New Baby Shoe Patterns

After many requests from fellow craftsters I have been busy writing patterns for the baby shoes I sell in my JoliBebe stores which can be found HERE and HERE
So far there are two different designs available: The Slipper style and the Maryjane Style.



The patterns are in an email format so you can have them straight away, which means you can get started on them immediately (this is good if you're stuck for a last minute gift :-)
Each pattern includes full size pattern pieces for multiple sizes from 3-18 months, easy to follow instructions as well as step-by-step photos to make it even easier :-)

I highly recommend using a non-slip sole when you make your baby shoes, especially for babies over the age of about 9 months, for safety.
I will soon be listing the special non-slip fabric that I use for my baby shoes in my JoliBebe store under "Supplies" in small quantities, as this can be hard to find.


What you will need to make your little Maryjanes:
Small amount of fabric for exterior, and for lining
Matching thread
Scissors
Sewing machine
2 small buttons (or press studs or velcro if you prefer)
Sewing needle

What you will need to make your Slipper shoes:
Small amount of fabric for exterior and lining
5mm Elastic (approx 30cm length)
Matching thread
Scissors
Sewing machine
Sewing needleYou can find these patterns in my JoliBebe store on Etsy HERE and my JoliBebe store on DaWanda HERE.

4 Ply Sideways Gloves Knitting Pattern

Hello everyone :-)
After such a good response to the 8-ply Sideways Gloves I decided to post the pattern for the 4 ply (fingering weight, sock yarn, baby wool) version here for free for everyone else to use. The gloves pictured are made in Noro Self Striping Sock Yarn.
So here it is:

4 Ply Sideways Gloves

Sizes: S (M, L)

Materials:
1 pair 3.25mm (U.S. size 3, U.K. size 10)
Approx. 50 grams 4-ply, fingering weight or sock yarn. (Note this project looks really great when made in variegated or self-striping yarns)
Yarn needle to sew pieces together.
Scissors.

Tension:
25 stitches over 10cm (4") in garter stitch. If you have more stitches, use a larger size needle. If you have less stitches, use a smaller size needle.
It is a good idea to check your tension again with each different type of yarn that you choose to make a pair of gloves from.

Abbreviations:
Cc/0 (Cable Cast On): Insert your right hand needle between first and second stitches on your left hand needle and knit 1, placing the new stitch on the left hand needle. Continue working between the last 2 stitches on the left hand needle until you have the desired amount of stitches.
Inc (Increase): Knit into the front and back of the stitch, making an extra stitch.
Ssk: Slip first stitch on left hand needle onto right hand needle purl wise, k1, pass the first stitch back over. Therefore decreasing a stitch.
K2tog: Knit 2 together.
R (Reinforce): Bring yarn to the front as if to purl the next stitch. Slip the next stitch purl wise to right hand needle, take yarn to the back of work. Return the slipped stitch back to the left hand needle without working it, bring yarn to the front again.

You will begin at the little finger edge and work across to the thumb.

Make 2 the same:
Cast on 48 (50, 52) sts (using Cable Cast on method).
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Inc in first st, knit to end.
Row 3: Knit to last 2 sts, inc in next st, k1.
Row 4: Knit to last 16 (17, 17) sts, R, turn.
Row 5: Knit.
Row 6: Knit.
Row 7: Knit to last 2 sts, k2tog.
Row 8: Ssk, knit to end.
Row 9: Knit.
Row 10: Cast off 12 (13, 15) sts, R, turn, k1. Cc/o 19 (20, 22) sts. Knit across all sts.
Row 11-19: As for Rows 1-9.
Row 20: Cast off 16 (17, 19) sts, R, turn, k1. Cc/o 19 (20, 22) sts. Knit across all sts.
Rows 21-29: As for Rows 1-9.
Row 30: Cast off 20 (21, 23) R, turn. Cc/o 15 (16, 18) sts. Knit across all sts.
Rows 31-39: As for Rows 1-9.
Row 40: Cast off 25 (26,27) sts, R, turn, k1. Cc/o 12 (13, 14) sts. Knit cast on sts, k2 R, turn.
Row 41: Knit.
Row 42: Inc in first st, k16 (17, 18) , R, turn.
Row 43: Knit to last 2 sts, inc in next st, k1.
Row 44: K21 (22, 23), R, turn.
Row 45: Knit.
Row 46: K23 (24, 25), R, turn.
Row 47: Knit to last 2 sts, k2tog.
Row 48: Ssk, k23 (24, 25), R, turn.
Row 49: Knit.
Row 50: Cast off all sts.

