A Little Bit of South of the Border. . . . .

Ole'!

Last year, in a fit of creative insanity, I worked on a messenger bag. Since I never sell from a commercial pattern (it happens to violate copyright laws), I have to design my own.

It took some trial and error, but I finally got it down.

These lovely ladies, from an Alexander Henry fabric, adorn the mid-sized Le Sac Essentiel (tm) bag*.

Today is a rainy, grey, winter day. But I am thinking these bright smiles would be cheerful for anyone.

*as seen in http://FunkyQuailToo.Etsy.com.

Some Days I Can't Stop Knitting. I am a. . . .

Needle Junkie.

Yes, it is true. I can get into the zone. Totally engrossed in my project. I knit in the car (while Mr. Quail is driving, of course), while listening to the television, and bring my knitting anywhere I might possibly have to wait in line.

This is why I need more than one project cast on at once. Many places I knit don't lend themselves to conducive pattern-reading. So I usually have a hat or scarf cast one, leaving the more complex charts for longer bouts of knitting time, such as on a plane or sitting on the couch at home.

I am not completely addicted. After a major knitting frenzy, I tend to put the sticks down for a short while, and take a breather. Then, of course, a needle of another kind starts calling my name, and I am back in front of the sewing machine for hours and hours.

It's a joy and a curse!

Lucky for me, Becky Dreistadt captured this addiction quite nicely in our "Needle Junkie" shirt with the adorable kitty! Because, of course, this type of needle use is a wonderful thing!

Shirt available at http://funkyquail.etsy.com and http://funkyquail.artfire.com

A New Year, Full of Hope and Promise!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

As we start 2009, my thoughts turn to putting away what did not work for 2008, and building on a better 2009. For my friends and family, I wish you health and joy. May we work together for a peaceful world, where hunger is eradicated, financial troubles improve, and the change we worked so hard for comes to fruition.

William Ellery Channing summed up my resolutions for me:

I will seek elegance rather than luxury, refinement rather than fashion. I will seek to be worthy more than respectable, wealthy and not rich. I will study hard, think quietly, talk gently, and act frankly. I will listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with an open heart. I will bear all things cheerfully, do all things bravely await occasions and hurry never. In a word I will let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious grow up through the common.

To you and yours, a wonderful New Year.

And because today is my birthday, please have some cake!

photo courtesy of http://freedigitalphotos.net

Knitting Up Through the Generations

Barbara Abbey, Friends and Knitting Connections One of the cool things about knitting is that while it is an old craft form (yes, art form, too, but that's another blog post), we knitters can take those skills and put a very modern twist on them.

It also means that there are not many new tricks we can learn from the modern knitting literature. New patterns, new yarns, cooler knitting shirts, but the basics really haven't changed that much.

In 1971, Barbara Abbey wrote "The Complete Book of Knitting" (Viking Press, 1971). I picked up this book used a few years back and it was sitting on my shelf (along with just a "few" other books on the topic) when my sister spied it and said "Hey! You have Elan's Grandmother's knitting book!" Way cool, since Elan and I had our first knitting lesson together (thank you Jessica!) around Marty's dining room table.

When I really started reading this book, I realized what an excellent guide it was. Not only to teach the basics, there is a wealth of stitch patterns documented there. Radical that I am, I decided to knit something for myself (a rarity) from the book! I selected "#5 small check" on page 144, a nice soft purple yarn, and got started.

I am very pleased with the result. It was my first attempt to make anything from just a stitch pattern, it's my favorite color to wear, and it's a tie back to a friend AND one of the most thorough books on the topic I have read.

So, Miss Maisy, to answer your question - check out eBay and get a copy of this book for yourself as you learn to knit in the New Year. I would send you mine but there's this great Cockleshells pattern on page 162 that I am anxious to try. . .

Passementerie Jewelry - Awesome Artist of the Week

Courtney Laine - Jeweler and Artisan

It is rare that I meet a 24 year old who impresses me as much as Courtney Laine, the creative force behind Passementerie (r). That was the case two years ago, when Courtney and I met in the forums of a sales web site, though. Her stunning jewelry collection, clear vision, marketing savvy and determination made me think I was speaking with someone much more mature.

Courtney's beautiful eye for design and color, combined with her skill with precious metals and an encyclopedic knowledge of gemstones, have created one of the freshest jewelry collections on the market today.

One of my prized possessions is a lovely gemstone bracelet from Passementerie, with soothing sea-blue tones. I wear it on days where I need to feel a bit special.

You can view her entire collection at http://passementeriejewelry.com. You can also visit her year-end sale at http://www.1000markets.com/users/passementerie through 10 January 2009. And remember, my birthday is Thursday, but it's OK to be a little late with such a special gift. She'll let me know there's a little box from you on it's way.

Funky Quail on Art Fire

Expanding the Scope

Yesterday we opened a studio on the new sales site, Art Fire.

We put Becky's hand-painted shirts there, as well as the basic line of knitting tees and hoodies. More items will be added in the future, but we have a good start so far.

Art Fire is in beta, which means they are still working out the kinks. They still have a long way to go to create an effective search, but they are offering STATS for the shop. As a marketing professional, this is very important to me. I need to know where shoppers in my store came from, in order to create a solid marketing plan. The fees are reasonable, too. I won't be hit with constant fees for relisting, just to try and stay near the top.

An important caveat in real estate is "location, location, location." It is a lot like that on the web. It's not who you started with, or who makes the best cupcakes, or even choosing one over the other. It's simply a matter of being where the customers are shopping. And in our case, that means branching out and trying new opportunities.

Check us out if you have a chance! http://FunkyQuail.ArtFire.com

Talent in the Family

Becky Dreistadt

One of the fun things about being a step-mom, is that you get to write the biographies for your step-daughter, and talk about her artistic talent.

And the nice thing about it is, you can show the artwork and people can see you aren't making it all up.

Becky has been drawing since she could hold a crayon. It's a part of who she is. She was always the girl in school who could draw, who won the art contests and the county fair ribbons, and eventually won a Congressional Art award before attending the Savannah College of Art and Design, winning the Sequential Art award, and graduating magna cum laude this past May.

Now she is living in New Zealand and creating all sorts of fun art. She also started http://OwlFactory.Etsy.com. This is her "Mountain Quail," 5" x 7" on watercolor paper. Cute little fellow, isn't he?