Custom Work in all it's Infinite Variety

I would guess that probably 30% of my sales are in custom hats..and I love it.
There's nothing more fun than a newly-minted idea hatched to the customer's satisfaction..and it keeps the creative juices flowing too
Sometimes I even get custom work from past custom work..I  made a 'version' of a Dumbo the elephant hat for someone who loves the character, huge flappy ears and all..Then another  woman saw it, went nuts and  stalked me until I was at another market and she found me through email..
She wanted an identical hat, but I don't do  that, so talked her into a different version of an elephant hat, in colours she loved..she was thrilled, and told me she is designing, in her head, her next custom hat..yes!

Of course, it's wonderful to be appreciated, and I  have a new one  just finished and waiting for pick-up..a woman wanted a newborn 'hat' or wig made of dreds as a gentle joke because the young parents, according to her, are sort of nouveau hippies..I  convinced her that a hat with dreds was probably a better idea, and I  thought a rainbow hat  was the most 'hippy' way to go..I also embellished it with a peace symbol, for added credibility...here it is...

It's great fun to  create something  that works for both you and your customer...have fun with your custom orders!

Where Do You Get Your Ideas...Part 3

As mentioned, here are some shots of the completed project...a faux straw crocheted cloche with a tiny brim and a 'colourful' assortment of pansies as a focal, with a bit of black satin ribbon around the base of the crown....
I am keeping this one for myself, as it took way too many hours to try and price it  at this point, but I will probably add it to my Etsy store as a special order, if anyone  wants to actually pay me for my time....
Two full days worth of work, around 16-20 hours I'd guess, and  I am  happy with the results, though not at all what I had  in  mind to start with...
But isn't that the way design often goes...

Where Do You Get Your Ideas, Part 2

So the next part of my dissertation on inspiration (!) will be on the materials  to create...
In my case, this time, yarn...as is evident in the pictures of  the various skeins and little blurbs of colour I already crocheted in preparation for the pansies I'm making...pansies?  Did she say pansies?
Whatever happened with the iris, the original object of her inspiration?
Don't know how  everyone else's mind operates, but mine has a tendency to roam, quite a bit in fact, as I consider all the possibilities...and if you think about it, pansies have a similar sort of colour structure as irises...sort of....and wavy shaped petals...so somehow, my idea went from an iris to a bunch of pansies..not to say I won't try an iris, later, but the pansy presented so many difficulties, and it's a much simpler structure, that I felt it might be better to take baby steps on this one...at least for now...
So, here are my materials and colours:

  And, in the next image, are the  close-ups of my starting shapes...

Finally, after a couple of hours, I have finished three of them, with some embroidery involved, as you can see
in the last image, below...

 Thought I'd include the tools I used as well..a needle threader is a fussy and annoying tool but absolutely critical when the yarn is fatter than the needle, and it almost always is...

These flowers took way too long,  was thinking I would be making a good dozen of them, but it'll take much longer than I thought, so that is all for now...
When I've finished them, and the requisite leaves, I'll be back with the finished project (of course, a hat, what did you think...?)

Springtime in Paradise....

 The weather seems to be changing rather rapidly here in Paradise...although it is, of course, still a rainforest, with the requisite almost constant drip drip drip of early Spring...
We are now 'applying' as we have to do every year, for our little spot of  retail at the weekly Farmer's Market that  I attend, sometimes haphazardly (because of the weather)...
This year, have to decide if I want a permanent spot by paying seasonally, or if I want to drop-in...
Last year I had a permanent spot, but it proved to be a bit of a disaster...the powers that be decided to emphasize another section of the Market, naturally, the one I wasn't in, and it cost us much of our foot traffic...
It's a very difficult thing to find the spot that works for you in a large Market, but very frustrating to  be inadvertently sidelined, while paying the same amount as everyone else..this cost me last year, so trying to prevent a recurrence this time around by requesting a different location, although, technically, we are not allowed to do that.  *Sigh* not sure what will  happen, but stay tuned...
I have switched from  selling only hats and scarves to fewer of those, while still emphasizing baby hats, and added jewelry, which I'll sell alongside my crocheted items until Fall is upon us...
Surprisingly, at least to me,  still sell quite a few hats even in the  hot hot heat of summer..I assume, to tourists, who know that when they need them, they won't be here...
I also have applied, as usual,  for a  weekly Wednesday Market in a nearby town famous for its murals,  busloads of tourists there...
You  need to figure out where  (and when) your most successful  Market is - what works for you.
Social media (can you say "Etsy") has never worked for me...I leave a few things there, mostly to have a 'website' to refer to when applying at one-time fairs and holiday craft markets, etc. but really, I rarely sell anything there..I tried ArtFire (don't ask) and Zibbet, too, which I like for the wonderful people who run it, but never had a single sale from there, so just letting my 'shop' lapse, and I'll stick with a much-reduced 'studio' on Etsy for practicality's sake...
Many of the other Bloggers I follow seem to do quite well online, don't know their secret, but for me, it's strictly face-to-face that works...so, since I actually enjoy retail (I hear the screams out there!) guess I will continue until I am too decrepit to put up a canopy or haul boxes, etc, in and out of my truck....

