By Crochet Contributor Sara. Follow Sara on her blog, Sunflower Crochet Cottage.
My latest design is a crochet can and glass bottle cozy that can be made up in any color combination or just solids! Enjoy this pattern just in time for the 4th of July celebrations here in America! I plan on making several of these for friends and family to use when they come over.
By Crochet Contributor Sara. Follow Sara on her blog, Sunflower Crochet Cottage.
Don’t you just love a project that only requires scrap yarn to do? I don’t know about you, but i have a ton of scrap yarn! I raided my stash to find some tiny little balls of scrap yarn just for this project.
I am so excited to welcome our newest Think Crafts Contributor Sara! Sara is our new Crochet Contributor, and I can’t wait for you to see all the Crochet and Flea Market/Bazaar ideas that she is going to share with us all. Find out more about Sara’s crochet journey below, and check out her blog, Sunflower Cottage Crochet today!
My first time picking up the crochet hook was with my mother. I was probably around 8 years old. She didn’t know a lot of techniques but she knew how to get started. I remember learning how to make a chain, do single crochet stitches, and half-double crochet stitches.
Eventually, I wanted to learn more. Our neighbor at the time in California was originally from Holland. She was like a second mother to me and taught me all kinds of crafts–sewing, crocheting–all kinds. I asked for her help on crocheting and she taught me several more techniques.
I began to grow up and out of crochet as at the time, it was viewed more as an adult thing–an older adult thing. I wouldn’t pick up the crochet hook again until after I was married.
I started out as I did with my mother–chains and single crochets and the occasional half-double crochet. It seemed I was never going to finish any large projects that way! YouTube became my best friend. I watched Mikey from The Crochet Crowd every day. All his tutorials on each stitch made me want to learn more! Soon, I was watching tutorials on how to make granny squares, then baby blankets, then afghans.
My talent grew to where I no longer needed the videos and could easily read the patterns myself. I started making Christmas gifts which became sort of a tradition for me–each year I make everyone something (or several somethings!) for Christmas.
I look back at my stitch-work from when I first started watching Mikey’s videos and noticed just how much my stitching has improved with all that practice!
Crocheting has completely changed a certain aspect of my life–the anxious one. My anxiety is so severe that I do not work outside the home. In fact, I do not have a job at all, besides being a stay-at-home mom. My daughter is 2 years old and a total joy to be with.
Crocheting helps me unwind that anxiety tension. I struggle with going out of the house alone (even with my daughter) but if I can take my crochet with me (and believe me, I take it everywhere!), I feel like I have my “security blanket”.
Putting myself out there like this–having a blog, having a store that sells my crochet creations and patterns–it’s super scary! I recently attended a vendor/craft event locally for the first time. I was very nervous about how I would do. What would people think about my items? What will they think about me? Am I selling too high? Am I underselling myself? What should I wear?? Seems normal to ask those questions, right? It is, but when you have anxiety, you tend to worry more about those things than most people do. Seeing my items out on display was also sort of putting myself out on display. I was going to be inspected, judged, nit-picked. I spent months researching how to set up my booth and table so it looked organized and chic yet clean. I had “thank you ” bags and a Square reader. I was all set. What do you think happened?
My mother and mother-in-law helping me at the vendor event!
Only one thing sold. I didn’t make back the fee. I spent an entire day behind those tables and only just over 100 people showed up to this event. The one thing I sold was to a friend and fellow vendor. I felt defeated and that my talent wasn’t good enough. I didn’t have what it takes to “make it” in the crochet world.
I came home with all my product and boxed it up. How was I going to get myself to be a name in the crochet business? Blogging is too scary. Etsy and shipping is also super scary. Facebook doesn’t reach enough people that wish to buy.
I chanced upon Elite Blogging Academy and learned the basics of blogging (for free!) and decided–I’m going to put myself out there! I added a shop button to my Facebook page and started posting pictures and prices. Next big step: Etsy. This scares me so much because I don’t understand the shipping process. I’ve watched countless videos on YouTube but it still scares the heck out of me. My husband is incredibly supportive and has promised to help me with it but even so, my anxiety takes over and blows it out of proportion.
I hope you join me on my journey as I battle through anxiety to build my crochet business. I love crochet so much, it certainly doesn’t feel like a job!
Time to pick up some yarn!
