Nesting

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So, some of you have seen on facebook that I've been working on some finished plush for a special client. Well, I guess it's about time I fessed up... I'm finally going to do the gallery thing.

I've been contacted by a few in the past, but The Nest in Tremont, OH is somehow different. The owners (Robin and Ben) are genuinely excited about having The Itsy Bitsy Spider in their shop/boutique/coffee-pastry bar and I really felt a good vibe with them. So after a lot of thought, I decided that I'm in!

The Nest is scheduled to open on September 1, 2011 and I'll be one of 30 or so artists helping to kick things off. I don't have a lot of online information right now, but I promise to update everyone with The Nest's links, Facebook, etc. as soon as they become available.

In the mean time, I'm gonna be a little busy stocking up for the grand opening, so please be patient with me!

Getting Ready for the Grand Opening...

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Last night, I swung by The Nest to drop off my first load of goodies for their shop grand opening. I made sure to bring my trusty camera with me so you can have a look at my newest venture!

The paint is barely dry on the walls (co-owner, Ben, told me that he was at the gallery until 1:30 the previous night painting), and the protective papers are still hung over the shop's frint windows. But that didn't stop a steady stream of folks from wandering in during a special pre-opening show...


Even though things are still in a bit of a disarray, many of my creatures had no trouble finding themselves little nooks here and there to look absolutely adorable!

In fact, The Nest is excited to have two of the very first available of my new Cotton Puppy design!


There is still much to be done before September 1, but I think this is going to be a great adventure for me. If you're in the Cleveland area, I hope you'll mark your calendar!

Cute Cotton Kitty

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One of the best things about designing patterns is getting to see how people make them their own and enjoy them. Because the Cute Cotton Kitty pattern is so versitile, I've already gotten quite a few photos and stories of how folks are having fun with this design -- but none of them have melted my heart the way this one, from Irene did. Here's the note I received from Irene the other day in the email:

Hi Karla,

I know you're busy hooking away with the new project, but I wanted to share with you my latest creation (thanks to you).

So a bit of a back story first... Attached is a picture of our real Kitty. I had her for 14 years and she passed away in March.  


Finally, after several months, we decided to adopt a new kitty and ended up with 2 new kitties (brother and sis). Shortly thereafter, we discovered that our youngest son (age 3) has a level 5 allergy to cats, where 1 is mild and 5 is horrendous. Go figure. Not sure why, but he never reacted to Kitty.

I decided to make them an "allergy free" kitty and based it on the colors of the original Kitty. Attached is a picture of Kitty Jr. The boys love her!

Thank you, Irene, for sharing your kitty pictures and you story. And by the way, Kitty Jr. is cute, but that handsome young fellow with her really steals the show!

New & Improved Dust Kitten Pattern

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I've needed to revamp some of my older patterns for a long time now and since I've been working on a big batch of Dust Kittens for The Nest, I figured there was no harm in snapping the pictures I needed for a new Dust Kitten pattern.

So what does the new pattern have that the old version did not? Well, for one, lots of new photos that are much clearer and easier to see.

The new pattern is (hopefully) a lot easier on your printr too. I'm trying out a new two-column format that should save some space and result in a shorter print. All of the detailed instructions you've come to know and love are still there, but we'll be killing just a couple a less trees in the process!

For those of you who purchased the pattern via Ravelry, you should be able to download the new pattern free of cost via your pattern library. If you're an Etsy customer, just attach your copy of the pattern to an email (or send me a link to your Etsy receipt) and I'll be hapy to send you off a new copy. My email address (in case you lost it) is ibscrochet@gmail.com

And if you don't own a copy of this pattern already, now is a great time to start whipping up some Dust Kittens of your very own (they make great stocking stuffers!). You can purchase online using the Buy Now button below or visit my Etsy shop.
 Dust kitten pattern $3.00 USD




As usual, please note that the prices in my Etsy shop are slightly higher to cover my costs of selling in that venue. Ravelry charges me less to sell patterns, so I  pass my savings on to you!

Clem's Little Secret

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Everyone has their dirty little secrets... some are dirtier than others.

Take Clem, for example. It started off with a long summer walk through a dusty Texas town. Clem was hungry. He stopped at a diner. The menu read ham-burger...

Isn't ham supposed to be pork?

One bite and Clem was in love. Two bites and he realized his mistake. Three bites and it was impossible to go back.

Now - when he thinks the rest of the herd isn't looking - Clem sneaks off to that diner. He is oh-so-careful in keeping his little secret... he even makes sure to bring his little bib so that he doesn't dribble on his sweater.

