Springtime Knitting

I'm in Big Bear, CA for an exteneded weekend and I'm loving the spring weather. Just before I left, I pulled out all sorts of great springtime fabrics and I can't wait to get back and sew up some cheery knitting bags. So, get out your cotton yarn and bring on spring! Keep checking my etsy shop at http://knittingsmybag.etsy.com for spring bag updates. Check out my flickr page as well for lots of new fabric choices. Link on this page~

Facebook

Trying to build up my fan base on my Facebook Fan Page. I'd love to have some give aways and have some special coupons for my Facebook friends but I only have about 40 fans at this point. The "powers that be" tell me that I need at least 100 first. So, become a friend and let's get going! http://www.facebook.com/knittingsmybag

Spring is almost here!

With spring fast approaching, I'm working on a series of knitting bags with spring/summer themed fabric. So grab that cotton yarn and get ready for my April 2nd "Spring Fling" Open House. Check out my Etsy shop or come back here to my blog to see what new and exciting fabrics are on the shelves.

Happy Valentine's Day

My shop is loading up on great Valentine's Day themed bags, pouches and stitch markers. My favorite color is red so that makes Valentine's Day one of my favorite holidays. I really like vintage valentines and I have a few different fabrics with vintage valentines.

Please check out my new items.

Holiday Themed Knitting Bags

I always look forward to sewing up a bunch of holiday themed bags during this time of year. I especially love Michael Miller's "Holiday Skaters". It reminds me of the days of my youth when my brother, sister and I would shovel the snow off a tiny pond near our house and skate 'round and 'round. Now that I am in California, I certainly don't get ice skating (although I'm sure there is an indoor rink somewhere) but just looking at this fabric brings a smile to my face.

Gearing Up For The Holidays

Well, September is half over and that means time to gear up for the holidays at KnittingsMyBag. I've been scouting out great new fabrics and styles to add and I'm finally going to reopen my Etsy Shop: Bag Lady Bags (under the seller name lrichmond3). I have been working on some great wristlets, make-up bags, and key fobs. You know, smaller items that are great for stocking stuffer and that won't break the bank.

Anyway, back here at KnittingsMyBag, I'm going to again offer my signature "Christmas Stocking with a Twist" that was so popular last year. It's a Christmas stocking with needle slots and a wider pocket for patterns and whatnots;. It has a closure at the top and a loop to hang it on the fireplace mantel if you like. I'm excited!

Stay-tuned for lots of updates now that the fall season is upon us and the air is cooler and more conducive to work!

Facebook Fan Page

Wow, didn't realize how tough it was going to be to start up a Facebook Fan Page for KnittingsMyBag and actually get people to become friends. I want to get folks connected so that they can preview new bag selections and I'm hoping to set up some bag giveaways, especially for the upcoming holiday season. Any suggestions on how to accomplish this would be appreciated. Thanks!!

Doing What You Love

I have to say, I love, love, love fabric. I have yards and yard and yards of it. So much fabric I'll NEVER be able to use it all and still I want more. Could it be an addiction? I think maybe it is. I want to make knitting bags from all of it but I refuse to let what I consider a "hobby" completely take over my life. I already sew about five hours a day and that should be enough.

My first priority is my family. I need to keep an orderly house, cook meals and spend time with my husband and daughter. I love my life and I want to keep that happy balance. It is a tight rope walk; however and one that takes constant re-evaluation. So, join me on my journey. Tag along for the adventure!

Knitting for Charity

This is a website for those of you who are interested in knitting for Charity. It has great free patterns and places for send your completed projects. If your organization is not included, maybe you can work on getting it on the list. http://www.knittingforcharity.org/

An Angry Little Boy

There has been a huge draw to this Michael Miller fabric entitled "Knitmare on Elm Street." It pictures skeletons knitting, dogs chewing yarn, an angry boy dressed in winter cothing and, for some reason, a carton of chinese food. It came in torquoise, green and pink. I had a couple of yards of green and 6 yards of pink. I wish I had 100 more yards. I could sell all the bags I could make out of this funky fabric. I'm including a couple of pictures. What draws people to this fabric?

Knitting Book Reviews

I love knitting books and I have a massive collection of books. I have been stumped about what to blog about so I thought I would review a couple of my latest books. Some I like, some I don't. If you are in the market for a new book, maybe it will help you out:

A Most Have:
Socks a' la Carte by Jonelle Raffino and Katherine Cade.

This book is so much fun. It brings you back to the flip books of your childhood..only the authors refer to them as split pages. The first part of the book explans how it works, gives you yarn choices and needle choices as well as some great techniques. Then the fun part: Cuffs, Bodies and Feet ~ thousands of possibilities and a lot of fun choosing the patterns. Here are a couple of pictures.

Bags, Bags and More Bags

Wow, I'm loading up my shop with bags in new fabrics and some new styles. I have a lot more in the pipeline but finding the time to sew them all is the issue. I'm anxious to get my two other shops up and running http://littlebopink.etsy.com and http://lrichmond3.etsy.com but I just can't seem to get the time to sew for those yet. I have some great plans and patterns ready to go as soon as I get the opportunity.

I'm heading off to Sedona, AZ with the hubs for a week on Tuesday, April 28, but my daughter, Hillary, is on the job mailing out bags on a daily basis. I'm hoping to get a chance to do some knitting for a change and put some of the pictures up on my blog. With all the sewing in recent months, knitting has taken a back seat but is the reason I got started making the bags. I just couldn't find the right bag.

I'm going to put on a few more knitting patterns as well. Stay tuned for lots of new things on this blog as I fumble around trying to figure out what I'm doing!!

Back In The Saddle Again

After a long and difficult three months, I'm back in California for a few weeks and throwing myself into my Etsy Shops (http://Knittingsmybag.etsy.com; http://lrichmond3.etsy.com; and http://Littlebopink.etsy.com). I'm using the next few weeks to load up all three shops with goodies and, hopefully, there will be sales to mail out.

I've received a great shipment of fabric and I'm ready to start creating. Now, if I can just adjust to West Coast time, I'll be all set.

Prototype Knitting Bag

As you can see at the left, I recently took a poll on what knitters are looking for in a knitting bag. I learned a lot from those who participated and I made up a bag which I think includes what most are looking for. Introducing: The Etsy Knitters Knitting Bag. It is made from great fabrics and has tons of pockets. I plan on making other versions of the bag with a new twist here and there.

Wow, now that's tiny

This is a great video of miniture knitting. I have never seen anything like this. She woman is knitting appeal for tiny characters for an upcoming movie. Check it out!

A New Beginning

I've decided to make the plunge and change my Etsy username. I've had 81 sales and 67 positive feedbacks but my old name, Bagladybags, never really described what type of bags I make. People thought I made purses instead of needlework bags. So, I decided to switch over and start all over again. All over again means my blog, flickr, myspace, twitter, plumdrop, indiepublic, we love etsy, and on and on but I think it will be worth it. Stay tuned to watch my shop grow and my blog grow as well. I have some fun things planned for all your knitters out there!