Hello! September is almost over and I am shifting into full knitting gear to get ready for my lineup of holiday shows. Even though my next event isn't until November, I hope to pop on here more often over the next few months to give you an idea of what I'm working on. I finished this crazy neon monster last night. He is so fluffy! I saw that yellow yarn at the store and it screamed "MONSTER!" I think he's hilarious and I look forward to hearing what you guys think!

I also finished the stockings that I designed. I am embarrassed at how long it took me to complete this order- and to be fair they're not completely done, I'm still embroidering the names on them- but am very pleased with how well they turned out! I'd love to make more of them in the future [as long as my clients give me LOTS of time... they take FOREVER to make.]

Speaking of LOTS of time, if you're planning to order any monsters for Christmas, now is a good time to let me know! Just saying ;)

Okay, it's time to get back to knitting. I have a pile of monster ornaments that need mouths.

I feel pretty silly that I haven't updated my site since winter. Where has this year gone? Seriously!

Summer is almost over. This past weekend was the Elmwood Festival of the Arts. I set up inside the UUCB at the corner of Elmwood and W Ferry. I've set up inside there for the past few years. I have entertained the idea of applying for a spot out on the street... but then I think of all the monsters I would have to make and sell just to break even... and the hours it would take me to do that. That scares me. It would be so much fun to be on the street and get a truer festival experience.

I love this festival. And this year I was super happy to be where I was! Thanks to all the volunteers and all the happy customers I met throughout the weekend!

Here are a few pictures of things I made for the show and my table. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you've probably seen these already. And if you don't follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you should. I post there more frequently.

My next show in the area is the Music is Art Festival on September 13th and that is at Delaware Park from 10am-dark. I'll have a tent set up in the rose garden and will be selling all sorts of monstery fun.

I'll end this post with a picture of the Christmas stockings I am currently knitting for a custom order. I will be making four total. The client LOVED the ones I made for Emily [@merrypad on most social media] so I am making her a similar set. I am done knitting three of them. Of course I still need to deal with loose yarn ends, wash them and block them so they are flat and tidy, just like Emily's.

[Here are the ones I made for Emily so that you can imagine how awesome this set will look once they are finished!]

Let's hope it's not 8 months before I post again!!!

It's the last day of January! I wish I had a bunch of stuff to show you but January has just been slow. I have not finished any monsters! Can you believe that!? I have so many started, but nothing done. I haven't even knit in a few weeks... and for me, that's weird.

What I have been doing is a ton of crochet. I've been making hats, chunky yarn cowls and I just finished an infinity scarf for friends. All these things are practical. It has been SO COLD. So very very cold.

I took this photo because I needed to have an artist picture for a website that will be selling clothing using my designs. That site will be launching soon and when it does, I'll post the link here! The photo shows one of the crocheted hats I mentioned before.

February will bring new things! I have a show on February 14th so, at the very least, it'll mean that the pile of unfinished monsters will be finished.

The Mayday! show in Rochester is over and I've already switched gears to start preparing for Buffalo Women's Gifts. Women's Gifts is one of my favorite shows that I do and this will be my 4th year! In case you're in the Buffalo area and are interested in attending, the show is held at Babeville on Saturday November 16th and goes from 10am through 5pm. Admission is free and there will be tons of great vendors and food trucks!

Although I already posted these pictures on my Facebook page, I wanted to share them here as well. My friend Allison and I had a little fun posing the monsters for pictures during a lull on Sunday afternoon. The monsters are meant to make you smile and I hope that these pictures brighten your day!

The week after a big show is always weird. Part of me wants to take a break and relax. I've been knitting pretty much nonstop for the past few weeks and it would be good to give my fingers a break. The other part of me, however, realizes that a lot of monsters found new homes this weekend [YAY! Thank you!] and I gotta work to restock for the next show. So, I don't know what to do and have been having disorganized, partially productive days.

These two ornaments were a custom order. They are wedding gifts for a couple who are getting married this fall. The color scheme for the monsters was built around the school colors of the university where they met. I considered giving the bride a veil and bouquet, but decided it was bit much for a small ornament and instead opted instead for a little felt flower with a pearl button center. Perhaps if I make a larger monster bride and groom set I'll give them more accessories.

