gardening – leilani handmade

A Time to Rest, More Time to Pause – October Update

Posted on October 6, 2023October 7, 2023 by Leilani — Leave a comment

“Slowing down is not always easy, but there are many gems to be found at a gentler pace.”
– Brittany Burgunder

Last month, I decided to slow down, mainly concerning creative projects. Honestly, I am so focused on developing new products that I stopped enjoying making things, as silly as that sounds.

I needed to step back and start thinking about what I wanted to make, not what I thought I should be making. This is a recurring theme for me. I get so driven to create and share what I make that, over time, I feel stuck in a rut and need to pause. Not a tiny pause, but a big one: willing to let it all go.

In the past, a life event that would make me have to take a break, such as a new baby or moving homes. But this time, I concluded that I have all the time in the world for myself if only I would take it. Once I take a big step away, it should become more evident as to the direction my future holds. I’m ready for change; I just have to be patient about how and when it will happen.

Blessings from the Garden

I’ve been up to my eyeballs with tomatoes from my garden! I’ve made pasta sauce, salsa, and pepper hot sauce! Added these to the closet along with my pickles. The bees were happy I left this small broccoli that went to flower before I could harvest it. One day, I counted 20 bees on it! With so few flowers left this late in the season, I am happy to offer them this organic homegrown broccoli. 🙂

The past month has been spent with birthday celebrations, processing food from my garden (primarily tomatoes…holy tomatoes!), grounding, local festivals, knitting, and weaving. I’m just getting to the point of unwinding, so I don’t see this trend ending soon. It will soon be time to fill orders for Christmas presents and gift-making for my family. I do not intend to run any sales or do any promotions. I will take it as it comes, and if it’s a slow year, that’s okay. I can’t believe I am saying this, but I’m allowing myself to let go of the expectation of having a “business”.

I’ll still be offering my current products and may or may not list anything new. I will let it all settle and do what I want without setting a schedule.

A Special Gift

Sixteen sapphires for a 16th birthday…it’s incredible how fast time flies. But my childhood went by in a flash, so I can understand how we got here. 😉 It’s been a fantastic 16 years, and “Sweet 16” called for a special piece of jewelry to commemorate this milestone.

I wasn’t sure what she would think, but I got an “Oh, it’s pretty!” when it was unwrapped. I’m happy to announce this necklace gets worn just about every day. I added the sterling silver number “16” charm to the end of the extender chain so it hangs down her back. I mentioned I could move it to a charm bracelet I made for her a couple of birthdays ago, but thus far, she has left it as is.

A Custom Order

Recently, a customer bought a set of my revamped Knitting Abbreviation Stitch Markers on Etsy. She asked if I would make her some specific additions to the set, and I was more than happy to do so.

I engraved these knitting abbreviation-themed stitch markers with my vintage pantograph engraver

The new set was engraved with “M1L” and “M1R” on the front, then “F-B” on the back of M1L, and “B-F” on the back of the M1R as a reminder of how to make each leaning stitch. I thought it was a fantastic idea, and I hope she likes them. They are currently on their journey to their new home via the post. 🙂

A custom set request, with front and back engraving

I love making requests like these. Do ask if you are browsing my products and want a specific detail. If I can do it, I’d love to have the chance to make something just for you. 🙂

What I can’t do is replicate something seen on the internet or elsewhere. If it already exists on my website, I can tweak it, but I will not copy someone else’s work or design something entirely from scratch. It has to fall within the parameters of my style and abilities.

A Finished Knitting Project

My finished (not blocked) hat with my first ever gradient dyed skein of handspun

I finished the Blocket Hat from Tanis Gray’s Gradient Knits. As I mentioned last month, this was my first time dyeing a gradient yarn. I enjoyed both the dyeing and knitting process. I want to dye another gradient yarn and make another of these hats – maybe purple. I need to perfect my technique for this kind of dye; there was too much white space throughout the skein instead of a smooth transition from dark to light.

Regardless, I love the effect of the yarn and the final hat. I decided to forego the pompom. My hat turned out more slouchy than the one in the book, possibly because my handspun BFL was slightly thicker in gauge. I’m a big fan of slouchy hats, so this was totally okay with me!

A Simple Weaving Project

This is not a scarf: it’s cotton woven dish cloths that my husband has been impatiently waiting for

Back in late spring, I warped my Ashford SampleIt loom to make some cotton dishcloths. DH has been patiently waiting for new dishcloths, and after I separate these and give them a quick wash, I look forward to seeing how they hold up. I wanted to start weaving dishcloths because I find the knitted and crochet versions fall apart over time. Hopefully, these will last a bit longer.

