Spiderweb Cardigan and Spiderweb Vest Errata

There is an error in the spiderweb patterns. 

Sometimes, a problem in a pattern gets by me and all 3 testers I use. Today I've found such an error. 

 Row 7 should say the following:

Row 7:

ch 11, [dtr in next ch sp, ch 6, dtr in next st*, ch 6] 2 times ending second repeat at *, ch 29, sk next 2 sts, [dtr in next st, ch 6, dtr in next ch sp, ch 6] 7 times, dtr in next st, ch 29, sk next 2 sts , [dtr in next st, ch 6, dtr in next ch sp, ch 6] 5 times, (30 dtr)

Thank you!

Gearing up for the Pumpkin Festival

So it's time to gear up for another festival. This time I'm doing the pumpkin festival in Edmonton, KY.

My long list of things to do:

Get new tags on new products.

Redo inventory counts

Gather up all of my display items (have some new ones, and others have migrated)

Make duplicates of items that sold last time, and I just have listed as made to order.

gather up the little things I need (change, receipt book, tape, etc.)

and must remember to get there early enough that I will be able to get a spot in the busy part.

I've already gotten my new signage, new business cards, business card magnets and a T Shirt.

Free Crochet Pattern: Long Granny Dangle Earrings

Pattern for long earrings made from 2 different granny squares

                                      

Materials Needed:
*1 pair ear wires
*1 pair 4mm jump rings to match ear wires
*ball of size 10 crochet cotton thread. (one ball will make many pairs of earrings)

Tools Needed:
size 1 / 2.75mm crochet hook
jewelry pliers


You will need to know:
basic jewelry techniques (opening and closing loops)
double crochet
Chains
working in the round

Gauge:

Small Square: 4 cm corner to corner

Large Square: 6 cm corner to corner

Size: hangs 4 inches long from ear wire, and 6 cm wide

Notes:

*do not turn

*joins are made with a sl st

*ch 3 counts as 1 dc throughout.

Pattern:

Small Square (make 2):

Row 1: working in adjustable loop, ch 3, 2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc, ch 2,join (12 dc)

Row 2: sl stitch to first ch, (ch 3, 2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in ch-2 sp, ch 1, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp, ch 1, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp, ch 1 (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp, ch 1, join, (24 dc)

fasten off, weave in ends.

Large Diamond (make 2):

Rows 1-2: make small diamond, do not fasten off

Row 3: sl st to corner, (ch 3, 2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in corner space, ch 1, 3 dc in next ch sp, ch 1, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next corner space, ch 1, 3 dc in next ch sp, ch 1, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next corner, ch 1, 3 dc in next ch sp, ch 1, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next corner space, ch 1, 3 dc in next ch sp, ch 1, join, (36 dc)

fasten off, weave in ends

 Assembly:

attach jump rings and ear wires through the corner spaces.
assemble as shown in diagram below

To see more patterns look through this blog, or visit OneStitchDesigns.com

I'm Addicted to Spoonflower Fabric

 So lately, I've been designing favor boxes, cool images, and what not. After a promotion on Spoonflower.com, I decided to take my designing skills there too and make some fabrics.

Here is the first batch!

So much more to come!

First youtube Video!!

This video is on how to make the split double crochet cluster, which is needed for 3 of the patterns I sell in OneStitchDesigns.com

A day in the life of a Working at home mom

Ever wonder what those of us who work at home and have kids do all day?


my day (most of this is a usual day, just the times change around) most of the day is filled with trying to get many small business and house things done. with various results


5:30 am: wake up to AAAAAHHHHHHH MOMOMOMOMO FRESH BUTT!! ("omg my butt is soaked")
(change diaper, pull midget girl into bed with me)

6 am kicked in the nose

6:30 am wake up to mommommommom wakey good moaney ( "mom, wake up, it's good morning")

6:35 am "show, show, show, show, show....................... Nalvin!!! (after 10 minutes of this, I put the alvin and the chipmunk show on- no clue how many times it's been on in the background- with anna not even paying attention to it)


6:45- 7:45 ish: trying to get some basic promotion done on my website. this is interrupted every 5 minutes or so by one of 3 things: Anna climbing something, Anna trying to get into something, or Anna pressing the button to shut off the player because the show isn't playing any music- the same show that she's not really paying any attention to.

