Raveling Friends, NEVER Rivalry Foes :)

For those of u who has been following my blog, u will not find this week's local talent unfamiliar, for she's been mentioned a couple of times here liao :) Similarly, if u are a fan of her wedding dolls, u'd also have heard (or read) my name mentioned a few times on her blog too :P Yes, yes, she's none other than my dear friend, Jullie! :)

I met Jullie online while exploring Etsy as a platform to sell my baby booties. Then together with a few other local Etsians, Jullie came visit my stall @MAAD some 4years ago. Somehow both of us just clique & even went out for dinner a few times after that :) Well, again, the rest is history la :P

I've literally witness Jullie metamorphoses from a passionate crafter yet with a clear direction, to one fabulous crafter with a distinct style of her own. Hop over to her blog now & I bet u'll be going, "Wow! Wow...! Wow.... Wa.....!" :)

Jullie is definitely more than a "raveling friend"... We've both seen each other through our *young* aspiring crafter days to finding our individual directions & style, even to becoming Mummies! :) Now our babies are friends too! :P

Jullie is a perfectionist & she always insists on intricate details for all her customized wedding dolls designs. Her beautiful dolls (I know it's an under-statement) definitely speak for themselves & her "hobby" grows into a serious business which requires additional pair of hands! Woohoo...! She now has a permanent helper who helps her crochet the basic body parts, while she will do the assemblage & finishing touches. She never fails to surprise me with every new dolls she posts on her blog... My FAVOURITE by far is this new Japanese-inspired pair. Just look at the details! I'm totally LOVING it, are u??? :)))

Nevertheless, I had to give Jullie my blessings with mixed feelings when she told me that she's going back to full-employment job & is gonna make her dolls in SERIOUSLY LIMITED EDITION (only 4pairs/month i think?!?!) starting next year! I know! Even U are disappointed right??? :( Well, just remember to book her REAL FAST to avoid disappointment then ;)

Jullie is actually not the only crocheter/knitter whom I've approached to do a feature on. Sadly, the rest turned down my offer & I think it's because most questioned my intentions, especially since I'm a knitter/crocheter too. Well, honestly, in my opinion, the only way to find our directions, styles & niche areas, is by knowing & learning from your "competitors". Jullie & I been doing exactly that! :) We discuss our business plans, our new designs, our new directions, & we get new insights from each other! This has helped us grow & develop a lot more than if we were to just hide in our little attic & knit/crochet away.

As arrogant as it may sound, but I'm never afraid of "copycats". In fact, I'm secretly flattered if I come across anyone trying to copy my work! :P "Copycats" will always victimize themselves in cannibalism in this small competitive crafting world. Only the true "masters" will "out-wit", "out-do" & finally "out-last" in the crafting world... It also puzzles me why crafters are always so defensive & possessive over "their style"... In the Art scene, everyone starts off by copying from the masters before we eventually find our own style. I suppose I can't speak much for real big art masters since a lot of them are already no longer in our world, but I really think Singapore crafters in general (including myself) still have a long long way to go...

Oops, sorry for the side-track (Jullie, pls forgive me :P) hehe.... hop over to check out Jullie's BEAUTIFUL DOLLS now! [http://http://www.julshandmade.blogspot.com/] :)

A Glimpse @A Few of the Many Knotty Orders That's Been Keeping Us Busy

Special note to all the disappointed Knotty Fans whose orders we've not been able to work on: Really very sorry to disappointment u, but September & October has always been our busiest months & our hands are literally, really very tight :( So do remember to order early next time to avoid disappointment :)

Knotty Phant, Pinky, to join her siblings at a loyal Knotty Fan's collection.  Jet's been collecting a Knotty Phant on every Knotty Bicsie's Birthday! Thanx, Dear! ;)

No doubt tired, everyone @Knotty Bicsie is always thrilled when we manage to put happy smiles on  Knotty Fans' faces when they receive our packages. Yay! :) Here are a few of them... :)

