Monday 29 October 2007

Don't ya hate it when...

... you spend all day on a project, only to have it turn out badly?

I spent many potential marking hours on Saturday working on something for ME - a wrap/ruana/cardi that I was planning on wearing to a function on Sunday. I had this lovely aqua and brown alpaca blend yarn, I had the pattern all worked out in my head, I had started it on Thursday, and it was do-able to get it done for Sunday morning.

And I did. I finished it Saturday evening, and I even made some toggle things so I could fasten it in a multitudinous variety of ways. It had been a bit short, but I lengthened it through a generous use of a wide border, and I even wove all my ends in.

Only to put it on on Sunday morning and realise that the whole thing looked like crap.

So, now I'm faced with a dilemma - try to flog it off to someone else, or just break down and rip it all out and try again? I think the general design principle isn't bad, it's just flawed in the execution - it ended up being wider than I anticipated, and shorter, where the proportions should have been the other way round. And, although I hate to admit it, as much as I love the whole drapey/ruana look, I really think it's not for me... Too short and wide myself, I think...

So, ~~sigh~~ I think it's back to the drawing board and some more planning. The 'thing' will probably live in my closet for a while until I have the heart to rip out two solid days worth of work, but at least I'll have 11 balls of yarn to play with... :p

Friday 26 October 2007

I think Etsy is taking over my life...

First of all, it's after midnight, and I'm usually always snoring (or so my husband tells me!) by about 10 pm. And while this is my holidays (half-term week in the UK), this is the fifth night in a row that I've been up at least this late.

Because Etsy is taking over my life!

I have to say, it's my own fault. Last Christmas I had an idea to make some extra money by selling scarves at my school's Christmas fete. So, I made about 45 scarves, rented a table, and showed up on time.

And sold one scarf. Oh - and a crocheted dishcloth. Yay.

For my first experience of selling my stuff, it was a real downer - and I was left with a box full of scarves. I did manage to flog some of them off to friends, and gave some away as gifts, and donated some to the church jumble sale, but I was still left with about twenty. So in the summer, when I found Etsy, it seemed the ideal solution! So I signed up, uploaded all my pictures, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Cause I'd missed the bit about where you have to promote yourself... So now that I have some time to think about things other than national curriculum levels in keystage 3 English, I've taken some (all) of my time this week to do stuff on Etsy. I started this blog. I added more items to my shop. I'm now addicted to the forums. My butt is flat from the stupid chair we have in the office. And now I'm panicking because I have 1 day left to do school work that will take 4 days, and I don't want to do anything but crochet.

I. Am. Mad. Crazy. Loonie.

~~maybe i should quit teaching and go into business full time...~~ Yayayayaya!! Except I already spent all my prospective first year's profits on Etsy stuff.

Ooops.

~sigh~ So, I guess I need to come back to the real world, where I'm too tired to crochet, and I actually do feel like a moose, and get with the program with stuff that actually makes me some real money. And hope the the two sales I had this week ~~Yay!!!! and double Yay!!!!!~~ start generating some actual business...

Thursday 25 October 2007

Moose Marks??? Eeeww.....

No, not THAT kind of marks! Bookmarks from the Moose!
So, this morning I sat down with my book, and found that it had fallen off the sofa AGAIN, and that I'd lost my page AGAIN, and I thought, 'Hey, I need a bookmark!

Well, no, not really, but it did make a good story, didn't it? Actually, I thought that I should have some stuff in my shop that was less than a tenner, and I have lots of embroidery floss, and I'm working on an afghan in a similar pattern, so all these things came together in the new line at Displaced Moose!, Moose Marks!

Moose Marks! come in a variety of colours, and will all soon be available at DM! - I'm still getting all the pictures uploaded! See you there soon!

Wednesday 24 October 2007

'Shruggle' up for Winter

Coming soon to Displaced Moose! - more shrugs! Yes, that's right, I'm finally getting my act in gear and finishing off some projects that have been in the works for a couple of months, and two of those are some lovely new shrugs.

The first, worked in Tunisian Crochet is a lovely variegated green, made with a linen blend yarn by Rowan called Damask. It's lacy and wonderful, and also features a matching beanie, which Bex modelled fetchingly for me! It's a great accessory, and I imagine it would be a killer with jeans, or even out on the town.

