Monday 30 June 2014

Next Steps


The last week has been full of the usual ups and downs of family life. Thinking about it, I can't actually remember much of it, except for A Lot of Extra Things to do with the fact that Little Man's off to Secondary School in September. There have been forms, more forms, emails, trial mornings, trial days, meetings, more meetings, uniform buying, and even uniform labelling - go me! organised! His transition, as a child on the autistic-spectrum has been very well managed, I really can't fault either school, but boy is it time-consuming! Despite all this Big School related activity I still simply cannot believe that my boy, my baby, my first-born, is about to finish his time at Primary School. It can't be possible. Surely it was only yesterday that he was dragged forth, 15 days late, into this world, with the hugest widest eyes I have ever seen, eyes that flitted back and forth between his Daddy and I, back and forth, back and forth, for an eternity it seemed, taking it all in, committing every little detail to his amazing brainier-than-brainy brain. He is ready, I know he is, even with the Asperger's and the anxiety, I know he has grown out of Primary School. I know he is ready for this next step. But still ........

And so, I find myself having not blogged for over a week now. Tut tut, that will not do, no not at all. Pull yourself together woman and get blogging!




The only way I can remember what else I've actually done with my week (apart from watch Wimbledon that is ....)  is to look at the stuff lying around the house, and the photos on my camera :) So without further ado, here's what I've been up to in the last week....

I've started a poncho from the Drops Design  Raspberry Smoothie pattern (its free, thankyou Drops Design :)


But I'm very sorry Drops, I am not using your recommended yarn, because I bought some James C Brett marble chunky ....


.... which is gorgeous colours, but, try as I might, I cannot make myself love it. Serves me right I suppose. The colour changing of this yarn is so clever, it's done (I think) by twisting two biggish strands of differing colours, each of which changes colour at a separate point, and gradually. Maybe that's how all colour-changing/self-striping yarn works, but the two strand business confuses me. I struggle to see the stitch definition and just end up in a huffy puffy fuzzy mess.

I do love the colours though ....


It has worked up brilliantly quickly, I was thinking "autumn" when I started it - hence the colour choice - but for once I may finish something early, miracles really do happen :) I'll blog about it again come autumn, hopefully you'll all have forgotten about it by then, and I can pretend to be fabulously ready for the start of a new season ;)

So what else.... I've been running up a quick pencil case type thingy whilst flicking through my new Simply Crochet magazine. Well, the pattern was a sort of made up one, not from the magazine, and the two activities of crocheting and magazine-flicking-through were not exactly simultaneous (or simultaneous at all in fact), but the photo of it all together looked rather lovely I thought..... cover-girl-lady looks very happy, doesn't she - that's how crochet makes me feel too :)


The pencil case thingy (very vague, I know) is for a stationery swap that I'm participating in. I've made it to fit a set of lovely colouring pencils, but whilst it looks rather lovely (if I do say so myself) it's totally impractical due its flap closing design, all the pencils can easily fall out. However tarting it up any more than I already have (photos coming to a blog post near you soon) will make it be sent out eeeeeeven later than it already is. And I'm guessing that the recipient won't exactly be stuffing it in a school-bag or similar, so maybe it will actually be quite perfect :)

And whilst on the subject of stationery swap, I've also made a fabric cover for a notebook. Here are a couple of photos of it so far .... laying out supplies .... ooh goody I do like choosing fabric, with buttons and ribbons to match .......


..... making a little patch pocket for the front ...


 ... attaching the pocket to the unfinished sleeve ...


... again completion photos coming soon! These fabric covers are fairly sraightforward to make, a great use of smallish pieces of fabric, and they make a simple notebook look really really special. I'll be making some as teacher presents for the end of term I think.

And finally. I really hope you're still reading as I have some Very Exciting News ..... I've decided to bite the bullet and see if I can sell some of my craft stuff. This idea has been knocking round my head for a while now, and in the last couple of weeks two different people have suggested it to me in all seriousness. Honestly my head is buzzing with ideas, I am having to do a brain-dump each night to get any sleep at all! So exciting! I know it'll be hard work, I'm not in it to make mega-bucks, but even just making enough to fund my craft-supply-addiction (most-notably yarn it has to be said) would be just fine by me.

If anyone has any advice or tips, dos or don'ts, please feel free to share :) And I'll raise a glass to our collective success - cheers!!

