Cutting it Close on a Christmas Commission

I cut it a LITTLE too close to Christmas on this commissioned stocking fit for a Duchess ... a Doggie Duchess.

To be honest, I was asked to do this for Christmas 2014 and I didn't have time. Tina asked me again MONTHS ago and I just never got to it. I was SUPPOSED to do it while on vacation over Thanksgiving, but it never happened because I was working on an enormous blanket for a baby shower present. I started this over the weekend, and finished the last stitch about 12:15 this morning. Christmas is in HOW many days? Whoops.

I was just told it had to fit a 3ft bone for a very spoiled German Shepherd. I THINK it's big enough. That's  yard-stick for scale. Again. That is a YARD STICK!. It's 30inches long. The blue stocking is mine.

Testing out placement of the appliques. 

This was the version I ended up with. 

Not the one some friends recommended.

 Starting the whip-stitching of the appliques.

 Please tell me that you can see that the holly is made out of dog bones.

 The main side

 In case someone with the initial D tries to take over this stocking. 

Paws OFF!

I don't believe in dinky Christmas stockings.

I am so looking forward to sleeping more than 6 hours a night here soon.

When is Christmas break?

It's RUFF to be doing this so late.

~ photos by iTouch

Photos of the Day: Crafty Ladies

 Left: Mine for her 

Right: Hers

Just a couple of quick photos to document some of the crafty touches now decorating Christine's "crib."

Left: two of the crocheted, appliqued stocking I made for her beloved (and now sadly, late) pooches.
Right: two of the lovely wreathes she made with just a few of the corks that she's picked up in her travels. Let me stress here, for the record, she did NOT drink all that wine by herself. It would have been a whole different type of gathering if she did.

I like having crafty friends. Now, if I could only find time for us to do more arty things. Christine is also quite a fine fine artist. Get those pencils out again, girl!

photos via iTouch

Auntie Nettie's Attic Merchandise 2013 - January

The New Year of 2013 found me once again far from home, but once again with family -- this time in the mountains of Idaho. It was so much fun to be with J & Christina and the kids for the first time in 2 years. I ended the month flying back from Vegas on a red-eye flight. From cold and snow on one end to sunny and 50 degrees on the other? It was a crazy month being hither, thither and yon.

January can best be summed up as transitions and travel, but I also managed to:

~ Catch a Pitch Perfect flick with J; 
~ Discover the Appaloosa Museum in Moscow, ID with the kids;
~ Remember, once again, that I HATE getting up at 2:45 a.m.. It's awful. Just awful. I hate that more than trying to sleep on red-eyes. I'd rather stay up for 24 hours than try and sleep and get up in the wee small hours.;
~ Recuperate at the apartment over a long weekend before heading back to the office, by sleeping, unpacking, cleaning, and doing laundry and catching up on programs I had missed while traveling;
~ Spent 12 business days in the office, transitioning to my new solo position as Associate Director of Development Systems - basically being the new database guru, trying to be pulled in 5 directions instead of 10. I've managed to get this position created, after a few years of 'pushing,' sometimes futilely. I had almost given up. I was ready to quit. No one can do 2 jobs, but I was. I need to get a whole team, eventually, but the gears of the Big J move slowly, so I need to make cases and document things, but it's done. I'm shifted. HOWEVER, I am still helping train my replacement in my old job, and until last week, I didn't have an actual office space. January was spent desk hopping, scrambling to get essential services - like phones and network connections - hooked up, yadda yadda yadda. I barely caught up, before it was time to leave again.
~ Had a welcome lunch with colleagues to welcome the new girl;
~ Repacked for a late-month trip back to Utah/Nevada for:
- Drew's 8th birthday,
- Drew's Baptism,
- The twins' blessing,
- Post-ceremony family gatherings,
- Baking adventures with Mary -- and finally feeling like I've earned my Molly Mormon Cinnamon Roll Merit Badge, 
- Special auntie/nephew bonding time at bowling and dinner,
- Bonding time with J in Snow Canyon, Wendy's, and on his bonus day due to the weather,
- Bonding time with Dad working on my eye/hand coordination. It'd only been a year, but sometimes it's good to surprise Dad on some of my "lucky" "trick" shots, and
- Repacking boxes with treasures/purchases from December and this trip to ship home; and
~ Oh, and some crafting ....

