Cute little shop in the Junction - Kid Culture

Another terrific spin off from 100 mile finds - received a msg from Clare, who has opened a sweet little kids shop in the Junction neighbourhood of Toronto - called Kid Culture. Clare has taken some of my HP knits on commission, so friends if you want to see the pieces live and in person, check out Kid Culture. Some of my critters are there - Hegwig, Scabbers, Pidwidgeon, Crookshank - along with lots of burgundy and gold striped items - scarf, tie, tam, pom pom beanie, fingerless gloves and more. Check out the pic Clare sent of the HP display - looks awesome. Thanks so much Clare!

Featured seller on 100 Mile Finds today!

Pretty exciting! Many thanks to the good folk at 100 Mile Finds for a great writeup. However, I feel one point needs elaboration.

I'm pretty sure yarn diva Diane Crawford from Georgetown Yarn & Crafts would agree that it's never too warm for knits!

If you're a knitter/crocheted, summertime when you're lifeguarding by the pool or beach and the glare off your lakeside paperback has become too strong for your eyes, you want your fave project bag around.

As for the warmth of the projects, there are so many fun things to knit from cotton yarn. I'm just blocking out a really cool fishing hat for a small boy - better post pic when it's done - in off white cotton worsted. I love doing hybrid dresses for little girls. If you knit the bodice in cotton, it's more stretchy and forgiving than sewing about expanding to fit sweaty little bodies. Whip off a skirt in remaindered cotton gingham, a quick few hand stitches to the bodice, and you've got a lovely light sundress. Bernat online, I believe, has a free sun top in cotton with adjustable tie straps - just start it at the waist, and this is your basic dress bodice. You can top with a frilly ruffle hat in yarn ends if you want to go for the matched ensemble.

Even if the project requires a warmer fibre, like wool or alpaca, summer can be a great time for dashing off small items that aren't heavy in your lap. I think this time last year I was making a mountain of natural fibre earflap hats and mittens to take with us on a humanitarian trip with Winnipeg Inner City Missions. The director had suggested natural neutrals that men or women could wear during the cold Winnipeg winter.

And summer time is a great time for scrounging for deals on heavier weight fibres at aforementioned GT Yarns & Crafts. Diane has a fabulous discount wall where I find great naturals at fab prices right now.

As for HP and Canadiana knitwear in summer, I can tell you that in the 'heat' of the moment, as it were, when people are looking for an HP or maple leaf accessory - ie scarf or cap - to fly their colours, they never care if it's an acrylic knit - they just gotta have it!

So there you have it - the myth of summer knits summarily busted.

Thanks 100 Mile Finds for prompting this little tidbit of food for thought!

Vendor Opportunity

Now here's something interesting. My friend Lisa, who lives in lovely Blyth in southwestern Ont., has been pitching me on going in as a vendor to an artist co-op in town, called Maple and Moose. (Is it 100 miles from GT - I don't know. But with family on Blue Mountain and the inlaws history with Sauble Beach, it's within 100 miles of my heart!) The co-op is housed in a lovely historic building, and gets lots of traffic due to the Blyth Theatre Festival. And the rates seem do-able. For the 9 months that the shop is open, rental rates for 1 vendor average out to $27 a week. That's a bit stiff if you don't have a strong sense of how much you would sell. But to team up on a space would cost half of that, so $13 and change, and that looks more in striking range. Hubby and I are going over to see a play at the end of the month, and will scope out the shop. Definitely food for thought....

Well, i've put in my application to one of the local farmer's markets. Pretty nervous about that. Way too much regular scheduling for this stay at homie. Oh well, gotta try to support my habits.

Have been testing how fast i can whip items up, thinking summer now. But that hasn't stopped me from starting new pair of chunky fingerless gloves and starting a half carton of knitted happy easter eggs.

There are pics i should take, maybe after the rain forecast for the next 3 days.

However am pretty excited to have ordered a pair of nordic walking poles and vibram shoes (?) so that i can try to approximate my newfound love affair with snowshoeing once the snow is gone.

So pretty much same old - so many big ideas, so little time!

