April Creates

Blog Relocated -- Please Join Me in My New Blog Home!

2010-11-01T10:22:00.000-05:00

Well blog readers, the time has finally come to leave my original blog home and move entirely over to my new one. I have enjoyed the adventure thus far, and hope that you have too. I hope that you will join me at my new blog http://www.bananamoonstudio.blogspot.com/, on Twitter: @BananaMoonStdio, and/or on Facebook: Banana Moon Studio. I will continue to post about my patterns, designs, publishing successes, crafting adventures, etsy store and item sales, and whatever else I come up with to share with you, in those three places. You can also find my Etsy shop at http://www.bananamoonstudio.etsy.com/. You can also find me on Ravelry as April Garwood. I would love to be your "friend" there. As always, Happy crafting!

April :)

Giveaway Winner and Voting Results

2010-10-28T10:20:00.001-05:00

Well, the mint green received the most votes. Don't they look cute?! This was my favorite choice too. Four people voted, but one of them was my sister. She can have copies of my patterns whenever, so I didn't enter her name in the drawing. So, the winner is..................Kari! Kari, if you will email me at bananamoonstudio (at) att.net (take out the spaces and use the @ sign of course) with the 2 patterns you would like from my etsy shop http://www.bananamoonstudio.etsy.com/, or my ravelry pattern store www.ravelry.com/stores/banana-moon-studio, then I will send them to you as soon as possible. Yay for Kari!

I did put a pair of buttons on the mittens last week, pale blue ones, to take pictures for the pattern. I used that color because it is a close match to one of the colors offered in the suggested yarn. I put the green ones on this morning to show to everyone and I like them a lot! They are so cute! Now I have to decide what to do with the mittens. Sell them? Give them as a gift to someone? Give them to charity? Do another giveaway? I haven't quite decided...

I received the beautiful Plymouth Yarns Suri Merino that I requested. They were so nice and sent me an extra skein. So, I've been working on finishing the stitching on that project. Almost done! I plan to take pictures this weekend, and get the pattern up early next week. Let's hope I run on time!

Also, the call for patterns for Interweave's Fall 2011 issue came out recently, so I have been pondering what to submit for that. Submissions are due late November. I also started on 2 more designs while waiting for the Suri Merino to arrive, and made a few more pairs of baby mittens. Today, I have a date with my girls to go to the library and grocery shopping (ugghh! I detest grocery shopping!)

Happy crafting everyone!

April :)

PS- I will be moving entirely to my new blog www.bananamoonstudio.blogspot.com after this weekend! I hope you'll join me there! :)

Choose your favorite color -- and a giveaway!

2010-10-21T09:27:00.000-05:00

Do you remember a couple of posts ago that I mentioned the comment from a woman on Ravelry about the shape of my "Sweet Little Mittens". Well, I agree with her, that the shape isn't as nice as it could be. As I mentioned, I rather like the rounded shape more. So, I am going to redesign the pattern in the rounded shape and offer both of them, so that buyers can choose the one they like most. They will both have the cute crocheted "button" on them. I am writing the pattern in Valley Yarns Superwash DK. It is so soft and nice! I've made a pair of mittens in a dusty light purple and have not yet made the buttons. I took some pictures of some colors of yarn next to the mittens and want to take a vote.

The choices are
1) teal
2)mint green (color doesn't look quite right in the pic..sorry...I did my best with the camera)
3)mauve
4)light blue
5)aqua

Leave me a comment please with your choice for the buttons (or anything else nice you want to say!). One week from today Oct 28th, I will draw a winner from those who have left comments. That winner will get a free copy of the new mitten pattern as soon as it's done, and one other pattern of their choice from my etsy shop http://www.bananamoonstudio.etsy.com/. Good luck!

Happy crafting!

April :)

PS -- Remember to join me on my new blog before the end of the month http://www.bananamoonstudio.blogspot.com/. See you there!

Answer to a Question

2010-10-20T22:43:00.001-05:00

Momwhoknits asked me why I chose to use Etsy to set up my online shop, and if I had ever heard of Artfire.com. Thanks for your question! Here is my answer:

I first heard of Etsy in one of the first issues of Interweave Crochet that I read. I was very intrigued, so I went to the website and looked around. I was very impressed by many of the outstanding, beautiful, creative, unique things that I found there. At that time I did not know of any other online handmade marketplaces. I have since read of Artfire.com a few times, but have never actually visited the site, so I can't really give an opinion on it, except that Etsy's marketing efforts paid off, and Artfire's apparently did not. I am seeing a lot more ads for individual shops within Etsy, than I am for Artfire shops lately as well. When other sellers, or the Etsy admin, bring attention to the site, it helps all of the sellers, including me. I do not however feel that Etsy is perfect. I have a serious problem with their ridiculously low standards on what constitutes a "mature" item or image. However, I have discovered that the only place that I tend to happen upon such images unawares (and I never go seeking them, so it doesn't happen any other way) is when browsing through the treasuries. So, I do exceptionally little of that anymore. I don't know what the standards for such items are like on other sites, but maybe that would be worth investigating for me. So, really it was not a well-researched choice on my part. Aside from the maturity issues, I like Etsy a lot. I like the look of the stores and I have found SOOO many other sellers making fabulous things, that, atleast for that reason, I am proud to be a part of it.

Good luck to you momwhoknits if you decide to open up shop somewhere! I hope it goes fabulously for you!

Visit my Etsy shop at http://www.bananamoonstudio.etsy.com/

One of my recent listings. These are size 12 to 24 month mittens in a Superwash wool/Bamboo blend yarn. They are super soft! And so cute!

Sneak Peek & Free Yarn For Me

2010-10-19T22:49:00.003-05:00

Here is a sneak peek for you of my next self-publish pattern. I've been waiting to get paid for my "Avery's Wavy Scarf" pattern from Interweave Crochet's Accessories issue, just out, so that I could buy 3 more balls of this Plymouth Yarn Co. Suri Merino to finish the model item. The pattern is nearly all written already. Then I had the bright idea to find out who the design director at Plymouth Yarn Co. is and see if they would be willing to provide the 3 balls of yarn for me -- and voila! the yarn is on it's way (Big thanks to them!). This is such a nice part of having some published designs under my belt. It lets the yarn manufacturers see that I am actually a serious designer, and not just a consumer looking for a deal. So, much to my joy, I have that yarn, and some other great yarn from another yarn company on the way for design projects.

Now, these two pictures are for you to compare. The teal mittens on the left are the model pair that I made for my self-publish pattern "Sweet Little Mittens". You can see that the shape of the mitten body is rather long and narrow. The red mittens on the right are a pair that I just listed in my Etsy shop. The body of those mittens is more rounded. Just recently someone uploaded some pictures of some mittens she made from my pattern on ravelry. She said that the pattern was nice and easy -- good. She also said that she thought the shape was a little odd since babies tend to keep their hands curled up into fists. I think that either shape works fine, but I have concluded that I prefer the more rounded shape just because I think it looks cuter. I'm curious what you all think. Do you prefer one over the other? I think that I may do another verison of this pattern in the more rounded shape, probably written in Valley Yarns Superwash DK.

I have been making lots and lots of baby mittens to list in the shop this week and last, but I think that tomorrow, with what craft time I have, I will probably focus on the re-write of the mitten pattern, and the writing of the sneak peek project I showed you at the beginning of the post. Mostly though, I'll be cleaning house tomorrow. I have begun having a crafting night for myself and friends that I am calling "Get Your Craft On". Our first get together is at my home tomorrow night, so I have to tidy up a bit. That way I can deceive all of my friends into thinking that I am Superwoman, and can crochet a lot, AND have a clean house ;) Hopefully the kids will cooperate with my scheme and not undo all of my cleaning-up as the day goes on. Fingers crossed! (but not holding my breath!).

Happy crafting!

April :)

PS-Don't forget that I will be moving over entirely to my newer blog http://www.bananamoonstudio.blogspot.com/ at the end of this month. I hope to see you there! :)

Etsy Fun

2010-10-15T09:17:00.001-05:00

I've been having fun this week making more baby mittens to list in my Etsy shop. This pair, and the others that I've listed this week are actually ones that I made last year, but I will soon list the ones I made this week. If you're looking for a great baby shower gift, stocking stuffer, or Christmas gift for a baby, these would be a great choice.

I have a lot of fun picking just the right color for the button to really make the mittens look exciting. This color combo is one of my favorite -- dark grey with bright green. What is your favorite color combination?

You can see this and the other items in my Etsy shop here: http://bananamoonstudio.etsy.com/.

Happy crafting this week!

April :)

My Week So Far in Crochet

2010-10-13T09:16:00.001-05:00

I just added these mittens as a finished item to my Etsy shop. I will be adding additional pairs of baby mittens within the next few days and weeks. When I first began my Etsy shop about a year ago this style of thumbless baby mittens was the first thing I began selling. This started because I made some baby mittens as gifts for friends. I so loved how they turned out that I decided to start an Etsy shop and see if I could sell others. I did sell several pairs, but I backed out of selling finished items early this year because I knew that I didn't have the accounting set up correctly to do this. Well, I have devoted a lot of time to getting that kink worked out, and am now working on selling off my remaining mittens. I will also finish using up the yarn I purchased for it by making more and listing those. I have lots of ideas for things I would like to put in my Etsy shop. Some of them will be crochet items. I also have lots of great ideas that I'm really excited about for upcycling items....oh my goodness...I just felt an earthquake. At least I think that's what that was. It shook the house and rattled the doors. To some of you that's probably no big deal, but I've never felt one before. Wow, how unusual for Oklahoma....

Anyway, where was I....I am really excited about the ideas that I have for selling items in my Etsy shop, but I will still continue to publish patterns as well. In fact, I've been working on another self-publish pattern this week. I ran out of yarn, so I won't be able to finish it until after I get more yarn, but I've nearly got the pattern written. That pattern should be available late this month or early next.

I would love to hear about what you are crafting. What would you like to see in my Etsy shop? What patterns would you like to see me design? I would love to have your feedback!

Happy crafting!

April :)

The Reveal

2010-10-08T10:24:00.001-05:00

At long last I can show you the pictures of my latest published design! This is "Avery's Wavy Scarf" from Interweave Crochet Accessories 2010

These pictures are all of the ones taken by Interweave Crochet for the magazine (copyright Interweave Crochet). Below is the sneak peek picture that I showed you several months ago.

This accessories issue is awesome! You can check out the full preview at http://www.interweavecrochet.com/. I'd love to hear what your favorites are. There are a ton of great patterns in this issue. It's not included in subscriptions, so you'll have to go to your LYS or a nearby bookstore to get it, but you won't want to go without it!

I finished making some swatches last night for a new project and started stitching the model for my next pattern to self-publish. This one will be fairly quick and easy, so I hope to have the pattern available within a month. I need to block and photograph my swatches today and work some more on stitching this next project. I've also been working diligently on getting my accounting books all set up -- a necessary evil that comes with designing and selling things. Two of my girls, Princess and Baby, have been sick with a virus (high fevers and hurting tummies) the last 2 1/2 days. I've had a very snugglie baby sitting in my lap for most of that time, so it was a good time to have computer work to do, although it would have gone faster with 2 hands available. Oh well, snugglie babies are awfully nice! Well, it's going to be a beautiful day!

Happy crafting!

