What's in a Hook?

This is my very first crochet hook.  It's old - so old I can't find anything like it in the stores.  It's a Susan Bates 3.75mm hook, made from a solid steel (or what feels like a more solid steel than my new hooks). It's been passed down to me from my grandmother (I would swear to you it was my grandmother. My mother swears it was my great-grandmother. She's probably right, but my memory is somehow connected with my grandmother). I love this hook. I love the way it feels in my hand. I love the lightness of it.  I love the sharpness on the point of the hook which makes it easy to do intricate work.

I love that this hook has been passed down from one crocheter to another.  I love that when I use it, I'm adding to its repertoire of amazing projects. Maybe with each project or blanket I use it to complete, I strengthen a tie between me and generations of my family.

It's not just my grandmother (or great-grandmother) who I feel tied to.  On my mother's side, there are generations of crocheters too. Every time I pick up this hook, I'm reminded of that fact. My family has always been spread out all over the place, hours away from me.  It's hard to feel connected to people so far away. But this connects us.  The same need to create with my hands, to pick up a hook and bring something to life, flowed through them too.

But it's not just about how this all connects us. This hook also reminds me of my first projects.  It's how I started, making one long chain after another.  I made my first blanket with it back in college.  Not only does this hook hold the memories of my grandmother's past projects, now it holds mine too.

I love this hook.

To the Start of Something New

I like new. I like when something finishes and something new can begin.  I like new notebooks, new books, new yarn stashes, new projects.  I even look forward to finishing a bottle of shampoo so I can start the new bottle.   It's not the fact that it's new that I like. It's not the fresh scent or the crisp pages that I like.  I like that it means a new start.  I like imagining how I'll fill the new notebook, or what the new yarn will become.

It's like a new year. The whole year is filled with possibilities.  This year could be anything! Something amazing could happen, and this year could be the start of something great.  I'm not one for New Year's Resolutions, but I just love the promise and hope that something new brings.

So here's to new projects, new adventures, and new friendships this year.  And new life to old projects, old friendships, and steady adventures.

What's your hope for this new year?

Apple Picking and Canning

A few weekends ago, Justin and I took advantage of the fall-like weather (ok, it was fall time of year, but it was 82 degrees, so not so much fall like temps) and went apple picking.  I failed at bringing along the camera for this adventure, but it was tons of fun! This was the best apple orchard we've been to - Hartland Orchand in Markham VA.  We had a lot of fun picking the best apples, and ended up with a bushel of apples, a gallon of cider, a pumpkin, and a jar of honey.  Not a bad haul if I do say so myself!

Back home, I got started on the applesauce making.  This is one of my favorite things to make - it's delicious and fairly easy to make.  Last year I made a small  batch just in time for getting my wisdom teeth out and it was heavenly to eat.  This year, I decided to try canning it.

Since it was my first time canning, I had to guestimate how many apples would make a batch.  This is the part where Justin got bored and went off to play Destiny.  This batch took 4 hours to cook because I did not cut up the pieces small enough.

I loved the canning part though! So cool to dunk them in the hot water bath and then hear the lids popping as they cool.  The house smelled so good as we went to bed - it was like fall had seeped into each corner of our bedroom.

The final product! So proud of this first batch.  We made a second batch with cinnamon, which is my favorite.  I still have a ton of apples to use, so there will be more applesauce to come!

Color Me Lately: What's on the Camera

So I took August off from blogging.  It was great to get away, have some opportunity to relax and not worry about the blog. But now I'm back to work! I'll be doing this series a bit in the future.  My goal is to work on my photography skills a bit and get used to taking the camera with me everywhere. Here's a bit of what I've been doing in August:

We went to visit my grandparents in Puerto Rico.  This was taken on the shore at a nature preserve near Humacao.  I love the color of the water and the rawness of the beaches.

This was on top of a battlement constructed during World War II in Puerto Rico.  It was a good climb to the top!

Beautiful flowers in my grandparent's backyard.  Husband was lizard hunting while I snapped photos of the the flowers.

