Etsy Treasury: Gifts for Knitting Enthusiasts

'Gifts for Knitting Enthusiasts' by taeliac

So... I thought I'd make yet another treasury featuring gifts for knitting enthusiasts, as I try to parse through everything wonderful Etsy has to offer in order to find a gift for my mother - a knitting addict and then some. I hope this list can help you to discover new and fun gifts for the knitting person in your life!

knitting love pin-back butto... artlife $1.75	Knitting Needle Case or Art ... lenabrowndesig... $29.95
Yarn Bowl-large redhotpottery $36.00	Snag Free Stitch Markers Ext... seekingsanity $6.00
KEEP CALM AND KNIT ON, 8x10 ... KeepCalmShop $10.00	Yarn Bowl Green Handmade Pot... TheMudPlace $32.00
Interchangeable Knitting Nee... madbird $34.00	Tote Recycled Cotton Canvas ... thecraftpantry $20.00
Drop Spindle Spinning Kit, B... LaTeaDaDesigns $17.95	KNITTING NEEDLE CASE IN SILK... uncommonstuff $20.00
White Knitter's Brooch -... maxsworld $6.50	Knit Needles and Yarn Laptop... lewasdesigns $10.00
Sheep Bamboo Knitting Needle... ClayAndYarnBar... $18.50	Knitting Love Tee sz JUNIORS... CausticThreads $12.00
Knitting Needle Holder in Du... clayshapergall... $32.00	Ball of Yarn Necklace crumpetcake $16.00

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Disappearing Act

Well, I expected to be able to handle my November better than I did, but many things kind of piled up, not the least of which was NaNoWriMo. However, I managed to pull through it all, and actually won!

"Winning" basically means I wrote 50,000+ words in November. I am not deluding myself, the "novel" I wrote was horrible, but, it's a good learning experience, and, just like exercising, I want to write more and more now.

Other than that, I have been doing a lot of volunteer work at Discovery World, in their new Design-It Lab.

This is very, very awesome, and I'll post when more of it is opened up, but right now, you can come in to the Quick Shop on the weekends, and create whatever projects are "on the menu" at that time. It's run like a diner, and really fun to be in. There are laser cutters, vacuum formers, rapid prototype machines, 3D printers and more! In the future, I think the goal is to open up the Work Shop area, where you can do longer projects, or (possibly) even just have some personal time with the equipment!

So, it's awesome, but killer work, because, whenever I'm there, it's basically 12 hours on my feet. Fun, but exhausting. And it's cut the time I have to do other stuffs, and I'm trying to get back into my sewing again, but it's hard. Not for the reasons I thought it would be, but it's more because I have too many ideas and I don't know where to start!

Anywho, that is what's up with me. I'll have some December specials coming up in my Etsy shop shortly, which I'll post here, on my Twitter, and anywhere else I can, for anyone who is interested!

American Gods, Gaiman, Palmer, and everything else wonderful

Here is another one of those journals that I've had half-written for a while now, but just haven't had a chance to post. I hope you'll all forgive me for that.

As my last journal said, we were lucky enough to attend "The Gathering of Gods" with Neil Gaiman at the House on the Rock. It was over Halloween weekend, and was a special gift (birthday and anniversary) from my wonderful hubby. And, it was so much fun, it made me start to love convention-type situations again.

Now, because I'm a nerd, I'm a huge fan of both Neil Gaiman and his fiance Amanda (Fucking) Palmer of the Dresden Dolls (and solo projects, and EvelynEvelyn, which is where I actually first heard of her…) and I wanted to do something to show my appreciation. I thought that it would be a little weird, and I still fear I've come off as a creeper, but you know what, I'm happy I did!

During our book signing, I asked Neil if he would be kind enough to deliver something to his fiance, as he was going to be there at their Bandiversary show (the first time the Dresden Dolls performed together in a rather long time). I gave him one of my Kimona wraps (the red one, because she always keeps a glass of red wine by her side for shows, or so I have heard) to give to Amanda Palmer, with a rambling note on it (as per Sam-usual) about how much I love both her, and Neil, and creative artists in general.

((Oddly enough, during the ride home, I was randomly reading the Wikipedia entry on her, and found out she's also a theatre person. No surprise, but still, amusing none the less… but I digress.))

He graciously agreed to do so, and I was so incredibly happy (and, I still fear that I came off as a creeper). I got this Twitter message (Chris made me put my Twitter name down) from AFP later, and spazzed out, running around the house and generally terrorizing my cats:

I then dug thru Flickr looking for pictures, and found a few of them! You have no idea how absolutely shocked, amazed and flattered I am for these… I'm still not completely believing it :3 I'm so happy! So, here are the pictures that I have found:

Also, Neil Gaiman wrote an article for Spin magazine (posted online here) about the Dresden Dolls first reunion show, and there is even a picture of Amanda Palmer wearing the kimono in that :3

I'm so insanely happy, you have no idea. This is a while later, and I'm still giddy about all of this!! So… yeah!! So awesome!

(I'm almost tempted to make her a corset and randomly send it somewhere in the hopes that she gets it, but that would be uber-creeper, I think… although I'm still considering it ;P Whatchoo all think? Too starlker-ish?)