Oh, Clem.

The pattern (called "Clem's Little Secret") is now available for download on Ravelry ($3.00) or you can purchase from my Etsy Shop and have the pattern emailed directly to you for $5.00. As always, the pattern is loaded with step-by-step instructions and photos to help you create Clem, his little bib, and the fateful cheeseburger.

And for those of you who would rather purchase without creating a Ravelry account ($3.00 download), just click the Buy Now below!

Saved by Spindle Cat -- and a GIVEAWAY!

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One of the first Etsy sellers ever featured on this blog was S. Kate Hutchison of Spindle Cat Studio (see story here). Back then, in spring of 2009, I was still trying to figure out my way around Etsy. I was also trying to figure out how to keep a stitch marker intact for more than a week or so.

You see, I am really hard on my stitch markers. I started out with those plastic loops from the craft store and was going through about one a week. After those turned out to be a total fail, I switched to a paperclip -- but that kept snagging my yarn. Then I tried using a yarn stitch marker, but it just got in my way. I was at the end of my rope.

So, I shopped around on Etsy and found S. Kate Hutchison. She makes her own beautiful stitch markers from copper and was willing to work with me to do a custom crochet stitch marker. After a few tries, we had a set that I liked. But then she went one step further. She played around with what we had discovered and came up with MY stitch marker.

If you have my patterns, you've probably seen it peeking out from my projects. It is a beautiful Czech glass tear-drop-shaped marker with a twirl of copper. After receiving my "embrace" crochet stitch marker from S. Kate, I never used the set I bought from her. I was in love.
Until a few weeks ago...

My wonderful, perfect stitch marker gave in to all the abuse I put it through and broke. I contacted S. Kate in despair and told her my story. She had never had one of her stitch markers broken before me! S. Kate agreed that if I sent back the broken marker, she would fix it for me -- at no cost. And fix it she did...


You see why I love this lady and her work?
 So, here's the deal. I noticed that recently my blog passed the 400 followers mark and decided that it was time to do something to celebrate. I special ordered four more of the embrace stitch markers from S. Kate -- just like mine. And, I've decided to offer them as a giveaway: one stitch marker for every hundred blog followers!
S. Kate was even willing to throw in some little treats of her own... so each of the winners will also receive some Spindle Cat swag -- including a nifty little keychain pen that is perfect for marking patterns!



So, here's what you need to do to get yourself entered for this prize...

• First off, you MUST be a follower of my blog via Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs. To join, scroll down to the Google Friend Connect widget on the right side of the screen and click Join This Site. Or, click the Networked Blogs link and then click the Follow button there.
• Next, complete this form.

That's it!
The giveaway runs from today (8/29/11) through midnight EST on September 5, 2011. I will select a winner at random and announce the winner via blog and Facebook on September 6.
Good luck!


The Terms and Conditions: This giveaway is open to anyone -- unless your country specifically prohibits the import of the items offered in this giveaway (for a list of import regulations, please see the USPS web site). In cases where import license is required, the winner of the giveaway is responsible for obtaining such license. Winners will be contacted on Septmber 6, 2011 via the email address provided in the entry form. If this email goes unanswered for more than one week, The Itsy Bitsy Spider reserves the right to choose a different winner for the prize package.
Prizes will be shipped via USPS first class mail during the week of September 6, 2011. Once prizes have been shipped, The Itsy Bitsy Spider claims no further responsibility for delivery of the item.

Finally... The PUPPY!

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Has this whole thing dragged on for nearly a month? Well, yes... I suppose it has. But I hope to be able to tell you that is was well worth the wait. In fact, I hope that you tell me it was well worth the wait, because that adorable puppy you saw my daughter cuddling is finally here!


The pattern is loaded into Ravelry and likewise available for purchase on Etsy. Keep in mind that -- like all my other patterns -- if you purchase on Ravelry, you will receive a discounted price of $3.00 (Etsy is $5.00). I offer the discounted price because it's easier for me to manage sales on Ravelry and it costs less to use that venue. Of course, I am happy to provide patterns through Etsy and will have all purchased patterns emailed within 24 hours.

And, if you prefer to go without creating a Ravelry or Etsy account, you can always purchase my patterns using the Buy Now button!

 Playful Cotton Puppy pattern $3.00

I can't wait to see all your puppies (I have a feeling there are going to be quite a few popping up here and there as we move into the holiday season!)