Saturday, November 29, 2008

A sweater for your mac! Wool laptop sleeve

I'd love one of these, but unfortunately I still have a desktop computer, and my bigger-than-a-breadbox monitor would roll its eyes at me. This is just adorable, and if I were cool enough to be bringing my wireless to the coffee shop, I would want to be stying with one of these!
You can check out more great recycled wool goods from Woolywooly here:
woolywooly.etsy.com

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Not just longies!

E2 Designs makes longie sets, and skirties with flair! Check out this darling set and skirtie, both made with recycled wool, and some of it is from my shop!

Check out more of her great stuff at:
e2designs.etsy.com


Monday, November 24, 2008

Toddler sweaters, sets, hats & more







Victoria Velting needed a 2nd entry on my blog (as does my friend Chris, tallulahssatchels , but that will be coming in another entry!). Her work just wasn't covered in that first entry. Check out these adorable sweaters & sets (adorable baby not included!). She is making a sweater & hat for my son, and I can't wait to get it!

For more great stuff:
Victoriavelting









































More on Pogos



My entry on Pogos, 2 entries ago, has been nagging at me since I clicked on "publish post". I covered the physical creature itself, but did not touch upon the wonderful story telling that goes along with them. Storytelling is a lost art that I found again in Pogoshop. Reading her little tales, made me smile and even laugh out loud :)

"A recent visitor tried to teach some of the pogos to play football. Well, that was just disaster - much like herding cats. They all wanted their own footballs and found plenty of hickory nuts for that. They ran in every direction kicking any footballs that they saw. They just couldn't grasp the ideas of rules or scores or game plans. Some sat down and started eating the footballs.
But now, what did catch on were the uniforms. They just love the jerseys. They all agreed that being a mascot with a cool uniform was a job that they could do."

"Spencer is such a friendly little pogo. He always wants to play, always wants to share, and is generally pretty hard to say no to. So have an answer ready when he wants to give you some of his acorn stash. Trust me, acorns are nasty."

"Max is full of energy. If you want to spend time with him, you may have to climb a tree."

"Jonah has been looking for hickory nuts to store for the winter. Each time he discovers that the squirrels have feasted on them first, he gets so disappointed. But he's a persistent little guy and he keeps on searching."

"There's nothing little Ernie likes better than rolling in the fall leaves. Sometimes he hides in a pile of leaves and pops out to surprise his friends. Do be careful when you're raking leaves if Ernie comes to live with you!"

pogoshop's Shop

Sleep sacks!

ETA: This Etsy shop may longer be taking orders. There has been no response from this shop for weeks.

I LOVE these and am in the process of ordering some from Bundles Of Joy myself :) My son has always used fleece & cotton sleepsacks, but now a diaper cover will be optional, since a wool sleepsack is essentially a diaper cover. I love the straps on these (they remind me of suspenders), and the snap open bottom. I know she makes them for easy diaper changes, but the benefit for me is that it's easier for my son's late night trips to the potty. Why wool sleep sacks? Let her description tell you:

"A wool sleep sack is a great way to swaddle your baby at night and keep the bedding dry! The sleep sack, unlike blankets, will never be kicked off or wander up to cover your baby's face. And wool is naturally flame-retardant!
The wool sleep sack can be used in a variety of ways. Slip in on over your baby's pajamas in colder weather, or use it instead of pajama bottoms in warmer weather. If your baby wears cloth diapers, you can use the sleep sack as the diaper cover. Or use it over a diaper cover for extra protection against night-time leaking."

This is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the benefits of wool. For more benefits, especially when it comes to sleepwear, I love this page for summing it all up:
Benefits of wool

Pictured are a couple of examples of her work. I love the patchwork one! I'll post mine when I get them!

You can see her shop on Etsy:
Bundle Of Joy
bundlesofjoy.etsy.com




Sunday, November 23, 2008

Pogos!



These adorable creatures are made from recycled wool sweaters... even their sweaters are from recycled sweaters! I just love them :) Meet Spencer and Malcom (pictured).

From Pogoshop:
"Welcome to Pogo Forest! The dearest little creatures inhabit these woods. They are soft woolie friends called pogos who hide and play in the hollow trees and mossy clearings by day, but all want companions for stories and snuggling at night."

Check out more of Pogoshop's fun critters here:
Pogoshop
www.pogoshop.etsy.com

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Is there life outside of wool?


I had a customer ask for cotton sweaters today, which I hunted down with the same enthusiasm I have for wool sweaters. It took a little getting used to, as my fingers & eyes are now trained to seek wool, but it was a fun hunt! Does anyone else use cotton sweaters for anything? Please post to comments if you do :) I'm intrigued!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Baby clothes


Isn't this set just adorable (and the baby too!) ? This sweater and hat were made from cashmere and merino sweaters... so soft. I love brown on babies! I think the sweaters are doing much better the second time around :) For more adorable recycled clothes, check out Victoria's shop:

victoriavelting
victoriavelting.etsy.com

She has a blog too!
http://recycledrevamped.blogspot.com/



Wednesday, November 19, 2008

coffee sweater, a first wool project!

There was a link for this in a comment, but this deserves to be featured. This was made by Cyn, a wool newbie. This is her first recycled wool project! Can you believe it? Great job Cyn! That stitching is fabulous :)

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Another day, another sweater... or 115


I bought more sweaters on Sunday... 115! Since I got a good deal on most of them, I passed on the saving by marking down most of the sweaters I already had in my Etsy shop. I have an insane amount of sweaters now! Would you believe this pic is only about half of them?

