Yard Sale Tomorrow, Will anyone want to buy my finished projects?

I almost hate to do this, but some of my finished projects are ready to be set out for sale tomorrow at our yard sale. It is not really a good venue for selling crafts, but as my sons and husband have been keen to have the sale, I thought I would take advantage of it and test the waters, so to speak. If any do sell, I will use the proceeds to buy more yarn to make even more things, so it is a never ending circle I think! I have 10 sweaters to sell, and many of the little knitted animals. Either I will be thrilled tomorrow with the results of the sale or I will learn an important marketing lesson in selling handknit items! Wish me luck, I will benefit either way! PS If there was something that you have seen in my blog that you would like for yourself, they are all for sale as long as I still have them!

Ravelry site for Knitters and Crocheters

I joined this site a few months ago, but did not really give it the time to explore the many parts of it. I was just surfing for new patterns when I came upon it ... I think perhaps Sheila may have sent me to it initially. This week I have been visiting it quite often and have posted some of my projects on it, and I joined a group of knitters from Canada today as well. It is a well organized website, and if you are involved in creating your own items, you may like it just as much! If you are there, you can find me at donnaknitsdolls. Perhaps you just like to browse things that others have made, and if so, you will find a wealth of active crafters here! hmmmm the link does not seem to be showing, let alone working, so this is the address .... www.ravelry.com

Koala Bears and Bunnies join the Animal Collection

I have finished a koala bear and a bunny from the same pattern book. The koala is very cute as it is, but if I make more bunnies, I will rework the ears to make them more pointed. I already added the pink inside the ears, thanks to my daughter in laws suggestion, as it looked very plain as it was. I have in mind to make my own smaller versions of these, perhaps half the size. My first idea is to make a set of Three Little Pigs .... I will keep track of the pattern I use in case it turns out fabulous and someone else wants to try it!

Elephants, piggies and panda bears

I found a Jean Greenhowe book on ebay and took a chance on ordering it. And I am so glad that I did! It is all knitted animals, of course, since that is the title. My first forays into this resulted in 5 elephants (one left to a new home right away for a little girl ) but I have pictures of the rest of the herd. The piggy has settled in with my father as he took a fancy to it. I think I will see if some of the dolls sell at the garage sale in a few weeks. I would not mind if my hobby at least became self supporting. Postage is so high it is not really worth selling them online as it would double the price. Perhaps I will give a try to selling the sweaters online however.

My Own Crochet Animal Creations

If I get energetic, I may make a few more of these and write down the directions, but I must warn you, crochet is not my forte. I stay with very basic things when selecting crochet patterns! I used some of what I learned from making the tiger, bee, and frog to create ----- >>>>>a ladybug .... basic body of the bee, but with no head and half a body added to make the wings. ------>>>>> an elephant ..... same idea as the tiger but started the head at the trunk and worked from there to make the rest of the head. When I was finished, I went back to the trunk to crochet a few rows of single crochet to make the trunk "open" a little. ------->>>>>> and a butterfly. Basic body of the bee but thinner and longer. The wings I am not happy with as they are too heavy for the body. I have to rethink this one, either to make the wings much airier or to find a new way of doing it. In my mind, I can see what it should be like. I am sure I will come back to this one to see if I can make it more what I envision it to be.

Another cat joins the party!

When I was making my little cat toys (see posts of a few weeks ago), I began to wonder what it would be like if I made an entire cat of the yarn that I used for the white mane of my own little guy. I put the idea on the back burner while I finished the little boy sweater and then I got into the amigurumi animals. A comment by my good friend brought the white fluffy cat back to my mind, and so it has now been completed. I used the same pattern as for the Siamese cat, except I put it together in a 4 leg down position. The head needs to be shaped differently to have it looking forward, so he ended up with a sideways gaze. I used grey for his 4 feet, but then became inspired and used a strand of both the fluffy white and grey together for the tip of the tail and the face. This gave a more muted colour difference, and I was pleased with how that worked out. The tail is a little long for the cat, as it was designed for the 2 leg standing up cat so that it would support the toy. I forgot that fact until I had it attached, but it is still cute! The cat itself is smaller since the yarn was not as thick as the double knitting, it is more of a fun yarn. No other changes that I can recall. So, I introduce the newest little cat to you, Buddy Blue Eyes!