My Blythe Handknits Slideshow

Flat Stanley in Texas

My son's class is doing a project where each kid colors in the character "Flat Stanley" from one of their books and then sends it out to someone somewhere else in the country, and that person takes pictures of Flat Stanley doing things that people do in that part of the country.

My awesome friend in Texas is helping out my son with his project, and I love this so much I just had to share this with you. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have. (He wasn't sent to Texas with the cowboy hat, but he somehow acquired one there.)

Help Wanted - Filled, Thank You!!!

Have one or more Blythe dolls? Love to take pics? Live in the U.S.? Want a free handknitted hat for your Blythe doll? Contact me at abigail@piefairyprincess.com

I need someone to model this hat that I have designed and knitted so I am willing to exchange a free hat for lots of pics of your Blythe girl wearing the hat with different backgrounds. I will use these pics to sell my hats. Are you willing and able? I look forward to your response. Thank you:)

This has been filled. Thank you and stay tuned for upcoming designs:)

Bundle Of Love

It truly made my day to receive this pic from the baby's mommy! I am so excited to share it with you. Introducing her beautiful newborn baby boy sleeping in his elf hat and cocoon which was of course crocheted by me:) He is approximately 21" long and has plenty of room to snuggle up in his cocoon. Seeing him sleep so sweetly in it makes it a definite must have for your newborn bundle of love!

This set is available in all colors.

If you are interested in purchasing an elf hat and a cocoon set, please contact me at abigail@piefairyprincess.com

Salt Dough Hearts

Looking for last minute ideas for Valentine's Day? Me too:) Just came across these and thought it's such a brilliant idea.

From thelongthread.com:

We used a small heart-shaped cookie cutter and this standard salt dough recipe: 1/2 cup salt, 1/2 cup warm water, 1 cup flour. My five-year-old enjoyed rolling out the dough and cutting the hearts. Then we poked large holes for the string, baked them at 250 for around two hours (until hard all the way through), painted with acrylic paints and dusted them with glitter while the paint was still wet. Easy!

Please share your last minute crafty Valentine's Day ideas with me here. Thank you.

New Year, New Designs

Hi everyone,

Sorry it's been a while since my last posting. I have been very busy dreaming up and designing some new things for your Byul, Dal, Pullip and Blythe girls. It's been so much fun brainstorming with my Byul girl who I call Bendyboo. The whole family has learned her name and they think it is perfect as she doesn't really like to stand still:)

Along with the designing process is color selection and it's a tough decision when there are so many gorgeous ones to choose from. Most likely you will see all different colors in my designs. I look forward to sharing them with you in the upcoming months!

Autumn Ennui Sweater for Ellowyne Wilde

I miss the leaves. The trees are dull. I am the blame for that. My sweater took the leaves and the trees. It's so soft, cozy, warm. My close friend, Abigail, made this with love and care just for me. I love it so much, you will too.

This is a gorgeous metallic brown sparkly crossover front cardigan with feather trim. It has a hidden snap closure in the front and flared out sleeves. OOAK and is available for purchase at http://piefairyprincess.com

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33847751

Party Ennui Sweater For Ellowyne Wilde

The streamers are down. The balloons are popped. The cake is in the trash can. That means it's my birthday. I had nothing else to do, so I asked my business partner, Abigail, if she could mush everything together into a cozy sweater. It's not quite my style, but I love it ever so much. I love it, you will too.

This is a beautiful cardigan which I handknitted out of a purple yarn with sequins. It features flared bell sleeves and a tie front. This is a OOAK.

It's My Birthday

I just had to share this with you. One of my friends on MySpace sent this awesome cake to me and I love it!!! This is one of my favorite cakes. Yes, it's true I am celebrating the 10th anniversary of my 29th birthday. My son is on to me and throughout the year he periodically reminds me that even if I can't remember my age he knows exactly how old I am.

My husband is baking my yummy cake and my daughter has decided to make me homemade fudge. She is enjoying her sweet adventure. She plans on putting in caramel and marshmallow as well. I just heard her say that she is sooo licking the spoon when she is done. That's a good sign and I look forward to having my fudge.

Chic Boutique '09 Coming Sunday, November 1 !!!

Sunday, November 1, the Early Childhood Learning Center of Temple Beth David in Commack is sponsoring Chic Boutique '09 -- an annual craft fair. Abigail's Knits and Pie Fairy Princess (how could I pick just one??) will have a table prominently displaying my handknit and crocheted items.

