It's the Little Things

I am easily amused and please at the slightest things. For example Brett and I went to Pier 1 to find a storage solution for our few (over 60) DVDs. After looking through the store and being very underwhelmed by our options we started to wander and look at other goodies (by we I mean me...Brett kind of just followed me around). While wandering I stumbled upon this beauty:

Not only have Brett and I been looking for a kitchen timer since we moved into our apartment (for some reason our stove doesn't have one) but I LOVE how retro these look. I also love the fact that this timer doesn't buzz when it goes of it rings. You know? Like one of those alarm clocks with the two bells on top? Yep that's how this sounds. I am also obsessed with the fact that it is magnetic and you can just stick him on your refrigerator. I bought the red one. I don't think Brett was as excited with my color choice but I think he'll live. We didn't on the other hand find any sort of storage for our DVDs so the search continues.

In knitting news I have found a yarn shop (the only one) in Cedar Rapids to hang out at and I do so every Wednesday nights while I'm working. The ladies there are super nice and very helpful/supportive. I had been a few times and not bought anything so I had to buy Cookie A's Sock Innovation.

I plan on knitting a pair of socks out of this book for my grandma's very late Christmas gift. I love this book because it not only has sock patterns but it teaches the reader the basic fundamentals of designing a sock. It also teaches the reader how to change patterns from flat to round knitting, and choosing types of stitches and yarn, among other things. I think all knitters could find something in this book to benefit from.

In addition to a knew book my grandmother as also subscribed me to "Knitters" magazine but I have yet to receive a copy and I have also never heard of or seen this magazine before so I'm excited to flip through it. I did buy some yarn and my dear darling loving boyfriend bought my a ton (over $100 worth) of yarn for my birthday. But you will have to wait until I can link Ravelry to my blog to see pictures.

Holy Blog Abandonment!

Alright, so it's been a minute since I've updated or done anything with my blog. A lot has changed since my last update. I have since stopped updating my etsy store (I've abandoned that too), moved to Iowa, and got a big kid job at a non-profit organization. What?! Yeah that's right I'm living a big kid life and as of now it's not too bad but I still miss college. The BF and I are now living together as of late September. He got a job in Iowa and I followed and landed a job shortly after. It worked out really well. Now for the big update. I'm changing the direction of my blog. Instead of posting mostly about what I'm selling on etsy I'm going to focus more on knitting projects, dyeing yarn and techniques (if I ever get anymore bare yarn), cooking/recipes, and home decor stuff. These are the things I have become obsessed with and I need a place to document my successes and undoubtably my failures.

Yay for Sales!

I'm super excited! I just got my second sale in about two weeks. I hope things keep up like this, I know it's not much but after that two month lull of absolutely nothing I'm crazy excited! Here is the yarn I just sold (sorry it's awkwardly large):

I also have three new cotton yarns drying outside. I should have them up in my shop within the next few days. I guess I should buy another spool of cotton yarn to keep up the shop. I think I might buy some roving to make dryer balls. I'll have to research and see how popular they are on etsy before I get crazy though...I didn't do that well enough with my facial scrubbies.

In other news, it's been super stormy in Kansas City. I'm fine with this because I love thunderstorms. Also, it's psych week on the Discovery channel second only to shark week. Sometimes I forgot how much I love psychology.

Back to fiber fun check out this awesome news article related to some knitting vandals: super awesome

I will leave you with that (I hope it catches on).

Dye Fail

Well I have had the last week off from work but I was in Columbia for three days and had a bunch of catching up to do before I could get down to dyeing some new yarns. When I did get around to it I had an epic dye fail. I tried using my regular Jacquard dye on the cotton yarn. I didn't take so when I rinsed the yarn after the dye bath cooled ALL of the dye came out of the yarn. I guess I'll have to get some dye at work and re-do it.

The cotton candy yarn I dyed a few weeks ago might go into the dye bath as well. I'm going to attempt to make a not blinding hot pink yarn and if I put my cotton candy in with it it should go into a half pink half purple yarn. That would be considerably easier to photograph than the super light purple it is now.

