Here goes!

Nic's long legged customs:






And Ms. Lori's Rock Monster- ROOOOOOOOCK!







And as a little extra bonus, Anita sent me some pictures of her little Crankified Hokie! Thanks Anita!

Stress Much?

Since there was no school yesterday this is feeling way to much like a Monday morning. You know it's bad when you are thinking about bedtime at 9:30am. *yawn*

Also, where the heck did this month go? I am in complete disbelief that tomorrow is October. Sheesh! I am discovering that I underestimated the toll Henry starting Kindergarten would take on my work days. Not only is his school day 2 hours shorter than last year, but I am finding myself called to participate much more. I am in his classroom 4 mornings a week because his teacher has a bus driving assistant and is on her own until 9ish. With all of the morning paperwork and activities she is expected to do, that is just crazy to me, so after whining about it for a week or so I decided to actually help out. That's the whole point of working from home, right? There are also endless fund raisers and school events that seem to pop up weekly-bake sales, parent team meetings, kickball games, festivals. Some of you know that I am also working on rolling out some new and exciting things in time for the winter holidays. I am happy to have so many awesome things going on, but it has gotten to be a bit overwhelming. I am WAY behind on my customs list (thank for your patience customs peeps!) so I need to cut back a bit this month and do only 3 lottery customs. I know it's a bummer, but I think it is going to be worth it when you see all the cool new stuff that will be popping up on the site soon!

Check back later for some Cranky pictures. I'm waiting for some decent light. Hey sunshine! Come out, come out wherever you are!

Blog Asheville Shindig

Last night was the big Blog Asheville party and awards ceremony. The good news? I won "Best Craft Blog". I even got this handy dandy little button to prove it (thanks Jennifer!):




The bad news? I celebrated a wee bit too heartily and woke up this morning feeling like Henry was more accurate than I thought when he declared my impending doom to his reading teacher the other day.

The good news? The existence of hot Krispy Kreme doughnuts and strong coffee. Alliterative misspelling of business names is something that usually drives me bananas, but I can overlook it in the case of these delicious little artery bombs. Yumma.

Thanks so much to all the folks over at Blog Asheville for throwing a great shindig and to all the bloggers and friends of bloggers who helped raise oodles of money for A-HOPE while doing it. Y'all rock!

Godspeed.

I can't even write about this without turnign into a blubering mess, so let's just say I lost a personal hero last night and the world lost a great, great man. May the kids he empowered and the millions he inspired pick up where he left off. Godspeed.



"I`d like to be remembered as a guy who tried - who tried to be part of his times, tried to help people communicate with one another, tried to find some decency in his own life, tried to extend himself as a human being. Someone who isn`t complacent, who doesn`t cop out. "

Paul Newman (January 26, 1925 - September 26, 2008)

Holy Awesome Pictures, Batman!

Sorry, I have been listening to the dulcet strains of LEGO Batman on the Wii for the past 3 days straight and it is finally getting to my brain.

I mentioned this a while ago, but a little while back I hooked the most talented and wonderful Rebecca from Catchlights NW and the most talented and wonderful Ms. Kimya and Panda Dawson up for a Crankytastic photo shoot way out yonder in Olympia, WA. Can you believe I get to have anything to do with these two amazing women? Yeah-me neither. I just got the disc of photos from Rebecca and if you will pardon me while I let my New England show, they are wicked cool. Capital Wicked, capital Cool.









I know some of you are Kimya fans, so I thought I'd give you a handy dandy link to buy her new kids' album Alphabutt. Just in case you didn't know about it. My favorite track? Little Monster Babies. Go figure.

The Joys of Parenting.

You know those parenting moments that make you so proud of the job you are doing-you have the right answers, the magic boo boo kiss actually stops the tears, you spend the day baking warm and delicious organic muffins from scratch, etc.? Yeah. This isn't one of those moments.

Apparently, Henry told his reading coach that I am going to die. The idea that all people die is just starting to click into place for him, so I'm sure what he meant was "My mom is going to die someday a long, long time from now and the thought of that makes me scared". What he did say was "My mom is gonna die", leading the poor reading coach (who is testing him for an accelerated reading program so she doesn't even know him well) to think that this poor, dear child has a mother who has some immediate terminal illness and may kick off at any minute. I can't imagine the context in which this was said and how she reacted to the news. All I know is that she told his teacher, who in turn had the oh-so-pleasant job of asking me if I am indeed on my deathbed. All she could manage was "I thought you looked pretty darn healthy, but I had to ask".

Remind me to buy her lots of chocolate.

Monsters in the Pumpkin Patch!

A fabulous customer named Brooke sent these pictures of her daughter poking around the pumpkin patch with her Monster Booty Crankys on. I was so happy when she gave me permission to share them with you.





What a cutie!!!

Customs!

WooHoo!

A girly Big Rig:





Pardon the horrible lighting...