April :)

Busy Swatching and Etsy Treasuries

2010-10-05T10:42:00.002-05:00

Well, my faithful blog readers, you may be surprised and dubious to know that I have not forgotten about you. I haven't had much exciting news since my last post, and nothing to show for all the work I am doing. I have been busy making swatches for an upcoming project. I have also been working on an inventory of my supplies and completed items, as I will need this come tax time.

I have so many great ideas of things I'd like to design and make. I don't have nearly enough to time to bring all of my great ideas to fruition -- one of the downsides to creative thinking.

I have made a crochet-themed treasury on Etsy, and two other Etsy sellers have recently featured some of my items in their treasuries. That's always fun. Treasuries can be so pretty. If you aren't familiar with them, a treasury is a themed collection of items that a seller puts together (just digitally, not on paper) and lists in the "Treasury" section of Etsy. You can view the treasury list by going to http://www.etsy.com/ and scrolling down. On the left hand side there is a tab for the Treasury. Click there. I will caution you though that the default method of sorting for the list is by the most popular first. Unfortunately, many of the most popular treasuries contain items that depict scantily-clad, or un-clad, people, so, if that bothers you, as it does me, proceed with caution. I usually don't click on the treasury tab until I have my hand strategically-placed slightly to the right of center to cover the pictures. You can still see the titles, and hopefully you'll be able to tell by the title what you can expect from that particular treasury. Anyway, I will give you some links for the treasury that I made, and the two where you can see my items. All three of them are perfectly appropriate.

Here is the link for the crochet-themed treasury that I made: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4ca35832c9fe8eef8fd9d7c3/hooked?index=1 It does not include any of my own items. Typically it is not considered good manners to put your own items in a treasury. The idea is to feature the work of other artists.

My bolero pattern is in this one:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c95fac6e6f28eef88156f14/a-wedding-in-oklahoma?index=2

My mitten pattern is in this one:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4caa4c860ed48eef307d00fa/teal-harvest?index=0 This treasury is really beautiful! I'm honored to be a part of it!

I hope that you are all enjoying some fun crafting too! Have a lovely fall day!

April :)

Wow! So much good news all at once!

2010-09-27T22:03:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a fun day! I'll try to stay organized as I share all the great crochet news with you! First, I got back the 4 items that I entered in the Oklahoma State Fair creative arts competition. I actually knew the results a few weeks ago, but wasn't ready to post about it just yet. However, here are 3 of the items that I entered and their respective awards:

The prototype for my "Beautiful Arches Bolero" pattern won a 3rd place ribbon in the sweater category. Sorry, I don't have a picture of it finished, so this picture shows stitch markers and yarn ends hanging out.

Baby's "Bella Dress" won a 2nd place ribbon in the baby dress category.

This Alpaca/Silk wrap made from Misti Alpaca Suri Silk in colorway "Manhattan Rose" won a FIRST place ribbon in the shawl/cape category! Yay me!

The fourth item that I entered is one that I wish I could show you, but I can't because it has been submitted for publication somewhere. So, you'll have to wait to see it. However, it won a FIRST place ribbon in its category! Yay again!

So, that was fun. I'll probably enter again next year. I enjoyed it, and my parents sure were proud, who doesn't like to please their parents? (not counting teenagers ;) ).

My next item of big news is that my newest published pattern is now available to purchase in my Ravelry pattern store and my Etsy shop! It is called Gracie Lacy Capris. This is a pattern for girl's capris in sizes 2, 4, 6, and 8. The yarn is Rowan's RYC Siena, a 100% mercerized cotton. This makes a dense fabric, like denim, but it is soft and just a bit shiny. They are dressy, but comfy...and machine washable! Just what you want for kids' clothes. I LOVE how they turned out, and so does Drama Queen! I hope that you all like it, and I would love it if you'd leave me a comment with your thoughts on it! So, here are some pics for you:

So cute, right?!

My third piece of exciting news is that I can FINALLY tell you a little bit about one of my upcoming magazine patterns! I can't reveal everything yet...not until the preview is up with pictures, but the pre-order is up in the Interweave Store. You can see the cover and Table of Contents pages. This special issue is going to be awesome! I'm feeling so lucky to be getting a complementary copy! It has 43 all new patterns in it! These are all accessories, so they will be quick, and use relatively little yarn. Great for gifts! So, here is a link for the pre-order for Interweave Crochet Accessories 2010. You can see my name in the Table of Contents under the name of my pattern "Avery's Wavy Scarf." There aren't any pictures of it in that little preview, but I'll post here when the preview is up with pictures. I'm just as anxious to see them as anyone!

Well, that is it -- all of my exciting news. I would love to hear from you all ;)

Happy crafting!

April :)

My Crafty Legacy

2010-09-27T10:46:00.002-05:00

This will be my last post in my series about my crafty family. This one focuses on my daughters. I have four daughters. In my public internet life I refer to them as Drama Queen, Princess, Lady Hops-a-lot, and Baby. They aren't old enough to have done a lot of crafting yet, but they've done a little. Drama Queen is an outstanding artist, as 6yr olds go. They all enjoy painting when I get brave enough to let them, but Princess seems especially fond of it. A couple of years ago Mr AC and I gave Drama Queen a "Creating Box" for her birthday. We got a big plastic storage tub and filled it with pipe cleaners, stickers, decorative papers, craft foam sheets, wobbly eyes, etc. She and her sisters really enjoy getting that box out and making interesting creations with its contents. I have had each of the 3 oldest give crochet a try. DQ has made a chain, the others have mostly made a mess, but, that's a start. Baby has sat in my lap while I've stitched once in awhile, and likes to feel the yarn and fabric, and grab at my hook. Here are some pictures of their artwork, creations, and crochet efforts:

One of Drama Queen's drawings. She's into designing various rooms lately. This is a bedroom design.

One of Princess's paintings

Some of DQ's creations for her Dad. The blue one has some writing at the bottom that says "Yor the best wun in the yuowesa evr" which translates to "You're the best one in the USA ever". So cute. The pink letters she cut out are "DADE" which translates to "DADDY". It sure makes a parent happy to get something like that from their child!

One of Princess's creations. This was also a gift for Daddy.

Princess's crochet. She let me help her make a chain, so this is what we finished with.

This is DQ's chain. I helped her with the first few chains, but she did most of them herself. I'm so proud!

Lady Hops-a-lot's crochet. I got it ready for her to tinker with and then offered to help her make a chain, but she would have nothing to do with getting help, so she never actually made anything with it. Oh well. She's still rather young.

Well, there you have it. I hope to see my girls do lots of creating over the years. I hope that each of them learns to love creating things in some medium or another.

I think that I will finish my latest pattern this evening. Stay-tuned...I will probably post pictures tomorrow!

Happy crafting!

April :)

My Crafty Grandma and Great-Grandma

2010-09-23T09:18:00.001-05:00

This is my Grandma LaNier as I remember her. I wish that I had some pictures of her from when she was my age, but I don't. She is holding my daughter Princess in this picture. My Grandma died a few years ago. I was so glad that I could go see her shortly before she died. I love my Grandma LaNier very much. She was the first person on either side of my family to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or "Mormon" church. So I have gratitude that she had the courage to embrace something new that has been a blessing in my life. Also, she passed on her crafty heritage to my mom, who then passed it on to me. My Grandma's mom is the one that taught her about embroidery, crochet, knitting, quilting, and sewing. It is meaningful to me that for many of us, this needle craft legacy is passed from one generation of women to another with love, and sometimes there is a man or two in there that is courageous enough to learn as well. Whenever I make something, I can know that many women that love me, enjoyed doing the same thing, and are maybe even watching me from heaven and take joy in knowing that they are a part of what I am making. That's pretty special. So, here are some of the things I have that they made:

Wedding quilt that my Grandma gave to Mr AC and myself on our special day.

These are two pictures of a set that my Grandma cross-stitched. I have several others that all hang in my hallway.

These doilies were made by my great-grandmother, Gertrude Laughlin. They are made with tiny thread and tiny stitches. I don't actually have these on display anywhere in my home right now, but they are put up in a drawer until I find a good spot for them. On the small one you can see on the upper-left side that one of the flowers has either come undone, or deteriorated in some way. But, other than that, they are beautiful and flawless.

I still haven't seen any pics or stories from all of you about your crafty heritage. I really would love to though! Don't forget, you can leave comments here or post stories and/or pics on my Facebook Fan Page.

Also, I now have my new Etsy store up and running. I even had my first sale sometime during the night. Yay!

Happy crafting!

April :)

My Crafty Parents

2010-09-20T12:02:00.002-05:00

I love my parents! My mom taught me to love all things crafting as I was growing up. She is artistic, though she will never admit it. She has painted, but doesn't do it much. She has made furniture. She has laid tile, painted walls, hung wall paper, textured walls, sewn clothing (including 3 wedding dresses and numerous formal dresses for me and my sisters), cross-stitched, embroidered, knitted, crocheted, and quilted. She is awesome! My Dad is an electrical engineer with a Ph.D. He always wanted one of his children to become an engineer like him. My oldest sister is a highschool math teacher, who did not care to be an engineer, but understands some of the math. My other older sister loves caring for children, including her own two. She works at a mother's day out program with children - also not interested in being an engineer. I stay home with my girls, and now like to consider myself an engineer that works with yarn, hooks, fabric, and needles instead of circuit boards, and electrical components like he does. I was so far from interested in being an engineer that I counted out math, physics, and engineering majors first when trying to decide on my college major (I wound up getting my degree in Microbiology). However, I think that the ability to design things is a commen thread between engineering, and crochet and craft design. My younger sister also seems to have no interest in engineering, though I don't think she's quite settled on a career path yet. She currently has a pharmacy tech license, but works at a couple of unrelated jobs, and paints and takes pictures for fun. So, my poor dad didn't get an engineer out of one of his daughters :( , but he has 3 son-in-laws that are a little more electronically and mechanically inclined than their wives. I did marry an engineer, and he and my dad enjoy discussing all things engineering, physics, and math, while most of us tune it out, though my oldest sister does sometimes participate in the math discussions. My Dad is also an entreprenuer, and is a self-employed consultent right now. I feel that my parents backgrounds and experiences have been a big part of what prepared me to design crochet patterns and crafts, and make a business of it. I wouldn't be me without them. I don't have any pictures of my Dad's projects, they're not realy very photogenic, but without more of my yacking, here are some pictures of my mom's beautiful work:

My wedding dress

Quilt she made for Baby

Another of her beautiful quilts

One more marvelous quilt

I feel so blessed to have had parents that taught me I could do anything I wanted to do. They showed me that through their own lives, more than told me. They are wonderful parents!

Happy crafting!

April :)

My Crafty Sisterhood

2010-09-16T10:10:00.000-05:00

This is the second post in my series about my crafty heritage. This one is about: My Sisters. I have three sisters, two older, one younger.

First is my younger sister. She is an artist and photography hobbyist. Her name is Rachel Wood. She would love to begin selling some of her work and just recently got a booth at a market called "Bad Granny's Bizarre" where she hopes to score some sales. Here is one of her paintings

And here is one of her photographs:

She has a style that is quite a bit different than mine, but I think that her art is interesting and I'm very glad that she enjoys it and feels the same satisfaction in creating things that speak to and for her, just as I do.