8 am "bite, bite, da bite, nom nom, bite, bite, BITE, BITE (she starts pulling on my sleeve) she can't have my cereal, she already had a big breakfast, and she's allergic to the milk.

9:25 little one decides to play "keysboawd", but this time, she does it on my keyboard
sent off an email to a customer, this is what it said
..................................................................................
"Hello, Karen


sxkjnjn dcfhkjnp\ ,,,,dowd783,nmn zLS//S87D L.SMJ$ssssDY HjnB ygd86y d

-Stephanie Smith
____________________________

Crochet, knitting, journals, and more! Check out www.onestitchdesigns.com

For supplies for knitters and crocheters, www.onestitch.etsy.com
.............................................................
oh yeah, she did, while I was trying to put the book up that she had taken off the shelf.

10 am-ish: lost the $50 sale, someone apparently doesn't have kids, or knows any kids :( I really, really needed that money too :(

11 am realize that I have a sink full of dishes, proceed to start putting away the dry ones

11:08 am baby blowout

11:10 stick Anna in pack and play, sweep floor

11:30, realize i should have done those dishes instead

11:48 Anna finally goes down for her nap, maybe she'll sleep for a couple of hours

noon: shoot, it's noon already I should have given her lunch first, she won't sleep long at all, then will be cranky until bedtime

1 pm Yep :( anna wakes up, lunch is fed-- i still haven't done dishes, because I took pictures  for new product and sketched out an idea I got, maybe this will be the one to get into the magazine.

1:35 post office try 1

2:10 post office try 2

2:35 finally leave the house on the way to post office to ship UK orders- also hit grocery store while out

3 pm come home, to find 2 more orders, guess where they are going to?? yep, UK (plans another post office trip) small orders too, $5.50 a piece (and $3 to ship!)

3:25 give up on getting any real work done today, hopefully, I can get a new style of slippers made!

3:35 have to go to bathroom, leave daddy in charge of tiny one. come back, Anna climbed up on couch, pulled down my ball of yarn and 1/3rd complete slipper, and played with "stwings"

dish attempt #3

6 pm after we "wead" the book with the "munkies" in it (rabbits look enough like chipmunks, I guess) 20 times, dinner is served.

dish attempt #4

7 Anna bath

8 Anna's night routine of "medsin" and "Toofy bwush" commences.

8:25 she's out!!!!!!! I immediately try to catch up on computer work that I can't concentrate on with Dave yelling "Alvin!!" in the background and having to chase after some little girl who just learned how to be a monkey.



Working on promotion on several sites, get a listing up, edit several listings,

11:34 pm I'm sitting here, finishing up this post, I need a bath, and still haven't done those damn dishes, worked on the day's inventory, bookeeping updates, or gotten a new edition of the newsletter out!

Total income today: $21.50 not counting selling fees-   Could have made my goals today too if it weren't for that email. 

Gearing up for a craft show

So today began the first of the major preparations for my first craft fair out of (hopefully) 3 this year.

I took the finished item tote, and the few finished items I had laying around, and did inventory on them.


I have $4879 retail value on my ready made inventory, 97.5 times my booth fee, so I am good on the amount of stuff I need. (though I will make more small items).

I wrote down each type of item, it's price, etc, and will print out new tags for each item. I need new tags because I have changed my business name since I have done my last show.

After I get those tags on, I will them gather up everything else I need and get packing to be ready for this Thursday evening (show setup).

But first, a call to my sister, because I no longer have a canopy tent!

I'm nervous, last year, I lost out on this show because it rained, and not a normal rain either, a state sized massive storm that was showing up mostly red on the radar :( So wish me luck!!

Free Crochet Round Dishcloth Pattern

It's been a while since I last did a tutorial for anything, and I needed another washcloth, so I decided to kill 2 birds with one stone.

Here's a simple crochet pattern for a round washcloth.