And Here He Is...

Thought I'd follow up with some images of Logan wearing the  Viking hat..he was pretty

happy about it..not to mention the fact that he really looks the part!

A Custom Order- One Viking Helmet...

 Saturday, December 22nd was our last day this year at my weekly craft market..and of course, for the first two hours it poured..so very little in the way of potential customers strolling through the market..cold, too, so me and everything I owned was soaked, in no time, despite the tent and some tarps for walls I threw up, in a hurry...
  The rain stopped around noon, and then at one we got a few customers..very few, because we have to stop at two...*sigh*
Still, I did okay with the hour I had, and one of the things that happened was a big burly young guy came  to my 'booth' and asked for a Viking helmet..I was really happy to do it, I'd actually been thinking about a child's version for awhile..but this guy was about 6'2", so, measurements taken, I started it that night, and today (Christmas Eve afternoon) put the finishing touches on it (I think)...
I want to tart it up a bit more, but I think he wouldn't like that..he was pretty specific about colours..what do you think of the finished product?

He wanted the back to look like chaine maille, so this was as close as I could get without making it too delicate...
He didn't want the horns too big, so...and nothing decorative, although I could have had a great time designing runes, etc. if I 'd been given carte blanche..actually the big discs in the front and the "nails" in the back are my idea, hope that is okay with him...
Kinda looks alien from the back, so, two hats in one...

Leopard That Can Always Change it's Spots

This isn't a tutorial, rather an unpaid endorsement of a fab new yarn I've been wishing for and fantasizing about for for awhile, called "Safari" and made by Stylecraft Yarns, which according to the label comes from the UK..I bought it online from Herrschner's.
I live in the back of beyond, have to drive many kilometers to buy any sort of yarn and what I can get isn't very exciting...I am also allergic, heavily, to  sheep's wool, so that cuts right down on what I can use, as well.  Buying  online has really helped me..
I often to try to blend different yarns, sometimes three at a time, to achieve looks I can't find  readily available.
I have a leopard hat that was created trying to blend different colours of yarn to look as though it were a leopard's fur...

But now that I have this safari yarn to work with, I'm in crochet heaven.. what I've done, so far..



I'm planning on another hat, and this one will be for me...
Found any interesting new supplies that work for you?

Yes," Christmas Chaos" was a bit chaotic...

Not every story has a happy ending, but making lemonade is what it's all about, so...
Here are some pics from my Christmas Chaos craft fair last weekend..sorry about the lack of quality in the photos...I didn't have the camera set correctly, but you'll get an idea..
There were several good  crafters here...

I gibbled up my back on Saturday night, so missed Sunday...and I was going to go around and get everyone's name for posting here, so you'll have to be content with the pics, sorry...to the crafters and my readers


   This lady had the most interesting take on neck pillows..see the animals at the top of the display?  They are all  stuffed in the body area, and the legs, heads, tails, etc. are hanging down on either side..very cute!

This is Naomi, who ordered this custom Dumbo hat from me..she has a thing about Dumbo...what can I say?



Here is a stained-glass artist whose work I quite liked...many original designs, instead of the usual five patterns reconstituted that you often see at fairs...I put a premium on originality, what about you?

 

This woman does silver 'weaving'...don't know what the technique is actually called but that is what it looks like..if you look at the  mandrel in her hand, you can see that she uses a needle to go in and out around it with silver wire, very fine stuff, and the results are so cool....very medieval looking, and she does some nice copper pieces, too.

