunately knit holes in my fingers so I've had to put it aside for a bit. And I finished the first character on the third line of my Monty Python Cross Stitch.
All on all, pretty productive week I thought!
See you all later
Dx

Okay, I may have knit a bit too much this time...

I know, shocker, huh?

I've finished all these beanies over the last 2 or 3 weeks. I've used up all the Moda Vera Bouvardia ball I bought on a whim and loved watching the colour change as I paired it with the dark grey of the combo yarn. I thought it worked really well. And it feels gorgeous!!

And as well as all that I've also finally packaged up the beanies I need to send to my niece and youngest son. All nicely labelled and wrapped up ready to trundle down to the post...on Monday.

So, after I'd finished the last Bouvardia beanie I thought I'd do some more of the sock I've been slowly working my way through. I'm knitting up the extra gusset stitches after doing the heel and that's really not that interesting. And they're on 2mm needles. And there's a certain amount of tension because the gauge is firm.

Alas! I have knit HOLES in my fingertips! I'd like to pretend that this is a new thing but my family will loudly refute that claim. I OFTEN knit holes in my fingers. Indeed, I even fashioned a couple of finger thimbles to wear to counter this very thing! But I forgot and by the time I remembered, the damage was done! My skin splits where there's been constant friction and pressure and there is NO PAIN quite like the pain of poking yourself in your open, abused flesh with a pointy metal needle!

So I thought I'd better give the knitting a day or two off to give my skin a bit of time to think about what it's done and get back with the program! I mean, damn it! I have stuff to knit!!

In the meantime I've finally gotten out the paracord I bought when last in Albany and looked up all these instructions for paracord bracelets I'd been saving on Pinterest. I had even bought the right clips for it too! The hardest part though was figuring out what to do with the left over strands when you got to the bracelet end. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to tie a knot (Tried that. Looked clunky. Didn't like it.) or somehow slip the cords behind the back. In the end, that's what I did. It took the broadest wool needle I had and a pair of pliers but I managed it!

They look pretty good, don't they? Well worth the experience and now I can thing of heaps of other applications and really wish I'd bought more colours. Bother!

And last of all, I finally finished 3rd character 2nd line on my Monty Python cross stitch. After not really picking it up at all for over a fortnight, I thought resting my fingertips would be a good time to pick up a sewing needle instead.

There he is! Slightly underwhelming but you can't have everything. Next is the Green knight. But we see how I go with that tomorrow maybe.

So there you are. Manic knitting resulting in physical harm brings on a Paracord experiment and leads on to Dogged Cross stitching!

Yes, that pretty well describes my week.

See you all Later

Dx

Better late than never!

We're away for the Anzac day weekend. Hubbie was lucky to get the public holiday's off so we came back home to Albany to enjoy family time together. Hubbie at his parents with our dogs and his sister visiting and me at my parents place while my brother and his family were staying here as well. We've had a lovely time!
We went and saw the Anzac march, spent time with my bright, active little 5 year old niece, enjoyed ribbing my brother and girl time with my mum and Kim, and a great time (I hope!) was had by all!

I have done a lot of knitting. I'm churning out beanies like it's going out of fashion and using up quantities of cone yarn combo yarn. I gave David and Kim a beanie each so that's  two off my hands. Now I have to make one for Mackenzie, the lively 5 year old. I'll be posting it to her when I've finished it but they had to go home today. I'll have it ready no doubt by the time I arrive home in Kellerberrin tomorrow.
It has been a lovely weekend all round!
Really lovely!
See you all later.
Dx