Cats and Plarn bags and basket

It's been a while, I've had a crazy and busy few weeks. Amazingly it will be September tomorrow!

We are owned by four cats. You can see Inanna in my avatar. Here are pictures of another 2:

The one on the left is Cassie, short for Cassiopeia, and the cutie on the right is Luna. And, yes, they are sisters.

I recently finished a custom order. Using Plastic Yarn (Plarn) I crocheted three bags to use for picking produce. Each one is a different size, and a different color scheme.

This first one was made for the mom.

The red and pink one (on the right) is for a 5 year old boy, and the one with blue and purple (on the

left) is for a 2 year old girl.

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There were a few special features for these bags. I used plastic canvas to support the bottom and one side of the bags

And the straps are totally adjustable, the button fits anywhere on the other handle. They can be worn around the neck so the bag is centered, or across the chest so the bags hang and the hip. There is also a button in the front, as well as one in the back so it stays open when needed.

And, finally, I made a multifunctional basket, which can be used as a fruit basket on the table.

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The quality of these pictures is not the best, I was in a hurry to take them before I went out to deliver the bags and basket.

Elephants, Kippot and Colors

Today's Tip: A newborn baby's head is about the size of your fist. So, if you're making a hat for a newborn try it on your fist! The baby will outgrow the hat quickly, but it is a hat they can wear right after they are born. It would make a great baby shower present. Also, there are many dolls with a head the same size as a newborn.

This is Bella. My 16yo daughter made her for me! She usually sits on my bookshelf, right across from where I frequently sit knitting and crocheting, and watching TV. That way I can see her when I look up from what I'm doing.

These are two kippot I recently made. I put them on bowls to spray starch them. It helps them hold their shape, but they are not too stiff and crunchy. I plan to put one for sale on my Etsy Site, and bring one to a local store on consignment. I have some others that need to be sprayed.

On Sunday, I did some field market research. I found myself spending time at a mall in New Hampshire, while my daughter was at a rehearsal. As I was sitting there crocheting I started people watching. It occurred to me to make a note of what colors people were wearing. I also took a walk and checked out what colors were being sold for fall wear.

I saw a lot of black and white on all ages. Young girls seem to always like pink and purple. I also saw a lot of muted colors - greens, orange, blues, etc. And some boys had red on. I have since learned that there are some websites that have previews of the colors for upcoming seasons. One Useful site is fashiontrendsetter. Pantone is another useful site to see what colors are currently in style

I did realize that rather than matching these colors, scarves and hats should be designed to complement and contrast to these colors. A bright scarf might be just the thing to spice up a black and white outfit. But I'm glad I took a look to see what's in style.

Eighteenth Birthday Presents from Etsy

Today's Tip: An average sized scarf equals the height of the person wearing it. Why does this work? Generally people want a scarf that falls about halfway on their body. To get it to fall halfway, the scarf is the same as the height. So, a long scarf would be more than the height, and a short scarf would be less. If you look at the last tip, you'll see that you can get a quick measurement by holding the scarf between your outstretched arms.

Yesterday, August 2, was my daughter's 18th birthday. In addition to her main gift (her own guitar for Guitar Hero, and new programs), I bought her some wonderful gifts from Etsy. I thought about what she can do now that she is 18. She will be able to vote for the first time this year, so I purchased some fun things about voting. I got these two buttons from rvw2005This journal from ivylanedesigns

and this t-shirt from coolchirts

The other thing she can do is buy cigarettes. Although she has no interest in smoking, I thought these charms would be a fun gift. This one came from heartbreakjewelry