Snow Bunnies

Soft Merino wool, soft warm fur...come over and meet the Snow Bunny Cowl.




      

In The Works

Do you crochet?  I do, and I've decided it's time for NeoGrandma to spread the love!  I'm working on putting several of my designs (including some crochet jewelry pieces) into patterns to share with all through my Etsy shop.  Here is what is in the lineup:

* Braided Cowl (Infinity Scarf)
* Any Way Wrap
* Lovers Knot Cowl
* Lovers Knot Neckwarmer
* Autumn Leaves Neckwarmer
* Chevron (Necklace)
* Dimensional Flower (Necklace & Earrings)

For now, please enjoy my very first pattern (winner of the Knitting Daily "Tahki Yarns Color Play Challenge"!),

A TANGLE OF COLOR

Hi, Welcome To My Booth!

This past weekend NeoGrandma set up shop at the Exeter Fall Festival.  This was officially my first festival booth and I must say that it will not be the last!  What a blast it was to talk to so many people, hear some great feedback, and sell some handmade NeoGrandma items!  Thank you to all my friends and family who came by to show support.  Thank you, Samantha (my talented sister-in-law) for taking some great photos and for staying with me almost all day!

If you weren't able to make it out there, here's a little "Hello" from my booth:

Infinity Scarves (Cowls) & Any Way Wraps pictured above.  My darling husband forgot to load the display for my Braided Cowls so we didn't get a picture of those.  You'll have to stop by my next booth to check them out! :)

Necklaces!  All handmade, all one-of-a-kind!

Earrings!

More Earrings!

Fun triple layer flower earrings.  These were the first crochet earrings to go!

Note: Not all of these items have been photographed and listed in my Etsy Shop.  If you are interested in something here but don't see it in the shop, just e-mail me or send me a conversation on Etsy and I'll let you know if it is still available for purchase. 

Awesome Autumn

I don't know about you but I LOVE fall.  I love feeling the weather change, watching the days shorten, and witnessing the trees shed their leaves.  Although fall isn't quite here yet, I can feel it coming in the cool morning breeze and the smell of the Eucalyptus trees surrounding my home bringing to mind the season and holidays ahead.  I always want to start my Christmas shopping around this time of year.  Spreading out the cost, reducing the stress, and taking time to find the perfect gift is my goal every year.  Not that I'm successful, not in the slightest.  But I thought I would try and help you out this year by giving you a little incentive: 

25% off all items for your shoulders and neck at NeoGrandma for the month of September!

Enter code AUTUMN0911 at checkout.

ENJOY!

A Lacy Autumn

Having some fun while my hubby tries taking pictures of me...in the house.  Yay, air conditioning!

  Above is the new Convertible Lovers Knot Cowl in Plum.  I love this color and I love this yarn.  It's single-ply (only one twist) so you can really see the beautiful stitches.  The name comes from the Lovers Knot or Solomon Stitch used to make this piece.  You can wear this as a cowl like I am above, you can pull it down over your shoulders as a little poncho (pretty!), or you can put it over your head to keep in that warmth on a cold day.  I'm totally keeping this one (seriously, I'm keeping this one...you get a brand new one from my shop :).

This is the Lovers Knot Neckwarmer.  It's about half the size of the Cowl for those who aren't as into the over sized scarves.  You can see more of the lacework and it keeps your neck so warm.

 Another ultimately awesome thing about these two beauties is that I can make them in a plethora of colors! 

Baubles & Chains Necklace

Just added to my shop yesterday: For a little romance and vintage(ish) style, I give you the Baubles & Chains Necklace. 

I actually made this necklace while on a camping trip my grandmother, Grami and all the other girlies in my family.  I brought the yarn in hopes of becoming inspired.  We stopped at a craft store on our way to the woods and I found the lavender gems.  The wheels began to turn.  I nabbed the silver wire from my (amazingly talented) aunt and got cooking...errr crocheting.  By the time I was done with the wire strand my fingers were so raw that I couldn't make anything else for the whole day!  I think my little fingertips made a good sacrifice, don't you?  

