Introducing My Favorite Artfire Finds

I've decided to open my new shop on a new online handmade market place called Artfire.  While I love how successful Etsy was for me,  Seems that the original idea of featuring hand made items from small scale artisans has been overcome by the desire to sell large quantities of mass produced, "disposable",  resale goods from overseas.  

Don't get me wrong,  There are some very talented artists selling their wares on Etsy who reside overseas, and I wish them much success.  And I also support jobs creation in China and third world countries, but I prefer to find a place where the handmade goods are truly separated from the mass produce commercial goods that are saturating Etsy's "Handmade" category. 

The many times I've searched handmade goods on Artfire, they are truly hand made. Of course there is a "commercial" section of goods,  but the handmade is much easier to find.  Here are my fave black and white finds from Artfire.  And I will add more as I discover them so stay tuned.

  Black and White Finds on Arftire on Pinterest.

The inspiration is starting to flow again

Its been a little while since I have posted anything here.  After developing pain in my hand while I knit,  I had to shift my attention to another form of creation.  Many of you know that I shifted my attention to making and selling cell phone wallets online.  After two years of working sun up to sun down,  and due to many adverse life events,  I was forced to shut down in January of this year.  I was uninspired,  unmotivated, and every time I sat down at my work table,  I was faced with an anxiety that paralyzed me.

Since that time it seems that life has just been pushing me to get back into the things I love. This includes knitting, designing, and sewing.

Here is my latest project.  I agreed to knit a scarf for a friend's daughter and here is what I have so far.  I"m loving the random strips of color.  This is a mixture of one hank of my hand dyed self striping DK yarn, a hank of my hand dyed and spun Art Yarn, and one hank of my hand dyed veriegated sock yarn.  Don't ya just love it!?  I even feel a new pattern coming on.  And if you haven't yet considered it,  Now's the time to start thinking about your winter knitting needs.  

It's been a while since I last posted.  Running a successful Etsy shop can be quite a challenge to say the least.  Seemed there's never enough time to do all the things I want to do.  I have been sewing up a storm and finding new fabrics to share.  I've also begun working on the new website and will slowly be rolling it out over the next several months, so feel free to stop by and follow it if your interested in seeing how things unfold.

Its now been a few years that I have been unable to knit and while I am still sad about that,  I am happy to have the opportunity to continue being my same creative self.