Custom "Barn Owlies" 4 Sarah

This is the 2nd pair I've knit based on my 10 year old daughter's longie design! It is of her favorite hooty bird... the Barn Owl!

Enjoy them, Sarah!!

Squeakin' Cheeks ~ Price List...

One of the hardest things about running my shop has always been what to charge. I want to be fair but also not lose money in the process!!!

I think this is a common issue for hand-knitters because it is very time consuming to knit every little stitch, but it's hard to make enough money to make it worth the time. I've struggled over this for years and really think I have finally come to a place of contentment with my price list!

I've been over priced before and, after looking at my old price list, I realized some things were fair and some were just crazy!! haha

SO, quite a while back I started keeping track of the weight of each size woolie and figured (to the last ounce!) approximately how much yarn it took in yards! I've been taking really specific notes and my newest price list is based on these figures.

I am charging .16 per yard plus less than retail cost of the yarn. And if you figure in how many yards I can knit in an hour (which I figured one day was around 40ish ~ but it really depends on how fast I am knitting, so it can vary) then I would be earning about $6.40 a hour. That isn't even close to minimum wage, but I am happy that the price covers my yarn and I am making a little money doing what I love. Knitting for other children makes my heart happy and being HOME with MY children, doing what I love, makes me even happier!

I personally think my new prices are very fair for something as treasured as hand knit woolies!

So that's it. My new price list (you can click the photo above to check it out!) and an explanation. Now it's time to get into gear and start my day!

Merry Christmas, everyone!!

Barn Owl Longies

My children love to sketch out designs for me to knit up at some point. Some are kinda crazy and just about impossible to imagine knitting up, but then some are GREAT and just HAVE to be created!!

This is a pair I recently listed on my shop that my oldest daughter designed. She is 10 and has a great eye for it!!

Introducing.......... BARN OWL LONGIES! (Click the link to view them on my shop!)

First off...here is the little designer...



and here is her sketch...



And this is what I came up with when I got my needles clicking... (back view)



and even the front is cute with all the speckles!



Do you have any ideas you'd love to see in longie form? Let me know and I'll see what I can whip up for you!! squeakincheeks@hotmail.com

Time to knit! Goodbye for now!

My Squeaker's Candy Tree Longies.

My sweet little Squeakie has a new pair of woolies for this Fall/Winter! I finished them today and made sure to do a little photo shoot of her outside in them.

Here they are! I designed the little tree on the back and my 10 year old daughter told me I should add roots and a bird at the top. She's a designer at heart and I know she'll be very active on my shop in the years to come!









I love how she crosses her fingers and ooooh her little "dedos" are so cute!!!

(my brother is a missionary in Guatemala and taught her that "toes" are "dedos" in Spanish. Now if you ask her what they are, she says "day-doe" ~ baby talk melts my heart!)



Squeakie, you are the silliest little girl with the cutest cheeks in town!!! I love you!!

Contest Winner's Budgie Bloomers are DONE!

Back in April, I held a contest called:

Squeakin' Cheeks Needs a Slogan

The winner, Sara M., ended up finding out she was pregnant and asked if I could wait to knit up her longies after she found out what she was having! I thought that was a GREAT idea! (since she has a boy, she was thinking that if this baby was a girl, a fun ruffly pair would be nice!)

She chose her colors (neutral "Sea Holly" and "Wheat") ~ I ordered her wool and set it aside until she was ready!

At the end of September, she found out she was indeed having a Baby Girl, so she contacted me and I got my needles clicking on her Budgie Bloomers!

Here's what her little Miss will be wearing once she is big enough to fit into them! (they are a 16" Waist & Rise and 8" inseam!)



All packaged up and ready to go! Congratulations, Sara & baby GIRL!!!!!!

My Wool in a News Video Clip!

A repeat customer of mine, Jamee, sent me this NEWS CLIP and wrote "your longies are famous!" hehe

She was part of a diapering segment on this local news channel and it's great to see that she teaches others about the wonderful world of cloth diapering!

In this video, you'll see her and her two children (I've knit for them both!) and her little guy is wearing longies that I knit while she was pregnant and then on the table you'll see her newest custom, "Tiger Stripes", over to the right of the cloth diapers! How fun!!