On our way to our anniversary trip, we stopped at a yarn store! Beautiful store, and a wonderful owner.  We chatted for a while, she taught me how to spin a bit (more on that soon!), and then we visited with her alpacas! So fun.

Final anniversary location: Harper's Ferry, WV.  I loved this little town. It's well preserved and each shop has some interesting facts about the town.

Overall it was a great month! Lots of good travels and time spent with friends.  Definitely worth taking some time off the internet!

Summer Traveling? Take Color Me Reckless With You!

I don't know about you, but I've got all my summer travel planned for the second half of the summer -  a short trip to see family in Puerto Rico and then a short anniversary trip to Charles Town, West Virginia. I'm super excited for both! But I'm also excited about this new summer item I worked up. Meet The Shower Scrubby.

I make a super sweet soap saver bag that I absolutely love. But not everyone uses soap! So I originally worked this up for people that wanted a smaller washcloth for shower gel. And then I realized how great for traveling it would be! A small, scrubby washcloth that fits neatly in your toiletries bag? Perfect!

I'm thinking about adding a little handle on a version of it so that it says on your hand in the shower. What do you think?

If you're looking for great travel items you can check out my Etsy shop - these new Shower Scurbbies are there (more coming soon!) and my Face Scrubbers are also great for travel. Pack just one or two face scrubbers for your vacation rather than worrying about taking cotton balls or buying cotton balls when you get there!

From now until the end of summer (August 31, 2014), use code TRAVEL14 at checkout for 20% off your total purchase.

AND share a picture of you with Color Me Reckless item on your travels on Facebook or Instagram, and you'll be entered to win a gift certificate for the shop! Just snap a photo of the item, tag Color Me Reckless and post! Please only post your photo once on Facebook OR Instagram - not both. Posting twice or on multiple sites will disqualify you from the drawing.

Learning to Value Your Work and Price it Accordingly

PET PEEVE ALERT!! Seriously, this is something that bugs me to no end.  I can't count the number of times I go looking around on Etsy doing price comparison, or looking for packaging inspiration, or just looking at what other people are doing, and I see beautiful crochet work priced dirt cheap.  Yesterday I saw 61 items priced at $3.00. Not $3 each, $3 for all 61 items. It has to stop. Here are some really good reasons why pricing your work that low isn't a good thing, even though it might help you get sales.

1. It disrespects your work.

When your work isn't priced according to all the time and skill that went into it, you are sending the message that your work doesn't matter to you, that it didn't take skill to create, and that you don't value your work. Crocheting takes time, it takes planning, it takes an understanding of color play. You created something that you think is good enough to sell to other people, so why don't you value that? Make sure when you price your work that you value your time and energy. Take into account the cost of the yarn, and the amount of time it took you to create the item. Think about fair labor - even minimum wage, entry level jobs have a minimum wage.  However sucky and exhausting working in fast food may be, that companies values its employees time. Shouldn't you? When I go looking for an item on Etsy or on another handmade marketplace, I'm looking for something special, something handmade, and something that clearly had a lot of love put into it. I don't want crap I can buy anywhere. I'm willing to pay for handmade, don't assume I don't know what I'm looking for.

2. It makes you look like a factory.

When you don't price your work well, it makes it seem like you don't care about your work at all.  If you don't care about each handcrafted item, why should I as a consumer? Why should I buy something handmade, when even the artist doesn't value the product? And frankly, when I see things like 61 items for a total of $3.00, I start to wonder if it's all really handmade.  I know how much time goes into crocheting an item, and I know how much yarn costs. There's no formula that would make that price legitimate. Handmade businesses are not the place to use price as a means of competition. Sure you want to be in the same price category as your competitors, but this is not the place where dirt cheap prices win. Handmade items for pennies each hurt both you as the business person, and me as the consumer. You're losing money by not valuing your work, and the consumer starts to believe that's how much crochet work is worth.

3. It makes crochet seem cheap and easy, not a skillful talent.

Not everyone can crochet, and crochet well. It's a skill and a talent. When you price your crochet items dirt cheap, hoping to get buyers, you are hurting everyone who crochets. You are pulling down the value of crochet in the marketplace, and you are making consumers think that crochet is worthless. Stop.  Value yourself and your craft, and price accordingly. Remember that you are more than just a lone seller, you are a part of a marketplace, and your actions impact the whole market.

