With Wine in Hand

Whew! Today was pretty intense. I woke up at 3:00 a.m. and was set up and ready to go at my craft fair by 6:00 a.m. Mind you, the fair didn’t start until 9 a.m. So, that just left me being cold for three hours with no-one to talk to, I couldn’t even crochet or knit! I thought about making myself a pair of my gloves, but my hands wouldn’t work. Needless to say, by the time I got home, I crashed. I’m not even ashamed of my two hour drool filled nap. Know why? Because I did work today! I had my most successful fair yet and that has me extremely pumped! I met so many amazing people, got to spend time with my best friend, and even bought a couple Christmas presents. So, win win in my eyes!

But onto the good stuff. As I sit here with my wine glass that says “Raising Tiny Humans is Exhausting” it’s dawning on me that, no, no it’s not. I don’t know maybe my kids are an exception, or maybe I have just grown used to them by now that I don’t sweat the small stuff. Whatever it is, I’m happy. It’s not exhausting, it’s exhilarating! I’m just having the wine because it tastes good. lol. Nothing fancy, just a four dollar bottle of rose, but it does its job!

So, a few days ago a fan of mine on Facebook commented on one of my photos simply wanting to know more about the craft. Now, I could have gone about this three different ways. One totally dismiss her and see her as some sort of enemy who is trying to steal my potential customers. Two comment with a general comment, and leave it at that. OR Three comment with something sweet and welcoming! I of course chose the third option. It was no question to me whether or not I should welcome her into this world with open arms! I mean, how awesome is it that someone else wants to know all there is about fiber, tools, and so much more?! Gosh, it just gets me so excited thinking about it!

Anyway, we chatted a bit here and there and I invited her to the fair today. To be honest, I didn’t expect her to show since no one has really come from our page looking to meet us. But at about 10 a.m. this sweet woman walks up and starts feeling all of our pieces, and talking about how she really wants to start making headbands. Then she said “Oh yeah, when I found you on Facebook..” I jumped up and said “What’s your name?” and she responded. I laughed a little and probably became a little shy, but I was so excited! Someone was actually here to see me, to see my creations! So, I reached down under the table and took out her little “welcome to the fiber world” present and handed it to her. This was my way of saying, you’ve got this! Any who, we got to chatting and the rest is history.

Sheridan and I at the 43rd Annual Coronado Artisan’s Fair.

 

It was such a joy to finally meet someone who follows me on Facebook and to chat with them for a bit! This world should be as inviting as possible, and the first step in doing that is to put yourself out there! I know it’s hard, believe me, I too am an introvert. But even with all the awkwardness of putting yourself out there, you stand to gain so much. It could be from someone you meet, or something you see, or something you smell! I can’t tell you how many times I have been out somewhere and smelled something amazing and gone home and made that same smell happen for dinner.

So, moral of the story? Get out there! Do what you love, create what YOU love! This is your life, live it how you want to live it! As someone who suffers from severe anxiety I can tell you that since I have started doing these fairs, my anxiety has all but diminished. There are of course things that still linger, but I can get in my car and drive anywhere and do anything I want to do! And it all started with putting myself out there.

I hope you are having a fantastic weekend, and getting all of your Holiday shopping finished! I can not wait for Christmas this year!

Until Next Time,
Shannon

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello everyone! I want to wish you all the happiest Thanksgiving on this beautiful day. Wherever you are, I hope that you get to celebrate amongst friends and family. We are all thankful for so much, but today is meant to really sit back and reflect on that. No matter what your traditions are, just remember to take a few moments to think about what really matters to you.

This year I am incredibly thankful for my family! It has been a very bumpy year, and without them I probably wouldn’t be here right now. I am also thankful for the fact that I was able to start my own business and watch it thrive! It really taught me that anything is possible if I just try.

So, while you’re enjoying your feast, or standing in Black Friday lines, or working those stores, I wish you the most wonderful Thanksgiving. Have a blessed day!

Shannon

Happy Thanksgiving from Hooks N Ewe, LLC

 

 

Sequence Knitting, a Quick Review.

Hello and happy Friday from sunny San Diego! The weather here is strange… In the morning it is in the forties and in the afternoon it’s in the eighties. But, I can’t complain, my days are enjoyable.

Anywho, I recently purchased a book on Jimmy Beans Wool called Sequence Knitting, by Cecelia Campochiaro. I first heard about this book on the Woolful Podcast and it just sounded like something I had to have. 