In other news I am now in charge of another living thing...my lucky bamboo plant. I named him Brutus and I will love him...and hope that I don't kill him. It shouldn't be a problem this time, the last one I had I put tap water from Columbia in and it killed the whole plant in about 2 days. I've learned my lesson and hope that this one will not peril like the others.

I'm Alive I Promise

So I am a neglectful blog owner. I'm sorry (to the three people who might read this) I'm going to try to do better!

Not much as happened since my last post. I'm officially working for the enemy now, a big dog craft store. I pretty much hate it but I need the money so I'll just have to put up with it until I get a "real" job as I like to call it. I sold my first and most popular set of stitch markers Friday.

Debpolley is now the lucky owner of Naughty Things:

This also happens to be the first order I've had in about two months. I'm hoping that sales pick up for everyone on Etsy. It's pretty slow for a lot of people there. I have been working on a few new things for Autumn Fibers I have a new line of cotton yarns here are a few pictures of what I've done so far:

This is "Pumpkin" it was supposed to be a gold color but ended up being well...a pumpkin color.

This is Amanda's Bright Turquoise. It is my favorite of all the cotton I've got so far. I do have one more but I have yet to photograph it. It's a nice cotton candy combo of light purple and a light sky blue. I have two more skeins to dye, that will probably be my project tomorrow.

Autumn Fibers was also featured on Craftgawker here very exciting. I am also offering small knitted items in my shop now like facial scrubbies and coffee cup sleeves. I'm working on a line of beaded bracelets but haven't been able to master the art of knitting with embroidery floss yet.

Well I'm off to do some knitting while the baby sleeps!

Spring Cleaning at Autumn Fibers

Due to my extreme spring fever and my urges to bring in some new awesome product I am having a "Spring Cleaning" sale! Check out the sale section at Autumn Fibers for great deals on hand painted yarns and stitch markers.

P.S. I got my business cards from Overnightprints.com they are AWESOME. Now I just need some sales so I can pass them out! Pictures soon!

Back in KC/ Feature Friday - Spring Fever

I'm so sorry bloggy, I've been negligent. In my defense I have been very busy. I am back in Kansas City, moving half way across the country twice in less that a month was pretty tough. We did get to stop in Memphis on the way home to get some BBQ and check out Beale Street. We ate at Rendezvous which is one of the big name BBQ places in Memphis and well worth the drive. I also got to see the pyramid at Mud Island again, I saw it in passing the first time when I lived in Arkansas and my family took a road trip to Memphis. Here are a few snap shots!

The big sign before you hit Beale Street

Downtown Memphis

There was a basketball game the night we stopped

The BF's Camaro in front of the pyramid on Mud Island

Back in Kansas City I have officially unpacked and am already making plans to redecorate! I am also working on getting a job. I have new business cards for my shop I got 500 for free from Overnightprints.com they had a promotion so I only had to pay 12 bucks for shipping. Check it out if you're in the market for cards, I love mine. I also started my spring line including lace and sock weight yarns in super fun spring colors. In addition to offering knitting supplies I plan on offering small knitted items in the near future. Stay tuned!

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Now for Feature Friday! It's that time of year again, where people begin to come out of their winter hibernations and start pending more time outside and if you're me....wearing flip flops even though you know it's still to cold in hopes that will make the weather warmer, faster. So this feature Friday is in dedication to spring!

I've started paying more attention to decorating and storage/wall space and I saw this wall vase/hooks by OldNewAgain and fell in love! It's so creative and decorative at the same time! The red flowers really make a nice pop against the turquoise board.

So not everyone has a green thumb. I mean you forget to water your plant a few times and what happens? Well you know...so here is your solution:

janejoss has came up with a cute care free solution for those forgetful gardeners. She has so many cute patterns to choose from as well as different types of "plants" to choose from! Just pick the fabric that matches your style/decor!

