some days you step in it...

I've made my way through sampling all the pretty yarn's Karen of http://sharing.etsy.com sent into hooking.

4 skeins of light weight sport and sock yarn dyed in beautiful and unique colorways. All featuring intense saturated hues, perfectly spaced.

(pictures coming soon)

These little guys finished just in time as I've been gifted with a crappy flu for the past few days. Achy joints just don't equal productive crochet (trust me I've tried).

With that being said the 50/50 project will be taking the week off, minus a few photo updates here and there.

Have a great week and hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend :)

'50 pairs from 50 shops' - midweek update

I'm learning as I go...

here is my one sad (still pretty to look at) almost finished shoe.


Not quiet sure how to organize this week in the blog so that it's easiest to read. Hope this doesn't throw too many wrenches in the works dear readers.

It's about 10:30 pm and I'm dragging through the week. The weather is icky... it is Ohio after all (read... hot, cold, hot, rainy, freezing, hot, cold) which is probably to blame for the most part.

I love this yarn (again thank you Karen), it's soft and perfectly dyed... even running the shoes through single strand using sock yarn is working up beautifully with a springy light weight feel to them, and the single strand method is producing a more defined tiny stitch. very cool.

So tomorrow or Friday night I will be caught up with any orphaned shoes.

Have no fear little shoes I will prevail... (with or without feeling completed defeated).

Each misfit shoe will eventually receive it's perfectly matched mate and in time a warm home all it's own to go to instead of the current cozy accommodations they share with 50 other pairs of shoes.

Thinking of the week ahead (all two days of it) ugh... though if I ever became an organized, even tempered and/or rational person ... I just wouldn't be me.

Special Weekday Long '50 pairs from 50 Shops'

Kinda of a unique opportunity this week. Karen of sharing.etsy.com kindly donated 4 skeins and skeinlets for this weeks feature.

soo... check back everyday this week for a new shoe variety made from her brightly dyed creations in sock and sport weight. I'll have additional details on the colorways soon.

For now here's a preview shot :)


and a few shoe photos...




Great light weight base yarn (between light sport and fingering wt.) crocheted up beautifully with smooth stitch definition. The colors are bright pink, true red, smokey gray and little bits of bubble gum pink. Perfect for spring.

Karen also sent a more boy'ish version of this colorway which will be coming up in the next few days. (message posted 3/18/2008)

Check out the 50/50 section of http://mysweetiepeas.etsy.com for more details on the shoes

Also check out http://sharing.etsy.com for project bags in feisty patterns... perfect for hooking projects ;)

'50 pairs from 50 shops'

Like a blur of city lights through the hard summer rain, the moody jewel-toned hues rhythmically working through my fingers...


In all actuality it's freezing here and a good hour drive to the nearest "city" through the middle of farm country. Smooth, flat, open land.

But enough about me, let's talk shop ;)

This week's yarn was purchased from Unwind Yarn Company.



The colorway name struck my fancy right away 'Cirque Barnum'. This yarn was very dark in appearance so I wasn't sure what would exactly be arriving in my post box.

What arrived was a 100% super wash merino wool dk weight hank of dark chocolate mixed with brief spots of natural yarn and pure colors, ranging from sapphire to golden citrus. Just pretty.



The yarn is an extremely soft merino and the dye work is complex and bright.

Dana, owner of Unwind, also offers playful brights and earthy blue/green colorways in her shop along with finished items and soon will also offer self-designed patterns. She keeps a great blog with updates on her current projects so be sure to check out "my tangled-up life" too.



An added bonus from this week's shop is a Coupon just for hooking blog readers :D
Unwind is chipping in a great coupon, 20% off the price of each hank purchased from their shop using the special hooking for charity code "HFKETSY".

Be sure to include this code in the buyer notes when purchasing from Dana's shop.

To purchase any of the shoes featured in this blog please visit my etsy shop at http://mysweetiepeas.etsy.com.

And now for the first ever 'hooking for charity blog contest'.
Enter by leaving a comment in the hooking blog, buying a pair of 50/50 shoes or purchasing yarn from any charity donors' shops. The prize is a set of "Oops" and "Crap" stitch markers (crochet or knit style). Winner will be drawn from the first 15 to enter (purchases count as two entries, so please let me know). Best of Luck, have a great evening.

