For Everything There Is A Season

2015 New Design... Double Cable In Ivory

This time of year I find myself reflecting.  Reflecting on my business over the past 12 months... what worked and what Not. So. Much.  Most years, when the holidays are over, I am desperately in need of some slow down time and spend the majority of my knitting time catching up and re-stocking all those beautiful hand knits that are no longer ready-to-ship... and this year is no different.  I always get a little nervous when over 50% of my shop is not ready-to-ship inventory.  But, then as winter becomes spring and spring becomes summer, I focus so hard on getting my shop stocked for the busy fall & holiday season, that I forget to design and try new stitch combinations and/or color combinations.  I forget how very much I love being creative and the actual process of developing and designing. 

 

Enter custom requests.  Receiving a custom request forces me to use my creative side and work up new patterns and new color combinations for my customers... and my shop!  And, it reminds me of how very much I love playing with yarns, working with fibers and creating through design & color.  This year I was fortunate to have several such requests.   Some of these requests were so much fun to knit that they are in the process of becoming regular hand knits that will be seen in my shop as 2015 New Designs.  One such is an extra wide and extra long double cable design that wraps and drapes beautifully.  Thanks to those of you that trust me to work up something new... I have the best customers!

 

 





Knitting & Blogging... Blogging & Knitting...

 

This time of year sales start to slow down and I am able to catch up on items "not ready to ship" and also work on new designs. This year is not really different, although I am getting more orders from Australia (which I love) since they will soon be entering into their winter.  What IS different is that, although I have seriously neglected this blog, I have begun writing another one.

I had a rather difficult winter and after many doctor visits and endless tests it was determined that I should consider a special food plan. A VERY restrictive food plan.  It is called a Low FODMAP diet and if you are interested, please feel free to join me over at:

www.SimplyCindyAnne.blogspot.com

In between my writings, I will be taking this time to play "catch up" in my shop and brainstorm new pattern ideas for fall! Stay Tuned...

~Cindy

KnitzAndFeltz

Warm... Comfy... Trendy... Fun... 

Finally Fall...

There is a crisp coolness these days here in Wisconsin.  The days are sunny and warm showing off the deep blue skies and the gorgeous colors of the leaves and the evenings are cool and crisp allowing me to once again appreciate football, fall golf and brisk walks!  It is the time of year I love the most.  Shorts and tanks are replaced with leggings, boots and sweaters!  Ahhhhh...

It is also the time of year when my little knitting shop begins buzzing with orders for scarves and hats!  I become busy, busy, busy and am reminded of exactly why I knit during the heat of the summer. 

This year has been no different.  Past customers emerge looking for new designs and new colors of old designs AND new customers stop in happy to discover my little shop in the big Etsy world.  It makes me realize how very happy I am that it is... Finally Fall! 

FLOWER POWER...

I love knitting hats... and what could be more fun than a soft comfy hand knit hat with a big bold flower?  These are specifically made for my photographer friends (and technically, if you are a mom... you are a photographer) for their precious newborn clients.  But, be on the look out come fall - as I already have color requests lined up for an adult version of my "flower power" hats.  Hey, if it's cold out and you need to keep your ears warm, you might as well do it and look pretty as well!

Hand Knit Stripes Have Arrived...

Pumpkins, raking leaves, Friday night football, steaming homemade soup, hot cocoa with mini marshmallows floating on top... Fall, my favorite season, is here!

There is such comfort in putting on a sweatshirt and your favorite blue jeans and taking a walk soaking up the bright blue sky with warm sunshine illuminating down on a gorgeous palette of changing color.  The colors seem so much more vibrant this time of year! 

These fall colors (some of my favorite) and the cool evenings entice me to sit down with my favorite knitting needles, soft colorful yarns by my side, and knit scarves.  This year I've added a gorgeous line up of vertical stripes using favorite color combinations.  Colors that remind me of something or just make me smile. And, like a bowl of my favorite homemade soup comforts me and warms up my belly on a cool evening - wrapping up in a favorite comfy scarf warms up my soul! 

Perfect as a gift for you, a treasured friend or a special loved one!

Sunday Sampler ~ Banana Crumb Muffins

Besides my LOVE for knitting... I also enjoy baking! Sadly, I don't take the time nearly enough.  But, this morning, as I stared at the bananas ripening on my kitchen counter, I decided to look up a recipe for muffins! I tweaked it as I often do with recipes ~ And the result? YUMMY!

Banana Crumb Muffins

Muffins:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 medium bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup canola oil

Topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. (Remember... If using dark muffin tins, decrease your oven temperature by 15-25 degrees)  Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.

In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and oil. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. For light, fluffy muffins, never over mix muffin batter. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.  Allow to cool 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

~Grab a cup of coffee with your favorite flavored creamer OR a favorite cup of tea and ENJOY!

Cold Winds ~ Hot Cocoa ~ Warm Scarves

As the daily highs here in Wisconsin start to plummet I find myself enjoying hot chocolate, a warm fire and a new soft and cozy scarf...  

