Happy Halloween Again!

Kyle is up brushing Henry's teeth before they rot out of his head from sugar overload, so I thought I'd post a few pictures super quick.

Kyle and The Clone Trooper...



This is what you get when you say "Smile":



This is what you get when you say "Okay, you don't have to smile so big":



This is what you get when you make jokes and try to get a natural smile. His eyes are about to roll right out of his head.



I hope everyone had a great Halloween night!

First Ever Crankypants Photo Contest Winner!

Is....


drumroll pulease....


Finnegan Ridley Bizzell, 19 months old.



There were so many awesome entries it was near impossible to pick, but sometimes I get the hard jobs. This may seem like an odd picture to choose since you can't see the Monster Booty on the bum, but something about it just screamed 'wonderful' to me. The beach in the Fall, laying in the sand, chocolate hoodie and wet cuffs, that perfectly contented expression on his face... It just gives me a warm fuzzy.

I will be posting more of my favorite entries over the next week and change. If you entered the photo contest, please shoot me your mailing address and I will send you your very own Crankypants sticker for your car, bike, wagon, Big Wheel, sewing machine, etc. just for entering.

Thanks so much everyone!

VADER -O-Lantern

I hope Henry is excited to see it when he gets home from school today!

Happy Halloween!

As you might have suspected, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.All the beasties come out to play and I love it! This Halloween is a bit different for us, though. It is the first Halloween where Henry is old enough to really care about his costume. To the point where I finally caved and bought him one instead of making it myself. I've made his costumes every year-fat Elvis as an infant, pirates, and our favorite... Chicken Robot. Well, this year he is going to be a plain old Clone Trooper (whatever you do, don't call him a Storm Trooper-totally different thing) in one of those one piece plus plastic mask dealios. My baby is getting all big and stuff!

With Halloween comes the first of the month, which caught me completely off guard. Again. I have been sick for the past week and laying pretty low, so we are out of our usual routine. Customs will be open tomorrow from 10am-noon EST to be drawn by random in a lottery. I'll post the list by 1pm EST. I am still running behind, so I am going to keep it to 3 slots again this month. I am going to run this month's auctions a little bit late, starting Monday and continuing (one a day) through Wednesday. I'm only doing 3 auctions this month as well. There is SO much going on here that I want to do everything I can to stay on top of things.

Can I tell you a secret? As an early Christmas present, Kyle's parents are taking the whole family to Disney World in a couple of weeks. We are driving to Orlando and we aren't going to tell Henry where we're going until we actually get there. So don't tell. We're just going to pick him up from school and hit the road with no warning. Tee Hee. The weekend after we get back will be the big Holiday Craft Explosion I'm planning for Henry's school. It has been a while since I've done a craft show and this is the first one I've put on myself, so I see a lot of sewing and planning in my near future.

Halloween also brings the end of the First Ever Crankypants Photo Contest!!! If there are any late entries, get 'em in! I got a ton of amazingly cute photos and still have no idea which I'm going to pick. Check back at nooooooooooooooon! I'll also be posting the runners up throughout the coming days.

It's a Beautiful Day!

New! Fun! Stuff!

Over the next couple of months we will be rolling out some new, fun stuff over here at Crankypants World HQ. As this happens I want to stress that NONE of the new items are made by the same branch of the co-op working on the Classic Crankypants longies so they will not affect wait times for those at all.

When I saw the Crime Fighting Sock Monkey Superheros a couple of weeks ago my mind immediately jumped to monsters. The amazing ladies in Peru were on the task immediately and came up with some amazingly cute little guys for us. These are prototypes so they are the only ones of their kind right now. Some of them will go into production (still hand made and one of a kind) but in the mean time, these guys need loving homes! They are $35 each plus shipping and are NOT suitable for kids under 3. They are crafted from socks made from an alpaca blend and the features are hand needle felted on to give each a completely unique personality. The stripes on the appendages are simply wound artisan yarn, so they must be handled with love.

(SOLD)


(SOLD)

(SOLD)

(SOLD)


Since this wee beastie is smaller than the others he is $25. (SOLD)



We also got a sneak peek at some Muestra Finger Puppets that will be here soon. I can't let these go because Henry is in love with them all, but I will definitely let you know when the first regular shipment comes in.




I am also super excited to show off the new undies from Sublime Stitches. People have been asking for girly designs for a while and when I saw this fabric I knew it was perfect for all the little ones who are sugar and spice and everything rockin'!






(click on these pictures to see the doodle details)

We couldn't leave the boys out, though...





All new undies are $8 a pair.

