End of the Year

It has been a pretty productive week off craft-wise, and I still have a couple of days left.

I went through all of my doily books and filled my queue up on Ravely, started and finished a doily (shown in previous post), and started another. I got my huge thread order of 10 big 1-lb balls of thread, got about 6 of them ready to dye (12 hanks), and dyed 5 of the hanks. I should be able to dye another 4, but the other 3 will have to wait for my soda ash/dye order to arrive (maybe tomorrow?), otherwise they have to wait until next weekend. I can always get the other 4 balls wound into hanks while I wait too. I won't run out of soda ash for a while, as I ordered 5 lbs of it, so I can just keep on dyeing as long as I have thread.

I haven't done all of the housework/deep cleaning stuff I wanted to do, but hey, that is not nearly as much fun as the other stuff I have done!

Happy New Year!

Amaretto

Amaretto from PK's Coffee 'n' Cream Doilies. I used Aunt Lydia's light peach and my hand-dyed colorway 'Salena'. The image is clickable and shows the detail of the entire doily nicely.

I've got Ashley on the hook from PK's Victorian Spiral Doilies, book 1. Not too sure how I feel about it yet, but it was next in my Ravelry queue, and I decided I was going to work through the list alphabetically. Never know until you try...right? I decided to do it in Aunt Lydia's Dusty Rose. Not sure yet if I will use any of my hand-dyed stash yet, we'll see how it goes.

Enchanting

I have completed 'Enchanting' from Patricia Kristoffersen's 'Doilies with Charm'. I am pleased with how this one turned out.


I have already started on my next Doily, 'Amaretto' from PK's Coffee 'n' Cream book. First one in my queue in Ravelry, and have time off from work, so I am going to take advantage of it, and crochet to my little hearts content!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, or whichever holiday you celebrate this time of year. :-) I had a very mild, laid-back day, spent with my kids, and visiting with my ex-inlaws (which was enjoyable, btw), and then working on finishing off my current WIP, Enchanting, a PK doily. I am on my last round, so should finish up tonight. I am anticipating the advancing New Year, and I plan on facing it with a positive outlook. I have my first grandchild due in May, and as time goes on, I get more and more excited about this change in both my daughter's and my own life. We have a close relationship anyway, but I know when I had her, it brought me and my Mom closer, so I look forward to that for her and I, and sharing this amazing and wonderful time with her.

I spent the spare time I had yesterday entering my doily books in Ravely, and queueing up projects. It ended up being a whole lot more than I thought, but I have some projects set up, with no particular timeline set when to get them done. They are mostly PK doilies with a few Mary Werst designs mixed in. I don't know if anyone else who has used patterns these two ladies have designed will agree with me or not, but any other designs look almost...too easy, if that makes sense? I love the intricacy and beauty they both capture. Anyway, I have about 80+ designs queued up, and that doesn't count any other creations I embark upon. I have to partially credit Lori ("The Shrone" on the 'Ville, and a link for her website Home Burrough: Residence of the Unknowabale Shrone) for inspiring me to have a goal, and something to work towards. I decided that instead of going through books and finding the next doily to inspire me, I would alphabetize them, and progress that way. I will add to the list, more than likely, as I find other challenging patterns that intrigue me as time goes on.

I have also started learning to knit. I bought a kit last year, same time as I bought a learn to crochet kit, but decided to wait to learn to knit. Not so sure how it will go. I have decided to learn how to knit right-handed (I am left-handed), simply because from what I have gleaned from reading various forums on Ravelry, it seems that it is not the same as crocheting left-handed. I don't have a problem crocheting or reading patterns left-handed and it never occured to me that patterns can be right- or left-hand oriented in crochet. But it seems that is not true in knitting. Maybe it would be better if I didn't know any better in knitting either? Too late now...ahhhh the joys of the internet. Anyway, I have decided to learn to knit right-handed to avoid any problems. If I find it too frustrating, I may wait. No need to frustrate myself when I so love my crochet right now. I find myself jealous of those that can do both, but if it is not a stress-buster, rather a stress-creater, then it can wait.

Happy New Year everyone! Thanks to everyone who has visited my blog this past year, and has provided kind words for my rambling thoghts and completed projects. I look forward to seeing your new creations in the new year, and wish you many happy hours of hooking!

Weekly update

It finally got cold here over the weekend here in Georgia. We went from having a week mostly in the 70's to the 30-40's. I still won't complain, even though I don't like the cold. Who knows...by next week we might be back up in the warmer temps...that's just how it goes here.

