Pattern Number Twenty

I just listed my twentieth original pattern!  I'm rather proud of this milestone, I must admit.  When I converted to only selling crochet patterns, I had fourteen in my shop, which means I've added almost one a week since the beginning of February.

Here's pattern number twenty:

Adult Sun Hat

A few weeks ago, someone requested I make an adult version of my baby sun hat, and I finally had a chance to do so.  You can find it in my Etsy shop, my Ravelry shop. and my Craftsy shop.

For good measure, here are my other new patterns since I opened shop:

Rosebud Embellishment

Daisy or Sunflower Baby Toy

Large Daisy Embellishment

A Good Egg

Baby or Child Daisy Hat

A New Look

Check it out!  I have a new banner!  I hired my sister-in-law to make a new banner for my shop, one that reflects my change to selling only crochet patterns.  She designed my original banner, which I loved, but I think I like this one even better.  It's simpler, it sends a clear message about my shop's contents, and it has a kind of vintage look that pleases this old-fashioned girl.  Plus it retains the color scheme and font from the original, which keeps some continuity with my old logo.

While she was at it, she made a matching banner for my blog.  This has inspired me to revamp this place a little.  Still the same layout, and the color scheme hasn't really changed, I just changed up what color went where a little.  Do you like it?

As Time Goes By

It's been almost a year since I blogged here last. I'm amazed anyone is still following here! Well, surprise, surprise -- I'm back!

The past year has been crazy busy. We bought a house and moved into it in August, about 6 months after our previous move. I'm still not unpacked. Why? Because I had a baby in December! The last time I blogged here, I didn't even know I was pregnant. Wow.

Due to the arrival of baby Abby, I considered closing my Etsy shop. Taking packages to the store with three kids in tow is daunting, for one thing. For another, I've been wanting to narrow the focus of my store for a while now. Or give it a focus for the first time, lol. A couple years ago, I mused in this post about whether or not having lots of different kinds of items in my shop was good or not. I've decided to try selling only my original crochet patterns. No journals, no canteens, no ready-made crocheted items. Just patterns. So far, it's been working well! I've added several new patterns recently, and am working on lots more. Stay tuned here for details, because I plan to keep this blog going once again :-)

To close, here's one of my new patterns, modeled by my new baby:

Finally -- Facebook!

I have finally made a page for my shop on Facebook. I know, I know, took me long enough, right? But better late than never. My page is here, and I'll be posting all kinds of stuff there. Like what? Like new items when I list them in my shop, a link every time I post here on my blog, news about sales I run, treasuries I create or am in -- all kinds of stuff. You can even request custom items by posting on my wall! And who knows, I might even run a giveaway for my FB fans only. Anyway, it'll be the quick and easy way to stay up to date on everything Huggermugger! And you can "like" me right from here by using the handy-dandy tool in my sidebar.

In other news, I'm all excited because I've sold enough items since Thanksgiving that I will be able to buy my very own yarn ball winder and swift! If you don't know what those are, here are a couple pics. Basically, any time I buy awesome yarn that's sold in hanks instead of a ball or center-pull skein, I have to wind it up into a ball in order to use it. Which takes a looooong time by hand. But with a winder, it takes a matter of minutes. You loop the yarn hank around the swift, then attach one end to the winder and crank the little handle, and before you know it, you have a beautiful, center-pull yarn cake. Wooo! I can't wait.

Cyber Monday Sale!

I'm participating in a $5 sale starting on Monday, Nov. 29, along with lots of other members of the Trade-a-holics team. It will run for one full week -- I'll post here again on Monday with links to participating shops. For now, just know that I'm going to have a bunch of my Christmas decorations, journals, and hats on sale. Yes, my new Wooden Word Ornaments like these will be included :-D

Sale Time!

Through January 1st, I am having a sale in my Huggermugger store. I'm getting rid of some older items to make way for new designs and ideas.



If you're like me and looking for Christmas stuff this week because you know they'll probably be on sale, my Christmas items are no exception. They're all 50% off this week!


Also, I've marked all my winter hats, scarves, and mittens down by 25%-50%. All of them -- the baby hats, the child hats, and the adult/teen attire. So if you want to keep your family warm with handmade items, here's the perfect opportunity!

Santa Hat Pattern

I just added my original pattern for baby/child Santa hats to my store! It's in my Crochet Patterns section (obviously). This pattern is really easy, perfect for beginning crocheters. If you can chain and work a double crochet stitch, you can make this hat! This pattern has instructions for five sizes: 0-3mo, 3-6mo, 6-12mo, 12-24mo, and Child. I also include the directions to make the pom-pom.

I've been selling my crochet patterns quite a bit lately. I love the idea of someone taking my pattern and making something of their very own with it -- it's like getting to be a teacher, in a way. And since I also love making up my own crochet patterns when I can't find one for what I want to make, I'm sure I'll be adding more patterns to my store in the future.