There are very limited numbers of these, so I'm giving all my faithful blog readers first crack at this new gear so shoot me an email (crankypantsknits[at]gmail.com) if you are interested.

WooHoo!

The Crankypants Picture Parade...

Ashley's Ravens lovin' Monster Booty longies with beaded (207 beads!) Jolly Roger:




Sarah's organic merino Monster on Fire:






Other Sarah's super duper soft Malabrigo single ply Monster Booty:






I have some other fun little things to show off, but I am going to save them for another post.

Wait List and Pre-Order Update

Hey all.

Once again, my shipment from Peru has been delayed at customs and won't ship until mid-week, putting me behind deadline to get them out to you. There has also been some confusion with the latest pre-order and I am not sure when it will be in. It was scheduled for November 15, but it seems it might be pushed back (I will update as soon as I can). Due to the nature of working with real people halfway across the globe, I have really struggled with streamlining this process and making deadlines. In order to stop it from snowballing and getting worse, and in anticipation of being able to move to in-stock in the new year, I am going to close the wait list for now and give the co-op a chance to catch up and (hopefully) scrape together some in-stock in the near future. Everyone who is already on the wait list will still be dealt with as usual, but no new names will be added until we can work out a shipping schedule that consistently works. I am hoping that with the pressure of a growing wait list off our minds we can deal with the scheduling quickly and set a plan in motion that will make things smooth like buttah in the new year. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

In happier and more exciting news, we are working with a different branch of the co-op to bring you a line of winter accessories and other fun things. These will in no way effect the production on the longies as they are being made by a specialized arm of the co-op, and hopefully they will bring some Cranky goodness while we wait for the longies! I am hoping they will be available next month sometime.

I get my camera back tomorrow, and with that will come a parade of Cranky pictures! WooHoo! We have a field trip to the Sky Top Apple Orchard in the morning and early afternoon, and then it is picture time!!!

Synergy

When Kyle and I were planning our wedding we struggled with the tone of the ceremony. While neither of us are involved in organized religion, we realized this was going to be one of the most important days of our lives and we felt compelled to mark the occasion with tradition. Having none of our own, we started researching and found so many amazing traditions from different cultures that we loved-jumping the broom, smashing the glass (though our friend Jonah clued us in that a light bulb makes a better smash moments before the ceremony), having the guests promise to give us their love and support, having my brother help me on with my shoes and having our parents speak on our behalf. The multicultural nature of our wedding kind of got around as we were planning and the day before I left to go to up to the lake house where the wedding would be held, a Mohawk friend of ours gave us an offering he had made for us to put on the porch rail we used as a makeshift altar area. It had tobacco and sweet grass tied in little parcels facing the four directions, and in the center were two sticks tied together. The sticks represented the two of us and the binding represented our relationship soon to be sealed in marriage. The idea was that, each of the sticks alone could bear a certain amount of weight so when put together they should be able to bear double that weight. Something happens, though, when you bind those two sticks together, and they are able to bear more than that. Together, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

The light bulb made an amazing smash and it was nice to have the vocal support of our friends, though we don't see them much anymore. What has stuck with me every day- after the guests went home, after the honeymoon ended, after having a child, moving across the country and starting a business, after scraping by for years so I could stay at home with Henry and then being able to finally buy a home of our own, after losing family members and welcoming new tiny people into our family- the one thing that has stuck with me through all of this is that there is a magic that happens when you are tied to another person that makes you stronger than you would be as two people on their own. And that's what it is all about.

To Griff and Libby... I wish I could be with you on this amazing day! I love you both and wish you the strength to struggle through the bad times and the clarity to appreciate the good times in the moment. You are two of my most favorite people on this planet and together you are unstoppable! Take a deep breath and remember-any small stuff that goes wrong will be forgotten and any big things that go wrong will be great stories later. Enjoy your day! I love you!

DOH!

A wonderful customer just sent me an email and alerted me to the fact that I posted the WRONG EMAIL ADDRESS for the photo contest! DOH! I was wondering why, after months of getting many great pictures, I had gotten very few entries. Oops!

The correct email address is:

crankypantsknits[at]gmail.com

Send 'em on in, thankfully there is still plenty of time.

Shangri-La Chinese Acrobats!

This morning I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to see the Shangri-La Chinese Acrobat Troupe perform at The Orange Peel. They were doing the show as part of LEAF so I got to get in early and watch the rehearsal. I cannot for the life of me figure out how these people do what they do. I sat there with my mouth hanging open the whole time. I only wish I had pulled Henry out of school and taken him with me-he would have loved it. They didn't allow flash photography because it is so distracting when the performers are doing dangerous stunts, so I didn't get any good pictures, but here is one of a woman spinning plates with both hands while another woman does a one handed hand stand. On her head. While spinning plates with her other hand.



