1. “Personal issues”

2. “It’s not you, it’s me”

3. “My dog ate my internet”

Etc. etc. etc.

To be honest I hadn’t gotten much crocheting done in the months since I posted either.  BUT that should be a-changing.  There is more free time opening up in my near future and some projects planned.  ALSO there is an exciting possibility that I may be selling at a local craft fair in July. Details on that later.

I’ve been tossing around the idea of making this blog not just about crochet and make it more a personal thing (see: more free time coming).  While I know I’m not the most interesting human on the plan, I could probably think of more interesting things to talk about than JUST crocheting.  Plus, as I try to build up an inventory, I’ll be making a lot of repeats of what you’ve already seen.  Plus plus, I think it will make me update more often.  We’ll see.

Now, on to the (very) few projects I have done recently:

oink!

What do pandas eat? Uh they eat bamboo! (If you know what this is from, lets be best friends.)

BFFs

Cupcake Mobile made for my friend’s cousin’s baby (got that?)

With sprinkles!

Here’s what I’ve been working on:

Turkey Leg

He’s happy because he knows he’s too darn cute to eat.

Or is he?!?

My friend became…obsessed…with the u900 videos I posted a few weeks ago. So I made him some u900 inspired friends:

BFFs

I really love how this bear came out. I much prefer having one continuous form through the head and body rather than sewing the head on. A lot more stable (and I hate sewing so its more fun for me). Yes, I know his mouth/nose is on crooked. I’m just gonna pretend that was on purpose (remember how I said I hate sewing?)

First time using felt for facial features.

Meet Lorelei
(this picture is hanging in my bathroom)

The official mascot of Molly Knight Crafts, Lorelei is a sweet little girl who loves fashion, beauty products, and modeling.  Her favorite TV show is Project Runway, followed closely by The Rachel Zoe Project (which is O.O.C.)

Pink is the new black.

Her skin and leggings are made with various nylon/acryllics and her dress is made from Berroco Suede.  Her hair is made from some funky yarn I found in the clearance bin.  I forget what its called exactly but it looks like Berroco Zap.

I got some better photos of the ladybug I made last weekend.

Lorelei just loved her.

Top down view.

I’m pretty pleased with how she came out.  Made with Berroco Comfort and Caron Simply Soft

Maybe there will be a giveaway here sometime during this celebratory month. Just sayin…

In the name of NCM, lets chat.  I get really excited whenever I have a comment to moderate on here.

Do you crochet? How long have you been crocheting? How will you be celebrating this exciting month?

1. Toasty

My sister requested a crocheted piece of toast as her treat for donating to Haiti relief.

Toasty and his drink of choice (also for size comparison)

Toasties are $5

2. I got an order for four birds, with colors to match the customer’s “real life” birds:

Birds are $7 each, any color (different wing colors are an option as well).  I have a blue and teal bird ready to ship but I keep forgetting to take pictures of them.

3. Then got an order for a pink lady bug. Only one picture of her for now, I tried to take some more but its really grey and yucky out (gettin REALLY sick of the weather in Boston lately!) so the lighting isn’t good.

Ladybugs are $15

Daaaaaw

I just wanted to let you know about a special shop on Etsy that was set up this week: Hearts For Haiti

ALL proceeds from this shop will go directly to Doctors Without Borders.  The items have all been donated by Etsy sellers who are offering FREE shipping.

If you’re not aware of the full scale of destruction that occured, here are some links:
The Big Picture from Boston.com did a fantastic job (as always) of quickly compiling striking photos (some images are graphic).  They put together a second set of photos here.

Reports from NPR, CNN and BBC.

Regular updates from CNN.

The worst earthquake there in two centuries flattened the capital, Port-au-Prince. 100,000 are assumed dead. Up to 3 million affected. In one of the world’s poorest and least developed countries.

The people of Haiti will obviously be needing an enormous amount of help.

You may be wondering why I’m talking about this on a crochet blog. I find it sad that the death of a celebrity can cause a wave of discussion on sites like Facebook, but the death of thousands and the destruction of a country causes barely a ripple. I wanted to raise more awareness to what’s going on and what needs to be done.

Here’s the deal:

1. You donate to a disaster relief fund (links below)

2. You email proof of your donation, and your name and address to molly@mkcrafts.com ***

3. A few weeks later (depending on number of entries) you get a small crocheted “thank you” from me.

***EDIT: My friend Bethany (click here for her blog) has offered to make a small knitted gift to those who donate as well.

