Blue Kitty Designs

2008-10-05T19:52:00.002-04:00

Knitting books I've recently read:

Custom Knits by Wendy Bernard (the fabulous blogger at knit and tonic) I love Wendy's patterns, I've bought and downloaded at least 3 from her blog already. Her book is exactly what I've been looking for, knit from the top down on circs (my favorite sweater construction) and a sophisticated style. The last chapter has tons of tips on designing your own patterns. I think if nothing else it'll really help my understanding of knit construction. I'd love to give you a knit example but sadly I'm on a bit of a yarn spending freeze. (Go Buy! Support my yarn habit while organizing your needles, notions, and projects, hehe.)

Free-range knitter: The yarn harlot writes again by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (Yarn Harlot) I love me some Stephanie Pearl-McPhee so I had to have her latest book. Same great writing, same great knitting humor. I love her latest insights on knitting and I don't know how many times I laughed, it's good stuff.

Top Down Cardigans Babies by Cabin Fever NO, I am not pregnant! And unfortunately I can't report any of my siblings are either. (I swear I'm never going to be an aunt...) But I'm been jones-ing to knit a baby sweater for a long time anyways. My sister-in-law has a pregnant friend and my husband says one of his employees is expecting. So I'm going to knit some itty bitty adorable sweaters as gifts. And maybe if my siblings see how cute the sweaters are, they'll finally get knocked up so I can knit their baby one. And sew a quilt. And babysit as often as I can. And be the bestest aunt ever. (Pattern book purchased at Stitches Midwest in August)

2008-09-21T10:24:00.002-04:00

Wow, time flies!

I've spent the last month catching up on custom orders and doing a little bit of knitting (a scarf, a pair of socks, and a shrug).

I also finally updated all my spreadsheets (when can I hire an accountant full time? lol) and calculated my monthly Doctors Without Borders donations. May: $33 June: $10 July: $17 and August: $13 Which brings the total donations to just over $300. Woohoo!

This week I promise I'll be listing the boxy bags and new fabrics as seen at Stitches. Stay tuned!

2008-08-24T08:21:00.002-04:00

If you're here because you saw me at Stitches Midwest, hi! You had a sneak peek into the new fabrics and boxy bags that I'll be adding to my Etsy shop very soon. And if you placed an order, thanks! I'll be working on all of them this week as soon as I return home. Although after I give my 5 children (and husband) a few extra hugs.

Oh and I'll have to post pictures of the lovely yarn I bought. Happy knitting!

2008-08-23T08:03:00.002-04:00

My booth at Stitches Midwest 2008!

It has been so much fun meeting all the knitters (and crocheters) attending! And the yarns! So far I've only been able to pop over to my neighbors at booth 822 (The Yarn Basket) to buy some sock yarn.

A few random things in case you are new to Blue Kitty Designs (BKD). I know my labels say "Katie Fleck Designs" on most of my items. I'm slowly switching over to the new name but when I reserved my booth at Stitches, it was under BKD. Since it was too late to change when I did my name change a few months ago, I'm kinda doing an odd mismatch of both at the moment. Don't worry, I'll make sure you'll always be able to find me under either name.

And since it looks like I may sell out by the end of Saturday (I don't know whether to be excited or scared to death), I am taking orders on most fabrics. Kitty and Green/Pink are out, Rainbow and Pink/Chocolate are on back order until October and I have plenty of all the rest.

Any questions? Feel free to email me at katie@bluekittydesigns.com

2008-08-19T21:39:00.001-04:00

20 tote bags before:

I hope to have 20 totes after to show you soon.

Two days until Stitches Midwest! Booth 824, swing by and say hi! (And buy stuff... hehe)

2008-06-19T22:19:00.002-04:00

I'm back!

(home again in Indiana...)

The shop is currently at what I call "half strength" which means all the items listed are already sewn and ready to be shipped. (Usually half the pieces in my shop are sewn within a day after it sells.) I should be back to "full strength" by the end of the month. But the best part is for a limited time only:

FREE SHIPPING!!!

Now through June 25th, it's free shipping on all your orders as my "I'm in Indiana" housewarming gift to you.

Sorry I'm still not taking custom orders until July, there are dozens of pesky unpacked boxes laying around the new house. But to make up for it, I'm now selling boxy bags! Check them out here.

Happy crafting!

2008-06-08T13:02:00.000-04:00

What's a girl to do when her house looks like this?