My older sister K didn't enjoy crafting very much when we were kids, but she got into scrapbooking as a young adult and did that for quite awhile. She prefers digital scrapbooking these days to the actual paper craft. She started crocheting around 4 years ago, I think, and has now picked up knitting as well. Here are some hats she made for my girls Princess and Lady Hops-a-lot when I was expecting each of them (separately, they are not twins).

She's made lots of other things too, but probably not a lot of things for me since I can make them myself.

My oldest sister S is the one that taught me how to crochet when we were both kids. She also took classes as a teen to learn to paint ceramic items. She painted numerous ceramic items and often gave them as gifts. She also got into scrapbooking when it first got big. She cross-stitches, quilts, and more recently, knits. Here is a ceramic she gave me as a gift once many years ago. The top portion is a lid and I use it as a jewelry box.

I LOVED horses and unicorns for many years during my childhood. I still like them, but I'm not quite the fanatic that I used to be. So, this was an excellent gift for me.

Several years ago, and for a couple years in a row, my oldest sister S, organized a "Christmas in July" craft get-together for my mom and each of us. That was a lot of fun and we all enjoyed it a lot. The responsibilities of family have kept us from doing this regularly since then, but hopefully, we'll get back to it soon. I have been very blessed to enjoy crafting with my sisters and learning from them throughout my childhood and adult years. Sisters are great, aren't they?!

I would love to hear your stories of crafting with family members! Post comments here or leave comments and pictures on my Facebook fan page.

Happy crafting!

April :)

My Crafty Beginnings

2010-09-14T10:48:00.000-05:00

Hello blog followers! It's a beautiful sunny day here in Oklahoma. My girls are watching Sesame street right now. Yesterday I bought some new music - downloaded MP3's. Uncle Kracker - Smile, Kelly Clarkson - Already Gone, Colbie Caillat - I Never Told You & Realize, and Dido - White Flag. Such great music! I've been enjoying listening to them, and did so last night while I was stitching on a project. But that's not the point of this post.

I am beginning a series of posts. This first one is on "My Crafty Beginnings". I am going to show you some of my various craft projects from several years ago. In the next few days/weeks I am going to do some posts on my crafty heritage, and my crafty legacy. I am not going digging through all of my old boxes to find every last project that I could show you, afterall, I've got lots of crafting to do and limited time, but I am going to show you a sampling of projects for each post. So, here goes:

MY CRAFTY BEGINNINGS

When I was around 10 or 11, my oldest sister taught me to crochet. I loved it from the beginning! Previous to that however, I had watched my mom sew clothes and quilts and cross-stitch.

This is the earliest project of mine that I have out at my house. This is the second afghan I made. The first one was made of squares that started with a crocheted pansy in the middle. I used teal, pink, purple, and burgundy for the flowers, I think. The squares were ecru. This was the sort of craft project only a mother could love, so I gave it to my mom when I finished it. My tension was very uneven way back then, so the squares are all different sizes. It is therefore not very rectangular.

The afghan pictured above was made in strips. It is also very eneven. It looks there like I just didn't fold it very neatly so the bottom edges look uneven...but the edges are uneven. It is impossible to fold this afghan neatly, because it is also not very rectangular. As you can imagine, it was difficult to count accurately when making those long strips.

On strip in the middle of this picture you can see a rather bumpy spot a few inches from the end. That is where I concluded that I hadn't made this strip long enough and crocheted a little extra strip onto the end. Who knows if I was right or not, I may have wound up making it too long. Anyway, practice makes perfect, right?

I also remember my other older sister getting a hold of some thread crochet patterns for vintage-style Barbie dresses. They were gorgeous! I don't know who designed them, but kudos to them for making some beautiful designs. I was very ambitious (always have been, still am) and decided to make one of these dresses. The very full skirt was made of rows and rows of dc with lots of increases. Well, about 1/3 of the way through that skirt I lost steam and didn't finish it, but it was still finished enough for Barbie to wear.

I also made a small throw quilt when I was 13 or so - a project that my mom wanted each of us (myself and my 3 sisters) to accomplish so we could learn quilting basics. Mine was made of four large maple leaf blocks, each probably 2' x 2'.

Well, I won't chronicle every project in between, but here is another project:

This, of course is painted. I really enjoyed drawing and painting when I was young, though I don't do it a lot anymore (except when creating logos apparently ;) ). I played the trumpet and the french horn in band from 6-12 grades and into my first couple years of college. Blue was my favorite color for a long time. I made this painting as a birthday present for my boyfriend at the time for his 16th birthday. Talking on the phone one night I told him that I was making him something for his birthday. Now, he did not grow up with crafting in his home, so his reaction was a very negative sounding, "You're making me something?..." I definitely got the impression that he was not impressed. I think he might have been if he had ever seen it, but he never did. I broke up with him a very short time later, before his birthday, and kept this painting for myself. It hung in my room/home until our last move. I've gotten a little burned out on blue, so it doesn't match any part of our home right now.

This painting was one I did during my college years before I was married. A couple of my friends organized a very fun painting night for all of the girls in the student branch of our church at OU (The University of Oklahoma). It was a blast! They had gathered up several things to paint on, including a few squares of plywood like this one. I painted this very casually and had a marvelous time doing it. I also painted a little wooden chest, but I'm not sure where it is now. Another friend painted another plywood square and it was also a marvelous painting. This painting hangs in our dining room and was the inspiration for our current decorating scheme.

This is a cross-stitch that I made during my college years. I worked on it off and on for about 6 years I think. When I finished it my mom had it framed for me. It was on a very small gauge cross-stitch fabric and is very detailed. It turned out really beautifully. It hangs in our hallway now. I have very fond memories of watching my mom cross-stitch when I was little. I was mesmorized by how the picture would come together just little bits at a time. I loved seeing how a few little stitches gradually grew, color by color, into an animal, a landscape, a building, or whatever it was she was making. It's like painting in thread and fabric.

I hope that you enjoyed seeing some of my early projects. I would LOVE to see some of yours and hear about your crafty beginnings. You can leave comments to this post, or you can post pictures and stories on my Facebook Fan page. I look forward to hearing from you!

Happy crafting!

April :)

B's Stitch, State Fair, and Giveaway

2010-09-11T18:43:00.000-05:00

Hello all! As promised I am going to tell you about the stitch pattern that my good friend B showed me. It is pretty neat. It winds up making alternating squares that look embossed and engraved into the fabric.

You start by making a foundation chain that has a total number of chains divisible by 6 + 5 more chains.

R1- The first 3 chains form the first dc, dc in 4th ch from hook and in ea ch across. (If you prefer not working into foundation chs, then make a row of foundation double crochet and turn at the end).

R2- Ch 3, skp first dc, fpdc in next 2 dc, (dc in next 3 dc, fpdc in next 3 dc) across, turn.

R3- Ch 3, skp first dc, dc in next 2 dc, (fpdc in next 3 dc, dc in next 3 dc) across, turn.

Alternate repeating rows 2 and 3 to your heart's content! Finish off when you get tired of stitching!

Cool huh?! and very easy.

So, in my crochet world today...I went to the State Fairgrounds to drop off 4 crochet items that I have entered in the State Fair creative arts competition. I'll post again in a few weeks when I know the results of the judging. I'm excited!

Also, remember that giveaway that I posted about a few weeks ago? For a crochet hook case? You get one point for each pattern purchase from my ravelry store or my etsy store? And you also get one point for blogging about the giveaway on your own blog, and then telling me about it in a comment? Well, I am sorry to say that NO ONE has gotten ANY points! Now, I'm not entirely surprised. I know that two patterns isn't much selection. What I would like to point out though is that if you would like the hook case....your chances are pretty good if you get even one point since the opportunity to collect points ends at 11:59 CDT tonight. Just sayin...

So, have a lovely weekend, and if you haven't already, spend a few minutes thinking about what happened on this day 9 years ago, and think of something you could do to bring a little more peace to the world...forgive someone, get over something that has been irritating you, say you're sorry, commit to tell someone you love them, decide to be nice to someone that you haven't been nice to previously, etc.

Happy crafting!

April :)

Changover Progress So Far

2010-09-09T23:17:00.000-05:00

Hello blog readers! I have made a lot of progress today on my brand name changeover. More than I expected to. Hooray! So, where I stand right now is this:

Blog: you can continue to follow me on this blog or you can begin following me on my new blog. I will update both for awhile, and then move exclusively to the new blog around the end of October.
Etsy: still at http://www.aprilcreates.etsy.com/
Ravelry profile: April Garwood (no change)
Ravelry pattern shop: now at www.ravelry.com/stores/banana-moon-studio
Facebook: now at Banana Moon Studio
Twitter: @BananaMoonStdio

I think that's all for now on that front. I so appreciate the support of all of my blog followers and hope that you will follow me on this next step of my craft adventure! I look forward to seeing all of you on my new blog very soon!

Happy stitching!

April :)

New Brand Name and Logo

2010-09-09T11:43:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm ready to show you my new brand name and logo! I am so excited about it. The name is Banana Moon Studio. I contemplated a lot of ideas and was very instrospective for awhile to come up with something that would be interesting and true to my personality. While I was doing all this soul-searching I remembered one of my favorite memories. When Drama Queen was maybe 18mos old we were driving home from my parents' house late one evening. There was a yellow crescent moon in the sky. DQ was sitting in her carseat in the backseat of our little Toyota Carola, which we no longer have. She pointed out the window at the moon and said, "Beena", her word at the time for banana. It wasn't in a really excited voice, she was just calmly pointing out that there was a banana in the sky. When I remembered that it hit me that "Banana Moon" was a perfect name! I thought at first "Banana Moon Stitches" or "Banana Moon Stitchery", but after an hour or so of thinking on it, I had it, "Banana Moon Studio"...Perfect!

So, here is my new logo. I love it!!! I actually painted the colors onto a banana and then pressed it onto a sheet of paper. The kids thought this was very funny. Mommy doesn't usually do such silly things, afterall. I used photo-editing software from http://www.picnik.com/ to perfect it and add the text (after scanning the dried painting of course). I spoke to a lawyer about trademarking my name and logo. It's rather pricey, which is what I expected, but I've got to wait until I get paid for some of my projects, which doesn't happen until they are actually out. However, he said that actually getting it out there and using before I trademark it is good, because that way I will have a "date first used in commerce" to put on the paperwork when I fill it out. So, here it is! I would love to get your feedback on it! What do you think?

I will begin tweeting from my new twitter handle @bananamoonstdio very soon. I will move my Etsy shop within a month to http://bananamoonstudio.etsy.com/, I will probably not change my blog though until late October. I'll announce it here when I make each change. I hope that I won't lose any of my loyal followers when I make all these changes. Bytheway, my blog is already designed and set up, I just haven't posted anything yet. You can check it out at http://bananamoonstudio.blogspot.com/. I still have to rewrite the contact info on the two patterns that are for sale in my etsy and ravelry shops, and change the name of my ravelry pattern store. So, there it's lots to do to make the change. Let me know what you think!

Happy crafting!

April :)

Rambling

2010-09-08T23:46:00.000-05:00

This picutre doesn't really have anything to do with this post (atleast, it didn't). I was just going to post it so you'd have something cute to look at, but now that I've posted it....I took my girls to the pediatrician today. Three of them and one of me (it's a good thing there aren't more of me, but then again, if there were, maybe I'd get more done ;) ) have had the sniffles for the last week or two. Drama Queen and Baby have sinus infections :( poor girls. I probably have one too, but I'm not sure that it's anything worse than allergies yet, so I'm holding off on taking myself to the Dr.

