Preparation for the Off-White Indie Wedding Show

I have been astonished by good news lately.  One wonderful thing is that I recently got engaged, and I'm working on planning my wedding.  Coincidentally, I am also participating in the upcoming Off White Indie Wedding Show on March 20th from 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. at the Third Degree Glass Factory.

I'm so excited about it all!  Off White will be showcasing vintage bridal boutiques, fashion shows, yummy gourmet cakes, sustainable catering services, stationery, attire and accessories, and all kinds of goodies with class and a bit of edge to them.

Shenandoah Soaps will be a vendor!  Look we're listed!

Yesterday, I had a meeting with my friend Megan who is part of my marketing team for Shenandoah Soaps.   We are going to be marketing Shenandoah Soaps as wedding favors and bridal party gifts in a couple months.  She gave me some wise advice and ideas for wedding show products.  I take her advice seriously because she threw a totally kick-butt wedding a few years back that we all still talk about when we get together.  

This is going to be a lot of work creating new products and giving the table a crafty allure.  I've been spending hours upon hours getting inspiration from the different craft blogs out there.  Personally, I love 100 Layer Cake and One Pretty Wedding.   The creativity and photography on these sites are amazing.

This week, I created some new scents. . . some were good. . . some were ummm not so good.  Overall, I had fun and didn't drop anything soapy and gooey on the floor this time. (Ugh, what a mess that can be.  Don't ever do that.)  I've decided to stick with most of my current scents, but I've added two new all natural masculine soaps.  They are both woodsy and one is made with Matt's home-brew that he named "Clone Ranger."  It was designed after the New Belgium Ranger beer (I'm marrying a very clever man, eh?), so that's what we'll be calling the soap.  Clone Ranger.

My Etsy shop will be filled with new products in the next couple weeks and the basement of the house will be buzzing with ideas and hard work of the Shenandoah Soaps team!  Go team!  I'll keep you updated on the progress and will post photos as we go.

Scarf-tastic Cowl Pattern

I have been crocheting so much lately that I think my hands are becoming bionic.  Cowls make such wonderful gifts that it's nearly impossible to stop myself from going to Knitorious every other day to get something for a new project.  Sure, I can blame my compulsion on Christmas, right?  You bet your buns I can. 

So, I promised a tutorial on these babies a couple weeks ago and never got around to posting it.  Well, I shouldn't say it that way.  It's much more like, "I don't know how to write a pattern."  I've been trying my best, and I think that after about 3,000 hours, it's finally ready.

Pattern writing skills aside, I did get a pretty fabulous compliment on my cowls during the Holi-DIY from Dyeabolical Yarns. We'll just say that the recommendation was made to post it online because "it's very difficult to find such nice crochet patterns." Okay, I'm done bragging now, but it honestly surprised me so much that I was essentially speechless. Kind of like, "Wow, I finally did something right!"

This pattern is simple for people with some crochet experience and it is completely adjustable.  You can use any size yarn but make sure the cowl fits over your head easily.  For those of you who are truly beginners, there are plenty of links and video tutorials out there to teach you different stitches.  Here is a good resource for half double crochet: http://www.ehow.com/video_4429314_make-half-double-crochet-stitch.html

Lovely Malabrigo and Cascade Yarns

Materials:
Crochet Hook Size I
I used one skein of Malabrigo Merino Wool 
Stitch Markers
Yarn needle

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
hdc = half double crochet
ea = each
sl = slip stitch
st = stitch

You will be working in the round with no turning. Mark your rows.

To Begin: Ch 85 (or the length that fits over your head easily) join with a sl st making sure your chain isn't twisted.  Ch 2 (this counts as your first hdc), mark your row, hdc in same st as sl st. Hdc in each st around working in back loop only.  Join with sl st in first ch of hdc.
Row 2 - 4: Ch 2 do not turn, mark your row, hdc in 2nd ch from hook (do not count the chain on the hook.  The first chain that is not on the hook is the first chain so hdc crochet in the next chain), hdc around in each ch working in back loop only.
Row 5: join with sl st in first hdc. Ch 1, mark your row,  working in front loop only, sc in each chain around.
Row 6-8: Repeat 2-4
Row 9:  Repeat 5
Continue repeating the pattern until your scarf is 10 - 12 inches wide (making sure you end with the last row of "Repeat 2-4") and join the last stitch with a sl st and fasten off.  Weave in ends with yarn needle.

Update from the Craft Show

Holi-DIY was a great success this weekend.  Once again, STL Craft Mafia did an excellent job with their formula:  quality crafts + a little booze + a friendly atmosphere = money well spent.  The scene was set with local creations from terrariums to designer clothing and even included a "Steam Punk" Santa for the kiddos.

Two weeks ago, I spent a small fortune at the Rock 'n' Roll Craft Show and was able to get most of my Christmas shopping finished.  This week, I only allowed myself one purchase which was a skein of art yarn from Dyeabolical Yarns.  I think it is absolutely beautiful.  I quickly put it to use and finished crocheting a small cowl/neck warmer, and I think it is lovely.  It will likely be posted on the Etsy shop in a day or two.

Hand-spun Polwarth Wool 

from Dyeabolical Yarns

Thank you to everyone who went to the show and visited my table.  I recognized a few familiar faces and met some new and interesting folks.  Some people remembered me from the Medusa Craft Show a few months back. That was certainly nice to hear.

I also want to thank my friend Kelly Hogan who invited me as her guest and reminded me that bringing home-brewed beers for us to enjoy followed suit with the DIY theme.  That Kelly, she's always thinking.