Finished size:
 6 inches

You will need:
*1 ball of dishcloth yarn (sugar and cream, peaches and Cream, creme de la creme, etc) is enough to make 4 washcloths in a variegated colorway, and 5 in a solid.

*size H/8 5mm crochet hook (or whichever size you feel most comfortable with)

Gauge is not important

Do not turn 

ch 3 counts ad dc, ch 4 counts ad dc and chain 1

join all rows with sl st

Pattern:

ch 4, sl st in 4th chain from hook to form ring
(or you can just do what I do and make the magic ring for that tight center)

Row 1) ch3, 11 dc in  ring, join

Row 2) ch 4, [dc in next dc, ch 1], 11 times, join

Row 3) ch 3, 2 dc in next sp, [dc in next dc, 2 dc in next sp] 11 times, join

Row 4) ch 4, sk next dc, dc in next dc, ch 1, [dc in next dc, ch 1, sk next dc, dc in next dc, ch 1] 11 times, join

Row 5) ch 3, dc in next sp, dc in next dc, 2 dc in next sp, [dc in next 3 sp and dc, 2 dc in next sp] 11 times, join

fasten off, weave in ends.

For more patterns, visit One Stitch Designs 


© Stephanie Smith OneStitchDesigns 2012

Pattern is not to be reproduced without my permission

Finished items are allowed to be sold.

So My Pattern Didn't Get Accepted

Remember this post? The one where I was so excited to have sent a pattern to a magazine?

Well, I didn't get in. Time to do the thing I hate the least, deal with rejection.

That's OK, turns out they don't want even a picture of it to turn up anywhere.

Plus, it may have not been right for their issue.

That's cool

Because I decided to publish it myself.

Here it is!!

It can now be found on Ravelry, Craftsy, Etsy, and at OneStitchDesigns.com here

Ravelry and craftsy are both automatic downloads, craftsy and onestitchdesigns.com both cost me the least.

Finished item is listed on One Stitch Designs and on Etsy



Now that I know a little bit more about the pattern submission process for major magazines, I'm working on my next items to submit, 2 magazines have a deadline in the last week of April, and those will be my last chance to be published this year!!

Off to work!

Knitting Design, PT 3

Ok, so I went ahead and did the lifeline, to see if my skirt was flaring too much, or too little.

after an hour or putting hundreds of teeny tiny stitches onto a string, I found out that I did indeed have everything set up correctly to make a knit top, like I originally was going to do!

I'll find out for sure in about 2300 stitches (10 rows).

Still not 100% for sure if I'm going to make sleeves or not yet though. 

Knitting Design PT2

This could have been called Designing a Knit Top Pt 2, except for the fact that in my typical way, I've totally changed the design. 

This is now a knit skirt :)

Why did I do this?

Because I didn't want to take it off of the needles again and again to see if it's going right. Just taking the loops off of the needles and putting them on a lifeline (long piece of string) takes an hour each time, much less putting them back on.

I've got way too much stuff to do, way too much stuff to make. I could make a pair of gloves for my site in that time!

Here's the latest picture, will keep you updated!

 

Designing a Knit Top Pt. 1

This series of blog posts is going to show, in detail, my designing process. Enjoy them!

So here I am again, with plenty of time to design a new pattern.

I haven't designed a knit item for a while, so I will design a new knit item. Something big and more complicated than I usually make- a shirt.

I've got plenty of yarn around here, but never have enough to do more than a hat in any color, so, Stripes it is!!

Digging around in my yarn stash, I find a good bit of yarn in black, red, and white, and as I love that color combo, and I can get more of those yarns easily, I grab those up and the corresponding circular knitting needle.

Click the link to the left to see the rest of this

 person's flikr album, it's awesome!

But I'm still not sure what I should do, so I get out some paper and begin drawing. A piece of my inspiration comes from ancient Egypt, and their pretty collars.

I should extend that basic shape out to cover the shoulders, dd a little extra on the part that goes over the arms. and when I get that shape where I want it, then bind off the arm holes and make the body, which will be shaped like a skirt.

These types of shirts have been done before, dresses like that too, so I have to make this a little bit different.

