One Of Many

First knit garment: COMPLETE!

I'm working at the Purring Parrot tomorrow and Thursday and then getting back to sushi pillows on Friday. I'm hoping to get some in stock before the shopping season begins.

Hope everyone had a wonderful day!

My New Job

First Day = AWESOME

The Purring Parrot is the cat's pajamas, the bee's knees and whatever other creature's possession you can think of. It royally rocks my socks off. And, I totally got to hang out with birds and cats all day.

Not to say that the job is a cakewalk. It was pretty slow today so the multi-tasking will get more intense especially around the holidays. But, all in all, I'm a happy camper.

I sold my latest sushi roll pillow last night! Very stoked about that. I'm finishing up my first knit garment EVER for my friend Sherry's daughter Haven. So both will be shipped off tomorrow.

Now that I'm officially employed outside of Zombie Hand Productions, projects and pillows will take a back seat to the bi-weekly paycheck. But not all will be forgotten of course. I remember from last year that NOW is the time to be knitting up a storm in preparation for the holidays. I completely sold out of pillows and time to make the custom orders. So that's where I'll be in my free time.

All in all, it's been a great Monday :)

Sunday Funnies

What makes the newspaper interesting to a kid on Sunday?

Why the funnies of course!

Treat yourself.

[Courtesy of Pleated Jeans]

New Filling Contest!

Go here and post your suggestion in my new contest!

Currently I have 6 fillings I use for my Hand-Knit Sushi Roll Pillows©. I'm looking to expand the options and would love suggestions. My current color/filling choices are:

1. Maguro/Tuna ~ Burgunday

2. Ninjin/Carrot ~ Orange

3. Tamagoyaki/Egg ~ Yellow

4. Abokado/Avocado ~ Green

5. Umeboshi/Pickled Plum ~ Orchid Purple

6. Ebi/Shrimp ~ Pink

Post as many suggestions as you'd like. The only requirement is it HAS TO BE A REAL SUSHI FILLING! The contest is open from now [8/28/2010] to September 30, 2010. The winner will be announced October 1st and will receive a CUSTOM Small Hand-Knit Sushi Roll Pillow© of their choice! The winner will be chosen by me :)

Good Luck!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things...

Sushi & Robots!

Admittedly, the sushi robot hand kind of creeps me out but its still very cool, nonetheless.

I'm still working on the new sushi venture with no pics yet [of course]. And in all actuality, the project is turning into a whole new off-shoot of Zombie Hand Productions. It's exciting, I'm excited, Chaz is excited so yeah. Excitement!

I have a working interview at the Purring Parrot today from 1-3 so we'll see how that goes. I would love for Zombie Hand Productions to be my full time job. Well, it is a full time job, but I need one that pays the bills. Maybe one day :)

Have a lovely Saturday everyone!

New Listing, New Features

Go here to see my latest listing.

And if you scroll to the bottom of my blog, you'll see a cool new feature that everyone and their Mom should check out:

Sushi-Go-Round!

I've installed a Miniclip game where you become the sushi chef, taking and making orders from the counter customers. You learn the recipes and click on ingredients which go directly on the rolling mat. Once made, the sushi makes its way to the customers via the conveyor belt. Lots of fun, so sit and play awhile.

Another cool widget I've installed here is a chat platform in case anyone feels the need to talk to me. Sometimes I'm around, sometimes not, so feel free to send or leave me a message.

Now that August is coming to a close, that means one thing...

Zombie Hand Productions is turning 2!!! On September 10, 2008 I opened this shop without knowing how to knit a single stitch. Now, I'm knitting and purling with the best of 'em. I have a few surprises planned for celebrating ZHP's big day so stay tuned as I'll be blogging about that on September 1st.

Be safe, have a great Friday night and much love!

Announcement!

My first Hand-Knit-Sushi Roll Pillow© in the state of California is complete!

Chaz got a call that training at his new job has been pushed back ANOTHER day due to problems acquiring business permits. So he decided to take a nap.

I saw this as the perfect opportunity to get some real work done. It's difficult when you're in vacation mode, but to have your husband asking you to watch movies and go exploring in your new town makes it even more difficult.

I finally finished a large pillow with Ninjin [carrot orange], Tamagoyaki [egg yellow] and Ebi [shrimp pink] fillings. It will be nice to see my shop filling back up again.

My new sushi project is still in the beginning stages. I've already hit a few snags which is to be expected when working in unfamiliar territory. All in all, however, I feel this will be a success.

I'll take actual pics of the pillow and post them tomorrow as I dislike the way flash makes things look. I prefer natural light.