Anyway, there is a sweet woman that I go to church with who goes by B. She crochets, mostly baby blankets. She saw me carrying around Baby's blankie at church one day and was intrigued by the stitch. We decided to get together sometime to swap stitch secrets.

Here is the blankie that she was excited about. The yellow squares are made with a "loop stitch" or "fur stitch". It is made by working rows of sc. On the wrong side rows you loop the working yarn around your finger or a dowl or knitting needle to make the loop, then work a ch, and then work the sc, so there is one loop for each sc. The bluish purple squares are worked in a lace stitch. You can find this pattern on crochetme.com, where I published it for free. It is called "Snugglie Crochet Quilt".

In the next few days I will take a picture of the little swatch I made of the stitch that B showed me and share it with you. I would love to see pics and explanations of the neat stitches that you know. Be sure though that your post doesn't violate anyone's copyright, so, put the instructions in your own writing, rather than copying word for word from a book. You can post instructions in a comment here, or a pic and instructions on my Facebook page. I look forward to seeing your stitches!

And now, it is late, and I need to get to bed. I'm hoping for some sunshine tomorrow!

Sweet dreams!

April :)

Freebie for blog readers!

2010-09-07T09:42:00.001-05:00

I worked a little yesterday and today on a digital freebie for those that make purchases from my etsy shop. I've decided to give the freebie to all of my blog readers as well! Lucky you! Just leave a comment on this post with your email address or email me at aprilcreates @ att.net and I'll send it to you. Easy! It's a .pdf file, so you'll have to have Adobe Acrobat to download and use it. It's a yarn-inspired list (as in, a page with blank lines all over it for you to write stuff on). There are two sheets to a regular size page. You can cut them apart and use them as a to-do list, grocery list, project list, notepad, etc. I hope you enjoy them!

I got an email from Marcy Smith, Editor of Interweave Crochet today! I love getting emails from her, because it usually means that I'm getting something published (She's also very nice, so that's even better). This had to do with my Chain Reaction Afghan block. I'll let you know when it's out! I have to get the finished square ready for mailing, finish up and email the pattern, and stitch on a self-publish project today. What will you be crafting today? You can post pictures and tell me about your projects on my Facebook Fan page: April Creates.

Happy crafting!

April :)

Happy Day :)

2010-09-03T11:16:00.000-05:00

My friends Alpaca, Merino, Silk, and Cotton have arrived for a play date and it is sure to be lots of fun. Lots of work to do today. I love it!

Happy stitching all!

April :)

Great Book, Change, Pineapple, and a Project

2010-09-02T15:42:00.002-05:00

Two days ago, Tuesday that it is, I went to "Back-to-School" Night at Drama Queen's school. Afterward, I had the rare and wonderful opportunity to get some time to myself. I went to Barnes & Noble, one of my very favorite places. I got some new preschool workbooks for Princess, which she needed. I then went to browse the craft section. It is always interesting to me to see what books have come out recently from designers that I know of. I was AWED by Kristin Omdahl's new book Croceht So Fine. Some of the projects were remarkable. Then, I happened to spot this book:

This is an excellent book that I am really enjoying. Great to read if you want to sell your crafts! I am about halfway through it already. I am feeling very inspired and energized about things with my business. One of the sections is about branding-coming up with an image and feel for your business and how you convey that in your materials. This has inspired me to begin to make some changes. I have thought for awhile now, that my trade name, "April Creates" is rather dull. I chose it because it conveys to me why I am making a business out of my hobby. I was very inspired a couple of years back by a church meeting that I went to. One of our general leaders was speaking specifically to women. He encouraged us to be creative in order to find happiness. He said that being creative makes us like God in a small way. It allows us to improve the world both around us and within us. A quote from that message is in my banner at the top of my blog. I have hesitated to change my trade name for a couple reasons: 1) the time and effort involved, 2) concern that I might lose some of my followers in the process, and 3) not wanting to lose sight of the importance I place on creating things and what it means to me. However, I also feel that in order to do business well, a name and an image that excites others, and makes me feel good about that image, is essential. I've concluded that just like mistakes in my crochet, this is going to keep nagging at me until I fix it, and it's better to make the change now as it will be even more work the longer I wait. So, there are changes coming. I want to get everything set up just right before I unveil my new trade name. I'd really like to get that and my logo, which I started on today (that was great fun!), trademarked/registered before using them so that I can be sure no one else will use them. So, it will be a bit before you see the changes, but I will post all the details here before making the switch to a new blog and etsy store, etc. I am also feeling excited again about the prospect of selling finished items. This is something I started out doing last year, but pulled back in favor of just selling patterns. I really like the idea though of doing both. However, the accounting is more complicated for selling finished items, and this aspect of business is SOOOOOO stressful to me. I think that I need to either invest in bookkeeping software, or hire a bookkeeper to help me set things up before I get started down that vein again.

Yesterday I loaded up my 3 youngest and went grocery shopping, the most dreaded chore of my week. We bought some fresh pineapple. It was on sale. I LOVE fresh pineapple, but I don't buy it very often. It is one of those things that I always get when it is available at social events and buffets. It is one of those great summer fruits I enjoy. I also love cherries and cantaloupe. Does anyone have any great summer fruit recipes that I should try out before the summer fruits are gone for the season? I chopped ours up today and had some for lunch. Yummy! Lady Hops-a-lot had some too, but not much. The other girls weren't very impressed by the sight of it. I thought it was wonderful!

I also have a little sneak peek here of the design project I have been working on for a couple months now. I am mostly likely going to self-publish this one, because I am itching to get a paying project out. I took this picture sitting right here at my computer, where I often sit when I work. I also frequently work sitting up in bed, and at the dining room table.

Well, Lady Hops-a-lot, and Princess are chasing each other, and Baby is just about to get up from a nap. Drama Queen's bus will be here soon. So, I might get in a few more rounds, but then it's off to my Mommy duties.

Happy stitching all!

April :)

PS-don't forget about the crochet hook case giveaway going on now through Sept. 11 for International Crochet Day! Details here: http://aprilcreates.blogspot.com/2010/08/international-crochet-day-giveaway.html

International Crochet Day Giveaway!

2010-08-30T13:32:00.001-05:00

In honor of International Crochet Day Sunday September 12th, I will be doing my first blog giveaway! How fun! I have taken a few pictures of this roll-up style crochet hook case that I designed and made myself so that you can get a good look at it. This is the prize for the giveaway. It is made in cotton fabrics: off-white with black butterflies, and mauve. The ribbon tie is sheer mauve.

Their is interfacing between the layers to give it added stiffness. I bound the edges just like a quilt and sewed it all by machine.

There is a flap to cover the tops of the crochet hooks so that they won't fall out when the case is rolled up. I used a decorative stitch around the edges of the flap.

The crochet hooks are not included with the case, but they are there for demonstration. The pockets are of graduated sizes, and are made to fit standard aluminum and steel crochet hooks. On the right of the hook pockets, there is a pocket for small notions. I use mine for stitch markers.

So, how do you win this beautiful handmade case? Purchase a pattern from me beginning at12:00am CDT Wed Sept 1st, and ending at 11:59pm CDT Sat. Sept 11th. You can do so through my etsy store: http://aprilcreates.etsy.com/ or my ravelry pattern store http://ravelry.com/stores/april-creates-designs-by-april-garwood. I know that I only have 2 available to purchase right now, and that doesn't give you a lot of options. Sorry! For each pattern purchased, you get one entry. You can also get one entry by blogging about this giveaway on your own blog. Please comment below with a link so that I can find it.

I'll draw a name and announce the winner on Monday Sept 13th. Good luck to everyone!

Happy stitching!

April

Design Submission Finally Finished!

2010-08-26T22:04:00.001-05:00

Well, it has been a full 10 days since my last post. Sorry, it's been a little boring lately. However, I did reach a milestone this evening. I finally finished this submission package that I have been working on for the last few weeks. Now, I can dive back in to the design project I was working on before I started on this. This design gig is difficult. I have very limited time in which to work on projects, I'm not nearly as organized as I ought to be, I am flying by the seat of my pants (aka, learning as I go) when it comes to both design and accounting (the part of this that I dislike most), and there is so much waiting...I really don't like waiting. I am still waiting to know about my last two design submissions. However, I still love doing it. So, I just keep going, hoping that I don't mess up the accounting stuff too badly, and frogging and fixing my design mistakes as I work on things.

For instance, the project that I am just about to get back to...Several rows ago I made some decreases that left comparatively large holes in the fabric in a place that would definitely show. I DETEST ripping back, so I just kept going, rationalizing that it wouldn't be all that noticeable....and then, a few nights ago, I finally gave in to that nagging voice inside of me, telling me to go back and fix it. I ripped out several rows of work, went back, changed the way the decrease was worked to fill in the holes, and then I had to make changes to the written pattern as well, for several rows. I'm still not back to where I was, but the design will be better for my ripping and re-doing. Next time hopefully that nagging voice will convince me more quickly to make the change so that it isn't so involved and time-consuming.

Also, International Crochet Day is coming up on Sept. 12. My friend Jimbo (who makes exquisite wooden crochet hooks) is hosting a contest via his blog for the occasion. You should definitely go check it out! I will be doing a giveaway on my blog as well for International Crochet Day, stay tuned...

Until then, happy crocheting!

April :)

PS-If you haven't yet voted for my Chain Reaction Afghan Block entry, tomorrow (Fri Aug 27th) is the LAST day to vote! Please go to http://crochetme.com/ and vote for my block! There is a link directly to it in the right sidebar. Last time I checked I was in third place :)

YAY! My afghan block is a semi-finalist!

2010-08-16T08:49:00.000-05:00

My 12"x12" afghan block has been chosen as a semi-finalist in the "Chain Reaction" Afghan project. Interweave Crochet, and their crochet community website Crochetme.com, is sponsoring this project. They have had 10 of their frequent designers design afghan blocks that have been published in the Summer and upcoming Fall issue of Interweave Crochet. They had readers and Crochetme.com users design blocks and upload them into a contest gallery. They have now chosen 25 semi-finalist entries to be voted on by registered Crochetme.com users. The 10 entried receiving the most votes will win a contract and $100 for the designer. And, the 10 winning squares will be published in either the Winter or Spring issues of Interweave Crochet. If you are not a registered user of Crochetme.com, and you crochet even a little bit, you can register here. Once you are registered, PLEASE vote for my block by clicking here and then finding the "Vote for This" link on the right-hand side! Thanks guys/gals!

Happy stitching!
April :D

Finished, Yarny Inheritance, Swatching

2010-08-12T10:22:00.000-05:00

I finally finished a Bella Dress for my own baby and I love how it turned out! I started making it in this pink and really hoped I could find a good fabric to use that would have both pink and orange in it. The fabric has white w/ pink flowers, orange flowers, and yellow w/ pink flowers on it. Perfect! She was a perfect little model for me while I took pictures in the front yard. Next spring I can sell my own version of the pattern on Ravelry for folks to buy. When I do, the sweet pictures I took of my baby will grace the pages.

