Yarn Love

It is a cold, blustery day today...perfect for tea and a new project. A visit to my LYS this morning yielded some very nice new stuff to play around with. Some more alpaca and Peruvian wool (how much do I love the fact that I am supporting a tiny school in Peru just by buying this!) as well as some gorgeous slubby wool from Wales. Isn't is all amazing?
I feel so worldly as I craft! I would really, really love to find someone who produced wool locally (shout out to any Nebraska sheep/goat farmers??? If you're out there, let me know!) - I have the ambition to someday attempt spinning my own, and for as random as my crafting is, you know that is entirely possible! There is something so organic about knitting, much like I felt when I (once upon a time) was into wheel-thrown pottery. Kick wheel, of course, no electric for me. I fell in love with the rhythm and I think that is what is so appealing to me now with knitting. The upside to knitting as opposed to pottery, however, is the fact that I can sit in my living room and knit with kids around me and not get covered in clay! Having kids definitely alters my creative endeavors. It's all good though...because without them, I would never get gems like this...
(Portrait of Mommy as drawn by three year-old Grace)

It's been awhile...

Funny how I can go out of town for Thanksgiving and still manage to get behind in so much. Like laundry (ok, I'm always behind on that) and holiday shopping (why is it that it is not even December and I feel like I'm behind already???) and keeping the house in general order. Not like it is ever in order, really, but the busier I get I really neglect this place.

Fortunately, my craftiness has been flowing at a good pace and I am keeping up with my own projects as well as some custom orders. First, please note what I like to call The Happy Fabric...
Ahhh...I feel better just looking at it. I ordered this for a tote bag project for a good friend, and immediately I was struck that it just made me happy. So, so pretty. And wouldn't you know, when I delivered the bag to her she commented how it made her happy! Somehow they must weave little happiness threads right into the fabric itself. Here is the finished bag...
And a few more images of things that have gotten put into the shop recently...
I couldn't resist doing something else with this lovely stuff ... and then there has been some knitting going on...
these warmers...
and these...
and even a few pieces of silverware! It's all rather random, but as I have said before, that is precisely why I like it. I have to admit, I have even been frequently viewing some pottery pieces on Etsy lately...but I keep telling myself that I do not own a kiln and it would take SO much time to get pieces somewhere to get fired! I am working hard at exercising some self-restraint!

On the Bib Front

Why was I not making these when my kids were babies??? Okay, maybe it had something to do with the fact that they were babies and I just didn't have the time. Well anyway, I have the time now and I can't get over how cute the flannel is. I mean, really! NYC shopping and aliens! I may just have to make coordinating blankets. I added these plus a few others to the shop this afternoon. I realize the shop is a little random - serving pieces, glassware, zippered pouches and now, bibs? Please bear with me. I really do craft this way...pretty random, but it keeps me interested in what I'm doing. Oh, and those yarns I bought the other day? One is being reknit from one scarf to another (the first stitch pattern just wasn't cutting it for me). And that tattered rose yarn? It's also in mid-formation on it's way to becoming a gorgeous scarf, too. I had to pick out a few rows yesterday but it's back on track. And then, once completed, will probably find it's way into the shop...yet another random piece! Eat your heart out, Julia Roberts!

Who Knew?

Yesterday I was scanning the headlines on the internet...and yes, I admit, they were the entertainment headlines, not the hard-core news ones. Unfortunately I do actually have a clue as to what is going on in the lives of today's entertainers! So anyway, I read an article about how Julia Roberts wants my life. No, seriously! OK, not ME exactly, but apparently she would be just like me if she could (yeah right, I don't know if I totally buy it either). She said she would love to be a stay-at-home mom with a little creative outlet like needlework. Um, yep, that pretty much sounds like me. I informed Kirk today that Julia Roberts wants my life, and he said, "Why?" Maybe she and I could work out an occasional trade or something? So hey, Julia, if you're reading this? Have your people call my people and we'll set it all up for, say, next Thursday?

Oh, and a little random yarn-shop happiness today. I got in on a good sale and bought some amazing alpaca yarns, one of which is being turned into a cozy scarf (probably for the shop, not for me) as I write this. No, really, I bewitched my needles to clickety-clack away while I attend to other tasks! Sound Hermione-ish? The best part of my yarn deal, however (besides the alpaca) was the 4 free balls of yarn I got to choose with my purchase. Did I say free? Yes, free! Of course, I had to choose from the clearance bin, but I ended up coming away with a lovely rose-pink blend, kind of ribbon-y, kind of tattered, almost vintage looking. I love it! And at an original price of $12.95 a ball, I think I came away with quite a deal!

Same goblet, different day

goblet closeup
Originally uploaded by j.hoferdesigns

Every time I make something, I wander through my house trying to find the perfect spot for photographing the item. Sometimes I end up outside, where the light is good and the weathered fence looks just...right. One recent photo featured a tote bag hanging from a nail against my red kitchen wall. Striking, yes...but a bit of a pain since it involved taking down the mirror that usually hangs there! So, I keep looking for that just-right place. And it has eluded me thus far. I am hoping this will not be the case anymore, thanks to the lovely peacock-blue poster board I purchased today for 67 cents. When propped just right on my bathroom counter, it looks fabulous as a backdrop! That, combined with a tripod for my camera (I so need to do this more), and voila! The just-right spot.

Oh, and I am proud to introduce my online store, "jenny hofer designs" !!! www.jennyhoferdesigns.etsy.com I am excited about this new venture. I still hope to build business with custom orders...but now I have the storefront I've been meaning to acquire for a long time. Happy shopping, everyone! :)