Spring Has Sprung

Well, in some parts anyway….hard to tell when winter was over and spring began here in Bradenton. I haven't lived here long enough to know which plants, trees and bushes bloom when. All I know is that the crape myrtle, which is a VERY popular Florida planting, gets it's tops completely shorn off and pruned SEVERELY around February and March. Then the tops sprout and the tree/bush/shrub starts growing again. Our neighbor has one, and just when I was going to ask her if I could hang a little bird feeder on one of the low lying branches that hangs over their yard, darned if the landscapers didn't come and chop all the greenery off. It looks dead, but it will come back…..

So I had to start thinking spring in making things. Got an order for FIFTEEN little people pins, my little breast cancer awareness pins. Only the lady that ordered them doesn't want the pin backs, she just is going to glue them onto a card or something. Sounds like a cute idea….She says she might want ten more in different colors. Yay!

I made a spring scarf out of some really nice sock yarn….It's called Cascade Ultra Pima Paints and is really soft and lightweight around the neck. It's for sale in my Etsy shop, JeanBeanGifts. I like Cascade yarns…The company comes from Seattle, Washington. I hope the yarns do, too!

And I'm also working on another spring scarf in time for Mother's Day and all the Relays for Life that seem to roll around in the late spring. It's shades of pink, naturally, for breast cancer survivors. The scarf/shawlette pattern is called "The Hitchhiker". This one is made from Bamboo Pop yarn, a very soft bamboo yarn, great for spring, too….lightweight and comfortable against the skin. Easy to make, knit every row, knit front and back on beginnings of rows, a little bind off every 8th row...You wear it sort of like a kerchief or bandana. It's halfway done…I knit everywhere in the car when we go places and that's how I'm getting this one done!

Trying very very hard to get motivated to finish my daughter's tee shirt quilt. Had to get some of these other projects done first, but now, no excuses! Time to get moving! Got some borders started along the sides of the shirts.

The top should come together fairly quickly. I'd like to have it done before I leave for D.C. at the end of this month to visit her. Sparky needs a kick in the butt! But then again, I always work do my best work and get stuff done when I'm under a deadline.

Etsy has been a little on the frustrating side for me….I think my items are cute and the bracelets are pretty, but there is so much competition for the same thing on Etsy, that it's hard to get noticed. People are starting to follow my shop, JeanBeanGifts, but the sales are not coming along as much as I would like. It's a lot of work to get followed, and get viewed. But people say it's a long process and to be patient, not one of my virtues, so I'll keep trying….The lady that bought the 15 pins found me through Google, so that was interesting! She'd never been on Etsy before, she said. I'm just hoping to make a little extra "pin" money as the old folks used to say….I'd be happy with that!

Just wanted to say thanks to everybody who takes the time to read my little craft blog. And thank you for the compliments that you send my way. I just like to post photos of what I make and write about it so my kids will know, and my grandchildren will know what "grammy" made in her day……Only have one little grandson, but still, there comes a day when you wish you had known more about your grandparents, and even your parents, right?

Until next time…..