'50 pairs from 50 shops'

All the pretty colors...

Sharon of Stitchjones graciously donated a yummy skein of Gelateria Worsted Wt. Merino yarn for this week's feature.

I first contacted Sharon about purchasing a stray skein for the hooking blog (hate to break up a set), she replied back with a picture and a offering :D




As soon as the skein arrived, I balled it up and began working through the soft, warm colorway.




The classic ice cream combo of vanilla, strawberry and chocolate is perfect for baby and toddler shoes and the quality 100% merino wool base yarn slipped right by making these some of the fasted shoes I've completed so far.




Stitchjones' shop http://mymommadethis.etsy.com is chucked full of playful hues, bright brights and cozy muted skeins.


Most of her freshly listed skeins hark back to the 80's bands for colorway names. (My fav colorway/name is 'Gene Simmons' it's a red, black and natural white mix.)

Sharon also offers PowerTrios Sock Kits which include a full hank of variegated yarn with 2 half hanks of coordinating single hues. Enough yarn for 2 pairs of design-your-own socks, plus a free vinyl/canvas carrying case all for $45 bucks!

As always please check out Stitchjones' shop for additional information or to purchase some great yarn ;)

To purchase any of the shoes featured in this blog please visit my etsy shop at http://mysweetiepeas.etsy.com.

And now for the first ever 'hooking for charity blog contest'.
Enter by leaving a comment in the hooking blog, buying a pair of 50/50 shoes or purchasing yarn from any charity donors' shops. The prize is a set of "Oops" and "Crap" stitch markers (crochet or knit style). Winner will be drawn from the first 15 to enter (purchases count as two entries, so please let me know). Best of Luck, have a great evening.

New Post and Contest Details

StitchJones at mymommadethis.etsy.com will be this weeks feature.

Complete article will be posted tonight along with details for entering Hooking's first blog contest.

Thanks.

'50 pairs from 50 shops'

If you want to destroy my sweater...

Okay, aside from the Weezer reference... this week marks another first for me: shoes from recycled yarn

Molly of Crafty (http://www.craftyyarn.etsy.com) donated a super soft skein of natural colored lambs wool yarn. The lovely full size hank of worsted weight yarn (183 yards at 1.75 oz.) is plenty of yarn for several pairs of shoes.


The neat part is that the yarn was retrieved from a thrift store sweater which she disassembled, washed and skeined herself. Now that's dedication.



This particular yarn (check Molly's shop for more) with it's wide loose twist (almost ribbon like) provided superb stitch definition with a unique texture I think only reclaimed yarn could provide. From looking at these shoes one would assume that the wool was not soft but ridged. However it is very soft much like a vintage t-shirt would feel.



Crafty also provides plenty of tools (yarn) for finding unique ways to reuse everyday items. Whether looking for lace weight or super bulky, cotton or lux fibers Molly's shop carries them all in a variety of beautiful found colorways. Very much worth the destruction of a few old sweaters.




Prices start at $4-5 dollars a hank with very reasonable and speedy shipping. Another neat feature of this well appointed shop is the store credit option.

Molly accepts certain sweaters and will issue store credit for items sent her way. She will also test yarn for felt-ability before purchase. For more details on Crafty's special features please visit her shop at http://craftyyarn.etsy.com.

For additional information or to purchase any of the shoes featured in this blog please visit my etsy shop at http://mysweetiepeas.etsy.com.

And now for the first ever 'hooking for charity blog contest'.
Enter by leaving a comment in the hooking blog, buying a pair of 50/50 shoes or purchasing yarn from any charity donors' shops. The prize is a set of "Oops" and "Crap" stitch markers (crochet or knit style). Winner will be drawn from the first 15 to enter (purchases count as two entries, so please let me know). Best of Luck, have a great evening.

New Post and Contest

CraftyYarns.etsy.com will be this weeks feature.

Complete article will be posted tonight along with details for entering Hooking's first blog contest.

Thanks.
Kat

'50 pairs from 50 shops'

Hands On Kinda Gal.

This week's Etsy Shop is Lil' Bit of Heaven Fibers.

Linda of Lil' Bit of Heaven Fibers sent a super-generous massive 300 yard/6.6 oz. hank of 70% Llama/30% Shetland love my way this week :D


Having never worked with Llama fiber before I was very curious to give it a try and quickly balled up the aforementioned skein into a large ball of light coco and cream two tone yarn.