These cups by PrettyMyDrink are awesome:

I love my coffee (any time of the year) and I just broke my giant mug, tragic I know. Not everything about Spring has to be brightly colored, these black dandelions are a perfect example! Super cute, hand painted, and dishwasher safe!

Feature Friday - Metal

Before I get into Feature Friday I'd just like to say... it's snowing in Georgia. We're actually supposed to get 2-5 inches tonight and it's supposed to keep snowing until 8 pm. The airport in Atlanta cancelled 1100 flights today and the Air Force sent everyone home at 12 this afternoon. Considering Brett and I moved here to get away from the freezing Missouri weather, we're not too happy about the weather.

Ok enough about the weather. The theme of this week's Feature Friday is metal. Here are a few sweet finds I discovered on Etsy.

For those of you who come home and put your keys down, assuringly never to be found again (like me). I have found the perfect solution...this super cute key rack:

I love this and KnobCreekMetalArts has many more to choose from all in a very nice price range!

Next up we have a clock. Since everyone has cell phones as well as digital clocks on every appliance we own people forget about wall clocks. I love an awesome original wall clock which for me is a new perspective on a vintage look. Shop owner astrokeofgenius has a perfect example of this:

I love the warm color of the wood with the cold unfeeling texture of the metal. Not to mention the unusual square shape of the clock. There are plenty more where this came from all as unique as this one!

Shop owner meganauman is having a sale! One of my favorite sale items is this:

What an awesome lighting fixture! Black isn't normally a feminine color but with the cute petal shape cutouts on the fixture I think it's perfect and I adore this. If black is a bit too dark for you there is also a white one. In addition to these adorable lights she also has jewelry and ottomans (which are decorated similarly to the lighting fixtures).

Last but not least I would like to introduce you to license plate art. Now, in the past I have seen purses made out of license plates but not images. Feast your eyes on this cutie:

I am utterly in love with this! I feel as though this should almost be featured on Cute Overload. Recycledartco has sooo many of these super cute items including an even cuter (if that is possible) whale. If you don't see something you like convo them and ask about custom orders, I'm sure they'd be thrilled to hear from you!

Technorati Blog Registration

I'm trying to get my blog registered at Technorati and to do this I have to post this code in a post. So here it is. 7AD5ZFMEUDMX

Exploring Gerogia

Last week me and the boyfriend did a bit of exploring. We hadn't been to Savannah yet so that was the first place we went. It was amazing. The trees made the city so pretty and since it's such an old city (277 years to be exact) it was neat to see all the little shops and houses that had been around forever. Here are a few pictures of the town:

The mossy trees made a canopy over the old narrow roads

A cool old house across the street from Savannah's awesome library

This my friends, is Paula Deen's restaurant Lady and Sons. The holy grail for those of you who love southern cookin'.

In addition to going to Savannah we also went to Tybee island which is right off the coast of Savannah. It was only about 50 degrees when we went but it was still fun! It was also the very first time I had seen the ocean.

The sign on the pavilion

The Atlantic Ocean (it was very foamy and the water was only about 40 degrees)

We put our feet in even though it was super cold

A view of the shops/beach houses from the pier

Friday I had a job interview in Macon (I ended up NOT going to the interview - no more telemarketing jobs for me thanks). But we did get to see some cool old Creek Indian grounds as well as putz around downtown Macon. It's a pretty cute town. Pictures will be posted soon I promise!

Feature Friday - Number 2

Feature Friday part deux! Since Valentine's Day is right around the corner I figured I'd join in with all the hype (even though I'm not a fan of the holiday) and promote some potential gifts that are a bit out of the box.

I'm growing my hair out and anyone who has done this knows how much a pain bangs can be. That is why I adore this headband by blacksatinshoes!

it's just so cute! I love big unusual hair accessories.

If had a my way I'd have my three giant dogs (lab, great dane, and weimaraner) and they would be my furry little children. If you have been able to fulfill this dream and want to give your furry buddy a Valentine then 3DogsAndAChick has the perfect gift for you (and your 4 legged babies)!

