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The Crafty Nomad Podcast! Another Crafty Vlog Style Video

Well hi everyone!  (bueler.....bueler.......I know I have not posted over here in a while! )

I decided to start updating my blog each time I post  a new podcast episode.

This week I have a HO and two WIPS to Share and  A sneak peek into Love of Crochet Magazine.

I also added in a little  CAR Chat!  This is a new feature on my videos that I hope to develop more because I love doing it. (basically I love talking! Who cares if its to myself!)

Here are some Links to some of the things I talked about:

The Sock Doctor Key Chain

My Avon Store

Kim's Beauty Supply

My Etsy Shop

EboniePearl Creations

Other Podcasts I love!

The Pen, Hook and Needles Podcast

New Podcast I found this Week:

Naturally, Kim's Knitting Podcast


My socks

Until Next Post!  Keep It Crafty!!!!!

A Turn in the Road on my Crafty Journey: I started a podcast!!!! The Crafty Nomad Podcast.

Check out this and the first 3 episodes on youtube.  Please like, subscribe and share! I share my current wips, fo's and upcoming projects!



The Crafty Nomad Podcast!


In this video I talk about crochet, knitting, and a very special future sewing project.

WIPS:  

The Moroccan Midnight Cowl
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/moroccan-midnight-cowl

Vanilla Sock
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vanilla-socks-toe-up--afterthought-heel

FOs:

The Owl Always Love You Pattern
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/owl-always-love-you-amigurumi

Mother Daughter Hat
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mother-daughter-hats--mittens-hat

Crafty Happenings:

Crafty Periscopers
http://www.ravelry.com/groups/crafty-periscopers

Yarnosphere
http://yarnosphere.com/

New and Noteworthy Podcast:
Yarn Chicken: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYtMFQTjfVo
Ketsy Knits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9Ax0t57AZU

Oldies But Goodies !

Knitworthy Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LIFbFsoZ_Y

Pen Hook and Needles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RQes30T8ro

The C.A.T.T. Lady Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2hrkudb4VY

Shoutouts!

The Turbo Knitter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSNj4xqMhUI

Southern Crafts Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxsPji84UVM

The Crochet Junkie Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiQ9GJqt2os

The Crafty Nomad Podcast Group on Rav
http://www.ravelry.com/groups/the-crafty-nomad-podcast

Find me on Instagram and Periscope as pettiskim, on Rav as pettiskimknits

My Etsy Store: EboniePearl
https://www.etsy.com/shop/EboniePearl?ref=hdr_shop_menu

EboniePearl Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/eboniepearl

A CROFO and some SEWFOs and what I've been up to lately

Happy Spring!

Winter is officially over and Spring has Sprung!  I have been steadily crafting!

I continued my bag making.  Here is a picture of what has been finished:

So a total of 5 project bags finished.  I have the fabric cut for 2 more and then I think that will be enough for me.  If I make too many then I will feel compelled to have projects in each one!

I also finished a shawl:

This is the Half Circle Shawl by Anastacia Zittel and this was very easy to make and its uber soft and cozy.  I highly recommend this.


Finally,  I did a little mixed media art piece:

 This was fun to make! I used one stanza or part of a stanza from Maya Angelou's poem Phenomenal Woman.  I made this for my Coworker and now a few more people want them!  The image is Charlotte Chic rubber stamp from the greeting farm.  Turned out great!

And now, my writing:

I started taking a creative writing class with goal of finally writing my first Novel.  This was me, doing my homework.  I had to write 1000 words to be workshopped for the class.  I am both excited and nervous to share it tomorrow.  

What I have been listening to:

I started the Audio Book Game of Thrones yesterday and I am enjoying it so far.  The book is the first in a series and it is 800 pages!  So,  I was pretty sure that I would never get through it actually reading it so I am listening to it.  

Podcasts:

I have been enjoying a  few podcasts: 

Undead Yarn Podcast

TheNaturalNeedler

knittingincircles

Foxes In Socks Podcast

These have all been really enjoyable! Check them out! 

Going to my writing class helped me realize how much I want to write a good story. And since reading makes you a better writer, I am amping up my reading.

What I am reading now:

Broken Harbor by Tana French

Bitter Greens By Kate Forsyth

And I have several more in the queue. 

Well, thats all for now. right now I have 2 knitting wips and I am planning to cast on Flax for my son tonight.  So hopefully I will have some knitting FO's and some more SewFO's in my next post.  

Bye for now! 

Soooooo, I've been crafting but not Posting!!

Time to document my crafty life!  

So far in 2015 I have finished a few things.  I have been into yarn for the past year.  Mostly crochet but I did pick up my needles and started knitting again in 2015.  I'm loving it.  Knitting still takes forever, but for garments I just love the look.  So,  what I have completed so far this year is mostly crochet, actually all crochet! 

All items are crocheted.  First two are free patterns on ravelry which I will link here:

baby hoodie

Crocheted Beret

The Third one I learned from a youtube tutorial which I will link here:

I used bernat baby softee for the the baby hoodie and it worked up nice and quick.  I used Vanna White yarn for the beret.  The pattern called for  a nice pom pon on the back but the person it was made for would not want that detail so I left it off.  I also used Vanna White yarn for the Trinity stitch hat.  

I enjoyed these Projects. 

As for knitting I have a pair of vanilla socks on the needles.  Slow going because I am just a slow knitter:

Its further alone than this now so I should be turning the heel soon.  Wish me luck! 

