Golden October dread tams & slouchy beanie hats

In Germany we call a sunny and warm October the "golden October", similar to an Indian summer here.
This slouch beanie was inspired by all the bright leaves colors soon to fall.

I love to start new projects ... and I dislike finishing them. These tams could have been listed weeks ago, but better late than never:)

I don't get tired of making these patchwork tams, they turn out differently each time and I won't know the overall look until the rim has been finished. Predictable can be boring, and I love surprises.

A different version with a wool blend as 2nd strand.

 

This improvised star tam is a prime example of procrastinating. Finally listed on Etsy.

Extreme bulky yarn, but wonderfully soft and casual. A tam of my "blue hat period".

From Zen to Biz

Interrupting my trend of serenity and nature subjects by a shameless self-promotion post.

Finally, after mulling over a new custom design tam idea in my head for weeks, I actually set down and created 3 new "custom color tam" listings in different sizes on Purple Sage Designz.

(Above: the moderate size, small/medium)

The longer style.

The wide crown style

||

Summer Sale at Purple Sage Designz website store: hippie tams, berets, slouchy beanies and a bit of patchwork and crochet tops

It's been a non-eventful few days, filled with tending to my websites, picking up our new glasses in Tulsa and general laziness. At least compared to the busy months of fall, winter and spring.

I have reduced a lot of tam hats, take advantage of clearing out older inventory to make room for my new fall creations.
All tams on sale at one click:
sale items

Here are some of my favorite tams on sale

(above) Inka wool tam, now $20 with free shipping (USA/Canada)

Tie-dye style tam now $15 (free s/h to USA/Canada)

Purple turquoise striped tam now only $12, it doesn't get better than that price-wise...always free domestic shipping

And this crochet top is up for grabs, $15, what a bargain for a slimmer mama:)

This all patchwork apron never got a lot of attention, it may be my photography, anyway, $15 is a steal for straight-stitched, topstitched and serged patchwork with pocket and lace, lined with muslin on the inside.

I need to show off my new patchwork skirts

In the triple digits F heat, not much I want to talk about really.
But I am proud of sewing new hippie skirts for the patchwork loving mamas out there.
A welcome break from crocheting tams every day. (I still make them in the evening, but sewing during the day). With many sun tea breaks:)
Both patchwork skirts are for sale at my Purple Sage Designz website. They are made partially with recycled fabrics, an eco-friendly choice.

These skirt themes are already in queue:
Groove Beach skirt
Indigo Blues Patchwork skirt

My creative outlet

is sewing, mainly patchworking, piece-working and reconstructing.
If your profession is one craft, then you need another craft for leisure. As a hobby so to speak.
All recycled materials, available in my Etsy shop.

So...I am kind of old-fashioned

I don't own a cell-phone.... there is life without a cell-phone.
I don't twitter...because I just don't get it.
And I don't feel comfortable to aggressively market my wares on every social site out there on the internet.
Call me stupid, but I don't want to step into the footsteps of the big box stores and websites.

It's not like I don't argue with myself if these features may have benefits.
The rebel in me refuses to do something just because everyone does it.

Here is my good ole-fashioned blog promo.
I ordered several boxes of pure wool yesterday, and I need to make room:)

The new tams above can be purchased here.

Just a cartoon

spotted on this website

A crocheter's dream

Someone on my crafting group board posted a link to an ad on Craigslist NH.
Yarn and more yarn...up for grabs $1 a skein.
Pictures like this make my adrenaline rush and I can imagine going through all these totes and picking several hundred dollars worth of wools.
(Some people including my husband may be happy that New Hampshire is not within my reach).
The ad is here (if you happen to be a yarn addict and live in this area)

Poverty in the Western World -- In the back yard of the USA (Pine Ridge Reservation)

The Pine Ridge Reservation ranks #2 right after Haiti on the poverty list of the western hemisphere.



"Spreading the wealth around", is it really such a bad idea considering that even in bad economic times there is still an abundance of luxury in this wealthy country?

Even if the present government may not believe in social justice or giving to the poor with infrastructural programs, there are ways for us ordinary people to share what we may have to spare for people who need our help.

These are 2 organizations which I can recommend from personal experience as the donated goods reach directly the people who need help most.


Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation
Crafting For A Cause (crafter yahoo group which supports the Pine Ridge Reservation community services and 101 sponsorships for children and elders in need
Crafted items and store bought items are usually donated especially for the cold winter months)

Click to join CraftingForACause

There are more organizations out there and their non-profit status grants a tax-deduction for donations.
Now that Christmas shopping starts soon and we are lured into consuming more than we need, it's a good time to reflect on the needs of the poor right here in this country.

I refuse to feel helpless.
I believe we all can make a difference.

(More videos on the subject of Poverty which does not only refer to Native Americans can be viewed on YouTube, for example

Bob Marley & The Wailers 'Could You Be Loved'

Raggae was the only music style I truly enjoyed in the early 1980s.
I had all his albums on those little cassette player tapes. A long gone era.
Could you be loved is one of my favorites by Bob Marley because of the energy in this song.
You just want to get up and dance.

I always post a video when I don't want to:
promote
talk about Etsy
talk about buying/selling
consumerism
my crafts
got no advice
didn't do anything interesting
got nothing to say.
Jamming is better than unmotivated bla bla:)

Carpe Diem (Seize The Day)

I don't have much time for philosophy or musings these days...it's an action, work and "get it done"
mode of life.

Yesterday I have updated my shops with some of the new tams I had made before the craft show...I have the largest inventory ever since I started crocheting tams.

I decided not to let my acute tooth root canal problems hold me back. The penicillin and other meds took a lot of the pain off, but are rough on my stomach and overall condition. I have had fatigue and dizzy spells, but it's getting back to normal. I didn't want to give into feeling miserable this time.

We went to Sid's company anniversary picnic on Saturday and a local fine art festival on Sunday. The fall weather is just too beautiful to miss outdoor events. It's my undisputed favorite season.
Where am I heading with this?
The quintessence of those statements can read as following: Sometimes you don't want to give into sickness, depression or whatever obstacle may cross your path.
The old "mind over body" saying proves itself not always, but often effective.

Season change

An unusual sight for an early September morning. The clouds of a cold front actually makes it feel chilly here in Northern Oklahoma.
There is no doubt that fall has entered early this year. Even though I am not the one who loves to shiver I am always looking forward to this 3 rd season of the year (well, it may not be fall yet according to the calender, but many leaves already turn yellow on our giant trees and cover the ground beneath.)
In a few days the sunny afternoons will be back for sure. But the morning and nights will bring soothing coolness.
I love all the translations for the word fall:
Autumn
l'automne
Herbst
I remember when I was flying my kites as a little girl, breathing in the smell of new crayons and books every new school year and running through the meadows in search for mushrooms and berries.
Here is a nice little poem devoted to the month of September.

September by
Helen Hunt Jackson

The goldenrod is yellow;
The corn is turning brown;
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down.

The gentian's bluest fringes
Are curling in the sun;
In dusky pods the milkweed
Its hidden silk has spun.

The sedges flaunt their harvest
In every meadow-nook;
And asters by the brookside
Make asters in the brook.

From dewy lanes at morning
The grapes' sweet odors rise;
At noon the roads all flutter
With yellow butterflies.

By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer's best of weather,
And autumn's best of cheer.

These begged to get finished

Some projects take forever...and when you have finally finished them you feel inspired to make something new.
Available in my Etsy shop.

I had a complaint from my back

It had a serious talk with me, about never taking a weekend off, crocheting until 10pm almost every week night, staring at the monitor in an unnatural upward position and...
Fact is I was unable to move properly for 2 days, my neck was stiff, hard knots in my shoulder muscles and pain shooting into my head and arms.
Crocheting may be an otherwise pretty safe work, but when overdone, it's not the best ergonomical activity for the body.
An afternoon in the couch, early stretching out in bed and watching the olympics (for a change) and just staying off the pc did the trick. I am in pretty good shape again.
Listening to your body can keep serious muscle and bone problems away if you give in, at least for a few days. Sales are nice, but sometimes 2 days off are worth more than money can buy.

I had finished this cotton and soy silk tam before my un-voluntary break. Going on my website these days.

While knitting on the porch

I had just the very same feeling as in this video's message.
Enjoy some Louis Armstrong at his best.