And Karen's Princess Crazy Legs meets Monsterlyn Monroe.






They will on their way to their new homes this afternoon!

Also, voting for the Blog Asheville awards closes at 11:59 tonight. I am nominated in the "Best Craft Blog" category so if you haven't voted yet-Go Now!

Yard Sale!

I'm doing some re-adjusting and room making over here at Crankypants World HQ, so I wanted to let you guys know about a few things I'd like to clear out.

Tees!

I am also no longer going to carry the Hoot Owl long sleeved tee from Harrilu. I am selling the few I have left for $15 each. You can see them here.

Pirates Booty Wash!

This is a good chance to grab some of these for upcoming birthday parties and early stocking stuffers. All Pirate's Booty Wash is now buy one, get one free!!!

Monster Bib Seconds!

I have a few monster bib seconds here- $12 for the snap bibs, $8 for the infant style.


If you are interested in ANY of these things, please shoot me an email at info[at] crankypantshome.com

WooHoo!

Me! Me! Me!

I know everyone has their mind focused firmly on the big election coming up this November-health care, the world economy, foreign policy, social issues...Sure they're all important. But there is something happening right here in Asheville that needs your attention. That's right. The BlogAsheville awards are open for voting.



I have been nominated in the "Best Craft Blog" category (the very first category on the ballot). You do not have to be an Asheville resident to vote (but you can only vote once, please) and you do not have to vote in every category. So what the heck are you waiting for?

VOTE NOW!

[I know the picture up there says 'Click to Vote' but it doesn't actually work so click the link directly above instead. What? It's "Best Craft Blog", not "Most Tech Savvy Blog". Jeez.]

Carnival Lights Customs

These were knit from two custom "Carnival Lights" colorways and a solid green hand dyed by Kim at Western Sky Knits. This yarn is delicious and was so pleasant to knit up. I really love how they came out.

The Super Big Yarn Announcement!

As some of you know, I have been looking for a replacement for my standard yarn for a while. The yarn is fine, but is mass manufactured by a large company and processed and dyed in a way that leaves a bigger footprint than I would like and leaves the wool susceptible to heavier pilling than I would like. I have been looking for a new yarn that lets me keep the convenience of quick turn around and a wide array of solids, but holds closer to my business model-supporting smaller businesses with more ecologically sound practices while giving you the best possible product.

I am so happy to say..I found it!

Starting next month, my standard yarn will be a 4-ply merino (with a long staple length to resist pilling) that is processed and spun by a smaller yarn company in Vermont. There will be 14 colors available:



Top Row: sumac, rust, saffron, willow
2nd Row: slate, cornflower, sky, robin's egg
3rd Row: tea rose, thistle, mulberry, chocolate
bottom: coal, natural

The best part? It is 100% certified organic and processed in accordance with the Global Organic Textile Standard.

Now, if you are anything like me you are thinking-what makes wool organic? The food the sheep eat? The way it is processed? The lack of chemical pest control?

Yup. Here are the bullet points:

* The sheep are fed 100% organically grown feed
* No synthetic hormones or vaccinations
* No synthetic pesticides on animals or pasture lands
* No genetic engineering
* Healthy livestock is promoted through good management-happy, stress free animals are healthy animals.
* Organic fiber is handled separately from non-organic
* Detergents must be biodegradable
* Waste water must be handled responsibly
* No synthetic oils used in spinning
* Dyes must be free of heavy metals and aromatic amines
* Recyclable or biodegradable finishing materials are used
* No carbonizing fibers using acid baths
* Organic facilities must practice structural pest management.

For every pound of organic wool produced, 2 acres of land are sustained under organic management.

Yay organic! I am so pleased and excited and I hope you guys are, too!

Venus Vanguard Stocks Tonight.

The super ambitious ladies of Venus Vanguard are having the second of their bi-monthly stockings tonight, continuing with the carnival theme. I am not stocking with them this time around, but there are lots of beautiful things going up at 8pm.

My personal favorite? This set of impossibly cute giraffe undies by Plain Baby Jane. I mean really, does it get any more adorable than this?

Customs!

This weekend I finished a couple of customs that will be on their way to their new homes today.

Meg's daughter has some missing front teeth and new little nubbins coming in so we tried to give her monster a similar look. These are made out of the super soft Malabigo single ply merino and are squishy to the max.






And these little ladies are a gift from a super sweet grandma, Joan, to her granddaughter, Anna. I hope she likes them!





I am happy to say that I got my shipping notice for the Peru longies and they are coming in tomorrow. I will print out shipping labels for those who have paid their balance invoices tonight so they are ready to go into the mail as soon as they arrive.

Thinkin'...

All of you who are evacuated or riding out the storms in TX and LA, I'm thinking about you.

All of you who are being effected by the horrible train crash in CA, I'm thinking about you.

