Just a peek...

Amid piles of business papers, stacks of books, heaps of yarn, and towers of Pyrex we are (gulp) parting with (more on that soon), we have managed to mostly finish one new little corner of our kitchen: our new coffee station!   You may remember this petite Formica table as our former bar table, but she has been moved, cleaned, and transformed into a rather lovely little corner coffee station.  

Our kitchen is slowly undergoing transformation and will emerge with vintage paint-by-numbers-covered walls.  We attempted to hang more last night but our hunger got the best of us and we both had to throw our hands up in the air and admit defeat before we started cracking paintings in half over our knees.

I think I've worked up the gumption to edit product photos of something new and quite cute for my little shop.  I shall report back soon with something pretty to share with you all!  I do hope you'll like it...

Blog? What blog?

Wow.  When I told myself I was giving myself a little vacation in January, I had no idea I would end up ignoring my little blog for over a month!  Goodness, has it really been that long since I've sat down at my computer and chatted with you all?!  I feel like the past two months have gone by so quickly, yet so much has happened!  I'm not quite sure where to start...let's see, when I last checked in, I was finished with the Urban Craft Uprising show here in Seattle, getting ready to shove off for shows in Oregon and California...I guess that's as good a place as any to get started!

My epic 2.5 week road trip from Seattle to Portland to San Francisco and all the way back started out with clear, sunny skies and gummy bears on the open road.  My trusty sidekick was kind enough to accompany me down to the Rose City for the Crafty Wonderland show, and I am so glad he was there: rumours of Portlanders being stingy at craft shows were totally blown out of the water and we were slammed.  So slammed, in fact, that my four bags of product I came in with ended up being one bag of product on the way out!  Boyfriend skipped town and headed back North via rail, while I tore down, packed up, and rested up for an epic solo drive South the next day...

Apprehensive about Winter weather on the passes between Oregon and California, I got almost no sleep the night before my trek.  So I did something very uncharacteristic for me and started my journey at 5:30 in the morning, oy!  Watching the sun rise somewhere over Central Oregon, fog and frost lining the highway, a pair of bald eagles dipping and diving alongside the road, I knew my early morning decision was a good one.

I made my way over the border and into California with the sun high above me, clear skies, and a stellar view of Mount Shasta.

The next week was a complete and utter blur.  I worked 15+ hours a day for four days straight, knitting and crocheting to try and build up my inventory before the Renegade Craft Show in San Francisco...and even with all that finger-crackin' work, I still didn't feel comfortable with my inventory!  But the show turned out amazingly well.  I found that as I travelled down the coast and Christmas became nearer, I was selling more and more scarves, cowls, and hoops!  Boyfriend had flown down to visit family and help me with the show.  We had helpers when it came time to pack up our booth on the last day.  We immediately drove off and had a delightful dinner with good friends and family.  And then...

...we came out of the restaurant to find that our car had been broken into, boyfriend's overnight bag missing along with my (thankfully empty) cash box, and a window broken.

Not. Cool. People.

I could go into the details & feelings & so on, but I really don't want to go there.  What I will say is that it could have been SO much worse.  What the idiots didn't see when they so quickly broke my window and grabbed what they could, was my computer bag--complete with computer, camera, and ipod--hiding under my coat.  I also could have been a ninny and left my cash in my cash box, but oh ho! it was not there.

Thieves, if you looked at my business card and are now reading this: I hope you choke on the two rolls of change I had in there.

Moving right along...

After recovering from our unfortunate event and making the rounds to visit each and every friend and family member in the greater Bay Area (and that's a really long list!) boyfriend and I began our trek back North, making a stop in our old college stomping grounds in Northern California.

We haven't been back to Arcata, California, since we moved away almost 8 years ago, and spending a few gloriously sunny days (rare in the month of December) roaming the tiny town, empty campus, and favorite beaches was a nice reward after working so hard at all the craft shows.

We came home just in time to have a quiet, cozy Christmas here in our pokey little apartment.  We listened to records, I knit like a madwoman to replace a pair of mitts & a hat that were both in boyfriend's stolen bag (harumph), we ate and ate and ate, and boyfriend gave me a fantabulous gift: a vintage paint-by-numbers version of The Last Supper!

Swoon.

We rang in the new year with more records and fireworks lighting up the Space Needle.

We found a new mug to add to our Pyrex mug collection, and I hesitantly began re-organizing nooks and crannies of our apartment--with Pyrex, of course--which led to...