My yarny inheritance...My husband's aunt passed away recently. I'm glad for her that she is free from the health problems that she has suffered with the last few years. I'm sure that her spirit is feeling so free without the oxygen tank she's had to have with her for the last several years. Rest in peace Barbara... She was a crocheter until the last few years of her life. She had stockpiled lots of acrylic yarn. No one else in the family crochets, so hubby brought 4 trash bags filled with acrylic yarn for me. I might actually work up a swatch for a design submission with some of it. Mostly though I plan to make stuffed animals and blankets to donate to charity with it. Most charities really want items that can be machine washed and dried, so acrylic is perfect for that. That is one of the bags with several skeins on top in my closet. I better hurry up and use some of this so that the bags aren't taking up space in my closet and room for very long!

I was amused by this particular skein that came in those bags and others of the same brand. Some of this yarn was obviously purchased a long time ago when acrylic yarn was in its hay-day. Most yarn labels don't like to trumpet their being made of acrylic anymore. It is my understanding (and not my first-hand knowledge, cause I'm still somewhat young when compared with numerous other crocheters), that when acrylic yarn became available it was all the rage because it was easy care and inexpensive. Previously, most yarn would have been made with wool that was probably scratchy because it was not treated and spun in a way to produce softness, and it had to be hand-washed and dried flat, and it was expensive. So, back in the day, acrylic yarn was the thing to have!

I am posting this to show you something else that I do on occasion--decorate cakes! Now, I am no professional. Infact, I've never even taken a class. A good friend of mine that had taken classes showed me some things, and I have a book that I have used for guidance. I only do this for family birthdays. I thought you might enjoy seeing it.

Other than all that, my week was pretty productive until yesterday. I'd been feeling for awhile like my neck could use a trip to the chiropracter for a good popping. Then yesterday morning at some point the muscles in my left shoulder and the same side of my neck knotted up and I could barely turn my head to the left, and not a lot to the right either. Not so fun. Mr AC came home from work in the afternoon to take me to the chiro. since I didn't feel like I could drive safely. It is feeling a little improved this morning. Hopefully, I'll be back to normal within a few days. I think rest, ice, and IBuprofen will probably help me along. Also, the call for patterns for next Summer's issue of Interweave came out on Monday I think. I was a little overwhelmed reading through it the first time because it was a lot more specific than previous ones. After contemplating for awhile I came up with lots of great ideas, more than I care to work into a submission, but I will probably submit 2 or 3. I worked on a swatch for that yesterday and will probably finish that one and start on another today. Previous to that, I've been working for the last week or so on a design project and I am really pleased with how it is turning out. I'm not sure yet if I will submit that one to a magazine or self-publish it. We'll see. Well, I'd love to hear from my blog readers once in awhile....so please, feel free to speak up and leave a comment. I'd love to know what you think about what I've been working on, or what you've been working on, or what you'd like to see me working on. Drop me a line!

Happy stitching!

April

More completed Bella Dresses

2010-07-28T23:50:00.000-05:00

This Bella Dress was made by Kelly, from Canada. This is the first completed dress that I saw after the pattern was published. She used Debbie Bliss Eco Cotton yarn. I love the colors! I also love how the design is so versatile. Two people could pick the exact same yarn and wind up with a completely different dress based on the fabric and ribbon they use. It's been fun to see all of the different versions that have been made.

This beautiful dress was made by Jocelyn from Pennsylvania. I love the fabric she found. This is really a beautiful dress. This is the second one that I saw a picture of completed. The yarn she used is Debbie Bliss Ecobaby Fairtrade.

This dress is the most recently completed one that I've seen. It was made by Erin, who lives in the US, though I don't know which state. She used Bernat Cottontots Ombres. It turned out pretty cute. I like how the variegated yarn looks in the skirt section.

Well, it has been SO fun for me to see these dresses via Ravelry. I just love that site. As a designer, it is really the place to be on the web. I love to see pictures of completed projects from my designs. It will be super fun to see what comes up when my next 2 designs come out late this year. Bytheway, these photos are copyrighted by the talented ladies that made the dresses, and I appreciate their willingness to let me post them here for you all to see.

And now, it is almost time for me to go to bed, so Adieu for the night!

Sweet dreams!
April :)

Bella Dress - Crochet Me

2010-07-28T14:33:00.001-05:00

Bella Dress - Crochet Me(click link to go to crochetme.com and see a picture)
Well, I have not personally done a lot of crocheting this week. After finishing something with a deadline, I usually have to ease off for a while and catch up on other things. I have to pour a lot of my free time and not-so-free time into finishing the item and the pattern in only 3 weeks. So, instead of seeing something I made this week, I'll show you the Bella Dress that is being/was made by Interweave Crochet Associate Editor Toni Rexroat. I think the yarn is dark purple, though it looks black in the picture when viewed on my computer. You can find this in the "Work In Progress" gallery on crochetme.com. There are also a few people on Ravelry that have made them. I am going to try to post pictures of these on the blog and Facebook as I get permission from the crafters. So, we'll start with this one.

I would love to hear from any of you about what you are up to with crochet lately.

Happy stitching!
April :)

Sneak Peek!

2010-07-20T10:43:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is my sneak peek picture. As usual, I took this during blocking so the yellow, and one green, dots are pins. This will be out late this year. I always wish I could show you more, but editors don't approve of having all the surprises of upcoming publications given away, so you have to settle for a little snippet. What do you gals/guys think?

This week I have to finish up writing the pattern, mail this one off, send in another submission, catch up on household things, prepare for a birthday party, and get back to a project that I put on hold to work on this one. And of course, take care of my kiddos, and keep the house reasonably clean.

Just a few days ago I got the dates and place for next year's CGOA conference. It is July 27-31 in Minneapolis, MN. I think there is a 95% chance that I will be going. I might even have a free plane ticket thanks to Mr AC's frequent flyer points. However, I've committed myself to getting more design ideas submitted so that I'll be sure to make enough to pay for the trip even without the plane ticket, as he may need to use it to visit family soon. Are any of you hoping to make it to the conference? I sure would love to meet up with any of my blog readers while there!

Well, happy crocheting all!

April

Checking in

2010-07-09T17:14:00.000-05:00

This week I have been working solely (crochet wise anyway) on my next magazine project. It's not finished yet, but when it's blocking I'll take a sneak peek picture to post on the blog for you. The picture above is a chain made mostly by Drama Queen (see my post Super Secret Code Names) for her entry into Jimbo's Kinder Crochet Week competition. He wound up making a hook for each child that was entered because there were so few. So, each of my 3 oldest girls got a genuine wooden Jimbo crochet hook of their very own. They are so cute!

In other news, I had a day yesterday that is a sort of day I dislike. I never managed to get my brain engaged in my day, so I sort of drifted from one thing to another, not really knowing what to do next, not using time very well, and having lots of (minor) catastrophes. When I have a day like this I find that it is the result of poor planning. I do much better when I make a to-do list. So, today I planned, and have had a marvelously purposeful day.

Also, I am giving a trial run to two other social networking sites. I have registered on Twitter, and you can find me there as @AprilCreates. If I've done this right, clicking that link will take you to my Twitter profile, but I have also added a button in the right sidebar that will allow you to follow me on Twitter. So far, and if I continue in the same pattern, you'll probably find more non-crochet related tidbits in my tweets than you will on my blog. Also, I have started a Facebook Fan Page, that I will endeavor to update about as frequently, and with the same info as my blog, so you could follow me either place and not miss anything by only keeping up with one of them. The fan page is April Creates, nice theme huh? There is also a link to that in the right sidebar, but I'm not sure its working just yet, however the link in the body of this post, just above, should work. Well, so I've started these, I'm not sure yet how they will go. You can join me for the experiment if you like, but I make no promises as to the duration of the two just yet.

Hopefully, I'll post a sneak peek pic soon. Until then, happy crocheting!

April :)

Pink Bella Dress & Power

2010-06-30T22:22:00.001-05:00

Well, I've finished all of the stitching on the Bella Dress that I am making for Baby, except the underarm edging. Pretty soon I get to do the fun part--fabric shopping. I think that is fun because choosing the fabric is what really makes the dress come to life.

The past week has been a great one. Mr. AC and I took a little trip to Tulsa last week to attend the Michael Buble concert. It was fantastic! We really had a great time. We also went out to dinner at a very nice seafood resturaunt (I love seafood!), and stayed overnight at a Doubletree hotel that was really nice. The girls stayed with my in-laws. They are very generous and helpful people. That was a much-needed respite from the day to day of taking care of four little kiddos and cleaning the house. So, as we were driving to and from Tulsa I was of course crocheting. The project I was working on is one that I thought I would probably self-publish, but I debated quite a bit as to what I wanted to do with it and finally decided to submit it to a magazine. I expect to get an answer within about 2 months time. If they don't decide to use it, I may try submitting it to a yarn company, which would be a first for me. If that doesn't work out, then I will self-publish it.

After the concert we headed back to the hotel and I checked my email on Mr. AC's Blackberry, which his employer provides. I am so envious...I want a smartphone! Maybe sometime soon....Anyway, I was thrilled to find an email from an editor waiting for me. I will have my third magazine project published late this year!!! The yarn for that project arrived today. Waiting for that yarn is always a little like Christmas. I never know what the yarn will be until it arrives, so I always tear into the package with great anticipation. I LOVE the yarn they sent! That's happy, it doesn't always work out that way. So, I started swatching for that project today. One thing that I like about designing is that I get to set the gauge. When you read a pattern it states the gauge and then says "For best results, always check your gauge" and "Adjust hook size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge". Well, when I am the designer, I get to choose whatever hook size I like and that produces the right drape and openness with my own natural gauge, no adjustments necessary! It kind of reminds me of how I felt about naming my kids, the gauge will forever and always be what I make it, whether anyone else likes it or not. How's that for power?!

This brings my total of projects to be published this year to 5. I set a goal early this year to publish 6 this year. What sort of project would you like to see me do for the 6th? Where wold you most like to see it published?

Well, anyway, that's been my crocheting for the past week. What have you been working on?

Happy stitching!
April

A Reminder and Goings On

2010-06-21T09:33:00.001-05:00

This is a skirt that I made for Princess. This is not one that I designed. I finished working on some magazine submission swatches and wanted to do something relaxing, fun, and easy. So, I used some leftovers to make this. It is a free pattern from http://www.redheart.com/ called "Too Cute Ruffled Skirt". The pattern calls for more ruffles, but I didn't have enough yarn for more, so I just made one short ruffle at the bottom. The picture on the bottom there is fun, that is a spinning picture. The skirt flattens out into a circle if you lay it on the floor, so it flares out really well when she spins in it, which she loves. She wanted to wear this skirt for 3 days straight after I finished it and I finally insisted that it go in the wash. It is made from Berroco Vintage. I love the feel of Vintage, but it was beginning to fuzz and pill on day 3, so I'm not so impressed with its wearability.