The yarn seemed a little course for baby shoes at first but quickly turned silky soft as I crocheted creating a finished pair that was cuddly and cozy.

The colors and texture came together perfectly too. Even the slight fuzziness of the yarn added to the cute factor of this pair of shoes.


About Lil' Bit of Heaven Fibers:
Linda cares for and sheers her own happy herd of Llamas and Shetland sheep making sure only the best stuff goes to the mill for processing. Some of the rovings even list which llama they came from for that extra personal touch to your project.


You'll also find knit and crocheted accessories, custom dyed yarns and rovings made with various wools that she found from small fiber farms and business. All accessories, yarns (including handspun) and rovings are unique and one of a kind and may not be duplicated so get them while they last :)

Please visit Lil' Bit of Heaven Fibers for more great products at amazing prices (free shipping too!). Also keep an eye out for Linda's blog which is coming soon. There you'll be able to learn about all the wonderful animals on her farm (http://lilbitofheavenfibers.blogspot.com).

For additional information or to purchase any of the shoes featured in this blog please visit my etsy shop at http://mysweetiepeas.etsy.com.

Thank you again to all the wonderful Etsy Shops participating in the 50/50 project. Your donations, support and kind words are greatly appreciated :D

'50 pairs from 50 shops'

sushi grade yarn at fish stick prices


Tako Yarn's slogan is very fitting to the yarn Christine carries in her etsy shop.


The colors are prue, well spaced and produced on excellent quality yarn (100% superwash wool or 100% Alpaca).

'Smarties' is the colorway that I have, inspired by halloween and all the candy the holiday brings, this cheery little skein is the perfect baby color combo of skyblue, lemon and medium rose pink.

Tako has one 1/2 skein (110 yards) of this left in stock and at $4.50 + $2.00 shipping it probably won't last long.

The yarns come in three sushi inspired themes (Christine is a trained sushi waitress after all): Sake - 100% machine washable merino wool in fingering weigh, Wasabi - 100% alpaca in worsted weight and Marguro - 100% superwash wool in DK weight.

Most yarns are sold in skeinlet size (half skein) at very affordable prices. Which brings up a good point don't let the the fish stick prices scare you, this yarn is the real deal. Expertly dyed and all.

Check out takoyarn.etsy.com for more fingering - worsted weight yarn in smooth colorways at great prices :)

To purchase the shoes mentioned above please visit mysweetiepeas.etsy.com.
At least $13.00 of every '50/50' shoe purchase goes directly to
http://www.directrelief.org - no strings attached (well... you know what I
mean *smile*.)

For more details about contributing to '50 pairs from 50 shops' please leave
a comment or convo me on Etsy at http://mysweetiepeas.etsy.com Thanks and
Have a great week.

'50 pairs from 50 shops' - Ravelry Group

New group on Ravelry just set up:

http://www.ravelry.com/groups/hookingforcharity

Enjoy :)

'50 pairs from 50 shops'

Well...

Okay so this is kinda an interesting dilema for me. The 3 skeins of yarn I ordered a few weeks ago have still not hit my post box sooooo...


Minus my base yarn and the featured shop's yarn we'll just take a look through my already hand-dyed bits in the form of 'kool-peas' colorways (Strawberry and Pickles):


The fun part about using kool-aid drink mix to dye these already crocheted shoes is my kids get to help out some. My daughter and son take turns pouring in the mixes and picking out the colors and I use the kiddy shampoo to wash my finished shoes in.


Pickles wasn't the planned name it just kinda happened once I realized the green shoes I was working on happened to be located in the labled pickle jar. I'm planning on creating other colors and experimenting with multi-hue combos in the future.



Thanks for reading this week's side-track hopefully next week we'll be back to the normal routine.

For additional information or to purchase any of the shoes featured in this blog please visit my etsy shop at http://mysweetiepeas.etsy.com. Etsybaby (I'm a memeber) is having a promo this month and bow-bear is hiding out in the team members shops including the 50/50 section of mine. Once bow-bear is found you'll receive a special free gift with your purchase. Happy Hunting :)

'50 pairs from 50 shops'

For those who prefer a softer color shift in their projects this week is for you :)

Jessica Elliot owner of Zweena Yarns (zyarns.etsy.com) kindly sent me a whole skein (220 yards, in center-pull ball form) of her Sky Blue Worsted Weight yarn to work with.

