The Mother Lode

Whew! We've been busy, busy, busy here at Fat Joey Knitwear, Vintage and Crafts. Lots of thrifting, promoting my Stage Combat Intensive, keeping the monkeys entertained over summer break, Father's Day, birthdays, etc. etc. etc. But I've made some truly exciting finds and I'm hoping they'll bring in some Do-Re-Mi.

I wasn't sure why I felt compelled to go to Goodwill's on Saturday night but when I got there I was very pleased to find this 1974 Fisher Price register. I see them selling for 20-30 dollars online and I was happy with that. I was making my usual rounds through knick knacks when I turned and looked down AND STOPPED BREATHING. Oh Lord, it's the Mother Lode. The find that everyone dreams about. Bags and bags and BAGS of high end, untouched, Plymouth ALPACA YARN. And it's all mine. It's gorgeous stuff, 63% alpaca, butter soft and snuggly. And I've already sold 17 skeins of it. Here is what's left. I've already sold most of the black, powder blue and some of the pink.

 

Color me happy. I've made back the money I spent and now I have lots of free yarn! I'll make Christmas presents with it, stock for my Fat Joey Knitwear shop (you HAVE visited my Etsy store, right? ;) )or sell it outright. Good times. Have a great day and happy hunting!

What else is in my Etsy shop, you may ask? Oh, many, many things. I specialize in hand knit goodies and vintage treasure. A portion from every sale goes directly to charity in honor of the Late, Great Fat Joey, pictured here.

 

Joey, who hated Easter. I wonder why?

 

In fact, if you've never heard it, here is the story of Fat Joey Knitwear. Enjoy and see you soon!

 

Fat Joey Knit Wear (warm as a kitten) was created to honor the memory of the late, great Fat Joey. Joey (who was really only ever big-boned) was a foundling rescued from the mean streets of Philadelphia and my constant companion for twelve years. It broke my heart when he passed away in 2009.

Since I also volunteer at local animal shelters, I thought the best way to remember Joe would be to help other critters have food, medical attention and eventually, loving homes. Therefore a portion from every sale of FJKW goes to either the Paws shelter in Philadelphia, or City Kitties, in West Philly. Sometimes it's 10%, sometimes it's a 100%!

I was thrilled when I first realized my knits would sell and deeply grateful to be able to help the kitties, even in a small way. Thank you so much for stopping by. Wishing you every happiness,

Me and Fat Joey (in spirit)

 

Here is a link to my shop, if you want to nose around. I add things often, so stop by frequently to see all the latest. https://www.etsy.com/shop/fatjoeyknitwear?ref=pr_shop_more

We're going West!

So yesterday Izzy and I, assisted by Maggie, Sammi and Jake, got together a package to send to the Midwest tornado survivors. We were able to finish knitting and send off 3 scarves, 6 baby and toddler hats, a new fleece blanket, hat, sleeper and mittens as well as diapers, baby bottles and sanitary napkins. We hope the clothes bring comfort and warmth and a little bit of hope to the recipients. You are not alone. We wish you and your families deep healing.

I need a chuckle.

Every so often, I need to laugh so hard that I pee a little. Don't you? Let's face it, it's fun, it's free and it releases endorphins. OK, a good laugh isn't a chocolate martini, but at 8:59 in the morning, it's a little more appropriate. So here are some of my favorite chuckles lovingly cribbed from the internet. Feel free to post your own funnies. Love ya!

hedgehog adorability

Oh no. OH NO! I can't STAND how cute these are or how badly I want them. Peoples' creativity floors me sometimes! Hope you find some treasures today, too!

see more Must Have Cute

Little Knitter on Baby T-shirt or One-Piece | BabyWit.com

Oh Baby Wit, how you make me laugh. On our own baby watch front, the doctor predicts that I will not last out the week. Watch out world, here comes Susan Isabelle! (seriously, my back hurts....)
Little Knitter on Baby T-shirt or One-Piece BabyWit.com

Delightful blog to visit

http://littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk/

It has knitting, chickens and good cheer. Really, what's not to love? You'll be charmed, charmed, I tell you...what are your favorite blogs to visit and why?

4 more days til my due date. But I have this distinct feeling that Izzy has a timetable all of her own! Doctor's appointment tomorrow, so we'll just see what Little Miss is up to at this point...



Just a little bit longer....

I won!

Darn Good Yarn is an online company that I enjoy browsing from time to time. Yesterday they had a "name-that-yarn-contest" and guess who's yarn name was selected? Introducing "Jubilee." You can click on the link to see their website. Happy Knitting, everybody! Dec 2010 Newsletter

We Came, We Saw, We....Hmmm....

Hey Gang,

Just a couple of snaps from yesterday's craft fair in Newark. I'm a little bit torn about this entry. I want to be positive but I also want to tell the truth. I think it's only fair to other would be crafters to talk about the good with the erm, well...you know. So in the essence of compromise, I'm going to be positively truthful!

The show was not a retail success for me, or, I suspect ANY of the other crafters, as we had NO CUSTOMERS. I mean that quite literally. Makes retail a bit tricky, that. The crafters on either side of me made either one or no sales all day. There simply weren't any people attending. Very disappointing, that.

Some people attributed it to the show being so early in the fall, but judging from the number of harvest festivals I've seen, scheduled all over the Tri-state area, people DO go to them. I think it might have been a case of every crafters number 1 enemy, no publicity. Hey, you win some, you lose some. Here comes the positive part!

