Of Blocking, modifying, and Coconut oil

Hi All!

Hope everyone is doing well, and as well as can be expected with some of this wild winter weather we are experiencing.  Even though I live in Las Vegas, it doesn't mean I don't feel  your pain.

Onward to my knitting:
It's coming along, and I am learning new things as time goes by.
The number one thing I've learned is blocking.   Who knew?
The patterns I have perused do not call for blocking the finished items.   I found out quite by accident from my interactions with more experienced knitters and crocheters alike, what it's about and how to do it.  Damn!  I wish I knew about this before I started my listings on Etsy.. which I will post about in just a couple minutes..

I was not happy with the end results of my daughter in law's armwarmers.. oh, yes.. they will be cute on her, but I was not impressed with the quality of my work, nor was I happy with the yarn.. I hope blocking solves that problem.

Same goes for the child's hat I made on the fly with modifications to the existing pattern I use for slouchy beanies..

Here goes:  After washing and drying the items, whoa.. I was not too happy with the results.. So I am experimenting with blocking to fix the issues I have with the end results.   I think they will turn out just fine..

I swished them in warm water with a little detergent, and rinsed them out well.   I then placed them on a towel, and rolled it up and stepped on it to squeeze out any water.  Onward to another towel.
The hat and armwarmers where then gently stretched out to their permanent shapes and pinned down onto a dry towel on the bed.   It will be a couple of days before they are good and dry..
Here are the pics;

My current project now consists of modifying a pattern from which  I made gloves for Connie, remember those cute green fingerless gloves made from the pattern from the Crochet Dude?   Well, a very loved friend of mine liked that pattern, but she has tiny hands too.. I made her a different pair for Christmas but they are a little big for her especially up around the base of her fingers..  What to do?   I figured out to decrease the number of stitches to make them smaller, and tried the finished on myself, as our hands are almost the same size width-wise.. they fit me perfectly, and I hope they fit Melanie the same way:   here are the pics of my work in progress:

I will block them. of course, to make them prettier..
I am happy with the way they turned out so far..

The one thing I absolutely love (besides knitting) is using coconut oil.. oh, I use it in my hair, I cook with it, I will even eat it out of the jar.. it has so many uses.   Keep in mind, sometimes I am a snob about food.. so I only buy the Organic Virgin Coconut Oil from Trader Joes.    It's sooo good!   It's so good until you forget about it being in the pan while doing the prep work on the chicken.. A tale of the danger of having a memory like a sieve:   Coconut oil has a high heat point.. while this is a good thing.. but when you forget, and get in a hurry.. and take the pan off the burner, be careful!   Here's what happened to my rug the other night:

Yikes!!! I'm so glad I did not have children or pets underfoot, and glad that I was wearing shoes that night.. Keep your thinking cap on and slow down!

About Etsy:  I am wondering what to do, since my stuff is not selling like I hoped it would.  Granted, I know I'm a novice in the knitting and crocheting world, and still have lots to learn.  On the other hand, I've learned quite a bit on my own, as Google is my best friend =)     I'm at a crossroads:

1.  Should I continue and try to sell the things I've already listed?
2.  Donate the items to charity?
3.  Give them away as gifts?

Either way you slice it, I think I need to do two or four things:

1.  Improve my skill level and use up the existing yarn from my stash.   (When I started this endeavor, I wanted to keep my items as hypoallergenic as possible).

2.  Try again with yarns with  nicer fiber blends which includes wools, alpaca, silks, and or bamboo and cottons.   I really want to try the Noro yarns, as they are so beautiful.

3.  Expand my offerings?

4.  Or specialize in one or two things?

If you see something you like, or have suggestions, feel free to post them on my facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/CrazyCozyChick

Onward, I say!
I wish you all the best.. and will see you next time.