Friday, January 28, 2011

What's New at Siouxsiequeue's




After all the time I spent sitting hospital duty the last few days we're back to work in the studio and we have a lot of stuff to share!

For starters our zipper pouches and totes are featured listings on Etsy today. We'll also be listing more tote bags and knitting needle cases in the next day or so, we've got a new circular needle case that got a great reception at Stash last week.

Speaking of Stash, Crystal's got the new class schedule up and there are a lot of great classes on the calendar for February. I'm really looking forward to be heading up Anatomy of a Sock again and we've added two new sewing classes: a pillowcase and Amy's Lotus Brick Path Quilt. Both of the sewing classes are great projects for beginners! Please email Stash or call 303-660-YARN to register for classes.

As if that wasn't exciting enough, we've also recently teamed up with our friends at the Horseshoe Craft and Flea Market as a blog sponsor. We had a great time at the market last fall and we're really looking forward to their 2011 season!

I didn't share an Etsy find on Tuesday because I didn't think it really fit with the rest of the post, but have no fear Dear Friends, I have a great shop for you today. The Craftorium of TMissPink offers charming and quirky scrabble tile bracelets themed after classic horror movie monsters, David Lynch characters, and a personal fave, The Big Lebowski. I'm  the proud owner of the Famous Monsters bracelet and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my shiny new Twin Peaks bracelet. We were lucky enough to do a few shows with TMissPink last season and we're looking forward to seeing her on the circuit again this season.

Finally, I have been looking around the living room at all of the knitting supplies, yarn, books, and projects in various stages of completion and I've decided I need to be more accountable for my personal projects. This decision has led to a new blog feature, "What Did Suzanne Finish This Week?". This week I finished a pair of stripey fingerless gloves. I used a Merino/Cashmere blend in a neutral color scheme; oatmeal, navy, white, gray, & black. I made them for Jeremy because it's been really cold in his office lately. I'm pleased with the way the gloves turned out, and Jeremy really loves them, so that makes me happy. It also feels great to have one more project crossed off the list.

So I think that's everything for now, I said we'd been busy. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

See you next week,
Suzanne

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Now I Have a Stomach Ache....

Due to the fact that one of our friends is seriously ill I have spent 3 of the last 5 days at the hospital. Due to the fact that I have spent 3 of the last 5 days at the hospital I have extraordinarily dry skin and a stomach ache. I believe that my stomach ache is equal parts worry for my friend and the result of eating foods that primarily originate from vending machines.  I have also discovered that having full bars on my cell phone does not mean that anyone is going to be able to hear me when I call and that I can't work the doors on the bathroom stalls. I locked myself in three times...

We learned a lot of things while pacing/roaming the hospital halls this weekend. For example, being scheduled for surgery at a particular time doesn't mean anything. The nurses and doctors will tell you that you have been scheduled for 5:00 pm but what they really mean is that they will come collect you at some point in time, but that time will *NOT* be 5:00 pm. We learned that even though the doctor/surgeon may tell you that it is okay if you spend the night with your invalid friend the night nurse will immediately veto that plan and send you home well after midnight. Don't mess with the nurses! We also learned that a person who has lost 3 units of blood can still make Stargate Atlantis references, and I personally learned that they serve delicious juice in the blood bank (orange tangerine if you were wondering).

I don't mean to downplay the seriousness of the situation, but making jokes about it helps me cope. I'm what I like to call a "fixer". I need to take control of and lead difficult situations, I need to resolve problems, negotiate solutions, I need to fix things and make them better. Being a fixer runs in families. My Dad is a fixer too. When I called my folks to let them know what was going on with my friend my Dad's answer was to offer me money intended to purchase yet more vending machine foods and to tell me that I could sleep in their spare room (which I did and it was comfy). So being unable to fix things I paced, tried to knit, asked endless questions of the medical staff, constantly phoned and texted people with updates, obsessively made the bed each time my friend got out of it, and was just generally a nuisance. I'm sure the nurses will be glad to see us all go.

So today my friend is doing better, she'll be recovering from surgery the rest of this week, and I'm hoping she'll have a clean bill of health from the doctor. The rest of us will resume our normal lives, our work, and caring for our families with this week's exploits at the hospital fading into our memories. The only souvenirs of our visit will be the plastic jug my friend has been sipping water from, the odd bits of change that were returned from the vending machines, and our stomach aches.

Suzanne

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

I Don't Just Tempt Fate, I Lure Her in With Chocolate

I have pink hair, and I know this is kind of an odd way to begin a blog, but stay with me. Since my hair is not naturally pink I periodically apply copious amounts of Manic Panic's Hot Hot Pink dye to my hair and for some reason, while my head was covered in a medium meant to stain, I decided to work on a sewing project. Not just any sewing project either, I decided to work on a sample for a class we're having at Stash in February. Yeah, not really the best idea I ever had, but the funny thing is that I worked on this project for nearly half an hour before the folly of my decision really occurred to me. I leaned into my sewing machine to look at some stitches and when I sat back there was a *BRIGHT* pink streak on my machine. I started having visions of a low level black hole opening up or some freak blip of gravity that would cause my Amy Butler quilt top to fly at my dye soaked head, causing the irrevocable destruction of said quilt top. Jeremy was great about not laughing right at me as I tried to explain my spontaneous black hole theory and thankfully there was no dye on my project. That also seemed like the best possible moment to put down the sewing and go rinse my hair. Lapse in judgment and poor timing aside, but the quilt top and my hair turned out great! We're going to be doing Amy's Lotus Brick Path Quilt at Stash beginning February 16. You can register by calling 303-660-YARN (9276). I'll also be teaching Anatomy of a Sock and a super cute (and quick!) pillow case class this February. There are going to be a ton of other great classes so don't forget

to check out the Stash website for more info or to register.