My Momma attended with me and I taught her how to knit, which was a blast. She picked it up unbelievably fast, which humbled me not a little bit as I remembered how slowly and clumsily I had learned the exact same skill. Not for the first time, I wished I had her brains. Go Momma, GO!

And we had some delightful visitors in the form of my cousins, Heather and David and their adorable boxer puppy, Bailey. Seeing them and knowing they'd come out to see FJKW launched made my whole day! I have been truly blessed with cousins, as mine are some of the sweetest and most thoughtful people on the planet. On both sides of the family tree. But don't tell them I said that- it'll go right to there heads! ;)

See, this is what I love about scarves- at 7 and a half months pregnant, they still fit perfectly!! I am wearing a hand knit number made from recycled sari silk from India. Spinning the yarn left over from weaving saris gives these women extra income and makes unique and distinctive pieces. So you can purchase knowing that you are helping out not only myself, but women and their families half a world away. Now doesn't that make you want to open your wallet! ;)

More positives: the looming craft fair deadline forced me to get all my projects completed, tagged and ready to buy. Also to ramp up my Etsy store (coming soon!) and get hopping on this blog. And to meet fellow crafters, exchange ideas and information and get some of my promotional materials out in circulation. Plus, there's nothing like looking back at your sparkling craft table, laden with all those colors and patterns and thinking "WOW! I MADE all that!" It's good for the ego, so it is.

For a seasonal and economical display, I draped the scarves and hats around pumpkins and gourds from the local Farmer's Market. Baby hats look great perched on top of mini pumpkins and I wrapped a scarf around the neck of a goose necked green gourd for a whimsical touch.

More pictures to come, as soon as I can persuade my attitudinal computer to upload them. Sigh. Thanks for stopping by friends and I hope you experience something magical in your lives today!

MUST....HAVE......MUST!

Found some goodies that delighted me so much I had to share. The knitting kitty is a canvas bag and the next two images are available on t-shirts. Love 'em.

How can any craft room not be adorned with one of these?

This pretty much sums up my personality in a nutshell. And probably yours too? Available at cafepress.com.

Just a couple of shots from last year's craft fair. I'll never forget the thrill of my first sale - the woman bought the sari silk scarf draped around the picture frame above for her daughter in college. She gave me so much more than the price of the scarf, however, she gave me confidence and the knowledge every crafter/seller craves...that people will indeed plunk down their hard earned dollars for something you've created. I was humbled and grateful for every sale and remain so to this day.

Limited Edition: Wisped Away: Semi Boucle Banana Fiber Yarn | Darn Good Yarn Shop

Limited Edition: Wisped Away: Semi Boucle Banana Fiber Yarn | Darn Good Yarn Shop: "123PreviousNextLimited Edition: Wisped Away: Semi Boucle Banana Fiber Yarn"



WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT!!! I can barely restrain myself from ordering, like, a gross. O, Brave New World that has such fibers in it!! Found this at Darn Good Yarns. If you order some, don't tell me about it. I will be SICK with jealousy!

I'm in!!

So once again, we have my sister-in-law Mcgee to blame for the creation of this blog ;) ..... as I was going on (and on and on and on) the other day about my upcoming craft fair and fledgling business, Fat Joey Knitwear, she pointed out that a blog with pictures, witticisms and updates might be a wonderful way to promote it. As she's always right about stuff like this, I thought I'd resurrect The True Life Adventures.

Actually, I thought I'd create an all new blog, as I'd (ahem!) lost the password for this one and was consequently forced to abandon it.... I couldn't even log on or update (or visit) my own blog....having forgotten not only the password.....but also what I'd called the damn thing. But when I tried to create a new one, the site informed me that I already HAD a blog attributed to this email address and I was able to reset the password and VOILA! We're back, BABY!

Some things have changed since last we met. Even though it's been nearly two years since his passing, it still hurts to write - Fat Joey is no more. I miss the little critter every day and still can't stand to talk about it. He was an exceptional little person and his loss still hurts. I apologize if this seems a little melodramatic,but if you're not a pet person, you just don't know how they can get ahold of you, or how devastating their loss can be. And anyway, I'm pregnant, so I get a special dispensation for melodrama (and self pity and, um...pathos. Ooo, and irrationality. That too.)

But onto cheerier things....I thought the best way to remember Joe-boy would be to help other critters find food, health care and eventually, permanent and loving homes. And that's how Fat Joey Knitwear (warm as a kitten) was born. A portion of every sale from FJKW goes to support the PAWS animal shelter in Philadelphia, PA, or City Kitties, in West Philadelphia. Sometimes it's 10%, sometimes it's 100%! I'd also like to raise some money for Project Heifer, an EXCELLENT charity that buys livestock for families in developing countries. Ideally, I'll raise enough to buy a sheep, which seems most appropriate given the wooly nature of my business.

At this point, I very much want to post links to these wonderful charities, but, having all the computer savvy of a really smart monkey....I don't know how. I could root my technologically gifted husband out of bed to assist me, but as it is barely seven thirty on a Saturday morning I doubt he'd be feeling terribly helpful. So we'll just wait a bit on those links....shall we?

I'm pleased to report that last year, FJKW raised several hundred dollars for the animal shelters, and while it wasn't an enormous amount, I believe that little amounts matter. We also donated cleaning supplies, blankets and the all important wet food. Sincere thanks to all who have purchased Fat Joey Knitwear products, taught me new knitting techniques, or supported me in any way. The critters and me say THANK YOU! You're all going straight to heaven.