"Manning the Shop"

Lisa & Holland are having a great time in Wisconsin shoveling snow. I am here at home "manning" the shop. It has been really busy, I hope that our customers have not had to wait too long for the delivery of their patterns. I can tell you that I have spent all the profit this month, check out the nice road bike that I have just purchased - don't tell Lisa!

Moose A. Moose

Today I made a Moose...but not just any moose! I custom-designed this crochet amigurumi version of the character "Moose A. Moose" from Noggin for a lady on Etsy. Her granddaughter just adores Moose A. Moose and she wanted to make one for her...but could not find any patterns. It was a fun little project and a nice way to test out the limits of my amigurumi-designing abilities, since as you can see, he's got a rather complicated shape! Holland has been saying "moose" and carrying him around by his antlers.

Baby Version

Holland wanted a pair of slippers just like mom's, so I made these for her last night.

Goodie 2-Strap Baby Shoes

Pattern includes sizes 0-6 mos, 6-12 mos & 12-18 mos.

Goodie One-Shoe

I don't know why I decided to design some new slippers today when I have so much to do to get ready for my upcoming trip! I have about a dozen mini-cupcakes to make for a Little Kiwis Nest order, plus packing to do, etc.
I've only finished one of these slippers so far, as per usual...but plan to finish the other before I leave. They will be great to wear on the 14 hour airplane ride to L.A. :)

Goodie 2-Strap Ballet Flats

Features 2 side-buttoning straps and a really cool ribbed detail for a snug fit at the heel.

Winter Holiday Cardigan

Today I finished Holland's sweater, adding the sleeves, ribbed neckline and picot edging to cuffs, neckline, front and bottom of cardigan. The yarn I used is a cotton/acrylic/nylon/wool blend and is super soft and warm. I may try to write this pattern up in size 1-3 years only and then design something similar in baby sizes later on...

Sleeveless in New Zealand

I’m taking Holland to visit her grandparents in Wisconsin for the entire month of December. She will need something to keep her extra warm, so I am making this sweater for her to wear on our trip.
This design uses my “knit-look” crochet technique, same as I’ve used on my fingerless gloves pattern, knit-look cloche, etc. Unfortunately, I think this design (the way I chose to make it) is just a tad too complicated for me to type up and sell as a Holland Designs pattern. I may do something similar that isn’t as tricky at a later date to add to my pattern shop.
I’ve just finished the main part of the cardigan & still need to add sleeves and maybe an edging at the neckline.

Baby Morepork Owl

It's time to put the crochet hooks away ...and tidy up the house. But before I bid you adieu for the weekend, here is my latest creative effort, my baby morepork owl.
The pattern and the designer sample are up for sale in my crochetbury shop. I love this photo! Baby Morepork looks like he's learning to fly!

Bundle of Joy

This little bundle of joy is the newest pattern I've added to Crochetbury shop. It's a really quick and easy pattern to make, using worsted weight yarn. The very simple design was inspired by the logo for the National Premmie Foundation of Australia.

Crochetbury Bundle Baby - measures approx. 5" tall

Etsy Swap

I did my 1st swap on Etsy the other day, with Becky from Whosies and Whatnots.
She was interested in several of my patterns, so I swapped for a set of adorable cupcake potholders. They arrived in the mail yesterday and I used them this morning to pull a fresh batch of chocolate chip 'n oat muffins out of the oven. She sells the sewing pattern and also some handmade sets in her shop.

First Customer!

I had my very 1st customer on Felt yesterday! Though she didn't buy a crochet pattern, she asked me to custom make an item for her: my Crochetbury Baby Bear in Moses Basket.
I also sold my sample set of mini-cupcakes overnight. Poor Holland will have no more toys to play with soon! :)

My Little Cutie

Here are a few photos of Holland modeling my latest design, my Child's Cabled Neck Warmer. She humoured me this afternoon and let Mommy do her photo shoot. It was a chilly Spring afternoon here in New Zealand, so the neck warmer and jacket actually felt just about right!

Bee my Baby

Here is my latest baby shoe design. The booties themselves, even without the bee, are quite cute and practical. There is a round of cluster stitches at the toe and also on the cuff.
The little bees are made separately and sewn on, leaving the wings and antennae free. They would be great also sewn on blankets or hats.

LOL

While doing some housework today, I turned around to see Holland sitting a top the vacuum, bouncing up and down saying, "horsey!" It just made me laugh out loud!

Crochetbury on Felt

I set up a pattern shop on Felt yesterday, specifically with Kiwi crocheters in mind.

Crochetbury

Guilt-Free Indulgence!

Cupcakes, anyone?!
Here are some gorgeous treats, perfect for your next pretend tea party!

The bottoms are crocheted using DK or sport weight yarn and the frosting is made using fingering weight yarn. The pattern is available at Crochetbury and the designer sample is available for purchase on Little Kiwis Nest.

The design for these was inspired by some photos of yummy real cupcakes I found online from a bakery in Christchurch, NZ.

Spaghetti Facial

Holland discovered some new amazing products today -
spaghetti facial mask and tomato sauce deep-conditioning cream!

Note to self:
Holland is not yet old enough to eat spaghetti unsupervised!

Needless to say, bath time came early today!

For Oma

I have been working on this project today. It is called "Lacy Top Cardigan" and is from designer, Doris Chan. I got the pattern as a free Ravelry download. It is working up really quickly.
Hmm...I wonder who this could be for??

