Year In Etsy: 2013

In the spirit of end-of-year retrospectives and grand annual traditions, I bring you the 2013 edition of my Year In Etsy. I was a little less rabid about my Etsy shopping this year (resolution for 2014: buy more Etsy!), but I was no less thrilled with all of my purchases. Thank you for continuing to support handmade!

Happy New Year!  Wishing you only the best in 2014!

 

Clockwise from top left (click on shop name to go to the Etsy store):

 

Blue waterproof purse from oktak

Corduroy flower overalls from Overall Baby

Bittersweet wreath from Two Inspire You

Royal blue enamel link bracelet from Sage K and Co.

Purple velvet leotard from PENultimate Leotards

Ivory teardrop necklace from Sage K and Co.

Washington DC cutting board from Wood Bob

Pink and purple leotard from Cathy Georgerian

Happy Holidays from Yellow House Knits!

Radiant Orchid for 2014

Pantone has just announced that its color of the year for 2014 is Radiant Orchid!  I love this choice, because I feel like purple was MY color of the year for 2013.  It features prominently in the Friendship Heights collection, and just last week I posted a picture of the Porter Street sweater in shades of purple.  So I'm thrilled to see more purple for the coming year!

As I do every year, I'm offering 10 percent off of any custom sweater that includes the Color of the Year as one of the colors.  The offer is good for all of 2014. To take advantage of this deal, email yellowhouseknits[at]gmail.com and mention this offer. I'm excited to create some fabulous sweaters in Radiant Orchid!

Porter in Purple

Here's the Porter Street sweater done in shades of purple, instead of the blues it usually comes in.  I love how ladylike this sweater is, with its single button at the top and ruffle all the way around.  For this sweater, I used the middle color as the anchor (the color for the cuffs, neckband, and ruffle), rather than the darkest shade, as in the Porter Street sweater.  Good thing too, because the ONLY button I was able to find that looked good with these colors and this style was dark purple, and it would have gotten lost on a dark purple neckband.  In any case, changing up the colors gives it a very different look, and I like it! 

 

 

P.S.  I bought a couple extra purple buttons, so let me know if you want this color combination for yourself!

A Perfect Match

Wow, I've really fallen off the blogging bandwagon! Must be because I've been so busy with sweater orders (which is a GREAT thing!).  I'm happy to jump back into it by posting this fabulous sweater I just mailed off to Michigan for Baby A.  I hope it will help keep her warm during those Kalamazoo winters!

 

I am head over heels for the colors in this sweater.  We actually started with the buttons and worked backwards to select the colors in the sweater.  Are they perfect or what???  I especially like the pop of darker turquoise in the sweater, which is not in the buttons but adds an additional dimension to the finished product. 

 

It's not obvious immediately, but if you look closely, you'll see that this sweater is actually the Quincy Street sweater with different colors.  Love, love, love it. Hope Baby A does too!

 

YHK at GALA

A few months ago, I drove to Kensington, Maryland, to visit GALA (Guild of Artists Local to the Area), which is now carrying Yellow House Knits sweaters.  For those who haven't been, GALA is a brick-and-morter, local version of Etsy, filled to the brim with gorgeous handmade items, including jewelry, housewares, clothing, and a great selection of items for kids.  And, of course, some super-cute handknit baby sweaters. 

While I was there, I had a lovely chat with Linda Blackbourne, the proprietor; bought a necklace for myself from Seven Sons Jewelry; and took a bunch of pictures.  And then the pictures sat on my camera.  And sat and sat.  So without further ado, here are some shots of this fabulous little shop.  Be sure to notice the Spring Road sweater right there in the window in the last picture!  If you happen to be in the area, do stop by and pick up a handmade gift (or even a handmade gift for yourself). 

Hello Porter Street!

 FINALLY getting up pictures of the newest member of the YHK family . . . the Porter Street sweater. This demure little cardigan is striped in three shades of blue, ranging from pale blue to dark denim.  There's a ruffle all the way around and a single button at the top.  As you can see, it looks darling with a sweet little dress.  I love how perfect it is for a little girl even though it doesn't have a single drop of pink!  You can find the Porter Street sweater in the Etsy shop here. 

A million thanks to Kim at Harrill Photography, for the *amazing* pictures.  This was our first time working together, and I hope it won't be the last!

 

Street Level: Garfield Street

I finally got out and took some new pictures for Street Level!  Today we're headed to Garfield Street in Northwest D.C.  On the map, Garfield Street is a series of short stretches that start and stop abruptly, so driving it is something of a challenge.  But the houses are so lovely all along the street that it's worth it.  Garfield Street starts in a neighborhood known as The Palisades on the far western edge of the city and runs east to Woodley Park.  It's almost exclusively residental, but you do pass St. Albans School and the Embassy of Belgium along the way.  Have a look-see!

New Sweater! Howard Place!

Yesterday, I listed a new sweater on the Etsy site--the Howard Place sweater.  The sweater is predominantly brick red with denim blue across the shoulders and olive green accents.  I'm trying to make a concerted effort to design sweaters for boys that aren't predominantly blue.  I love this color combination!

 

The sweater is available for sale here.  Thanks to Jennifer Tibbets Photography for the AMAZING pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

Ontario Place Update

Announcing new buttons for the Ontario Place sweater.  The original buttons are no longer available, so I had to scare up some replacements.  I never thought finding white buttons would be as challenging as it turned out to, but these are pretty terrific.  Good thing I found them, because I've just had a run on Ontario Place sweaters!

I think you'll hardly notice a difference, though the new buttons are just a smidge bigger than the original buttons.  (I'm noticing that the blue green yarn in the top picture appears really dark.  Rest assured it's the same color as in the bottom picture.) 

 

Belt Road

Last (and latest) but certainly not least on our trip through the Friendship Heights Collection is the Belt Road sweater.  I have been wanting to do a hoodie for the longest time now, so I was really excited to finally have the chance.  And I'm so glad I did it!  The sweater turned out so warm and cozy--perfect for a gray winter day!

I designed this sweater to be a boys' sweater, but Trish took some shots of a little girl wearing it, and I have to say that it looks darling.  I should have remembered how much little girls love purple!  But it's a good reminder not to be so rigid about boys' and girls' clothing. 

You can buy the Belt Road sweater here. 

Reno Road

Next up in the Friendship Heights Collection is the Reno Road sweater.  The sweater is bright yellow and blue-green in an interlocking pattern that creates a really neat effect.  The way this pattern is knit results in a sweater that's a little thicker than others, so it's quite warm in the winter.  It's unisex, and perfect for little boys and little girls.

Reno Road is available in the YHK Etsy shop here.

Jenifer Street

The next stop on our trip through the Friendship Heights Collection is the Jenifer Street sweater (no, that's not a misspelling).  This sweet little sweater is perfect for a sweet little girl, in shades of pink and purple (a girl's favorite colors!), with gray to ground it.  The sweater buttons at the left shoulder, with three purple star buttons that were custom made for this sweater.

The Jenifer Street sweater is available in the Etsy shop here. 

Ingomar Street

First up in our tour of the Friendship Heights Collection is the Ingomar Street sweater.  This cardigan features a fun yellow and gray chevron pattern, with broad ribbing at the base, cuffs, and button band.  The four buttons in front were custom-designed to match the light yellow in the sweater exactly!  This sweater was such fun to knit--I loved watching the diagonal lines emerge as I knit straight across. 

Note that the pattern is "open," which essentially means that it has holes in it.  That makes for a really interesting texture, but kids will definitely need to wear something underneath. 

Click here to purchase Ingomar Street on Etsy.