New Job!

I started a new job today! The first day went pretty well, and although I'm very tired I'm also glad that I managed to work for a full day! Having not worked for 3 months it's a big achievement to me!!

Sadly, I think this will mean I won't have as much time to craft - although for the first few weeks I'll only be working part time, as there's so many of us that they need to train!

So, I'm off tomorrow, and plan to use it photographing and listing sock creatures (as there is now an army of them in the bedroom!).

I've made a new Monster since I posted last, and I've 3/4 made a new Bunny, but I haven't had a chance to photograph them, so no pictures yet I'm afraid. Hopefully I'll manage to get pics tomorrow and there'll be a big update then!

So, just a quick update from me, before I go and shower and collapse! I'm hoping I won't fall asleep before Ashes to Ashes start!!

And Normal Service Is Resumed

After being horribly unispired for a couple of days, and feeling generally like everything I make is worthless, I'm actually feeling better and doing some knitting today. I think a couple of days of not doing anything crafty at all has put things into perspective and made me realise how much I do actually enjoy doing it, regardless of whether or not things I make are selling.

Despite this fact, I still had a facebook message from my step-mother, asking for a sock creature, free, as no one in my family seems to factor in that I have to pay for supplies and suchlike (even a few quid to cover the cost of the socks would be nice!) and I'm considering making her one, in the hope that she'll show it to people and it might generate some interest.

I'm also having a think about how I could make my sock creatures unique, and at the moment I'm considering maybe giving them knitted accessories of some kind. It's still a bit of a work in progress / idea at the moment though, so it could all change yet!

I haven't really been up to much crafty, but I do have a finished Sock Rabbit to show off:

Lack Of Confidence

I don't know what's wrong with me today. I seem to have seriously lost my crafting mojo. It's taken me the best part of an hour and a half to make arms for the Sock Rabbit I'm making. Normally it takes half an hour, tops!

Partly, I think I feel unappreciated. Everyone in my family seems to love the stuff I make, whether it's knitted or a sock creature, or whatever. They all want some of it. My mother, step-mother and step-aunt all want sock creatures, and my aunt wants a corsage brooch. Which is all well and good, but they seem to expect me to do it for free. Never mind that I have to pay for wool and buttons and socks and stuffing and needles and thread and lord knows what else, they all seem to assume that I'll make things for them for free. The closest I've got to payment for making things for people is being given the socks and buttons I needed to make sock monkeys for my boyfriend's neice and nephew.

The other part of it is I think, lack of sales. I spend time making all the things I make, and so far I've only sold one thing. Okay, so it probably doesn't help that I have the attention span of a gnat, and like to change what I make on a daily basis, and probably have no one else to blame for myself, it doesn't help me feel good about myself and the things I make.

This has turned into a bit of a pointless rant really, but I think I needed to get it all off my chest. Ho hum. Back to the Bunny creation!

Sock Creature Round Up

I've been making a lot of sock creatures recently and only a few of them have had pictures taken and posted here. I have now taken pictures of all of the ones I have made, and those that haven't already been posted will be now!

First up, Monkeys:

This is a monkey made for my boyfriend's Niece - she/he/it doesn't have a name yet:


This is Spot:



This is Stripe:


This is Bruce (note the bats comic-fans!!):


And this is another un-named monkey, made for my mother:


And now, Bunnies:

This is Lilah


Springy:


And my absolute favourite-est sock creation ever - Captain Blacktail, the bunny pirate:


And then this, is a monster. He doesn't have a name really. I like to make Rawr-y noises at him though:


Some of these will be appearing in my etsy shop over the next few days! Keep an eye out for them!

Sock Bunny

I haven't posted for a little while, mostly because I'm busy writing a Sock Monkey tutorial, which is taking much longer than I anticipated. Hopefully it'll be done in the next couple of days though! In the meantime however, I had an idea about making different animals out of socks, and it being Easter and all, the first idea that sprang into my head was to make a rabbit.

And here he is:



I don't think he's too bad for a first attempt at something, and I'll be making at least one friend for him at some point, so expect lots of pictures of more bunnies, and more monkeys too at some point. My bedroom currently looks like a stuffed monkey sanctuary!

More Monkeys

I made more monkeys...I couldn't help myself!

Here we have:

Chester -



Dotty -



and Gordon -



And here's one of them all (which is a bit dark - the sun wasn't out!) -



They're about the only crafty thing I've done of late. I seem to be in a bit of a slump really. I think being frustrated and a tad depressed about not being in work is starting to affect my motivation to do anything, so mostly, I don't feel creative.

Going to attempt to do some more cross-stitch today I think; it might help to get me out of my slump, but I'm not holding my breath really.

Anyone have any suggestions for how to get some creativity back?

Oh, and the monkies are for sale in both my Etsy and Folksy shops, links to which can be found to the left!