Knit socks!

Red and purple ones for the twins. (Sorry I've misplaced the ball band due to the ~~mess~~ move.) Finished the last one today and so now I'm onto:

Berroco Sox in blue-green stripe.

I think the rest of my sock yarn has been packed already so I may need to make a quick trip to my local yarn shop before we leave Maryland on Friday. Like that's any trouble... hehe

The funny part is since it's 90 degrees outside, we're all wearing sandals and have no need for socks at the moment. Oh well, my life is usually full of irony like that.

2008-06-05T09:52:00.003-04:00

Update on the Blue Kitty Designs/Fleck family move:

Right now only items ready to ship are listed in my Etsy shop. On Monday June 9th, I'll be taking it down while we move to Indiana from Maryland. I plan to list everything again on Friday June 20th and offer free shipping through the 25th as a "thank you" to my wonderful loyal customers!

If you want to follow along more closely, please visit my personal blog at www.katiefleck.com.

Thanks for your understanding and patience!

2008-05-30T19:33:00.004-04:00

It's official! We're moving to Indiana! Today my husband closed on the new house (which has a room to be my "office", weee!) and I will be driving out in two weeks (kids need to finish school here in Maryland).

What's this mean for Blue Kitty Designs? The biggest thing will be I'm forming a LLC under the name Katie Fleck. I'll still use the Blue Kitty Designs name to an extent but I think Katie Fleck Designs is going to give me a little bit wider audience. I also plan to have a shopping cart up and running on the website shortly.

June is going to be a long and crazy month but this move is a fantastic one for us and I'm looking forward to being a Hoosier again.

2008-05-06T11:21:00.002-04:00

April was a crazy busy month here at Blue Kitty Designs! So my monthly 5% donation amount to Doctors without Borders is $40. Yay! For more information and to see past donations, please click here: KWB/Project Linus. Thanks!

2008-05-01T14:53:00.001-04:00

OMG! (And you have to say it "O!" "M!" "G!" like my girls do).

Scroll down until you see someone familiar. (Hint: he's wearing yellow.)

http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2008/05/01/indianapolis.html

Long story short, I was being all pouty the other day because her April 29th stop on her current book tour was 5 minutes away... From the Indiana house. And I'm in Maryland. Still...

But wow! Greg is so getting the biggest hug ever when he returns home from Indiana!

2008-04-28T09:47:00.001-04:00

The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival is this upcoming weekend! I can't wait to pet some sheep and bunnies and alpacas and buy yarn... hehe

2008-04-15T08:38:00.002-04:00

Big news!

I'm going to be a vendor at Stitches Midwest in August! (website)

So far I've lined up two helpers (my wonderful sister and darling sister-in-law) and... That's about it, I don't have a hotel room, booth display, or enough products sewn. Details, details.

This does mean more fabric shopping, woohoo! What are your favorite designs? Florals, geometrics, vintage, animals, batiks? Colors? Me, I like anything blue.

2008-04-06T07:49:00.000-04:00

I love to see other people's craft storage ideas so here's another of mine. The shelving unit and red boxes are all from IKEA. In the boxes I have fabric scrapes, miscellaneous supplies like paper clips and tape, and an overflow of my yarn stash. Obviously I currently have more bolts of fabric than space since some are leaning against the wall at the moment. In the back corner are all my shipping boxes and envelopes.

I seriously can't wait for my own craft room when we move to Indiana in June! This picture is actually of our dining room (never used for dining since we have space for a table in the kitchen).

My other craft space pictures:

Hanging fabric rack

Fabric cutting "department"

Hmm, I really need to replace that Thanksgiving table cloth...

2008-04-02T11:48:00.000-04:00

March's Knitters without Borders donation was $20 (5% of my Etsy sales). Thanks!

2008-03-30T22:17:00.000-04:00

Help a girl out! Pick a fabric combination!

1. Fiesta with Blue

2. Fiesta with Green

3. Party with Gold

4. Party with Lime

5. Party with Perwinkle

(Colors may vary due to monitor settings. And yes, of course I have to buy new fabric after doing so well today at the yarn party! Fun cool fabric is half the point to this business. lol)

Thanks!!!

2008-03-25T21:20:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed the Homespun Yarn Party graphic in the side bar. Want to know more?

What: Yarn Party! Check out local yarn vendors, sit and knit, meet new people!