Sending many well wishes for the Autumn transition and happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians…

I Almost Threw in the Towel – August Update

Posted on August 12, 2023August 12, 2023 by Leilani — Leave a comment

“Be true to life by being true to your inner purpose. As you become present and thereby total in what you do, your actions become charged with spiritual power.”
– Eckhart Tolle

But you Enjoy What you do

I’ve been working on updating my personalized products this past month- well, struggling to. I want to offer more engraved jewelry options than what I currently offer, and it’s put me down this rabbit hole of what I do and if it is sustainable as far as selling to the general public. I hesitate even to call it a business; as fellow makers know, it seems virtually impossible to make a living just doing creative stuff.

I made the mistake of doing some number crunching, which led to a good cry. With the rising cost of supplies, shipping, gas, etc., and the work required for my pieces, my take home is $3-$5 an hour – and that’s only covering some of my overhead. Whenever I develop a new product, the time involved to design, make, photograph, then list – or write a blog post – I’m not compensated for that time.

I had to dig down and ask myself, is this what you want to do, or is it time to throw in the towel? There are many challenges with selling handmade goods both in person and online. Cost increases and over-saturation seem like impossible hurdles to get over.

Don’t get me wrong; I want other makers out here selling their wares. I want to refrain from competing with resellers, fooling the public into thinking they’re buying handmade. Resellers have always been rampant online. And platforms like Etsy aren’t caring or doing anything to distinguish between what is genuinely handmade and what is mass made.

Above: some of the necklaces that used to be available with an initial only now with a whole word or name option. I hope to offer this option for all my personalized jewelry, eventually.

Support a Living Wage for Makers

“But you enjoy what you do” is a statement I heard over and over from customers back 25 years ago when I would sell face-to-face at flea markets and craft shows. If you think of it, that statement is merely a way to justify supporting paying makers next to nothing for their craft.

Do I like what I do? Enjoy it? Passionate about it? Of course! But that doesn’t mean there are no moments of stress and hardship. My products don’t sell themselves. I have to work hard to be seen and list my items for sale, sometimes on multiple platforms.

Not to mention after years of this – my body is starting to feel it. Repetitive motion from crafting wears out the neck, back, and shoulders.

It makes no sense to demand someone work for next to nothing simply because “they enjoy it,” as if work is all toil and displeasure. My DH is a software developer – yes, it is a lot of stress, but I’d be hard-pressed to think he wouldn’t do it if he didn’t enjoy it on many levels! I enjoy making things, but implying no thought or skill is involved is ridiculous.

When I have a particularly stressful week because I am busy developing, pricing, photographing, and listing new items, it’s always in my mind that all my hard work may not pay off. When DH has a stressful week developing software, he gets paid for all his hard work. It does feel discouraging at times.

What I’ve Decided

Regardless of the discouragement, something propels me forward to keep going. Maybe it’s passion; maybe it’s the desire to be the change I want to see in the world…perhaps I know nothing else.

Fortunately, I stocked up on supplies years ago while things were still reasonably priced. Charms, for example, were bought in bulk wherever possible. I also have many chains, engraving blanks, clasps, and earring findings.

So I plan to continue to offer my items at the lowest possible price, and when they are gone, they are gone.

I want my products in people’s hands because I love making people happy with my talents. I love making a meaningful piece to honor a loved one, some that have passed on. Giving people the option of something handmade and well-made that is not mass-produced is important to me.

Makers deserve a living wage, but I understand that money is tight, and I’m not providing anything necessary for day-to-day living. They’re extras. Trust me; I get it.

So I will continue until I cannot justify it anymore or when my body has yelled, “Enough!” Whatever comes first.

Hopefully, that day never comes…

What’s New

Engraving Upgrades

I now offer engraved words and names on most personalized jewelry items. In the past, I did initials only, except for the larger disks, which mostly were back engraving of a handmade charm. This was for two reasons:

Most of my fancier fonts only accommodate one letter or short words/names on the smaller charms. I’ve spent the past few weeks playing around with different options, and now I can confidently offer words & names up to 8 characters on two different-sized disks. In the past, I’ve kept it to 1 letter on each charm for congruency because I knew for sure one letter would fit.

Secondly, to keep costs down. It takes longer to engrave names vs. letters, as well as more chances for mistakes. Now that I feel comfortable with the size options, I can offer full-name engraving for an additional fee.

You can read my recent post about the type of engraving I offer and why there are size limitations.

I’m slowly updating my Etsy Shop. I have decided to remove and re-add the engraving items as I edit them and will offer less of this option on Etsy until this new option is the right way to go.

