Great Gem in "Cashmere Cottage Yarns"

Last weekend I had the pleasure of spending the weekend with some of the best ladies I know for a little "girls weekend." Before that, I was able to spend the night with my brother in Cashmere, a little town in Eastern Washington. As we were leaving the restaurant we were having dinner at I noticed a business card pinned to the bulletin board of community events they had near the door. It was for a yarn shop!! I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see a new yarn shop now could I?! :)

The next day I found the cutest, friendliest little yarn shop in Cashmere, WA called Cashmere Cottage Yarn." It's one of those places where people who love to knit congregate with other like-minded people and share experiences, knowledge and life.

Of course I spent about an hour just looking around the 300 sq ft. shop and found so many beautiful yarns and lots, and lots of sample projects! These are some of the beautiful yarns I purchased to actually make some scarves and cowls for myself this winter :)


I also purchased some amazing "Malabrigo Rasta" yarn and created the beautiful cowl below. I still have to find the perfect buttons, but you get the idea :) I can't wait for the cool weather so I can wear this super soft cowl.

One of the shop owners spent so much time with me finding the perfect patterns, searching the web for a specific pattern and even winding all of the yarn for me so I am ready to go :

I will definitely be returning to this gem of a shop in Cashmere every time I visit my brother. Now I have TWO reasons to visit.

Yarn Bombing and Craft Fairs

I know, I know, it's been F-O-R-EVER since I have posted on this blog. As far as Beehive Creations
is concerned I have been focusing on building inventory for my very first craft fairs I'm doing this fall and winter.

 

Before I get to that, I wanted to pass on a very cool idea a friend of mine posted on Facebook.

It's called Yarn Bombing and it's basically adding knitted "things" or decorations to otherwise bland daily items or objects. Check it out here: Crazy Yarn Bombs  I especially love the work on done on the trees and then the steps to the church. Check it out and let me know what you think :)

So, back to my Craft Fairs. I have decided to do three small craft fairs in my area. Two are in the same location and one is at a school where a good friend of mine works. I will be attending the September 14th and December 15th shows at the Fox Island Market near Tacoma, WA. I will also be attending the Seattle Lutheran High School Holiday Bazaar.

My thought is to have lots of hats, scarves, cowls, and boot cuffs available for purchase and provide samples of the pillow cushions and baby blankets that people can custom order. What do you think? What are you typically looking for when you go to a craft fair or Christmas Bazaar.

I also have an opportunity to sell my items through a store near my hometown in Eastern Washington. A friend I went to high school with has an amazing shop in Moses Lake, WA called The Art Garden where she sells pottery, holds classes and sells beautiful items from other local artists. She said she would love to see some of my items in her store, so we just have to finalize how that will work and I will have my knitting and crocheting in a REAL STORE!! :) I'm pretty excited...although I feel weird knitting wool-blend hats and cowls in my tank top and shorts sitting in front of the air conditioner. Oh well, it'll be fun to reap the rewards this fall.

Wish me luck!

Validation and Pride

Last weekend I was contacted by a new customer that found me on Etsy to see if  I could make her FOUR knitted pillow covers. Of course I said "Yes, Yes, Yes!!!" I was jumping up and down like a little kid on Christmas morning because I was so excited that someone liked me work and wanted to actually pay me money to make them something. My husband just smiled, shook his head, laughed a little and said, "I'm proud of you." Me new customer wanted size 20 x 20 pillows. The pattern I had was for 12" x 12" pillows. Darn!



Completed 12" x 12" Pillows

I accepted the challenge to adjust my pattern to create 20" x 20" pillow covers. I am sooooo NOT a math person, so the idea of trying to figure out how to increase my pattern to make the pillows 20" x 20" and keep the integrity of the cable patterns, was a little daunting to say the least. I knew I could do it. I can usually figure "stuff" out. It's not the most direct way, but I can get it done. I set about my "trial and error" pattern building. After working on my pattern revision for three evening and ripping out countless attempts, I FINALLY got my pattern right and I am so PROUD of myself! I know my customer is going to be happy with the look of these pillows and I now have another sized pattern for my pillows.

It's really amazing that no matter how old we get, accomplishing a daunting or really challenging task can be one of the most rewarding feelings out there. It just goes to show that we're never to old to learn and try new challenges. I'll be sure to post the 20" x 20" pillows when I'm done.

A new project

For the past several months I've been working on creating hats, scarves and cowls. Now that the weather is getting warmer I'm starting to focus more on baby items. Knitting is my first love and I, being the "orderly" person I am, I love the neat perfection of knitting. One of the first things I made after I learned to knit was a baby blanket. I've made lots and lots of blankets, but they are time consuming. I recently found a pattern for a chunky baby blanket that should be about 36" x 36" in size. I'm about half way done and hope to be done soon. I love how soft it is and it's really knitting up quickly.

My first attempt at blogging

This is my first attempt at blogging so please bear with me as I learn how to do this. I started this blog so I can connect with others who are crafting like me. I'm trying my hand at starting a knitting and crocheting business. I have the knitting and crocheting down, but now I'm working on getting the word out about it and connecting with others for support and inspiration.

Thanks in advance for visiting my blog.