Who: All your favorite local yarn dyers and spinners, plus some extra crafty goodness! And all our knitting/crocheting/spinning friends (you!) of course!!

Where: 7500 Maple Avenue | Takoma Park, MD | 20912 -- Metro accessible, plenty of parking!

When: March 30, 2008 - 2 PM to 6 PM

Why: Who needs an excuse to get together and craft?! We wanted to get together and spread some fiber love!

Blue Kitty Designs will be there! And bonus, I'll have items in fabric patterns not yet available online. Be the first to see them and buy!

2008-03-18T10:25:00.001-04:00

Quick Knitters without Borders update: my February donation (5% of Etsy sales) was $23. Thank you all for supporting Blue Kitty Designs and Doctors without Borders!

2008-03-09T22:37:00.002-04:00

Oi, enough with the pink and chocolate fabric already! (See 9 out of the last 11 items sold.) Guess I really should start cutting and sewing some of the new fabrics I have here then huh?

2008-03-02T20:04:00.002-05:00

SICK

I'm so sorry about the delay for shipping out orders. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

(Seriously need an assistant... This one woman show business is for the birds.)

2008-02-23T09:51:00.000-05:00

One of the exciting things about our upcoming move (read more here) is that I will be getting my own craft space! Even if it is taking over the dining room again. But I'm working on a plan to make it more usable for me (right now I'm spread out all over our weird L shaped dining room/front room and using the actual dining room table). So far I think I *only* need a table for cutting fabric and a bookshelf (which I may have depending on how the rest of the furniture shakes out in the new house).

And in seemingly unrelated news, my first large zipper order arrived from my wholesale distributor. I now have about 120 zippers in various colors and two sizes. How in the world to organize these? Go google "zipper rack" or "zipper display" or any other possible word combination. There isn't anything! ("Zipper organization" shows every type of zip top bag ever made.) This is where I'm reminded that sewing isn't really as popular as it is in my head. Or maybe people just toss their zippers in a drawer or plastic bin and call it good.

I found this:

I actually found it pretty early in my search but figured there had to be something else out there. There isn't. And now I'm the proud owner of a metal vintage zipper display. (Well as soon as the eBay seller ships it to me.) I'm probably going to be bad and take out the paper inserts and paint the whole thing. My inner Antique Roadshow appraiser is cringing but hey, I'm not really going with an antique distressed look to my craft room. More of a "mismatched, heavy IKEA influence" theme. With lots and lots of blue.

2008-02-14T10:51:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the lack of shop updates, I've actually been knitting!

Felted laptop bag from AlterKNITS (I really like this book by the way, I have plans to make at least 4 more projects from it.)

I used Cascade 220 in heather blue, navy, light blue, and yellow, knitting the medium pattern size on US8 needles. Since my gauge wasn't exactly theirs, I ended up casting on too many stitches and the bag was too long (tall). That's okay, felting is awesome because I just cut off the extra length at the top when it dried.

I'm also working on an Irish Hiking Scarf in black Cascade Baby Alpaca Chunky. Can you tell I love Cascade yarns?

Now then I have like 6 bolts of fabric that I haven't even cut into that are calling my name. Back to the sewing machine!

2008-02-10T13:22:00.000-05:00

January's Knitters without Borders donation was $25! Thank you!

2008-02-08T11:23:00.000-05:00

My first wholesale order. It went something like this:

A lovely Etsy seller emailed me, asking about my dpn wallets for her sock yarn club. 50 of them. Weeee!!! We talked prices and she said she'd get back to me when she was ready to order. Fast forward a few months and she asked for fabric samples. I emailed pictures of several and she picked one. I ordered the fabric and waited. (This is the boring part, it gets more exciting. Really.)

The fabric finally arrived (it involved an eBay seller because the main design was back-ordered through my wholesaler). I asked for payment before I cut into 8 yards of fabric and 1 yard of batting. Payment received. Danced around the room when the money hit my PayPal account. *ahem*

All the pieces cut, interfacing, and with snaps attached, ready for sewing. (That's a completed one on the left and 12 yards of handmade yellow bias tape on the right.)

Bias tape sewn to the edges and the squares attached to the main piece.

Batting and back sewn. Ready for the seams to be trimmed and turned:

On to ironing them flat.

Pretending to be cool with an artsy angle. Note: Blue Kitty Designs runs on Mountain Dew and funny cat pictures.

The last sewn seam of the last wallet. Woohoo!