Fun with leftover Plies

a basket full of bobbins with leftover plies of handspun yarn — Some leftover odds and ends from spinning that I am currently turning into small skeins of yarn

It’s that time of year when I have just too many single plies of handspun yarn on storage bobbins. Most of these are leftovers from spinning projects. Some are fibers I spun with no particular plan, and it’s more than time to do something with them. I’ve three small skeins done that I’ll keep to incorporate in my knitting. Spinning leftovers is a fun project to do once in a while. I often get color combinations I would never think to do otherwise.

Another Great Thrift Store Find

skeins of indie yarn found at a thrift store — Three more skeins of indie dyed/higher-end yarn found thrifting

DH does it again and digs out another bag of yarn from our favorite Thrift store. This one only had three skeins, and I paid more for these at $3.75 compared to my other finds, but can you complain? One indie dyed and two wool fiber not from a large company. I’ll take it! 🙂

Bountiful Garden

Despite the horrible weather this summer (it went from too hot/dry to too wet and cold), I’m getting a decent crop out of my little garden, especially the cucumbers, who love all the excess rain. Tomatoes should be ripening any day now (I hope!). I’ve made 19 jars of dill pickles thus far – more than when I bought pickling cucumbers! There is still more to come…

Some of my potatoes this year – almost 20 lbs all together. Not bad for organic potatoes from the pantry that went to seed!

I’ve gotten a decent amount of zucchini, and the squash is coming. The carrots, leeks, a few onions (I never have luck growing onions, so I’m happy with a few!), and even a melon are all on their way. Considering some farmers locally lost everything to this weather, I will be thankful for what I have.

Second Swing Chair Re-do

The weave worked up quickly and much better this gtime on these old swing chairs I repainted and strung with macrame cord after the fabric finally deteriorated — I decided to go for it and restring that first swing chair I upcycled

I’ve been upcycling these swing chairs as the fabric finally let go. Last month I finished the second one. It turned out excellent, better than the first one, so I contemplated restringing it. True to my nature, I soon dragged it into the studio and redid the weave! The chair is restrung with a macrame cord and crochet hooks. I used plain white on this chair to keep costs down. It’s covered with a chair cushion anyway.

If you’ve made it to the end, thank you for stopping by and checking out what’s new! I’m off to keep the momentum going before the self-doubt sets in…

Until next time,

April Showers….in June (an update)

Posted on June 5, 2023June 9, 2023 by Leilani — Leave a comment

“Empathy is really the opposite of spiritual meanness. It’s the capacity to understand that every war is both won and lost. And that someone else’s pain is as meaningful as your own.”
– Barbara Kingsolver

It’s been raining pretty steadily here for the past few days. I figured now is a good time for a monthly update. Here in Nova Scotia we’ve had some devastating wildfires in parts of the province. Although this is nowhere near me, I live in the woods and thus, it is a concern for us every summer in the dry weather.

My heart goes out to those who have lost their homes and pets. I hope that others in this province will tone down the rhetoric and stop lashing out and pointing fingers at people who are no different than you. As an empath, mass blame and hysteria saddens me. I know there is a better way to process our feelings and fears. These attitudes are exactly why I finally left social media in 2020.

With that said, let me catch you up on what I have been working on this past month:

What’s New

Although outdoor chores and gardening have been taking up much of my time, I’m still working on updating my product photos and adding short videos to all the listings. With that comes revamping and I’m now done the stitch marker section. I’m editing the final photos and will be listing the final revamped products throughout this month. Here’s the newest since my last blog update:

antique gold stitch marker set size small

I have a few sets on hold while I wait for some new supplies to arrive. One thing I have done is varied the amount you get from set to set to hopefully cover all price brackets (smaller sets coming soon!). Check out stitch markers in the knitting bling and crochet bling sections, or the yarn/fiber/stitch bling section on Etsy.

What I’m working On

Frankly, I’m bored with the same old thing. Simple hats, simple socks, working on a blanket…I’m ready to expand my knitting (and crochet!) skills. As I’ve said before, I’m a spinner, not a knitter. I enjoy to knit and crochet, but the only time I have to do it is late at night when I’m winding down, or when I’m out waiting for my kids from one of their activities.

For that reason, I tend to stick with really simple patterns that I don’t need much brain cells for. I consider myself a intermediate knitter in knowledge, but really only and advanced beginner in practice. It’s time to put all this knowledge in my head to good use! I’ve been reviewing Interweave videos that I purchased over the years and also bought a few more during a sale recently. I love to have a visual aid that I can refer to over and over.

A Free-hand Slip Stitch Hat…from 1.5 years ago (!!)