I worked my last weekend of birthday parties. I have handed it off to another lady so I can spend time with my son on the weekend. I am relieved, yet sad, as it was a program I helped create and has done well. I could have still helped out booking parties, but after working with the new lady, I decided it would be best if I stepped out completely. I just think there would be too much head-butting going on. I am going to do some marketing for the bowling center still though, but I can do that from home, and still have time to spend with my son. It will be nice to have my weekends back after working there for a little over 3 years (ie. more time to work on my crochet...dyeing threads...learning to knit!).

As for my Christmas list...it was a bust. It's gift card city for everyone but Mom. The unfinished (ahem...unstarted...)projects will have to be allocated to birthdays. My brother and his family live in Colorado, so since they can have snow anywhere from September through ohhhhhh...May (*evi laugh*)...I can send them scarves/hats/mittens after Christmas, and they will still get use out of them. I STILL have to put up my tree. I just haven't had time to get all the stuff done that I wanted, and now I have reached the panic point. Of course, I have to keep up with what everyone else is doing, so I am sure that the time I spend surfing around looking at everyone else's goodies could be better spent...naaaaaaaa! Who am I kidding! LOL

December?

We are having unseasonably warm weather here in Georgia! It is supposed to get up to 75 today...which would beat a record set back in 1973 (I think that is the year they said). My company had our Christmas party on Saturday night, and we were all standing out on the deck because it was so pleasant. It's amazing. This is one of the reasons I looooooove the South! I grew up in Colorado, and I DO NOT miss the snow or the cold at all. I get just enough cold and winter weather here in Georgia to remind me how nice it is, and how nice it is when it is gone. LOL!

I have not been getting anything done as far as crocheting goes. I have been busy at both jobs and working weekends. By the time I get home during the week, usually around 9p.m., I am just beat. Same for the weekend...doing childrens birthday parties wears you out. Not so much the kids, but the parents! Of course, everyone is stressed, getting ready for the holidays, so some of the party moms are not so...shall we say...pleasant. Any other time of the year is just fine, but come December, whew! Being a Mom myself though, I do understand, and I try to get them to relax and have a good time and let us take care of things for the couple of hours they are there. Usually by the time they leave, they are smiling, and in a much better mood than when they got there. Usually. :-)

I have Christmas projects to finish, I have dyed thread waiting to be wound, I still have to put up my Christmas decorations...I have definately over-extended myself timewise this year. Still, when I do find the time to sit and relax, once that crochet hook gets in my hand I feel so much better. It's just not getting in my hand often enough! My crochet time vs. my other time ratio is waaaaaaaaaaay off.

First Item on Etsy

I put my first item on Etsy this morning. I will add more on a daily basis as it finishes drying, gets photographed and wound into balls. I have about 9 colorways to add over the next few days.


My camera is great for taking pics of people, but not so much of close-ups that I need of thread. I have tried all sorts of settings, but nothing seems to work for as close up as I need to get. And of course, the colors never look quite right either. I crocheted up a couple of samples and took pictures of them so folks could get an idea of how the colors look "in action", and the pics came out so washed out, they may as well have been done with white thread! LOL

Etsy Shop

After looking into it more, I decided I am going to try out Etsy to sell some of my hand-dyed thread. I have posted a link over on the right-hand side, but here is a direct link to my Etsy store as well. I don't have any items listed yet, I am waiting for my recent batch of thread to dry so I can take pictures and wind it up into cakes...hopefully in the next day or two.

If anyone else has an Etsy shop, and you would like me to put a link on my blog, let me know and I will add you! I would also love to hear any advice or experiences you have had as a buyer and/or a seller.

At this point, I am thinking I will use Etsy to sell my thread for a set price, and if I have remnants, or a cake with a knot in it or something, use eBay to auction them. I'm not sure yet though. Since Etsy is like a huge online craft fair, it is a lot more specialized than eBay with folks understanding the value of handmade items. Once I get the hang of it, and get used to how Etsy works, I may be able to just have sales for my remnants and stuff there and not use eBay at all to sell.

If you haven't checked out Etsy yet, you should! So many talented people over there! I get side-tracked and just drool over all the crafty things people do. It is free to sign up, or you can browse the shops before actually signing up. If you don't already have an account, and you check them out after reading my blog, be sure to mention that when/if you register. I don't know what it does, other than let track know where someone heard about and/or who referred you to the site.

I'm off to check out everyones recent blog updates...I love love love seeing what other people are working on!