...complete and utter chaos.  I had already decided that after the shows I was giving myself a brief vacation, then I was going to work on making myself a workspace in this tiny little apartment.  Unfortunately for us, doing that meant sifting through, purging, and reorganizing every single belonging in this space.  And good grief, for such a tiny space, neither of us are still quite sure how we fit so much in it!  We have opened up every cupboard and closet, pulled things out from under, behind, on top of, and within all our hidden storage spaces, and made a decision on whether to keep each and every item.

It has been exhausting.

We still have piles of things to sell, put away, and deal with, but there is a speck of light at the end of this tunnel: I now have a desk (currently covered in all sorts of whatnots), dedicated product storage space, and a happier living space.

Then this past week the snow came to Seattle, a bit later and a bit longer than originally predicted, but still a welcome and beautiful sight.  Boyfriend had to skip town for work, so I hunkered down and hibernated in my kitchen for an entire week.  I drank gallons of hot liquids, worked on tidying small corners of our apartment, reacquainted myself with some old knitting projects, spent an entire day sifting through &thinning out my collection of vintage & new pattern magazines, and ate a lot of cookies.

Someday soon I will be showing you photos of my shiny and new workspace, our rearranged kitchen, and hey, even a new product for my Etsy shop!  But in the meantime, I do hope you have all had a busy and productive start to your new year--I know I have!

xo

Anna

Round One: Urban Craft Uprising!

Greetings, friends!  Did you forget about me?  Because I certainly didn't forget about you!  These past two weeks have been a whirlwind of work, late nights, heavy lifting, pattern finalization & rapid production, and a whole lot of FUN!  I knew signing up for 3 craft shows in 3 weeks was going to be a challenge, but I am so glad I accepted it.  Along with juggling holiday Etsy orders and keeping the amazing local Seattle store {far4} supplied with cozies, I honestly had no idea how this would all shake out, but so far so good!  My hands aren't sore, my fingers are still working at a swift pace, and I am being a good girl and trying very hard to keep my energy level up up up--since I still have two more shows to get through!

The response this past weekend at Urban Craft Uprising here in Seattle was completely overwhelming.  Honestly, our faces still hurt from smiling, laughing, and talking with so many amazing people who were just so nice and generous and simply happy to be in our booth trying on my cozy goodies.  

There were GOBS of really wonderful people who were just so excited about the things I make, I'm still in disbelief.  But it was a good reminder of why I do all this work!  To put smiles on faces, keep necks warm, and remind people that there are real humans behind the things they buy.

I did manage to sneak in a few camera and Instagram pictures of our wonderful weekend and thought I would share!

Hm.  One of my mannequins appears to need another coat of paint... 

Almost had a meltdown when I arrived for setup, because that giant concrete pillar was simply not on the map...but was in my booth!  An hour or so of fritting and fretting over how to arrange my walls, tables, and racks was time well spent, because I was quite happy with the end result!

The intrepid crafter and her trusty booth helper/Skipjack Cowl male model at the end of Day 1!

The new Snowdrop Cowls were the hit of the show!  That table was looking mighty sparse by the time we broke down Sunday evening and it is a very good thing that I actually had some complimentary yarn colors left here at home, because I am running out of yarn!

You may espy something new and (if I do say) ridiculously cute atop the mannequin heads in these photographs...The Cosy Rosie!  She'll be photographed and in my shop in January and I think you're all going to love her!  I wore mine for both days of the show and I must say, it is so cute and so cozy.

These three lovely ladies all went home with a Wisteria Wrap of their very own!  Since the Wisteria Wrap was introduced to the world just as the weather was starting to warm, it really hasn't had a chance to get much exposure.  But there were so many people who just walked right up to the rack and wanted to wrap one around them, curl up in a corner, and go to sleep.  And I don't blame them: it really feels like wearing a blanket!

 

And of course, the show eventually came to an end.  It all looks so sad when it's packed up (that's not even the half of it, actually) but in two days we will be setting it all back up again in Portland!  And then again in San Francisco!  Whew...one step at a time...

I'll be on the road, here, there, and everywhere, so I will wish you all a happy and cozy holiday season now in the off chance that I don't have time to pop in here before the holidays are over!  I'll be back at some point with more photographs of this crazy journey I'll be on!

Stay cozy,

xo

Anna

P.S.  I am no longer accepting holiday orders in my online shop but it is still open.  If you place any orders between now and Christmas, your order will not ship until after Christmas.  Sorry for any inconvenience but once again, I'll be on the road and unable to ship!