All counted and neatly tied with ribbon for shipment.

The End. :)

2008-01-27T07:22:00.000-05:00

Last night I finally photographed my stash and a few finished projects (I still need to pull out some sweaters) and updated my Ravelry profile. Feel free to add me as a friend and I'll do the same! katiefleck's Profile

2008-01-19T13:19:00.000-05:00

Because I need another hobby like another hole in the head. My latest purchase from Etsy:

Maine Maple Wood Drop Spindle Spinning Kit in Greens and Blues from Maine Woods Yarn & Fiber. I am way too excited about this, I can't wait to try it!

2008-01-14T08:49:00.000-05:00

Socks aren't scared of heights!

CN Tower in Toronto Canada, Socks that Rock (Blue Moon Fibers) colorway Bella Coola Nuxalk on US2 rosewood dpns, Yarn Harlot's basic sock recipe

2008-01-06T16:02:00.001-05:00

Ready for Secret of the Stole II? I've donated one of the door prizes for this round, a project bag and matching notions pouch. For more information, please visit their website at Knit With.Us

2008-01-01T19:51:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

December's Knitters without Borders donation to Doctors without Borders was $45. Thank you to all my great customers!

I'm still away from the sewing machine (and home for that matter) so the Etsy shop will be down for a few more days. I plan to be back up this weekend or the 7th at the latest. I have a few new designs in my head and lots of fun fabric that I can't wait to use. 2008 is going to be a great year!

2007-12-21T08:56:00.000-05:00

Where's the stuff?

It's time for my family's annual whirlwind tour of the Midwest to visit friends and family over Christmas and New Years. While I will have my laptop and internet access, I won't have my inventory (or sewing machine!) So I've temporarily taken down the Etsy shop through the end of the year. In January, I'll be back with new fabrics (see a few posts ago) and more tote bags.

Have a very happy (and crafty) holiday season!

2007-12-16T08:48:00.001-05:00

November was a very busy month so the Knitters without Borders donation was $50! My best month ever! I'm a bit behind in my record keeping for December (something about sewing three Christmas dresses, knitting two sweaters and all the usual holiday madness) but this month looks very good as well. Thanks so much!

2007-12-06T14:42:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite parts of running this shop, new fabric!

I've had some requests for bright pink/blue/purple and this set definitely fits the bill:

And then since everyone isn't into "LOOK AT ME!" type fabrics, I really like this more neutral letter/postage print:

Look for the items made of both new sets in January 2008!

2007-12-03T09:48:00.000-05:00

My Shipping and Fabric Cutting Department

One of the sort of silly aspects of running a home business is the way areas of the house are re-purposed. The room above is actually the dining room (complete with Thanksgiving tablecloth, oops). But most days it's the Blue Kitty Designs Shipping Department.

All the sewn items are stored in the plastic bin seen by the chair. I wrap each sold item in blue tissue paper (I bought a huge package of 500 sheets a few months ago) and tie a white ribbon bow around it. Next it's weighed and again with the re-purposing, the scale was originally purchased for my son's Pinewood Derby cars. Postage & invoices are printed, custom forms filled out, and the package is ready to go!

On other days, it's the BKD Fabric Cutting Department. I wash and dry the fabric from the bolts (another picture another day), iron, and then hang the fabric until I'm ready to use it. In the center of the table, you can see the gray mat and rotary cutter (purchased for quilt making).

Thank goodness for the eat-in kitchen...

2007-11-29T19:39:00.000-05:00

Sold!

One of the fun features on Etsy is the Time Machine 2. It lets you scroll back in time to see what has recently sold. I took a screen shot of one particular wonderful order (from a husband for his knitting wife, awww...) on Monday. Pretty cool, huh?

2007-11-25T17:40:00.000-05:00

I've been featured! Check it out!

2007-11-18T11:51:00.000-05:00

Short

It's like running out of yarn while knitting the cuff of the second sleeve of a sweater...

(upper right hand corner, missing 5 red and 6 white)

This is a Christmas present for my aunt who loves everything Americana. It's a rag quilt, I'll sew the seams to one side and then snip, wash, and let the exposed edges fray. I love how quickly this type of quilt comes together, all the little "sandwiches" are easier to handle rather than the large sheets of fabric and batting in the standard quilting method.

Off to dig through my fabric scraps...