Add these guys to the list of fun "ERIN MAKES STUFF" ideas for weddings! Remember the Ring Bearer Monster from my friend's wedding? And Name Designs always make great gifts too!

Besides the wedding monsters, I also finished the monstapus I was knitting this weekend at the the festival. It's nice that I can get a little work done while I'm at a show... a lot of artists can't do that! I'm lucky that knitting is portable. I love how this guy turned out. I haven't made a monstapus in awhile!

Now to get some more work done... What would you all like to see at the next show? Let me know in the comments!

Even though I don't follow football, I had a request for a custom monster in Packer's colors and I happily accepted! He was fun to make. The logo on his body is felt that I carefully cut out and stitched by hand. He even has his own little Cheesehead hat... which, after much thought, I made out out a sponge that I cut and painted.

If you're ever looking for a unique gift, I can always custom make a monster to match whatever team or school colors you need! I have even made monsters to match wedding colors. I love making custom monsters for cool people and special events :)

I changed my mind. Etsy shop updates will be on Mondays. I quickly realized that Monday updates gave me the weekend to prepare. Friday was much too hectic. So I will be adding new items to my Etsy shop on MONDAYS at NOON! Yay. New stuff. I have tons of ideas so this should be an exciting summer in the world of erinmakesstuff.

So, what's new this week? I started off by listing a few items that I have in stock! I put up these two owls:

Here is the listings for the Purple and Blue Owl and the Pink and Teal Owl. Each of these owls are hand-knit from wool yarn and measure about 7 inches tall. EDIT: Both these owls sold, but you can custom order one HERE

Now let's move on to what's new!

Did you know that the horn on a narwhal is actually a huge tooth that grows straight out from the whale's face! Imagine if our teeth did that! This little narwhal is certainly a cutie and would look great hanging anywhere in your home. This ornament is approximately 4" long and hand-knit from wool yarn. I have three available right now! Which is your favorite? EDIT: SOLD OUT- But I will be making more!

Want to make your tablet cozier? This friendly monster will hug your electronics like a warm sweater! This cozy has a lot of stretch and can fit most iPad sized tablets, with or without a protective case. Thick crochet offers a little extra cushioning for your device. A button closure on the back holds your tablet snugly inside. It measures about 8 x 10.5 inches when flat.

The Blue and Purple iPad Monster Cozy shown above is in stock! I also have a listing set up that you can custom order one in whatever colors you choose.

This was a pretty busy week and I hope you all enjoyed the update! Soon I will be confirming some summer events and as soon as I know where I'll be, I'll let you guys know.

Hi everyone! It's Friday and that means that I've updated my Etsy Shop! This week I listed two more items that you can custom order [Ducks and Phone Cozies!] and a Sea Monstapus who is not scary, despite having claws.

Monster Cell Phone Cozy: Want to make your cell phone cozier? These friendly monsters will hug your electronics like a warm sweater! You'll smile every time you pull out your phone. By default each cozy is sized to fit an iPhone 4/4S or iPod Touch. Please message me your phone model in a note to the seller so I can size your cozy to perfectly fit your phone. A button closure on the back holds your phone snugly inside.

Each monster cozy is hand-knit to order. It'll take me 3-5 business days to knit and then ship your order. You can pick the color stripes you want [see the last picture for color options] or, if you don't care, just pick "SURPRISE ME." Button eyes and yarn color of the mouth and arms will always vary based on what I have available so each one will always be one of a kind. These monsters are knit from acrylic yarns so if they get dirty, just hand wash them in the sink and let them air dry. Easy peasy.

Order yours HERE!

Ducks: Quack Quack! I'll knit you one of these ducks in the colors that you choose! Pick up to two colors [or if you don't care, you can always pick "SURPRISE ME!"] and let me do the rest. Now you can order an duck in your favorite colors, baby shower theme colors, wedding colors... the possibilities are endless! If you need colors beyond what is listed, add your needs in a message to the seller when you purchase. Each duck has the most adorable knit webbed feet!

Ducks are knit from soft wool yarn and are about 7 inches tall. Eyes are sewn felt with locking black safety eyes. Each duck will have an "erinmakesstuff" tag sewn on its back.