These are peanut butter flavored dog treats which are, of course all natural and dog safe. Don't the look good enough to eat yourself?!

Ever sit at home and watch discovery all day or perhaps you're obsessed with Shark Week? This watercolor painting is for you!

These are angler fish (the mean fish that chases Nemo's dad and Dorry in Finding Nemo). They use the light at the end of their antenna to attract fish so they can eat them. Which is why this painting is so cute/funny/odd all at the same time! I also love that esan01 was able to use such eye popping color in this watercolor painting. Love it!

Lastly, I have something for all coffee lovers that also want to help lessen their impact with all the disposable coffee cups:

SuperChickenStudios makes these handy dandy coffee sleeves so you don't have to use those cardboard ones at the coffee shop. This isn't the only pattern in SuperChickenStudios' shop so check it out if this one isn't exactly your style!

Rain Rain Go Away!

It's been raining here in Georgia and it's also "cold." Cold here though is 40 degrees which is pretty warm for a girl from Kansas City, it's also the middle of winter. Actually, at dinner tonight we (myself, Brett, and Billy) saw an older lady wearing: a sweater, a poncho, a scarf, and a pair of gloves. What?!

So what do people do in Georgia for fun on the weekend in the winter? Well, we went bowling yesterday. It was super embarrassing for pretty much everyone but Brett. He has multiple bowling balls, his own bowling shoes, and used to bowl in a league. Needless to say, I lost. We didn't know it until we got to the alley, but apparently, all of the high school students also go bowling on Fridays. Difference is we can drink and they can't. Today we got our 50 dollars by referring Billy to the same mattress store we bought our new bed from. Win! Now we're all trying to birth our food babies before we go out to a club...it's ladies night. Yes please!

Alright, for those of you who enjoy a nice hunk of cornbread I have perfected a delicious johnnycake recipe. Behold:

1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix

1/2 box yellow cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

• Dump jiffy mix in a big mixing bowl along with half of the yellow cake mix (you only use half of the box so you might want to get 2 boxes of Jiffy for next time you want to make this). Stir the two together until you get most of the clumps out.
• In a smaller bowl beat the two eggs together.
• Pour eggs and all other ingredients into bowl with the Jiffy and cake mix.
• Mix together -- remember that corn bread batter is clumpy so you aren't going to be able to get all of the clumps out of this either.
• Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean

I hope you enjoy it as much as me and the boys did!

Feature Friday

Alright, so I think to spice things up on my blog (and to get some awesome artists' creations out there) I'm going to feature a few pieces from a couple shops on Etsy. There will be a theme each week to narrow down my choices --otherwise I'd go crazy. Here are a few super cute hand crafted paper products to kick off this new tradition!

These are "The Written Bird Gift Tags" featured in pinktwilight's shop! I love anything with cute little birds on it. These are great for those of you who make your own gifts but might not be super talented in the paper creation department...*ahem* me.

Ok so you don't make your own gifts or need some awesome gift tags for anything? What about for those super organized folks who are tired of the drab mega store planners? Search no more! PriaVanda makes these super cute planners (which you can customize)! Behold:

It's purple too which means I automatically like it!

What's that you say? You're preggo or you know someone who is preggo?! I have found the perfect invitations for the baby shower! Check out these awesome baby shower (or announcement) card by GGsTreasures:

who said it's hip to be square?! I absolutely love these cards. It almost makes me want to get pregnant so I can buy some of these! The best thing about these is that these cards fold up, come with their own envelops and can be made in different colors. Yes please!

Alright last one, 888gifts makes some baller photo albums that, I promise, you won't find anywhere else. Check this one out:

It can hold 72 3x5 and 4x6 pictures! Not to mention the fact that it has these gorgeous pink and purple-y leaves on the cover. If you didn't know or couldn't tell, my favorite season is Autumn, so anything with leaves on it is a win in my book.