2007-11-08T16:07:00.000-05:00

By the numbers, today:

48 photos taken (not including all the "bad" ones I deleted)
12 new items now ready to list on Etsy
22 items waiting to be sewn (including 1 tote bag)
2 new fabric sets I need to cut into

I guess I should be sitting at the sewing machine instead of the computer, huh?

2007-10-31T17:20:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween!

I'm wrapping up my end of the month expense & income reports and I'm thrilled to announce October has been my best month yet! As I wrote in this post, I'm now donating 5% of my Etsy sales to Doctors without Borders. Happily this month's donation will be $28! I know it doesn't sound like much (yet) but according to their website, just $30 a month provides "a surgical kit containing essential instruments to carry out emergency examinations and basic surgery in the field." That seems like a pretty good value to me.

And the best is yet to come! I have 4 new fabric sets ready to be cut and sewn as well as a special "Limited Time Only" Clover Soft Touch crochet hook sets with roll organizer. Always wanted to learn how to crochet? The set includes all 8 hooks from C to J (2.5mm to 6mm) in one of my crochet rolls especially made for these hooks. It's a fantastic starter set!

It's time to start thinking about Christmas gifts (I know, ack!) and helping your favorite knitter protect her needles and works in progress is a great present. I do custom orders and will help you find the perfect fabric as well. US custom orders need to be made by Dec 15th and International by Dec 1st.

Now then, I really should start knitting those 5 Christmas sweaters...

2007-10-12T14:44:00.000-04:00

Back from Stitches East!

When I went to the MD Sheep & Wool Festival earlier this year I wasn't shopping for yarn so the experience wasn't too overwhelming. Today I was shopping for yarn. Oh my goodness... To say a convention center full of yarn was mind blowing, unbelievable, and amazing would be an understatement.

First I met Meliabella at the Webs booth for my lovely Ravelry ribbon. And then we headed back to see Lindsay at Storm Moon Knits. Kelly picked out this:

(Yes, the pink is that bright!)

A note about Kelly (my almost 5 year old daughter). Usually she's really, really good when we run errands or spend the day out. Today... Not so good. She alternated between being cute and having everyone "ooh" and "aah" over her to me almost dragging her around by the arm with her pouting and stamping her feet. All because she saw a tiny $50(!) mohair teddy bear that I wouldn't buy for her. To try to convince her to stay longer, I let her pick out this stitch marker from Waters Edge Jewelry:

That helped long enough for me to buy all this from Webs:

Soon to be 5 Christmas sweaters for the kids.

And then Kelly saw a booth with "rocks", (actually lovely glass buttons by Copeland Glass). Again trying to get a few extra minutes out of her, she picked out these:

I think they will go on the girls' Christmas sweaters.

And then I ignored Kelly's pouting long enough to buy this from Brooks Farm Yarn:

It is silk, mohair, and wool. I drove home with it on my lap and I'm thinking about just wearing it around my neck as is.

Oh and here are the brochures I totally didn't hand out to anyone. Oh well.

Now if only there were 27 hours in the day to knit all this lovely yarn...

2007-10-11T08:52:00.000-04:00

Knitters without Borders

Inspired by Yarn Harlot, I will be donating 5% of sales from my Etsy shop to Doctors without Borders each month. Stephanie has raised almost $340,000 since Jan 2005! It boggles the mind what a good person with a mission can accomplish.

I'll be adding a section for this under the Project Linus page (another great organization). I hope to average a $30 to $50 donation monthly with a minimum of $10 in a slow month. (October = slow, I'd only be donating $4 at this point.)

Together we can make the world a better place, one knit stitch and dollar at a time.

2007-09-26T23:34:00.001-04:00

Coming to a craft fair near you?

Maybe!

The Etsy shop is back up! See those lovely tote bags on the coat tree? I promise I'll list them this weekend!

2007-09-21T09:08:00.000-04:00

So I took down my Etsy shop.

It's just temporary! I'm a bit overwhelmed in other areas of life and it seems to be the easiest thing to let go. Unless someone wants to hire an evening nanny for me. And maybe a chef. And maid. Oh, can I have a chauffeur too?

The ironic part is that I can't give up sewing for the shop. There's a big knitting festival here next May that I really really want to be in. The deadline to apply is Oct 1st and part of the application is a picture of a booth sale set up. Since I haven't done a craft show yet, I don't have a picture and therefore need to make a mock set up to photograph. And in order to have a mock set up, I need enough merchandise as if I was at a real craft show. Which I don't have because people keep buying from my Etsy shop (not that I'm complaining, thank you, love you!). It's a bizarre form of catch 22. Therefore I took the shop down, no one can buy anything, and I should be able to get my application together.

