Prototypes: Successes, Failures and Works-in-Progress

Day by day, I am trying out different objects I can make to sell.  Mostly, this has been a great deal of fun.  Playing with patterns, making adjustments, adding adornments, re-sizing for felting, trying different color combinations - I love the process of creation.  Sometimes though, I am very unhappy with the results.  Felting can be very dramatic - and not always in a good way.  I was working on a felted cloche, knitting away at it for the past 2-3 weeks.  Sunday was a rough day.  I felted it and in the first five minutes ruined my carefully made rose (a ball of fluff).  The tie also felted way too quickly, despite being removed very early.  The hat, except for its brim, took forever and came out stiff and strangely proportioned (with the contrast brim way too small).  No one in my family wanted to be anywhere near me as I struggled through my disappointment.  The day ended up being productive though, as I opened the Etsy shop, even though I only managed to list 3 items!  I wanted to open it so my friend could pay for an item she had already ordered, even though that meant opening small.

Happily, yesterday saw two successes.  I had been working on "all-season" ideas and came up with a decent design for a crown.  Here is my first prototype: 

Let the wild rumpus begin!!!

I liked the first one so much that I immediately went to work on the second.  My neighbor wants to buy them from me, but I think I will list them in my shop -- so she can review them for me!







I have been working on some other designs as well, but they are still in progress.  This is my first little hand puppet - complete with a little bell inside.  I like it a lot, but I think I will make some adjustments as I make more.

I made these faerie/elf slippers last week, but one of the members of my knitting group took them home for her grandson.  I will need to make more so I can list them in my shop.  Cute, huh?