Having experience with her natural base yarn I was thrilled when Jessica replied to my convo about using one of the beautiful colored yarns in her shop for the 50/50 project.

After much consideration, I choose the aforementioned Sky Blue for it's gentle shifts between a bold turquoise blue and natural wool. Sky Blue is a very fitting name for this yarn.

About Zyarns:
Happily married and located in Denver, this etsy shop owner has a keen sense of nuance when it comes to yarn dyeing. Her yarns offer soft shifting colorways in single and multi-color combinations. The characteristic saturated vs. natural provides an impressive balance allowing the colors to show their richness and dept without being overpoweringly one color or the other.



Per Jessica's etsy site these subtleties in appearance are due to the fact that Zweena Yarns only uses natural dyes and earth/people friendly processes in there hand-painted/dyed yarn production. The end results are just awesome and meld well with the strong stitch definition supplied by the multipurpose 100% Peruvian Highland Wool her yarns are made from.

These yarns are well suited for next to skin or outdoor accessory type projects and come in a wide range of yarn weights.

To purchase the shoes mentioned above please visit mysweetiepeas.etsy.com.
At least $13.00 of every '50/50' shoe purchase goes directly to
http://www.directrelief.org - no strings attached (well... you know what I
mean *smile*.)

For more info on Zweena Yarns and her natural dye colorways, please visit
her http://zyarns.etsy.com to see for yourself.

For more details about contributing to '50 pairs from 50 shops' please leave
a comment or convo me on Etsy at http://mysweetiepeas.etsy.com Thanks and
Have a great week

'50 pairs from 50 shops'

Multi-craftual, that's how I'd describe this weeks Etsy Shop owner Catherinette aka Katie Stack. She's most well know for her ultra cute hand made pin cushions which include forest animals, monsters, an anatomically correct human heart and um... a swimmer... yeah a swimmer.


She's also creating hand bags with plastic bags and learning to spin. One busy gal, I'd say. The skein Katie sent me spent half it's first day being randomly oogled because it is so squishy soft :) It's colorway is a rich mix of periwinkle blue, plum and chartreuse (lime green).


Katie also sent a little nugget of yarn equally well dyed in a chartreuse, deep red and plum colorway. I'm sure the project this was from turned out smashingly.


Check out the specs below for a bit more detail: 95 yards 55% Superfine Alpaca 23% Silk 22% Merino

The good new is there is another skein just like this for sale at her shop :) (cheapo shipping too!)

Swatch Round Up: So I've come to the conclusion that my shoes are actually just a unique way of swatching yarn, that being said the pair this yarn worked up was just '2!' stitches away from being identical, which is an incredible feat for variegated yarns on such a tiny project. There will probably be enough yarn for two pairs from this skein... we'll have to wait and see.



To purchase the shoes mentioned above please visit my etsy shop. At least $13.00 of every '50/50' shoe purchase goes directly to http://www.directrelief.org no strings attached (well... you know what I mean *smile*).

For more info on this awesome chic with a natural skill for the crafty, please go visit her blog and shop to see for yourself.



For more details about contributing to '50 pairs from 50 shops' please leave a comment or convo me on Etsy at http://mysweetiepeas.etsy.com Thanks and Have a great week

'50 pairs from 50 shops'

Welcome, welcome to the first weekly installment of '50 pairs from 50 Shops'

The first shop's yarn arrived earlier this week and oh my gosh!


Noelle of Noelle's Noodles sent over 600 yards of fingering wt. yarn my way. (that's a lot of baby shoes!) The picture below shows the first two pairs with more to follow.


Additional Bits and Pieces:
This top shelf quality arrived in my post box in the form of two very awesome colorways 'Eat.Sleep.Knit' and 'Sweetheart A'.

The 'Eat Sleep Knit' yarn was created specially for the online store EatSleepKnit.com. This colorway features saturated blues, greens and reddy browns consistently spaced and clearly defined. I used double strands while crocheting with this yarn... the colors matched up perfectly! (Yes, she's that good.)

Plus since I received a whole skein they'll be more than one pair available, so keep an eye on my Etsy shop for more details. Remember all proceeds benefit Direct Relief.