Thanks for your patience and understanding during this break. I promise Blue Kitty Designs will be bigger and better when it's back up again. With "specially made for knitters" tote bags!

2007-09-17T11:37:00.001-04:00

New fabrics coming soon!

I have a fantastic order of great fabrics arriving soon but already here are a lovely light yellow set, a green daisy with dots, an vintage like navy and cream floral pattern, a cute bright green and blue combination, and I can't believe I waited so long, a kitty print fabric! Look for all your favorite organizers and bags in these new designs by the end of this month.

Now then if someone could just perfect that 27 hour day I ordered, I'd be all set.

2007-09-05T15:04:00.000-04:00

Why I do what I do.

The funny thing is that sewing isn't actually my favorite craft. But it seems to be a talent that not many people have. And organization. I love organizing and trying to figure out the best way to store things. (I'd like to point out while I really enjoy things neat and tidy, I don't always practice what I preach, hehe.)

So I sew to help others. The money is definitely secondary. Actually it's probably third on the list of importance because I really like fabric and this business gives me a great excuse to buy lots of fun fabrics. I've always been a "buy what you need when you need it" type gal so this shop gives me the freedom to shop. I can't wait to show you the new fabrics I've ordered, I want to keep one of everything for myself!

I also like a challenge. I like to learn new skills. Tote bag construction is brand new to me and it's been a blast. I don't think I create the bags like most so that makes them even more my style and unique. While you can buy a knitting needle roll at your local mega craft store, so can thousands of other people. If you buy a Blue Kitty Designs knitting needle roll, it may be completely one of a kind.

Sewing can be a bit like knitting. It's not faster and usually not cheaper than buying mass made products. But when something is home made with time and experience, it's worth every bit of extra effort.

2007-08-31T09:38:00.001-04:00

You are Shetland Wool. You are a traditional sort who can sometimes be a little on the harsh side. Though you look delicate you are tough as nails and prone to intricacies. Despite your acerbic ways you are widely respected and even revered.

Take this quiz!

Aw, I wanted to be cashmere!

(Who are we kidding, of course I'm boring old wool, hehe.)

2007-08-27T10:51:00.000-04:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Please tell me I'm not the only one who has started Christmas knitting?

Last year I finished the kids' Christmas sweaters on... Christmas day. Seriously, I was knitting the last sweater Christmas morning, only hours before it was suppose to be worn. (Click here for the picture. Both sweater patterns from Family Circle Easy Knits for Kids)

In an effort to not repeat knitting in the dark in the van ride to Ohio and skipping my mother-in-law's fabulous Christmas morning breakfast, I'm starting my knitting early.

The project I'm currently working on is a gift. I'm not sure if the recipient will pop over here and read so I'm not saying exactly what it is at the moment (email me if you really need to know). If you receive the Knit Picks catalog, it was on the second page in the summer edition as well as a free pattern on their website. The fun part is I ordered enough yarn that it came still in the plastic (a first for me).

CotLin in Moroccan Red on size US 7 needles. (Like the stitch markers? hehe)

Also on the list of Christmas knitting, sweaters for the kids (need a pattern!) and hopefully the Christmas stockings I meant to knit last year...

2007-08-23T09:25:00.000-04:00

Found you!

You signed up on July 4, 2007
You are #13367 on the list.
3575 people are ahead of you in line.
14379 people are behind you in line.
34% of the list has been invited so far

I'm dying to get onto this website. Have you seen the screenshots? The book library? The stash? The completed projects? Best of all, the yarn!!!

MySpace, I don't get. Flickr, I'm slowly starting to play with. Ravelry, now you're speaking my language.

2007-08-21T13:14:00.001-04:00

As you may or may not have noticed, I've been making some updates and changes to the website. (It's about time!) The product page actually has descriptions and pictures of products on it and wow, I'm blogging too. I'm going to attempt to keep this up in addition to my usual writing duties at my main blog Ramblings of a SAHM and Larger Families. Wish me luck!

Two more things while I'm on the semi-boring subject of websites. If you've blogged about any purchases from Blue Kitty Designs, please leave me a comment! I've tried to keep track but I may have missed a few along the way. I'm going to add a spot over in the left column just for those bloggers. Thank you!

