Holiday Hand Knit Sweaters

I was driving home yesterday after hanging out with a friend and I saw a billboard that has stayed with me. It was an ad for a brand of liquor, claiming that their liquor goes well with those ugly Christmas sweater. And I was a little offended as someone who is trying to make a living making things by hand and who is planning on making some of her gifts for Christmas. I kept thinking "That sweater took a lot of time. Any one can buy a book or video game but this person sat down and made this thing out of love." Maybe I'm feeling a bit sensitive because I am making and giving gifts this year but still sometimes handmade gifts get a lot of rag.

This year because I am so in love with the idea of a handmade gift, I made an event on facebook, a pledge of sorts. Basically I am asking my facebook friends and etsy friends to join the event, but handmade and local and then tell their friends to do the same. I am trying to start a revolution. I can't be out with the protesters but I can spread the word and help out local businesses here at home and those artist through etsy. If you would like to join here is the event page: http://www.facebook.com/events/322162791134549/ .

Here is one of the gifts for my mother from a fellow etsy seller simplethingsbykathy :http://www.etsy.com/transaction/63668651



And the rest I am making. I bought a whole bunch of yarn Saturday, at a local yarn shop of course, and I will post pictures as I get them finished. Until then.

Where the Wild Things Are

I love this hat for many reasons. When I first started selling on Etsy I had no idea what I was doing (while I don't claim to be an expert, I now have a better idea). I started by selling things from pattern and there is nothing wrong with that but something didn't feel right. One saturday morning I was bored, so I adapted a beanie pattern and added ears. I took pictures and I asked my brother what the hat reminded him of and he told me Max from Where the Wilds Things are and he was right. And thus my wild things hat was created ha ha. I have come to really love this hat. It's my best seller for one, and I get this incredible sense of pride when ever I finish one. I have since then created a custom listing for the Wild Thing hat because other people's color combinations are simply amazing. To be perfectly honest, I don't always think the color combinations are that great but every time I have happily been proven wrong. I have created some incredible color combos and I can't wait to create more!