How To: Single Crochet Stitch

One of my goals for this year is to teach people how to crochet.  I've taught a few people in the past, and I am constantly attempting to teach Justin how to crochet.  So I thought, what better way to teach a person than by creating online tutorials? So here's the first one. The single crochet stitch (I'm using US terms since that's how I learned) is a basic stitch, and is used to go on a make other stitch patterns. I use it to make my dishcloths.  For this tutorial, I'll be illustrating with Lily Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn and an H8 (5 mm) hook.  The abbreviation for single crochet is SC, so if you see that in patterns you'll know what it means! I'm starting with a foundation chain of 11 here.  I'll cover how to create a foundation chain in the next post.

Single Crochet Tutorial (US)

1. Insert hook through the first stitch.  You should insert the hook under the top loop, so you're going through the stitch in your foundation row.

2. Yarn over the hook. With the hook in your right hand, and the yarn in your left, wrap the yarn over the top of the hook, from back to front.

3.  Pull the hook back through the first stitch in your foundation row, giving you two loops on your hook.

4. Yarn over the hook, and pull the loop through both loops on your hook, leaving you with one loop on your hook. Repeat this process across the length of your project.

5. When you get to the end, chain one, turn your work, and get ready to start again! Insert, yarn over, pull through, yarn over, pull through two loops.

That's it! Now you can make your own dishcloths and get started on your New Year's resolution to learn how to crochet, that you didn't realize you resolved to do until right now. So go. Crochet!

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.

The End of My First Craft Show Season

Wow. When I started doing shows this year, I had planned to do two shows.  I did a total of five, and I wish I had done just one more. I can't believe I managed to do something, and even look forward to something, so far outside my comfort zone! By the end of the year, I really enjoyed talking to people and selling them on my products.  I've learned a lot! Here are some of the lessons I learned:

1. Don't Get Discouraged.

It sucks a lot when people keep passing you by, and no one seems to be interested in what you're selling.  You put your heart and soul into this, why does no one want it?? Cue panic/freak out.

But it's ok.  My first market I did, no one bought anything until the very end of the show, and then it was just a small item.  I was so discouraged.  I was embarrassed, I was heartbroken.  I couldn't believe that I had worked that hard just to have the world throw it in my face as another failure.  (So I'm a bit dramatic...) Why didn't it work?

Simply, it didn't work out because that was not the right market for me.  That market attracted a lot of lookers, and lookers mostly want pretty things like jewelry.  They are not likely to buy a crochet washcloth on the spur of the moment. And that's ok. It just means that my market is more people who are there to buy with a purpose in mind. My job is to sell them on the fact that my item meets their purpose.

It takes time to figure out what the best shows and markets for you are. And the only way to figure it out is to try a whole bunch of different ones!

2.  Don't Be Afraid to Talk to People.

Talk to everyone. To customers, to the people you meet on the way to the bathroom, to your fellow vendors.  My favorite show, I talked to two fellow vendors that I had never met before.  One was a potter, and one was a crocheter as well.  From the potter, I learned amazing things like how to sell to stores and how to keep doing this forever.  From the crocheter, I got so much encouragement.  She was so excited to see another crocheter there, doing something different and being so young. It was awesome.

The people around you want you to do well.  Your fellow vendors want to help you learn to sell. Don't be afraid of them! Don't be afraid to ask them questions about how they got started and what they do now.  You never know, maybe there will be a partnership there.

3. Be Confident that What You Do Is Good.

I can't tell you how many times, I freaked out the night before or the morning of absolutely sure that my stuff was no good and no one would buy it. It is good, and people do buy it.  I still have a lot of things to learn, and skills to refine, but I love my work.  It's bright, it's fun, and it's practical.  And there are people are out there to buy it.  Maybe not at this show, but maybe at the next one. Or maybe people will start to recognize you and tell their friends. If you are confident and talk to people, they will remember you. And that's huge.

This is so hard for me to remember.  I tend to get very down when my items don't sell, and then I don't want to talk to people and then no one wants to buy from the sulky girl on the end.  Be confident.  Or at least fake it.

4. Keep Trying.

Your first few shows might suck, but then maybe you get that awesome show.  And it makes all the hard work and disappointment worthwhile.  Sometimes it takes a while.  My very last show was my absolute best.  I more than doubled my table fee, and it was fun! Now I know that that kind of show is probably my best bet, and I need to do more shows leading up to the holidays.  I only know that because I did all those other shows first!

5. Lessons Learned.

After each show, write down what went well or what didn't.  What did people seem to like, and what didn't they like.  This will help hugely in preparing for the next show.  When you have a good feel or sense of what people want, you can sell it better.  And that's the point, right?