And the shopping cart. My wonderful brother-in-law has coded a Zen Cart for me to use here so you can purchase directly from me in addition to the Etsy website. There's nothing at all wrong with Etsy (I *heart* Etsy!), I would just like more options and to be able to sell non-handmade stuff like knitting needles and crochet hooks.

But... (there's always a "but...") I'm waiting on a wholesale fabric order to arrive to stock my shop solely with those new fabrics. And the fabrics are back ordered until mid-September. I hope to have the new shopping cart with new fabric options all up and running here by the beginning of October. Then I'll have a good month to work any kinks out before Christmas shopping begins. Speaking of Christmas shopping... That subject will have to wait for another day though. *winks*

2007-08-15T14:34:00.000-04:00

Because I need another hobby like a hole in the head.

Back in July I had one of those random thoughts... "How cool would it be to have beads with my Blue Kitty Designs logo on them? And then make them into stitch markers!"

I found two talented polymer clay designers on Etsy (DragonGlass and Iris Mishly) and after a few bucks spent at Michaels on the other stuff, ta da! (click to purchase at my Etsy shop).

I have no idea why but looking at dozens of these little beads makes me very happy.

2007-08-08T12:03:00.000-04:00

I've been mentioned in a podcast!

Fiber Cult is a new (relatively) website from a group of six real life knitting friends. They record themselves talking about knitting/crochet projects to create the podcasts and then post it and any links mentioned on the blog. You can subscribe at iTunes or download from their website. Blue Kitty Designs was included in Episode 2.

Very cool idea, now I have something new to listen to while I'm ~~ignoring the children~~ working out at the gym.

2007-08-02T10:31:00.000-04:00

I like to think of myself as a sock knitter. Sure I've knit sweaters and ponchos and hats and scarves but if I could only knit one type of item for the rest of my life, it would be socks. So far I've knit 7 pairs in my almost 2 year knitting career.

But the thing is, I knit boring socks. Seriously, the same pattern over and over, just varying the yarn, gauge, and needles as necessary. (My favorite needles are a set of US 2 rosewoods.) The pattern? Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's "sock recipe" (found in her book Knitting Rules) I've tried other patterns, I've downloaded at least a dozen different sock patterns, ones with ribbing, lace, fair isle. And yet I rip out all of them and end up knitting every single pair of socks using the "sock recipe."

So where's the problem you may ask? Well at the beginning of the year I joined the Rockin' Sock Club at Blue Moon Fiber Arts. They send out awesome sock yarn and cool patterns every other month. Perfect for a sock knitter, me!

And now it's August, 8 months into the year and look:

I love the yarn, don't get me wrong, it's amazing stuff. But the patterns? Two words: toe up. EEK!

I know I could just knit the yarn in my regular boring toe down, a couple inches of ribbing, stockinette stitch, la la la but it doesn't feel right. Half the fun of being in the sock club (to me) is knitting the pattern that came with the yarn. This yarn has a purpose, to be that sock pattern!

So the yarn sits. (Actually in the drawer below that shelf, not seen in the picture.) I'm not much of a stash person so I know eventually it'll be knit. Time will tell if I jump out of my comfort zone and attempt the Rockin' Sock patterns or fall back into old familiar ways...

2007-07-01T19:10:00.000-04:00

Sad to say there's nothing on the needles at the moment. (Lots of sewing, yes, no knitting though.)

Instead I'm reading Charmed Knits and Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off. Both books are great, I really want to knit myself a Weasley sweater. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is a such a fun writer, her books are perfect for the times I really want to be knitting but when one thing or another gets in the way, reading her books is the next best thing.

2007-06-12T10:50:00.000-04:00

Meet the Blue Kitty Designs Mascot!

"BKD" was custom made by FluffyFlowers (Etsy shop, blog) especially for me! And fittingly, she came from a felted blue wool sweater. So far her job has been to keep an eye on printer ink usage and guard the pen holder. Tough work, I'm sure.

2007-05-30T11:40:00.000-04:00

Spreading the Etsy love (all shops I have purchased from, now adore, and highly recommend):

Loose String: Cute and very functional pin cushions! I own this one and use it daily as it sits right next to my sewing machine.