Insane!

I also finally uploaded pictures of Meg's new Monster Bootys. The colors are so soft, I love how they came out.




Annnnnnd...I stole this picture of my brand spankin' new little nephew, Joe, from his mama's blog. I think he looks just like his big brother did when he was a newborn.



Say it with me...awwwwwww...

The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands

I was so excited to hear that I won tickets to The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands from the My Weaverville blog. It is a huge show put on by the Southern Highlands Craft Guild at the Asheville Civic Center. I am looking forward to walking around and seeing how the pros do it.

Yesterday we made our last minute trek out to LEAF so I could work a shift checking kids in at the front gate. We didn't stay long-we got there early enough to catch the tail end of Billy Jonas and grab an ear of roasted corn before by shift and just long enough after my shift to run around with Henry and see some of the vendors. I think we were home by 5. Kyle didn't snap too many pictures while I was working, but he got a couple of good ones...





I have another crazy week ahead of me, but I am going to try to get some Cranky pictures up soon. Don't forget about the photo contest! I wanna see more Crankys in action!

Off to LEAF!

We were planning on sitting this LEAF out, but I agreed to volunteer at the last minute because LSS was in a bind. I'll be at the front gate checking kids in until 7 tonight-stop by and say hi!

The First Ever Crankypants Photo Contest!

Here we go!

*You can send your entries to crankypantsknits[at]gmail.com
*Yes, you can send a picture you've already sent me.
*Yes, the picture should have your wee beastie and Crankypants-the rest is up to you.
*The winner will get on the next pre-order for a FREE pair of Classic Crankypants!
*Feel free to post this anywhere Crankyphiles hang out!

Okay, I think that's all the rules.

Since I am in love with Halloween, submissions must be in by 9am on Halloween and I'll pick the winner at noon. I will post all the entries, though, so if you send in a picture I will assume it means you don't mind the picture being posted online.

Everyone ready?

Hooray!!!

The Nintya, The Pintya and The Sanyta Maddddddiya!

Apparently, those were the names of Christopher Columbus's 3 ships. You didn't know that? You must have never heard a 5 year old try to say them with a Spanish accent. Comedy gold.

I am so happy that customers keep sending me pictures of their little Crankified beasties! Here are a couple of Ms. Anna. Too. Cute.




I also FINALLY finished poor, patient Aimee's Autumn multi-stripes. I love them and think they are perfect for the season. I hope you like them, Aimee!





And with that, I am officially into October. And with that, let's launch the First Ever Crankypants Photo Contest! I'll make another post for it, though. It's just that important...

Happy Birthday Baby!

A big, fat, roly poly Congratulations to my awesome brother, Jason, and sister in law, Kirstin, on the birth of their second son last night 'round about 8:30 after...22hours of labor! Kirstin is a rock star!

Welcome to the world Joseph Edward!!! I can't wait to meet you!

Seriously, I am DYING down here-900 miles away. Anyone near Burlington? Want to drop off some groceries and shower that baby with love for me?

No, you're right. That would be weird.

We'll meet him at Christmas, since this is our year to be in CT, yay! I just looked through some old pictures and found Henry meeting my older nephew, Sam, for the first time. Say it with me...



Awwwwwww...

Swifty

The other day a wonderful surprise package showed up on my doorstep-a swift and ball winder from my mama! Yay mama! I finally got a chance to set it all up today and found a new little yarn winding employee...




Please ignore the bathroom in the background, I probably should have closed that door. Oops. He was so excited and proud of himself. I decided that it is a job worthy of earning tally marks (his form of allowance) so I predict he will be doing it quite a bit in the future.

Pre-Order Update

Alright pre-order folks, the current pre-order is now closed. All invoices have been sent and need to be paid by midnight tonight unless we have made other arrangements. This pre-order included everyone who got on the wait list on or before 9/5. I expect this shipment to arrive somewhere around November 15th, so expect to pay balances then.

Thanks!

Whew!

Can I just say that my schedule is kicking my butt these days? Kindergarten, customs, Peru and wait lists, new line, fund raising, LEAF...AHHHHHHH!

I got some more awesome customer pictures to post, though. That'll make me giggle:




And I finally finished Dawn's customs:





Aimee, your yarn STILL hasn't come in yet! I'm working on it, I promise!