Finishing: Place 2 pieces together, matching the thumb and fingers up, and using a flat seam, sew your 2 pieces together to make one glove. Repeat with remaining 2 pieces to make 2nd glove.
Don't rush sewing up your glove pieces. Steady, even stitches will really enhance the look and comfort of your finished gloves.

If you have any questions, queries, need assistance to complete your gloves or find an error, please don't hesitate to leave a comment and I'll gladly help where I can :-)

Copyright is held by the author (SharaLambethDesigns). Copyright remains that of the author at all times. The pattern is for personal use only. Reproduction of this pattern in anyway (electronic, email, photocopying, transcribing etc) is strictly prohibited, except with the explicit permission of the author. Please do not sell the pattern or the finished product that is made using this pattern without permission of the author, as this is a direct infringement of the copyright laws protecting this pattern.
If you do want to sell the gloves you make using this pattern at a market, craft fair or in your online store please do ask, as in most cases I will give permission :-)
And please feel free to make as many pairs of gloves as you can, to donate to your local charities.
Happy knitting!

Sideways Glove Pattern

For quite a long time now I have been wanting to make gloves with fingers but have really struggled to find an easy, quick pattern that is knit on 2 needles... So I wrote my own pattern :-)
These gloves are knit sideways, in garter stitch only, on 2 straight needles, so they are dead easy! They knit up pretty fast, I can make a pair in an evening of t.v. watching. They're a good small project to take with you when you're on the go as well. I have knit a few pairs while I have been on the train or bus, and the whole lot, needles, yarn etc fits easily into my bag. You can use up all your little bits of left over yarn as well, so it makes a great stash busting project :-)
I wrote the pattern using the "trial and error" method and have also made a pattern for a 4-ply version. I made the 4 ply version in the Noro Kureyon Sock yarn and they look fabulous! I just need to get around to photographing them so I can show you :-)
I've listed the pattern for the 8 ply (DK, Sport Weight) version in my DaWanda store HERE Etsy store HERE

Pixie Clog Prototype

I've been toying with the idea of a Pixie shoe with a pointed toe, for babies, for quite a while now... and today I had some success!
I'm pretty happy with this. I have managed to make the pattern so it's REALLY easy to change the size of the shoe, so I can make them for babies for various ages.
The shoe pictured above is the prototype and is made using some left over linen I had floating around. They're fully lined, with all interior seams hidden so they're comfortable for baby to wear.
I haven't quite decided if this is going to be the final design yet, as I may think about adding some sort of elasticised section to the back for a variable fit, etc. And I might make some of the larger sizes with a non-slip sole too.
I've been thinking about some of the ways I could decorate or embellish these little shoes and I have been thinking that screenprinting onto fabric prior to the contruction could be quite cute... Maybe stamping onto the fabric with some of my hand-carved eraser stamps (more about this later :-), maybe some cute embroidery... the sky's the limit I guess :-)
Anyway I hope you enjoy seeing my Work in Progress!

Cat in Sunshine

For those of you who know me well, you will know that I am a "dog person" however I think I am slowly turning into a "cat person" as well... (No, no, I don't mean I am half cat/half girl). You see, there is a stray cat that lives under the house. He's been living there for over 3 years, but it's only been in the past year or so that he has decided to let us pat him. And now he's in love with us (especially me... in fact I have a feeling he may propose any day now! ;-) We decided that we should give him a name, and we chose: Nima. It's an Indian name that means white hair (seemed like an obvious choice). This name has evolved into a few different variations, such as Nimmy, and NimNim... but I think my favourite is NimmyNoodle (I think he likes this one the best as well :-) And if he's being cheeky I call him MouseBreath.
He's not allowed inside (because of allergies, and me being scared that he'll eat one of the drums or tambourines), although he does occasionally invite himself in... like when we're bringing in the shopping from the car or loading drums and the door is left open. Sometimes if it's raining he scoots in behind me without me even noticing. I tell him he's a naughty cat, but secretly I think it's cute and funny.
He has a nice little "nest" that he has made himself under the house, and he talks to us through the floor. Sometimes it actually sounds like he's saying: "Helllllllllllooooooooooow". No, really, it does! And sometimes he talks to us through the bedroom window at 2 in the morning... I don't find this quite as cute.
He's a very affectionate little creature and as soon as there is even the hint of a human lap he's up onto it. Sometimes we sit out in the sun and he snuggles up in my lap and snoozes. Sometimes when I give him lots of cuddles and a good ear scratching he drools on me.... awwww.
Sometimes he gets into fights with other cats, and comes home with scratches on his face... and once I pulled someone else's claw out of his scalp! Eeeek! I totally freaked out and squealed a little bit when I realised what it was. But Nima was pretty happy about me removing it for him. And the funny thing is he only ever seems to get into fights on the weekend... just like people... weird.... do cats go to the pub?
Anyway... my new found love for cats inspired this weeks featured finds from Dawanda. It's all cat and it's all good :-) Click on the title of the item to go to the shop where I found it.