Zero Markers: Her tag line is fabulous, "jewelry for your knitting." I own two sets of her stitch markers already! She also blogs at sockpr0n.blogspot.com

Crafty Alien: Adorable knitting patterns for stuffed animals and the latest craze of Amigurumi. I'd love to say I've knit up all the cute kitties in the pattern I bought but there is this small issue of my own Etsy shop that takes up a lot of my time. She blogs at craftyalien.blogspot.com

Stayed tuned for more of my favorite Etsy purchases!

2007-05-22T19:31:00.000-04:00

A quick trip down memory lane...

My first knitted sweater!

Completed May 10, 2006. Green Gable Pattern with Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in "Mariner Blue".

My thoughts on the project then:

The toughest part for me was learning how to "knit in front and back". (Which makes me sound like a total n00b in knitting.) The sleeves were easy, you actually just knit them along with the sweater body (this is knit from the top down) and then you pull them off onto waste yarn (I actually just used a couple of circular needles) and finish with few rows of ribbing. And the best part of this sweater is no seaming, I'm terrible at it. Oh and if you knit the size 34, you only need 2 skeins, I have about 4 yards left of the second skein. Ta da, my first sweater!

I actually went on to knit this sweater pattern two more times in colors "Candy Apple" and "Nymph" for my sister and sister-in-law. Knitting in multiples must be a left over thing from scrapbooking in multiples for my children.

2007-05-07T10:19:00.000-04:00

Sunday I went to the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival to check out all the nifty knitting items for sale. Seeing all the sheep and 4-H stuff (10 year member!) made me homesick. There were even sheep from Quincy Ohio (which will mean nothing to most of you except my husband's family and friends). I'm now back to wanting a farm with sheep and goats and mini cows. It's a conundrum, I want to be in the middle of nowhere on a farm but then again I don't want to give up 2 Targets and half a dozen Chick-fil-A's in a five mile radius.

Oops, off topic there for a minute. The real reason I'm mentioning this is because I really want Blue Kitty Designs to be a booth at next year's festival!

2007-04-20T21:21:00.000-04:00

My $15 solution to fabric storage. I like to hang fabric and there's no closet near my cutting table (aka the dining room table). Previously the fabric was draped over the treadmill and dining room chairs. A $5 clothing rack and $10's worth of hangers (I splurged at IKEA):

2007-04-04T12:17:00.000-04:00

New Fabrics Coming Soon!

I'm so excited to finally be ordering fabric in wholesale bolts. But I do have to admit that the 3 digit price tag for doing so kept me from sleeping well last night! As soon as I receive confirmations from the stores that the fabrics are in stock, I'll post a few swatches of what you have to look forward to.

2007-03-26T14:58:00.000-04:00

It's becoming official, I'm legally the sole proprietor of Blue Kitty Designs. Trade name papers have been sent to the state, EIN received, PO box paid for. I've applied for a business checking account and I'm looking into label suppliers. It's a bit scary but exciting all the same. And I should be set to accept wholesale orders by the middle of April.

Course now I have to pay taxes, boo...

2007-03-02T18:18:00.000-05:00

Ta da! Sock Bags!

Now onto totes...

2007-02-14T15:50:00.000-05:00

More website tweaks. More items up at Etsy. Thank you all for your support!

2007-01-24T23:54:00.000-05:00

It's January!

Um...

I've finally been doing the updates on the actual web pages here at www.bluekittydesigns.com. If you find any broken links or pages, please let me know in the comments.

More actual "stuff" to buy coming soon, I promise!

2007-01-07T23:06:00.000-05:00

Hi all!

I'm Katie, of the Ramblings of a SAHM fame. Or not so much (the fame part, I am Katie. I think...). Anyway a craft blog is nothing new to me as my other blog has featured many of my projects before. However I plan to keep them all contained to this site from now on.

And bonus, you can buy the stuff! You may have already come through the main page of Blue Kitty Designs and seen everything. Or you are here through some other odd mystic turn of the internet so then you need to know that I sell stuff! Woohoo!

Currently as of this posting, the actual Blue Kitty Design store is at my Etsy shop. Feel free to buy lots of stuff. Then my husband will be happy, doves will rejoice, and your life will be full of rainbows and kittens.*

Not only will you be supporting my crack, err I mean craft habit by buying from Blue Kitty Designs, you will be helping hospitalized children. Think of the children! I am a big supporter of Project Linus and create quilts with my leftover fabric. You can see a couple of my donated quilts here.

Thanks for stopping by and let me know what you think. (Buy stuff!)

* Well one out of three ain't bad.