If you order this pattern now, you'll have plenty of time to make one or two of these before Christmas, even have your kids' portraits taken in them if you want. I also sell the already-made hats in my store if you don't feel like making them yourself, and if you don't see the size you need, contact me because I love making custom orders.

Up next week -- a giveaway!

Turkey Treasury

I got a treasury today! I call it Turkey Tots, and it's full of turkey-themed wearables for kids. Hope you like it! Remember, it'll only be available for viewing for a couple days, so check it out while there's still time.

Also, my Free Shipping offer will end tonight, so if you've been putting off taking advantage of that, don't wait much longer.

FREE Worldwide Shipping!!!

I'm offering FREE shipping to anywhere in the world this weekend! Today through Sunday, you pay no shipping, no handling, just the list price for each item. If you were thinking of getting something from my shop, but hadn't gotten around to it yet, now would be a good time ;-)

I'm doing this as part of a team promo put on by the Busy Moms of Etsy team. Click here for a list of all the shops participating and the deals they're offering.

Still See a Pattern?

Remember the snowman hat I talked about in my last post? I've made another one and listed it in my shop in my brand new Child Hats section. I'm planning to add some more hats there soon -- after all, why should babies have all the fun? I've also added the pattern to my shop, so now I have five of my original patterns for sale! I've expanded my pumpkin hat pattern to include a child size too.

The North Wind Doth Blow

It's snowing! It's not sticking, of course, but still, it's snowing! In honor of our first snow for the season, I thought I'd highlight some of the new winter hats I've been adding to my shop lately.

For adults, I just added this groovy hat. I call it the Purple Waves hat, not just because the yarn is purple and the pattern is wavy, but as a reference to one of my favorite books ever, The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. I crocheted this hat from a wool/acrylic blend that has a handspun texture, which means it has "slubs," or thicker parts in the yarn. That gives this hat a nobbly aspect that I think is extra fun.

Another adult hat I added recently is this black and burgundy cloche. A cloche is a close-fitting women's hat that's sort of shaped like a bell. They were really popular back in the Roaring Twenties. I made this one from satin-finish acrylic yarn, so it's extra soft. And it matches a pair of mittens that I made a couple months ago. Both mittens and hat are done in single crochet for maximum warmth.

And I'm adding some children's sizes to my shop! My first is this Jack-o'-lantern hat that's actually a larger size of the baby ones I already offer. This is big enough for a toddler up to about a ten-year-old. (I offer the pattern for the baby sizes here.) I'm going to be adding a snowman hat soon -- I made one as a custom order and it turned out so cute, I'm going to make more for my shop. In fact, I've got one started already. More about that when I list it!

Spiral Scrubbies

I tried out a new pattern this week for these adorable spiral scrubbies. They're such fun to make! They're meant to be dish scrubbies, but I'll tell you a secret: they work great in the shower too! The little ridges are equally good at exfoliating and scrubbing away stubborn food bits. Though I'd recommend using a different scrubbie for each job ;-) I'm selling one scrubbie plus a matching washcloth for $7 -- I have two sets made from 100% cotton yarn for sale right now, with more to come.

If you want to use them in the shower, I can add a little loop to them so you can hang them up to dry. Either convo me or request that in the "Notes to Seller" when you check out.

I found the pattern here, on a blog called Crochet Patterns Only, which has all kinds of free patterns created by Judith Prindle.

Don't forget I'm offering a FREE mini-notebook when you spend $10 or more in my store -- offer ends at midnight!!!

Instant Canteens

I'm adding a new product to my store: instant canteens. All you have to do is slip in your plastic 20 oz bottle, and voila! You have a canteen! It's a hands-free way to carry your water or other beverage without putting it in your purse or backpack and letting the condensation ruin your other stuff. Just think -- no more forgotten bottles left at the playground, zoo, or park!

My instant canteens are made from cotton fabric and cotton straps, with a plastic strap adjuster that lets kids or adults use them. So far I've only listed this Coke-themed canteen, but I've got three more made that I'll be adding to the store over the next few days. And I'm always happy to do custom orders!

Friday? Really? Already?

How did it get to be Friday already? Man, this week just flew past. I think it was the nice weather -- it went from the 40s to the 90s last weekend, and Daniel and I spent lots and lots of time outside. Until today, when it started raining again. I did manage to upload a few new things to my site this week, like a scrunchie and a Wolverine-themed mini-notebook. And I'm clearancing out some old journals and address books to make way for new stuff. Our apartment is pretty small, and my Huggermugger stuff is starting to take over a lot of our not-so-spare space.

I've got a crazy weekend coming up -- going to meet one of my favorite authors tomorrow, and then going to see Wolverine on Sunday with a pal. And there's also a Beatles tribute band playing at the library on Saturday that my hubby wants to go see. Gonna be quite a weekend!

