Tuesday (or Wednesday) Tens: Ten Gifts I'd Like To Get From Etsy

Last year I took the Handmade Pledge, and this year I'm keeping it going. If you want to get a gift for me (or yourself) here are some ideas.

1. Knitting Needles by Chelle.
I've been drooling over these for a long time. They have several with initials, and I also like the ones with funny sayings like "Knit Wit," "Knit Picky" or "In Deep Knit."

2. Handpainted Yarn from Yarn Oddities.
Beautiful, vibrant colors.

3. A Glass Knitting Pendant like this one from Chauncey Design.
This design always sells out quickly, but they usually restock it. Squidglass also has a nice selection of knitting related pendants.

4. Jewelry made from knitting needles from Saving Nine Creations, Sassafras Creations or Liana Kabel.
Saving Nine has earrings made from the very tips of metal needles that have the needle size, Sassafras uses both ends for earrings, necklaces and more (I think The Knitting Nest carries their keyrings) and Liana Kabel has bangles made out of needles.

5. Novelty Batts from Loop or Terra Bella Spun.
I have one from Butterfly Girl Designs already. After I get better on the wheel, I plan to dig into the novelty batts. I'm excited about spinning novelty yarn.

6. Art Yarn from Bugtussle Yarn.
See number 87 on my list. There are so many to choose from, but Bugtussle seems to have the wildest and weirdest. Bees Knees Knitting, Felt Studio, Pancake and Lulu, Snowberry and Lime, Ozknits and Weird & Twisted also have great selections of art yarn.

7. A Ginormous Knitting Bag from Actual Size Creations.
One of the few bags I've seen that looks like it would fit everything.

8. Alphabetical Stitch Markers from Hide and Sheep.
Sooner or later I'll dig into my Cat Bordhi Book. When I do, these will help.

9. Roving from Zen Yarn Garden.
Must Keep Knitting also has some pretty roving.

10. Knitter's Giftdex from Knit.
You want something nest year, don't you?

All I bought were T-Pins, I promise

I did swatch today. I also bound off Strangling Vines. But I will blog about those later.

I stopped by Gauge today in search of blocking advice, T-Pins and either Eucalan or Soak. I found everything except the wool wash.

Gauge has in Noro Taiyo. Here is hat knit out of it. I took a picture of the skeins they had available, but the picture didn't come out.

Taiyo is what so many of us have been waiting for. It's a cotton blend, so it's softer than Kureyon, but still has the same beautiful colors.

I took a picture of this sample scarf in the shop for inspiration. I like the way two different weights of yarn were used together. It worked out well.

Cheva was there selling her hats. I wish I had gotten to take more pictures, but my batteries died.

One of these things is not like the other...


Remember the Battle of the Bamboo Silks? Gauge has in a couple of skeins of Ella Rae Bamboo Silk. It was a great chance to compare it with Vickie Howell's SWTC Love.


Here are the labels. The yellow one is SWTC Love and the green one is Ella Rae. The yarns basically have the same stats, just worded differently. More details here.

There are minor differences. Love is a little thinner and has a little more sheen. Ella Rae is a little thicker and more matte (Although it still feels "silky.") It's not much of a difference, but there is a difference.

Hopefully I can buy some of this great yarn soon. My next Gauge purchase is 25% off.

The Handmade Pledge

As someone who tries to make money off their craft, I thought it was important to take the Handmade Pledge. The official pledge is to "buy handmade this holiday season and request that others do the same for me."

The website has a lot of interesting, political information on "craftivism" and the importance of being a conscientious consumer. But the main reason I took the pledge was because in my minimal craft show experience, I was tired of people saying (loudly) that they could get something similar at Walmart for half the price.

And I'm not perfect. I shop at Walmart too, but I do try to take a proactive approach. Not every gift I give will be handmade, but I'll make an effort to seek out some that are.

And now the fun part, requesting that others do the same for me.

Giving gifts is not the most important part of the holidays, but if you happen to be considering giving me a gift, here are some ideas.

Etsy may very well be the largest online marketplace for handmade items. I have a shop on the site myself. I also have a very extensive favorites list with lots of ideas. You can search Etsy by just about keyword, check the treasuries and look by color.

There is also a list of links to independent yarn dyers here. It's worth viewing just to see a few of the yarn dyers out there.

Also, there is a general wishlist here. It's not all handmade, but there are a few Etsy items there.

Finally, this isn't handmade, but the wishlist above includes links to Austin' local yarn shops. Shopping there does support small local businesses. Also, I have my a wishlist on file at The Knitting Nest, and Stacy, the owner, would be glad to show you everything is. My list is filed under "V" for Villarreal. :)

Ok, I'm done being materialistic. Time to work on the gifts I'll be knitting.

(PS - If you're on my shopping list, let me know if you have handmade requests, or if you see something you like on Etsy or elsewhere.)