Stevie Nicks Shawl Design Contest Announced CricketsKnits as Winner One Year Ago!

It's been exactly one whirlwind of a year since the official announcement was posted that I aka CricketsKnits had won the Show Stopping Shawl Stevie Nicks shawl design contest!

Here is what Stevie Nicks wrote in regards to why she chose MY SHAWL out of over 600 other entries:

"Ultimately, I chose NAY-TIV RAY-VIN by Crickets Meyeres. I felt this garment could have been made for Rhiannon or for Gold Dust Woman~ the color really isn’t that important. It just seems like a “Celtic” or a “native American” piece~ and I found that very interesting because it is obviously the tribal element that drew me to it~ be it Welsh or Southwestern~ Congratulations!!!"

Stevie Nicks"

Since then, my life has changed in a HUGE way!  I have met so many amazing new friends and fans.  I am forever grateful to Dave Stewart, Talenthouse and of course STEVIE NICKS!! :D As well as superfans Lori Gabriel, Alicia Bailey and Mike Valentino for being the first to reach out to me after seeing Stevie wearing the shawl on stage for the first time during an October Fleetwood Mac concert!

And to the many, many customers who have asked me to make special shawls for them in personalized colors!

Thank you all for sharing in and celebrating this incredible experience with me.

With gratitude,

Celeste (Crickets) Meyeres

Bye-bye to email updates for now! :)

Sometimes, less is more. I was knitting along and a little over a year ago, up to my eyeballs in orders and wanting to find a better way to keep in touch with you all.

So, I signed on with a software company that provided a website shopping cart, an email contact system, etc all in a package deal.  Thank you to all of you who joined up to receive my messages, I've really enjoyed being in better communication with you this past year!

BUT the software system is cumbersome to use and difficult to learn and maintain. I bit off more than I could chew and it was cutting into my time creating for you!  I'm ending my account with them.

I've saved all of my contacts (that's YOU!) in case I start sending out emails again in the future. 

For now, my online home base will be back with the handmade marketplace Etsy, where I started in 2007:

 

CricketsCreations (main online shop with scarves, throws AND baby props)

BabyBirdz (baby and maternity props)

CricketsHome (home decor knits such as throw blankets and coasters)

I'll also always love to hear from you on facebook.  If you haven't already, please send me a friend request! :) 

And I'm still available at cricketscreations@live.com or crickets@cricketsknits.com

I felt a tremendous weight lifted off of me as soon as I made the decision to cancel; I hope you can understand!  :) 

I really am a simple girl at heart who loves to bring others joy by designing unique knits with lots of color and texture.  I guess I'm not so much an online, techie, in-with-all-the-latest-business-trends type of person.  I tried on that hat and it didn't fit! ;)

Thank you again for your patience and loyalty. You truly matter to me.

See you at etsy, through email and on facebook!

Appreciatively,

Celeste (Crickets)
Founder and President of Crickets' Creations, LLC (BabyBirdz, CricketsHome & CricketsKnits)
435-689-0907

Crickets' Creations Under New Ownership?!

If you have been by Crickets' Creations lately, you may have noticed a completely new look for the scarf and shawl photos!

They've gone from me putting on a scarf, holding the camera at arm's length and shooting... to more of a catalog style with light background and mannequin wearing the item.  Crickets' Creations now has a professional, uniform presentation that's almost unrecognizable from the former look.

Click here to see the makeover

So, what's the story?  Is Crickets' under new ownership? Who is making the scarves these days?  Where is Crickets??? 

I'm right here, gang!  It's still me under the shiny, new hood.  ;)  Here's what happened:

Etsy, the online, handmade shopping venue for handmade artisans where I list so many of my knits, started a new platform called Etsy Wholesale for designers to list their wares that are available wholesale to retailers.
I really wanted in!  What an opportunity to connect with fashion boutiques all over the world much more easily than when I first started out; back then I would research on Google and then cold call shops... eep!  That's scary, I'll tell ya! ;)
Anyway, Etsy Wholesale is very picky about who they let in, since they work with some big names such as Nordstrom's and West Elm.  They told me that I would be a great fit if I only had more cohesive photos with simpler presentation.