It's all economics.

I know, I know. Those three words send shivers of fear and loathing down your spine. But if you are selling your work to consumers, you better know a little something about valuing your work. I can't tell you had sad it makes me to see people who clearly think their craft isn't worth what it should be.  Recognize your talent! 

And because this post was a bit light on actual crocheting, here's a sneak preview of a blanket that's almost complete!

On Frogging

Oh frogging. There is something exhilarating about frogging a project and starting it over.  So soothing to be able to start it all over, get a fresh start. But let me explain.

What is frogging?

Frogging is the act of ripping out a project (get it? rip it rip it. ) and starting it again. Often this happens if I find a mistake in it somewhere, or if I want to change some part of it. Rarely do I rip out the whole project and start it again. Especially when the deadline is a month away!

But this time, I did.

Remember this hexagon blanket?

I liked it when I started it, but as I got to the point of putting it all together, it just didn't work. I tried to keep going on it, keep sticking to the vision I had at the start, but it just sat there in a corner. I didn't want to work on it at all. I would pick it up, do a hexagon, and then put it down again for a week. I realized that I was just trying to get it finished as quickly as possible. Not the way I wanted this project to go!

So I frogged it. Ripped out the whole thing. And  now it's becoming a new design that I like so much better!

The blocks are big, so the whole thing won't take too long to put together, meaning that I will be able to finish the blanket on time. And it will be easy to connect since it's all squares - no hexagons!

I'm now energized about the project - wanting to pick it up at all hours, not wanting to put it down again. I love this feeling! I can't wait for this project to be done to be able to see it all together.

A Beautiful Day at the Brewery

On Saturday, we went to a Beer Fest in Frederick, Maryland.  The day was sunny, warm, and absolutely beautiful - the perfect day for trying out new beers.

And try we did! Every beer we tried was delicious. I loved how different each beer tasted.  I've never been a big fan of beer (I prefer cider to beer - I like the lighter, crisper, taste of the fruit), but these were all delicious!

I even got to meet some spinners at the festival! I watched a group of women spin the wool from the sheep on the farm. It was so rhythmic and soothing.  The woman I spoke to told me a bit about the process, and now I am definitely interested. It seems like the next step in being a crocheter - learning how to make the yarn itself.  I see a new hobby in my future...

New Blanket Palette!

I'm so excited to start working on a new baby blanket - and even more excited to be making this blanket for a dear friend of mine! I have been planning this blanket since they got married almost, and am THRILLED to finally be able to bring it to life without jinxing anything!! Here's the color palette I've chosen:

Any guesses as to what it will look like?

Buying the yarn soon...just a few more sketches and I'm all set to start working!

Catching Up

This week has been one of catching up. Catching up on watching video lectures, catching up on my daily blanket, and catching up on being creative. But it finally feels like I'm getting somewhere - like I'm getting back to the parts of being creative and learning that I enjoy.

I had a dentist appointment on Wednesday, and I forgot to take my book with me for the waiting room.  But I had my sketchbook, so I took it out and started sketching. And not just rough sketching out shapes and sizes, but adding in the shading, trying to work out color patterns in black and white. And I loved it! I felt so inspired by it - I hadn't realized how long it's been since I did sketching like that.

And that simple sketching for 15 min in the dentist's office made me so excited to come home and work out things 'in real life.' I started working up these new potholders, using the corner to corner method I love so much.

It feels like a new start! I don't feel like I can only make these items I'm going to sell, and I don't feel limited at all. And I love this process.

Also - I finally finished up my placemats! I'm so proud of these - I even made the label all by myself with no help from Photoshop Wizard Husband.

What to be When I Grow Up

I've been thinking a lot about what I want to be when I grow up lately.  Partly because there has been some upheaval in my work life recently, and partly because I'm starting to feel a bit like I'm drifting.  My NewsFeed shows me that several friends have given up their jobs to go back to school full time, and others are branching out on their own with their first businesses. I know that I want to work for myself - I'm tired of being on someone's timetable and working on someone else's dream.