Daddy Penguin & Egg

I created this little penguin today. I really love to see how well Holland likes my new amigurumi toy designs. She was quick to find the little egg which was tucked away underneath. :) She can now say "penguin", but when she saw the egg, all she kept saying was "chicken." :) Since everyone knows that chickens lay eggs!
This design features removable hat and scarf, plus there is a hidden hollow area between his feet where the egg is kept safe and warm. I've put the designer sample up for sale on Little Kiwis Nest and the PDF is up in my crochetbury shop and also on Ravelry.

Events & Happenings

Wahoo!! Last Friday I officially signed the contract for my baby shoe book with Annie's Attic, so that felt really nice! :)

This past weekend we took Holland to an "A&P" (agriculture and produce) show in Clevedon and she loved seeing the sheep, baby lambs, bunnies, chickens, etc. It was a lot of fun...but unfortunately we forgot the camera, so no photos to share. I met a few ladies from a local knit/crochet group who were showing off their handiwork, so it was nice to meet some local crafters.

Sadly, today I sold my Crochetbury Koskeshi Dolls - designer sample set on Little Kiwis Nest. Holland played with them while I was getting them packaged up to mail. She kept saying "oh dolly, oh dolly!" so I felt bad about selling them as she really loved them. Oh, well, mommy can make more! Today I am making some little penguins and will post some photos later...

Project Pics

Here are a few of my latest projects...
The raspberry-coloured hat is the knit-look cloche I made for my mom. Our joke is that if she goes to the mailbox in a Wisconsin blizzard - Dad will be able to see her hat from inside the house and make sure she doesn't get lost!

The striped slippers are my new Ladies Rope-Strap Mary Janes. They're something different...they remind me a little of some Sketchers shoes.

The last pair of slippers I just had to show off! These were made by a Ravelry member from Auckland. She made my Skimmer T-Strap Ballet Flats (minus the edging) and don't they just look fabulous! She modeled them and took great pictures too. She said she's crazy for anything Chanel and my pattern reminded her of that style. Great job!

Photoless

Well, the computer isn't quite fixed yet, but we're making headway...hopefully tonight!
I've been busy the past few days. I made one of my knit-look cloche hats for my very special mom. The last time I made her a hat I think I was about 12...and it was a hideous color, but she wore it very happily, only not in public. Hopefully she'll wear this one in public! :)
I also designed some new ladies slippers which I'm calling my "Rope-Strap Mary Janes" - can't wait to get the computer back to normal so I can post some photos...and actually write my pattern up. At the moment it's all in my head and the "designer sample" pair are on my feet. :)

Ravelry to the Rescue!

Last night we ran into some computer troubles! Long story short, an update we were trying to run...didn't...and we could no longer access our computer or any of our files...like my patterns! We thought everything was lost. Fortunately, my husband is quite good at playing tech-support and stayed up until 2am trying to restore everything. He got it fixed to a point where I can use the computer, but will have to spend more time tonight to get it back to normal. In the meantime, I still cannot access the folder with my pattern files, but have been able to get "expiring download links" for my patterns on Ravelry to send to Etsy customers. How convenient! Ravelry, what would I do without you!?
Design-wise, here is a new friend. This is "Pudgy Snowman." I'm thinking of making some other "pudgy" friends for him.

Good Clean Fun

Well, maybe not clean per say, but at least no one got hurt!
My mother tells me I am a good mommy because I let my daughter play in the mud puddles.

Not a Feather!

I made these All-Blacks booties today for a friend's new baby. They have little cleats on the soles. As you may know, the All-Blacks are New Zealand's rugby team and their symbol is a silver fern. (Not a feather, as I accidentally said last night!) Saying such a thing publicly could get me thrown out of the country! :)
I got a package in the mail today. My husband lost his special silver tie chain a while ago and so I got him a little something from Crownrose Gems on Etsy to replace it. I hope he likes the black onyx and sterling silver combo. I think it'll look "flash" as they say here in NZ.

Stitchin' 9 to 5

At last! I've finished all my shoe samples for my soon-to-be-published baby shoe book. I made them all in size 3-6 mos, except for the daisy baby flip flops which I made size 6-12 mos.
I am excited to see how a professional photographs these little shoes for the book.

Productivity Report

I finished a couple projects today! Firstly, a pair of custom ladies flower petal mary janes for a customer from Alabama. (Yes, Carolyn, I owe you a pair just like these!)
Secondly, I made a sample pair of my "Spa of the Moment" baby shoes which I need to send to my craft publisher. But just when I think I'm making headway, my hubby brings home orders for custom items from his co-workers. :)

Crafty at 19 Months

Holland and I are making a teddy bear this morning. Okay, I am making a teddy bear, but Holland, at 19 months, is really attempting to get involved! Last week she said "hook" for the 1st time and today she took the half-finished teddy bear from me, grabbed my hook and said "help." She then tried to put the hook through teddy's nose, as she'd just seen me embroidering it on. Now she's run off with the crochet hook stuck through the teddy's head! In a few more months I'm sure she'll be making her own amigurumi crochet patterns! :)
Will post photos of our little teddy later...once I get the hook back from Holland!

Love 'em!!

This morning I had an email from someone requesting that I design the adult version of my kimono flower baby shoes. I've been asked to do this by others, but never did get around to it...until today!
I am just thrilled with how they turned out! They are so comfy and fit so snuggly. They're my absolute favorite!

Introducing Madison

This is Madison. She's the 1st in a new collection of dolls I'll be adding to my Crochetbury shop. I still need to take some better photos of her (when the sun comes up)...but here is a sneak peak.
She's such a little sweetie...I can't wait to show her to Holland when she wakes up in the morning. :)
Madison's dress is a miniature version of my "pretty pleated yoke dress" pattern available on Holland Designs.