A New Pattern

So this is what I’ve been working on the past couple of days!

I wish the hat wasn’t so small on poor Charlie’s head! He kept telling me that he’s “too big” for the hat… I really should make my sample hats in their size. Only problem with that is I’m so accustomed to making hats for them that “testing” 2-3 year old sizes aren’t actually testing the patterns for me. I have to try out the smaller sizes to make sure that I’m getting the sizing correct. :-p

Anyway…

This adorable pixie hat was specifically designed with the beginner in mind. Or the crochet-er who’s tired of making hats in the round! It’s got everything you want in a hat for your favorite little pixie—a whole lot of cute, a little bit flair, and a touch of decorative lace!

The pattern is written for three sizes: 1-2 year (2-3 year, 3-4 year) and comes with measurements to help with sizing.

The pattern is available at jkwdesigns Etsy Shop or on Ravelry. You decide. 😉

And We’re in Business!

All of the patterns discussed in this post are available for sale on Etsy

as well as on Ravelry. The advantage of Ravelry is that it’s an instant download. 

Since my last post, lots of exciting things have happened. Aside, of course, from the celebration of the holidays, which was a mixed bag here at the JuliaStitches household. We definitely had fun. This was the first Christmas that my boys seemed to have a grasp on what’s going on (they’ll be turning 3 in February), so it as really neat to watch them get excited about Santa Claus coming and opening presents the next morning. DH and I actually dragged our butts out of bed before the boys woke up so we could call them downstairs. And this NEVER happens! 😉 We also didn’t travel anywhere this year or have anyone over, so it really was a relaxing 4 day weekend. On the other hand, all four of us were sick with a cold. Nothing too terrible, but four congested, snotty, slightly feverish people in one house is not a lot of fun. Thankfully, we all seem to be on the mend.

Anyway, on to crafting news! My Etsy shop, jkwdesigns, is getting bigger every day! I started out with 10 products, and I’ve more than doubled it in the past two weeks. I’ve been very busy writing patterns, testing, re-testing… And in the process of testing out all these patterns, I’ve also managed to make tons of headbands, hats, and flowers. My pattern sales are doing well, although, of course, they could always be better! And I’m working on some new hat patterns that I’m really excited about. The tough part is not having a little girl to photograph in all these hats! They look so much better on a human head, and although the boys will do it if I ask, they look so miserable in the photos… Particularly Lincoln. 😉

So the only pattern that I’d introduced so far is the Sweet Magnolia pattern:

I worked long and hard on the Gardenias for Lady Day pattern, and I went through a number of prototypes before settling on this design. I think it turned out pretty great–worthy of the great Billie Holiday? Maybe?

Because I was experimenting with all these flowers, I needed someplace for them to go. So I whipped up this crochet headband/earwarmer pattern, and it’s actually been doing quite well in terms of sales! It’s absolutely suitable for beginners, so if you’re looking for something quick and easy, this is definitely the pattern for you. You don’t have to worry about gauge–just get started and you’ll be done before you know it!

Next, I worked on a pattern for a cloche hat because well… I just love them. And again, I needed something to do with the flowers that I’d made. 😉 It’s super-stretchy and can fit a lot of different sizes, which is fantastic because I hate making hats for kids that will only last one season. With the band, it’s easy to slightly tighten the hat so it doesn’t fall off a little one’s head and gradually let out some of the band to accommodate a quickly growing child.

And my final work–I just wish the photos did the hat justice. It’s adorable. You can take my word for it. 😉

I just wish there were more hours in a day because once I can actually settle down to do some serious work (that’s after the boys have gone to bed), I really only have a couple of hours before I’ve got to turn in for the night or risk being an absolute zombie the next day. And it doesn’t help that this baby is literally trying to push her way out of me through my belly button…

I’m working on a new pattern right now for an adorable baby hat with a bit of a pixie twist… Then I’ve got an idea for a vintage inspired baby bonnet in the works… It’s almost like my brain is in complete over-drive right now. My hands can’t work fast enough for all the ideas I have in my head.

Case in point: this morning, Charlie made something ridiculous with his Lego blocks and stood at the back of the couch and said, “Mommy! Look! I’m fishing!” I looked over and he’d put a bunch of red Lego blocks together to make a long tower-like thing and on top of that, he’d put a Lego gas hose, which I guess was for the fishing line. And immediately, I had to make my boys something that would allow them to “go fishing.” So…Just from things I had around the house… I found two wooden dowels to use as fishing rods, some magnets, and, of course, yarn, and got to work. What resulted were 2 fishing poles (one blue and one green so there’s no war over the fishing poles) with crochet “hooks” with magnets in them. I was working on the first fish when the boys woke up from their nap, and thankfully, Mr. Charlie waited (not-so) patiently for the second fish… Unfortunately, the magnets aren’t quite strong enough… So I think I’ll either have to make the fish one-dimensional or get stronger magnets. I’m leaning toward stronger magnets since the fish are pretty darn cute. 😉 And here’s a crappy cell phone photo of my wonderful creation.

More Projects

I’ve been a busy, busy crafting mama lately… Both for the holidays and for getting my butt in gear and actually OPENING my Etsy shop–jkwdesigns!!! So here’s a quick rundown of what I’ve done in the past couple of weeks:

1) Lots of crochet flowers. I’m experimenting. After writing the Plumeria pattern, I decided I needed more flowers in my crafty life. I’m working on a magnolia pattern right now, one that doesn’t require the sewing on of all those petals. I’m hoping that I can design one where at least the back row of petals are worked as one piece. I hate sewing individual knit/crochet pieces together.

2) Hats for gifts:

I used the Big Button Hat pattern for these, but obviously made one shorter than the other… I made the pink one first, and despite not knitting as many rounds as the pattern called for, the hat was still huge, so I made the second hat slightly shorter. I like the shorter one better, but it’s just personal preference as I don’t like hats to cover my eyebrows!

3) A growth chart for Charlie and Lincoln. The Caffeinated Mommy from Creative Momnesia, which I must say has been sadly neglected lately, found this adorable DIY growth chart, so I had to make one for each of the boys. I suppose I could have just made one for all the kids, but then which one would I give it to once they’re older and having their own kids? So I’ve made two. Just one more to go for Lady Penelope!

4) I spent an inordinate amount of time designing a business card for my Etsy shop. Because I make ridiculous hats for my boys and take them out in public wearing said ridiculous hats, I’m often asked where I got them (the hats, not the boys). I wanted to have some business cards that I could give out to these inquisitive mamas! And after much twiddling, I went with an elegant cherry blossom design (I LOVE CHERRY BLOSSOMS!), and tried to print OVER.AND.OVER.AGAIN. With no luck. After I had essentially ruined the 7th sheet of business card paper, I did a quick Google search and discovered that it wasn’t just me. My particular printer is actually incapable of printing the margins properly on the Avery Clean-Edge business cards. I felt vindicated! So I went online and just ordered some. 500 cards printed and delivered to my door for $20. I can handle that. Considering that I wasted about $10 worth of business card paper, the $20 is a small price to pay!

This is just the front side of the card–the back side gives some more details about what I make. I think it turned out kinda nice! I’m going to modify if for the banner on my Etsy shop.

Now, I just need someone to buy something! I only have 10 items listed right now, but it takes time to make things, and that’s definitely something that I don’t have enough of… Time. I told DH last night that there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do… And he looked at me like I’m crazy–mostly because he doesn’t really understand why I create MORE work for myself by wanting to knit and crochet and write patterns and craft…when I can barely keep up with the dishes and laundry and grocery shopping and vacuuming and my millions of prenatal appointments… *sigh* I don’t really have an answer!