I had the idea to make a hat from this easy slip stitch patterning using two colors. I’m just going for it and tweaking as I go, sans pattern. I used to make all my hats this way. The positive is the freedom of not having to follow the pattern, and I love the challenge of feeling how the hat should ultimately look. The negative is I can’t replicate the hat again if I like it.

So this time, I am trying to take more detailed notes so that I can make another hat just like it again. If I like it, I just might include the pattern here on the blog. Like I said, this is a very easy succession of stitches.

Project Delayed

Here’s the thing: I started this hat during December break…2021! And this is the state it has stayed in 1.5 years. I picked it up again the other night and, seeing that it was almost midnight and my eyelids were getting heavy, I screwed it up pretty much right away! It pained me to put it down until the next night. I hate knowing there is a mistake in my knitting and not taking care of it right away. Hats off (pun intended) to all you knitwear designers: I can’t even seem to handle a simple hat…! :/

Shaping the crown will be the most challenging with the colorwork patterning. I may do the top of the hat in the solid dark grey color (which is a handspun superwash merino I hand dyed intentionally with light and dark patches). Hopefully, I will have a update (and finished hat!) for next month’s update.

Thrummed Mittens

I’ve been aware of thrummed mittens since getting a pair as a gift many moons ago (long before I ever had any interest in knitting). Only when I started knitting did I learn that they were called “thrummed”, and as a Maritimer, I should have known this style hails from Newfoundland & Labrador.

I never had any interest in making thrummed mittens, because I revere my hand dyed roving for spinning. However, I’m amassing a lot of leftover bits and pieces of top from spinning projects. So recently I thought, time to make some thrummed mittens and use up some of these bits!

This style of mitten is so super warm and I’m having fun making this pair. I’ve actually caught up the second mitt to this one, because like socks I hate having to start making its pair from scratch. Knitting two at a time makes it less daunting. I prefer to use super short DPNs (aka shorties) for my socks and mittens.

Another Great Use for my hand dyed top

It occured to me while making the thrummed mittens that this would be another great reason to by my hand dyed tops. At approx. 4oz per braid, that’s a lot of thrummed mittens for your friends and family. I developed these braids with felters and spinners in mind, but now I could also add knitters to that list.

Lengthening the first sweater I ever made

This is the first sweater I ever made, and I realize that a crop is not for me so I’m in the process of lengthening it

I made this sweater with some of the first handspun I ever made. The dark brown sections are alpaca that I processed from raw, then spun to merino top I hand dyed. I wanted a way to preserve this yarn, but honestly I was more into finishing this sweater than making it wearable. So, I’ve removed the ribbing and am currently making it longer, as I have some of this yarn left. I’ll report back once it’s completed. I have a feeling this one may sit around for awhile. One round on a sweater, even a bulky one, takes so much longer than a hat! 🙂

Outdoor Projects

Staining 7 Colorful Wooden Chairs

Before all this rain we had a run of sunny days that I took advantage of to get to some neglected outdoor projects completed. The biggest project was re-staining these colorful Adirondack style chairs which are handmade here in Nova Scotia. After 7 years they were really looking worse for wear. Amazing what a fresh coat (or two or three) of stain can do!

I wish I had before and afters but I made the painting area a no-technology zone. It was nice to unplug and just listen to the birds, the bees and soak up a bit of sun. I thrive with a little alone time, just nature and my thoughts, barefoot to do some grounding. With seven chairs in total I aimed for 1 chair a day and it took me about 2 weeks between rest time for my sore back and rain delays.

Macrame Upcycle old Swing Chairs

We’ve owned these swing chairs since we owned our very first house 16 years ago. Recently, the fabric finally let go. The metal is still in good shape and they glide fine, so I spray painted them grey with Rustoleum. The metal was a dark brown color originally. I bought two huge cones of macrame thread online. There are many videos on how to do this on Youtube, and having crochet experience was definitely a plus.

I found cushions online exactly the size of the chair (what luck!) and I think these will be comfy and cozy. One is already completed, I’ll get a pic next month when it’s not so dark and grey out. We haven’t even gotten the chance to try it out yet with all this rain.

Surprise parsnips

Last season I planted parsnip seeds in a bed that gets little sun. The trees have certainly encroached the space over the years. They never came up so I planned on ripping that bed out this spring. Wasn’t I surprised when I noticed a row of green popping out of the bed! I look forward to roasting these with carrots and honey.

Here I am sitting in my car waiting for one of my children to finish their activity. After a walk around the neighborhood, it’s knitting time! 🙂

Until next time, I wish you much compassion & creativity,