 

So I dragged my mannequins "Manny" and "Mona Quinn" over to my cohort and professional photographer Alicia Cram's for pics of all the scarves and wraps!  Here's a photo of me getting Mona Quinn ready with an EnCircle loop scarf (um, yeah, my other friend Annie Howes used Photoshop to make me skinny, haha):

It took four sessions to get everything shot, but just MINUTES after I showed the new look to Etsy Wholesale, they accepted me even though it was ELEVEN O' CLOCK at night when I wrote them! :D  Hurray!

I have to admit that I kind of like the new look even though I miss the uniqueness & personality of the old photos.  What do you think??

ANYWAY, now that I have a nicer online display... DO YOU KNOW ANY GIFT, ART OR FASHION BOUTIQUES THAT SHOULD CARRY MY SCARVES??

This is the time of year that shops stock up on fall/winter items and I would so appreciate if you would let me know any store owners who value color, texture and fun as much as you and I do!

After you let me know their contact info and maybe tell them about me then I can reach out to them and show them my fancy, new product photos?? ;)

Thank you so much for being with me every step of the way!

Celeste (Crickets)
Founder and President of Crickets' Creations, LLC (BabyBirdz, CricketsHome & CricketsKnits)
Receive email updates
Visit Crickets online
435-689-0907

Follow:

Wild Burros: Donkeys Get Adopted in Utah! :)

During the moments when I'm not knitting, I can usually be found in the burro pasture behind our house! 

Today my husband Nicholas and I are so happy to announce that our sweet wild burro, Chocolate Bear, officially belongs to us now! 

 

Hopefully his buddy Barnabas' title will be coming in the mail any day, as well.  :) 

The BLM will only allow wild horse or wild burro adopters to apply for titles after a year, to prove that we will care for them long term.

As with any pets, these two make us laugh with their silly antics, melt our hearts with their affection and create an unbelievable amount of mess for us to clean up, ha ha!

We feel very lucky to share our lives with these two fellas and are grateful that they've decided to trust us and befriend us!

Now they love to meet new people, including kids.  Here they are reaching out to receive a gift of cherry tomatoes from our friend Jess.

Would you like to see more of our inseparable pair of formerly wild donkeys?

Most of the videos that I've posted on facebook are of these two:

Crickets' home videos

And here's a link to one of my FAVORITE pics, of Chocolate Bear getting a kiss from Nicholas:

Nose kisses from Chocolate Bear

Thanks for sharing this milestone moment with us!  Burros can live for 35 years or longer and these guys are only three years old, so we will enjoy their companionship for a long time. :)

Sincerely,

Celeste (Crickets)
Founder and President of Crickets' Creations, LLC (BabyBirdz, CricketsHome & CricketsKnits)
Receive email updates
Visit Crickets online
435-689-0907

Follow:

Ribbon Wrap Newborn Baby Props

How are you today? I'm excited because I just made a new set of seven different colors of new RIBBON wraps, and I'm offering them at a quantity discount! 

Hand knit from a very small run of European ribbon, these are going to go quickly; most likely before I get a chance to put them up on my general site.  So here they are:

Coffee, Golden Blend, Solid Burgundy, Ambers, Greens, Terra Cotta Mix and Solid Maize

 

A close up of the Terra Cotta Mix, my personal favorite:

 

And, uh, that reminds me that I still haven't told you about my new, super wow color changing lace wraps in a brushed yarn that's similar to mohair:

Green-black and blue-white

 

And even though I have sent off over 50 since their debut (thanks all!), I still have a few in each color of my slightly fuzzy, solid color wraps:

What's the special price??  Choose ANY five of my lace wraps--ribbon, color shift or slightly fuzzy like at this link--and they're only $25 each (that's almost getting two for free since they're normally $38+ each)!  