There's been sooo... many babies joining our happy Knotty Club, I've really lost count! The other day someone asked me if I keep count of how many booties I've made & how many are "out there" playing with the little princes & princess. Hmm... honestly, I've lost count! :P But If I may use my Knotty Bicsie packaging boxes to gauge (well, this can only be a ROUGH gauge, since some did not want the box coz it's to be mailed overseas, or some are meant for their own babies, while some requested for a few pairs to be put into 1 box...), then we must've sold at least 1200pairs of booties over the past 5years!!! Since I've used up about 1200pcs of boxes :P Wow! I must thank that person who asked me this challenging question! Never realize this is how much you Knotty Fans out there LOVE us! THANK YOU!!!! WE LOVE YOU too & promise to continue to make these little handmade-with-love & always come up with new knitty gritty to melt your hearts with ;)

Besides booties, of course we've been making many other knitty gritty, from the practical ones like scarf & beanie... to wearables... even some whacky ones like the Amigurumi, bowties, knitted placenta for teaching aid (this is still the quirkiest by far! :P), etc. :P It's really been very fun for us @Knotty Bicsie too! :)

I totally enjoyed knitting this little cardigan for a little princess. I'm so loving the colours! :) 

These 2scarves are flying all the way to florida to keep a loving pair warm. Hand-stitched some "love notes" on the scarves. His tag reads: "Wifey <3 Me"; Her tag reads: "Hubby <3 Me" :)))

I can hear the jingling X'mas bell ringing already.... if u are planning to get some Knotty handmade-with-love, gentle reminder to All Knotty Fans: With immediate effect, pls allow at least 3 weeks production time for all orders. Bulk orders will be at least 4weeks, depending on the volume & complexity of designs. Thank you! We really do not wanna rush through our work, as we would rather maintain our standard & quality of our creations :) If u do need any URGENT order (1-2items within 2weeks), there'll be a surcharge of 20% of product price. Thank u for your kind understanding! :)

"Birthday Pilgrimage" to HCI

October 12 & 13 have been 2 very special days for Knotty Bicsie since 2009. These are the 2 days when the J1 students of Hwa Chong Institution gets to enjoy their 2 days of Sabbaticals Program, while their teachers go busy marking their exam scripts :P & coincidentally, itx the time when Knotty Bicsie celebrates our Anniversary! So it always feels like a "birthday pilgrimage" for Knotty Bicsie :P

This year, besides our usual Funky Knit & Basic Tatting Workshop, we also collaborated with Japonicas to conduct a very special course - "Mu" Workshop (Terrarium & Hand-Bouquet).

I'm really excited when the teacher-incharge told me the wonderful news of "full-house" for Funky Knit Workshop on both days. This means Knotty Bicsie will be able to spread knitting as a therapeutic hobby to 50 new Funky Knitters!!! It's indeed an honour to be able to make crafting (knitting in this case) a modern way of life for everyone. & I give myself a pat on my shoulder with every new Funky Knitter that Knotty Bicsie successfully teach :) So 50pats this year... I can have a massage liao! Woohoo... :P

With 2 full classes this year, which means I had to bring more "Knotty Elves" along... :P

Meet Master Wenn Yann.

Wenn Yann is extremely experienced in her knitting & crochet. In fact, I would say she's much more experienced than me! Knotty Bicsie is so honoured to have her join our humble team. Wenn Yann's experience, patience & approachable personality makes everyone (students, other "Knotty Elves" & myself) simply adores & respects her :)

Meet Knotty Elf - Chenyen.

Chenyen has a long history with Knotty Bicsie. We 1st met some 4years ago, when I conducted my very 1st corporate knitting workshop @Anderson JC. Chenyen was 1 of the very enthusiastic students I met then. Some even went to MAAD to look for me after the workshop! It was indeed a very encouraging & heartwarming experience for me. It was also a pleasant surprise when Chenyen called me up 1 day to say she'd like to continue knitting & learn more about knitting. & the rest, like they say, is history... From a young Funky Knitter, Chenyen has now bloomed into a wonderful Knotty Knitting Instructor (which never fails to surprise her friends)!

