How to handle customs? (And a sneak peek!)

I'm actually quite perplexed on this one. I love knitting Silly Stripes, especially customs as the colors that other mommas come up with are so much fun for me to work up! But, I'm finding that I have more mommas wanting Silly Stripes than I have the time to work on knitting. So, how do I do it? Sell to my friends first? This doesn't seem quite fair. Should I keep a list that has no obtainable end? Keep a list from email or PM requests? Not sure I could organize all that. Sell to the momma with the fastest finger? Slots via lottery? Auction? I really don't know what the best option is.
Here's the other part...I still want to stock my store, and I also would love to knit up some of the amazing HC yarn that I have in my stash! :)

So~dear reader...are you out there? I'm asking for your opinion...what would you like to see happen? Oh, and I must share this with you. lol...I have a momma who's threatened (promised? ) to email me a poem everyday until she has a slot. With her permission....

I was going to write you a large and heartfelt piece of poetry proclaiming my love for your knitting and describing my unending quest to own one of these beauties. However, we're both busy women - I'm sure you don't have anymore time to read that then I do to write it. And so, I've decided that I will have to do the next-best, time saving, condensed version.
That's right. Haikus.
I was thinking maybe one each day until your next stocking. And if I'm too annoying, well, I'm sure you know where the block sender button is on your email. (I'd help you out with that, but I use hotmail, so mine is probably in a different place than yours.)

So without further delay -

Little Bear Knit Wear
longies dance across my dreams
like crabs in the sand

Fantastic! Don't you think? It sure made my day!! I know how she thinks I should fill my customs. lol...but what do you think? Please comment to let me know your opinion and suggestion. :)

Now, to share a wip! (Work In Progress)



I love these colors together. Again...a pair I'd love to keep for Bear. ;) They'll be off to their new home in a week or so.

Since diapering wool requires a diaper....

I'm constantly on the look out for amazing fitteds. :)
Honestly, we use a great deal of prefolds too...but good fitteds are such a joy. When I was about 6 months into diapering two children, I underwent a *huge* diaper sell off and streamlined my stash to prefolds, flats, and my favoirte workhorse fitteds. This included GMARs (now called Prefitteds), Fireflies and Clovers. They work. They fit well. They're simple to use when diapering two requires a quick laundry turn around.
Now that Emma has PLed, I'm on the great diaper search again. Bear is my last baby, so I've decided to get him some new diapers (who am I kidding, they're for me) to finish out his days in cloth. So...what am I loving?
Clothmopolitans. What is not to love? I used them when my babies were in smalls and mediums, then overlooked them when I did my great streamlining. Here's Bear in his new carrots diaper. There is a peas to match. I also treated him (me) to a bear one as well...but we can't show that one off just yet.



I've found another new *favorite* for night time. I'm not sure how I did night time diapering before these diapers!!! Bonnie at Holden's Landing makes an amazing diaper called the Bed Bug. When she makes them all pretty with dye and embroidery, they then become a Dreamscape. These diapers are *amazing*. I can let Bear sleep in one with a day weight layer of wool, and our sheets are dry and he's totally comfortable. Here's Bear with his bear getting ready for bed.

Nice looking diaper, huh?

So...I'll continue on this quest for new and wonderful fitteds until Bear PLs. Hopefully when he does, it will be easy for us both...but secretly, I'm wishing it won't be for a while. ;)

He *is* a Bear!

Ok...so you may know by now that I call my darling son Bear. It's his nickname..though he has a perfectly good name on his birth certificate, I call him Bear most of the time. It's funny how a nickname can evolve to become just what it needs to be in the moment.
When Bear was born, he was a snuggle bug...like a teddy bear that you had clutched to when you were small. He also growled a little bit. He wasn't a grunter...he was a growler. He grew quite quickly, and when he began to crawl, he looked like a small cub. So big, with huge hands, lumbering along. He still growled quite a bit. Now Bear is 18 months old. He fits his name for different reasons each day. He's still my cuddly teddy bear. He still growls-though often now a defensive growl at his big sis'. ;) When he's teething, or especially tired, he's an angry bear...watch out. Today, he's been my teddy bear, and my angry bear. Right now he's sleeping and I should be knitting. My little Bear's hibernation only lasts just over an hour.

Hot off the needles!

I just completed these for a very sweet momma! They're not yet washed or blocked, but the weather is perfect for photography today, so I couldn't resist. I'm going to go cast on for the matching hat...I'll update when that is complete! Thanks for peeking!

Turtle Butt~A Test Knit

Ok...so I love this pattern. When Melanie first started showing these off....I knew Bear would need a pair. In brown and green-my favorite combo. So, when she was looking for testers recently, I pounced. (I love testing for Melaine. She's fantastic to work with, and I enjoy her patterns immensely.)
I started this one immediatly, then had to put it down to work on customs. I really need to pick it up and finish it. I think that I have less than about two hours work left now. This picture is not current, but it's the only one I have at the moment.
So....what do you think? Are you feeling a little turtle in your future? ;)

So...since I'm a blogger now...lol...

Here's a sneak peek at the custom that I'm currently working on. Actually, it's nearing completion! When the little hat is all done, I'll post a pic of the set. The colors are amazing in real life!

I've been discovered!

lol! Thanks to one of the sweetest mommas I know....who posted my link here. ;) So...I guess it's time to start using this blog? Um...OK! :)

Thank you Amy for such a nice rave about Till's Silly Stripes set. She's adorable and I hope you all really enjoy her set come fall. I look forward to seeing pics come fall...hint hint. ;)

Now...I'm off to read up on how to do all this blogging...I need to make this site prettier and also should have a place to update customs, huh?

Thanks for everyone's support!
Smiles~M