Any way, check out my clearance section and see if there's anything you like :-D And don't forget to enter the giveaway of one of my journals here! It ends on Wednesday, May 6.

A Fistful of Fun

I'm adding a new line to my shop, cute little crocheted finger puppets. So far I've listed a puppy and a kitten, and I have a little white bunny ready to take pictures of too -- I hope to list it tomorrow.

I'm actually making up my own pattern for these, as none of the patterns I've found are quite what I want. They're either too big or too complex or too floofy -- I just want plain, sturdy little puppets that allow for imaginative play. So I've made these. Dano gets to keep my first attempts at each different puppet, and I make new ones to sell. He loves them! I have lots of ideas for more, so keep an eye on my shop to see what else I come up with.

Scrumptious Scrunchies

I've added something new to my shop: scrunchies! You know, those decorative hair elastics people use in their ponytails or braids. Prettier than a plain band, but still very functional and useful. So far I've listed two, one orange and one grey. I'm kind of trying to make them in colors you don't see made into scrunchies as often. There are lots of pretty pink and purple and blue and yellow hair accessories out there, but so many of them seem aimed at younger girls. I want to list things that adults would like too, that are in colors adults wear. Not that girls/tweens/teens wouldn't like these too, of course :-)

Opinions, Please

I'm considering changing my "Five Dollar Fun" section in my shop. I'm thinking of renaming it "Little Luxuries" and putting things under $10 in it, instead of limiting it to $5 items. What do you think? I'm also thinking of moving the $5 sachets into the general Sachets section so people don't get confused about why some are in one section and some are in another. Any thoughts about that as well? I'd keep my little crocheted flowers in the Little Luxuries section, as well as my mini notebooks (which I'm going to make more of as soon as I wrap up a couple other projects). But do you think the name change, and moving the sachets so they're all together, will make things easier for potential customers to find? And is it too confusing to have my mini notebooks not in the Journals & Address Books section?

Am I just thinking about all this way too much?

New Shop Section!

I've added a new section to my etsy shop: Five Dollar Fun. Every item in it is, you guessed it, only five bucks! Right now I'm putting my mini-notebooks and some smaller sachets in there, and I have ideas for some new items for it too. Just need to find time to make them, lol.

It's been an interesting couple of days. I woke up at 3am yesterday with horrible back pain. Went to the doctor and learned I have aggravated my sciatic nerve. And it's sure been aggravating me right back! But that's put the kabosh on some new items I wanted to work on, as sitting down actually is less comfortable than standing. And that's also why this blog post is as short as it is.

Brand New Sachets!

I'm adding a new line of items to my shop tonight: sachets! I've listed three so far, and I'll be adding more patterns, shapes, and sizes in the next few days.

You may ask, what can you do with a sachet? Aren't they something old ladies hang in their closets to make their clothes smell funny? Well, you can definitely put these in your closet, though your clothes will smell good, not funny. Or you can put them in your sock drawer, your linen closet, anywhere you want to be greeted with a nice scent. You can even put them under your pillow at night, or in your car instead of a cheesy cardboard pine tree.

These sachets are handmade from cotton and nylon fabrics and filled with amazing potpourri from fellow Etsy artiste Layla. Her shop contains soaps, potpourri, tea, candles, and all kinds of dried herbs and flowers, and she has a great blog too. The four scents I'll be offering are: cinnamon, lemon, lavender, and honeysuckle rose. If I get a good response to these, I may offer more scents in the future.

TTFN and Where the Hats Went

I'm going on vacation tomorrow (I hope), so anything you order from my store won't be shipped until I get back, February 16th to be precise. And I probably won't be blogging much until then, because for part of our vacation, we're going on a cruise!

At least, I hope we're going on vacation tomorrow. On Tuesday, Daniel came down with the stomach flu. He was better on Wednesday, but I got it. Then on Thursday, my hubby and Daniel both were sick. Today, my hubby and I are both feeling better, but Daniel is still sick. We're supposed to fly to NC tomorrow, but if he's not better, we'll have to try to change our tickets.

Anyway, I'm also unlisting all my crocheted baby hats for the time being, due to a law called the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) that goes into effect on Feb. 10th and says any merchandise -- including handmade -- aimed at children 12 and under must be tested for lead and phthalates. Now, you and I both know this law is aimed at toy manufacturers in China, and that hats crocheted out of yarn bought at commercial stores like Wal-Mart. Michael's, and Jo-Ann's Fabrics isn't gonna harm your baby... but I don't want to break the law, so until they amend the law, my baby hats are off the market.

If you want to learn more about the CPSIA and what you can do to tell lawmakers to clarify this vague and broadly-worded law, click here.

Ta-ta for now!