New York Gang Part 2

I just love how this doll turned out. I like to call her Jemima as she looks like a doll with that name from a tv show call Playschool that used to watch when I was little. I wish I had of had more time to take more detailed pictures of her. She is made all out of soft wool except for her dress which is super soft alpaca yarn. You cant see this in the photo but she even has on underwear. You can take the underwear and dress off easily so she is fun to dress up. The hair took so long to get it the way I wanted it. To make it wavy I cut the strips of yarn and pulled apart the fibers which come apart wavy from being twisted. I hope Jemima goes to a home where she is loved.



This poor little owl sat around for a long time waiting to be finished. I dont know why I kept putting it off but I am glad that he was finished in the end. He is half filled with plastic pellets which makes him just right to sit on your shelf and keep and eye on things.



This bunny was actually suppose to be a bear but when it came time to do the ears I ended up just making them really long and turning it into a bunny. I love the blue colour of this yarn especially with the hot pink.



Now this was my favourite toy that I sent off. We had to give him a hug before he went in the box. He reminds me of the velveteen rabbit. I knitted him in a chenille yarn with small needles to give him that velvet look and feel. Ah more uses for that big stack of chenille yarn my husband bought for me.



I lined his ears with some yellow fabric that was left over from the quilt I made my daughter for Christmas. Dont you just love how you can pose his ears in all different ways. I love the vintage look of this bunny. He looks like he has been around for a long time.



I am definitely going to make another one of these rabbits. I have the yarn all picked out and everything. Funnily enough the yarn I am going to use is called Bunny Soft and it feels just like your patting a real bunny. I cant wait to get started on that one.

New York Gang Part 1

In November I sent off some toys to Stoopher and Boots in New York city, the very cool shop that sells my knitted toys. I managed to take some quick pictures of them before they got packed up in the box to go on their journey.



This snake was alot of fun to make. He is made with a soft cotton yarn. I dont usually like knitting stripes because of all the ends but with this being knitted in the round there were no ends to weave in. He ended up being really long and great to put on your shoulders. Victoria was always checking up on his progress and how long he was getting.



Victoria fell in love with this little lizard but he really wanted to go to New York and see the sights. This was my first time using Noro yarn and I loved watching the colours come together. I love this guys little toes.



This little pig was made using the very last of some handspun hand dyed pink yarn that I got from a fellow Etsy seller. I love this pattern and have been thinking about making more tiny pigs as they are really quick and oh so cute. This pattern was designed by Apocalypse Knits.



Here is another Maddox Monster. Its funny how just by using a different yarn it brings out a different personality with these monsters. I love this yarn with its shades of yellow. Every time I see this monster it reminds me of my sister as i was finishing him off while Skyping for the first time with her.

I am posting Part 2 of the NY gang so you can see the rest of the guys who left for NY.

Its A Horsey!!

I just listed this cute brown horse to my Etsy shop. The first new listing of 2012. I love how this horse turned out and he didnt take long to make. He was knitted with 100% wool as well as his mane and tail. He was stuffed with this new kind of stuffing that is 50% bamboo and 50% polyester fiberfill. It is great when you want something to be sturdy and solid which is what you want a horse to be.



I imagine some little girl or boy galloping him around all over the place or having different toys ride on him. In fact the two little girls that I babysit have already discovered him and asked if he was for them. So I know that someone else will have to fall in love with him. He has the two year old seal of approval hehe.


Oh there's the butt shot. You cant not have the butt shot hehe.

Etsy Front Page Excitement!!!!!

I am so excited to say that one of my items in my Etsy shop was on the front page. WooooHoooooo!!!!!!!!!!

I have been wanting to be on the front page for a very long time. Yesterday I saw that one of my felted bags was in a treasury. A very pretty treasury. I logged into my shop this morning to discover a big jump in views and favourites and found out the treasury had been put on the front page.

Here is the treasury that I am speaking of.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTU1NTkyOTh8MTU1NzI0NDIzNg/team-t-t-my-team-favorites

It makes me want to get some new stuff made pronto to add to the shop but I know that is probably not going to happen this week. I am knee deep in trying to finish handmade Christmas presents. I am attempting my first ever quilt. It is really close to being finished. Megan is home with a cold today so I cant work on it until tonight because its for her. I am attempting to make as many Adventure Time characters as I can for Victoria. I am on my second one with the other two I could get done before Christmas just waiting to get started. I am also finishing off a hat and have an order for a duck that needs to be done soon. So many things and so little time. I also need to get the house ready for all the visitors on Christmas Eve. This is why I keep telling the children to stop telling me how many days until Christmas because I am not ready yet.

But anyway, I was on the front page of Etsy WOOOOHOOOO!!!

Tiny Pigs And A Blue Elephant

I just sold these pigs in my Etsy shop the other day. They didnt even last a day before somebody purchased them. I still have to show them off though because arent they just the cutest especially the baby pig. I love his little tail.


The Mama pig measures 1 1/2 inches and the baby pig measures 1 inch. A little fiddly to knit at first but easy and quick after the first couple of rows. This pattern was designed by Apocalypse Knits and she has given me permission to sell pigs made from her oh so cute pattern. I think I will be knitting many more of these. This yarn was not very thin so imagine how small they could get.



I just listed this sweet little elephant. He has been waiting to be finished for quite some time now so he is excited just to be done. I made him in a soft cotton blue yarn with grey on the inside of his ears and his feet.


I gave him felt eyes so that he would be safe for any age. I envision him being a great baby shower present.


He measures 11 inches tail which I think is just the right elephant snuggling height.

New Items

I finally pinned down Megan to take pictures of new items for my Etsy shop. That is not an easy thing to do. With Christmas coming its time to get new items made and added to the shop. I am in a finishing mood which doesnt happen alot. I better take advantage of it.



I love this yarn. The colours are bright and look so great together. I think the spiral pattern shows this yarn off really well.




These fingerless mittens are made from handspun hand dyed purple wool yarn. The wool is so soft and springy, just right for keeping your hands warm.

Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

In My Backyard
www.inmybackyard.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I'm Katie from In my backyard. I work at a museum during the day and my spare time is taken up with sewing, printing and crafting.

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
Etsy is just such a lovely website, I can spend hours looking through it. I opened an Etsy shop so I would have a wider overseas market.



3. How did you choose your shop name?
I spend a lot of time pottering in my garden, and it is where I do a lot of my sketching and other work - so most of my things are made in my backyard :)

4. Do you sell your items anywhere else?
I have a shop on felt - www.felt.co.nz - a New Zealand based online marketplace, as well as shops in New Zealand



5. What are your favourite things to do?
Making things, gardening, long walks with the dog

6. What inspires you?
Anything and everything



7. What is your most popular item?
My little bird pins have probably been my most popular item

8. If you could learn one new craft what would it be?
I'd love to learn to weave a rug.




9. Which handmade possession given to you do you cherish?
It is actually something I made - it is a bag that is made out of some tweed that my grandmother gave my mother, who then gave it to me.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
magdalinen Home

The Rainbow Girl

La Pomme



Thank you to In My Backyard for being my favourite Etsy shop feature this week. This shop is so cute. I love how there are different types of items but everything looks like they belong together. The bunny and kitty pictures are simple but oh so sweet. Check out this shop that has items for crafters and items for those who love sweet handmade items.