I decide that the increases will be yarn overs (gives a small hole in the fabric, and is the basis for knit lace), and that those yarn overs will zig zag. .

Also, I think I'm not going to bind off the arm holes, but transfer them to a stitch holder and maybe make bell sleeves. we'll see how I feel about that later, the sleeves will require tools I don't have yet (very short circular needle or double pointed needles), because I do not like magic loop method.

 

This is what I have so far. I'm a slow, slow knitter!

 

 

Submitted a pattern to a magazine!!

Before today, I had self published all of my patterns.
But I decided I’m going to be published this year, so i got one of my patterns that I hadn’t yet listed, modified it some (so that it would be easier to make), and sent it off to Crochet World

I’m NERVOUS

going through the “what if I wrote a dc here, instead of there” phase!!

I’ll know by 35 days If I’m going to be published or not!!

(I can't share the photo, not yet)

Knitting Humor from the Yarn Harlot

I saw this on Ravelry and had to share :)

Save Me From My Socks




I laughed the entire time I watched it!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day has never been a big thing for me, flowers, chocolate, and all that.

BTW, How did fattening chocolate become part of the day of "love" anyway??

Anyway I went to make a nice, sweet treasury in hopes of making it to the front page of Etsy.

Pretty pinks did not happen, instead, this happened!

'Eat Your Heart Out' by Stephaniemakesall

Eat Your Heart Out - 36... ArtistAsphyxia... $375.00	bleeding.hearts.paisley LittleHenri $22.50	Zombie 10 pack of Valen... ShayneoftheDea... $25.00
bleeding heart MandaCantillon $60.00	Bleeding heart & crown ... WinterberryJew... $24.00	My bleeding Heart, One ... SASessories $99.00
My Bleeding Heart jhulligan $15.00	Principalities- an orig... TheShanvas $50.00	Bleeding Leather Heart ... Blysse $20.00
Bloody Heart Handprint ... KasketKustoms $15.99	I Bloody Heart You Butt... PaganChick $1.75	Bloody Love Starina23 $7.00
My Bloody Valentine... ... GhoulNextDoor $9.00	Bloody Heart Goth /Alt ... darklingdoll $2.50	My bloody valentine sut... idlehandsdesig... $168.00
Cut - Original mixed me... TrashBatRaven $245.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

OK, that proves it, I can't be "normal". But I really don't want to be :)

New Years Resolutions Or Goals

I'm not fond of the word "resolution."

It's negative feeling. I resolve to do this, meaning "I force myself, it will happen," which boils down to "I don't want to."

Is it any wonder why so many resolutions fail? Like diets, the #1 resolution of all time, which fail because you do not want to deprive yourself of a goody every now and again; because you don't really want to.

I much prefer the word "goal." Same end result (hopefully), much more positive connotations.

A goal is something to work towards, something worth doing, or at least trying. It's something that makes you feel really good when you accomplish it, but it's not the end of the world if you don't make it.

So I bet your wondering what my goals for 2012 are?

*A month ago, I decided to try to make 2012's sales figures 4X what 2011's sales were. This only brings me to $8,600 in gross sales, which is a reasonable goal.

*Also, The slow adding to my standalone site One Stitch Designs it will eventually rival, and maybe possibly surpass my Etsy site

*getting a pattern published in a major magazine. I've got a couple of candidates worthy of such an honor. And I already write my patterns in the magazine style.

*Finally getting a wholesale account. Doesn't matter how small, but I've only had one wholesale order, and I want to grow that part of my business.

*finding a local outlet for my work. This is a whole lot easier said than done, I've done both of the shows here, and they both were bad. and there's no stores I've found yet that will work with handmade.

*be able to save up enough money to do a wholesale order of the yarns I use the most. Of course that means I'll need to make enough money to save some!

Some of the goals I set up for myself for 2012 have already been accomplished :)

For example: having my own .com , and getting my own standalone website. Both of these things I meant to do in 2012, but I came across a deal I couldn't refuse, which pushed me into doing those things sooner.

I've put a whole lot on my plate! Here's to a better year than last year was!