Cats Print from Terese

When a Cat Smiles T-shirt from Akumulnk

Purple Cat Brooch from Oletuscolores_shop

Walking Cat Pin from DeliciousMuovi

Red Bag with a Cat from Violettcat

Kitschy Kitten Skirt from Kinchi

It's Brown About Town!

One colour I have been wearing a lot of and making lots of things from lately is BROWN. I seem to be attracted to it where ever I go... when I go to the shops I automatically head to the brown clothing and shoes, when I'm in the fabric store I'm automatically drawn to the brown fabrics and buttons and ribbons, when I'm at the yarn store I'm automatically attracted to the brown yarns....
So it's only natural that while I have been logged in to DaWanda recently, I have been automatically drawn to all the beautiful brown products there as well.
Here are a few of my favourite brown finds on DaWanda. Click on the title of the product to go and see the item in it's store:

Tubeway Armies - Chocolate Brown from GayeAbandon

Brown Pouch with Red Screenprint from AnnaLaura

Sweet baby & Momma Brown Bolete Mushrooms from SparrowsNest

Felted Scarf- Jewel Brown from Karlita

Wise Owl Original Gocco Print from BridBird

Kawaii Brown Bear Necklace from ScarletBeautiful

DaWanda Goes Green!

I have been really been enjoying the increase in Eco-Friendly products that have been popping up all over DaWanda. Whether it's something made from recycled fabrics, reusable pants/diapers/nappies for babies, cloth shopping bags, or organic products, it's fantastic!
I was doing a little "research" and came across a few extra special Eco-Friendly products that I thought I would share with you all :-) Click on the name of the product for a link to the shop it is from :-)

Armadillo at Sea Organic Purse from Mingus

Cultivating the Future - Organic t-shirt from FeralEmpire

Night out with a Nuthatch from Artimentary

Aiko Blue Bear from CutesyPoo

Organic Trashion Soda Pop Earrings from LostAndFoundObjects

Recycled T-shirt Bag from Golcarhouse

Baby DaWanda

I decided I would feature a few of my favourite sellers at DaWanda who specialise in baby goods. I have my JoliBebe range available on DaWanda and have had a really great response since starting up there. I was so excited to see so many brilliant ideas and designs for babies on DaWanda, and below are a few of the really special and extra sweet products. Click on the name of the product for a link to the item in it's store on DaWanda :-)

