Upcoming Crochet Class at Darn. Knit. {Anyway}!

Hey! Are you looking for something to do after all the holiday chaos is over? I will be teaching a crochet class at darn. knit. {anyway} in Stillwater! Check out their website for details on all their awesome classes. darnknitanyway.com
My class will be for a crochet twirl scarf which is super easy but looks really fabulous! Even if you've never crocheted a stitch, you can learn how to make this scarf! The pattern is very forgiving if you make a mistake and people will think you are a creative genius! The class is two Wednesday nights for two hours starting at 6:00 PM each night. It will be Wednesday, January 27th and Wednesday, February 3rd. It's only $30, and it will be lots of fun, so sign up and we'll make something beautiful together!
The class description says it's for advanced beginners, but I promise, I have lots of patience with real beginners, too! : ) Scarves are great projects for beginners and experts- and who in Minnesota doesn't need a scarf in winter?

Thanks to everyone who came out to my sales this Christmas season. I had tons of fun at each show!

Upcoming Craft Shows

I've been feverishly working every moment I'm not at my "real job" to make lots of fun things for the three craft shows I've got coming up.

First is St. Gen's Gift Expo which will be on Saturday, November 14th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The address is: 6995 Centerville Road in Centerville, MN. The first 50 people through the door get gift bags filled with lots of fun goodies... and I'm working on something fun to put in there, too, so get there early and you'll see my contribution. There will be a silent auction for baskets donated from each vendor. I'm still trying to decide on something to donate, but I want it to be awesome so my basket gets the highest bids! : )

Next is Thursday, November 19th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Burnsville High School's Senior Campus. I'll only be able to be there till noon, but my wonderful mother will be filling in for me after I have to leave, so my stuff will be there the whole time. That one will have lots of fun crafts and food items along with lunch that can be purchased from the Senior Center.

Then, lastly, I've got something that should be really fun at the Curves in Minneapolis (I have to figure out which location this is going to be, as there are a few that are in Minneapolis and I can't remember if it's Southeast or Southwest.) Anyway, that is from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, December 5th, so that should also be lots of fun.

And I'm also super excited that I'll be at all three of these with my amazingly talented cousin Sara who makes delicious chocolate confections and treats. Her website is illbedippedinchocolate.com and everything she makes is wonderful! : )

So in between making things for sales, I'm trying to fit in all my Christmas gift knitting (which will be pared down from years past, unfortunately!) It's a good thing I have an understanding husband who doesn't mind (too much) if I spend a lot of time knitting... and the cats LOVE when I knit because it means there's a lap available for long periods of time!

darn. knit. {anyway} is OPEN!

Darn Knit Anyway is open for business! I stopped by last Thursday and dropped off all my goodies - handmade stitch marker sets, felted mittens, felted purses, coffee cup cozies, wine bottle sleeves, knitting and sewing themed necklaces, and owl, monkey, and kitty-cat hats. Even before the store's official opening last Friday, customers were coming in and shopping. Everyone that came in said the same thing: "I'm so excited to have a yarn and fabric store in Stillwater!" I feel the same way!
My mom and I went to the shop on Tuesday so she could see it for herself and everything looks wonderful. The shop was buzzing with customers and that was really exciting to see. I hope everything goes great for Aimee and Carly because they are both really sweet and very excited about the shop, too!
Go check out the shop - the address is 423 South Main Street. If you're going East on 36 to get to Stillwater, it's the very first shop on Main Street on the right hand side.

darn. knit. {anyway}

Yay! I am so excited to finally write about this... there is a new yarn and fabric store opening in Stillwater -- hopefully the second weekend in October-- so, SOON! I have been working and working every second I've been home at making lots of fun and beautiful things that I'll be selling on consignment at the shop! Woohoo!
When I went to the shop a couple of weeks ago, Aimee was just having the shelving installed, but it looks like the store is going to be AWESOME! : ) I got to see some of the gorgeous alpaca yarns and I'm knitting a couple of sample items for the store to display- both out of alpaca - and they are both gorgeous. So if you go to the shop, look for the camel-colored cabled legwarmers and a beautiful light blue short-sleeved wrap sweater with a tie- I made those! : )
Here is a link to the shop's website: http://darnknitanyway.com/ and you see she's started to fill her shelves!
So, the next time you're in Stillwater, stop in to the shop and see all the wonderful things being sold in the front of the shop made only by Minnesota and Wisconsin artists (me, especially!) I wish Aimee tons of success with her shop. I know I'll be shopping there! : )
Oh, and just in case you're wondering what kind of things I'll be selling at the store, I'll offer an abbreviated list- just to wet your whistle: beaded stitch markers, knitting and sewing themed necklaces, wine bottle sleeves, animal hats, and felted purses. Check it out soon!

Peas out in the world...

One wonderful customer who bought a set of peas to use as her cake topper has sent me pictures and I'm so excited about them-- they are super cute, and they are proof that at least one couple has used the peas as a cake topper. : )

Just had to share the pictures. I'll be using the one of the tiers of cupcakes in my listings.

Thanks, Qibo!

First of all, Phoebe the cat didn't want me to pay any attention to this computer this morning- she climbed up behind me on the chair and headbutted my back and arms several times in a successful campaign to get me to pet her. She knows that always works! But she got tired of the attention once it was given, so she hopped down and just stared at me from the floor as if she was incensed that I should touch her with my hands... so fickle, but so irresistible!

Mark and I worked on putting the trailer back together last night- somehow the holes drilled in the planks that make the sides just didn't line up when we went to put everything back together, so it was very frustrating. At one point, we heard the snorting we had heard about a month ago that turned out to be a deer, so we investigated but we never found a deer - we found a bird. There's so much strange wildlife out on the farm, we always find something to entertain us! Then the mosquitos started to attack when the sun went down and I was done working on the trailer for the night.

I made some really fun pendants last night. I'm so excited about them! They definitely make me smile. : ) I can't wait to get some time to take pictures for Etsy and get them listed. Here's a quick pic of one of them that I was very satisfied with.

I'm working on a new cake topper that I think is going to be super cute when I'm finally finished. I envision these two owls snuggled together on a branch and then that will be attached to a base somehow. It's all perfect in my head, now I'll see if I can execute it like I picture it!

Time to get ready for work. Only tonight and tomorrow morning and then I'm off for the weekend. Yahoo!