Paddywacks: Azure is up!

Alright everyone, Azure is in the shop!  Please feel free to admire her and share her with your friends.  Or, if you'd rather, snatch her up and claim her for your own!

Kate

Another Favorite Thing

So, in the midst of a pile of homework and projects and my friend's upcoming wedding, when I'm running on the last drops of energy (a coffee, a couple diet cokes, some breakfast tea) it's nice to sit and reset my rushing brain at the piano.  It's nice to hammer out a few songs, close my eyes and listen to the sweet notes dancing out a melody, and then hear the quick clicks of my puppy's paws as he comes running into the living room to hop into a chair and watch me play.  He comes every time, faithfully.  He curls up on the cushions and swings his big head over the arm so that he can watch me and then he just sits.  It doesn't matter how long I play, he stays and watches and listens, and it always, faithfully, makes me smile.

Kate

Coming to Paddywacks: Dragon Scarf - Azure

Finally!  I am so sorry about the delay, my homework load became insane for the past two weeks but I've finally gotten time to get pictures!!!

Here is the new beauty that will be showing up in my shop: 

Meet Azure.  

She is five feet of thick, beautiful yarn that was carefully knit, by me, using my own pattern.  Her body at its widest is approx. 8' and at its thinnest is 3' (that's only right at the tip of her tail.  She is made from a blended yarn featuring chocolate brown, toffee tan, ice blue and lime in her body.  Her spines and tail have rich sapphire, aqua, emerald and lime.  The flames from her nose are approx. 10' and made from a super soft yarn (they're one of my favorite parts of her, honestly).

I couldn't believe how much character it gave her when I added those eyes.  It seemed like the dragon I was making had just been asleep the whole time and when I stuck the first eye on she woke up and looked straight at me.  

This dragon is the third of its kind for me, I created the pattern to make a scarf for my little brother for Christmas.  

This is Grove:

I've made a few alterations to the pattern since this one, but I'm still thrilled with how he turned out.

Aside from him I've made one for a friend's little brother, that one was gray and green and I didn't get a picture or name it...but I'll try to get a picture if anyone would like to see it.

Anyways, I've started one that's a mixed yarn of red, pink, yellow, and orange.  It's looking beautiful so far but I'm not sure when it'll be finished.  I'll try to post pictures of the progress.

Look for Azure in my shop soon!  

KBsPaddywacks.etsy.com

Kate

P.S. If you are interested in reserving Azure, please, let me know! 

Paddywacks: Surprise update!

Hey everyone!

So the project that I promised to reveal at the end of January is late...sorry!  But I'm putting the finishing touches on it tonight and should have it ready for preview by Friday!  :) 

Kate

Wandering

It seems that just as my youngest sister has a certain reputation for being in comprehensibly hard on her shoes I have a similar knack for my shoes meeting horribly disastrous ends, usually unbeknownst to me.
As far as my sister goes, I would say that it could not be entirely blamed on her, given the fact that for years she was mostly wearing hand-me-downs from Sabry or me.  These shoes would end up on her feet, usually still in relatively good condition, and be barely hanging on to their last threads of life within a few months.  However, considering that she overtook my shoe size several years ago and then flew past Sabry within the past year and a half, it seems that had those shoes in her childhood been brand new the results would've been much the same.  I'm not sure what she does to her shoes...but, then, I'm not sure what happens to mine either.
As I said, my shoes are doomed from the moment I pulled them out of the box.  It doesn't matter how hard I try to keep them in pristine condition, they always meet with horrible ends.  Almost all of my shoes have scuffs and scrapes, cuts and scars and I can't tell you where most of them came from.  Most of my shoes look more like they went into battle than just to the supermarket.
One summer I had a beautiful pair of blue leather ballet flats that I wore with almost everything, despite how they hurt my feet.  I took excellent care of them, always making sure to stuff them gently away in my closet when I was done with them for the day, but it was in vain.  The poor blue leather shoes died sometime last summer.  Their last days were spent withered, misshapen, and caked in a bright red mud that I'm sure I never wore them near.
Currently, my favorite pair of shoes is an old pair of green Toms.  These poor things have not died yet, but that's just because I won't let them.  They really met their end the day that they were peacefully minding their own business on the stairs and were suddenly out in the yard having their soles ripped out. Since then they've huddled in my closet, only to be worn when I am most desperate for them and even so they've managed to have their soles torn out a second time as well as develop two great holes where my toe is.  And yet, I still find things to wear them with because I simply refuse to acknowledge their defeat.
Almost none of my shoes have any sort of memories etched into their scars, most of them just appear out of nowhere while I'm dragging my feet with my head far away in the clouds.  But some of them have memories that jump out at me from those scars whenever I glance down at my feet.  I occasionally find myself trying to sort out how it all happens.  Sometimes I even decide that the scraps and scuffs are just "part of the job."  My shoes are there to protect my feet from getting roughed up so they're really just getting they signed up for, though this never makes me feel much better.
Sometimes I decide that these are just the remains of another life my shoes are living where they really are great heroes going off to battle and coming home with lots of stories that I'll never hear...and this usually just makes me feel foolish.
But usually, I just settle for deciding that all the scuffs and scars and scrapes and things are just the result of my active mind, who is really the one running off on adventures as I wander from class to class and not my shoes.

Kate

Paddywacks: New Headbands and Cowls Coming Soon!

Hello again!

As we continue to get moving after being sick for so long, and with classes starting soon, we're going to be getting stuff into the shop daily (hopefully).  Today I put in all of Gramma's hats along with Jarvis:

Jarvis is my lovely handknit, designed by me, jellyfish hat.  I made the pattern for him and knit him up last year sometime and have finally gotten around to trying to get him adopted. :)

Okay, these headbands and cowls are made from old sweaters.  I just love the look of the fringe!

Rosy - Headband (also available in a cowl)

Bring on the Flurries - Cowl\Gator

Ring Around - Cowl

Feeling Peachy - Gator\Cowl\Headband

Very Ice - Cowl

Plum - Headband\Cowl ( 2 available )

Here's Lookin' at You - Cowl\Headband ( 2 available )

Here's Lookin' at You - Headband\Cowl ( 2 available )

Thanks for looking!  I'll have more stuff in the shop tomorrow and more previews later this week!

Plus!!! I'm still working on my big project that I'll hopefully get to reveal at the end of the month, so keep your eyes out! :)

Kate

Paddywacks: New Hats coming soon!

Little Red's New Riding Hat

Hello everyone!

As promised here is a preview of just a few of the lovely things that will be appearing in our shop this month!  First of all, we have my Gramma's beautifully crafted, vintage style hats!  Each one of her beautiful hats is made by her with care.  Some are accented with felted flowers, feathers, or vintage buttons.  Some are made from recycled coats and blankets. They range from $38 to $68 plus shipping.

More previews coming soon!

Kate

Wild Side

Blue Bell

Midnight - made with 100% cashmere