I've learned so much this past year.  I'm so excited to look ahead to the next year.  I want to do even better than this year! My goals are to do 7 shows, and to have more pillows and home decor items for show.  This little hobby of mine will keep growing and it will be amazing.  One day.

Introducing: The Hip to Be Square Quilt

I'm so pleased to introduce this beautiful blanket!

This is the blanket that inspired this post on frogging, as I had made almost the whole blanket with hexagons, and then decided to rip it out and start over! I love the way it came out - I love the variation on squares, and the colors.

This was made as a wedding blanket for two sweet friends getting married this summer. I'm so excited to see what they think of it! (Slash incredibly nervous...).

As always, this blanket will be up in my Blanket Portfolio for you to check out whenever.  You can also order your very own Hip to Be Square Quilt by using the custom order form.

My First Pillow!

This pillow took me about one week longer than I thought it would, because I kept getting bored with the monotonous rows of hdc for the back! But I think the simplicity of the backing really makes the front that much more fun and bright. I love the way they work together.

It's made from leftover Caron Simply Soft yarn from any number of projects over the years - some is from my very first blanket (fitting, don't you think?), some if from a baby blanket for a friend, and some is from the multiple wedding blankets I've made for dear friends.

I'm determined to clean out this basket of old yarn - It's meant to be my project basket, but as been sitting as yarn storage for over a year now. I really want my basket back!

I'm thrilled that this pillow came out the way I had envisioned it.  I've already started on my next pillow (using some squares that were going to be a blanket and will now be a pillow!) and am excited by the possibility of adding these to my repertoire. For now, this one will be up in my shop.

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.

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.

Color Me Lately

Oh wow what a crazy few weeks it's been!! I feel like I've been running every which way and doing 17 things all at the same time.  I kept telling myself, 'Just make it to May! Things will calm down then!' which of course they haven't! Here's a snapshot of my life lately:

Craft show

I did my first craft show! I was at the DC Meet Market last Saturday.  It was a beautiful day and there were lots of people at the market.  Unfortunately, those lots of people didn't all stop at our booth. We only had a few sales, but I learned so much about doing a show.

Etsy store

I spent a lot of time updating and refining my Etsy shop this weekend.  There are a ton of new items in the shop! Beautiful coasters, napkin rings, face scrubbers, and soap saver bags are all new.  Keep an eye out for new washcloths to do up in the next few days too!

Creative Bug course

Aside from all the crafting that's been going on, I've been taking a few courses! One is this Creative Bug class on Building a Creative Brand.  I'm really behind on it, but so far it's been really good.  I just finished the episode about writing a business plan.  Thankfully, my business plan draft was pretty close to what they recommend, but I definitely need to work on budgets and that kind of thing more.

Designing

And of course, I'm keeping up with creating new products! I have a list of things to create just for the summer that I think will be amazing and I'm so excited to start working on them all.

Here's to growing!

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??!

Cuddling Under Blankets

The eastern bit of the US has had a good bit of winter storms lately.  Although, in Virginia, we've had less snow than the rest but got a good helping of polar vortex to go with it.  It makes it really difficult to go to work when you have to bundle up in every layer possible just to walk to the bus! If only teleporting was invented yet... The good news is that I've had a lot of time to work on some crochet projects!

My crochet mood blanket is coming along nicely.  30 squares really makes it seem like a blanket and less like a bunch of squares stitched together! I'm really loving how the colors are coming together on that one.

The blanket for the guest room is also coming along.  This one I do in spurts because it's hard to keep my attention on just the two colors, over and over.  But I love the feel and weight of it.

My family came to visit this last weekend, and it made me realize how few blankets I actually had in the house! So I started on a new diagonal blanket, using up some of my medium weight yarn. I love the colors and how they seem to come together.

I've been working on the Moogly crochet along - my first square came out well, but the second one is a bit...ripple-y.  I think I have a few extra stitches in there that will require some puzzling out.  I've learned through this crochet along that I make really small, tight stitches! I've had to add a few rows to each just to make them come out the right size.

Finally, I've had time to work on items for my Etsy shop! I have some new soap saver bags and a few new face scrubbers to get photographed and written up for the shop.  I love how quickly these all work up - the only downside is then having to wait for the right light to photograph them!

Have you been working on anything new because of the weather?