Order yours HERE!

Sea Monstapus: I actually knit this guy as my submission to the Buffalo Etsy Team's May Creative Challenge. The theme for May was sea creatures/ sea life. I think this guy fits the bill!

This monster emerged from the sea to look for a new family. He may have claws and tentacles, but he is harmless! In fact, he's one of the cuddliest monsters around and loves to give hugs. He is knit from acrylic yarns and stuffed with polyester fiberfill. This monster has one of the cutest button-eyed faces around, how can you resist?

From top to bottom, this Monstapus measures about 11.5 inches. He has six tentacles that measure about 7 inches each.

Want him? He's up for grabs HERE.

Next Friday I'll have two new items. New items will be launched at noon [EST] in my shop! Look for posts on Facebook too!

The monsters want to wish you a happy Easter! Today was relaxing and nice. No stresses of a big family dinner, just taking it easy. I started knitting a new monster and when I was almost done with the head, I looked down and realized I was using the same colors as my socks! I really like a pink and neon orange color combination... and I'm always a fan of stripes. :) 

Lots more knitting to go. This guy will have fuzzy neon orange and yellow stripes! I can't wait to see him finished... as well as the other 3 armless and faceless guys that are patiently waiting to also be finished. 

You have no idea how excited I was when I spotted neon furry yarn at Hobby Lobby. Super excited doesn't fully describe it. I bought the neon yellow and orange. They had pink too and I regret not buying one. I thought the yarn was going to be just like Fun Fur, and it kinda is, but it's super long, super bright and super awesome. Everything was super. The only bummer is that it also takes a super long time to fluff them up because the fur is longer than Fun Fur... but the end result is worth it. Whoa! Neon!

Hope these pictures made your day super happy :)

To coincide with the "GONE VIRAL" exhibit at SUNY Fredonia that opens this Thursday [March 7th], students, professors, alumni and community members joined forces to yarnbomb the light posts along the main entrance and Symphony Circle. I highly recommend that anyone in the Fredonia, NY area check it out ASAP! Who knows how long it'll be up! Monsters came out to play in a big way... as a monster totem pole! If nothing else, hopefully this yarnbomb will make some people smile. The monsters have a tendency to do that. Here's some pictures! 

At least 25 more light posts are now scarfed in bright, cozy covers. I think it definitely brings a little warmth on a frigid 20 degree day. And there's more. Thursday the #algaebloomyarnbomb will be unveiled in the 2nd floor gallery in the Rockefeller Arts Center and it's shaping up to be pretty cool too. Have I ever mentioned how much I love yarn. Well, I do. :)

If you can, it's worth seeing in person :)

I love special orders. I love it when someone asks me to make something that I would probably never think to make myself. It's really exciting to see it come to life. In the past, special order monsters have been anything from a Monstapus to carry wedding rings down the aisle [which I still think is the best ring bearer pillow idea EVER], to a funny walrus and even Cthulhu. Each was a lot of fun to make. 

Lately people have been asking for birds... mostly owls. And I still need to make some more. I owe a friend one from last summer... but now I have that pattern figured out so I can get going on more owls! So here is what I made recently: Two Owls and a DUCK! [The little webbed feet on the duck make me smile!] Enjoy.

I was having a little fun taking pictures of these guys. I posed the duck with some hand-carved wooden ducks that my uncle sent us from the Philippines. Here's my favorite shot:

This Saturday is that "Something Cool" that I mentioned in the last post... stay tuned this weekend to see what that is all about! I think you'll like it... especially if you live around Fredonia, NY. 

My holiday shows for the season are over so now I can focus on custom orders! Yay! So... if you missed my shows, I updated my etsy shop! Feel free to browse by clicking on the SHOP tab above or head right over to the etsy page to see what's in stock! http://www.etsy.com/shop/erinmakesstuff. There's lots of monsters waiting for you!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my booth at the Buffalo's 10th Annual Music is Art festival yesterday! It was a nice, cool almost autumn day. With so much to see and do, I'm glad so many monsters were able to find good homes.

I tried to keep busy knitting because next Saturday I'm back at the waterfront for another Saturday Artisan Market. So much to do! And knitting takes time!