 I didn't get much done, but I did manage to finish a few things, like:

ANA 2013-1, 2, 3: Suite of Objects

 (Skeins of Peaches & Creme multi-colored cotton)

(not pictured, as they are to be gifted)
(as of May 2013, gifted)

ANA 2013-4: Black to Grey Ombre Infinity Cowel Scarf

(1 skein Rainbow Boucle acrylic and nylon)

So many ways to wear it, so lots of pictures

ANA 2013-5: Retro Easter Egg Pastels Baby Blanket

(3 skeins Lion Brand Baby Soft acrylic)

Still in progress: 

2010: 

UFO 1: Multi-color, multi-fibre bane of my existence

2012:

UFO 1: Pink Crib Cover, need to be finished and edged

UFO 2 & 3: 2 holiday stockings, need appliques and to be stitched up

ANA 2012-103: mini holiday stocking, needs some decor

The on-line shop? That's still a work in progress. But there was no point in January, since I was gone more than I was home.

Auntie Nettie's Attic Merchandise 2012 - December

This post actually should have gone up about 6 weeks ago, say in December 2012, and I fully intended to, however ...  Aside from the technology issues inherent in being on the road and at the mercies of someone else's house rules, priorities, and hardware/software issues, I just didn't seem to have time. There were other things that seemed to be more important to do. 

To recap:

December 2012 (which now seems like a blur), included:

(*frantically flipping back through planners/calendars*)

~ Aforementioned holiday baking and present preparations/wrapping/shipping/distribution;

~ Dinner with my girls, Christine & Amelia, in Bryant Park; 

~ Holiday parties at work and for fund raisers for the local pre-school; 

~ Lunch with Cynthia and then Kristina; 

~ Packing up my suitcase and then my office for the job transition and shifting that would happen probably the day I was due back in January; 

~ SO MUCH TRAVEL, so many early mornings, trains, planes, shuttles, automobiles; 

~ Last-minute Christmas shopping/crafting - LOTS of trips to lots o' Walmarts;

~ Holiday haircuts and pedicures;  

~ Church; Christmas Eve and Christmas dinners; Cuddles; and Cooking; 

~ Nevada, Utah, and Idaho, not to mention Arizona and Washington;

~ Sun, Snow, Snacks, Silly kids, Sledding, Snuggles, and Sniffles; and

~ New Year's, New boots, and new crafts.

When I wasn't holding a pen, a kid, a book, or a fork, I was holding a hook or needle. I started crafting again .... It was calming. I had no problem curling up on Mom and Dad's couch and crocheting away. It was crafts therapy after a busy couple of weeks, plus, I was under pressure to finish two commissions.     

I started a lot of projects, but didn't get to finish many of them. I stashed them in boxes to ship back to myself in NYC, to be finished as time allowed. There's only so much room in a suitcase. It's not a Tardis, after all.

I just barely managed to finish these first two things in time for Christmas. Like, I was sewing the last piece of holly on the night before Christmas Eve. Talk about under the wire. (To be fair, part of it was because I ran out of yarn, and had to be close to a supply warehouse ... which I didn't have time to do in New York. I waited until I got West.)  

 

ANA 2012-101: Holiday Stocking for Niece Sarah

(Skein of Red Heart Sport yarn, acrylic, plus felt) 

ANA 2012-102: Holiday Stocking for Nephew Cannon

(Skein of Red Heart Sport yarn, acrylic, plus felt)

These two for the twins are now part of an entire stocking suite that I've made for their family over the years.

 l-r: Dad, Cannon, Drew, Sarah, little T for the late Tippi Cat, and Mom

 

 I also made a stocking for J & Christina when they started their family.

 (I'm kind of proud of these. 

Do I have one for me? No.

 It's like the carpenter not living in a completed house.)

ANA 2012-103: Mini holiday stocking

(Partial skein of Red Heart Sport yarn, acrylic)

ANA 2012-104, 105, 106, 107: Suite of Objects

(Skeins of Peaches & Creme multi-colored cotton)

(not pictured, as destined to be gifts) 
(as of May 2013, gifted) 

Still in progress:

2010:

UFO 1:  Multi-colored, multi-fibre bane of my existence

2012:

UFO 1:  Pink Crib Cover, needs to be finished and edged

UFO 2 & 3: holiday stockings, need appliques and to be finished off

UFO 4: Ombre scarf

(not pictured)

UFO 6, 7, 8: Suite of Objects

(not pictured, as destined to be gifts)
(as of May 2013, gifted)

Since I was gone more than half of December and then January, there was no way I could keep the shop open. I probably would have done more, but my hands were full of babies or the handle of my suitcase.

I need a vacation from all of my vacation. But this wandering Nettie continued to wander through January!

Auntie Nettie's Attic Merchandise 2012 - October/November

I have previously stated that this entire year has has some warp-speed/worm-hole/timey-whimey issues, and that should be fairly apparent by the  (lack of consistent) blogging for the last few months.