Egyptian Mask Thoth

This weekend, we will be away for a mini-vacation to the House on the Rock to spend the weekend there, for the Neil Gaiman "American Gods" event, which is pretty damned awesome, if you ask me! Finally, something fun like this in one of the coolest places in Wisconsin! (if you've never been there, it is definitely worth the trip - just wear comfortable shoes, the place is huge, and crazy, and honestly cannot be described easily...)

They are having a costume contest. So, of course, we're excited.

But, I got even more spazzy last minute yesterday - I decided that Chris needed another outfit to compliment the one he has been planning. And, it involves a huge mask. Of Thoth. The Egyptian God. Out of leather.

Yeah... yeah... it was an insane hope. But, it is nearly completed ;3

That is all leather. The pattern was developed at around 1:30 yesterday afternoon. It was transferred to leather around 2:30. Then, the tooling took until around 4:30 to do. Painting was a huge pain in the butt (pristine white had to stay pristine) and finished around 8:00 last night. Sealed and put together after the paint dried, I finished up around 10:30 last night.

So, as you can see, insane work, but well worth it. I hope Chris likes it - it's now his anniversary present!

Seems like I've killed enough time, my coffee is empty, and I have more work to do on that (and a cloak) before we leave, so wish me luck, and if I don't get to update, I'm sorry! I have no idea if they have internet there ^^

edit @11:56pm

Well, they do have Internet. However, I do not have cell phone service out here, so I cannot bombard you with Twitter updates tomorrow... so sad!

However, I did manage to snap this earlier in the day, the mask completed, and it truly kicks some ass, if I do say so myself! Didn't think I could pull it all off (and with only two burns, a few bruises, and a really sore hand at that!) but it seems to have been a success!

A different kind of convention

Heck yeah!



And the man himself, Mr. Gaiman (who has a dream of a voice btw) being "stoic"

New Steampunk top design - Needs a name!

Inspiration struck again. I seem to be coming out of this dearth of ideas, and now, I have too many little sketches (almost wholly on the back of receipts or on sticky notes) that I really, really want to get made.

This is todays prototype: a new Steampunk bodice type thing.

I've been in love with knits lately for some reason (probably because I finally have the hang of sewing them) and have wanted to do something perhaps more on the simple, versatile end (also: affordable), and this idea just seemed to do it.

Not to mention, I have about 300 of those buttons in a bag. No joke.

So, here is a quick pair o' cell phone pictures of new top. I have an original version of this one (fully lined, with a few changes) that, if anyone is interested, is a size small and I wouldn't mind selling for dirt cheap (around $20, to cover the fabric it took, including shipping) if you're interested. It's meant for someone with a waist of 24" or less, so very small.

Also, this outfit is unofficially dubbed the "I need to sell these at a reasonable price to help raise funds to get another dressform with collapsible shoulders, because trying to put these on my existing dressform is like wrestling with a cat to get it in the bath." Meaning: not fun at all. And I think I hurt my hand from it.

I am not sure when this design will be available, but I am going to make a point of having one new design available for order on my Etsy store at the beginning of each month, so who knows...!

What I need from anyone who is interested in helping : we need a name for this! I have no idea what to call it, and "Steampunk bodice" is made of fail. So, anyone out there with an interesting idea on what to call this design? I'll love you forever :3

Etsy Treasury by Taeliac: Comfort Food

'Comfort Foods' by taeliac

I don't know about where you are, currently, but here, it is a chilly, drizzly day. It feels like fall, and summer is definitely well and truly behind us, now. So, in honor of that, I am cooking comfort food for dinner tonight - a pot roast and potatoes. To celebrate, how about a treasury all about comfort foods - including some actual foods, some things that smell like foods, and some things that are just plain comfortable.

Comfort and Joy Set of 10 Ca... thesweetunfold... $18.00	Creme Brulee Soap sunbasilgarden $4.00
Zooey Perfume Oil 5ml wiggleperfume $15.00	Beautiful Disaster- Giclee R... chankinspaint $128.00
PUMPKIN FRITTERS Candle Tart... oldhickorycand... $4.85	Toasty small Casserole Dish ... claycoyote $36.00
Cafe Latte lip balm gloss mo... aBreathofFrenc... $3.50	HomeMade Awesome Banana Brea... Gallivants $9.00
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cara... FusionSweets $16.45	Small Cutting Board on Feet ... tauntongreen $49.00
Jeweled Trees (Comfort) jessadee77 $100.00	Simple, Sweet and Striped - ... Lilikin14 $18.00
Golden Brilliance - 5x5 Fine... CristyBeckImag... $10.00	THE BREAK-UP COOKBOOK (Color... thebreakupcook... $24.95
Roscata Pumpkin Pie Slice Ne... roscata $16.00	Holiday Sale Neckwarmer - TR... tricotaria $22.40

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Fleur de Steam

Well, even though it was my birthday yesterday, I still got to putz around in the morning to create the template for a new piece of leather work I've wanted to do for a bit now. I thought I'd share the design with you here!

This will be tooled out of a heavier leather, like my eyepatches. It was originally intended to be a small cocktail hat, but it will also work wonderfully as an arm badge, or shoulder armor piece - I'm doing my very best to make this incredibly versatile, so it can be used in multiple ways without the need to order multiple of them :3 I like multi-use items, and this is no exception.

I am unsure when I'm going to have the time to actually get to tooling/dying/painting this, but hopefully it will be a fun weekend project! I'll post pictures as I create it, just for fun!