I know that I want to be creative in this venture. I love my work, I love creating something everyday, I love dreaming up new ideas that will make people smile.

I know that I want to be able to set my own schedule and work from home when I choose. I want to be able to pursue other passions (like comics and potentially more school) at the same time. I would love to work in my pajamas as much as possible.

I know that I want to throw out the rules of what a 'career' is and make something up that makes me happy to spend the time doing it each day. I don't care if it doesn't mean I can retire after 30 years at the same company, I want to be happy doing what I'm doing.

I know that I want to be able to travel, go to conferences (or cons, whatever), and get to meet other people like me. I want to be a part of a community of people who want to constantly grow and learn.

Basically, this boils down to owning my own business of some kind. But owning a business takes a lot of work - especially in the beginning when you have to make sure to set everything up correctly.  It's scary, and it's time-consuming.  Even in the baby stage my little business is at right now, it's time consuming.  How to work two jobs that pay the bills and make time for what I love?

Part of me wishes I could tell me at 20 that this is what I would want to be doing at 27, so that me at 20 could plan a bit better. Or at least save a bit better, maybe take out less student loans.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Color Me Lately

Here's a snapshot of what's been going on in my life lately: Look! It's not a mystery! Ok, he's a mystery writer. BUT! This one is not a mystery.  I've read his Ladies' Detective Agency series and I'm not a huge fan of them.  I love his non-mystery writing so much more.  This series, his 44 Scotland Street series, and his Corduroy Mansions series are my favorites.  Whenever I see a new one at the library, I snatch it up.

I've been working hard on getting ready for the craft show! Last night, I laid out everything I had ready to go so I could get a sense of what was left to work on. There is a lot left to work on. But I feel good about how many things are finished or are works in progress.

See? Lots of works in progress on my coffee table at the  moment.  These will all become soap saver bags. Eventually.

Studying for the Food Manager Certification Exam.  I got a new job at a candy store (as the Assistant Manger! Woo! I'm a grown up!) and the state of Virginia requires that anyone works comes into contact with food much be certified. Which means I will be spending my next few weeks studying how hot meat must be to serve to customers. Even though I work at a candy store.

I have been craving muffins lately! So I finally went out and found a recipe (ok, fine, I bough a mix) and made myself some for breakfast this morning. Possibly the best part of having days off during the week.

Maybe the muffin craving is coming from needing comfort food. I think I have taken more medicine in the past month, than I have in the last few years. My thumb has been sore from all the crocheting (hence the wrap) and my teeth have been a mess. I had a crown put in a few months ago and something went wrong and it's continually hitting the bone in my jaw and causing all sorts of pain. (Seriously, I handled the pain from wisdom teeth better than this. This is just awful.).  But this should soon go away with some scheduled (minor) surgery. Yay!

So that's been my life lately. What's on your camera?

My First Craft Show!

I've been a bit absent the last few weeks here on the blog, but it's been for a great reason.  I got into a craft show! I'll be selling Color Me Reckless items at the DC Meet Market on May 3.  I'm so excited! But since I got the news a few weeks ago, it has been nonstop making items and running through checklist after checklist of everything I'd need for the show.

You can see that my workspace has exploded just a bit! But amid all the mess of yarn ends (and the Greek Square Blanket in the background!) there are great items happening! I set a goal for myself to make 500 items.  So far, with one month to go, I've got 50. So that might be a bit of a reach, but I think I can make it!

See? The items are coming together! You can see my new labels in some of the soap saver bags. So pleased with how those came out!

I'm hoping that this leads to more shows and more exposure - I would love to be able to make this my living someday. Wouldn't that be great?

What I'm Doing

What I'm Reading

I'm a big mystery lover. 5 out of 6 of these are mysteries, which is less than normal (I'm trying to branch out a bit). I've read the bottom three so far.  I watched all of Inspector Alleyn on Netflix, and it inspired me to pick up Ngaio Marsh's books.  I had tried to read her before and didn't get through it, but now I'm zipping through her books. A good rival for Agatha Christie, I think.

I just started on Due or Die and I'm thrilled to discover the amateur detective is also learning to crochet! What a great surprise.