To see this yarn in sock action check out Noelle's blog for some very cool socks in progress.

Please note: Eat.Sleep.Knit has been selling Noelle's yarns like hot cakes so hurry while supplies last!

The other colorway 'Sweetheart A' is not currently available on NoellesNoodles.com, however there is a teaser skein of Sweetheart B listed on her site (again, hurry).

This girly mix of pinks and red bits created an uber cute pair of shoes/booties. To add to the yarn love, I'd been secretly oogling this color for a little while ... so sweet to receive 178 yards of yarny goodness (that's at least 2 pairs for the 50/50 project). The picture below doesn't quite do the yarn justice, visit Noelle's sites for a better appreciation of what this gal can do. Seriously.


Noelle's has had a shop on Etsy since 2005, she's super professional, accommodating and very gifted. Her shop currently contains a wide assortment of yarn weights, unique colorways, kits and accessories including roving.

Trust me these wool yarns are extremely easy to care for, richly dyed and handle like a dream :) so hop on the bandwagon and get them before they're gone.

Additional details about each new pair of 50/50 booties can be found on my Etsy store. All proceeds from the '50 pairs from 50 shops' project go to http://www.directrelief.com.

Be extra sure to check out Noelle's shop and Eat.Sleep.Knit for her special limited colorways in Aran and Sock Weights.

Charity Selected!

After a lot of research I've discovered a great charity that reaches globally while also maintaining an amazing bottomline. Voted as 99% efficent by forbes.com the charity which will be benefiting from my 50/50 project is...

http://www.directrelief.org

to quote my son...

i did it!

presenting pair number 120.. grape and berry vari. in size 6 months. Finished today, Dec. 30th at 8:29 pm
(and yes I'm crazy).

getting excited, yarn is on it's way... Yippe!
special thanks to the etsy's who have already join my project so early. stay tuned more to come :)

a year winding down and up at the same time

As the year winds down my shoe count has risen a lot: 117 total

With a few day to rush, I think I'll hit 120 (crossing fingers). Pretty amazing concidering April was an off month with no shoes produced.

Of course with the end of one project starts a new:

'50 Pairs from 50 Shops'

The invites are starting to fly out for my next project scheduled to being in Jan. 2008.

So far as planned starting the first or second full week of Jan. I'll begin to display and promote one etsy shop a week which has donated or sold me yarn for this project. Links and pictures to be included for your browsing enjoyment.

By the year's end I'm hoping to accomplish my goal of creating shoes from yarn supplied by 50 different independent etsy shops.

If interested or for more detail please leave a comment or a convo on etsy.

My shop is http://mysweetiepeas.etsy.com

Happy New Year Everyone.

look mommy they made themselves...

first the back story:
My 3.5 yr old. dd loves to hord things under her pillow. (ie. play jewelry, makeup, stuffed toys and/or special blankets) she also has been bugging me all week for another pair of shoes to go with the 3 or 4 odd pairs I've already made her.

the story:
Xmas eve eve (dec. 23rd) - 9 p.m. moo-moo (dd's nickname) is in no mood to go to sleep so she comes into my office to have a look around and stall.

Seeing my newly purchased yarn stash of pinks and purples she decides to grab the grape n' berry to take with her back to bed. not really liking this idea but not wanting to spend the next hour trying to get her back to bed I let said dd take the full 5 oz. skein of worsted wt. yarn with her.

A few hours later I go to have a peek and sure enough, the yarn was lovingly stashed under her pillow.

So a plan begins to develop in my mind and before long I was quietly grabbing the skein from under her pillow so I could hurry off to the living room to crank out a pair of size 10 toddler shoes before getting caught.

Once completed the new pair was quickly placed back under her pillow for a nice holiday surprise.

6 a.m. Xmas eve
As I lay in bed already bushwhacked by the holiday season my little girl comes bouncing into our bedroom, big smile and gleaming eyes... "look mommy they made themselves!".

My husband and I giggle a little, and moo-moo spends the rest of the day telling our relatives about her shoes that made themselves.

happy holidays everyone.
-kat

A few pictures of my shoes made from One Sheep Hill hand dyed yarn and my first 'item' made from yarn I hand spun myself. The roving is from Sweet Pea Fibers.