Here is a pic of my friend Sue's table...she does a variety of crafts, from knitted baby things to beautiful miniature orchid arrangements..they are made from polymer clay but the constant question is "..are those real?" They could be, they are so beautiful, with hand-painted details...we are always on the lookout for tiny cups and bowls to  hold her arrangements, and we have gone to beautiful Port Renfrew, on the other side of the Island, to pick up driftwood that Sue also uses in her compositions...see top row...

And lastly, my display, which looks very dark and dreary in this image, but actually wasn't too bad..

I am still in rather bad shape, back-wise, seeing a chiropractor, and keeping my fingers crossed that my other three day fair, starting this Friday, is still feasible...cross your fingers for me...

It's that Time Again-My Top Ten...

Now that I  am back outdoors selling  my hats and jewelry every Saturday (that  it isn't raining)  I would like to share with you, once again, some of my favourite (!) lines, you know, the ones that you hear over and over and over again..some are golden oldies, and some are new, or modifications of oldies..keep in mind that my jewelry and my hats are original designs, no patterns used (or available) and I only make  one of everything.  That, of course, doesn't matter to every buyer, but why would they pay more than the cost of an Asian import if it doesn't?
I can't  be this sarcastic (well, most of the time I control myself) when dealing with people who just mostly aren't very original in what they have to say...but I do try and remember what it is like to be a buyer or potential customer, and to not just look at certain comments from the viewpoint of a seller. So, I'm giving you my answers to obvious ones, and their questions in others..the game is to figure out which is which...
 After all, we may all drive, but at one time or another, we are all pedestrians too - and these all too typical comments couldn't be more pedestrian....

1.  Yes, I made all this stuff
2.   Yes, I'll be here next week, if it isn't raining..
       "Hey I came by last week and you weren't here" (it was raining)
3.It's crochet, actually (when they ooh and ah about my 'knitting')
4.  "Oh, I knit too "  (No, they don't, or they would know the difference)
5.  "I'm just looking for ideas" (!)
6. "Oh, my mother/aunt/grandmother knits all this same stuff for me" (see #3 above)
7. " How much is your jewelry/How much are your hats?" (they are all clearly marked, and the hats have big paper tags..sometimes asked after they've been reading all the tags on several hats) and as if they were all a single price...there is no Dollar Store sign in my booth...none....
8.Will you hold this for me 'til next week-I don't have any money....? (of course, without a deposit)
9.  These hats are cute but they're too big (they are looking at newborn sized baby hats)
      These hats are cute but they are too small (see above)
10.  Well, this other vendor is selling hats for X$ less than you..(I always tell them that if price is their only criterion, they should definitely go and purchase from "that other vendor")
Still, love being outside, and actually quite enjoy the social aspects of Markets..great to see friends I've made, and to meet new people, hear some good live music, and eat far too much of all the things I shouldn't...stop by and say Hi...I promise not to bite your head off..

It's the Great Outdoors For Me...

It's gonna be that time of the year again..when we go back outside for our Saturday Farmers/Crafters Market..and I can't wait!
I'm getting to the point, usually about this time of year, when I can't bear to be inside all day, trying to sell  and trying to take a decent breath..it must be the antsiness of Spring, but, personally, if I lived in a place where I could sell outside all year, I would be happiest there.
Just spent way too much money buying some really outrageous yarn from a store going out of business here..it's one of my main locations for yarn purchasing so all of us  who are involved in fibre arts are really feeling nervous about where we will go in the future, since we live on an Island (albeit a big Island, not exactly the UK, but still, big) and we have few choices within an hour's drive...and with the cost of fuel, our options are shrinking..
Tried buying online but the shipping charges are prohibitive too..we may end up doing that again, this time hopefully  in co-operative mode,  buying in quantity to save a bit of cash on supplies..I really hate raising my prices!
It is one of the costs of living in Paradise, I guess...
Happy Making, everyone, and wish me luck for the coming season...♥

Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home...

I just completed this ladybug hat;  it's going to be a present for a dear friend's aunt..

I was a bit worried at first, as this is an older lady, but my friend specifically wanted the ladybug theme because her aunt loves and collects the little creatures..I am hoping to get a photo of auntie in this hat for my collection of "Rouge's Gallery" pictures that I put up in my spot when i vend outside at my Saturday Market..and we are back outside again on March 17th..personally, can't wait!
I am posting this as an example of a custom request..and to 'prove' to some disbelievers that I simply cannot keep adult-sized animal or insect, fish or fowl hats in stock..they are always the first to go and the ones ordered for a custom job.
Go figure...