I always kid that I would love to move to warmer temperatures.  Especially when the winds really settle in, when the snow makes it virtually impossible to drive, when it is dark when I get up in the morning and dark long before supper each night... But, then who would drink my stash of flavored hot chocolates, my cozy warm fireplace would never get used AND I wouldn't have a reason to wrap a different soft & beautiful scarf around my neck each day!

CHUNKY CABLE MINI BLANKET PHOTO PROP

Simply Said... I LOVE knitting cables!  They are a unique looking stitch - intricate and fun! I designed my signature cable scarf and have been successfully selling it for nearly two years already.  Two years?  Unbelievable. 

But, it wasn't until recently that I thought "I need to add a cable photo prop to my photo prop line-up."  I played around with needle size and yarns and pattern.  After much designing trial and error I came up with a mini-blanket chock full of luscious cables that is as much fun for you to photograph as it is for me to knit!  I take custom orders... Let me know what color chunky cable mini blanket YOU need as a unique addition to your photo prop line-up!

HATS ~ HATS ~ HATS

As winter leaves us here in Wisconsin *smile* and spring/summer begins to peak its lovely head with warmer weather, tulips and daffodils emerging from the cold ground and flip flops finding their way to the front of the closet... I realize that, unless you are a friend from "Down Under", hand knit scarves are NOT on your mind.  So, its time to devote my attention fully on my photography props - which I LOVE to design and create! I've been selling my popular "Oodles of Noodles" photo prop blankets with fringe for over a year now and I figure its time to expand.  It started with Fringe Newborn Cocoons and most recently the addition of hand knit soft and textured multicolor hats with fringe pom poms.  The yarns I use are incredible... and just plain FUN ~ Enjoy!  

Felted Wool

The thing I love most about felting is the uncertainty. I hand knit wool pieces that start out obnoxiously large and then I shrink them. Each one taking on a unique shape and style. To me wool yarn has a mind of its own when felted. It takes on a personality. When I make my bowls and wine bottle cozies I never quite know exactly how I will end up using them or what I will try to sell them for until after the felting process is complete. What starts out as a wine cozy may shrink down to a point that its personality is more suited as a bowl to hold candies or paper clips. Or maybe it would look great with a plant placed inside or to hold a little girls precious hair clips.

In addition to the personality of the wool, I love to add various textures to incorporate more depth to my items. The colors and combination possibilities are never ending and no two are ever alike! The many eyelash yarns that are available add some fun and silly to the finished piece and make me smile! They become a conversation piece - a feeling of "I want this, this is really fun... what could I use this for?"

Oodles Of Noodles ~ Ready, Set, Action!

I've written a lot about my "Oodles of Noodles" fringe blankets... this time of year they are my best sellers! But, I never had a photograph of one in action to share. Until now~ Terra Herring Photography from Kansas shared this terrific portrait of one of her little clients. Doesn't she do awesome work? It was such a thrill to see one of my designs/creations at work! ***A huge thank you to Terra of Terra Herring Photography out of Ozawkie, KS for sharing her terrific portrait! If you are in her neck of the woods and need a professional photographer, be sure to check her out!

~The Art Of Packaging~

I often wonder what my customers think when they receive their Oodles of Noodles packages. I imagine them questioning "How did she get that blanket and all that fringe into such a tiny box?" But, rest assured that after removing, if you give your new photo prop a good shake it will be ready to work hard for you to help create that perfect portrait memory of all your precious little clients!


Hodge Podge Oodles of Noodles spread out and ready to be packaged!


Fold oodley noodley fringe from two opposite sides in towards the center.


Fold final two sides of oodley noodley fringe in towards the center.


Roll oodles of noodles baby blanket burrito style!


Fold neatly in tissue paper, add a sticker and tie with a pretty ribbon.


Always, Always, Always send a handwritten note and include a business card. I love my customers ~ I want them to know just how much!

Fold in half, and place into a priority mail box. Tape securely to keep moisture out and fill out a delivery confirmation slip ~ And, it's ready to be taken to the post office and shipped to some lucky customer!

Oodles Of Noodles ~ Unique Newborn/Baby/Child Photography Props

I hate to admit it... I'm an etsy alchemy junkie! I often scroll through the pages to see what others are looking for in the hopes that I might be offered a custom bid order or find an interesting piece that I can't get out of my mind. It was through such a search that the Oodles Of Noodles Fringe Blanket Photography Prop was born! I saw something similar during my searches through alchemy land and bid to create it. The custom piece was not offered to me but I simply couldn't get it out of my mind! And the rest, as they say, is history! I absolutely LOVE the way it turned out (so much better then the description, if I do say so myself). The blanket color possibilities are endless and being the yarn fanatic that I am, the added fringe just about puts me over the top! I'm in yarn heaven when I go to the yarn shop to pick out colors, textures, patterns, designs to coordinate and compliment. And, it goes without saying that the thought of creating something that will be used to forever capture a special moment in time of someone's precious little one... PRICELESS!