I just love this little dress! This is a gift for a friend of mine that is having a baby girl soon. This dress has some interesting history though. It is made in Sandnes Garn Mandarin Petit 100% Cotton yarn. That is the yarn and this is the pattern that was the prototype for the Bella Dress from Interweave Crochet Spring 2010. Below is a picture of the two submission swatches that I made to send in to Interweave. I made two of them and really liked this brown and blue one best. However, this color of the yarn had been discontinued, so I sent in the pink/black one instead. Not knowing that the editors would send me a completely different yarn of their own choosing, I bought enough of each color to make a dress. So, I went ahead and made this dress, thinking that I would make it for my own baby. However, I got it all done except the ribbon and buttons and then got so busy that I didn't finish it until a few days ago. It is a 3 to 6 month size, and my baby is now 10 1/2 months old. So, it is going to be a gift. I still have the pink yarn and black and white print to make a dress like the other swatch. Maybe someday I'll make that one and gift it to someone else. As you can see, I did the ribbon a little differently on this dress than in the pattern. Mostly because the only ribbon I could find in just the right color was too wide to fit through the stitches.

This beautiful hook is the one I told you about that I purchased from Jimbo of http://www.jimbosfrontporch.blogspot.com/. It is a size 7 which is between a G and an H. This size is not easy to find because most of the major manufacturers don't make them. I have seen some patterns that call for them though, so it is a good one to have. It is made from Panamanian Rosewood. It is extra long so that the end doesn't rub in my palm (since I am a knife-gripper). The wood is so smooth! And the grip is so comfortable! I was very impressed with the quick shipping and outstanding customer service. I definitely recommend these hooks and Jimbo as a great person to work with.

Well, I'm beginning work on a new desgin. This is a sewing pattern taped to my dining room window. It's been up there since friday I think. I am using this to help myself generate a schematic so that I know what the shapes of the pieces should be. I tape it to the window so that I can trace it more easily. When the light shines through the back of it, you can put a sheet of paper over it and still see the lines very easily. This is like a drafter's light table, only not quite as nice-looking or convenient. Add that to the list of things to include in my dream studio someday.

This is a reminder about International Kinder Crochet Week. It is this week. Today through Saturday the first child age 16 or under to email me at aprilcreates@att.net (through a parent's email if necessary) and tell me for whom they would like to make a pair of baby mittens, will be emailed a free .pdf copy of my "Sweet Little Mittens" pattern. Also, don't forget to send pictures of your child's crochet work to Jimbo, to be entered in the hook drawing. See details on his blog http://www.jimbosfrontporch.blogspot.com/.

International Kinder Crochet Week

2010-06-11T09:31:00.000-05:00

My new friend Jimbo from Jimbo's Front Porch Handmade Crochet Hooks is beginning an International Kinder Crochet Week (that's kinder as in child). It is the week of June 20-26. The idea is to encourage the teaching of crochet to children. So, to join in the effort, I am going to do a giveaway of my own (details on his giveaway below). Monday through Saturday of that week, that's June 21st through the 26th, the first child to email me (via a parent's email if necessary) at aprilcreates@att.net and tell me for whom they would like to make a pair of baby mittens, will receive a free .pdf copy of my pattern "Sweet Little Mittens" by email.

This picture is one taken by Jimbo of the beautiful wooden crochet hooks he has made to giveaway through his blog http://www.jimbosfrontporch.blogspot.com/. All you need to do is take a picture of your child's crochet creation, it can be as simple as a chain, and email it to him with some info. about your child during that week. He is going to do a drawing, not a competition, to determine who gets these beautiful hooks. Visit his blog for more details. FYI, his hooks have won the Crochet Liberation Front's award for "Best Crochet Hooks by an Individual" for the last 2 years! I just barely purchased one myself. I haven't had the chance to use it yet but it is beautiful, very smooth and nice feeling, and extra long, so the end of it doesn't rub in my palm (since I am a knife-gripper). I plan to post a pic of my own hook soon. A few of hese hooks are extra nice for little kids because they have chunky handles which are easier for little hands to hold. I hope that one of my girls wins one! Good luck everyone!

April

This and That

2010-06-08T13:58:00.000-05:00

Well, last week was our family "staycation". We went ice skating the Saturday before that, camping last Monday and Tuesday, to Alabaster Caverns on Wednesday, to a Women's College World Series softball game on Thursday, a break on Friday, and fishing and swimming (with a brief trip to a yarn store) on Saturday. With all that driving we had to do to get to those events, I of course was crocheting, and Mr. AC was driving. I really appreciate that he does that so I can work on projects. The first thing I worked on last week was the Chain Reaction Afghan square from the previous post. The next project was finishing these sweaters for my friend's daughters. This is a pattern from Crochet Today that I believe I have blogged about before, but this is a picture of the two of them blocking. I thought this was a neat looking picture--the way the stripes from the yokes lined up together. They turned out really nice. Here is another picture of one of them so you can see the rest of the body.

The last picture below is the next project I worked on during our driving. I am making a Bella Dress for my own baby in LB Collection Cotton Bamboo "cherry blossom". So far so good.

The brief trip to the yarn store mentioned above was to purchase some yarn for making magazine submission swatches. Hopefully, I'll get to show you some sneak peeks and reveals of those projects in the future. It's slow going on them so far. #1 daughter decided to get sick this week and #3 daughter has begun potty training this week, so I am short on time to crochet. I'm happy anyway though!

Happy crocheting!

-April

Chain Reaction Block: "Autumn Interwoven"

2010-06-02T23:37:00.000-05:00

This beautiful 12"x12" block is my entry into the Chain Reaction Project that is being put on by Interweave Crochet. They are having 10 designers design blocks that will be featured 5 at a time in the next 2 issues of the magazine. In the following 2 issues they will feature 10 block designs that are the winners of a contest. This is how it works. Crocheters like me, or you, design blocks, submit a picture and description to the gallery on Crochetme.com. The editors choose their 20 to 30 favorites. Crochetme.com members vote on their favorites of those finalists. The 10 with the most votes win a contract, $100, and their block design will be in the magazine. So, I was not asked to be one of the lucky 10 designers who get to be in the next 2 issues. This is my entry into the contest. It is called "Autumn Interwoven". I especially like the Interwoven part since this is for Interweave Crochet. I really like the pop that the blue gives to the color palette. I really enjoyed making this block. It reminded me of making placemats with woven construction paper strips when I was a kid. Am I the only one who did that? Anway, click here to see my block in the gallery over at Crochetme.com. If you are not a member there, I suggest you check it out. The deadline for entries is not until August, so it will be awhile before I hear anything more about it, but that's pretty typical when dealing with magazines anyway. They plan to put all of the blocks together into an afghan that will be auctioned for charity. They are also encouraging readers to make an afghan including each of the blocks and donate them to charity. Cool project, huh?! Well, I will have more to show you soon, but it is late, so this is it for tonight.

Happy crocheting!

April

Shawl finished

2010-05-27T18:49:00.001-05:00

For Christmas back in December my mom got me this beautiful Misti Alpac Handpaint Suri Silk. It is so soft, dense, and beautifully dyed. I loved the yarn from the moment I read about it and saw the picture on WEBS. The yarn is not very tightly-plied, which means that it is easy to snag strands from the loop you are trying to pull through. That can be frustrating, but considering it's softness and beautiful coloring, it was worth it to me. I decided to make this wrap/shawl from Crochet Today May/June 2009. It is called Romantic Wrap, designed by Susan Lowman. I was just a little bit short to finish it, so I ordered another hank of yarn a while back and have now finished it. It is so lovely. I can't wait to wear it. I think I'll get a shawl pin to use with it as well. I think I will try to find a pale blue dress to wear it with. Below is another closer-up picture.

Beatiful Arches Bolero pattern up in Ravelry!

2010-05-26T09:41:00.000-05:00

HOORAY! I finally finished the bolero pattern and it is up in my Ravelry store. I am going to put a linked picture over in the sidebar of the blog here in just a minute. The link will deliver you to my pattern store. The difficulty level for this pattern is "experienced". No denying it, the shaping for this pattern, and especially for the edging takes quite a bit of concentration, and this is not a pattern for the beginner. I think though that as long as you are able to easily recognize each stitch and get a consistent gauge you can do this pattern. However, it won't be a project for working on while you watch TV. Enjoy it!

Happy Stitching,
April

Promised Sneak Peak

2010-05-20T11:51:00.000-05:00

Well, here is that sneak peak I promised. This picture was taken during blocking, so the yellow dots are pins. This one will be out later this year I think. I'll be shipping it off in the next couple of days.

I am nearly finished with the bolero pattern. I had hoped to finish it this week. It's still possible that I might finish it this weekend, but probably not unitl early next week so that I can proofread and edit carefully. I've learned a couple of things lately about designing while working on these two projects simultaneously:

1. Setting self-imposed deadlines for self-publish projects makes for putting off more important responsibilities to finish on schedule, especially when you pile a magazine project on top of it.
2. Thick yarns + lacy stitch patterns + wide pattern repeats = lengthy pattern instructions that are challenging to write.
3. It is best to wait to post pictures of upcoming designs until no more than a few days before the pattern is available, no matter how excited you are to show everyone the awesome thing you've made.

Well, I'll post here when the bolero pattern is finally up...until then, happy stitching!

April :)

Poll Please

2010-05-13T07:44:00.001-05:00

Hello my faithful blog readers. I've added a week long poll to the top right-hand corner of my blog. I'd love it if you'd vote. Thanks! I am busy, busy writing the pattern for the bolero. I'm nearly finished with the back panel, and both front panels are finished. I'm feeling lots of pressure though because I have another project with a firm deadline of the 31st. I'll let you know as soon as the bolero pattern is out, and I should have a sneak peak for you in the next couple of weeks. Happy stitching!

April

Beautiful Arches Bolero Revealed (Finally!)

2010-05-11T08:44:00.001-05:00

Well, I am finally ready to reveal my Beautiful Arches Bolero. This one is a size 35" bust circumference. The sizes are in 3" increments ranging from 32" to 50". The yarn is Berroco Weekend which is a Cotton/Acrylic blend. This yarn was graciously provided by the owners of The Gourmet Yarn Company specialty yarn store in Oklahoma City. I went to the knit-in there on Saturday and showed it off during show and tell time. You can see a picture on their blog. This size required 2 hanks of each color, though only a very small portion (not even one quarter) of the second hank of green, and less than half of the second hank of the magenta. So, if you plan to substitute, keep that in mind when comparing yardages. I plan to have it up in my Ravelry pattern store next week!

What have I been up to? Crocheting and pattern-writing furiously!

2010-05-03T13:13:00.000-05:00

This was finished a couple of weeks ago. It is part 2 of the b'day gift I made for my wonderful mom. This was my first felted project. It is made in Cascade Cloud 9, which is an Angora/Wool blend that I believe is 50/50 or close to it. I made a couple of swatches, felted them, and then cut out the shapes and sewed them together along with these 3 pale blue beads and a safety pin on the back. I thought it turned out beautifully!

This is the Lionbrand Cotton Bamboo in Cherry Blossom that I ordered so that I could make a Bella Dress for my own baby to keep. In a year when I am able to sell the pattern myself, this yarn will be for making the model that I will take pictures of for that version of the pattern, which will not be written with precisely the same wording, but with the same result.