Thanksgiving Round Up

Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday.  It's generally the first time in a few months that my family gets all together (ok it's still tied to memories of going home from college after a long fall semester - and being almost done with classes. The calm before the storm), and now that I'm older, it's a great relaxing weekend.  I love that my family spends the day together, eats late, and then plays games into the night.  I love that the center of the holiday isn't the food, but the people. I'm pretty sure we could eat peanut butter sandwiches and it would still be my favorite holiday! Here's what I don't like about getting older - now I'm old enough to have my own household and so I am asked to bring something to Thanksgiving.  In any other family, this would be fine, but my family consists of several really really good cooks. So I bring wine and feel inadequate.

And then I realized that I could bring something else - something crafty that wasn't food! Here's a smattering of the amazing Turkey -themed crafts I've found.  I hope I have time to make one of them!

 1. Tom Turkey from Red Heart. This is just too cute. I love how jaunty he looks!

2. Gobble Coaster from Yarn Pixie. I love the idea of crafty coasters for Thanksgiving.  I think it adds some fun to tables that are usually laid with the best dishes and fancy things like butter knives.

3. Cute Turkey by Teri Crews. I love this little guy! So small and cute.  He'd be great to give to a small child on Thanksgiving!

4. Turkey Coasters from Craft Passion. Another spin on the Thanksgiving coaster. These also double as ornaments, so if your host is one who has their tree up already - this is perfect!

4. Pumpkin Pie from CraftyisCool. If you don't want to make a turkey themed item, how about this adorable pie?

5. Turkey from FiberFlux.  What I love most about this little guy is that he's not orange! So nice to see a Thanksgiving item in a different set of autumn hues.  Also, he's adorable.

I hope you're as inspired as I am to make something different this year for Thanksgiving!

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?

Weekend Wrap-Up

This weekend was a busy one.  And not in the 'I got so many different projects done' kind of way, more in the 'we went all over and got very little sleep' way. A family friend of the Husband got married this weekend, so we made the long trip (which was made longer by several accidents) for that.  I always bring a project with me in the car to work on during these long trips.  I had brought my WIP from last week, but it never made it out of the bag! Husband and I spent most of the ride singing along to Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog.

So the only thing I actually accomplished was this cute little cuff bracelet:

It's an idea that has been knocking around in my brain for a bit, and finally made it out.  I'm fairly pleased with how it turned out - I like the shape and the way it went together, but need to go back to the drawing board on how to stick in the ends.

All in all, it was a good weekend.

Work in Progress Wednesday: Stash Buster Blanket

Ok. So it's not a real stash buster. But it does use up the yarn from two different blankets that I started (I started both blankets using the same yarn that is now discontinued...no small wonder why there were both unfinished!) a long time ago.  I tell myself that I started them just to practice a stitch that was new to me at the time.  [Photo Credit of all photos: my husband, Justin].

Anyway, this time around I intend to finish it! It's lovely little woven squares joined together.  Each square is done with Caron Spa yarn (in Coral, Misty Taupe, and Berry Frappe) and an F5/3.75 mm hook.

I'm experimenting with the JAYGO (Join-as-you-go) method with this one.  I can't seem to help but experiment! I'm really liking it - it's teaching me to slow down and plan the next square a bit, instead of making 100 squares and not doing them the right size at all.

I envision this to be about the size of a baby blanket, but really the size will be determined by how much of the yarn I can find around the house.

Introductions are in order!

Hello! I'm Lisa. I'm a crafter, reader, superhero lover, and writer.  I've started this blog to keep track of the things I work on, and to be able to write about the things I love. I am lucky enough to be able to work at a job where I can be creative, and that has inspired me to get serious about the things I make. I'm reading more on technique, trying new things, and learning a lot about photography along the way!

My first crafty-love is crocheting.  I have been crocheting since I was about 8 or 9, but really picked it up again in college, when I started making blankets for people.  Since then, I have built up a serious yarn stash, and a love of experimenting with new patterns and ideas.

I'm a huge mystery lover - Agatha Christie is a god in my world! Rainy days will find me curled up with a glass of wine and a good Hercule Poirot.

I'm a Whovian.  If you don't know what that is, you need to watch Doctor Who. Now. Also, a Marvel comics fan, with the new Captain Marvel series being my current favorite.  I'm fascinated by the role of women in superhero lore, and how little attention women superheroes get.  If I could do my Master's thesis again, I would probably write about that.  (But hey! There's still a PhD to get!)

I'm also a newlywed - I married my person 9 days ago. It was a truly fabulous DIY geeky wedding. My husband is a wine lover and is starting up a blog of his own reviewing wines. We're a happy little blogging family!

Lastly, I am an environmentalist.  I believe in people and planet and want to see people take better care of the world around them.  I am learning where to find materials for my crafts that are more eco-friendly, and loving discovering everything new.

So that's me! I hope that writing this blog keeps me learning and experimenting and growing.