Final Week of InkTober 2015

Happy Halloween, everyone! It's the last day of October, which means InkTober for this year is wrapping up. For the last week, I chose to work with a paintbrush and bottled ink (in the color siena only because that was the color I happened to have on hand at the time). And I also thought it would be fun to create these circular pattern pieces.

So there they are—my final InkTober doodles for 2015. I fell behind a few times, but in the end, I came out with 31 ink doodles before the end of the month. I had a lot of fun, and it was certainly a little challenging not only to keep up with it, but also to come up with different ways to play with ink. I love this medium, and I hope to keep improving my skills with it in the future. I hope you all enjoyed following along as well.

Niki

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New Etsy Shop and Free Pattern

I opened up a shop on etsy.com today. I've posted some sweaters for 11.5-inch dolls (I hope to post other types of items in the future). You can visit the shop here. These miniature sweaters were very fun to create. They are all designed and handknit by myself.

Most of the sweaters are knit using size 10 crochet thread and sock knitting needles. I like using the crochet thread because it is relatively inexpensive, comes in a wide array of colors, and is readily available from any store that sells craft supplies.

Here is a free pattern for a basic sweater, for those who would like to try making one yourself!

**UPDATE - 2015** The miniature sweater knitting pattern has been revised. View/Download the new pattern here:
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DOWNLOAD
A gift tag template for creating a Christmas ornament from this sweater can be found on my Templates and Patterns page. Additional sweater patterns are available for sale in my Etsy shop.

Niki Knits: Baby Vests (with free pattern)

As I revealed previously, I am currently pregnant with my first child, a girl. I am due in December, and my husband and I are so excited.

In my return to crafting, I've once again been bitten by the knitting bug. This is in large part due to the fact that now I have a new area to explore: baby clothes. And not just for my own little angel... There has been a small baby boom recently in my circle of friends, so there are a few other little ones on the way that I have been busy making gifts for as well.

Much of the appeal of making baby clothes (besides the obvious adorableness) is similar to why I like making doll clothes. They are fun to design and execute, and the small scale keeps projects relatively quick and easy, which suits my short attention span. (Case in point: my adult-size fisherman cable sweater that I've been working on for probably 5+ years...not to mention all the other projects I've abandoned altogether because I got bored with them.)

I started out my baby…

DIY Birchbox Nail Polish Rack

I have become a bit of a beauty product junkie lately. I have a growing stash of foundations, lip balms, lotions, face creams, and everything in between. It's getting quite ridiculous, especially considering that I'm not a particularly heavy makeup wearer. And really, there's only so many products you can use at one time. But everything's just so pretty. :)

Birchbox and similar services, such as My Glam, are great for people like me. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Birchbox, it is a subscription service that sends you four or five samples, many from high-end brands, every month. It's a fun way to try out new products and brands without investing in all sorts of full-size items that end up going to waste. And once in a while, you find something you really like. Some of my favorite things that I've discovered through Birchbox are Nars illuminator and Zoya nail polish.

Birchbox's packaging is very well done. The samples come wrapped in bright pink tis…

Niki Jin Crafts

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