P.P.S.  Portlanders! Crafty Wonderland is this weekend at the Oregon Convention Center.  I've never done the show but I hear it is insane--250 vendors!  Stop by and say hi!

P.P.S.S.  San Franciscans!  Renegade Craft's Holiday Fair is next weekend, Dec. 17&18, at the Concourse Exhibition Center.  It was a blast last year and I'm sure it will be even more fun this year, come check it out!

P.P.P.S.S.  Okay, almost done: I know it's Wednesday and I should be posting an awesome vintage photograph, but I am running out of time and had to prioritize!  As always, if you'd like to see your favorite vintage photograph of an inspirational woman featured here on my blog, click here and send one in!

Wednesday Women 11.23.11

Greetings, friends!  I've been holding on to this little photo of my mother as a toddler for quite some time now, just waiting for this Wednesday before Thanksgiving to roll around!

Mildly politically incorrect: yes.  Incredibly cute: double yes!

Apparently someone with a wry sense of humor thought it would be funny to dress my wee little mother in a rather fanciful feather headdress in honor of the greatest of foodie holidays, Thanksgiving.

Entirely appropriate, since my great love of food was given to me by the very person in this photo.  And for that I am incredibly thankful.

I am also thankful for a great many other things lately: the fact that I get to spend this delicious holiday with friends I see far too infrequently; the fact that even though my first of three holiday craft shows is in a mere one and half weeks (gulp), I am actually managing to breathe normally; the fact that I was lucky enough to be accepted into three holiday craft shows is pretty amazing to begin with; there are just so many things to be thankful for!

My spinach dip, maple whipped yams, and tasty stuffed mushrooms have all been assembled, placed in choice pieces of Pyrex, and are patiently waiting in the icebox until tomorrow's festivities begin.

Of course I couldn't forget to thank all of you dear readers before I sign off for the evening--without you, I would have far less smiles during my quiet days working here at home, so for those smiles I thank you all!

I am wishing you all a very restful and pleasant holiday weekend, surrounded by delicious food and loved ones!

xo

Anna

New in the Shop!

Hello friends! I thought I would take a small break from my craft show preparations (spray-painting mannequin heads, frantically finalizing a new design, knitting giant i-cord for some wooden dowels...the usual) to finally share two new Granny Hoops with you!

I previewed these two beauties at the show I did in October and they both received a lot of attention.  Even though attendance at that particular show was incredibly low, I had these pretties on the back wall of my booth and so many of the (very few) people wandering the show had nice comments to share about them.  Definitely eye-catching!

Hoop No. 41--12 Inch--$38

Hoop No. 40--8 Inch--$32

Hoop No. 40 and Hoop No. 41 both belong to the Black and Tan family of Granny Hoops, which you can see pictured above.  So many people who comment on this particular color family like it because it feels modern yet still textural and earthy.  I think these hoops would look amazing on a dark charcoal wall, or even something bright like a crimson wall!

If you're not familiar with my Granny Hoops, here is the lowdown:

First I rescue good quality wooden embroidery hoops from thrift stores.  Why thrift stores?  To be perfectly honest, the embroidery hoops you find new at craft stores are downright flimsy.  They splinter when you handle them (ow!), and crack to high heaven during the final phase of making these hoops.  Embroidery hoops I find in thrift stores are an entirely different story: strong and sturdy!  I exercise a bit of quality control when picking through the (usually few) hoops I find, but so often I find hoops that appear unused and sometimes even old enough to have lovely decorative turn keys still intact.  Bonus!

After rescuing the empty hoops, I bring them home where I crochet motifs I have designed to fit each particular size of hoop.  I then attach the motif to the hoop, do all the pesky finishing like weaving in the ends and making sure the motif is stretched properly and centered, and then voila, I have a Granny Hoop!

What I like about my hoops is that even though the designs are certainly not as complicated as making an intricate lace doily, by using chunkier yarn and playing with color, you end up with something incredibly striking in it's simplicity.  The hoops can be displayed together as a color family on a wall as you can see above, or alongside your favorite graphic print or kitschy thrift store find and fit right in.

All of my gorgeously hued Granny Hoops can be seen right here in my Etsy shop!

And with the holidays approaching, don't forget about their festive cousins, the Atomic Christmas Ornaments!

I do hope you are all staying cozy and warm during this week of Thanksgiving here in the states!

