You must meet

This new rare breed!!!  I'm saying NO MORE but please take a trip to the TIAS blog!!!

Something different

Well Spring seems to have finally sort of arrived so it's time for me to start looking at summer clothes.  

I didn't bother last year due to lockdown and seriously didn't bother for the past two winters.  BUT I feel as if life maybe opening up a bit more for now and I have decided I cannot go around looking so scruffy for any longer!!  Scruffy is my favourite look and (I must admit) over the winter I've made it my only 'look'!!!!  

Isn't it amazing how easily you can go through life without wearing a bra when you're in floppy winter clothes and never take a coat off because you're not allowed to go into a building apart from a food shop  or your own house?  No I wasn't going to strip off in any shop but the freedom of not wearing a certain item of underwear is a habit I'm now going to have to break!!!!  What better excuse to go back to wearing one than having a new t-shirt!!!!

BUT as any tatters reading this will know - a person cannot leave an item of clothing without some sort of 'decoration'!!!!  Now, what colours, what size and what pattern shall I use to decorate this new t-shirt?

A story behind each critter

There's usually a reason for me designing a new animal.  Sometimes I've been asked or somebody's suggested it or sometimes it's because I've been talking to somebody in the country where the animal lives.  Sometimes it's just because I want to do that particular creature.

So when it comes to stocking the shop I've started giving the animals names - when I can think of one!!!

The penguins became 'perky penguins' because that's just because they looked like that!!!  Nelly became Nelly just because she's an elephant!!!  

The two today have reasons for their names.  Barney because Barney sort of goes with Barn owl but Hootie has a very personal reason for being called that.  He's an adaptation of one of my older patterns but with bigger wings.  

He has that name because of Bob and Gloria with whom I've stayed a few times when in South Carolina.  They live in the most glorious spot on the banks of Lake Murray and Bob feeds an owl each evening.  We had the luck to see his 'Hootie' one evening on my last stay with them.  

Still stocking the shop!!!

At the moment I'm still stocking the shop - or rather, trying to!!!  I get a few listed and then they get sold so back to the shuttles I go.

I'm trying out new 'lines' all  the time but this is just a hobby and I'm not 'in it' to make a fortune.  Well, a little bit to cover the costs of using Etsy helps!!  

The main problem for me is keeping track of earnings and 'outside' costs as I have to declare this to the government.  Numbers (unless double stitches) are an anathema to me.  My BC3 just doesn't want to play numbers!!!  Never has done and never will.

When it comes to restocking I'm adding back things that appear to be selling like the dolphin (I just LOVE making him) and the octopus.  I try to vary the threads I use each time too - mainly because I forget which ones I used before!!!!