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In other news, I went job hunting today! Old school job hunting. Out of the 2 hundred (I'm sorry I like to exaggerate) stores I went into, one was hiring. So I turned in my application and said a little prayer. I defiantly didn't want a part time job after spending 40 thousand dollars and the last 4 years of my life on school, but I guess a crappy job is better than no job at all. We might be going to Savannah tomorrow! It's supposed to rain and I think it's only going to be about 40 degrees but I guess I'll finally get to see the ocean after waiting for so long! Brett is the deciding factor on this issue so Billy and I are waiting to see what he says. I'm just excited at the thought of being outside of the apartment all day. It's just so boring here!

Etsy-ing About

So the past few days I've been glued to Etsy trying to make my shop better and become more active in the community. So far I think I'm doing well, but I also think I'm annoying Brett. He told me that I was "glued" to my computer. I know I haven't been as exciting the past few days but I really want this Etsy thing to work out so I'm working hard at it. So, I just tell him "I'm at work right now" and that seems to help a little bit. I have a bunch of new merchandise in my shop! I started carrying stitch markers and I have received a lot of good feed back about them (thanks to the Etsy community members)! Networking wise, I have finally set up a Twitter account (@AutumnFibers). As lame as this may sound, I'm excited to put some twitter apps on my iPod. Haha

As for life in Georgia, I still haven't heard from Health Qwest yet. They told me that they'd get back to everyone by Monday, when I called (again) today they still hadn't decided. I guess I'll just have to wait for them to call me and offer me my first real job! I think after getting my bills paid up I'm going to make a huge yarn purchase so I can dye a new line of yarns. I'm hoping I can some how make them southern themed or maybe super mushy since Bretters and I moved in together!

I think Brett and Billy are planning a trip to Savannah this weekend. I'm not really sure how that's going to work out considering Brett and I still have no jobs, but I guess it doesn't cost money to par-ooze around the beach! Perhaps I can find some inspiration for my new yarn line!

I'm a Georgia Peach!

Well me and the boyfriend made it to Georgia! The drive from Kansas City Missouri to Middle Georgia was 14 hours long. We went through Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The first day we were in the process of traveling for about 8 hours and stayed in Murfreesboro, TN for the night. Second day was 6 hours of driving through the rest of Tennessee and half of Georgia. Needless to say I was very happy to finally see my new apartment!

I was able to finish dying two more yarns before we left though, my silk yarns! I took pictures of the dyeing process for Amy's Azzurro (which can be purchases here) just in case anyone was interested in how I dye my yarns!

(the yarn was pre-soaked before this).

Step 1: Mix up your dye in awesome old school jelly jars with Pooh characters on them

Step 2: Dump yarn dye in pot of water and yarn. Mix!

Step 3: After dye exhausts (water turns clear), put out side in the snowy Missouri weather to cool off.

Step 4: After the dye pot is cool rinse in warm water with Synthopol.

Step 5: After rinsing yarn throughly and running it through the spin cycle of the wash, hang to dry!

Finally, pictures of the knitted gifts!

I knitted a few gifts (3) for my two sisters and my ma. I wanted to make something for my dad as well as my grandmother but I started in late October and didn't have time to complete all of them. So, without further ado....

This the "Spring Beret" that I made for my little sister. I knew as soon as I finished it that I needed to knit one for myself. I wore it around work for a day to test it out. The link is for the pattern on Ravelry, I couldn't get the web link to work properly.

This is the "Super-Fast, Ultra-Cozy Scarf" that I made for my baby sister. It's a very pretty periwinkle color (Lamb's Pride). Very fast knit, made most of it in my class.

This is the Chunky Beanie that I knitted for my mother. It's baby alpaca yarn and so very soft. Easy pattern too!

Now I'm working on the 10 in 2010 so far I'm working on The Boneyard Shawl.

So far it's a great pattern, something you can knit in front of the tv or in class! Westknits has a lot of very cute patterns! Lots of hats and shawls.