Low down on Thomas St. craft sale

Well sad to say, it was a light on customers. Most were other vendors or relatives of. Could be recessionary times causing people to cling to their nickels. I sold 3 items totalling $43 - didn't make my booth space fee back. Sold more at Craftstock.

Calibre of craftsmanship was pretty good. Communication with the show organizer was great - she was helpful and friendly and quick to answer queries.

Event was billed as having student help. The students were a bit wanting in initiative. Much more help received from students at Craftstock.

It seemed to be more of a cross between a middle school business lesson and a craft sale. A table of young gals next to us were selling cupcakes etc. I felt the same amount of revulsion I have in the recent past at my kids' middle school craft shows when i saw the kids here licking the spoons after refilling the tart shells.

Some instruction on courteous vendor behaviour would seem to be in order. A couple of kids were commenting of one of my hats declaring it to be $5 less than Boathouse. Then she up and drags her friend over, who had some of her own amurigami toys at another table, they then proceeded to lift up my hat in front of my table and take a picture of it so her friend could make one like it for her.

Another class act duo - one liked a pair of Gryffindor mitts, asked the price, when told $20 - her mom said, right in front of me, just buy the yarn and i'll make it for you.

You'll find bad manners everywhere, of course. Lots of people put down my merch like hot potatoes when told the pieces were in the $20 - 25 range. Let's see - for a 2 colour burgundy and gold item, you need 2 balls of yarn, which since you can't just buy off coloured remainders, go for $8.99 full retail a ball. That's $18. plus tax even before you make it. I don't have a problem with diy, but no one's time is worth 50 cents an hour.

I would say another event where people expect toilet paper poodles at bargain basement prices. I didn't really learn a lot about what people were interested in.

Attention Christmas shoppers - WHEN YOU GO TO AN ARTS & CRAFTS SHOW, WHERE ITEMS ARE NOT BEING MASS PRODUCED AT SLAVE WAGES FOR HUGE MULTINATIONAL CONGLOMERATES WITH HUGE PURCHASING POWER, DON'T WRINKLE YOUR NOSE AND EXPECT CUT RATES. RESPECT THE ARTIST AND ARTISAN, AND KEEP YOUR NEGATIVE COMMENTS TO YOURSELF UNTIL AT LEAST OUT OF EARSHOT OF THE VENDOR. AND DON'T TAKE PICS OF OTHER PEOPLE'S WARES - IT'S A HAIR'S BREADTH AWAY FROM STEALING.

That is all.

Well, have one craft sale under my belt; 1 more upcoming this weekend. Impressions of Craftstock - i liked how the teens at the school helped a lot with unloading cars, etc. This sale is fairly new, and i felt patrons were looking for more of a toilet roll poodle type of craft sale; def not the arts side.

Had the pleasure of being booth neighbour to Tommy Cudmore, a glass blower. Ended up leaving with one of Tommy's fab glass penguins - he wanted a sweater for it, since his gran doesn't make them any more. Tommy said he'd been to some kind of craft sale at the Better Living Centre last yr and had sold all but 5 pieces. That did not happen here.

I think there's lots of potential for this sale. It will take a couple more yrs and an attitude adjustment in promotional material to get patrons to be prepared for the 'arts' dimension of arts and crafts.

Next week - report on Thomas Street Middle School craft sale, Mississauga.

Whoa - sorry friends. Tis a long time since i've checked in. Well, Aug was pretty much dominated by the youth mission trip to Winnipeg, MB. Life changing, like man. Other than posting via Twitter during the trip, updating our Picasa web album, etc., I haven't really written my own account. Got the kids all to write something. Trying not to sound like the wise old woman of the mountain.

Sept was reeling from reentry. Few back home snafus, back to school, or not, and B's birthday.

Happily much knitting has been done. Still tripped out on MB quality earflap hats. In keeping with my HP tangent, picked up 6 skeins in total of burg and yellow alpaca on sale at fave lys.

All will be well, all manner of thing shall be well....

Have signed on for 2 craft sales in Nov. First try at this. Craftstock in Oakville Nov. 13, then Thomas St. Middle School Nov. 20. Always good to see what is resonatin with the folks out there.

Well, getting late. Signing off for now...