19 comments:

  1. Best wishes on your selling, I have no advice but I hope it goes well for you. :)

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    1. Thanks :) No idea if I will be successful or not, and at present have nothing to sell lol need to get making! Hurrah!

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  2. I really like the poncho so don't give up! One thing I would say about doing crafts as a business is that should it take off (and I really hope it does) you may find that you have little time for making things for yourself. I found that and it became frustrating! By the way, my grandson sounds like your boy, but has another year before he moves up.
    www.thequietstitcher.com

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    1. No giving up on the poncho, do not fear! Lots of luck for your grandson when transition time comes xx

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  3. Good luck with trying to sell your makes. Some people have suggested I try but I've no idea where to start and I worry it would take the fun away. X

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    1. Yes, I was (am?) a bit worried about the fun aspect, but I thought I'd give it a try. However I haven't really got much idea where to start either lol.

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  4. The colours in the poncho are great, but I can see how the two stranded thing would be frustrating to work with. I'd stick with it though :)

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    1. I tried marble chunky for another project and didn't like it then either, but didn't give up. I also have another ball of it that I want to make a cusion cover from. Once I've done that I WILL NOT be sucked into buying another ball. It just looks so lovely I wish I liked it more! But the poncho WILL get finished. At least it works up quickly I suppose

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  5. Goodness you have been busy. I share the pain of form filling we are in the process of transitioning our ASD man over to secondary school. The school he will be attending is still specialist provision but as they take from 3 - 19 years and had a space this year to take him he is actually moving across a year early in the hopes that he will be fully part of the school by the time he starts his secondary level work. So I do sympathise but it will all be worth it in the end. I do craft fairs two/three times a year it really is a suck and see exercise until you find the best place for your type of craft but I'm sure you will do well and if I can give any tips at all let me know.

    Goodluck in the meanwhile

    Mitzi

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    1. Gosh, a big move for your little man then. Its all such a slog and a battle for us with them, isn't it, none of it is easy and you have to push and fight for everything. I hope the move goes well for your son. x

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  6. I'm afraid that I have no craft selling advice, but I wish you all the best with it and hope that it goes really well for you!! It certainly sounds as if you have been incredibly busy with all the end of term/new school things going on. You will be very glad when term ends and you can just breathe for a moment or two! I hope that the transition to the new school goes really well for your son and you. Oh, and about that yarn, I think that it looks very pretty, but I too have a problem with multi coloured yarn. I made a small blanket earlier in the year in multi colour yarn, and I really don't like it even though everyone left lovely comments on my blog about it!! Perhaps it is the thing of staring so closely at it while you are crocheting, I hope that you do grow to like it when it is done - or that you can sell it to someone who likes it for a vast profit of course!! xx

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    1. Thanks Amy. And thats another thing, I have zero clue how much to ask for anything, I need to do some research but mostly I look at things and think they are over priced. Maybe I am just stingey lol

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    2. Charge more than you think!! I don't think that you are stingy thinking that things are overpriced, sometimes they are but it is probably your crafting brain thinking that you could make it yourself. If you sell to cheaply people won't attach much value to it and you want them to be paying for the handcraftedness! xx

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    3. That's a really good point, about people attaching value to things. Thanks :)

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  7. Wow! A busy week with lots of change in the air! Good luck with selling your crafts, I am in no position to give advice really, but was self employed for a couple of years and I would just say two things: don't underestimate your skills, you are making something unique, and secondly, charge for the time you take to make an item, not just the costs of the materials. Good Luck! Look forward to reading all about your endeavours! Best of luck with your wee chap going up to secondary too; a big step but with all that live and support behind him he will hopefully get on just great X

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  8. Oops, that should read 'love and support' x

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    1. Thanks Penny, there's no doubt it's all v exciting :) x

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  9. Hi Jill, I've almost completed setting up my Etsy shop but I've not put on any stock yet...it will all happen in time. I wish you every success with yours; however you decide to do it :-)
    I'll be thinking of you and your first born over the coming weeks. I'm glad to hear the schools are making the process go so smoothly.
    Tracey xxx

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  10. I looove that yarn Jill ... I think the end result will be most pleasing! And I do sell bits and bobs now and again, just to feed my yarn addiction you see! Mostly by word of mouth selling, and when i feel like it, so that I am not under pressure and time constraints to complete orders. Good Luck xxx Pat

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Jillxxxxx