It is on rainy, windy, soaking days like these that I am thankful I have a bounty of rain gear and a cozy apartment to stay in to do my work.

xo

Anna

**Oh, and speaking of holidays, the cutoff for all holiday orders is in two weeks: Tuesday, December 6th!  If you are thinking about ordering anything from me (yay!) and would like it to arrive in time for Christmas, please get your order in by Tuesday, December 6th!  Since I will be on the road for a good chunk of December, no orders will be going out between December 6th and December 19th.  My online shop will remain open during this time but no orders will be shipped!  Thanks for understanding!**

It's Crunch Time!

Hello there friends! As the title says, it is indeed crunch time around here these days. In just a little over two weeks, my three craft shows in three weekends will commence...and I am so excited!  As I am sure you can all guess, not much of note has been happening around here other than work, work, work, and even more work.  I am certainly not complaining though!  I have been spurred on to see if I can finalize and work up a couple of new designs I've had lurking in the folds of my brain for quite some time; and I think I'm getting close on one or two of them!  That is always a very good feeling indeed.

Here is just a little glimpse of what's been going on around here lately, in Instagram form!

Ooooh, inventory...you are a bit of a nightmare.

It's beginning to look a lot like another Atomic Christmas!

If you've ever wanted to know what 4800 yards of deliciously-hued baker's twine looks like, well, there you are!  I have lots of things lined up for all of that...you might see it in use if you visit me at the booth!

Twining and tagging on a Saturday evening.

This little gem is getting so close, I can feel it!  (And it's going to be sooo cute!)

I've been working on this piece off and on for over a year and it never seems to end up quite right.  So frustrating!  Someday, someday...

Are you on Instagram?  I'd love to follow you if you are!  Just leave your user name in a comment below and I'll look you up.  If you'd like to follow me, just search for VictoryGardenYarn and there I will be!

Stay cozy and productive!

(I know I sure am!)

xo

Anna

Wednesday Women 11.9.11

I'll be honest with you friends, I just sat here and stared at this photograph for the last twenty minutes, sipped on some egg nog (I know, a bit early...but I do love it so), and tried to think of a story or even a witty one-line opener for this photograph.

And I just can't do it.

For you see, the small but stately woman in the photograph is my great-grandmother.  But since she was long gone years before my arrival, all I know of her are the stories my mom has told me my entire life.  To my mom she is simply Avo, which is grandmother in Portuguese.  Growing up I would hear this strange little word quite often (pronounced aaah-vowh) and my mom would usually get a twinkle in her eye, tell a story, sometimes sad, often funny, and then heave a big sigh and say how much she missed her.

For the longest time as a child, I had no concept of who this woman was or what she had to do with me, but I just kept thinking 'Oh my goodness, when is she coming over? She sounds fun!'

My mom should really be the one narrating this evening, since her Avo played such a huge role in her childhood.  Her Avo taught her how to knit, embroider, clean a house, take proper care of fine china. 

My mom distinctly remembers the day she finally figured out how to unlatch the kitchen door, quietly open it, and move her little toddler legs as fast as she could over the hot, dusty valley dirt and across the ranch to her Avo's house for a visit.

Once a year Avo would apparently go out to her shed and spend three whole days and nights making linguica--a delicious Portuguese sausage--getting up every few hours through the night to stir a giant, bubbling cauldron full of heavily spiced meat out in said shed.

And the little lady wasn't even five feet tall!

Her husband emigrated to the United States a year or so before he came back to the Azores Islands to retrieve her and her belongings.  One of those belongings being the gorgeous domed steamer trunk she packed up and brought with her when she sailed across the sea.  It makes me quite giddy that the very same steamer trunk is now practically bursting at the seams with family photographs.  I will admit I have never  actually seen the bottom of that trunk for it contains so many photos that I never have enough time to go through them all on my infrequent visits home!

My mom, the cute toddler in the photograph with cute braids wrapped around her cute head, remembers when this photograph was taken.  Growing up, the family would take trips to Pismo Beach, on the central coast of California.  The trips were initially taken at Avo's urging because to her Pismo Beach reminded her of where she grew up on the Azores Island of Terceira.  Something in the expression on her face is almost melancholy and wistful to me...perhaps she was missing her home...

Even though I never knew this wonderful woman, I know she is a part of me.  Her stories, family heirlooms, mementos, photographs-all of these I have seen and heard my entire life and I can't help but wonder what it would have been like to have known her.

But, in a way, I kind of feel like I do.

Sweet dreams!

xo

Anna

**And don't forget, I would love to feature one of your favorite vintage family photographs here on my blog!  Just click here for all of the details!**