Adriane With Love

So I’ve been away from my blog (and my work) for some time now. I can pinpoint exactly how long… 25 weeks. For the past 25 weeks I have been utterly consumed by the fact that I am now carrying a tiny growing life inside of me. No amount of aches, pains, sickness, or fatigue could even begin to subdue the happiness I feel inside. Pregnancy is hard, and beautiful, and ever so rewarding.

I think in a lot of ways my work creating and selling little nursery friends for other people’s nurseries, was a result of the fact that I truly wished to be creating them for my own nursery. It has added a new depth to the work I do. I find myself, as I create each teddy bear, considering that this bear may one day serve as the guardian of some precious child’s bedroom. I imagine my bears fighting off monsters in the closets, soothing sick bellies, and warming little arms on cold nights. As a mother-to-be, nothing brings me more joy than these thoughts.

I had to step away from my work while the pregnancy took over my life for awhile, but now, as I close in on the third trimester, a new found energy and passion for my work has brought me swinging back into the world of Etsy and this blog. As such, I have some exciting new projects on the horizon!

Felting Tutorial

Very soon I will be completing and releasing a tutorial on the process I use to felt my amigurumi pieces. I have seen some other attempts here and there to felt a whole amigurumi plush, but have noticed that a lot of the attempts suffer from some of the problems that I was able to fix early on in my process. I want to be able to share this information with all you home based amigurumi artists, so that you can create your own durable little bedroom guardians!

Amigurumi Patterns

Another project that I am currently working on, is creating patterns for some of my amigurumi pieces that I will be selling on my Etsy shop. My first project is my pattern for Ellie the Elephant! She has long been one of my favorites, and I am excited to be bringing her to life in a way that others can replicate and enjoy!

I do not have an exact release date for either of these projects, as they are being worked on in between my work on my current Etsy shop. But I hope to have them both out in the near future! I also have a whole bunch of new Teddy Bears that will be going up for sale on my Etsy shop in the very near future. Keep an eye out for them!

If you are interested in helping me by testing my Ellie the Elephant pattern for me, please send an email to adriane.mckinney@gmail.com.

So it’s been an interesting couple of weeks here lately. My husband, who is a computer programmer for a living, got hit with a terrible bout of RSI and Carpal Tunnel. On the same token I have developed some arthritis type pain in my right fingers that has been affecting my ability to get much work done. We have been putting off the expensive process of getting my husband an ergonomic setup for some time now, and this past week was the breaking point when we admitted defeat and splurged on the proper equipment.

My husband’s RSI and Carpal Tunnel disappeared nearly overnight when we got all the new equipment hooked up. It caused me to really stop to consider how important it is to take steps to care for and nurture our bodies. I am completely reliant on my hands to continue working and keep this little shop afloat, and I have thus-far not been kind to my hands. My husband’s relief inspired me to finally invest in a pair of pressure gloves for crafting. After two days of wearing them I can hardly imagine how I survived so long without them. It seems so silly to me now to think that I was hesitant to spend even $15.00 to help preserve my hand functions in the long term.

In light of my new appreciation for the tools that make my job possible I wanted to share some of the actual tools that I have found invaluable in the work I do. Here are my top 5 favorite products…

1) Ebony Crochet Hooks from Laurel Hill

These hooks are amazing. The first time I slid my thumb into the groove along  one of Laurel Hill’s hooks I literally gasped. I have never used a hook that is more comfortable. They have a lovely matte finished that is silky and soft to the touch. Laurel Hill also sells their hooks in Nam Oc, and Trai wood. They also make superb carrying cases for their hooks. I could not survive without these hooks.

2) Split Ring Stitch Markers from Knit Picks

These sweet and simple stitch markers are perfect for all my projects. They are light enough to not weigh down my projects, and durable enough to sustain being taken off and put back on time and time and time again. I always have a container of these babies nearby.

3) Hand Sanitizers by Bath and Body Works

I have a fairly ridiculous collection of these travel sized hand sanitizers. I use them constantly when I’m working. I have found that the alcohol in them helps to keep my hands dry so that the yarn can move over my skin easily, but because they have moisturizer beads they don’t dry my hands out from over-use. As an added benefit, all my products come out smelling of one or more of these lovely scents!

4) Yarn Swift from Knit Picks

This is another one of those items I put off buying for far to long. It is worth every penny to me and I cannot imagine how I ever survived without it. The time and stress that this tool saves me is completely beyond value. Knit Picks makes amazing products.

This sweet kit makes all the difference in the world when it comes to taking proper photos for my listings. I am also blessed with a very talented husband who helps me with the technical side of the photography.

The only downside to doing something you truly enjoy for a living, is that inevitably you find yourself lost when the work day ends. It is 11:00 on a Friday night and I called it quits for the night after finishing not 1, not 2, but 3 full pieces today. I cleaned up my craft station and put away my yarn and hooks, and then stood still scratching my head in the middle of my office. Tonight was one of the first night’s I’ve called it quits before midnight, and frankly, I have no clue what to do with myself.

Truly my first inclination for something to do for fun is to crochet something. It is a conundrum. I find that when a hobby becomes work, one must find a new hobby to unwind from the day. Thus, here I am writing a silly little blog post, but inevitably will most likely spend the rest of my “evening” reading some lovely book about far away impossible lands, and far away impossible things.

In other news, I will be posting a few new bunnies and a new bear early next week. I am hoping there is still some life left in the Valentine’s Day shopping up on Etsy. Soon and very soon my focus will turn entirely to bunnies and all things chocolate related as Easter rolls into sight.

I am also still tinkering away with this little webpage with plans to eventually have a photo gallery of work, and a bit more content about myself and my life. Frankly I am surprised that I have managed to find time even to get it to where it is! So much yarn, so little time.

I am off to read/dream of impossible lovely things.

Until next time,
Adriane

Welcome to my webpage! Please be patient as we build and design. I promise that content is on its way!!!