My yarn and crocheting addiction appears to be getting worse.
A new shipment of yarn has arrived.
I have assured Smooch that my habit will not encroach upon our daily walks, though
her demands to be let outside are now often answered with "hang on...just one more row."
her demands to be let outside are now often answered with "hang on...just one more row."
I've found this Lion Brand Homespun yarn to be perfect for bobble-stitch pillows
(and they're not paying me to say that, though maybe they should if I keep ordering it at this rate).
It's feathery soft and silky, has all kinds of texture, is machine-washable...
...and comes in 81 colors!
Be still my heart.
Be still my heart.
If these pillows are looking a little flat, it's because I've yet to stuff them.
I will be taking them with me to Florida in a few weeks to give to family, friends and
the saints who help take care of my mom. I figure it makes more sense to finish them there
than to check a trunk on the plane.
These two live at the new Morning Bray Farm in Virginia.
Seeing my pillows in use makes me very happy.
I sent this one home with Danni to Oregon.
Looks like I may have to send her another if Roxy isn't willing to share.
I love everything about crocheting these pillows. They're relatively quick to make,
(8 to 10 hours, I think) so I don't get bored, and I can work on them
in warm weather without dying of heatstroke under a big pile of yarn.
I did venture out of my pillow comfort zone to make this pair of baby flip-flops.
The baby came over for a visit earlier this week. She left with the flip-flops,
her parents left with – you guessed it – a pillow.
(Her 2-year-old brother left with a cow bone. Who was the happiest? Hard to say.)
I need to get serious about finding a practical way to distribute and/or sell these things.
I've thought about an Etsy shop, but then I think about trips to the post office
and how any income would mess up my taxes, and then I go right back to
forcing them into the hands of anyone who dares to visit.
Who wants to worry about all of that when I can just sit in my corner and crochet?
Those flip-flops! Cutest ting in the world.
ReplyDeleteThose are beautiful! What a great way to spend time.
ReplyDeleteWonderful creativity! you could consider it as your retirement project and it is good to start beforehand. you may consider piling up a certain number of them until then and then start your etsy shop. the baby flips-flops are a dream!
ReplyDeletelove the glass of wine, by the way! you're tricky!
So beautiful Carson ... I'm amazed with each picture of how awesome they are!
ReplyDeletePerhaps an Etsy shop with the profits donated to a good cause - donkey or burro related, of course!
ReplyDeleteI bet that 2 year old boy will get plenty of bragging mileage out of his cow bone.
Beautiful pillows - hard to pick out a favorite. And the flip-flops! Adorable :)
ReplyDeleteYour pillows are beautiful! The flip-flops are so cute!!
ReplyDeleteI love the pillows that went to Morning Bray Farm. If you ever decide to sell your products, let me know.
ReplyDeleteThere's a no-cash store in Albuquerque which helps people trying to get on their feet after domestic violence. They take donations of household goods and their "shoppers" are allowed to take what they need to get started. Mom's donated quite a bit to them this year. If you find a plethora of pillows taking over your home, perhaps you could donate them to help others start their homes.
ReplyDeleteThat is a fabulous idea. I'll connect with your mom and get the address.
DeleteSo Talented! Just throwing out the idea of Chicken sweaters after a couple of glasses of wine. I was hoping i could attach a pic i found. Not sure how to do it. But, they are funny. Oh the possibilities with your skills.
ReplyDeleteAre you going to crochet fly masks? You could make them look like superheroes. I love those cute little flip flops.
ReplyDeleteAgree with everyone above, pillows are beautiful and those flip-flops are too cute! Once you start selling them, people want different things and pretty soon it becomes a job not a fun pastime. I would stick to giving them away :) Although if you put some of the ones you have already done up on your website some of us loyal followers would certainly pay up, just sayin' :)
ReplyDeleteDid Auntie not warn you how that one day you would be in the throes of de-stashing? Oh me, oh my. I look in my crystal ball and I see your fingers roaming away from Homespun to the next aisle in a local yarn store...wait!...you don't have local yarn stores 7MSN, do you? I see boxes from Amazon bringing these skeins to you! Maybe you will make it through the dreaded mixture beside me...the pile of patterns printed from Ravelry, the feel of that silky mixture calling to you. God Bless you. ~Auntie Em~ (PS: they're lovely.)
ReplyDeleteThe pillows are beautiful! I started crocheting a few years back, doing scarfs. It almost becomes an addition. Love to see that you have started your own "stash" :)
ReplyDeleteHow did you ever think up those darlin' teeny flip flops? Biggest awwww of the week for me! Hahaha, I love the idea of crocheting fly masks -- then we can see Lucy & the boys model them!
ReplyDeleteBlame it on Pinterest - I saw the pattern there and couldn't resist.
DeleteI agree with the others - skip the Etsy shop - instead let your blog followers order some! I love how you've used the dresser drawers for your yarn stash. I'm currently resting my feet on the HUGE tuperware bin that sits in my study. It is full of yarn. My mother was a real crafter. When she passed away ten years ago my sisters and I all decided to keep parts of her crafts stash. I came home with four of the biggest bins that I could find. I used one in my last decade of teaching for art classes. I gave another to my daughter and daughter-in-law for their knitting projects. And now I am happily working my way through the yarn making crocheted donkeys and a crocheted afghan for my sisters with our mom's wool. (Of course, I have discovered that having all of this wool means I have to buy more to get the perfect colours to match ... or the right amount to finish a pattern!) Stitch on!
ReplyDeleteYou told Smooch "just one more row" before we walk, and she's thinking "MOM! Why are you rowing, we have no boat and no river!" Oh, I spotted the hand drawn wine glass on the shelf in the last pic. Did you have the real one in your hand?!! Keep on crocheting, row by row :)
ReplyDeleteYou could always start to work with smaller yarn...it would take more work to get the same surface area. Consequently there would be fewer pillows at the end of the day. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteI love the flip-flops.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you were this talented!!! If you do sell the pillows please let me know. They are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThose flip flops are so stinking cute! You have mad skills!
ReplyDeleteOh my freakin' gosh.... I need those flip flops!! (Cept i don't have a baby to put them on)Too stinkin' cute!
ReplyDeleteWow, Carson. You're getting really good. We love our pillows! xo
ReplyDeleteI'd like to put in an order for size 9 flip flops, same colors....I love them! And I an order of a pillow in the yarn on the right, second row! I think I need to learn how to crochet again...
ReplyDeleteI'm still working on my first bobble stitch pillow. Thank you so much for sharing the instructions with me. It's coming along quite well! I like some of the variations you've used on yours, will have to try something like that when I'm done with this one.
ReplyDeleteThese are all sooooo cute. The yellow pillows on your day bed and the ones at Morning Bray Farm are my favs. If the Etsy Shop would mess up your taxes why not sell them to all of us and donate the money to the Donkey Rescue Fund? Minus expenses, of course.
ReplyDeleteYour yarn stash reminds me of my mom....yarn everywhere. She was a knitter and addicted to the click of the needles. I think you need to give us a step by step tutorial on how you do this.
Why don't you just let us, your loyal followers, order some? I LOVE the baby flip flops!
ReplyDeleteLovely!!
ReplyDeleteThey are all beautiful, especially the little flip flops!!
(I was on vacation for a couple of weeks, so I'm just catching up on all your posts! hee hee!)