Knitted Toys and missing camera!

I have decided to have a go at some knitted toys, I have never really liked doing them in the past as they have so many little pieces, and then the dreaded sewing up bit, (which I really hate), but I wanted to try out some new things for selling on our market stall, aimed at kids with pocket money to spend, especially with the summer holidays coming up and tourists in their hundreds coming for a holiday in sunny France.

So I did a practice bunny for my 18 month old son and I really like the way it turned out, it's not perfect, and there's room for improvement, and I may have to make some alterations to the pattern, but it's really cute. I have just started on a teddy which will be bright orange.

I would post some pictures of them but the camera seems to have gone missing! It's not in any of the usual places and I don't know where else to look. Hmmm maybe my hubby took it with him to his market today, I hope so or else we have a camera thief in the house, maybe it was that stray cat we fed for a few days!

knitting socks

I have been really busy knitting, I have become fascinated with making socks! So in between knitting all my bags I now have to make time to knit socks as well.
I made a pair for my daughter a couple of months ago, and have been meaning to make myself a pair the same. Well they are almost done, and now I have ordered some sock yarn with a new pattern, the wool is an opal sock yarn called crazy, which will look a little bit more interesting than the ones here, it makes a pattern all by itself and all I have to do is knit, how cool is that!. I am really enjoying it, it makes a nice change from bags.

I also managed to spend 150€ on wool for my bags this week, I bought a kilo of yarn and some!!!!! So I now have lots of colours to play around with, I just need to create a new pattern for a small bag and I'm away.

Other things going on the last couple of weeks, well yes quite a few, one of which is that I have been painting for a friend of mine, she has just had work completed on the upstairs of her house and I have been painting it for her, I have really enjoyed doing it, one room is completed and the other is still work in progress, she is going to the UK for 10 days, so I won't be doing any more until she comes back.
This is my youngest son Sébastien, and he's been poorly again, this is the 3rd time in 6 weeks that his glands have swollen up, he has an ear infection and a sore throat poor little fellow.

Free Shipping

Ok so I decided to jump on the self promotional band wagon and offer Free Shipping until the end of March......That's a $5 saving on most items in my store
So why not take a look and see if anything grabs your attention while the offer is on.

OK so that's the sale pitch over, I don't know if it will increase my sales or not, but it's worth a shot, it's been pretty slow since I opened my store in January and I'm hoping that the free shipping will pay off.

I am also knitting bags like crazy for spring and summer. Here in France we have the spring fairs starting at the end of March and I want to get as much stock together as I can manage, so I have 2 bags ready to sew up, 4 need the handles knitting, and another one on the go, so I have been really busy. My hands are paying for it though, boy do they ache!

A few of my favourites on Etsy

This is something I've been meaning to do for ages, this is my first favorite item and it's by BeaG she does the most amazing key chain holders that are so useful, this one is a
keychain cell phone holder
She also does lip balm holders, shown in the picture, coin holders, even inhaler holders, they are so ingenious.
She sells pdf's of some of the items, if you want to have a go at making your own.

Bag for my niece

Well I finally got some pictures done and after 3 attempts of downloading them into different folders, I actually found them! Woohoo!
I made this bag for my great niece who will be 6 next week, so I must hurry and get it in the mail so it arrives in time.
I had a little woven straw bag with flowers on it when I was little, so this bag was designed with that in mind.

I use 2 strands of yarn throughout to give the bag some strength, it then doesn't need lining as it is quite a tight weave, the handles are made by knitting i-cord which is a bit fiddly but well worth the effort, in fact the i-cord takes almost as long to knit as the bag!
The bag is knitted in the round so there are no seams to sew up, which is a bonus for me as it's my least favorite part of knitting. The top edge is made using a picot row and then folded over to get the nice effect around the rim, otherwise it looks a bit not finised off.
I added flowers to this one as it's for a little girl, but would still be suitable for an adult who likes fun accessories, the flowers are really easy and take about 3 minutes to make and I think they give it a finished off look.

The purple bag without the flowers, will be added to my store today, I also have done a larger version which is a shoulder bag with longer handles and is more practical for an everyday bag.

I really love making these bags as they are so easy to make, they just take a little time, but I spend most of my evenings knitting, and most of my mornings sewing them up and making the i-cord.

The small bags take around 4 hours to knit, and the larger bags take around 6 hours, so it's time well spent while I'm watching something on the tv.

Featured Seller TranquilityKnots

Recently I bought a key chain, not just any old key chain, a really beautiful Red PanChang Knot Key Chain made by TranquilityKnots
This is made using the ancient art of Chinese knotting which dates back thousands of years, well it got my curiosity going and I wanted to know more so I have been doing a little research, Chinese knotted designs include symbolism, tradition and storytelling.




The two pictures are both designs of the Pan Chang Knot both made by TranquilityKnots, who joined Etsy in January 2008 and has been successfully selling ever since, I love her jewelry and decorative items, the colours are just beautiful and the work she does is simply stunning.

I will let her tell you the rest here is her bio, as she puts it better than I could.

"I always loved all types of chinese folk art while growing up, but chinese knotting is my true passion. It's all started several years ago when my mom bought me a wonderful birthday gift, a set of chinese knotting books and a bag of gorgeous cords and beads. I fell in love with it right then, and found myself making beautiful knots non-stop ever since. I love the fact that I can let my mind run freely and creatively, and then watch my new designs come to life. I have been sharing my creation with friends and family over the years, and now I am sharing it with you."

"Chinese knot is an ancient art form dating back to Tang and Song Dynasties, maybe even earlier. Culturally, they are expected to ward off evil spirits and act as good-luck charms. There are 12 basic knots, and by mixing them cleverly, you will get all the advanced knots and fabulous results. One major characteristic of this decorative knotwork is that all the knots are tied using one thread! Many types of thread can be used, however, satin or silk cord is the most common. Threads can come in a variety of colors, though the most commonly used is red, because red symbolizes good luck and prosperity."

"My designs are a combination of traditional and modern taste. Most beads or pendants used in my jewelry are chinese porcelain beads, however I do use gemstones, swarovski crystals, pearl, wood or metal or glass beads too. Every piece is designed and handmade by me, so it will be truly one-of-a-kind.
The reason I named my store “Tranquility Knots” is because that is how I feel when I making them or even staring at them. I hope my creation can bring you and your family good luck and peace too."

Photo hell

I am having a real problem taking photo's of my bags, I just can't seem to get them right, I really wanted to put up some pictures, but every time I get out the camera and take some pics, they just look really flat and uninteresting, so I am making it my mission for tomorrow to be creative and take some really great pictures.

That's not my only problem, once I've taken my photo's and download them onto the pc, I can't find them again, and then I have to wait for my husband to come in and search for them!
I really do need to get a bit more technically minded.