Check out the video here!

Economy stinks: Parents using fewer disposable diapers

Thank you, Jamee, for sharing this with me!!!

Handknit Wool Christmas Stockings

I have finally perfected my Christmas Stocking pattern and am ready to get my needles clicking before Christmas!

I just finished this pair to sell on my shop:

I think the monogramming is so cute and these handknit Christmas Stockings will be a treasured heirloom!

This is a photo edited name to show what they will look like! I can stitch in other colors than the darker shade (I personally think a black monogram would look nice!)...

If you don't desire stripes, but would like a solid two-colored Christmas Stocking, I can do them plain or with a fun stitched design on the leg!

I'm hoping to get the pattern published on Ravelry for purchase at some point, but for now, I am going to offer customs!

Contact me at squeakincheeks@hotmail.com if you'd like to talk about customs or if you have ANY questions!!

Thanks!! ~ Bridget

My Wool in Action... Miss Victoria

I just received THE cutest birthday photos EVER from Candice, so of COURSE I just HAD to show them off!

On Sept. 1, my blog post was about a pair of custom Budgie Bloomers I knit for Candice's daughter, Victoria, who was turning 1!

Here is my original post about them ~ Kitty Face Budgie Bloomers Post

OK. This just melts my heart. When she opened her special longies on her birthday...

...she kissed them!!!



Here's the pretty birthday girl and her pretty Mama...



Look at that adorable smile...



Her Mama had such a cute shirt made up to match it!! I am going to find out just who made that sweet top because I want to rave about her! (I'll add a link to her shop after my detective work!)



OK, little tootsies sticking out from underneath her rufflies, you are TOO cute! I love little bare feet!!



Yes, I did try to intentionally make it look like she was looking up at my shop's name, haha, but we all know she was looking up at someone who loves her ;-)



I am happy to have been part of making her first birthday extra special!



Happy Birthday, Victoria! God bless you, sweet one!

Phew... Knitting Budgie Bloomers New World Record!

ok... maybe not a WORLD record, but I know I had to pass my own record time for knitting a large sized pair of Budgie Bloomers!

I finished this pair in just under a week! Started on a Friday and ended (all but the i-cord) on a Wednesday night. I knit the i-cord this morning (Thurs.) and they are all ready to mail out to the little birthday girl!



Here is the precious birthday girl herself, Miss Victoria...



Her Mama, Candice, sent me her idea of what she wanted and here is a photo of the 2 together! I think I got them pretty close!



So... now my fingers need a vacation. BUT... addicted knitters don't give their fingers vacations... so it's on to my next project!

I also wanted to share with you what Candice said after seeing them.

"OH. MY. WORD.

First of all, you amaze me! You just brought your hero status to the next level! I actually have tears in my eyes right now! They are absolutely beautiful, exactly how I pictured them in my "dreams" haha :D Please, please post the photo in your blog/facebook/local newspaper/guinness book of world records, everyone NEEDS to see the fruit of all your hard work! These are going to make her day sooooo special! I can't wait for her to see them, she's going to LOVE them! I will take photos of her seeing them for the first time for you ;P Please list that custom so I can pay the queen of knit! You are awesome and I am so thankful I came across your shop :)"

Awww...talk about tears. I had them when I read this!!

I'm a hero. Aaaaaah. Feels good :)

:) Bridget (AKA "The Knitting Maniac") click the link to visit my new knitting blog!

Knitting Outside...

It's one of my favorite things to do while the kids play...

The First Longies I Ever Knit!

Check out my family blog post back in 2006 of the first longies I ever knit!!

MY 1ST LONGIES

They were SEAMED!!! Can you believe it??? Now I am a complete ANTI-SEAM knitter and only do it if I absolutely HAVE to!!!! Yuck to you, seams!!

This is my 2nd pair... UNSEAMED! yay!

They were for my little man's 1st birthday! (who is turning 6 in a few days!!!) I didn't even use them as cloth diaper covers back then; just warm Maine pants!

I used the FREE pattern Aubrey Doodlepants which is a great started pattern!





















