SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2021

Sorry last month, I was busy getting preparing for my Father's 90th Birthday Celebration. And catching up after I got back from California. I did have a great visit and great time with my Father, Sister, Brother and Niece. 

September's WIPP is Mat/Rugs starting with finishing the Farmhouse Welcome Mat a Rachel Alford Design found in June 2020 Happily Hooked. I finished while I was in CA and gave it to my brother Dan. I crocheted in his favorite colors Black with Red Lettering.

For my Father's Birthday, I gave him a custom stuffed Hip Hop Neck Pillow a Tracee Fromm Design found in November 2020 Pattern Pack Pro. I had packed it without stuffing, so Pa could tell me exactly how he wanted it stuffed and made ties so that he could tie it a round his neck more, while traveling.

This month's WIPP is Fingerless Gloves or Handwarmers. Since is the start of the cold weather season here and I love having gloves that cover my fingers half way up during these cold weather months… that these would be a good WIPP for October. 

My first ones are a Daisy Elle pattern. Found in November 2019 Pattern Pack Pro, called Cozy Cool Beans Fingerless Gloves.

I am hoping that this month I will be able to get more crocheting and get Cloakroom Creations more organized with Bookkeeping and designing tags to go with my finish projects.

Wishing All to Keep Safe and Warm. Enjoy the Fall Colors.

 PATTERN DESIGN IN PROGRESS

This Blog Post will be updated on my progress. Feel Free to leave any suggestions in comment section.

PLANT HANGING BASKET

Design In Progress By Stephanie Cloak-Sander

August 15, 2021

(BOTTOM OF BASKET IS IN MULTIPLES OF 8)

Make Magic Ring (The way I do magic ring is make a giant loop that the tail can close-up loop after Row 1 stitches are in.)

Row 1:  Ch 1, 8 sc in Magic Ring (8 sc)

Row 2: Ch1, 2 sc in each sc (16 sc)

Row 3: Ch1, * sc , sc-inc* (24 sc)

AUGUST 2021

Since it is Catnip Harvest Time, I decided that this months WIPP is Pets Things. Starting with Catnip Toys. This year's catnip toys are going to be mostly OctoCat Nip Toy a Ruthie Smith Design. 

My not so secret about catnip toys is using the seed heads as part of the catnip stuffing. It is the gold of catnip. My own design is not so big, so with the OctoCat I am adding a bit of stuffing to keep it going flat from the catnip drying.

With both the printing and inner circle mail order industries are in decline.  It has made Thrifty Prints more of a hobby business for my husband Ray and I. Since this happening we are going more towards a semi-retirement incomes. 

Mine is getting more into production mode for Cloakroom Creations. Ray is hoping to get a new business venture called Thrifty Ray's Worm and Rabbit Ranch. We both hope to incorporate the use of Thrifty Prints time to time. 

It is hard for both of us to give up Thrifty Prints altogether after 42 Years coming up this Friday (the 13th). But, both of us are eager to start our new ventures. 

It is not new for either of us to start business ventures on a shoe string. We started Thrifty Prints with a little over $1,000 in a 10x50 Mobile Home. One of our wedding presents was a Offset Printing Press. So, we both know what is a head of us in away.

Until next time, Keep Yourself and Others safe.

JUNE AND JULY 2021

 I hope everyone has been having a better June and July then I have been having. On June 1st my 2009 Apple Mini decide to go on the Blitz. It took me three exhausting weeks to get it back up. That include dealing through the internet help. After about the week and half, I decided to order MAC OS on thumb drive from E-Bay to get it reprogramed back up. The reason is that Apple has decided to make it almost impossible to download old OS programs.

After, I got it finally up … I found that some important Graphic Arts Software did not work, I need this for my main occupation as the Typesetter and Computer person for Thrifty Prints, Inc. So back on E-Bay and brought myself a copy of Adobe Creative Suite 5.5. Which is the last suite that you can get of Adobe software that is not a subscription service. 

Also, the thumb drive I had all Cloakroom and years of Thrifty Prints orders decided not to work. (I have found over the years that thumb drive is a hit and miss to work.) So now I am using the external hard drive that I got to back-up, I am using to keep the files on from now on. And I got another external hard drive that has more memory to use with Apple's back-up time machine.

Will I finally got caught up enough today. That I felt like maybe I can put a lot of more energy into Cloakroom. Which includes this blog. 

June's WIPP is Bags. The last past weeks I have been working on Andi Produce Bags designed by Amber Bliss Calderon. Theses bags are very open lace work.

July's WIPP is Kitchen/Barbecue wares. Starting with Oven Mitt from a design by Cara Louise Reitbauer. These oven mitts are done with a stitch which is called a thermal stitch and it is like doubling up while crocheting.

Will I am getting punch happy here, so I think I will rap it up now. Hope to have another post early in August.

Happy May Day!

 Hope April Showers brought you many May Flowers this year! For my Socialist Family and Friends, I wish you a Happy May Day!

Yesterday I took this guy, minus the stitch counters into Eclectic Treasures. While there the owner admired my hat and said she thought that they would sell. So now my May's WIPP will be Hats, starting with Rustle Park Sun Hat a Shannon-Jaide Hyland design.

I have almost finished the 2nd panel of the Lace Tent a design by Heidi Hengel Nieling. Got the bodice done on the Cropped Bomber Jacket and now am working on the Waist Ribbing. Finished another Rosa Plant Hanger. 

See you next month if not sooner.

Mannequin Heads & Hats at Eclectic Treasures in Baraboo, WI

 

Front, Back and Face Close-Up

Happy April Fool's Day

On March 20th, my Monitor went on the fritz, so Ray and I headed into Baraboo. To pick up a new one. When we pulled into the parking space in front of the Radio Shack, we saw a group of people going in. So we went across the street to Eclectic Treasures, where we found out that I sold one of the Mannequin Heads for $15.00. Shop owner said I should make some more. Since I also sold 1 at Baraboo Vintage back in August. I thought it would be good to have as my WIPP (Work In Progress Project) for this Month It will be the Marcia Garcia-Tello design of Mannequin Heads with my twist with putting a face on them.

I am going to finish the Infant size one that I have not finish from 2020 January's WIPP. I choose to do them in off white, because I thought they would sell the best. But, now I am thinking of adding other solid colors or multi-color shades to the heads.

I first started to make these to show off my hats that I made. And were surprised that they sold. As long as they sell I will make them.

My other WIPP for this year are coming along. Finished one panel and about 1/4 of another done of the Lace Tent. On the sweater I am about 2/3s done with the body. And I finished one hanging basket and working on another one.

If you are wondering I got a bigger monitor, a 27" one along with a Bluetooth Keyboard. I love them both.

 3 Finished Hip Hop Neck Pillow

from a Tracee Fromm Pattern for November 2020 Issue of Pattern Pak Pro

It's March Already Wow!

Yesterday Morning, when I went out to check the weather, I heard a Sandhill Crane. And when I went for my walk up Luebke Road in the afternoon, I saw the crane in a neighbors field. I also saw a Heron, I don't know if it was a Blue or Green one since I really did not get a good look to see which one it was. Too me that is sign of Spring in the air, It also helps that we have been having a prolong thaw.

My March Work-In-Progress-Project is Hanging Plant Baskets, I thought with spring coming that would be an excellent quick to make and easy seller. Even with the Pandemic still in progress I think they will sell. The first one I am making is Rosa Plant Hanger s Kristi Simpson design.

Making great progress on the first of Feb. WIPP, a Cropped Bomber Jacket. I have got as far as starting to seperate the front panels and the back.

On the Lacy Tent for Jan. WIPP, I just got to finished putting the border to the first panel and I will have that one done. 

The top photos are December's finished WIPPs.

If I don't blog until next month, wishing you all a Pleasant March.