 

My copy of Sequence Knitting by Cecelia Campochiaro

 
First, let me just say how taken aback I am. I was not expecting such a beautifully put together book. It’s wonderfully bound, the pages are nice and thick, and the design of the contents is simple yet stunning. The swatches and other items really get a chance to stand out, and that is refreshing. 

It’s a little overwhelming because of the size, but once I dug in and started reading, I was hooked. I’m only on page 55 so far (of 275) so I have a bit to go, but I am already blown away. Not only have I already learned some extremely useful tips, the pictures and graphs that are provided make it that much easier to execute.

As someone who hasn’t been knitting since she was 5, I’m still learning as I go. At the moment I can really only knit the “easy” items, but I already feel some confidence setting in. I know that from this book I will learn so much, not only about how to knit, but how to capture the true beauty of a pattern. 

Cecelia has hit it out of the park, and I can’t wait to dig in completely with a nice cup of tea and let my brain suck up as much information as possible! I look forward to making beautiful items!

So, if you’re looking for a one of a kind knitting book, this is for you. With a price tag of about $60, I’d say it is very worth it. This book will last for many years to come, and the amount of information in it is just amazing. It would make a wonderful Christmas gift for that special knitter in your life, even if they’ve been knitting for forty years! Go pick up your copy today! 
Shannon

The Owl Cocoon

Whew, I am finally completely finished with the owl cocoon I have been working on. It is probably one of the most labor intensive things I have ever worked on. But, I will call it a labor of love because I am completely in love with it!

Owl Cocoon by ShiFio crocheted by Shannon Grimm of Hooks N Ewe, LLC

I used caron simply soft for the yarn, which was ok to work with. It did not split as much as it did in the past so I am extremely thankful for that. I used a grey, yellow, white, black, pink, light pink, and purple. The pattern was super straight forward, but I had to go up a few hook sizes in order to get the size I needed. The little girl that it is for is big for her age, so it just needed to be made a little bigger! Nothing crazy. I think those standard percentile things are a crock anyway haha. Most kids seem to be at least in the 75th percentile when it comes to size. Maybe it’s time to do a wee bit of an update to that…

Also, my husband was fabulous and made the lining for this cocoon. At first I wasn’t going to do a lining but it just seems like she would get caught in it and it wouldn’t really be that warm. So after some thought I decided to do it. My husband actually picked out the fabric and it matches gorgeously!

Owl Cocoon crocheted by Shannon Grimm of Hooks N Ewe, LLC. Pattern by ShiFio on Revelry and lining sewn by Erik Grimm of Hooks N Ewe, LLC.

As you can see, gorgeous! He did such a wonderful job, much better than I could have ever done… I am not patient enough for sewing hehe, so yeah. I am so proud of him, and I am excited to see what else he can do with a sewing machine.

So, that is the owl cocoon that I have been working on for about two weeks now. I will be delivering it to the new owner today at my daughters school, and I can not wait to see her reaction to it! Hopefully it’s a good reaction hehe.

Here is the link to the pattern, Owl Cocoon Pattern Link.

Have a wonderful day!

Shannon

Monday, fun day?

Hello, and happy Monday!!! Right now I am enjoying some coffee and crochet. This week my kiddos get out of school early for conferences, so I have to really buckle down to get stuff done! 

Last night I took the time to get my office under control. With all of these fairs, it had gotten insane, I couldn’t even think when I walked into this space! 

  
But now it’s much better. I really have to take the time to go through my shelves. If you can’t tell, it’s not at all organized… I need another one, to be honest. I feel bad about that, but I really do. I am running out of space! But thank you IKEA for having such wonderful items, for great prices! 

I have most of my yarn in bins to protect it from sun and other things. And a lot of my more expensive yarn is just hanging out in the shelf, and that makes me super nervous! I’m always afraid a moth is going to come through and eat all my fiber… Lol. But it hasn’t happened yet, so I think I’m on the right track! 

Anywho, I have a craft fair this weekend, so I am back to crocheting a ton! You know what I’ve found though? Even through all of this, I still love it. I still love doing each stitch as perfect as can be. I still love the little rush I get when someone puts in an order. It’s just amazing! Normally by now I would have gotten bored, but that’s just not the case, and I am so happy about that! 

Well, it’s time to get back to “work” and get stuff done! I hope you all have a wonderful Monday, and that your work day is nice and smooth! 

•Shannon•