Summer is officially over and Fall is here!

Well now that Fall is officially here, I'm looking forward to seeing all the new fall color selections from at my LYS and getting into some serious knitting.  This summer I did knit, but mostly I was keeping up with my sales that I was getting from my Etsy shop and trying out new patterns to sell at the Kent Farmers Market.

I really enjoyed the Farmers Market and will most likely participate again next year. I only signed up for 3 Saturdays this summer because I just wanted to see how I would do and what kind of response I would get with my knitted products.  I did better than I anticipated and learned a few things about what people are looking for and pricing my products.

Here are pictures of my booth on the three Saturdays I particpated.

Here is my booth on a beautiful sunny day on August 11, 2012

 

Here is my booth on a not so sunny day on August 18, 2012.. That's me, sitting behind all the signs in the photo on the right.



Here is my booth, on another beautiful sunny day on September 1, 2012.

I actually enjoyed working the Farmers Market, but I only had two issues: working the booth alone, doesn't really allow for you to have bathroom breaks and setting up and breaking down can be a hassle and takes twice as long compared to those booths who have more than one person. But overall the experience was good and I like that I was getting exposure for my products and getting my name and brand out there!

I've signed up to have an outdoor booth in October at the Renton Harvest Festival in downtown Renton, WA at the Piazza, so if you live locally, I hope I will see you there. I'm looking forward to showing off some of my new fall-wear and you can get a jump on your shopping - hey it's never to early to start putting away those stocking stuffers for friends and family who live far away.

Some patterns I'm looking forward to trying out for fall include:

Lion Brand's - Brimmed Cap

Red Heart's - Brimming with Fun Cap (crochet pattern)

Leisure Arts' - Rainbow Stripes (crochet bag)

Vickie Howell's - Urban Revival and Urban Jungle (crochet slouchy hats)

Some new colorwork patterns I have designed for my team spirit hats include:

Dallas Cowboys

Oakland Raiders



 And a new team hat I completed earlier this month, for a local woman to give to her brother is the University of Oklahoma beanie:

I certainly hope all of you are getting started on your fall knitting and if you get a chance share some of your projects with me, I'd love to hear from you and Happy Knitting to you all!

New Hats on the Horizon

I'm knitting away once again this weekend.  Finished a few hats I'd like to share:

A few of the above hats are now available in my Etsy shop - Handmade Knits by Knitter Mama.  Drop on by and check them out.

Update: September 13, 2011: Finished this hat after dinner on Monday night!

Trying my hand at colorwork - combining more than just two colors!

Branching Out In My Yarn Addiction

I recently read a blog post at Stitch.Tac.Sew, titled "My Yarn Romance" and it got me to thinking of my love of yarn. I could relate to the author, who began her love of yarn as a crocheter first and later a knitter. I too began as a crocheter about 20 years ago making Afghans and baby blankets. That was before I even knew yarn shops existed. I bought my yarn from the local discount department stores, Jamesway, Caldor, Woolworth’s, Ames, (and if these names sound familiar or bring back memories – yes these were stores predominately on the east coast, which is where I grew up – upstate New York in Troy and later for a brief period downstate in Poughkeepsie).

There were quite a few craft stores in my local area of Poughkeepsie but they specialized in sewing patterns, fabrics, beads, woodworking, basically they didn't specialize in yarn but was geared toward the general crafter by having a little bit of everything – there wasn’t much of a selection when it came to yarn – Red Heart® and Lily® Sugar ‘n Cream were my basic choices in most of the stores. So I bought plenty of each, not really thinking that there were other options out there. I found Red Heart’s® 100% acrylics to be durable, washable, and it comes in a vast selection of colors; it never occurred to me that there were other types of yarn or even other brands available. I remember as a kid watching my mom knit hats, mittens, and slippers using Red Heart®. I worked with what I knew and it never entered my mind to even look for any other yarn.

It wasn’t until after I moved to Washington that I rediscovered yarn in the form of knitting. I of course stuck to the tried and true Red Heart® but about the time I first began my journey down the road of knitting I came across a yarn shop next door to the Starbucks® I frequented for my morning coffee on my way into work. Here I found many brands, blends, color variations, and textures. And amazingly, there wasn't a skein of Red Heart® or Lily® to be found anywhere in this cute little shop. I was amazed and in yarn heaven when I walked into The Knittery located in the Renton Village Shopping Center on South Grady Way. I quickly became a regular in the shop and the ladies there are ever so helpful with knowing what yarn will work in your projects or how much yardage you need and just all around very nice women to talk to.  If you haven't been to The Knittery, you have to go check them out.

  

(10x50 gr/98 yds, 55% merino extra fine
wool, 33% microfiber, 12% cashmere

Just recently I was in spending my gift certificate I got from my friends for my birthday (they know me so well - they're just feeding my yarn addiction!) and I came across this wonderful yarn from Cascade Yarns called Cash Vero Aran. I'm a very tactile person when it comes to the yarn I buy and I can say aaaahhh this one feels so soft against the skin. I bought 4 skeins of it in this deep burgundy color (018), with the thought of a hat and fingerless mitts for myself, because in all my time knitting I haven’t made a single thing for myself, so it will be nice to have them on my hands and head keeping me warm as well as feeling very good against my skin.

If you haven’t had a chance to experience the Cash Vero Aran, go check it out at your LYS and if they don’t carry it ask them to, you won’t be sorry. My next venture in my yarn addiction will be to try out some of the hand-dyeds that are available locally (Washington & Oregon).  I'm hoping to buy some at the Madrona 2011 Winter Retreat, February 17-20, 2011 at the Hotel Murano in Tacoma. I've never been to this event and I'm looking forward to the experience.  There are mini classes on just about everything imaginable from what I have gleened from the class schedule.

The way certain yarns can make your project look, drape, and feel just right amazes me and I can't wait to discover even more selections of yarn. I plan to continue to branch out (continue feeding my yarn addiction) and try different blends, textures, and variations. I hope to share this experience with all of you and I hope some of you can make recommendations as well.