Manos Del Uruguay... Silk Blend!

When we first began knitting, it didn't take us long to fall madly in love with the wonderful wool from Manos del Ururguay. The kettle dyed yarns have the most striking colors and for 100% wool, it is some of the softest that we have ever run through our fingers. It doesn't hurt that the yarn is hand-spun and hand-dyed by a womens' cooperative in Uruguay - so not only is it high quality and beautiful, it's also Fair Trade.

Just recently a loyal customer tipped us off: Manos has gone one better and created a silk and merino blend that is guaranteed to have any knitter coveting multiple skeins and all their friends begging for the fruits of their labors.

See our collection in the webshop. We've added 6 colors of the Silk Blend to our collection, with more coming towards the end of February.

Penguin & Fish .... Kitties!

Due to the holiday rush we are extremely tardy on posting these... but now that things have calmed down we wanted to be sure to get these cuties up.


Cats have been our treasured companions since the earliest days of Egypt, guarding tombs, hunting vermin, playing surrogate child, or just providing a sympathetic ear. While these fetching fabric felines, handmade by Alyssa Thomas of Penguin & Fish, won't be catching any critters, they excel at almost everything else, and there's the added bonus of no litterbox, no allergies, and no hairballs... each is unique and numbered, with embroidered features. See our collection in the webshop

Undergrowth Design - Blaue Blume Tea Set

Blaue Blume, the blue flower, is a central symbol of Romanticism, representing desire, love, and the metaphysical striving for the infinite and unreachable. We can't think of anything more romantic than Undergrowth Design's Blaue Blume Tea set - delicate porcelain with a white lace pattern and a hot pair of legs with dainty gold shoes for the handle? Here at last is a tea set even the men in your life can appreciate!

Our favorite is the 'sugar bath' - a claw foot bathtub where the legs are the spoon. Check out our assortment in the webshop.

Wonderland - Élise Lefebvre

Élise Lefebvre's "Wonderland" collection evokes in porcelain what Aesop and other great storytellers did with words; the sly inquisitiveness of the fox, the innocent naivete of the fawn, or the sweet intelligence of the piglet. These perfectly formed woodland creatures seem to have partaken of Alice's infamous shrinking "Drink Me" elixir, and are equally at home foraging on your dresser or decorating your decolletage. The only question is which one you think is cutest.

Other pieces in the Wonderland collection include the Bambi Box and no less cute, the Hedgehog Plate. Check out our assortment in the webshop.

Something's Hiding In Here - new arrivals

There are times in your life when a card really doesn't say it all, where the thousand words an image is worth aren't those you're trying to convey, or even when you've asked yourself that most painful of gift-giving queries; "What do you get for the person who has everything?" For these times and more, Shauna Alterio & Stephen Loidolt of Something's Hiding in Here have developed a charmingly eccentric range of sentimental somethings that are sure to pick up where conventional cards and gifts leave off.
Check out our assortment in the webshop.

Frédérique Morrel - Making a case for lace

We've always had a soft spot for re-purposed and recycled items, so when we saw Frédérique Morrel's trays it was love at first sight. Rescuing tapestry, needlework pieces, and patterns and then using them to make one-of-a-kind serving trays? What's not to love?


With her new trays, Madam Morrel hasn't stopped at just saving old tapestries, she's gone one better and added delightful doilies and lace to the mix. Brilliant! Who among us hasn't looked at a needlework pooch portrait or old-school tapestry scene and liked it despite the small worm of shame wiggling in our stomach, unwilling to admit even to our partners that perhaps we're developing septuagenarian sensibilities?


Thanks to Madam Morrel our predilection for petit point can come out of the closet and sit proud beneath a bevy of beverages, your tray riding shotgun on the side table, not just protecting the tabletop but providing transportation for the drinks you're serving to all your friends, who will ooh and aah as they uncover the treasures embedded beneath. We like Manhattans, if you're wondering. See the updated collection in our webshop

House of Animals - Heather Louise

The Houses of Plantagenet, Orange-Nassau and Windsor have all had a major hand in shaping the socio-political landscape of Europe. But a new house is now rising and threatens to eclipse the radiance of them all; Heather Louise's House of Animals! With sensational stylings calling to mind the glories of both the Victorian and Edwardian eras, this collection of avian, amphibian and other forest dwellers are now taking the city and sea (or canal) by storm in fashionable frocks and classy coats that would put the dandiest dandy to shame!


Heather's felt figures are always show stoppers, and this collection will be no exception! Each doll is entirely handmade using Dutch felt, vintage fabrics and beads, and often real snail shells (although Heather assures us no snails were harmed in the process). It's no surprise that these one-of-a-kind creations have personalities all their own that speak volumes without saying a single word, each one crying out for attention and a place in your home.


But how does one choose a favorite when faced with the Swan Sea Captain in his tricorner hat or the Elegant Uncle Platypus with Monocle? And what of the Dapper Squirrel whose coat accents his baby blues perfectly, or the Country Frog Gentleman whispering (sordid?) secrets to his diminutuve Snail Friend?


Unless you have the shop to yourself, it's best to choose quickly. From the safety of the counter we've seen it all, from customers bargaining with each other to the ol' Bait-n-Switch that leaves a disconsolate someone staring at the empty place their doll used to occupy. Fur will fly and feathers fall when it's all said and done, but when finally the melee calms and the air clears, who will you be left holding? See available dolls as we update them in our webshop.

Kyoko Hashimoto - Seducing the Bowerbird

When describing inspiration for her newest collection, Kyoko Hashimoto directs our attention to an Australian native: the bowerbird. Bowerbirds show us that the metrosexual is not just a human invention. The male birds spend hours designing their nests with unique collections that are made up of everything from traditional twigs and leaves to man-made bits of fluff and any 'bling' that has been left carelessly lying around, all in an attempt to create the perfect seductive mood.


It's this synergistic blending of materials that is so evident in Kyoko's jewelry - hand cut resin is paired with wood, brass and silver to create pieces that are reminiscent of both Victorian lace patterns and vintage Art Deco jewelry. A beautiful example of this is our favorite piece; the reversible Dinner Party Necklace. Inspired by a toy car model kit and components, Kyoko's translation is playful without being childish, elegant without being fussy, and foxy without being floozy.


We first spotted Kyoko's work on Sia's blog and immediately knew that we would try to get more information. Now that Kyoko's work is in the shop we are so glad we did. Check out our assortment in the webshop.

Lola Goldstein - Teapot Friend...Limited Edition

It's the highlight of every plush friend's existence, when their hostess rescues them from the dark recesses of the closet or their perpetual naptime on the bed and takes them out on the back lawn for a tea party. But sadly, every little girl grows out of the stage when they're content to provide all sides of the conversation (at least most do) and prefers real tea and biscuits to water and air, and the stuffed menagerie are given away or forgotten. But not this little friend!

Refusing to go quietly into the night, this friend from Lola Goldstein has given itself a purpose - if it won't be offered the tea, then it will serve it! And thanks to some planning by a knitting relative (Lola's Mom), each friend has its very own hat to keep it and your tea toasty!




Also new to us from Lola: Limited edition handmade ceramic dolls. Each of these dolls come from a limited edition of 150 pieces - each is numbered, decorated with real gold, and signed by Lola. As always, cute overload! See available pieces as we update them in the webshop.

Under the Stump, 1st installment

Of course any package from Heather Louise does not disappoint. This latest box was no different - packed with so much Heather Louise Style Goodness that it bowled us over! Under the Stump (1st installment) is now taking up much of the egg mercantile window and the front of our shop! It's great! Bunny Girls, Mushroom Princesses, great big Cursing Bears, Dutch Boys, and more! We've only gotten a few of them up in the webshop thanks to some of Heather's own photos -- we'll try to put more up in the webshop in the coming week, just waiting on a little sunshine to help with the pics.

Frédérique Morrel - Vintage re-made

Frédérique Morrel was troubled by the fact that her grandmother’s needlework ended up in the trash when she passed away. Since then, she has found an interesting concept to recycle these and other un-justly, un-recognized, anonymous and devalued artifacts.


Frédérique's products have been carefully “re-made” using vintage needlework saved from oblivion in the interest of the redemption of the painstaking work involved in their original creation. Each product is one-of-a-kind, using a unique combination of tapestries or tapestry pieces, assembled in order to create an interaction between themes.

Currently we are featuring a collection of some of Frédérique's smaller goods - trays & keychains. See our available models as we update them in our webshop

Hints of Spring - La Fille du Consul

As we get closer to Spring, though the weather can still be gloomy - we are starting to see hints of Spring everywhere we look. Leaf buds starting to show on the trees, bulbs starting to shoot from the ground, and now the Lily of the Valley pins as well as others (flowers, pea pods, ginko leaves) have arrived from Delphine Roche de Montgrand (La Fille du Consul).

Check out our selection as we update them in our webshop.

Preview: Under the Stump - Heather Louise

We received a small advance of mushrooms and one odd fellow named Uncle Gilbert from Heather's upcoming collection "Under the Stump" which is due to be fully available at egg mercantile towards the end of February. These dolls are inspired by woodland creatures and odd things you may find when looking under rocks & old logs in the forest.


If you are not yet familiar with Heather Louise's work, she makes everything 100% by hand -- everything is hand cut and sewn -- nary a machine is involved in the process! And each doll comes with a hand drawn card specific to the individual doll and most of the large dolls can stand on their own. They are amazing!


Uncle Gilbert is hilarious, we just can't get enough of that guy!

Just in time for Valentine's Day - Lyndie Dourthe

Opening a box from Lyndie Dourthe is always exciting, like opening a treasure chest! Our latest package of goodness from Lyndie arrived today. It held an assortment of birds, animals, and anatomy...


... and a few hearts, just in time for Valentine's day. See the available pieces as we update them in our webshop.

Karin Eriksson

We are long-time admirers of her work, which makes it that much more exciting to have some of Karin Eriksson's pieces in our shop. Our current assortment includes handmade stoneware mint cups, signe beakers and bowls in addition to cast bone china tea light holders. This stuff is seriously beautiful. Check it out in-store or in our webshop.

Crochet Jardim

Crochet Jardim ... Crocheted cactus!?? Yep ... a big box of them arrived here, all the way from Brazil where they are created by Thais Ueda. If you thought normal cactus were easy to care for, these will positively thrive in almost any environment ... no water required! Additional perk: the packaging is made from recycled materials. Check them out in our webshop and in-store.