Well, this beauty, is the project that I have been pouring myself into for the past couple of weeks. It is a bolero with a lacy stitch pattern and a ribbed edging. This one is made in Paton's Bamboo Silk, which is ridiculously soft and a little shiny. I have finished this one now, and am making one in a different yarn that will be the model for the pattern that I hope to have for sale within a couple of weeks. Working on that pattern is what prompted the post a couple back about symbol charts. And speaking of which, the next picture is one taken of symbol charts I drew out by hand of the pieces so that I could figure out the size changes, or "pattern-grading" as I have seen it written. I drew them out in pencil and then sprayed them with hairspray to keep the pencil from smudging. They are hanging on my door in this picture to dry. I am really pleased with how this pattern is turning out. I am really proud of it. When it is ready, it will be for sale on ravelry and etsy, though slightly cheaper on ravelry because it costs me less to sell there. Ane will also be for sale at my LYS (see below).

This picture shows the colors of the bolero that will be used as the model for the finished pattern. My beautiful friend Whitney has agreed to model it for me when it's finished so that I can get some great pictures of it. This yarn is Berroco Weekend, which is a cotton/acrylic blend, in magenta and grass green. This yarn was graciously provided by the owner of The Gourmet Yarn Company in Oklahoma City. Thanks Margaret! The pattern will also be for sale there when it is finished.Okay, well, I can't seem to figure out what is up with the formatting on this post, it irritates me to no end. Anyway, this last picture is the yarn that I have purchased for a project that is due at the beginning of August. It will be a little while before you see a picture of it here, but it will be awesome!

Just a little while ago I read two great posts on Doris Chan's blog that were somewhat encouraging to me, and somewhat discouraging. It helped me feel better because I know that even very experienced, awesome designers struggle with pattern-grading, just like me. However, it is discouraging to think that it won't get much easier. You can be certain that I will be working as hard as possible this week on getting the bolero pattern finished and ready to sell. As soon as that is finished I should be working on my next magazine project, and then on to my next self-publishing project. I've got several in line waiting for me to get to them. I doubt I'll ever have enough time to get to all of the ideas that I have. I'll keep coming up with new ones faster than I can make them. Oh well! I wouldn't want to be without a crochet project.

Have a cheery day everyone!

April

Publish! (again)

2010-04-27T08:05:00.000-05:00

Well, I was thrilled this morning to get my second acceptance email from a magazine editor. I will be getting published again this year! I will reveal more details as I am able, but I am super excited!

Have a cheery day everyone! I know I will!

April :D

Symbol Charts!

2010-04-23T09:08:00.001-05:00

This is a portion of a symbol chart. If you've never seen one before, then you haven't learned how extremely cool they are. I am currently working on my second garment design. With both garment design projects, one of them being the Bella Dress, I get ready to start figuring out the changes for the multiple sizes and just stare at it for a long while feeling completely overwhelmed and think, "How on earth am I going to figure this out???" Well in both cases, I prayed for inspiration, and I don't mean that abstractly or figuratively -- I really prayed. And both times, the answer came -- symbol charts. Well, I should have remembered the second time around, but I didn't at first. When I started trying to figure out the shoulder shaping for the Bella Dress I turned to charts. I hand drew a chart for the shoulder shaping of the back bodice piece for each size and that allowed me to see where the stitches would need to be changed without actually making each size. So, now that I am working on the same step with a new pattern I found the same solution. I drew out a chart for an entire piece last night and then crocheted the piece all in about an hour's time. I had spent probably 2 hours earlier in the day getting nowhere on it. Thank goodness for symbol charts! The answer to prayer. Amazingly, I had never seen a symbol chart until about 1 1/2 years ago. These are really easy to figure out. Each stitch type has a symbol and you draw the stitches in their correct places and voila! you can see the piece with all the stitches without actually stitching it. Then I can mark where rows and columns of stitches will be added or taken away and work out the shaping for the other sizes. You don't have to have a ton of experience with charts to use them. More and more patterns include symbol charts these days along with the traditional abbreviated pattern lingo that we're all used to. Fortunately, those that you will find that are published are produced by computer graphics programs and look a lot nicer than this one, but it gets the job done for figuring out shaping while I design. I definitely recommend you give them a try!

Have a cheery day everyone!

April

Spare Hooks

2010-04-17T00:12:00.000-05:00

I squeeze crochet into every possible spare moment. So, when hubby and I are going somewhere together he drives, and I crochet. Tonight we were going to a church meeting together and I grabbed a project bag to take with me. However, I forgot my hook. Arrgghh! I was very dismayed at losing some precious crocheting time. However, we were running late, so there was no time to run back and get it. So began a discussion about spare crochet hooks. I have now determined that I need to keep an extra set in my car, ooh! no, both cars, and my purse. So, I was telling Mr. AC this. After a moment's contemplation he came up with the best idea yet...."Maybe you could sew a little pocket into your bra and keep one with you all the time..." Well, we are both laughing as I type this. This is obviously funny on many levels. Especially if you know my husband. However, I kind of think it's not a bad idea... :)

Goodnight everyone!

April

2010-04-13T09:03:00.001-05:00

Just this weekend I finished this birthday gift for my mom. I LOVE it. I might have to make myself one in another color sometime. The yarn is Cascade Alpaca Lace Paints. This colorway is green with small sections of brown and dark blue. It is laceweight. I based it on the Alpine Frost Scarf pattern from Interweave Crochet. I believe it was the Winter 2008 issue. They used a different yarn and a smaller hook size. I used an H hook and made fewer pattern repeats across. It is worked from end to end. I didn't even have to use the whole hank and I payed about $10 for it. This was a very affordable gift. It did take quite a bit of time to make, but since I was traveling this weekend, I had lots of time to work on it while flying and waiting in airports. It is very soft, lacey, and drapey. Now I've got to get back to work on a design project!

Have a cheery day everyone!

April

Growing stash and a Cardigan

2010-04-07T08:54:00.000-05:00

A good friend of mine asked me a while back if I would make some cardigans for her daughters. She saw this pattern (Perfect Fall Cardi) in the Fall 2009 issue of Crochet Today and wanted to make it for her girls, but wasn't sure she was feeling up to the task. So she asked me if I would do it for her. This is the first one, in a size 6. The second one will also be a size 6 but with added length. My lousy camera didn't show the colors very well as usual, but the pocket edging is blue and there is a little blue in each of the stripes in the yoke as well as down one of the front edges. The other colors are a deep red and purple. I'm very pleased with how it turned out. I just need to block it and add the buttons.

Last week I got to add to my yarn stash quite a bit. Yeah! This group represents a trip to Gourmet Yarn Co. in Oklahoma City, and a brief stop at Hobby Lobby for some Patons Bamboo Silk.

This picture is what I ordered from WEBS. Basically what all of this yarn means is that I have a boatload of work to do. All of this yarn was purchased for particular projects. This is my favorite part about being a crochet designer--getting to buy lots of luxury yarn!!! My least favorite part would be that I often have to rip things out to get them right. I hate ripping out work, but it is definitely a part of the job.

Well, happy crocheting everyone! Back to work for me!

April

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T21:16:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter to my friends, family, and fans.

I would like to share my belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and my redeemer, as well as yours. I believe that He lived, died, and was resurrected for each of us. I hope that if you are not close to Him you will make every effort to become so, that you may have the joy in your life of knowing His love. If you already are close to Christ, then I hope that you enjoyed celebrating His gift to you today. I hope that you all have had a wonderful Easter day and that you and your families are well! I wanted to share a nice Easter video with you all. Click here to see a nice video about Jesus Christ on YouTube.

Happy Easter everyone!

April

Suggestions for making the Bella Dress in a size 5

2010-04-01T10:25:00.000-05:00

Kimscozycove sent me a convo on Etsy asking for suggestions on how to make the Bella Dress in a size 5. I thought I would post my answer here just in case anyone else had the same question:

"Well, this is not carefully all worked out, but based on a 5 yr old shirt I just measured you'll want the bodice to measure about 7in from the top of the shoulder to the front (empire) waistline. So, based on the gauge that's 15 3/4 rows. I would probably go with 16 rows myself. The back should be 1/4 to 1/2 in higher just as it is for the other sizes, so an extra row or two in the back (making 17 or 18 rows total in the back). You'll have to decide where to add the additional rows in front and back. Adding them under the neckline will increase the length of the torso, but you may want to add one in the shoulder shaping to increase the depth of the neckline. Just keep in mind that when you add an odd number of rows you have to reverse the shaping of non-symmetrical pieces. So, this applies to shoulder shaping, as well as the back bodice pieces. Drawing a little diagram or a symbol chart would be a great way to help you keep track of where you are adding stitches. As for the skirt, you could probably add 2 to 3 rows to the skirt. Good luck! I'm so glad that you and others like the dress. I would love to see pictures!"

Also, she had figured this out on her own, but I'll write it here; for a size 4 you would add 4 chains to the base chain, thereby adding 4 stitches to the first row (as compared to a size 3). An additional 4 chs would be needed for a size 5 (that's 8 more chs or sts than for the size 3).

Until next time, have a cheery day everyone!

April

Tools of the trade and a sneak peek!

2010-03-31T09:29:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I sat down in the afternoon to work on some designing. I have to sit somewhere that I can spread out, so I was at the table. I got to work for an hour or so and then the baby woke up from her nap and started crying. When I got up to go take care of her, I moved all of my stuff to the kitchen counter so that my other kiddos wouldn't get into anything. When I set everything down I thought, "that's a very nice pictoral representation of the 'tools of the trade.'" So, I grabbed the camera and snapped a picture. When I work on something I always have a tape measure, pencil, eraser, notepad, graph paper, sketches and other notes, a calculator, my crochet hook case, and of course yarn and a hook. I often have a stitch dictionary with me as well, which is what is under my yarn in this picture. Under that is one of my project bags. I'm sure that other designers use other or different tools, and I know that mine will be added to or changed over time. For instance, I plan to purchase some software soon that I will use for generating the flat pattern pieces that I need to determine the shapes of the pieces that I need. This will be a GREAT tool to have. It is definitely true that you can't design crocheted garments without knowing what shape the pieces have to be. Unless you are an educated pattern drafter, you have to get this information from somewhere. You can use sewing patterns to get this information. You can also use articles of clothing to copy from. I don't want to have to buy and sort through lots of sewing patterns or clothing items though to get this information. I've considered two other options. There is a system and set of sewing patterns called The Lutterloh System that has tiny schematics of the needed pieces all on small pages in a binder that you can "explode" to the right size with the use of a special tape measure. This would allow for easier access and sorting through, but still requires lots of tracing. I'd be looking at spending about $150 to get that. I've also read about a software program called "Garment Designer" from a company called Cochenille that can print off pattern pieces for you in the sizes you want. You can select from many design options and even manipulate the shapes on the computer before printing. This costs $199, but I think it will be easier to use and much more flexible. So, I hope to buy that in a few more months, once I finish my next paying project, which is a set of cardigans for a friend's daughters. I'll show a pic here when I'm done with those.

Well, the sneak peek here is one I mentioned a few days ago. This is not a magazine project; this one will go in my personal pattern line which is available on both etsy and ravelry. So far I only have my "Sweet Little Mittens" pattern there, but this one will be next when I get it finished.

Well, until next time, have a cheery day everyone!

April

Ravelry Pattern Store Beginning

2010-03-27T08:56:00.000-05:00

Well, I've decided that I am no longer going to sell finished items, so I've self-published my "Sweet Little Mittens" pattern and put a .pdf in my new Ravelry pattern store. It's already been favorited twice, and queued once. That's exciting to me. I'm glad that people like it. I'm already working on the next pattern to go in my store. I hope to have a sneak peek up in the next few weeks.