By Guest Blogger, Liz Meehan, from the blog, Crafty Woman Shop
Hi! My name is Liz and I’m the woman behind Crafty Woman Shop. I first picked up a crochet hook during the spring after my daughter was born. With the help of YouTube videos, I quickly caught on to the craft and began making items ranging from baby headbands to amigurumi. The items I made were either for my daughter, myself, or as gifts to others. Time and again, friends and family would tell me I should start sharing and selling my creations. After a few years of telling myself I would open up shop, here I finally am! I design both free and paid patterns, and today I am sharing a fun Halloween design that I hope you will enjoy creating!
Well it seemed like it was finally summer, but now fall has quickly rushed in.
Not that I have anything against fall. It is almost tied with summer for being my favorite season. Mild weather, fall foliage, holidays, deliciously scented candles (apple pie, anyone?), seasonal desserts (again, apple pie anyone?)…. I’m sure we can all think of many reasons why fall is so great. The only drawback is the winter chill that begins to creep in, but I guess a positive to this is having an even better reason to crochet!
Halloween is also creeping around the corner, which is a good reason to stretch my creativity into designing some bizarre creations. This week I decided to sit down and design a spider web poncho. I even took it a step further and made a black widow spider to go along with it.
Each month Think Crafts will feature an organization needing handmade items from crafters – like you! This month our focus is the Snuggles Project, a program of the Hugs Society – a nonprofit 501(3)(c) charitable organization.
What is a Snuggle?
The Snuggles Project definition is “a security blanket for shelter animals.” These blankets, or other comforting projects, provide a calming effect for frightened animals which in turn makes it more likely they will be adopted. As you can see below, some animals prefer their Snuggles to the bed the animal shelter provides!
The Snuggles Project website offers crochet, knitting, sew, and no-sew patterns. Snuggles may be small blankets to be used as a blanket, mat, or bed. They can be made of yarn, fleece, or fabric.
Suggested sizes are:
Not all the donated projects need to be blankets – some are “tubbies” made of yarn…
or toys.
Participants in the 22-year-old Snuggles Project program make Snuggles with the intention of donating them to an animal shelter to provide comfort and security to a homeless pet. The Snuggles Project website provides a state-by-state (and international) list of animal shelters accepting Snuggles donations. There is a printable donation form to accompany the Snuggle to increase awareness of the program. The Patterns FAQs answer many questions about appropriate projects and donation sites.
Why make a Snuggle?
There is joy in making and giving something which will provide physical and psychological comfort at a time when an animal feels the most vulnerable and hopeless. Snuggles can be a family, group, and intergenerational effort – the no-sew blankets can be made by children and seniors. The Snuggles Project does offer a membership (not required) which allows participation in the Snuggles Project Facebook Group and the Members Area.
Ready for a simple, fun project? Want a quick project to try out a new stitch or technique? Imperfections won’t matter to the animals. Someone is waiting for a Snuggle!
By Guest Blogger Barbara
My name is Barb, and I started doing crafts during high school while taking a home economics course. The class taught me how to crochet, knit, cross-stitch, macrame and sew. I have been doing these crafts for over 35 years and I still love to learn new techniques and challenging myself. I don’t know everything, but I love to learn and I’m always excited to try new things.
Visit Barb at her blog, One Crafty Gal today!
I love to make washcloths, not only because they are useful and are so much better than the rough ones you buy at the store, but because they give me an opportunity to try new stitches. Whether it’s crocheting or knitting, making a washcloth allows you to practice a new stitch or one you have not used in a while without making a huge commitment. You can make a small mistake here and there and no one will ever know. Once you finish the washcloth you can confidently take on a larger project because you’ve gotten some great practice.
By Guest Blogger Jasmine
Visit Jasmine at her blog, PinkOlay Crochet, on YouTube here, and be sure to visit her Etsy shop today!
So me and my daughter’s were walking through the mall and they saw these cute little back packs that they wanted, looking at these back packs I said I could make these so I set out to make my own pattern for these back packs, as well as my own graphs. My younger daughter want something simple just zigzags, ( which you can get here) and my older daughter want Bendy and the it Machine, ( mind you I had know idea who this was I had to do a whole lot of research, you can get that here) my daughters love there back packs and can’t get enough of them. Now you can use any graph you like on the front of your back pack these are just the ones my daughters like. I hope you enjoy this pattern as much I did making it. Also don’t forget to check out the video here