So if you have some time, come on by to say Hi and pick up one of my adorable items for yourself or a young friend. I will also be accepting custom orders of my handknits. Have you been searching for a gorgeous scarf for this season, come to me and look no further. This is your chance to see the quality of my handknits in person!

Chic Boutique '09 is being held Sunday, November 1, from 10:00AM till 3:00PM at Temple Beth David, 100 Hauppauge Road, Commack (map).

Of course, if you can't wait, please feel free to pick up some of my things at abigailsknits.com or my Etsy shop at piefairyprincess.com

Cats Really Love My Handknits (well, at least one cat)

I received what may be the ultimate compliment today, and it was from a cat.

I recently finished a pair of fingerless mittens and mailed them out to a friend (similar to the ones pictured at right). She called today to say how thrilled she was to receive them yesterday and how she was so excited to wear them this morning, since it had gotten chilly by her.

Except ...

She has a cat who apparently has a habit of stealing one or two particular things from her house and showing up with them later as a "present". There's a dishtowel and a fleece sweatshirt that the cat steals and gives back later, unharmed. What these things have in common is that they are both very soft.

Well, apparently my fingerless mittens are just too soft to resist (they're made from a blended silk and bamboo yarn after all). When my friend excitedly went to grab her new prized possessions from next to the laptop where she had left them, one of them was missing. Just one of them. So clearly the cat has found a new favorite soft plaything. My friend had to leave for work, so there wasn't enough time to go looking for the cat or the mitten. Argh! It will have to be one more day before she gets to wear them for the first time...

It's nice to know that my work is appreciated by humans and felines alike.

You can purchase mittens just like these from my Etsy shop at piefairyprincess.com. And, as always, you can contact me directly if there is anything you would like me to custom-make for you.

Teeny Weeny Itsy Bitsy...Puppety Wuppeties!!!

Over recent weeks the Puppety Wuppeties have gotten smaller and smaller. I just finished knitting a pair for a 4 month old baby boy. They are so tiny that they don't have any thumbs on them. Perfect to keep a baby's fingers warm and also great protection to keep the baby from scratching himself. I had so much fun designing and knitting these. Once they were all knitted up I realized that these would be awesome original baby shower gifts or newborn gifts. They have plenty of stretch to them and will probably fit the baby for a very long time.

L'Shanah Tova

Just wanted to take a minute to wish everyone who celebrates a very happy and a healthy Rosh Hashanah!!! So that being said, L'Shanah Tova! I have some adorable apples which I've crocheted and would be great for the new year to add to your home decor or as a pretend apple for your favorite doll. Here's a pic of the Teacher's Pet Monster enjoying her apple! Wishing you an extremely sweeeeet new year. Time to continue cooking now.

IndieSpotting

Woo Hoo!!! I have been IndieSpotted!!! It was such a nice surprise to discover this today. This is my original design and I can custom handknit it for you in solid colors as well as the multicolored yarns. I have been thinking of knitting one in pink with a brown knitted bow or brown with a pink knitted bow.

Here is the page on IndieSpotting.

Update for August '09

Well, it's been a week since the fair in Bridgehampton, and even though it's over, I haven't been able to slow down at all. I have a few custom orders to complete, some new designs I want to work out, and more fairs coming up that I have to put together things for.

I want to thank everyone who came by my tent at the fair last Saturday. It was great to meet some new people, learn what type of handknits interest people the most, and be able to sell some of my adorable handknits to you. It was simply precious to see the looks on the faces of the little ones who were given a new toy to love.

Autumn is coming up soon, and the holidays are not long after that. It's never too soon to think about gifts, especially when they are handmade to order and take a little while to put together. So come check out piefairyprincess.com and abigailsknits.com for some fabulous gift ideas. If you don't see what you're looking for, e-mail me, and I'll do my best to design it for you.

August Birthdays

Wishing everyone who has a birthday in August a totally fabulous birthday!!! It just occurred to me that my green or peridot colored cupcake purse is a very stylish way to celebrate your birthday this month. I also just took a pic of my cupcakes that were made with a pale green frosting yarn and other complimentary colors. Happy Birthday and I hope you enjoy this yumminess!!!

Bridgehampton Historical Society Annual Heritage Fair – Saturday, August 8, 2009

For people who enjoy going to outdoor festivals and fairs, I will have a booth at the upcoming Bridgehampton Historical Society’s Annual Heritage Fair. I will be selling my items from Abigail’s Knits and Pie Fairy Princess, as well as items made especially for this fair, and I will also be taking orders for custom items.

