New custom finished :: Prize Fighter

prize fighter2, originally uploaded by pumpkinpiebaby.

I just finished up this custom pair of shorties. They were a dream to knit! The colorway is "Prize Fighter" on BFL by "A Time to Dye." You can find "A Time to Dye" on the Tiny Lady Cooperative.

I dyed some yarn

Right after Christmas, my mother gave me one of those bulbs in a pot that are supposed to bloom in winter. Within 3 weeks, we had 4 beautiful amaryllis flowers brightening our kitchen. Each flower was mostly white with specs of bright pink and green. That was the inspiration for the 2 skeins of superwash merino I dyed last week:





I've really wanted to try superwash merino. It's a lot softer and smoother than most other merinos I've worked with. It's comparable to organic merino in softness, but it has a different feel. I'm currently knitting the skeins up into a pair of small shorties and will post pictures of them when they're finished.

Trade with Lollipop Tree!

I recently finished up a fabulous trade with Andrea at Lollipop Tree! I knit these shorties and skirty for her...





and in exchange she sent me these for the girls...



Each set includes an A line top and coordinating trim on the jeans. I absolutely love the outfits she sent us. They'll be so perfect for spring!

Spotlighting A Ray of Stitches

This week's feature is A Ray of Stitches. A Ray of Stitches carries doll diapers, tic tac toe sets, checkers, memory sets, play money and more. In fact, A Ray of Stitches contributed play money to the collaboration I was a part of at My Beautiful Girl (see the photo in the post below). A Ray of Stitches creates safe and fun toys as an alternative to toys Made in China.

Check out this super cute doll diaper:


Both of my daughters got interested in diapering their "babies" at around 20 months and our cloth diapers are way too big for their babies, so they get frustrated. What a perfect little gift it would make for them!

You can also find A Ray of Stitches at the something congo and she blogs here.

Collaboration with My Beautiful Girl

My Beautiful Girl on Hyena Cart is turning 1! She's got amazing collaborations and FFS lotteries and auctions running from February 8th to 10th. Here's the collaboration I was part of:



You can find it here.

The Spinning Circles Collaboration features a fitted diaper and Mile High Monkey fleece soaker, a painted T-shirt, wooden play money, and a pair of crocheted wool shorties (made by me). Bidding starts at $40 at 10am on Saturday, February 9th!

Spotlighting The Elemental Muse

Starting an online business, or any business for that matter, can be a daunting task. One particular challenge of having an online business is figuring out where to host your website and what kind of website to have. The Elemental Muse provides web hosting, domain name hosting, and website and graphics design. Michelle, the WAHM behind The Elemental Muse, provides a free eBook download about things to consider in choosing a domain name and web host. She provides 5 different packages for web hosting and all are very affordable. More important, however, each package comes with excellent support and service.

The Muses Guide is a division of The Elemental Muse. The Muses Guide features downloadable eBooks on topics like creating sales newsletters and making collaborations work.

Finally, the blog WAHspirations is full of information about running your own business. I found this post "A Thought on Value" very interesting. As I look to expand my business, I'll definitely be checking out all of Michelle's websites.