New Models

I have been trying for a long while to figure out how to find models to photograph in my hats..this may not sound too onerous to some folks, but I live alone in a rural area, don't know many people, and can't afford to hire someone either to model or to take pro photos, so I lucked into this mother and daughter team who agreed..
Only the first of hopefully many other people  who do this.., I want to create a rogue's gallery  in a frame for my outdoor market kiosk, since people often ask me if I have pictures of people in my hats...they want to get one as a gift, but need to  have an actual person to visualize I guess..
As well, I want to be able to have a few real people in my listings on Etsy, for the same reasons...

They always want what you don't have....

I have recently started making booties and maryjanes, and even fingerless gloves, because it seems when anyone comes by my table at the Saturday market, they ask if I have them...of course, they also ask for washcloths and patterns, neither of which will ever happen, but the booties are sort of fun, and the fingerless gloves...well, kinda boring to make, but gotta give 'em what they want, yes?
Here are some examples..can't figure out a way for the gloves to actually look decent without my big ol' hands in them..

Some Newer Baby and Toddler Hats

Here are some of my latest "kids' lids" to be sold in my new Etsy shop..trying to upload a few every day until I have as many as possible listed...of course, I always seem to sell them at my Saturday Market when listed, but since I will only go to my Market about twice a month until mid-March, they will hopefully be available for online purchase for a little while longer.
Cheers!

Home is the Sailor, Home From the Sea...

Don't know if anyone has noticed, but I have a real penchant for being near or on the water- preferably salt water, but fresh will do..
I decided to play with this idea a bit in my children's hats, and have made a few that live under, or spend a good deal of their time in, water...and thought I'd share'em as a group with you...enjoy!
I present an octopus, a blackfish (local name for an orca, or killer whale, who is really a dophin) and a starfish..and for those of you who, like me, love traveling on land and sea, a little duckie, complete with a ducktail!

Waiting, Hopefully Not For Godot...

I have been remiss in posting here, but that's because I'm waiting..
Waiting for the Post Office lockout to be over, waiting to be able to finally draw a name for my give-away, waiting to open up my online shop again on ArtFire...and waiting for a decent day selling at Farmer's Markets, just to have something to be happy, and blog-chatty, about.
Problem is, it's been dreary here for everyone, and the weather is matching up wih the economy in general.
No one I'm talking to who also vends at these Markets is doing well - seems like hard times are catching up with us, and, when you have a mostly seasonal range, it is doubly hard.
But, thankfully, babies are born in every season, no matter what the weather is doing, and they truly have been the only thing selling - not babies per se, baby hats - ...not in great numbers, but at least they are keeping the groceries in the cupboard..
So thought I'd share with you what I did yesterday, since I was a bit astonished at myself..the crochet hook went into overdrive, for some reason, and the pictures around this posting are what happened after that...
a new-style ladybug hat to replace another one I sold last Saturday, and an idea from a potential customer.
She is a photographer, and was asking if I could do cocoons..I never had, but they're just a step away from a really long slouchy tube, so I said sure...and she said she'd send some "examples" of what she is looking for. I'm really not interested in copying someone else's work, plus, she says she wants a really plain, basic brown..not the most interesting thing to make for this colour junkie..well, haven't heard from her (that's normal) but it got me thinking about cocoons..so I made this little pea-in-a-pod coccon and cap..it's really newborn-sized, and my 'model' is more like a 4-6 month old, but you get the idea..
What do you think?