Tonight is the first meeting of fund raising committee and we're going to start planning a big holiday craft fair on November 22. Any crafters who want more information, shoot me an email or comment. I'll be posting more information on Blog Asheville when we figure it all out.

Wait list folks- I am taking pre-orders up to 9/05. If you didn't get an email from me and should have, let me know. Again, PLEASE read my email before submitting your information. It will save me a lot of time. I did make one mistake on the email and said everything had to be in by noon "Thursday the 8th". Apparently, Thursday is the 9th-who knew? So the deadline is tomorrow at noon. Get 'em in!

Davin!

Davin's mama sent me this awesome Classic Crankypants picture.



With all of these great customer pictures I've been getting lately, I think a Crankypants Photo Contest might be fun. Anyone up for it? I'll think up some details and post about it in the next few days.

Crime Fighting Team...

I went to Charlotte today for a meeting with my Peru contact and got lots of fun new things in the works. He also had a few of these amazing sock monkey crime fighters, so I grabbed one for me and a few extras for you guys. I have to say that it is going to be very difficult for me to part with ANY of them. I love them so much. They are made from alpaca blend socks with needle felted alpaca embellishments. The stripes on the legs and arms are just wound super fancy yarn, so they are not recommended for the wee-est of ones (under 3).






We have:

Ms. Fancymask, Stargirl and Greenmask McGee. The one all the way to the right is Ralph. He's all mine. None of the other 3 have capes, but I'll be happy to make them one if you want.

If anyone is in need of a new side kick and thinks they have what it takes, they are $35 each. I'm giving the faithful blog readers first dibs and then they'll go up elsewhere.

Why...

...do I have to wake Henry up and drag him out of bed every single week day at 7 for school, but somehow he manages to wake up at 6:30 every single weekend day?

*yawn*

A little over 2 hours and I'll be off to the rally. I. can't. wait. For all of my Asheville peeps, I'll be (wo)manning the concession booth on the 'home team' side of the stadium- stop by and say hi! Susannah, I'll be sending 'get in the gates' mojo your way, mama!

For those of you who don't have the opportunity to get to a rally in your area, you can get show a little love with this super cute stuff I just found over at Clear Hills Honey:



WaHMs, lip balm AND Obama? Can it get any better?

Updatey Goodness

Whew-what a week. Yesterday really kicked my tush all over the place. I was in Henry's room until 9, ran home and showered for my oh-so-pleasant girly doctor experience at 10, the off to Target to get gloves for our morning walks to school (Br.) and baking supplies. I ran home and worked for an hour and change, then off to pick up Henry. We sat and did the last of the weekly homework, baked and decorated 30 some odd toad stool cupcakes and then walked them back down to school to help set up for the bake sale/cook out/kickball game at 5:30. That lasted until 7:30ish, when I put Henry to bed and knit in front of the Veep debates as long as we could stand to watch it (approximately 20 minutes) and thanked the TiVo gods for letting us watch Dirty Sexy Money a day late. As a side note: I love Peter Krause like whoa, but what the heck was up with his haircut in that episode?

This weekend I was supposed to have a little girls' getaway with some friends, but I had to bow out at the last minute because... Barack Obama is here! He is having a rally at the high school on Sunday and I can't miss it. We will be waking up at the crack of dawn to make sure we get in. Woot!

Aimee- I have them bum of your longies done and am waiting for yarn to come in for one of your stripe colors.

Marissa-I'm working on leg #1.

Dawn- Your yarn is dry and I'll get started asap.

I am going to work my fingers off this weekend to try to get as much done and shipped by Monday as I can. Thanks to everyone for their patience!

Mama Brag

I just got back from parent/teacher conferences and can't resist a little shameless mama brag. Henry is doing great but they are at a loss for what to do with him for reading. They've been doing an assessment and it seems that he is reading at somewhere between a 3rd and 4th grade level. In Kindergarten. Since she's never dealt with it before she is teaming up with the school reading coach and gifted program coordinator to figure out what the heck to do with him. They don't want to move him to 3rd or 4th grade for reading because we don't think it would be comfortable for him socially, but we don't want him to have to sit through Kindergarten level reading activities, either. Tricky, tricky. I told her I'd be happy if all he learned this whole year was that making a mistake was not the end of life as we know it, but I think she has more luck with the reading thing...

October Customs List.

I am still partially in denial that it is October, so I post this list reluctantly. I am only doing 3 lottery slots this month to give myself a fighting chance of catching up (I am still elbow deep in September customs).

Congrats to:

Christia P. (for Gabriel)
Aaron S.
Roberta L.

If you are on this list, look for an email in the next half hour or so. Woot.