The second is a scrummy soft pink concoction made with an angora blend yarn, also by Rowan, called Roma. This one is done in Hairpin Lace, and would be lovely to snuggle up in now that autumn has arrived.

So keep an eye out - more shrugs are making an entrance at Displaced Moose!

Tuesday 23 October 2007

I heart Sixth and Elm

Besides the fact that Sixth and Elm is (are?) Canadian, you HAVE to see the stuff in this Etsy shop. Maybe it all catches my fancy because of the writing and word associations (English teachers tend to go weak at the knees over stuff like that...) but I think the stuff at this shop is incredible. And funny. And cute.

And I'm probably going to spend way too much money here...

Please give them a look, and if you don't know about Etsy, give the whole darn site a good browse. We can take it! :)

Why do I have Prince running around in my head?

Well, not literally running. And not either of The Princes, but rather the artist formerly known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince. And actually, it's not that at all - it's Purple Haze, not Purple Rain... I guess the fact that I grew up in the 80s rather than the 70s makes me associate purple with Prince, not Hendrix...

Phew. Anyone else confused yet??

What I am, of course, trying to talk about is my new scarf, Purple Haze, done in Tunisian crochet using another alpaca blend yarn, this time by Wendy. I'm not sure why I gravitate to alpaca wools - I do have sensitive skin, and they are less scratchy than sheep's wool, and also, it's just a cool word, which I'm also into being an English teacher... But there's also the fact that alpaca is everywhere! We've obviously hit a trend. (And I've got another 3 balls of alpaca stashed away for a new project... heeheehee...)

Anyway, whatever your favourite animal, this is a lovely light and snuggly scarf to wrap up in. And judging from the frost on my lawn this morning, winter's a-comin'!!

Monday 22 October 2007

We all need our friends...


... and never more so than when we have new products to take pictures of! Thank you so, so, so, so much to Bex who agreed to be my model for my new Alpaca Hairpin Lace Scarf. All I said was 'Fancy being a model for a few minutes?' and she said 'Marvellous!', which is what I like about Bex - she's always agreeable! And didn't she do a fantastic job? While we were at it, I asked her to do a few more piccies as well, so I could update some of my older listings. Have a peek at DM! on Etsy to see what else she modeled!

BTW - the stunning location is actually round the back of our church yesterday after morning service - the weather was so amazing that I had to take advantage of the light and shadow. And the lovely plasterwork. And the amazing stained glass window. And the... well, you get the idea!

Sunday 21 October 2007

Oh. My. God.

Seriously, I think I've died and gone to heaven... Somebody has finally combined my two favourite loves - food and baths!

SudsMuffin is a fellow Etsian who makes incredible soaps - many of which actually look like my favourite food - cake! I've just bought this one:
a Spiced Pumpkin Souffle concoction, and think I'm probably going to be buying more stuff from him as well, seeing as he also has this, and this and this.

What a fab idea! AND he's a fellow Canadian, with a bricks'n'mortar shop in Saint John, New Brunswick as well as his Etsy venture.

So good luck SudsMuffin! (And thanks for featuring me as well! :) )

Let me tell you about Eva...

Eva is the person I made this scarf for. She's funny, intelligent, a bit dramatic, a bit sassy, and shows off her tastefully eclectic personality through what she wears. She loves natural materials and things that are just a little bit quirky.

This turquoise skinny scarf is for her! It's wool, made by a Welsh company called colinette, who have an interesting take on yarn for the modern crafter. I think it makes a perfect accessory - it keeps you warm, wraps us nicely, and best of all - looks fantastic!

So, Eva - where are you??

Saturday 20 October 2007

Winter is coming, the goose is getting fat...

What? I thought this blog was about mooses, not geeses!

Welcome to the blog presence of Displaced Moose!

Now's the time to get wrapped up and snuggly with all things woolly in time for the winter snows. Or rains, as this is Britain, after all... But if you're not British, and you just have to have a Moose! creation, never fear! I do ship internationally.

But I'm getting ahead of myself! First you must look through my collection of woolly wearables and find something that will keep your head, neck or other relevant body part (Hey now - that's not what I meant!!) warm. How about this sweet beanie to start?



Called Sugar and Spice, it's made from hand-painted wool by Shunklies, another Etsian. It's done in double and single crochet, and is available as soon as you'd like it!

So, be browsing, and I'll speak to you soon!

Moose