What I'm Working On

This is a new project, just for me.  I wanted to work with just a single color doing a new stitch pattern.  This will  be a yellow baby blanket, using a triangle stitch.  So far, I am loving the new stitch.  It's fairly easy and I love the way it's lacy without being too loose - there's still some weight to the fabric.

While I was at Michaels picking up this yarn, a woman stopped me and said 'You look like you know what you're doing - where can I find knitting needles?' Kind of made my day to look like an expert in yarn crafts!

What's New To Me

Alright, so this isn't new to me, but it's being picked up again after a long hiatus.  Husband made the controller for me as a Christmas present a few years ago, and I love it.  Granted my Xbox skills are limited to Lego games, but I'm totally ok with that.  Currently playing Lego Marvel.  While I loved the old Lego games that didn't talk, this game is great! The comments are really funny, the plot lines are intricately woven to include any and all Marvel Universe characters, and the game play is pretty good.  My only complaint? I still get stuck on jumping challenges, and I wish there were less things to jump across.

What I'm Learning

That's right! I'm learning how to build a website from scratch AND attempting to learn some business techniques.  I've put myself on a one chapter a day schedule (failed at that for most of last week...so only about 7 chapters behind?) and have been enjoying it! I've got some really great ideas for things to add/re-do on this site and I can't wait to get to the end of the book and actually play around with what I've learned.

Who'd have thought I'd be reading about business??!

Craft Day Workings

I think I've mentioned before that my friends and I get together for a craft day about once a month.  We all bring a project, open a bottle of wine, and spend the next few hours chatting and crafting.

I'm absolutely obsessed with my friend Anna's serving ware (is this a thing? I mean the chip bowl and the blue bakeware behind it).  So brightly colored and always filled with yummy food.  I'm convinced the goodness is because of the bowl. I won't lie, I totally copied her and registered for some of the same set for our wedding.

The weather this past weekend was absolutely gorgeous! Warm and sunny, such a nice change from the deary cold we've been having.  We opened up the windows and let that beautiful fresh air in.

Usually during our craft days, the women craft while the men play Xbox or do other manly things.  Not sure why it breaks down like this, as the men are fairly crafty themselves. I guess maybe it's a male bonding thing? This time, however, they made beer!

It seems that the only pictures I managed to take well were of the beer making process! So all I have to show for the craft projects part is a before picture of  my yarn...

...which didn't come out super great.  I snapped it in a hurry to get out the door, but at least you have an idea of my color palette for this project! It will eventually be a wedding blanket for a friend getting married this summer.  It's the exact opposite of the design I planned to do, and I love it. I'll do a picture wrap up of it here soon.

Do you craft with a group of friends?

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You Can Now Order a Custom Blanket!

I am so so pleased to be able to announce (although if you've been on Facebook, you've seen this announcement already!) that you can now order a custom blanket right from this website! This is something that I have been wanting to do for a long time now, and finally got everything to work right on the site to be able to announce it! Making blankets for people is something that I truly love doing, and now this will make it even easier.

There will be lots of changes as I refine the process and play with the organization of the page a bit over the next few weeks, but the bones are there and ready for orders :)

If you see any problems with it, please leave a comment on this post, and I'll make sure to fix it ASAP.

Thanks!

New Year, New Goals

It's that time of year again. The time for making new goals and dreaming big dreams of what the year could hold for you. This year, instead of making some lofty resolutions about running more or eating better, I decided to make concrete goals for myself.  Here's what I came up with: 1. Approach local shops about selling my crochet pieces in their store. I promised my mother-in-law I would do this, and I really mean to do it.  I've always been afraid to take this step - afraid that people won't think my work is good enough.  But working on pieces the past few months, and with some encouragement from my boss, I'm ready to try to do this.

2. Find what works in my Etsy shop and what makes me really happy to make.  I  have a hard time keeping my Etsy shop up to date, and remembering to market the items in it.  I think it's because I'm a big scaredy-cat (see above!) and because it's one more site to manage.  I need to make a plan and stick to it when it comes to the shop.