Meet Knotty Elf - Gina.

Gina is an extremely talented crafter. Among all the handicrafts, u name it, she probably had properly learnt from a teacher & even has a proper tool set for them :P Since she's left-handed, I was initially apprehensive about teaching her to crochet. When we both finally picked up the courage to just give it a shot, I was immediately amazed at & impressed with Gina's psychomotor skills! Within minutes, she was crocheting like a right-handed Crochet Craze! Nothing can stop her now! ;) She was shy & unsure when I 1st approached her to join the Knotty Elf Team. Very glad I finally managed to convince her (after a lot of persuasion & assurance! :P). Look at that smile! I know the students really like her & I know she truly enjoyed herself too! :)

Meet our dear friend, Ayako.

Ayako is not really our "official Knotty Elf", but she's always so willing to help when I need extra hands. Ayako is much more than just extra help. To me, Ayako's been a guide, a listening ear & a supportive friend. Thanks so much, my dearest friend Ayako!

I Love "Zakka" Style. What About U?

Sorry this feature comes rather late this week. Been really busy rushing orders, while running our annual "birthday pilgrimage" to Hwa Chong Institution for 2 full days of Workshops (will blog about it later :P).

This 3rd local talent in this week's feature has a "special relationship" with my family, for Ivy, creative hands behind ivbelongings, is Edda's "honorary dress-maker & hairband-maker"! :P Ivy is a work-from-home-Mummy, just like me & Jocelyn. She has 2 lovely daughters & Aunty Betsy has "special feelings" for the elder sis, Tzian... shh... pls don't tell Tshan :P I fondly remembers how Ivy will make pretty dresses for her girls & add little details to her own clothes, just so they will have "mother-&-daughter-look"... How adorably sweet, right! So when Edda comes into our lives, Ivy immediately comes to my mind when I was shopping for Edda's dress for her 1st Birthday! :))) Very very very pretty dress with many lovely details. It's every girl's (& Mummy's too) dream dress! Look how happy our little Angel is wearing the dress! :D & the yummiliciously cute hairband too, of course! :)))

Ivy is superb in her sewing skills. Her attention to details makes her creations extra sweet & special. Confession: I'm a collector of her hand-sewn baby booties, even when I was selling my very own hand-crochet booties @MAAD! :P Most of Ivy's designs are "zakka" inspired - a Japanese vintage style. This makes her work very timelessly lovely too. U can easily feel her simple, humble, ernest & sweet personalities from her amazing work of heart :)

Check out all her pretty knick-knacks on her online stall www.ivbelongings.com

Warning: Watch that hole in your pocket, for everything is so irresistible! :P

Birthday Give-Away!!!

This week we take a break from my little local talent feature. Next week, we're gonna meet a work-from-home-mummy (just like myself), who sews BEAUTIFUL little knick-knacks... O, I MUST mention that she's also little Edda's "honorary dress- & hairband-maker"! ;)

okok, now for the Birthday Give-Away details :) This year, we'll be giving away 3 Japanese crochet pattern books!!! So there's gonna be 3 happy Knotty Fans at the end of the month :)))

To enter this Birthday Give-Away, simply post your Birthday wish for Knotty Bicsie on our newly made Fan Page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/KnottyFans), TOGETHER with a photo of your very own crochet/knitted item. Here's an example of what you can post on our Knotty Wall:

Happy Birthday, Knotty Bicsie! Keep those fingers wriggling & many more knotty knotty years to come! :)))

If u do not have a Facebook account, u may also post your Birthday Wish here as a comment for this post & email the photo of your crochet/knitted item to me at bicsie@gmail.com. Pls remember to include your name & email address so I can be intouch with you if you are 1 of the 3 lucky winners :)

Closing Date: 31st Oct 2011, 2359hr