So, which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Perhaps you can ponder that question as you use these potholders from Laughing Duck:

These whimsical potholders feature not only chickens and (fried) eggs, but also drumsticks. One of them had a chicken wire patterned fabric on the back. A pretty funny touch.

Here is a closeup of all the chicken-y goodness:

You may find these potholders for sale here.

Laughing Duck also features a wide variety of things, many fabric-related and vintage-inspired. Carolyn also makes bags, towels, papery things, needle books and a whole lot more! She is also a fab girl who makes excellent cookies — I met her at Handmade Parade and ate a whole bunch of Earl Grey cookies she made. Yum.

I was a vendor at Handmade Parade on Saturday and met some pretty fab people and had a great time.

I also managed to pick up the cutest stuffed owl I have ever seen:

(I bought the brown one on the right.)

The owl was courtesy of Bethany of Bitter Betty Industries. She dubbed him “Proto-Owl” because he was the first one she made and the basis for the others. He is made with the sleeve of a felted sweater, and everything else on the front is needle-felted. He also has a light lavender scent. So he smells delicious and is cute too. And he’s the Proto-Owl!

Bitter Betty Industries also has wonderful clothes on sale, from utility obis to jumpers to t-shirts to cute kids’ clothes. Bethany also makes soldered necklaces as well. Check out the Bitter Betty blog for more pictures of her awesome stuff. You’ll even find the owls there … but act fast, because there are now only two of them left in the nest.

If you leave Bethany a comment or send her an e-mail, she may be willing to make something you like on her blog if it’s not in your size. There’s more stuff on her blog picture-wise than in her shop, so you may be best served looking at the blog first.

In honor of the May flowers that April showers are supposed to bring …

These needle cases are from Textile Fetish, where you can find some pretty awesome aprons, bags and clothing in fun prints.

The black floral case is the deluxe knitting needle case — this particular one has 28 pockets for straight needles, though some of the deluxe cases are configured differently with fewer but bigger pockets. The white print is a double-pointed needle/crochet hook case, which usually has between 20-28 pockets.

They’re nice cases indeed, and pretty sturdy. And it’s amazing what you can fit in one of those rolls. I bought one a couple of years ago (it has a pear print). It’s is fat with needles, DPNs, circulars and a billion other things and seems like it would burst at the seams, yet doesn’t. It’s a vertiable salami of needles and crochet hooks. And it’s nice having all my DPN sets together because pre-case, I inevitably was one of those people who would start knitting a hat and then wonder, “where’s my fourth US 13 DPN?”

If you’re a knitter and/or crocheter, it’s the perfect time for some spring cleaning … give your needles and notions and hooks a nice home. A pretty-looking home at that.

The folks over at Rare Bird Finds have come up with a sweet list of 100 cool goodies that can be had for under $10. Click on the banner for more details:

It’s a deal you really can’t top. I mean, cool AND cheap? It’s heaven.

There are some excellent finds like these:

(Top left: Biz card case from FlickaBags. Top right: Crayon Keeper from Dine & Doodles. Bottom left: Change purses from Little Red Birdie. Bottom right: Nilla Sammie Soapsicle from soapylove.)

Do check out the list … there’s not enough room here for all the awesome stuff!

Do you remember being in middle school and having friends who screwed around with their jeans? You know, maybe ripped some holes in them? Or drew on them with permanent marker? (That’s what my friends did.) Or maybe you put some rhinestones or those plastic stick-on gems that were shaped like hearts or stars or whatever.

We all thought we were so hot with our tricked-out jeans.

But we could never hold a candle to these jeans:

   

I am a little partial to the Boise State jeans because, well, any football team that plays on a blue field gets serious props in my book.

This lovely work is the brainchild of seamstress Megan over at Creative Outlet Designs. Many of these pieces are one of a kind.

A couple of pairs get put up on eBay, and she asks you to send your own jeans (so you know they fit), and then Megan works her magic to put these stunning mosaics together. Her portfolio shows a few other things as well, such as aprons and shirts.

And Megan was kind enough to have an ad right here at indie*galore! Clickety click on over and see her beautiful work … and maybe even get something really unique to wear. It’s much better than those holey jeans.