Katie Jump Rope Halter Tunic from BlackEyedSusie

Corduroy Sun Suit from PinkDixie


Suede baby Moccasins from KaBoogie

Eco Friendly Baby Blocks from CutesyPoo

Tiny Felt Baby Booties from Ingermaaike

Pink Baby Pixie Shoes from MagicPumpkinsandFaeryDust

DaWanda

A few months ago I started selling on another website: DaWanda.com
It's an online venue where you can buy and sell all things handmade. Clothing, hats, shoes, paintings, prints, furniture, jewellery, bags and many more things can be found on DaWanda.
It's based in Europe, and users have a choice of viewing the site in English, German or French, so it reaches a very wide audience :-).
As a seller you can choose to list your products in just one of these languages, or two, or all three. Users can also choose whether they view other products on the site only listed in one particular language, or all the items listed in all 3 languages. There are a lot of choices, so you can customise it to suit you.
It's free, fast and easy to set up a store. There are NO listing fees. So to cover costs DaWanda charges a small 5% commission on the product price if/when the product sells. This means you only have to pay "fees" once you've already made some money (that makes sense :-). Because it's free to set up and start selling it's great if you just want to try it out as a venue, or perhaps if you've got new items that are a little different to your regular items and you want to "test the market" so to speak, then this could be a good venue for you.
Like many other online market places, DaWanda has an active forum, where you can connect with other sellers, ask questions about the site, running a small business, art/craft related queries, get feedback about your store or products, start a collaboration, join a group or community, seek custom items, promote your store and so on.
The forums are regularly monitored by the friendly and helpful DaWanda staff so it's never too long before your question, query or concern is answered.
The DaWanda front page has a great showcase of the products available on DaWanda, and unlike other e-commerce sites where it can be pretty tricky to get your products on the front page, DaWanda's front page is selected randomly and rotate regularly, so everyone has a good chance at making it to the front page :-)
There are many great features on the DaWanda website, both for selling and buying :-)
The "StyleLab" is fabulous! It's where, as a buyer you can find items that are customisable. So you can choose the colour, the pattern, the fabric, the size, the shape etc of an item then the designer makes it especially for you. And as a seller you can list items in the style lab, where you can give options for colours, fabrics, styles, shapes etc for a product that you can make to the customers specifications.
The "Coloranda" feature is also an exciting way to shop. You can click on any colour in the rainbow spectrum "dome" and it will show you a page full of products that have that colour in them! (Great way to kill a bit of time as well :-)
You can also make a "Pinboard" which is where you can keep track of all your favourite products on DaWanda. You can name your Pinboards so you know which one has which items in it etc. You can also make a themed Pinboard, for example, Reds, or Fabulous Bags etc. It's a fun way to showcase your selection of the best of the best products on DaWanda. It also comes in handy if you are searching for a present for someone in particular, you could make a pinboard full of all the products that might be make suitable presents :-) You can search through other people Pinboards, so you can see what everyone else likes as well, and a selection of Pinboards are "featured" on the Pinboard page, and these selections change regularly, so there is always something new and exciting to see.
There is also a "Trends" page, which shows you the products with the most fans, and the products that have been added to the most Pinboards. You can also see the most popular sellers and best selling members on this page. This feature is good if you just want to see what's popular, but it's also a great market research tool, along with the "Recently Sold" section to the Trends page. It lets you know what kind of things are selling well and so on.
The "Search" facility on DaWanda is great! You can search the whole site, or you can search within a particular category. You can view the search results in order of the most recently listed, the most popular or "random" which is the default order of results. This makes it very easy to narrow down your search, which can save you time and effort :-)
DaWanda are always running at least one promotion or competition that you can get involved in, which is great for getting involved, for getting your store name out there, for promoting individual stores, and DaWanda as a whole (which is great for everyone!)

As the push towards sustainable, eco friendly, unique, non-mass produced items becomes stronger sites like DaWanda become more popular and more important. Why not join in the fun? :-)
You can see my stores on DaWanda: SharaLambethDesigns , JoliBebe and ThePaperDoll.

Below are a few of my favourite recent finds on DaWanda.

Pocket Mirror
Linotte.dawanda.com


Cat Bag
Delavalle.dawanda.com


Bird Broochfuniscool.dawanda.com


Leaf Top
Hyenarchie.dawanda.com

Flower Earrings
Fluerfatale.dawanda.com

Blythe Photo's - New Series

You may already know about my Blythe addiction/obsession, but if not... it's very intense.
I have been taking loads and loads of photo's of my Blythe doll, Beatrix, since she came to me last year. I have a few different outfits for her, with plans to make many more. I also have several wigs for her, to change her look, depending on her mood (or mine ;-). I have made several of the photographs into greeting cards, and listed them Dawanda, HERE, and on Etsy, HERE. The images themselves are also available for sale in various sizes.
I took some of the cards I made along to the Melbourne Craft Mafia Night Market to see if they would sell, and they were a hit! I was so happy :-)
So that has inspired me to take a whole lot of new photo's of my darling Beatrix (and sent me searching ebay for another doll to keep Beatrix company :-)
Here are a few of the new series of pictures. I'll be adding more as the days go on, so stay tuned :-)

Melbourne Craft Cartel Night Market!

The Melbourne Craft Cartel Night Market is held at Section 8 Container Bar in Tattersalls Lane, Melbourne CBD on the first Monday of each month, from 5pm til late.
I had a stall at the very first market, which was in December 2007. And I was lucky enough to be able to have another stall at the second night market which was Monday 7th January, 2008.
It was a real success, with LOADS of people coming through, most staying for a drink or two, while they browsed the wonderful wares.
I shared a table with Angelica of the famous Jellibat label, which was great as it meant I had someone to keep me company, discuss business ideas with, and to hold the fort while I went and admired all the other amazing things for sale at the other stalls.
My stall consisted mainly of rings, earrings, hair accessories, brooches and necklaces, as well as some of my Blythe photo cards.
I sold a lot more than I had anticipated, so it was fantastic! And that also meant that I could go and buy some delightful things from other stall holders :-)
The great thing about selling at a market (as opposed to selling online) is that you are face to face with your customers, and you get immediate feedback about your items, and you also get to hear stories from your customers about why they like something, why they're buying what they're buying, and who it's for. It makes me feel good when I know the things that I put so much effort and time and love into making are going to good homes :-)
I'll be at the next Melbourne Craft Cartel Night Market, which will be held on Monday 4th February, so if you're in town, pop by and say hello!
Also, if you would like any info about the market, or having a stall there, don't hesitate to contact me via the blog or via my etsy store which is HERE .
You can also see the Flickr group HERE.
Okay, it's farewell from me for now, take care out there :-)
x Shara

***PLEASE NOTE*** This market is no longer running!! But thank you to all the lovely folks who have contacted me with interest about the market :-) I think we all wish it still existed...

Welcome to 2008

Ah... yes... it's been a while since my last post. Please forgive me :-)
The holiday period got a little bit crazy, with unnecessarily hot weather, hiccups at the Post Office, orders coming in from all angles, and my Birthday (complete with excellent party with even more excellent friends!) in the middle of it all. But I have come through to the New Year relatively unscathed. Phew!
I hope everyone else had an enjoyable and relaxed Xmas and New Years Eve as well :-)

So here we are in 2008, and I thought it was only right to start off a new year with a new medium. RESIN. It's something I have been eagerly interested in for several years, as a new medium in which to realise my jewellery design ideas, but until now I thought it was out of my league.
Late last year I quite seriously considered doing one of the several Resin workshops in and around Melbourne, but the price tag was a little prohibitive. I wanted to be really certain that it was a creative journey that I was willing to embark on, so I did a bit of research (I love you Internet xox) and found 2 books that seemed to have some pretty good reviews and purchased them (at bargain Basement prices!!) from Amazon. The first is: "The Art of Resin Jewelry" by Sherri Haab (ISBN 0-8230-0344-2). It's a really great book if you know nothing about Resin, but are interested in finding out all the basics and getting some ideas for projects. The information is very clearly written in a simple to understand way, that isn't an insult to your intelligence. The instructions are also quite clear. Not all the products used in the projects are available in Australia, and as of yet I haven't been able to find too many U.S. websites that will ship a lot of the stuff internationally (which I think is due to the potentially hazardous nature of some of the products). However, if you have your wits about you, you should be able to figure out something that is a suitable alternative which is readily available in Australia.
Although I did really enjoy this book and all the hints and tips, I do have to admit that some of the projects are incredibly ugly (which is of course, simply a matter of taste) so I'm sure that the projects in the book that I think are beautiful, others will find to be hideous.
Despite this, it is an EXCELLENT introduction to the world of Resin jewellery. I can highly recommend it :-)
The second book I purchased is "Resin Jewellery" by Kathie Murphy (ISBN 0-87349-619-1). This is a slightly more "high brow" publication and is probably directed more towards people who have a bit of previous knowledge in jewellery design. It gives an excellent history of resin and other plastics, which gives you a great insight into how and why different products react in a certain way and how they can be best utilised. This book also gives you lots of information about different products, techniques and standard safety tips. But I think the best thing about this book is all the photographs of some seriously STUNNING and amazing resin work by artists and designers from all over the world. I found the images to be of great inspiration and made me DESPERATE to rush out and buy all the things I needed to start making my own Resin masterpieces :-)
So I can highly recommend this book also.
I have seen both these books on several websites where resin supplies are available, and they are both extremely over-priced. For example one Australian website is selling the Kathie Murphy book for $57AUD, and it is currently available on Amazon for approx. $5.20AUD. I did a lot of searching around and Amazon was by far the best place to purchase both the books (even with the crazy postage prices :-)

So far I have made a few smallish beads with the EasyCast 2-part resin I purchased, and they have been quite good. I used a purpose made polyurethane resin mould, also from EasyCast. The shapes and designs of the mould which has several cavities are quite good, however the resin really does pick up EVERY minute detail which meant that some of my castings came out with unwanted impressions that were left on the mould during production. I tried to gently sand this away without success. So I am in the process of making some of my own moulds using a "pour and mix" type of silicone rubber.
I am quite keen to see the results of this. I am making moulds for several different rings and some bangles also. I have so many ideas racing around in my head and I can't wait to post some photo's of my creations on here for you all to see :-)

Okay, I'm heading back to the studio (a.k.a spare room) to start casting some more of my ideas.
x Shara