Mixing up my YARNS

Just a brief post today.
I have placed large orders for hemp yarn and other natural sustainable yarns and I feel the need to work with my overflowing yarn inventory. Justification is the magical word!
I mixed a few unusual yarns and worked the combinations into new tam hats:
Avocado green chenille, regular worsted weight brown yarn and an extra strand of novelty yarn held together with the main yarns.
Same here, ice-cream colored feminine tam: pink chenille, cream and brown acrylic and the fuzzy extra strand.
A custom order, hope my customer will like it. Dark brown 100% hemp, warm brown cotton and terra red cotton. 3 different textures and different thickness.
Another scrap patchwork tam. You can tell I can't throw out materials and will use every decent length strand of yarn. The fuzzy brown yarn ties the colors together into a more coherent weave.
For this longer sock tam I have used copper red and black acrylic, combined with a strand of
terra red cotton yarn. It adds to the touch of the material and makes it super sturdy, but yet soft.
This tam is earthy in mainly green and brown acrylic, but spruced up with a "ribbon" (synthetic) yarn which features several pretty pleasing colors like gold, rust red, purple in a beautiful tie-dye effect.
Some of these tams are already for sale on my website and in my Etsy store, some still need to be uploaded.
My computer works slowly these days (or the cable) and a lot of times I just walk away from it to do other things because it takes forever to upload pictures.
Planting seeds into starter plant pots, walking my dog...and crochet. Besides other things:)

An ordinary day -- that's the way I like it

Things are finally returning to a slower and less hectic pace. Sid is recovering from his nose surgery, not quite there yet, but he is doing pretty good.
It's gradually warming up, but still windy outside. The strong wind gives me a headache and I had been "headachy" for days now. Today I feel much better. I started to plant my first flower seeds. I am an awful gardener, but with big plans each spring season. Trial and error:)
So, what do you write about when there is not much to write about? I guess I just appreciate the fact that nothing out of the ordinary is happening. Leaving me enough space to just work on my hats, drive grocery and yarn shopping, organize the house, go outside and -- feel content. If only for a while.
Last night I was lucky to stumble on another re-run of the movie Crash on FX. The finale/conclusion always makes me sad though. But what a refreshing show considering all the other crap that is usually shown on TV.
Blogging for others or writing my own personal journal?
Probably the latter recently, but I have drifted away from the whole "blogging about Etsy thing", daily store features of other Etsy sellers, Etsy community talk and all the other social network sites where sellers hang out. Oh well, maybe someone will look and read anyway:)
But, I have not been idle, so, I show off some new tams today:
(Above picture) I call it the "Traveling the gravel road tam" because it reminds me of a gravel-covered path or walk way, the colors range from black to light-colored stones, with a bit of brown earth thrown in there.

And here is a longer totally unisex tam for guys and gals.
Available at PurpleSageDesignz.

Proud mama of new tams

Hi there, it has been a while since I had a bunch of new hats for sale. The above irie-inspired visor tam is already taken though because it was a custom order for a very nice repeat buyer.
So last night I sat up and finished them all. Unfinished projects bother me when they keep piling up.
We had to exchange our cable for the internet service all throughout the house and things seemed to take forever, but, just like a proud mama I can finally show off my new stuff.
Available at
my Etsy shop
and
my website

Creating frenzy

What I have learned from completing my taxes?
Well, one fact is: I have way too much material and unfinished inventory.
This bothered me to the extent that it triggered a lot of energy to make new things. Loving this feeling:)
Above are only a few new tams that I have listed on Etsy today.

And I have uploaded a lot of sweet vintage aprons and some sewing patterns to my 2n etsy shop Retrochicboutique.

With snow storms still all over the country I also listed another warm patchwork scrap hat on my website Purplesagedesignz

That's not all. I have finished my first little girl peasant top of all the sweet clothes I am planning for my next project. Blumenkinder (flower children). I already registered the shop on Etsy, but I am not sure yet if I should test run them in my main Etsy shop first.

I love to create, and with sticking to my new schedule of creating first, marketing second I hope I will have a busy spring and summer season.
Off to enjoy my weekend. It is an amazing Saturday evening outside, with temperatures in the mid 50s.

Crafter or Salesperson?

