It's all about me!

What I love about SITS is a lot of different new blogging friends.
Today we met Karen and she's doing a "Confession Wednesday" today. The theme is "It's all about me".
I have a confession to make: I have some very strong habits and beliefs that I can't give up. And I want everything to be perfect.

Some examples:
* In March, when I renovated the kitchen, I bought a whole bunch of new napkins, because old ones didn't mach the wall color any more.
* I iron bed sheets every evening, because I can't fall asleep if the bed is messed up.
* I only wear white socks while running.
* Everything has to be at their place. I don't like if the milk is on the 2nd refrigerator's shelf when it supposed to be on the first.
* I'm always on time. I can't stand if people are late. If the meeting is 3 pm, then it's 3 pm, not five minutes after 3 pm.
* I have a coffee addiction. I drink 2 cups every morning and a lot of coffee during the day. I know it's not healthy, but I can't resist.
* I like to surprise people. I make gifts even if there's no reason. But you have to be careful while making gifts to male friends, because they can accidentally think that you're in love with them :) (been there, done that).

Karisma socks

Originally it was a knitting blog. In fact, is still is.

I took my needles out after a long time and bought new yarn: red and white wool for my new long socks.
I found a pattern from Garnstudio and on the photo you can see my progress, started this morning.

Multicolor designs is not something I like much. It takes forever to knit them, but the result is worth it hopefully.

They will look like this:

Sunday Citar

Fresh Mommy has a great tradition to post every Sunday one favorite quote. Mine is a bit longer, but I try to live by it every single day:

"Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandpile at Sunday school. These are the things I learned:
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat. Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
Be aware of wonder.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living. Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess. And it is true, no matter how old you are - when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together."

Robert Fulghum, American writer.

For those who like running

I started new blog about my running passion.
Yes: Ann, who has been hating running for past 23 years will run her first marathon in September 2010.

If you don't believe (because I don't sometimes), you can keep an eye on me :)

Race for Life - my journey to first marathon in September 2010.

How I messed up my relationship with customer

Recently I read Jack Mitchell’s book “Hug your customers”. I like it, but then I didn’t know I need the new ideas I got from the book, so soon.

Anyway, I want to share my expensive, but precious lesson with you.

Some time ago a lady from US ordered a shrug from me. Everything was fine: I completed the custom order, shipped the parcel to her and thought it’s done.

Suddenly my life at work and home went crazy, other things and people besides knitting needed my attention. I decided to stop knitting for a while and focus on more important cases. I don’t want to stop on it for longer, but it’s not important in this story too.

Big was my surprise when I found two months later e-mails from disappointed client, who didn’t receive her shrug, and Paypal, who tried to resolve the complaint. As I didn’t answer on time, Paypal froze my account.

Lesson 1 learned:
For Paypal, always use e-mail address you read regularly! I had the address mostly for junk mails and it was a mistake! From 600 non-important letters I didn’t find the few I needed.

As it was never happened to me before, I thought parcels wouldn’t get lost.

Lesson 2 learned:
They do get lost. Rarely, but they do! Keep all the checks and be sure your client gets what she ordered.

I contacted immediately Paypal and the client. With Paypal it was harder case, but the client was incredibly understanding.
Despite of time passed, she still wanted the shrug, I made another and sent to her with few free gifts (a shawl and handmade chocolate).
A week later she got it, informed Paypal and they opened my account.

And what is the best thing about this story? Client was happy, satisfied and fully surprised by the free gifts. That’s what “Hug your customers” is all about: cross over their expectations and surprise them (positively).

Lesson 3 learned:
Clean up your own mess. Even if time is passed, it’s possible to get a good solution. People understand you, if you talk honestly, explain the situation and show your will to resolve things.

What’s surprising is that she wants to order more from me. I didn’t expect it, but because of the positive outcome she is ready to work with me in the future.

You know, yesterday I got the e-mail from her and I almost started to cry for happiness.
And now I’m going to buy yarn for knitting her next jacket.

If you haven't, read "hug your customers".
The key rule is simple: be friendly, understanding and never think something is obvious.

More dresses from Flickr

1. Vintage Red VOGUE knit dress, 2. Vogue Knit.1 dress, 3. 60s navy knit mod striped dress, 4. long grey sweater dress, 5. gray knitted dress with pattern of flowers, 6. Yellow dresses for Veronika & Kamila, 7. Summer Knit Dress - French Connection, 8. knitted dress, 9. knitted dress

Here are some more dresses from Flickr users.

I don't have my own works to show, but I'm starting to get along with knitting again...

Flickr favorites: Sunday morning green

Computer and I are not friends. I just discovered how to make Flickr mosaics, although everyone else knows it.

Here's my first, inspired by green.


1. fresh green, 2. "Strong coffee", 3. Has the cat got your tongue ?, 4. forrest lane, 5. Tiramisu Galore, 6. High Fashion in Green 2, 7. Matrix: Stay off the freeway, 8. Musical Chairs, 9. Poison

Fall 2009 must-have: Knit dress

A lot of world famous designers feature one item very prominently- a knit dress is a must-have for fall 2009!
Here are some examples. My favorite is Kenzo dress and don't forget their fantastic knitted hats! You can see a lot if knitted hats in their 2009 ready-to-wear collection.
But knitting your own dress is even cooler than buying it from a fashion store ;)

Kenzo:

ADAM:

Alexander McQueen:

Creative Estonia: Hatbar elegant hats

I would like to introduce you a woman who I know for years. Marge Iilane is sweet Estonian lady who I met some years ago because her fancy hobby- felting. She did, and probably still does, gorgeous felted items under label FancyFelt.
Marge is one of most elegant and friendliest people I've seen in my life. Because of this elegance I wasn't very surprised when the local newspaper wrote about her new hobby and work- making hats under label HatBar.

It's impressive that she got her millinery skills from UK and the teacher was famous Mrs. Rose Cory, who is Royal Milliner!








She doesn't sell her hats online, but from her webpage it's possible to ask a custom order and she will make & ship it all over the world.

Preparing for fall/winter season

Last few months have been a long (and quite lonesome) journey for me. A lot have happened and is still happening.

Some time ago I lost my motivation to work after I find out that another person is coping and selling my designs. It turned me off and this work didn't seem worth doing any more, because why I should spend my time, energy and money for creating something interesting, if someone just comes and steals it?

And besides that I had lot of other things going on- my "real" job takes all my time, all weekends I've spend as clubbing photographer and it was impossible to find time for picking up my knitting needles.

But 2 weeks ago I met my new employer and he inspired me to find my inner passion again. And it is definitely knitting! He made me understand that only I can make important decisions. It's all about myself and no one else can't take away my dreams.

So I stopped finding excuses for doing nothing. I stopped whining about lack of time and started doing things. And everything finally seems so easy!
I'm doing my best for finishing some unfinished things and also prepare new designs for upcoming fall/winter season. Yes, they can copy everything I do, but I will do it better! Because I put my heart and soul into my works.

I know I've been bad to everyone who read this blog. But here are my greatest apologies and I won't leave you alone any more.

Important notes:

* All my European Street Team friends- I really miss you! I've been reading Star's blog and know what's going on. But I still miss you!
* If you like soul music, then buy Seal's new CD "Live Soul". I've been listening it for last 3 days and I fell in love.