3. Connect with more local artists. All of my goals for the year involve taking steps outside of my comfort zone and being brave with my work.  I want to meet local artists who are doing similar things/at similar places in their work.  I'm on the list for a few crafty meet-ups in my area, but have yet to work up the courage to go (what if everyone at the meetup agrees that I can't crochet?? Serious scaredy-cat issues here!).

4. Learn more HTML and Photoshop. I want to be able to have designed my own site, and I want to be able to make my photos look amazing.  I have a few books on both of these topics, but I might try to take a class in them as well.  Always up for more learning!

What are your crafty New Year's Goals?

The Soul of a Crafter

There is something great about spending a few hours on the couch and coming away with something beautiful like a baby blanket.  Each stitch gets imprinted with the memory of what I was doing.  I have blankets that I made in college as grad school as stress relievers, and I remember the book I was reading at the time, or the class I was taking, or the conversation I had with a friend during it.

I can look at all these beautiful things around my house and remember when and why I made it. We have bits of our wedding decorations scattered around the house - each one brings back the beautiful memories of making it with Husband, and seeing it all together on our wedding day.  It's a greater reminder of those moments than the pictures are, and it's a great marker of the things that Husband and I can do together.

I make a lot of things that just stay in piles around the house, or stay unfinished because some new idea took hold.  I love these projects. I love that my house is filled with these fabrics filled with memories. And I love that I can pull out that unfinished project and make something new, with new memories.

Last week, during our Craft Day, a friend and I were talking about how we have so many unfinished projects, and how, when we sit down to work on one, a new idea crops up and takes hold. I have to put down what I'm doing to run after that idea, chase it down, sketch it out, whatever it is. It's like there's too much creative energy, and it just spills out over the top.

I love it. And I love that that is spilling over into other crafty things, expanding my outlets. It's a beautiful thing.

Organizing and Catching Up

I love October. So many yummy fall flavors and scents.  It gets me in the mood to do some new creative projects and to clean up my space.  I started working on crochet beaded necklaces, which, for me, meant sorting out the knot of embroidery floss I had wound up in a ball.

So I repurposed some mini clothespins from the wedding and found a way to sort through it all! The little scraps ended up on the little pins, and the bigger pieces are on the medium size pins.  They look so cute in the little glass jar.

In other news, I went to visit my sister in New Jersey and we went apple picking! I love picking the apples fresh from the trees and then coming home and making something yummy out of them.  This batch I made into homemade applesauce in preparation for getting my wisdom teeth out yesterday.

I've made applesauce a few times before, but this is by far the best batch I've made.  It's so sweet and tangy and the same time, with just the right amount of cinnamon.  I only wish I had made more!

These apples are just for eating - too tart for applesauce.

Amidst all of this, I've made significant progress on my baby blanket.  It's just about halfway! I think I will be able to make my Nov 30 deadline with ease.

And I made socks! I've always wanted to try to make socks, and I found a relatively simple pattern and got to work! The only thing I don't like about crochet socks is that they take a long time to make...But I really like the finished product.  I might have to buy some more sock yarn and make some more. Christmas presents perhaps?

What have you been up to in October?

September Blanket Challenge Wrap-Up

So the challenge for myself kind of worked and kind of... didn't. It worked because I finished up one blanket, and got so much further on a second.  It failed because I started two new blankets. Pre-September challenge, I had 3 blankets in progress. Post-challenge I have 4 in progress and 1 finished. What I'm excited about though, is the wealth of creativity that came out of September.  I was focused on blankets and so I came up with a lot of ideas for future blankets, learned some things I want to do, and some things I don't want to ever do, and generally brainstormed new things.  I bought myself a sketchbook to try and capture those things!

In other news, my crafty friends and I went to Crafty Bastards in lieu of our craft day this month.  Crafty Bastards is a DC based craft show held in Union Market.  It's huge.

I've been years in the past, and have found lots of great stuff.  This year, however, I didn't find as much great stuff? Most of it seemed to be the same as last year - which is fine, but I found the people I love last year and now buy from them on Etsy.  I'd like to see new things please! I did find this adorable buttons and Pincushion from Namoo - I fell so in love with these!