I am also making a sweater!  I'm being brave this year with plans to knit a sweater for myself and one for my son.  And a sweater vest for my husband if I can.  So I have my sweater cast on and its coming along well.  I'm using loops and threads acrylic  for mine because:

1. Its affordable.  For my first sweater, I did not want to spend a lot of money on yarn, because knowing me I might peter out before I finish.
2. I cannot afford to be a yarn snob.....maybe one day, but for now, I am cannot
3. I don't really wear wool anyway. All of my bought sweaters are some form of acrylic

I don't have a picture of my progress yet but it is a free pattern on Ravelry which I will link here:

February Lady Sweater

I am enjoying this one for sure and hopefully I won't come to regret the acrylic.  Maybe if I am uber pleased with the results I will do it again with a premium yarn.  

I am also making a Flax sweater for my son and a coordinating Barley Hat. I have the yarn.  I will be making his in acrylic for sure.  Loops and Threads baby yarn in a dark grey colorway.  I have not casted these on yet but when I get to a certain point in my sweater,  I will cast on the Flax sweater.  

So,  I have been watching lots of knitting podcasts lately and it seems that project bags have become a thing since last I knit.  So,  I naturally feel the pull to have a bag for each of my projects too!  So,  I bought some inexpensive unlined drawstring bags from Etsy seller GalianaCreations.  and I really like my bags pictured here:

I have another one as well but no picture.  This one is now holding the yarn for my son's sweater.  But I was so inspired by everyone's pretty bags that I decided to make some of my own.  Using this tutorial:

I made two of my own. The owly one is big enough for a shawl but is currently holding my February Lady Sweater.  The one with the elephant print is holding a bunch of Red Heart With Love Yarn purchased for the sweater initially but I ended up abandoning that yarn because it was just way too fuzzy.  I love these bags. I included a layer of felt in mine instead of batting because thats what I had. But it turns out that it makes the bags more sturdy and when they are opened, they work like little baskets.  They are not perfect but I am so proud of my work! 

I have plans to make a few more bags.  I have to say I am enjoying my sewing machine! 

So,  thats it for 2015 so far. I did a lot in 2014 but I did not document a lot here. I am planning to do more of that this year. 

As mentioned above, I have really been enjoying a ton of podcasts and vlogs.  Here are a few that I love:

knittingden

BakeryBears

This Homespun Life

The Knitting Room

Pen Hook and Needles

There are tons of great ones!  

Anyway, thats all for now.  Happy Crafting! 

Finally Participated In A Craft Show.....sort of

So, after agonizing a lot over whether or not to sign up for a craft show, I bit the bullet, squashed my fears and signed up for a Holiday Boutique.  I feverishly crafted away just to have enough stuff to fill up a table.  So, I ended up having a decent about of things to sell, but I still felt that I should have had more.  So, this experience was not financially successful.  Not because people did not like my things, but because NO ONE CAME!  In my mind, when you pay for a booth part of what a vendor should be able to expect is that the person organizing the event would also Market the event.  I think that the only people that actually came were friend/family members of the organizer.  

Now, I have to say that this girl put on an awesome, very well done event.  The space was great, the food provided was great, she made sure that she had a variety of vendors. She even had a great DJ. She had swag bags for the first 50 people to come in and several raffles throughout our time there.  

What she did not have  was customers.  I am sure she still had many swag bags left over.  

What I learned:

1. This was a Holiday Boutique, not a craft fair.  So, I was basically the only crafter there.  There were some folks with handmade jewelry. But other than that, there was MaryKay, Scentsy, Gold Canyon, Bedroom Kandi, etc.  I sort of did not fit in.  If there had been a crowd, they might not have been interested in my handcrafted items. So, if I do this again,  I will look for an event that is marketed well and marketed to people who are interested in handcrafted items. 

2. I learned that people who do craft shows/holiday boutiques, work really hard to get ready for them.  Its tough when you are a vendor of ready made items. Its even more challenging if you are a maker.  I worked hard to create my inventory and still feel that I did not have enough.  If you are a maker and work full time, it can take a while to build up enough inventory to sell at a fair.  So, I might stick to taking orders from people.






3.  If I do this again, I won't do a first time event.  And if I do,  the booth fee will have to be very low.  I think I will look for an actual craft fair with a track record of attendance.  You can have great stuff and great prices but if no one comes.........
Overall, I am glad I did it.  I had my business cards and passed out a lot of them so if nothing else, I got my name out there. And I learned a lot.  So, I guess I will consider my booth fee as an educational investment!

Finished Newspaper!!!

Done!  After 2 years!  

I started this quilt sometime in 2012.  Then, In 2013 I was so into papercrafting that I did no quilting. But I decided that this is the year to finish up some UFO's from 2012.  This is the first finish!   I made the middle portion by doing the jelly roll race pattern technique, except that I did not have a jelly roll.  I used various fat quarters and some yardage that I collected and then cut them cut them in 2.5 inch strips, with differing lengths and then  went from there.  

For more info on the Jelly Roll Race Quilt Pattern, go here:

Since this ends up as a lap size quilt I bordered it with rail fence blocks because I wanted  a queen sized quilt.  I them bordered that with a white on white print and finished it off with floral print in black, white and red.  I backed it with flannel because I just love the feel of it against my skin. This quilt is huge but I quilted it myself on a tiny little machine.  I am a novice so my quilting/piecing will not win any prizes anytime soon but I just love it!  

I had so much fabric left over so I just decided to go with a scrappy binding.  I like how it turned out as well.

The Scrappy Binding is pictured here:

I am on a roll!  I already began quilting my next UFO so hopefully I will have another finish soon.  Its not as big as this one but its not small either.  Looking forward to more 2014 finishes!