Category Archives: Encouragement

Ideas Come Out of the Closet

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ScannedImageI have recently had a little taste of spring at home, with warm temperature and blooming flowers, and for some reason this had made me feel like cleaning. In some instances I might wonder if I am feeling well, as this is a “never high on my priority listing” kind of thing, but this time I needed it as therapy.

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Totes are making the difference in my closet! I didn’t think to take a before photo, so please just take my word for it.

I really was not planning on writing about this, but considering the shocked awes of approval that my work has created at home, I figured it might be worth a share.

My main place of tackle was actually my work area and closet, (with the closet, being the larger accomplishment). My work space is actually a corner of my living room, and most of my working “stash of yarn” lives in my hall closet. I long found that if I give myself too much room, I accumulate much that is not needed (this is why I actually carry a small purse, a large one means that I carry many more things and most of them are probably belong to the kids). Working in this smaller area requires me to sort and clean things out a little more often to make room for new ideas.

So in the closet, the largest change is the actual addition of bins. I found some reasonably priced storage containers at my local big box store, and have found that they have nearly doubled my storage space. Prior to these, I stacked yarn on my shelves so they were readily easy to see. I have always sorted them by manufacturer, and then my weight, but by placing yarn in totes I am able to stack them better while still sorting the same.

By taking this time a cleaning things up, I was also able to get some new ideas, it can be amazing how just touching a yarn that an idea can jump into your mind about what it wants to be. In a sense it is almost like visiting an old friend, bringing back memories and jump starting the creative soul to connect. Now if only I can find the time to bring it all to life!

 

People Bring Life to My Crochet

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ScannedImageThere are times when my crochet needs an awakening. I can crochet for hours on end, pick up a skein and “play”, no pattern, no end goal, and still create something, it is a therapy, a routine. I create, but sometimes it just feels like the motions.

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Some of the woman that shared wonderful inspiration of crochet at the 2015 CGOA annual conference

Now, please, do not misunderstand; I love crochet. I have been placing hook to yarn for many decades, and evenings when I do not have a project in hand, I feel fidgety. I cannot go to long without at least making random stitches. Crochet travels with me, I have a spare skein of yarn and extra hook pin various places, but sometimes it doesn’t quite make me feel alive.

There is a simple fix for me on this, people. Getting together with others that use yarn can be such an energizing experience. It does not even have to be in person, chatting in emails, or phone calls can bring energy back to my work.

It can change a mood, and allow the spirit to soar. Looking back over my body of crochet projects, I took new directions, new types of projects, new types of yarns, after visiting with people that shared their passion. Positive spirits are contagious, and I need to remember that I need this to recharge and bring a new level of joy to my work, so it is not just work to my joy.

 

 

Ideas for the Crocheter on your Gift Giving List

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ScannedImageSo this is the time of giving. I often feel a little overwhelmed with feeling obligated to purchase gifts. Often the people in my life really do not need anything, and choosing a “special”, “you probably wouldn’t buy it for yourself, but you will love it gifts” are feel daunting to find. So I thought I would offer a little help in purchasing for that favorite crocheter.

I know the people in my life feel that they cannot purchase anything for my craft as they don’t know as much about as I do, and they think I probably already have everything I want or need, but I have been surprised over the last year from friends that have given me crochet gifts that I find really impressive. So here is what as impressed me, and hopefully will help you shop for that favorite crocheter, even if that is yourself.

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My beautiful set of Tulip hooks. Everything I need all in one place .

An actual set of hooks. This sounds a little odd, since I have been crocheting for over years, I should have hooks…and I do, but receiving them in a case where they all match and are coordinated, that is something special. I received a set of Tulip hooks, I had never really used Tulip hooks before, but I will admit I was pleasantly surprised. The set included 10 hooks ranging from 2mm- 6mm (they did not have the standard US letters, but as most every pattern now lists that millimeters of the hook within the pattern, it does not really affect the usage). The handles on each were ergonomically correct with cushioned handles, which are pleasant, and there is absolutely no weird plastic smell that I have noticed with some other plastic handles (there is nothing worse than having your hands smell odd after you have been crocheting). The set also came in a nice case, which also had yarn needles and small scissors, so it included everything I need to take a project on the go. The hooks are not going anywhere and it looks a lot better than the zip lock bag I use to carry things in. The price can look a little overwhelming at a first glance, but there are other size kits and sets, so prices can vary, but when you figure that a good -crochet hook alone can cost between $7-12 US dollars, purchasing a full set can give a price break on the overall cost of the hooks, and then give some added bonuses. (You can check out some Tulip sets, including the one I have here)

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My “paint it yourself” Yarn Bowl gift. Fun, practical, and keeps memories alive.

Another gift I received this year was a yarn bowl. I had never had one before, and then I received two as gifts this year. I find that I use them all the time now. One was actually part of an additional gift from a “paint it yourself” Ceramic store, where the gift included me getting the opportunity to paint it and have it fired. This was a fun gift that brings extra memories to heart when I use it. The second is a ceramic bowl that is handmade and fired with a beautiful lustered sheen. Now, I know that it might sound odd that I use two yarn bowls now, but it is an easy way to keep multiple projected contained and organized, and looks beautiful. (Find your own handmade and fired yarn bowl here) 

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Yarn is always a great gift for crochet lovers, especially if it is something that they do not usually purchase for themselves.