I have been pretty busy between attending a funeral, cleaning house and spending time with the family. Breaks from "living online". Sometimes I wish my work would just end there after finishing my hats. The joy and dilemma of selling online. The "salesperson part" is the one I enjoy the least. Especially these days with all the requirements to "put yourself out there"...onto Flickr, myspace, IndiePublic, forums, yahoo groups, squidoo and all the new places that pop up every day.
I have decided to do no more then just tend to my lovely blog and list my items on my website and Etsy. Time will tell if this will be the right decision, but it feels right for me.
I will try to attend craft fairs and shows this year as well. Back to good ole' old fashioned selling.

And the beat goes on...

This Sunny & Cher song was in my head when I rushed back from the accountant appointment, taxes are done . A milestone every time in March, to move on with life and just go back to the routine. I love my routine.
This warm brown and dark red tam is a hat design I have done very often over the years, and yet, it's still fun to crochet.
Available on my website Purple Sage Designz

Spring is on my mind! What is better to express my longings for a nice warm breeze then with a lavender doily cotton tam?
Available on Purple Sage Designz

Color...I am crocheting "out of the box" these days. I love unusual color combinations and a bit of boldness.
Rust and dark citrine tam...available at my Etsy shop

I still love the Irie color combo and have made this Jamaica inspired tam.
You can read more about it in my Etsy shop

My Sari silk yarn and banana silk wool blend is here

With temperatures rising, being half way through my taxes (yeah!) my spirits are flying high again... and to top it off, my newest yarn order arrived super quickly.
Sari silk and banana silk wool blend...it looks even more gorgeous in reality than my quick pictures shows.
I can't wait to get all this accounting behind me and tend to the crafting part of my life again.
Running off to Staples to buy more ink, well, I still have a few days to go and print receipts and records.

Bringing color into my crafting life

with this "traveling gypsy" skirt. Please disregard the chaos in my sewing room, I am in dire need of a renovation. For this 4 tiered skirt I have picked some of my brightest fabrics from my stash and have cut larger patches to make it pop. I hope to finish it tonight. When it's freezing, cold and grey outside we just need to create our own colorful experience, voila.

I also finished a few more smaller tams. I have had a lot of requests for smaller sizes tams and have taken this into account. I will offer a wider variety of sizes from now on.

Brown, solid, simple and beautiful, a custom request.


My latest favorite color combination of sea blue and toasted almond, available on Etsy

Another tam made with hemp and virgin wool. This time I have tried a few tricks gathered up on the internet to get rid of the "sheepy" smell. Dish washing detergent to wash out the excessive lanolin (which causes the smell) and then a bath in hair conditioner since wool basically is similar to hair. It added a nice softening touch to the material, but now it smells "washed", not sure where I will list it yet. I have not quite figured this material out, but I like the look of the yarn very much. But how do you explain what a sheepy smell is, how intense, or how my conditioner smells, since we all have a different sensitivity and dislikes?

A Mix of Winter and Spring

Ponca City, OK

25°F
Cloudy
Wind: N at 12 mph
Humidity: 80%

Today

Ice on roads and walk ways should be forbidden at the end of February:)
As an accessory and clothes maker I have been thinking spring ever since Christmas was over, ha!
Far away from reality. More out of lack for any better ideas I was working on some warmer scrap hats and listed them on Etsy and my website.
A good move after all. Some have already sold.
So, should I wish for spring or hope that winter will make us freeze a little bit longer? The first choice would be so good for my sun-seeking warmth-loving personality, the latter beneficial for my business. How should a hat crocheter decide?

It's easier to go "green" in small steps

(I listed this new tam on Etsy today, I took the picture last summer, isn't nature beautiful in its bloom?)