'Til tomorrow...

Joanns & The Great New Sushi Venture

So it's 4:47 PM in Ocean Beach right now and it looks like I didn't get the job I interviewed for this morning :(

However, I did a little shopping at the craft store this afternoon, so that of course made me feel much better about things :)

It's always nice being able to write a frowning face just to follow it up with a smiley one.

I am officially starting a whole new sushi venture with the swag I scored at Joanns. I can't go into detail quite yet, but as soon as this post is up, I'm getting to work!

I'm excited to start a new project. It makes me feel revitalized. Especially since I'll be using materials that is 100% post-consumer recycled AND totally vegan!

Okay that's all for now.

Next time I write I'm hoping to have something to show everyone!

Want Free Shipping On Your Next Order?

So Chaz and I still seem to be in vacation mode as he doesn't start work until Thursday and I don't have my working interview until tomorrow. This can make getting things done difficult when you're in that frame of mind.

Alas, all vacays must come to an end. We're going to the beach in a bit and then we'll mosey on down to the Ocean Beach Peoples Food Co-op. I love that place! Very friendly staff, wonderful selection and the best darn vegan bagels I have ever tasted!

I didn't end up finishing that "nori" piece yesterday. Possibly today. We'll see. It's hard when you have all of this yummy delicious yarn to work with and you start a project for yourself or someone close to you. But, the pillow will get done. It always does.

My "I just moved across the country" sale ends at midnight tonight [Pacific Time].

I'm really looking for people to sign up for my newsletter I'm trying to get off the ground here. So, if you're interested in sales, new products I'm working on, reviews, other Etsy member highlights and fun sushi facts, email me your email address here:

zombiehandproductions@yahoo.com

US residents who sign up for the newsletter before September 30, 2010 will receive

FREE SHIPPING! Outside of the US, I will reduce shipping by 50%!

I hope everyone has a beautiful Tuesday!

If You're Lucky To Live By The Sea...

...You're Lucky Enough.

My husband and I saw this hand painted sign on the beach in a vendor tent. I could not agree more.

As I grew up beach side on the East coast, it feels really good to get back to the water. We've lived in a couple of landlocked places and it really isn't for me. Maybe it really is something ingrained in you from an early age, that need to be by the sea.

I feel blessed. I feel calm. I feel at home. I think these feelings are going to find their way into Zombie Hand. Good vibes breed even better things.

Now that we're pretty much completely settled, I'm planning on breaking out the camera and finally snapping some pics.

My "I just moved across the country" sale is still going on, so be sure to check that out. Have a beautiful Monday everyone!

SALE!

I'm having a "I just moved across the country" sale in my Etsy shop!

15% off of what's in stock to celebrate making it here to San Diego in one piece! Price have been changed to reflect the sale in my shop!

Go. Enjoy.

You know you want to!

One Week In

Chaz and I are one week into living here in San Diego.

Oh. My. Sweet. Sugarpants.

It really is wonderful here. I will admit, however, I've been knitting something other than Sushi Roll Pillows in between the job interviews and exploring that's been going on here lately.

My current personal project is a hooded scarf to wear on the beach at night. It gets downright chilly out here. But, we've been going almost every night so that's what my hands have been busy doing. If it goes well, I'm considering making these to sell since winter is coming eventually. We will see.

But, soon enough I will be back making the pillows and stocking the shop. I'm working on a couple of discount deals and sales to have once summer starts coming to a close.

New State, New Designs

We have moved for the 17th time since 2004. This time feels like the right time. I don't think I've ever been able to honestly say that. We are now living in San Diego, Ocean Beach to be specific, in a very environmentally-friendly communal house.

My workspace has tripled, I have storage for every last bit of yarn in my stash and there a gigantic desk for me to work at. Things are still so new they seem surreal. Ecstatic is the only adjective that comes to mind when describing feelings associated with this place.

There is this awesome food co-op we joined yesterday that's a block and 1/4 from our house. The beach is a short 5 minute walk away at most and the weather is perfect. Just perfect.

I feel creativity swirling inside of me like a hurricane gaining momentum. There is so much to design and create and plan and knit, and, and, and...

I do miss the farm and the animals and the people in North Carolina. But, things are what they are. We are here now and I am fully embracing the move, the change and the atmosphere.

I only have two small pillows in stock right now so I'll be knitting my fingers off to get the numbers back up. I also have a few sushi restaurants I'm talking with about wholesaling so I'll be busy for awhile.

Keep an eye out for new designs including a Kid and Pet section in my shop!