Monday, November 17, 2008

Throw pillows!


Wouldn't this look adorable tossed... anywhere? I love the bright cheerful circles! Check out more great stuff at her Etsy shop:

Valentine's Farm
ValentinesFarm.etsy.com

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Talk to me!

Since i'm not computer savvy enough to figure out how to add a counter, I have no idea how many people are actually reading my blog. I do know one person is, because I have 1 "follower" (Thanks Chris! ), but other than that i'm clueless. I want to hear from all of you! Tell me what you are making for Christmas out of recycled wool! Do you make & sell something out of recycled wool? Tell us about your shop! What do you think of my blog? Know any cool shops that sell recycled wool items? Just want to chat about the weather? Just post under comments!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Christmas gifts for the kids!




Christmas is around the corner! These cute stuffed animals are made from recycled wool, and handmade in the USA by a wahm. No big box store here! Remember sock monkeys? Well... they have friends now... socktopus, sweater monkeys, and sweater owls! All of these pictured are made with recycled wool. Here is a little info from Clarity's Etsy store:

"This is the shop of Friends of Socktopus, a line of creatures by Clarity Miller. Each item is handmade by Clarity, from her home in the beautiful San Juan Islands. Your purchase allows her to be at home with her wonderful baby, Caspian.
Also, please keep an eye out for our monthly charity fundraising items. The proceeds from one item each month will go directly to a charitable cause. It's better to make a small difference than no difference at all."

Check out her shops :

Friends of Socktopus
http://www.friendsofsocktopus.com/

Blackbird Fashion

blackbirdfashion.etsy.com

Friday, November 14, 2008

Not your grandma's shawl!


When I think shawl, I think frumpy, don't you? Move over granny! Not only did this Etsy lady come up with a beautiful funky shawl, but I love the great pocket, and it's made from my favorite material... recycled wool! This isn't where her talent ends, either. She makes tons of fabulous things, has 2 Etsy shops, and a fun to read blog. Check it all out!

Etsy shops:
iNdecoRum.etsy.com
WonderfullyMadeStuff.etsy.com
Blog:
http://barelyknittogether.wordpress.com/

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Funky hats!



Now that it's getting cold outside, our thoughts turn to recycled wool hats... right? :) Check out these super cute funky hats (and cute kids!) by That Funky Boutique.

For more of her adorable hats, and other goodies, go to:

That Funky Boutique
thatfunkyboutique.etsy.com

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Christmas monster


I was looking at some monsters on Etsy one day, and my son said "I want a monster". Since he doesn't ask for much, I made him one for Christmas :)

Sunday, November 9, 2008

beautiful rag rugs!


This beautiful rag rug is made from wool sweaters! Is there no end to what you can do with recycled wool?

For more gorgeous rugs, visit her Etsy shop:

Fiveforty
www.fiveforty.etsy.com

Warm Fuzzies, book of recycled wool projects!


New to recycled wool? Well, Betz White has a craft book specifically for recycled wool projects!

Description:
"Warm Fuzzies is filled with techniques, tips and patterns for creating over 30 cute and colorful felted items made from cast-away sweaters, including cozy pillows and throws as well as comfortable hats, scarves, pincushions and handbags.

The best thing about these projects is how easy they are to make...and there's no knitting involved! Simply throw old wool sweaters into the wash to make fabulous felted material, then cut the pieces apart and use them to make felted goodies. Start with the sweet Cupcake Pincushion--they're so easy, and super cute!"

To check out her book, as well as her handmade recycled wool items, go to her Etsy store:

Betz White
www.betzwhite.etsy.com

I finished the quilt!!!!!

After hours, & hours, & hours of sewing my son's quilt, my first quilt, is done! It isn't perfect, but it's my first quilt, & i'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It's not as wonky as it looks in the pictures, but hanging it on the line was the only way to get a decent pic of the whole thing. I'm making one for my mom for Christmas (she already found out, sigh), but I won't be posting that until after Christmas. At least she won't know the colors ;)


Thursday, November 6, 2008

Christmas stockings!


These are much better than the sweaters they once were, and much better than anything in the stores! The word "heirloom" is thrown around a lot these days, but these are definitely heirloom quality. Who wouldn't want their mantle to look like this?

For more great stockings, and other great recycled wool items, check out Feltartistic's shop:
www.FeltArtistic.etsy.com

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

More sweaters!


My husband took a half day off yesterday, so I went sweater hunting :) My son could not wait to play with them & actually started to climb into the bags when I got home... and they say wool is itchy! Look for lots of great deals in my Etsy store!

www.resweater.etsy.com

Sunday, November 2, 2008

I added to the purse!


I added a pocket with a tree and owl! Cute, eh? I think it might be done now.

Vintage wool skorts = cool mama purse!


I am too excited over how this turned out! I wanted a bigger purse than what I have, with 2 large pockets on the sides big enough to hold my son & my Klean Kanteens. I knew this skirt had potential the first time I saw it, but didn't know it would turn out this good. I wasn't expecting much, as I am not very good at making things, but this is perfect! I have been loving all the owl stuff everywhere, so I added an owl using scraps from my son's quilt (still workin' on it!). I'm thinking i'd like to add more design to it... maybe a tree or crescent moon? I'm not sure. Have any suggestions? Please add it to the comments!