I wanted to write about "going green" for a while now, but I knew it was going to be a task to put all my thoughts into words. Therefore, I decided to write a short article about how ecological-conscious living can be achieved in small baby steps.
When I moved from Germany to the USA it was scary and challenging at the same time to witness what environmental "sins" were still allowed in the beautiful state of Oklahoma, please keep in mind, that urban and country living in Germany had been restricted by many laws considering trash, garbage disposal, paying high taxes on any energy-intensive product like gasoline, even for plastic grocery bags....
I also take into consideration that a densely populated country requires different restrictions in order to keep the environment alive and healthy.
My DH and I sometimes still don't see "eye-to-eye" on certain steps, but here is how I try to implement my European roots into the American Way of Life:
***Recycle for private and business matters, whatever possible I buy at the thrift store, clothes, ribbons, bags, books, dishes.............I guess anything other than underwear, socks and shoes!
***Never throw anything out of your car window and onto the streets or roads
***Avoid plastic bags if possible, use fabric totes
***Turn off lights and devices if not needed, electricity costs natural resources and money
***Return batteries, hazardous waste if possible, not throwing it into the house garbage
***Composting kitchen waste
***Save water (we have our own water well, but I still see it wasted if it's just flushed down the drain without any purpose)
***Buying less is more, enjoy an uncluttered living
***Refurbish used furniture with toxic-free stains and paints
***Wear a sweater when it's cool, keep the heat on moderate temperature
***Fill washing machines and dishwashers before running the wash cycles (I never had a dishwasher until I moved over here, so, that's one convenience I am thrilled with, but I fill it properly and scrub pots by hand:)

***Buy handmade and homegrown/homemade, we don't need cotton swamps made on other continents just to have them shipped across the ocean so that we can save 50 cents at the store. Buy seasonal fruits and vegetables which are grown in your area. Don't support sweatshops without any quality control and environmental-unfriendly production methods. Saving a $ does not justify importing all our daily goods, because it takes an immense amount of energy for transportation, unsafe uncontrolled materials may threaten our health and the huge quantities of unnecessary trinkets and one-way-products eventually will exhaust the resources of OUR earth.

Small steps, but we should never feel helpless, we always can do something good for our Mother Earth.
And one more thing, if I was an American national, I'd vote for a candidate with an environmental program.
But my naturalization is still a matter of the future.
PEACE and have a great weekend!

More online articles to read:
Small steps to reduce waste
Going green in the kitchen
10 environmentally friendly ideas for college students
Green parenting
Micro-Green - Small Steps to a Greener Existence

Spring cottons are coming --- and a great trip to the thrift store

I made these 2 tams for a very nice repeat buyer as custom orders. I especially love the lime with blue crochet tam. I wish it would finally warm up, it was a grey cold day, again.
But I rewarded myself with a trip to the thrift store today. My o my, I haven't even unpacked yet, but I am especially happy these book finds. 75% off.

The huge "Alternative medicine" is a thick hardcover 1997 edition and was only $2.35
(I prefer alternative health treatment methods if possible and have had good results for myself)
"Search for personal freedom" $0.80. A huge philosophy/art/literature/culture volume.
Craft book from 1975 $1
Mother Nature's Secrets for Thriving Indoor Plants 1975 for $0.15
A vintage ceramic strawberry tray (without picture) for my son's girl friend who collects vintage strawberries=$2.
Too much to go on about, I had a blast, and carrying my loaded bags across the street to the parking lot is my only limit.

Tam for starter dreads or short hair

Variety is key. I made a smaller tam design to accommodate those buyers who have just started out growing dreads or who don't have a lot of hair to tuck into their hat. This hat style will be ideal to offer in custom colors.
(Design of the day Feb 2008, something new and fresh every single February day).
BTW, we have 75F today, gorgeous day outside. I ran across town, got a hair cut, bought alpaca wool and snacks.
Tomorrow the forecast has announced snow, so, I better enjoyed it while I can:)

Giving color choices...and a fabulous trade

People love to pick their colors, I know I do!
Here is my newest listing for a custom color netty dreadlock tam hat.
Available on my website Purple Sage Designz
(Contribution to my February design challenge, a fresh idea on Superbowl Sunday 2008)

Etsy is also a fabulous place where you can trade with other artists. Here are Lighting Your Path (Goddess Mama Lamps) Earrings, I absolutely love to wear them and Kasey of shivsister
has sent some good vibes along with them.

Every day is different

I am pretty much stuck at home today, without 4-W-D. Yesterday I had set my mind on spring crafts and was going to retire my thick yarns until next fall, but life in general and the weather are just so unpredictable. I sold about 6 hats within a few short hours.

I started a shopping bag made with recycled grocery plastic bag and it really was a struggle first since it's a completely new medium to crochet with. It doesn't have any give like yarn and I have set the half-finished bag to the side for now and I am back to make new hats.
As always, I use my own patterns and construction methods since I have crocheted for so many years, but I got inspiration and ideas on how to prepare the plastic yarn at Needlepointers.com