You've come a long way, baby! Me and you both! ;-)

Scrappie love...

I love knitting scrappies. Not just because of my huge scrappie stash that I need to diminish, but just because the final product is so fun and colorful!!!

I just listed these newborn scrappies on my shop!

Finally... a slogan!

If you look up at my new logo, you'll see that I FINALLY chose a slogan!



I ran a contest back in April (I'm sorry that it took me so long to decide!!!) and although I didn't choose an exact idea from the people who left comments, I am still going to give a little gift to the person who's entry was the basis for my shop's new slogan!

I also wanted to make sure to add a bible verse in my logo to show that I am a Christian who has a Mama's heart for children! Our children are "rewards", THAT is for sure! I praise the Lord for my children everyday!!!



OK...so back to my slogan winner...

Serena posted an idea which she thought was "pretty plain" in comparison to all the rest, but it really suited me! She wrote, ""handcrafted with love" sounds so nice!" and I honestly put so much "love" into my work, that I knew I had to have that in there! I care about my customers and want my knits to be a blessing to their little "lambs". I say "lambs" for 2 reasons. One... because I knit with wool. That's an easy one. hehe. But then the other is because, being a Christian, I consider my children as wee little sheep that I am leading. I am training them to grow up to be sheep that will follow Jesus when they are older! ♥

I did NOT come up with the slogan alone. Raising 6 children tires my brain, so I called on my bestest buddy, Katherine. I KNEW she'd come through for me!

She went to my shop, read my "About Us" page and gave me a zillion ideas! This is part of my info...

"Most of all, we are a family that loves the Lord and our goal is to run a wholesome, upright business that glorifies God! Although I am the knitter and shop owner, I say "we" and "our" because if it wasn't for the support of my Husband and my awesome kids, I wouldn't be able to have the time or energy to work at home!"

Kath posted her ideas to me through Facebook messages so I could see them all laid out in front of me. Then we talked and talked on the phone to come up with the best slogan to fit the person I am and my desires for Squeakin' Cheeks!

BTW, this is Katherine & little ol' me, when she came up to Maine to visit this summer! She lives in Alabama, but is also a native of Maine... LOVE YOU, KATH!!! ♥



So... I am going to give both Serena & Katherine little thank you gifts! I am not really exactly sure what I am going to include in the gift, but they each will get one of these little guys for sure... (don't ask me why, I was just in a fishy kinda mood the other day!! lol) I didn't knit these... I took the photo from the website! I'll surprise my winners with what color they get! If anyone wants to make this quick and fun knit (uses up leftover cotton!) it is called the Wishy Washy Fishy Tawashi ... even the name is cute!!



So...there ya have it. My new slogan. Now I can move on to bigger and better things!!

Have a great end to your summer, and make sure to contact me at: squeakincheeks@hotmail.com if you have any questions or would like a custom!!

:) Bridget

Happy Summer!

Don't you LOVE LOVE LOVE sunny days????

Here is my oldest daughter, Zoë, and her baby sister, the little Squeaker herself, Suri...



Here in Maine, the weather is really getting nice and we are having lots of warm days! I'm glad to have "knitting outside" time again! I'm going to try hard not to cross my legs this year while I knit. A few years ago, I was knitting away and got up to go inside and my left leg was completely numb!!! I must have looked like a fool as I slammed down hard on the driveway!! It was embarrassing but hurt more than anything I had ever felt before! Needless to say, I sprained my ankle SO bad and was off my feet for about a week! Do NOT want a knitting accident like that again! At least I didn't fall on my needles and stab myself! haha

I love summer! Lathering my kids up with sunscreen, grabbing my knitting bag, a bottle of water, my camera and my cell phone (you know, in case anyone calls. Don't think I'm taking it out there to check my facebook or to see if there is a swagbucks code out! Sheesh! WHO would DO that?) and heading out into the yard!

I love feeling the warm breezes, listening to the kids laughing and playing, and creating beautiful things with my hands! Of course I pause OFTEN to take photos to have cherished memories!

Here is my middle daughter, Lilli, loving on Suri! This sight is a breath of fresh air after all the snow we got this winter! Thank you, Lord, for green grass!!!