Taking it Outside

Keeping an extra wary eye out for snakes and critters, I put on my boots and tromped through the weeds to find the perfect spot to photograph the Any Way Wrap in Oatmeal.  Here is what came of my bravery (the rattle snakes are at a high this year), muscles (I moved the props all by myself!), and sweat (it was in the high 90's when I began this adventure):

I thought this photo was extra fitting for this post seeing as how I look a little dead.  Each photo I took manually.  I would push the button and have 10 seconds to run over rocky terrain, plop in the chair and try to pose.  Then, up again, back to the camera, push the button and huff, huff, huff, plop, click.  Phew!  Hopefully the beauty of the wrap was captured.  It really is a lovely piece.  Freshly listed in my shop.

Braided Cowl in Ivory

Just added this Ivory Braided Cowl to my Etsy shop.  Something about the light color makes it more appealing in the heat.  Still as warm as ever...I would save this one for those cool mornings or breezy evenings in this heat.

I just read an Etsy blog about not taking photos in the harsh noon sun.  Seeing as how that would probably be the only time I would be able to take any photos at all today, I gave it a shot.  The photos aren't bad when in the solid shade of our pretty pepper tree, but I do love the warm, romantic light of a setting sun.  Can't be beat.  

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Adventures with Tripod

The Braided Cowl in just a few of the colors I have to offer in my shop.

Taking product photos that are of the quality and look that I want has proven to be harder than I originally thought.  My camera is nice, although somewhat old, and I have (at least I thought) interesting ideas on the way I want my items displayed and portrayed.  Well, after hours spent setting up and shooting, I had only a few photos that I wouldn't be embarrassed to share.  No need to feel down, photography skills can improve and the quality of the item is there just waiting to be captured.

Braided Cowl in Wine

Now, on to the next problem...How can one get an idea of what something will look like, how it will drape, what options are available and so on if there isn't a photo of someone actually wearing the garment?!  So, I recruited my husband to take the photos and I would (rather reluctantly but for lack of options) be the "model".  There are two problems with this solution.  First of all, my husband and I have very different ideas about what will look best for these photos.  I want artsy and cool, he wants detail and a lot of focus.  Second, he hates the heat.  We've been enjoying weather in the ballpark of 100 degrees daily.  By the time he gets home from being in the heat all day, the only thing he wants to do is go inside.  I, on the other hand work in an air conditioned office for most of the day and want nothing more than to breathe outside.  So, this combo equals a rushed and forced photo shoot.  To sum it up, I was in need of another option.

Enter, Tripod.  Dear sweet Tripod has never been used by me before.  Alone he sat wondering why he even had a place in our home when all of a sudden the light went on.  With the help of my Tripod I could actually take pictures of myself the way that I want them!  In theory, that is.  So, I gathered up my things and headed outdoors.

I tested several locations but wasn't getting the results I wanted when I turned around and saw just the background I needed!  Tall golden grass softly blowing in the breeze.  Never mind that it was in perfect view on my neighbors and the super busy road in front of my house.  So I set up my Tripod and started shooting:

Braided Cowl in Lemongrass.

After about five shots of myself I buckled under the thought of everyone scoffing (I'm sure no one even noticed) and ran back inside to look at my treasure.  I Loved them!  Well, I loved the idea that they gave.  Soft, romantic with the grass blowing.  So what if the subject of the photo is blurred while each blade of grass behind me was perfectly in focus!  Artsy....errr, I'll keep working on it.  At least now I have a solution that I can control and improve without having to rely on anyone else.

Now, every time you see a photo of me, just know that my not-so-dusty-anymore Tripod is right there with me! 

Handmade, please.

Hi, I'm Steph.  I love handmade things, and especially love hand-making things.  I somewhat recently discovered the wonderful site, Etsy.com and came upon the idea that it might be fun to share my handmades through other means than family gifts.  Here I will share new ideas and inspiration for my never-ending, ever-growing list of future projects and I will keep you up-to-date on what is going on in my newborn Etsy shop.  So far I have cozy, convertible items for shoulders, neck and ears but my dreams are packed with ideas just fighting for their place at the top.  Check back often to see which ideas make it to the yarn and hook!