I did manage to do the following in the last two months, when I
~ Worked too much;
~ Considered quitting;
~ Started networking;
~ Booked my tickets for vacation as a way to cope with the stress;
~ Barely rode out some of the job-related hoo-hah at the office;
~ Caught up on lots of television programs/past seasons of certain shows in marathon viewing sessions;
~ Got to see Casey for a few hours when she came to town;
~Went to a craft fair/street fair/spent the day with Jane;
~ Took a few days off to go up to Connecticut to see;
- Dad;
- Do some shopping/stocking up;
- Got my hair hacked off;
- Saw Wendy and Emily and picked up some holiday goods from my local small artisanal organic farmer;
- Saw Jess, Kel, 'little' Victor and Ms. Ro;
- Had dinner with Jenn and the family;
- wandered around and took lots of pictures of the olde family homestead; and
- booked out early before the hurricane;
~ Had lunch with Christine; 
~ Had "fun" with Sandy, so had time off/worked from home/had Halloween;
~ Talked to the Ironic Mother on the phone to catch her up on aforementioned hoo-hah;
~ Got a raise/promotion;
~ Made some charitable contributions;
~ The Twins arrived;
~ Had dinner with my friend Michelle, formerly of the Caramoor years, in town from Miami; 
~ Gave blood at Lincoln Center;
~ Went to a WNET/Great Performances taping at Lincoln Center;
~ Went to a Juilliard Orchestra concert at Lincoln Center;
~ Got sick;
~ Had a long Thanksgiving break; and FINALLY
~ Started the countdown for Christmas and my vacation trips West.

Crafting also took a back-burner for a little bit, but I did finish a few little things. Maybe the output reflects my state of mind/theme of the season: Bird-brained ... A bird in the hand ... Flying to warmer climates ... Partridge in a pear tree ... Canary in a Coalmine ... etc. etc. etc.

ANA 2012-83: Snowy Owlie

(Mixed yarns, chenille and acrylics, plus batting)
(as of 1/2013 no longer available, gifted)

ANA 2012-84: Snowy Owlie with button beak

(Mixed yarns, chenille and acrylics, plus batting and button beak)
(as of 09/2013, no longer available, gifted)

ANA 2012-85: Snowy Owlie

(Mixed yarns, chenille and acrylics, plus batting and buttons)
(as of 09/2013, no longer available, gifted)

ANA 2012-86: Snowy Owlie

(Mixed yarns, chenille and acrylics, plus batting and buttons) 

(as of 4/14, no longer available, sold)

ANA 2012-87: Snowy Owlie

(Mixed yarns, chenille and acrylics, plus batting and buttons)
(as of 4/14, no longer available, sold)

ANA 2012-88: Red-flecked Birdie

(Partial Big Lots skein mystery yarn, acrylic mix, plus batting and buttons)
(as of 12/13 no longer available, gifted)

ANA 2012-89: Yellow-winged Blackbird

(Caron black sport acrylic yarn, with partial Big Lots skein mystery yarn, plus batting)
(as of June 2013, no longer available, gifted)

ANA 2012-90: Yellow-winged Blackbird

(Caron black sport acrylic yarn, with partial Big Lots skein mystery yarn, plus batting)
(as of June 2013, no longer available, gifted)

ANA 2012-91: Canary with button beak

(Partial Big Lots mystery acrylic skein, with batting and button)
(as of 09/2013, no longer available, gifted)

ANA 2012-92: Canary

(Partial Big Lots mystery acrylic skien, with buttons and batting)
(as of 09/2013, no longer available, gifted)

ANA 2012-93: Canary

(Partial Big Lots mystery acrylic skein, with buttons and batting)
(as of 09/2013, no longer available, gifted)

ANA 2012-94: Red-flecked Owlie

(Partial Big Lots mystery acrylic skein with Caron black sport yarn with batting)
(as of 12/13, no longer available, gifted)

ANA 2012-95: Red Birdie

(Partial Big Lots mystery acrylic skein, with buttons and batting)
(as of 12/13 no longer available, gifted)

ANA 2012-96: Red Birdie with Button Beak

(Partial Big Lots mystery acrylic skein, with button and batting)
(as of 12/13 no longer available, gifted)

ANA 2012-97, 98, 99: Brown Sparrows

(Partial Big Lots mystery acrylic skeins, with buttons and batting)
(as of May 2013, no longer available, gifted)

ANA 2012-100: Brown Sparrow with button beak

(Partial Big Lots mystery skein, with buttons and batting)
(as of May 2013, no longer available, gifted)

Still in progress

2012:

UFO 1: Pink Blankie: needs final rows, edgings, and label

UFO 2: Green Holiday Stocking for Cannon

2010:

 UFO 1: Serbert Waves AKA the Bane of my Existence

Unfortunately, I am still very busy, so the esty.com shop is still shuttered for the foreseeable future (or until I really only have one job and finish traveling to see adorable nieces and nephews). 

However if you see something that you are interested in, contact me and I'll let you know prices and availability.