Meri, who is just starting her walk with her family to raise awareness (and cash if anyone want to support her) in the Walk for Austism, I'm thinking about you and hoping for a nice clear day.

Amy T., I'm thinking about you, too. Hang in there mama. We are all sending our love and support out to you. I hope you can feel it, even if it's just a little bit.



Be kind and gentle today.

Pppttttttthhhh...

This morning (realizing that it isn't even 9am yet) has been...not good.

I had one leg to go on a custom Malabrigo Striped monster when I realized that I was going to run out of one of the colors, so I ordered more. It came in yesterday but I didn't really look at it until last night. I knit up about half the leg and went to bed. This morning I woke up and confirmed what I was afraid of...the colorway doesn't match the first leg. The color is exactly the same, but the first leg is WAY more varigated than the second. Meaning I am going to have to frog that first leg and do it over with the new yarn. Hoping that I have enough of the other 2 colors to redo it. Gah!

Henry has been very confused about breakfast at school thus far. It is a state mandated free breakfast for Kindergarteners program, so it comes with a lot of rules that aren't very intuitive to a 5 year old. I started typing out all the options and crazy combinations, but bored myself into slumber, knocked my head on the keyboard and decided to spare you the details. The point is-I decided to walk Henry through the line this morning so I could show him how he could just get cold cereal. I wanted to show him that if he got an empty tray, they'd let him get the lightly sweetened Multi-Grain Cheerios he is so very fond of. I accidentally picked up the tray and handed it to him, which was the same as punching him right in the nose as far as he was concerned. He refused to take it from me and wouldn't move so the line piled up behind him. When I finally got him to take the damn tray and move to his spot in line, he ripped. the. tray. in. half. I picked him up and took him over to the side where he promptly sat down on the floor, took his shoes off and refused to move.

At this point let me just remind you that this is all happening in front of ALL the other parents dropping off their non-psychotic children and HIS TEACHER. Sweet Jeebus.

I picked him up and stuck him at his class table, apologized profusely to his teacher and told him I was out of there. At which point he grabbed my hand, took off his spawn from hell costume, gave me a big kiss, apologized and asked if we could try it one more time. And we skipped hand in hand through the breakfast line, choosing all the right options and getting the beloved lightly sweetened Multi-Grain Cheerios. I can't wait for the teenage years. If he is this hot and cold now I'm sure he'll be an absolute joy once the hormones kick in...

In Classic Crankypants news:

The shipment is in Charlotte. It should ship today and be to me on Monday. I will start printing labels on Monday and ship the first batch on Tuesday. I am going to start sending balance invoices today so you have the weekend to pay them. Payments received by Monday at noon should go out on Tuesday, barring any major shipping snafus on the other end.

Also. People from last weeks' pre-order and those of you who re-ordered (this is as confusing as kindergarten breakfast, no?)- I am going to be able to fill some of your orders from this shipment as well. I will send balance invoiced to those whose orders I can fill.

Happy Friday!

The Last of the Great August Customs

I can't believe I forgot to post this picture. This little princess is on her way to Skye.

Tee Bag Tutorial

Yesterday afternoon Henry, Tommy and I left Kyle to his Sunday football glut-fest and headed on downtown for the Leington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival, or LAFF. We had a great time wandering about and seeing all the folks dressed up in their freaky gear. The best part was stopping by the interactive booth run by the fabulous Asheville Etsy Street Team where Henry got to help decorate a giant squid and make an upcycled bag out of an old tee shirt. It was such a hit I thought I'd share it with you, with many thinks and due credit to AVL Etsy (whose collective genius can be poked through by following the above link and clicking on the various and sundry shop names in the navigational bar on the right).

At the first, you need to find a tee shirt to use. I have a whole drawer full of shirts I no longer wear but can't bear to give up just yet. I chose this Flaming Lips concert tee from the time I saw them at St. Andrew's Hall in Detroit a lifetime and a half ago. Good times...



After you find your shirt (if you are doing this with kids, a kid-sized shirt is a good idea) cut off both sleeves on the OUTside of the seam, like so:




Once you have gone sleeveless, give the neck the same treatment, cutting well below the seam, especially if you want to be able to sling the bag on your shoulder.



Here you have two options. I decided to go ahead and sew the bottom up.



Leaving the finished product...



For a no sew version your kids can do with minimal supervision, cut 3" strips into the bottom of the shirt and then tie them in super tight knots, giving you a super fancy fringed bottom-Kip Winger style:



These are perfect for knitting or craft project bags. For kids, they can also be worn as backpacks-just slip one arm through each hole formerly known as sleeves and off you go! If you leave the bag empty and do this, Henry discovered that it also makes a perfectly suitable cape.

All out of an old concert tee that has been sitting in the bottom of a drawer for 10+ years. Wayne Coyne would be proud.

Next up? Transforming this old RC Cola crate I found at a junk shop into super cool curio shelves for my office.



We'll see...