According to this article in 27east.com:

The Fair will take place on Saturday, August 8, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Corwith House on Montauk Highway. This year’s event celebrating Bridgehampton’s rich history will be bigger than ever and include a craft fair, a program on Long Island’s birds of prey by the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center and a puppet show by Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre. Long Island Folk artists will demonstrate their talents under a tent all day, and a vintage baseball doubleheader will pit Smithtown’s Atlantics against the Bridgeport, Connecticut, Orators. Blacksmithing by James DeMartis in the historic Strong Wheelwright Shop will complement a vintage tractor and farm engine display. A large model train exhibition will be run by the Gerry Manders in the society’s Engine Barn. Live music will be provided by Americana band Edna’s Kin under a huge tent. Admission is only $5 for adults, and children under 12 get in for free.

Here is a map of the Corwith House in Bridgehampton at 2368 Montauk Highway (although Google Maps says it’s actually Sag Harbor), with links for driving directions.

PieFairyPrincess.com

As loyal readers of this blog know, I currently have two sites: my knit-to-order site at abigailsknits.com, and my mostly-ready-made site on Etsy at piefairyprincess.etsy.com. There's often a problem telling people the URL of my Etsy store, because people are mostly used to a website being whatever dot com.

So, in order to get a web address that's easier to remember, as well as to make sure that I'm the only Pie Fairy Princess out there, I just acquired the domain PieFairyPrincess.com. If you go to this URL, it will automatically direct you to my Etsy shop. But now it will be much easier for me to tell people how to get to my site.

It's not a big thing, but I'm still a little excited about it. Stop by and visit if you get a chance!

The Monsters Are Coming!!

I’m in love.

When I found this pattern, it was love at first sight. I usually design my own handknits, but for the longest time, I have wanted to knit a monster. So I was thrilled to find this pattern by Danger Crafts available. I decided to grab some cotton yarn and just go for it. Each day I create a new monster, but they’re so cute, are they really monsters? I’ll let you be the judge of that.

My first one was Eek-o, and then of course he had to have a female counterpart, so Eek-ette was number two. My idea was an “eco-friendly” monster, so I stayed very neutral for Eek-o, and added a little pink for Eek-ette.

If hearing about how these were made is the kind of thing that really excites you, these were handknitted by me on two circular bamboo needles, using one hundred percent cotton yarn. Do you have any idea how hard it is to knit cotton on bamboo needles? It’s a very slow-going process. Not so slippery as if they were metal needles, but enjoyable nonetheless. They're also made with safety eyes, and each monster's mouth is hand cut out of felt.

So, sure, these are a work of art, but I think they’re more a work of love. I have loved knitting each and every one of these little monsters, and if you’re interested in having one of your very own little monsters, please contact me. I can customize them to match your home decor, your school colors, your favorite sports team, or whatever you like.

Eek-o and Eek-ette are available for sale on Etsy here and here. Thanks for looking!

It's a Good Thing I Love to Knit

I love to knit. I really do love it. I love finding or designing new patterns. Picking out the right style, fiber, and color yarn can take ages, and I re-think my choices over and over. Knitting a new item for the first time is an act of discovery. Finishing an item brings a very strong sense of satisfaction. And having someone appreciate and enjoy something made for them is very gratifying.

Knitting is my job. It's a blessing that I can do something I love for my job. In these times, we all have to do something to contribute to the bottom line in a family, and, aside from being a Mom (which is a full time job in itself), I decided that knitting would be my financial contribution to this family.

Other DIY'ers and hand crafters know what I'm talking about when I say that you can never really get paid for your time. You spend uncountable hours making something, and then it comes time to price it. If you try to give yourself a decent hourly wage, the item will be more expensive than anyone is willing to pay. If you try to give the item a reasonable price, then you're being paid slave wages. And then sometimes if an item doesn't sell, you're tempted to lower the price, and every price cut is painful -- not because you'll be taking ten percent less -- but because it's like you're valuing yourself and your work less.

DIY'ers and hand crafters will also recognize my frustration with people who don't realize how much time and effort goes into this vocation, who think it is just a pastime or a hobby. Nearly every waking minute not spent caring for my home responsibilities is spent on my work, just to make a few dollars. I pour my heart and soul into this. It is a labor of love. To those who understand this and who appreciate my work enough to spend a small amount of money on one of my items, you have my sincere gratitude. You will never really know how much it means to me. Thank you.

Come see my items on Etsy or my own site.