Please email or call (my contact info is in my signature below) and we can talk more about what colors you'd like.  Then I'll set up special listings reserved just for you! :)

Would you like to be informed whenever I have a new product or color?  Then please click the link below to sign up for my "New News" email notification list (there's a place to opt out of categories that you're not as interested in, as well):

"New News" Customized Sign Up

Thanks so much!

Celeste (Crickets)
Founder and President of Crickets' Creations, LLC (BabyBirdz, CricketsHome & CricketsKnits)
Receive email updates
Visit Crickets online
435-689-0907

Follow:

What's New emails from Crickets: Sign up here! :)

Woo hoooooo!  I have been wanting the perfect, soft, strong, lasting and colorfast grey yarns with which to make throw blankets for ... well, for as long as I've been making throw blankets!

And finally there are not one, but FOUR shades of grey now available!  Of course I had to buy a few of each.  ;)  Here's a sampling:

Starting in upper left and moving clockwise they are: Charcoal Heather, Clay Solid, Medium Grey Heather and Light Grey Heather

 

I am especially looking forward to making a pink and grey throw!  Oh, and a yellow and grey throw!  And teal and grey are so pretty together ... purple and grey is a modern combo .... I'm on fire with ideas! What would YOU like to see?  Maybe ALL greys??

Which leads me to an exciting announcement:  Before whenever I've had a new item or color choice to share, I've maybe posted it on facebook and a few of you might have seen it by chance.

Well, how would you like be GUARANTEED to always be in the know whenever I have a new product or exciting new material, without depending on facebook? Interested?

Then please click the link just below to join my just-created email list :

YES, please let me know what's new with Crickets' Creations!

Thank you for your time and interest ... and here's to your wonderful summer!

Celeste (Crickets)
Founder and President of Crickets' Creations, LLC (BabyBirdz, CricketsHome & CricketsKnits)
Receive email updates
Visit Crickets online
435-689-0907

Follow:

Custom Wedding Ideas, my Specialty!

 It took me a while to find the love of my life.  Nicholas is my cheerleader, my personal chef and my stand up, in home comic when I need a giggle. He also challenges me to be my best self and did you know that it was with his encouragement that I started Crickets' Creations?

He planned ALL the details of our wedding while I was busy knit-knit-knitting; all I had to do was show up for the second happiest day of my life (the happiest was when he proposed)!  Would you like to see photos and read more from our pink and green 2009 wedding? Please click here!

Our wedding meant so much to us and that is why it touches my heart to be asked to make anything wedding related, such as a custom throw blanket in the bride and groom's wedding or home colors, such as the this surprise gift for Chris' daughter to go with a personalized, engraved bench:

Or this stunning beauty (orange is my favorite color!!!):  An extra wide shawl wrap for Sherry to wear during her fall vows (her gown is ivory with bronze "fall leaf" colored trim and she'll be wearing fall jewel toned flowers in her hair)!!!!!!!!  I simply did not use enough exclamation points to fully describe my happiness, lol:

After Sherry placed her order, I sent her yarn samples in the mail of various "safe" colors along with what I really wanted her to use, which was daring ORANGE with other fall jewel tones such as purple and green! ;) 

I did a happy dance when I received her note:

"Well I was sure I was going to do the typical boring light ivory to match my dress with just a hint of color. So not me at all.

Then...I saw the color samples in those beautiful rich colors. I can't help myself I have to go with the rustic fall wow. This means (no pressure) that your creation will be the focal draw of my big day outfit. I am very excited with the colors and your skills and... IT'S ORANGE!

I can't stop smiling. I know this shawl is going to be amazing and absolutely reflect my inner self. YEAH!!!"

To me, that's what it's all about; creating something that will be special, unique and reflect the personality and preferences of the bride and groom.  A huge sigh of gratitude from me to all who have entrusted me to help bring to life a once-in-a-lifetime wedding gift or accessory.

Celeste (Crickets)
Founder and President of Crickets' Creations, LLC (BabyBirdz, CricketsHome & CricketsKnits)
Receive email updates
Visit Crickets online
435-689-0907

Follow: