What a great holiday season

{ source }

Wow!  This has been a great and super busy holiday season!  I've been super buried in knitting during the last week!

Today's the deadline for USPS priority shipping and I have the stack of packages by my door (and soon to be on the post office's counter) to prove it.

But never fear, orders placed after today will still make it by Christmas if you upgrade to express/overnight shipping!  In fact, every ready to ship item in my shop will be set up with express shipping as the default after my last post office run this afternoon (but if you want first class or priority shipping, just let me know).

Thanks to severe colds turned into bronchitis, California's week long storm (it's WET), etc., my family is putting off our Christmas gathering until January.  I'm bummed, but want everyone to be in good health and cheer and without the fear of driving in this insane weather.

What are your Christmas plans??

All I want for Christmas

How sweet is this vintage earring turned into a ring, reminiscent of a mint, but in perfect holiday colors?

Starlight mint ring, vintage celluloid, from cookoorikoo, $15

Thinking ahead even in the midst of holiday madness

fleur hand knit cowl

This time of year, my life (as is yours!) is all about:  knitting, packaging, shipping.  Daily post office drop offs.  Knit, knit, knit.  Make another batch of buttons:  stamp, cut, bake, paint, bake, sand, sand, sand, sand, glaze, glaze, glaze, buff, buff, buff.  :)  Today, I realized this is what it's like to be one of Santa's elves.  Isn't that every child's dream?  Not such a bad thing to be!

soft turquoise and aqua hand knit mitts

But I also have lots of new goodies to share (and more yet to photograph and list).  AND, as anyone who works in a retail-related field knows, even amidst one busy season, you have to already be working on the next season.  So you'll start seeing more Winter and Spring colors, less holiday colors, even this week.

sprig hand knit cowl

I'm really excited about brand new creations you'll see in January and February.  I'm super excited about building out my home decor and art lines.  I can't wait to get back into the dye pots and dye my own yarn for mitts and maybe even to sell.  And ... to finally have time to spin my own yarn (yay!).

tillandsia (air plant) and handcrafted polymer dish

What about you?  What are you looking forward to finally spending time doing after the holidays are over?

Totally easy and absolutely free knitting pattern

Everyone seems to be looking for quick gifts to make for Christmas presents right now.  Here's a super quick scarf pattern that you can knit up in different colors for more than one person on your list.  Super easy - all you need to know how to do is knit, purl, cast on, bind off!

Super quick ribbed scarf knitting pattern

• One skein super bulky yarn (106 yards - use Lion Brand Thick & Quick if you like, which just so happens to be 106 yards!)
• One pair size 19 US (15.5-16mm) needles (you could use 17's - just know you'll get a slightly skinnier scarf)

For a 55" x 8" (approx.) scarf:

CO 15 sts.

Row 1:  k3, p1, k2; rep from * to last three sts, ending k3.

Row 2:  p3, *k1, p2; rep from * to last three sts, ending p3.

Rep rows 1-2 until you near the end of your skein.

Next row:  BO in pattern.

Weave in ends and block.  Trim ends.  Wrap up and give!

Want it longer and a little narrower?  CO 12 sts instead of 15, follow pattern (you'll just work one less pattern repeat [k2, p1 on RS]).

Awesomeness

It's been a rough and tough year, I won't lie. But lately, things are going so well that I stop to thank God multiple times throughout the day!

1. As of this week, my day job includes benefits.  Yay!
2. And my day job is part time, which allows me to continue Phydeaux (crucial through the holiday season!).  Yay!
3. The second said benefits are active ... I'm taking care of health business.  Yay!
4. I very nearly sold my Christmas tree this year, but knowing how very much I love Christmas trees, decided not to.  I love the lights - it's prestrung and wired.  As you can see above.  Yay!
5. I had the best Thanksgiving ever with my parents and brother - first one as an entire family in more than 10 years.  (How many people say that about Thanksgiving with the family?)  Yay!
6. I have new two new lines I'm preparing to debut for Phydeaux - totally new and different from what I've done previously - so excited!  Yay!
7. I have the absolutely most comfortable down comforter on the planet - I was worried that it might be bedraggled after being in storage - just in time for an early super cold spell in the Bay Area.  Yay!
8. I have the best customers ever - so many wonderful people who love handmade and love knitting -thank you thank you and yay!

What awesomeness is going on in your life lately???

Get a jump on Black Friday at Phydeaux Designs

{ black lace handcrafted buttons }

It's officially Thanksgiving in the US as I type this - I wish you and yours love, fun, feasting and treasured memories!

But you might also want to start your holiday shopping even a little earlier than the infamous Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving - a huge shopping day in the US)!

So, I'm sharing my Black Friday discount code with you a day early ... and it works on all Phydeaux Designs sites:

"blackfriday"

(I know!  Such a sneaky and clever discount code!)

For an automatic 30% (!!!) discount on the following sites, just enter "blackfriday" during checkout.  Your order, prior to shipping, will be automatically adjusted for a 30% discount:

Phydeaux patterns and buttons - my own site
Phydeaux knits on Etsy
Phydeaux patterns and buttons on Etsy
Phydeaux home decor and art on Etsy

{ hand knit christmas trees filled with lavender and cedar }

I'm not able to combine discount codes (I'm elated that Etsy allows discount codes now - a brand new feature!) and the discount is valid only for purchases from now through Friday night, midnight PST.

But!!!  I will, periodically, on Friday put up a super special or something new and exciting that you might not have seen before (oh, say ... Christmas ornaments???).  If you'd like to stay in the know, just follow me on Twitter or Facebook - you'll be covered either way.

Follow Phydeaux on Twitter
Follow Phydeaux on Facebook

One last little incentive ... I very may well be taking down anything that isn't ready to ship in any of my shops later today (particularly buttons), so if there's something you've been eyeing, now's the time.  Just saying.  :)

p.s., On Friday, there will be three (3!!!) brand new cowl designs in my hand knits shop on Etsy.  Chunky, oversized with LACE (hehe).  And if I'm very productive tomorrow night after the turkey coma, I will have at least one knitting pattern ready from that new bunch.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends!

Amazing ... it's the holiday season

{ rustic hand knit christmas trees with lavender and cedar }

Hard to believe.  I often feel as though I spend the entire year recuperating from the holidays, and am taken by surprise every single year when it's suddenly Thanksgiving again!

I'm preparing to spend my first Thanksgiving with my family (parents and brother) in y-e-a-r-s.  I'm cooking dinner (yay!) and will be rushing back on Friday morning for ... Black Friday.

I'm going to have a super awesome Black Friday sale this year:  30% off all day long in any of my shops.  And will have spot specials throughout the day for even better savings.

Interested in learning more?  Join my mailing list - I'll send out the details Tuesday night!  I might also have a few surprises only for mailing list members!

Not sure how to join (missed the link?):  click here!

So, as we all rush around this busy Thanksgiving week ... where will you be spending your Thanksgiving day???