Other lovely gifts can easily include good yarn. I know that it can seem difficult to purchase yarn, especially if you do not usually use it yourself, but if you visit a local yarn store the staff can usually address any questions you have and steer you to something in your price range and give you an idea about quantities needed. You should not really worry about how much yarn you purchase for a gift, as there are websites that can easily assist the recipient to patterns and ideas for the yarn. One such website is Ravelry.com. The recipient can simply do a search for patterns using the yarn and the quantity, so any yarn, in any amount is a great thing! (You can not find either of these in your local yarn store, but find some beautiful natural fiber, hand dyed yarn with Lisa Souza here, or if you like some beautiful cottons or Jelly Yarn check out Designing Vashti here)

Speaking of Ravelry, you can actually purchase patterns as a gift and have them downloaded to the receipts account or email. Selecting a pattern for someone can also seem like a challenge, but if you have seen that things that they currently create, be it afghans, hats, scarves, toys, garments, etc. you have a point to start from. You can search patterns and books similar to what they currently work and choose things that you feel fits their style. I guarantee that none of these go to waste. Even if the recipient never actually works that pattern you gave them, it does give them a new level of inspiration, a new idea, which you have shared with them. (Check out my pattern store on Ravelry here)

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Crocheting with beads is a nice addition to a crochet project that many stitchers do not think about, thus making beads a nice gift.

Some gifts that are completely unexpected are beads. I know this can sound a little off base since I am discussing crochet gifts, but beads can bring a new challenge and help the recipient undertake a new approach to their skill. There are several ways to incorporate beads into crochet projects, and it offers a little something extra, and many crocheters never take the time to go bead hunting for themselves, so it make a great gift. (Here is a link to great online provided)

I would be remised if I did not mention that you could give the gift of membership with the Crochet Guild of America (CGOA). This organization promotes all things crochet and the recipient would receive a subscription to Crochet! Magazine with the membership, as well as discounts to conferences, opportunities educational programs such as the Master’s Program, as well as explore the various ways that they can utilize crochet as a possible career, it really can be a gift that keeps on giving. (See what CGOA has to offer here)

So, if you have a crocheter in your life (they use one hook with yarn, not two needles, in case you were not sure which craft you were dealing with), I hope this gives you a couple of ideas for things that your crocheter really will use, and enjoy, even if they never realized for themselves.

Unexpected Journeys- A Little Like Life

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ScannedImageThe interesting thing about ideas is that you never know when they are needed, or used. My latest released design, Holiday Sequins Sweater, reminds me of that, its journey was an awkward one, but now it sits on the cover of the Winter 2015 issue of Love of Crochet. I may not have even known that it graced the pages, let alone the cover had it not been brought to my attention by a very compassionate and supportive designer, Marly Bird. She had noticed it, took a picture of the cover and tag me in a Facebook post.

IMG_20151201_172418778The idea for this sweater came to me nearly four years ago as I was swatching with a yarn, which I believe has been since discontinued. I was inspired by a top that my sister had given me that had this cowl type neck, but I was never happy with how it only came to my waist line, it felt to short. I created a sketch to accompany the swatch of a simple texture, and sent it to various publishers, none of which were interested. As the seasons changed I would send it to a couple of other publishers, but it never found the right fit, until I answered a call for designs for a new book that Lorna Miser was putting together.

At the time, I had never met Lorna, yet I had heard about her as a local legend. She is the original founder of Lorna’s Lace Yarn, and actually began the business just a couple of miles from me as I was growing up. Of course I had no knowledge of this at the time, or frankly the interest, but as I grew older and even began working in the crochet/yarn industry, people would notice my street address and ask if I knew Lorna. That is just how small the world can be, she began the business and grew it for several years literally just down the street from me.

She has since sold the business and is focused on designing, and was putting together a new crochet book, one in which this sweater made to cut for, so the sample was made and the pattern written. The book never made it to fruition, but the design found its way to Love of Crochet, where unbeknown to me it landed on the cover. When the design was conceived I really thought that it was great, but then it was constantly rejected, then I thought it had found its way into an actual hard copy book, to learn that things had shifted once again. It was then possible that it may make it to the light of day, only to then dance upon the cover.

This seemingly long journey, which had a couple of twists and turns, just to have a pattern for a sweater, reminds me a little of how things ultimately go in life. You think you are on one path then all of the sudden you are on another and you end up in places that you may not have expected. So as I begin the time of year that has me usually reflecting on the past, looking at where things were a year or two earlier this design will remind me that you never know where the journey might take you.

A Thankful Pledge

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ScannedImageI know that this is the time of year that many reflect on what they are thankful for, yet it is something that I try and remember every day. It is easy to sit down and make a list of things that you are grateful for, a time to not overlook the things we take for granted. However once a year doesn’t seem to truly make a difference in my life, I try to take stock a little more often.

Now I will not say that I have a gratitude book that I write in daily or anything, but I do focus on the simple things in life, I do not necessarily remember to tell those that make a difference in my life how much I appreciate them, but I reflect upon it…often. I think that this may be caused by my early realization of my morality. I remember growing up attending a funeral annually, sometimes more than that, and the deceased were always a variety of ages with deaths for a variety of reasons. I guess it set a foundation in me not to completely overlook the daily interactions.

I never part ways with my family without saying “I love you”, even if it is a quick run to the convenience store. I apologize when I lose my temper, even when I think I am right. I do my best to listen to all they have to say, even when my mind is racing with my “to do list”. I try and remind them that they are important to me with the simple actions in life.

With this season where everyone is listing that they are thankful for health, home, and comfort, I am thankful for these now and the everyday, and I pledge to keep the thankfulness alive daily. I only wish I could find a way to express my gratitude to those that I do not interact with daily…so maybe this is a good time to say thank you for your support in my crochet journey, it keeps me going, it inspires me, and it is so very appreciated. My wish for you is that you recognize your blessings and understand their value in your life daily.