Happy Halloween!

Zazzy Peacock felted rings even look good on this creepy witch hand  ;-)

This year, I will be missing my very favorite holiday -- Halloween, of course.  I'm a little sad that I won't get to dress up with my kids and greet trick-or-treaters, but I'm pretty sure being a vendor at Vogue Knitting Live in Chicago will be worth it.  

This will be the first time -- I think ever -- that I won't be dressing up for Halloween.  It's also the first time in many years that my house is not the most creepily decked-out for Halloween on our street.  Sure, I put out the life-size mummy on the porch and the giant eighty-foot tall witch at the edge of the driveway, but where are the ghosts, the gravestones, the skeletons, spider webs and rats?  Oh, and the bats!  I have a few giant bats I hang every year, and then there's the fifty or so little bats that I made out of pom poms, felt and pipe cleaners about fifteen years ago.  Oh yeah, and I managed to get a couple of nice pumpkins, but I didn't have time to carve them into Jack-o-lanterns.  How sad is that?  

Well, I will miss all that fun Halloween stuff, but there's always next year!  For now, I couldn't be more excited to be heading to Chicago to sell my Zazzy Peacock felted jewelry at Vogue Knitting Live.  Do you think I could at least wear some vampire fangs on the airplane?  Happy Halloween!  Here's a glimpse of some of my favorite Halloweens past:

Halloween 2002 in Fairfax, VA

Harry Potter Halloween 2005 in front of our house pre-remodel (see remodel post)

Halloween 2009 with our scary witch

Fall, Here I Come -- to Vogue Knitting Live in Chicago!

I am taking Zazzy Peacock Studios on the road this fall... to Vogue Knitting Live! in Chicago!  The show is November 1-3 at the Palmer House in downtown Chicago.  This is a very exciting (and admittedly, overwhelming) opportunity for me.  When I did the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival in May, a few customers told me about Vogue Knitting Live! (note that the exclamation point is part of the name)  and basically insisted that I look into it.  Well, I did!  And although my initial goal was to do the January VKL! show in New York, somehow I'm pushing myself out of my comfort zone all the way to Chicago.  

I'm not a knitter, but I come from a family of knitters.  When my boys were babies, they had more adorable hand-knit sweaters than they could possibly wear before they outgrew them.  :-)  I crocheted quite a bit in college, but I could never quite get the knack for knitting.  At the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, I admired many hand knit sweaters worn by my customers.  I can't wait to see the knitwear at VKL!  

One of my concerns in going to the Maryland show was that the talented wool-savvy crowd would admire my work but try to make it themselves rather than buy.  The opposite was true:  So many customers told me they tried needle-felting and that they knew how difficult and time-consuming it was to do what I do.  Actually, many asked me how I am able to get my felt so tight and smooth.  I was more than happy to share my techniques and tips.  (So fun!)   I'm hoping that the sophisticated knitting crowd at Vogue Knitting Live! will also have some familiarity with needle-felting.  Most people still say, "What's that?"  when I say that I needle felt.  

Needless to say, in preparation for this big show, I've been felting a lot.  I mean, A LOT.  And I've built up quite an inventory of one-of-a-kind needle-felted jewelry.  I've had a great time creating new designs and color schemes.  At first, it was hard to focus on fall and winter colors in the middle of summer, but it has me more ready than ever to welcome cooler days and the warm colors of the changing foliage this autumn.  

So, here's a sneak peak at my latest felted jewelry and accessories in rich, vibrant color schemes for fall and winter:

Even from one color scheme, the possibilities for one-of-a-kind needle-felted jewelry designs are endless. This is one of my favorite color schemes -  great for fall, but also year-round.  My latest designs include Art Deco-inspired geometric and shell motifs.

This autumn color combination includes shades of gold, orange and brown, with a deep, rich raspberry pink. (Ugh, the raspberry color is not showing well!  See, this is why I do better at live shows!)  

My "shell" motif in various color schemes for fall and winter.   While I call this my "shell" design, I've had customers tell me it reminds them of flower petals, feathers, and even a hot air balloon.  That all sounds good to me!  What do you see?

This Art Deco geometric design with the bold two-part felted pendant is probably my personal favorite. 

Thanks for looking!  

All Zazzy Peacock Studios designs and images are © Jill Newman 2013. All rights are reserved.