Book Event at Clay Wood & Cotton

We had a great time making felt cow finger puppets from my book at Clay Wood and Cotton! Thanks Kristy and everyone who came out last month!

Ryan (of Wicked Mint) and her daughter Elliot came out to make a puppet too! 

Here's Jane playing with Spud & Chloe's three bears at the shop. It was too cute to not post!

At the end of the day, we got to see some real cows! Such fun moooooing - I mean making - puppets!

A Mighty Accomplishment

I am so excited and proud to finally be able to share what I've dedicated a good portion of my life to in 2012. 500 Fun Little Toys is my very first craft book, and I'm officially an author! 

I learned to sew from my mom, and watched my dad develop photographs in his darkroom, at a young age. My curiosity for learning new techniques and love of creating never ceased. My current work is mainly fiber jewelry and accessories, and I often like to make toys for baby/kid presents, or just for fun for myself. I also teach needle felt classes at Purl Soho, where we make sweet little felt animals and objects. When I was approached by Quintet Publishing to write a craft book for one of their 500 series books, I was stoked! What's more fun than toy making, I mean really?

Handmade toys are so special, and make really wonderful gifts. They come from the heart, which you can always tell. This little book is filled with knit, crochet, needle felt, and sewn toy patterns. It includes ideas for variations on those projects, making it 500 toys. Some projects even combine techniques. This book coves baby/toddler toys, soft animals, play food, everyday objects, make believe, dolls, and games & fitness toys. It even includes a refresher section for knitting, crocheting, needle felting, and sewing if you're a bit rusty. I had a great time coming up with these projects, and my studio often looked like a toy factory! I'll share the process pictures and a free pattern or two in upcoming posts.

Quintet did such a beautiful job with the layout and photography - I couldn't be happier with it. The toys are so adorably styled! The US edition is distributed by Sellers Publishing, and I'm so happy to be working with them too!

My book comes out in February, and here's a sneak peek of some of the fun projects inside. It's available for pre-order in my Etsy shop and on Amazon, so please stop on by to reserve your copy or just like the book. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Sellers Publishing, US edition & New Burlington Books, UK edition

One Great Hat Pattern

It seems that everyone is having a baby lately, and I found one great pattern that I decided to knit for every friend who is having/has had a baby. It's the Owlie Hat by Teresa Cole. This is hat #4. I make it a little different each time, and always with a different color yarn. Sometimes I add a pom pom at the top, and sometimes it's a point, like this one. I always feel like I'm running out the door and wanting to grab a knitting project and don't have the time to search for a new hat/yarn/needles. This pattern is super cute and always a crowd pleaser! Feel free to adopt my new favorite hat pattern and check out the notes on my changes here. 

Never Let Me Go Pop-Up Shop

I had the privilege of participating in a few friends' beautiful co-owned pop-up shop this summer called Never Let Me Go at Deklab Market. The market is sadly closing at the end of Sept, but you still have some time stop on by and shop before they close. Keep up with their facebook page to find out where they'll  be popping up next!  

Vegetable Dying at Etsy Labs

What a fun time with Aimee of Hook & Matter at Etsy Labs this past May! I'm a bit late in posting this because something awesome and BIG is happening and completely took over my summer. But that's ok, it's a good thing. More news to come later, but for now, back to veggie dyeing....

 We laid out our dye pieces and rolled them up in a twig & tied w/ string. Stuck it in a pot of hot water and tea bags for about 20 min, and took them home in baggies. 

 I let my kerchief get all gross and moldy - supposedly a good thing! Washed it off and, voila! A beautifully dyed silk kerchief. I'm very happy with the results, and can't wait to try it again!

BTJ Governor's Island Pop-Up Shop

Better Than Jam is doing another pop-up shop this summer on Governors Island, and I've got a few new things in the shop, including postcards, finger puppets and tea towels. The shop is extended until Sept 30th, so come check it out! More info here. 

Girl Scouts Business Owner Day

In April, I had the privilege of sharing my business experiences with the Girl Scouts of the Ny Metro area.  They learned about business terminology and even came up with ideas for their own small businesses. What a great day!

Love the Girl Scout patches!