I knit the skirty soaker for her months ago and she wore it for her 13 WEEK photo!



She is now 15 MONTHS old and it fits better than ever! The pattern is the RUFFLED SKIRTED SOAKER and you can get it for FREE on Ravelry! The designer posted my baby girl on the front page of her pattern :) I had a lot of fun using up lots of scrap wool! I'll be knitting a couple more of these soon!

Hope you all have a wonderful summer! I am taking a break from knitting customs, but will occasionally post something to sell! I am going to be working hard at revamping my shop, changing my prices to make them more affordable and possibly adding some new products to my line-up! I have lots of ideas, just not sure about time!!!!

We'll see! I'll keep you all posted!

If you would like to be added to my Fall/Winter custom list, just email me at squeakincheeks@hotmail.com! I'm not taking the WHOLE season off, just enough time to relax & really enjoy the few weeks of warm weather we get here in Maine!

Get out there and grab a big handful of grass and throw it high up in the air!! It's Summer!!!!

Budgie Bloomer Pattern 50% off until July 4th!

It's my AMERICAN SPIRIT SALE running from Memorial Day until July 4th!

Get 50% off my Budgie Bloomer Pattern and knit up some sweet RED, WHITE & BLUE shorties or capris for your little one to celebrate in!!!

Budgie Bloomer Pattern Revamped!

I finally re-wrote my Budgie Bloomer pattern to add the options of a hip skirty and pleated ruffles!! Now, many of the projects you see on Ravelry will be super easy for you to knit with my step by step instructions!!

On My Needles... Custom Budgie Bloomers

These sweet Budgie Bloomers are for Shannon's little girl! Shannon is pregnant with baby #10!!! These sweet ruffly pants are going to be perfect for a BIG sister to prance around in!!

I can't wait to see how they turn out! After I throw in the deep purple "iron weed", they will really start to show their beauty off!

They will have a colorful ruffly hip skirty and double ruffles!

Stay tuned...

On My Needles...

A peek at what's on my needles. It is a pair of tiny Budgie Bloomers inspired by a design my 7 year old drew for me! The flower isn't attached yet, it was just a test to see what it would look like if I DID attach it. I could make these little loom flowers all day! They are SOOOOO cute!!! Think they may be my newest wool addiction! ♥

Newly Listed Customs...

For Melissa...

Contest Winner!

The winner of my Slogan Contest is:

Sara Myrick!!!

Congratulations!!!!!

I have not chosen a slogan yet, but once I do, I will announce if there was a winner for that also!

I've already notified the winner (sorry it took me so long to post on here!!!) and she's already chosen her wool colors and she is SOOOO excited!!!

Thank you to all who entered! I'll be holding contest randomly, so make sure to enter again!!

:) Bridget ("Squeakin' Cheeks" Mama!)

CONTEST! Squeakin' Cheeks Needs a SLOGAN!

Squeakin' Cheeks is holding a contest! Woo!! She needs a slogan so Mommy can order her business cards!! She is ONE YEAR OLD NOW...so it's about time to get a fun slogan to go along with her sweet face!!!

By helping her decide on a slogan (OR by voting for someone else's slogan idea in the comments!!!), you could win a 2 color pair of Cestari Fine Merino Custom Longies up to 18" Waist and Rise! (up to a $70 value!) Winner will choose any 2 colors from the CESTARI COLOR CARD and I will order them especially for their woolies! I would be happy to do any additions (skirty, ruffles, etc.) but they will be an extra charge :)

Contest will run until April 30, 2011, and after a winner is chosen on May 1st, I will get them knit up ASAP in time for cool weather!

RULES:

#1. "Like" us on FACEBOOK and share a link to this contest on your wall!

#2. Post about this contest on a blog, Diaperswappers, or another "cloth diaper" or "baby" friendly forum! (and make sure to send me a link in the comment section!)

#3. Create a slogan for Squeakin' Cheeks (or vote on someone else's in the comments section) and your name will be entered into the contest (I'll be drawing the name of the winner on May 1st). If I choose your slogan (whether you win the drawing or not!) I will send you a special gift!!!

THANKS FOR PLAYING!!!!!!