A Weird Day at the Market in the Square

Granted, yesterday wasn't my first day back outside, maybe my third or fourth, but the weather was so strange that it seems the average shopper thought better of it and stayed home..
It started out gray and chilly, but here on the West Coast of Canada we dress for that, this time of year, and a very grim Spring made us wary of throwing on the shorts and sandals just yet...
Later it was cloudy, windy, with the odd peek of the sun, lasting maybe five minutes, maybe less..and then it got downright epic.
The fun started- hail, and plenty of it, impossible, in an open canopy, to dodge or protect against it..what had already been a not so great day, financially, got worse by the minute, as everything was soaked..remember, I sell crocheted stuff, and it sucks up moisture in the air like a thirsty sponge, and rain and hail don't help either..great for keeping you warm and mostly dry, but...
I am currently sitting here surrounded by hats, on every available surface, that had to dry out overnight..just one of the many joys and sorrows of outdoor selling.
Because I sell alone, I can't always wander around and see what's going on, but it was slow yesterday, so took a few pictures to bring to you so you can get a sense of the people who create things to sell..a bit too early for the farmers to be here with their vast bins of produce, but i will produce more images as the season progresses..happy creating!
The first image is a side view of my little booth, no point in boring you with details of that. The next is Danusia and her wild mushroom booth - we are kinda famous here for having a wide variety of wild and edible mushrooms on this Coast- and she picks, dries and sells these in a dizzying variety.. the next is a booth of the woman who makes beautiful dyed silk scarves..and if you look to the left, you can see, besides their smiling faces (Mum and daughter) little whales and some other toys- so cute!
On to the main stage, where musicians, some good, some loud, regale us at every Market Saturday..then the woodworker behind me, whose little 'stove' would have made my heart sing as a child..love his stuff..
More later, as the season and the variety progresses.

Check out my Sale Pieces...

Here's my Collection of some of the hats and neckwarmers currently on sale in my ArtFire studio-the ones marked "Sale" are all going to be discounted by $5 each when purchased..just put "miz5" in the coupon or message area and I'll refund the $5 through Paypal..if you buy more than one item, just add X2 or whatever the number is, and you'll get a $5 refund for each item purchased.
Starting outside at my Farmer's Market this Saturday, and the discount applies there, too, so make sure and get your order in as soon as possible..

PIGGY TUESDAY!!!

It's that time again, and my contribution to the general piggie population is a newly created hat; hope you enjoy it..haven't listed it yet, but I will now that my readers have viewed it..
It's made from mostly cotton yarn, with a bit of acrylic thrown in, and it would fit a baby from about 6 months up to one or two years, depending of course on the size of that little one's head..I did make it generous so that those of us born with larger noggins get a break, too!

Dateline: Vancouver..Adventures in Crocheting..The Third Installment..

I decided I needed to make myself a hat one day in 1995..
I was attending what was referred to at the time as a Christmas Craft Fair (*clutch pearls* *shudder*), and there were some young girls with some nice - looking knit caps in a slouch design. I tried on the largest they had, but it was like a skull cap on me..they bravely smiled and said, "Oh, that looks nice" but we all knew it wasn't true..it was supposed to 'slouch,' and it didn't.
I was embarrassed, once again, by the massive size of my noggin..and they were glum..no sale..

Okay, some background...
It has been one of my many unfortunate physical drawbacks, this gigantic head of mine, present since, apparently, birth. One of my mother's stories about me is that when he delivered me, the eminent Dr. Baldwin told her I had the largest head he'd ever seen on any newborn baby..
As I grew older, poor Mom tried in vain to find a sunbonnet for me, or just anything, but it wasn't gonna happen..little Miss Wendi had a head that would be the envy of any egotist you could name..
Mom used to threaten, when I sassed her, to "put you back where you came from"; as i got older, I never failed to point out that that it would hurt her more than it hurt me.

As I grew older, of course I harbored secret lusts for hats of all types..a nice fedora like Edward G. Robinson, a cowgirl hat like Dale Evans, or a jaunty, fabulous cloche like Ingrid Bergman always seemed to wear in every film noir..but it was not to be..every hat I tried on was too small..even in men's hat stores, the biggest hats they had were too small..*sigh* it's not easy being me..

I decided, after that Christmas Fair, that I was going to try my hand at a slouchy cap..the only problem was, I didn't know how to knit, and since I'm left-handed (what else would a giant-headed woman be?) never found anyone to teach me..
I finally got some yarn, and just played and played til I figured it out..and then, one day, found the yarn that would change my life forever..
Melodramatic? You bet! Still, it's true, because I walked into this wee yarn and sewing shop on 4th Ave in Vancouver, BC one day in 1996, and found a faux fur-ish ombre'd brown yarn that looked like an unraveled teddy bear..I bought it, made a great slouch hat for myself with it, and every time I wore it that winter, people would ooh and aah over it..and ask where I got it, and try and buy my creation right off my head..I used to entertain myself by letting them try it on, and laugh when the brim would drop over their eyes..
And, that is how I got started making my crocheted hats.