It doesn’t matter how much you donate – $5, $50, $5000 – you don’t even have to tell me (but it’d be cool if you did because I want to keep track).  Just show me some proof, and you’ll get mail! Everyone loves mail!

HOW TO HELP: DISASTER RELIEF RESOURCES

Yele Haiti – you can also donate to Yele by texting “YELE” to 501501.  They then text you back, asking you to reply “Yes.”  This will automatically donate $5 which will appear on your next phone bill.  I’ve seen this type of donation system popping up recently and I think its pretty awesome. Some cell phone companies are even waiving the fees for texts to Yele and the Red Cross.

Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders – the people of Haiti are in dire need of medical relief.  MSF is a great organization that is already there helping out.

Partners In Health

American Red Cross – Text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross

Canadian Red Cross

Salvation Army

Mercy Corps

Haiti Emergency Relief Organization (HERO)

Catholic Relief Services

Oxfam America

Oxfam UK

International Medical Corps

UNICEF USA

More resources here.

CANADIANS: Check out this article for resources.

ETSY SELLERS WHO ARE DONATING PROFITS TO DISASTER RELIEF:

Viadellarosa.Etsy.com Donating 50% of sales
papermenagerie.etsy.com Donating 100% of proceeds!
CharitableCreations.Etsy.com Donating 10% of sales -  Mention HaitiRelief when purchasing
SugarandSpiceSoapCo.Etsy.com Donating 50% of proceeds to UNICEF
ShaggyChic.Etsy.com – 50% of Sales 1/13 – 1/18
Midnightandlulu.Etsy.com – 50% of proceeds
bohoLUXEaccessories.Etsy.com – 50% of proceeds
prettylulubridal.Etsy.com – 20% through Sunday
Gleeza.Etsy.com – 100% of proceeds going to Save the Children for Haiti Relief
ElisabethSpace.Etsy.com – 50% to American Red Cross or Yele Haiti Organization
VintageTreasury.Etsy.Com – 10% of proceeds – NEW SHOP!
BeeBeeBee.etsy.com – 100% of proceeds!
Yummyandcompany.etsy.com – 10% of proceeds
Handjstarcreations.etsy.com – 10% of proceeds through Jan. 18
Delacy.etsy.com – 50% of proceeds
Thebeersoapcompany.etsy.com – 100% Proceeds
capricornsoapco.etsy.com – see their shop for details
TALKTAGZ.etsy.com – 50% of proceeds
Seaphemera.etsy.com – 50% to Doctors Without Borders
Chuletindesigns.etsy.com – 50% thru Sunday
Sharayah.etsy.com – 100% of proceeds to Mercy Corps
luvmymonkeys.etsy.com – 50% of proceeds to Haitian orphanage
kecky.etsy.com – 100% of proceeds to UNICEF
ThePaintedBrush.etsy.com – 100% of proceeds to the Red Cross

***If you do not get a confirmation email from me within 24 hours, please resubmit to this email.

Plush amigurumi heart, perfect gift for Valentine’s Day!

EDIT: This little heart found a home

Custom hearts are available, please contact me.

]]> http://mkcrafts.com/2010/01/10/shop-update/feed/ 0 mollyknightcrafts Heart http://mkcrafts.com/2010/01/04/new-and-improved/ http://mkcrafts.com/2010/01/04/new-and-improved/#comments Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:58:28 +0000 Molly http://mkcrafts.com/?p=171 ]]> Still working out the kinks here at my new wordpress home.  The available layouts aren’t the most exciting but the other features are far superior so I think this will work out better.

Rather than make blog tutorial posts, I’ve made a tutorial page that you can get to from the navigation bar up there. All the tutorials will stay right there so you can find them easily.  When I make a new tutorial, I’ll post a link in a blog post so you’ll know its there.  This will allow me to do more regular posting without thinking “oooh but I haven’t done the full tutorials yet!” This will be a work in progress.

So far I have the following up:
Supplies – What you’ll need to get started
Patterns – Find some inspiration
Get A Grip – How to hold the yarn and hook
Basic Stitches – Slip knot, chain stitch (foundation chain), slip stitch, single crochet
Avoiding Injury – Tips for avoiding Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

To come: more basic stitches, a guide to reading patterns and the fabulous world of amigurumi.

Also, I’ve put a few things up for sale on my Etsy shop! Two cowls and an ipod cozy. Check them out!