The Joy of Knitting and Crocheting

There is nothing more exciting for a yarn enthusiast then to find a new yarn shop ,get a new yarn catalog in the mail or find a new website on the internet.   The explosion of colors!  The unending number of  materials from which the yarn is made.  Wool, Alpaca, bamboo, mohair, cotton and the new organic materials so you can be earth friendly as you pursue your joyous hobby. 

What is more wonderful then the tactile feel of yarn as you work it on your hook or needles!  And then, not to forget, the unbelievable amount of patterns in which you can use this marvelous yarn....it is mind boggling in a very good way!!!

For myself, I enjoy making dolls, toys and holiday items.  I envision the person that I am making the item for as I knit or crochet.
 
This time of year is especially crazy for the crafter.  We enjoy making gifts but also if you have a shop, online site or craft show, they need to be stocked too.....busy, busy....joy, joy!!!

Back from North Carolina

We just got back from NC where my two daughters and granddaughter live.  It is always so hard to leave them.  Especially my two year old Adelaide.  She is such a joy!  And she really adores her Gamma and Gampa(not to brag)!

Being a grandparent is absolutely wonderful!  You love them and spoil them and let the parents do the hard stuff!  However, living 8 hours away is torture!  Not a short jaunt.  You feel so helpless when someone calls and they are sick or life dealt them a nasty blow and you can't be there to comfort them and give them a kiss on their forehead.

We have the house up for sale to rectify that problem.  But with the market the way it is, we are playing the waiting game.  Hopefully, something will work out soon.  Before Ade is too busy for Gamma and Gampa!

Paws for the Cure

This morning I got up at 5:00 to go to Hartwood Acres to help my hubbie man the Best Buy booth for "Paws for the Cure."  It was really a great experience (except for the muddy conditions). 

If you are a dog lover as I am, then that was the place to be.   So many beautiful dogs and very proud owners. Nothing pleases a dog owner more or makes their chest swell with pride, as having their dog praised.  I debated about taking my two furkids because I know that they would have gottens some ohs and ahs but I am glad now that I didn't.  We all would have been mud covered and I don't really think they would have appreciated the cold.  Neither did I!

It was a wonderful cause and a very good turnout and I am glad that I was part of it all.......

The Etsy Fairy

Every morning when I get up before I even feed my dogs, bunny, parakeet or myself, I turn on my laptop to see if the Etsy fairy visited me over night.  I scan through my emails looking for the prize- Did some good soul out there in cyber space care enough about my handiwork to purchase it?

Unfortunately, most of the time, the Etsy Fairy does not dain to sprinkle her magic fairy dust on my email. But the rare occasion when she does see fit to visit me is OH SO WONDERFUL!

PLEASE Etsy Fairy come visit me more often!!!

Weather made for Knitting

Another typical rainy PA day.  Dreary, cold, gray!  The bright spot in a day like that is staying home, curled up on the couch with a steaming cup of tea and knitting or crocheting in hand.  Of course, the dogs curled up beside me is a definite plus....

Another Sale on Etsy

I woke up on Monday morning and checked my email as I always do.  I was thrilled to find that I had sold my Steeler bear on Etsy!  I had only posted him on Saturday so I was especially happy about the sale.

That makes four whole sales since January when I opened my shop!  If you are an etsian, then you know the exhilaration you feel when you make a sale.  I felt great the whole day!  It makes you want to tell strangers on the street....I MADE A SALE ON ETSY!!!

Now, I just hope it continues.  I am pinning my hopes on the Christmas season.

Will anyone make it FIVE WHOLE SALES?

Rivers Casino

My hubbie and I went to the new Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh yesterday.  It was a great place.  Not that we have a lot of disposable income to gamble, but playing the occasional slot machine is fun and something out of the ordinary.

The casino was clean and shiny new!  The employees were very friendly and helpful and it was just wonderful to park in the garage FREE!

We got our players card so we will definitely go back to rack up some more points!  And they even gave us a free clip holder for the card!  How great is that?  Even the more posh casinos in Atlantic City don't give you a free clip holder!  LOL

Work Hard for the Non-Existent Money!

I am trying very hard not to be discouraged over the lack of sales on my Etsy shop.  I am telling myself that the Christmas season is coming and surely I will get some sales!  I have posted new items regularly and  I have been trying to promote as well as a novice promoter can.

I have been knitting and crocheting my little fingers to the bone!  I love it, though!  And I would do it no matter what, but a little validation would be wonderful!!!

What an evening!

The Steeler game was great!  What an experience!  The stadium, the people, the players!  The Pittsburgh skyline was gorgeous and so was the big, full Harvest moon that kept peaking out from behind the clouds!

Steeler Game

I have wanted to go to a Steeler game for quite awhile, but the tickets are very expensive and hard to get since the team is on such a winning streak.  It would be a new experience for me.  One of many that my husband and I have had this year.  Renaissance Fair, Science Center, PNC Park, Strip District.... We have lived near Pittsburgh all our lives and are just now starting to venture there.  Better late then never!

Fortune was with me and I was able to get two tickets for tonight's game.  Due to, of all things, an impromptu dental visit.  A root extraction that I had a week earlier was bothering me, so I stopped in at my regular dentist's office to have him check it.  He is a big sports fan and we started talking about the Steelers.
I mentioned how I would love to go to a game sometime and he gave me his tickets for this game.  I couldn't believe it!  What a great guy!

Blogging

I am so very new to this blogging phenom.  I would like to go on other sites and blog but I am not quite sure where to start and where to go.  I am told that it really helps to get your Etsy site seen.  So I am attempting to do the best I can with it.

I am totally committed to making my Etsy site a success.  For me a success, is making several sales each month.  Of course, more would be great but I am trying to be realistic.  Crafters really don't get rich on their crafts.  We do it for the pure joy of crafting!