Busy as a bee!

And here's just one of the things I've been doing. I'm very pleased with these new rattle toys but as I commented on the previous post, I'm just too busy to write up the pattern.

What am I doing? Well, lots of things. This week I have to finish off the items for a swap I'm doing on Ravelry. Next week we have the huge yearly car boot sale in our little town. I won't be selling anything this year, but it's something to look forward to. The following week, I may be holding my first official stall on our local organic market! I'm just wondering when I'll find out... I sent in my application but haven't heard anything back yet and it's in two weeks' time! In any case, I have to crochet, crochet, crochet so that I'll have enough stock, and I suppose that if I don't get a place, I'll just have to sell my items elsewhere or wait until the Spring sale in May. I've ordered some more organic yarn from the UK, including some Alpaca wool  that I'm trying out for the first time. I thought it would be nice for cosy winter hats. It's already getting a bit chilly around here.

On with my list... early November I'm organising a short trip to Paris with my son. Last time I went to Paris was almost thirty years ago! We're really looking forward to it. We've booked an apartment near to the Eiffel tower, and we'll probably visit the usual tourist places. I'd also like to go to the Cité des Sciences, and to visit the new Islamic art section in the Louvre. Then there's Montmartre, le Marais, the Arc de Triomphe, and my son wants to go and see Jim Morrison's grave at the Père Lachaise cemetry. If you know any other spots in Paris we absolutely have to visit, please let me know in the comments :)

Then towards the end of November I'm off to South Africa! It's a trip for work, where we'll be holding a conference. Once it's over, I'm going on safari with two of my friends. We all agreed that it was a pity to go so far without seeing some of the country. So we've organised a short trip to the beautiful countryside, with a trip both to a land safari and a day in the nearby wetlands. I can't wait!

When it was my birthday, I wrote up a list of 50 things I would like to do before my next birthday, a kind of bucket list but with a time limit. Visiting Paris is just one of them, as is holding my first real sale of my crochet goods. It feels good!

Teddy rattle MkII

Remember these teddy rattles? Well, I wasn't entirely satisfied with the result, even though lots of my friends and family told me they were fine, cute and very nice. Hmm, I thought, there's something missing. And I found the shape of their head could be improved.  So, back to the drawing board. This new teddy has a slightly bigger head, and most importantly he has arms! Much better, don't you think? 

Spicynat's mum and baby owls

Spicynat has kindly given me permission to share her gorgeous Mom and Baby owls, aren't they just the cutest things? I love the way she's done the eyes. Spicynat shared her pics on our flickr group. We're looking forward to seeing other owls, doudous, etc that you've made using the patterns from this blog :-)

Purple stripes

Hello there!
I had lots of bits of Debbie Bliss eco aran yarn left over in my stash, so decided to make a stripy owl. Her eyes are a bit small and her beak is a bit big, but I think it gives her character. She even rattles. If you want to make an owl, the pattern is here: http://isitatoy.blogspot.fr/2011/12/free-owl-pattern.html Remember to post a photo of your creations on the flickr page too!