Tempting fate with hair dye aside, we've been really busy around the studio lately. Our knitting needle roll has been a surprising best seller, we've been filling out craft fair applications (with and without cold medicine), boosting inventory, and there has been a mad dash to complete an all inclusive sample case.

As if that didn't keep us busy enough we're starting to talk about dates for our very own Craftstravaganza! Keep an eye on our website for our call for vendors and other Craftstravaganza info. We've met so many great artists and crafters at shows and on Etsy that I can't wait to see who will join us this season!

I'm also really excited to tell you that our friend Megan has recently expanded her bead shop The Peacock Shop! Her grand re-opening is today, Tuesday, January 18, so if you are around the Denver area please stop by and congratulate Megan on her success, if you are not in the metro area check out her Etsy shops The Peacock Shop and Gypsy Beads.

Finally, don't forget to check out our latest Etsy Treasury. We selected beautiful knitting, crochet, handbags, jewelry and more in lovely and romantic shades of purple. What more could you want?

Have a great week everyone!
xo
Suzanne

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Oh don't mind me....

...it's just the cold medicine talking.

I've got the crud this week. Headache, check. Sore throat, check. Irritability, (why the hell are you asking so many questions?!), check. I'm not so ill that I'm stuck in bed, but the symptoms are present enough to make getting through regular daily tasks difficult. Plus the blue cold liquid that I've been taking makes me feel weird. Really, really weird. o_O

So now I'm full of cold medicine and I'm using tools and filling in craft fair application forms, awesome. I haven't written in anything strange or embarrassing (so far), but the whole task has been somewhat difficult through the haze of blue cold liquid. I guess most tasks are made more difficult by the blue cold liquid...oh, and have no fear, I've been safely parked on my sofa since the onset of the crud. Not driving around full of cold medicine, not sharing my germs with strangers.

There's nothing like involuntary downtime to make one think about how much work there is and how that work is not getting done. As I stumble through applications I start to think about the number of pieces that need to be made (all styles and colors),  how I've only got two hands, and that it doesn't matter that things won't start until at least May I will never ever ever be ready in time (I will, it's just the meds talking). Then I start to wonder things like will I be able to convince/beg/bribe any of my friends and family to help, will a roast chicken do it or are they going to start wanting cash money soon. That is the point where I become so overwhelmed by things that are not actually going to fall apart if I spend a few days resting and recuperating, that I give up completely and have no other choice but to put Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy is fun and not too taxing on the brain, the perfect show when one is unable to focus.

Cold medicine related freak outs aside, I got some really good work done before the onset of the crud. Siouxsiequeue's had a super busy holiday season and I've spent the last week restocking our regular selections.

I also managed to finish my first personal project of the new year! They are these super cute tennis socks, I used to call them "bunny socks" when I was a kid because the pom pom on the back looked like a bunny tail. The name of the yarn escapes me now, but it is lovely cheerful shades of yellow, pink, and green, but it was the perfect yarn to use while snowbound and under the weather. These are the socks we're making in the "Anatomy of a Sock" class at Stash, and would be a great first sock project. I just need to add the bunny tails and they are all set.


Speaking of knitting, every knitter needs a great tote for their yarn stash or to take their projects on the go. I'm particularly fond of these totes by my friend Renee at Airship Printing. Make sure to check them out and get one or two dozen, in the mean time I'm going to succumb to my cold medicine haze.

See you next week, where hopefully I'll be over my crud and less full of N*Q****(we love you, you giant Q).

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Etsy Showcase Listing


Our Joel Dewberry Modern Meadow knitting needle case/tool roll is a showcase listing on Etsy today. We have additional colors and prints available. We also have stitch markers, zippered pouches for your notions, and project totes. Don't forget that we *LOVE* custom orders, so don't hesitate to ask.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

New Year's Resolutions & All of That

There's something about the start of a new year, it brings about the desire for change, the want to do better, the need to be a better blogger....

I know I talk about my inability to update the blog regularly, but I feel that this is my Achilles heel. So in the spirit of the new year I've resolved to blog more regularly, not talk about my failure at blogging anymore, and to send our monthly newsletter on a monthly basis. If you want to receive our newsletter but you're not already on our mailing list you can sign up here. We've also recently updated our website. We've got a new host, a new look, a link to our Etsy shop, and a shiny new Events calendar. If you haven't been by the new site please take a moment to check it out.

We have also been updating our Etsy shop since we got back from Christmas vacation. We've been adding more favorites and we're working on some great new projects. Look for new totes in various sizes, zipper pouches in great new fabrics, and fun pillowcases.

We'll also feature many of the new sewing projects in our display at Stash in Castle Rock.

Speaking of Stash I'm excited to say that I'll be teaching a great class called "Anatomy of a Sock" beginning Wednesday, January 5th. This will be a two part class where we'll cover all the in's and out's of knitting socks. Please call 303-660-YARN for more details or to register. I love knitting socks so I am really excited for the chance to teach this class. There are lots of great sock yarns at Stash, but if you're too far away to join us you can find some amazing sock yarn at Apothecary Yarns on Etsy.

So I think we're off to a good start this year. I'm back on the blog and the newsletter, we're getting the shop back in shape and adding some great new items, and I'll be teaching and knitting at Stash.

We hope that everyone had a fantastic holiday season with friends and family, and that you, Dear Friends, are looking forward to this shiny bright new year as much as we are.

See you next week!
Suzanne