I have made these mittens from a large variety of yarns, but in writing a pattern I had to settle on just one yarn to write it in. I chose Mission Falls 1824 Wool. It is a soft 100% Superwash that is a heavy worsted. It comes in a large variety of colors, though not really in typical baby colors. I kind of like being able to make things for kids in more sophisticated colors, myself. However a person could easily substitute a different heavy worsted and make sure to check gauge and adjust hook size if necessary. Only 1 skein of the main color is needed for any size, and about 12 yd is all that's needed for the buttons, so you could just use a scrap that you already have in your stash and make this a 1 skein project. I bought this color "Cornflower" at the The Gourmet Yarn Co. store in Oklahoma City and payed aroung $6.50 for it, so that's a pretty good price for a nice pair of mittens. I am selling the pattern for $1.50.

Also this last week, I sent in another magazine submission. This time I am submitting two pattern ideas. I am not actually hoping to make them both, because I'm not sure I would have the time. My reason for sending two is to increase my chances of getting one published. Interestingly, just submitting a truly good idea doesn't always guarantee that you get published. For instance, I submitted a truly awesome design idea for this Summer's issue, if I do say so myself. Until a few days ago I had not received any response on it. I emailed the Associate Editor, Toni Rexroat, to ask her about it. I got an email a few days ago letting me know that they were not going to be using it in the Summer issue, which I had already gathered because of the timing. However, they had really liked it, so they held it for consideration for another issue. Sometimes really good design ideas don't get published because they just don't fit well with the other patterns that are going into the issue, however they will not be using it for that either. They try to find a few different themes to go with among all of the submissions they get. So, by sending two different ideas, it better insures that one of my ideas will fit in.

Well, until next time, have a cheery day everyone!

April

Question answered

2010-03-23T08:26:00.001-05:00

princessmomma wrote to me yesterday: "I would love to hear more about your creation process. Like, how do you decide what to work on next, or what stitches to use?"

Well, some of the ideas I've had of what to make are just things I came up with because I thought they would look nice. I sometimes see something that someone is wearing that I think I could recreate in crochet. When magazine editors want designs from freelancers they make what's called an editorial calendar that states, if any, what they would like the designs to be like or include. For instance, the Winter 2010 issue of Interweave Crochet is going to have a focus on crocheted cables. Not all of the designs in this issue will contain cables, but probably 6 or 7 will. So, if I am designing for a magazine then I might try to include that/those elements in my desgin.

As for the yarn and stitch to use--Well, as in the picture above I bought three varieties of yarn that I thought might work well for a project I had in mind. Then I looked through a stitch dictionary to find something like what I had in mind, and started swatching. I eventually settled on a stitch and a yarn that I thought fit this particular project best. Stitch dictionaries can be a great resource to give you ideas for the stitch. You have to think about how open or dense you want the fabric for this item and then go for stitches that will give you that amount of openness, drape, etc. Whether to choose one lace stitch over another is really just a matter of preference. When you are making something that you don't want to have to line or wear over something else then smaller and fewer holes is most desireable, so you come up with more dense stitch patterns. I like to choose something that is a little more interesting to work on than rows and rows, or rounds and rounds of sc. You also have to take drape into consideration when choosing a stitch. Drape could be illustrated like this -- If I take a swatch and hang it over a rod what does it do? If it stays flat like a plate and holds it's shape then it is very stiff and has no drape. If it flops over the rod and hangs and even stretches it's length, then it has maximum drape. Some of the items a person crochets need drape and some don't. Some would be ruined by drape and vice versa. A close fit, stretchy top would not work in a very stiff fabric, and a hat that needs to have some shape to it does not work well with lots of drape. Typically, a more dense stitch has less drape, though that can be altered by using a larger hook. Lacy stitches are always drapey because they have holes in and between them. So, in short, much of it is about preference, but you also take into consideration the function of the item. Sometimes I get really creative and make my own stitch pattern, but I haven't delved into that much yet.

Thanks for your question!

Also, I finished my next submission swatch last night. I'll need to do a little bit of paperwork for it and then mail it in. I'm glad that's done, now back to another project.

Have a cheery day everyone!

April

Super Secret Code Names

2010-03-22T19:09:00.000-05:00

Well friends, family, and fans since I have begun my time as a published crocet designer, and it is apparent that there will be people I've never met following my blog, I just wanted to say that I'll be using "code names" for my family members. Most likely everyone who looks at my blog will be a terrific person, but since we never know for sure about these things, I'll be referring to my hubby as "Mr. AC" (AC stands for AprilCreates), my oldest will be "Drama Queen", my second daughter will be "Princess", my third daughter will be "Hopper", and my youngest will be "Baby". This feels a little silly to me, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Now since most of my current followers know me personally, please try to refrain from using their real names if/when you make comments, otherwise I won't publish them.

As for crocheting today, I finished a few more rows of they swatch I wrote about earlier today, and it is looking pretty good. If only I could work on it more after the kids are in bed..., but I've got to tackle the dishes instead. :(

Have a cheery day!

April

Celebration and Graph Paper

2010-03-22T12:29:00.000-05:00

My sweet husband, Mr. AC, brought me some beautiful yellow lillies to celebrate getting published. He is so sweet, and encouraging. We went to Chili's Saturday evening for drinks (the non-alcoholic kind) and an appetizer as well. Yay for me!

I am beginning another magazine submission. I had an idea early last week. I drew a little and started swatching. I had to tare out the second row several times to get it just right. Then about 7 rows into it I decided I really didn't like the center design element, so I started brainstorming and drawing some more. I started again with a different yarn that I thought might look a little better. A couple rows into it I had a flash of inspiration that would make it even better, so I drew some more. Then I decided that I needed more paper to draw out a larger section of it. So, with 6 sheets of graph paper all taped together, I drew out the design. I went to bed around midnight that night with very little effective crocheting done, but with one great pattern to start on the next day. Since kids keep me so busy, I'm still only on row 4 I think, but hopefully, it will be done in time to send in in a few weeks.

I see that 2 new followers have joined us. I'm glad you're here! Don't be afraid to speak up and join in the conversation anyone. I'd love to hear from you!

Have a cheery day all!

April

Magazine arrived today!

2010-03-19T14:49:00.000-05:00

Well, I got my subscription copy of Interweave Crochet Spring 2010 today! I think the pictures looked even better printed in the mag than they did online. They included a short blurb about me at the end of the pattern that includes my blog address and Etsy store URL. I should note that I have not been doing a lot in my store of late because I can hardly find time to do more than a few hours of crocheting each week. As my baby gets a little older and more independent I'll be doing more with that, but I'm thinking that I'll probably shift more toward just selling self-published designs there rather than finished items.

As an intro to the pattern the wrote a few things about the pattern, with a slight typo. This intro says that the dress size ranges from 6 months to 3T, but the smallest size is actually 3 months, and yes, it does work up quickly. I personally am planning to make a 12 month size dress for my own baby in the same yarn, but the color "Cherry Blossom."

This yarn is great! It is nice and soft, not too splitty, machine washable, and very affordable. You have to order it from http://www.lionbrand.com/, unless you are fortunate enough to live near their yarn studio.

Also, on page 9 of the magazine the "back to basics" section focuses on sewing stitches and mentions some of the stitches used in the "Bella Dress." I hope you all enjoy seeing it and making it! I'm hopeful that I might see some new followers who find my blog address after my pattern. If you are new to my blog for that very reason, Welcome!!! I'm so glad you're here!

Until next time everyone!

Bella Dress from Spring 2010 Interweave Crochet Revealed!

2010-03-15T10:45:00.000-05:00

Well, at long last, here is the revealed "Bella Dress" from the Spring 2010 Issue of Interweave Crochet that I designed. Click here to see the supply list for the issue and a couple of extra pictures. A matching headband for this little girl might have been nice, but otherwise the pictures are nice. I'm very pleased to finally see them. Can't wait to get my issue in the mail!

Anxiously Waiting!

2010-03-10T14:00:00.000-06:00

I'm going crazy!

The preview for the Spring 2010 issue of Interweave Crochet should be up on the website within the next few weeks. I've been checking the website about 10 times a day. Yes, this is ridiculous, and a seriously awful waste of time, but I just can't seem to help myself. I am so excited to see the pictures of my dress. So, this is not revealing any pictures or significant details about the pattern of mine that is in this magazine, but here is just a teaser. If you click here, it will take you to Interweave's online store where you can pre-order this issue. A picture of the cover is at the top of the page and is also shown at the top of my post. Note that the item on the cover is not one of mine. If you scroll down you can see the table of contents. On the right hand side you can see that on page 74 is a pattern called "Bella Dress" with my name "April Garwood" next to it. Their brief description is "Fabric-lined dress is perfectly sweet for smaller girls." Well, that's a little something to be excited about. Atleast my name is printed there. Be assured that I will post here the moment the preview is up with a link to the supply list which will show a picture of the dress. You can buy it on newsstands on the 30th of March, including at Barnes & Noble, which is where I have purchased previous issues.

Until then, try not to be as crazy as me... :p

Adopt a Designer

2010-03-03T11:10:00.000-06:00

I follow the blog of crochet designer Robyn Chachula, who is the first designer to have really inspired me to begin designing myself. She doesn't know me, and I have never met her, but I have admired her designs in my two favorite magazines: Interweave Crochet and Crochet Today. I have also been following her blog for quite awhile.

Just recently she found a case of someone stealing her work by posting free copies of one of her patterns for all of her friends through her blog. This is a violation of copyright laws and is hurtful to the designer who makes very little money for her time. So, she had a great idea! Instead of getting angry she is encouraging all crafters to "Adopt A Designer." Here are her suggestions for how to adopt a designer:

"1. Buy a pattern from your favorite designer. Most patterns are just a few dollars, so the commitment is really minimal. Then don't forget to tell your friends where they can buy the pattern too.

2. Tweet/ Facebook about a project you are making and include a link to the designers website. Designers have to take like to promote themselves, so taking a minute to tweet for them can really help.

3. Write a review of one of your favorite craft books including a link to the designer's website and where to buy the book. Even though some designers do not get royalties on their books, by including a link to their website will help them with advertising that they could greatly use.

4. Buy a piece of artwork or jewelry from them on Etsy then tweet or blog about it. A number of really talented designers are over on Etsy and just taking the time to tell them you care can go a mile.

5. Talk them up at your local yarn store or crochet group. Most designers sell their patterns to yarn stores too, so just by telling your LYS that you love them can really help. LYS owners are super busy people too and do not have time to hunt down new (or new to them) designers, so you are helping both.

6. Take a class. A lot of designers teach online and off. Teaching is a real help to their income, so go a ahead. Plus you get to learn something new, and who doesn't like that."

Well, I am adopting Robyn Chachula by telling you what an amazing designer she is. I wish I had a picture to post of one of her patterns. However, you can click here to see one of my favorites of hers from a recent issue of Interweave Crochet magazine, and click here to get to an e-store where you can buy her book "Blueprint Crochet." Who will you adopt as your designer?

2010-02-26T17:01:00.000-06:00

Today I have been tinkering a little with an idea that I had yesterday. I'm just trying to figure out how to make a particular shape. I may try submitting this idea to a magazine once perfected. The yarn is Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn. It's a pretty soft 100% acrylic yarn. If I submit this design it will not be in this yarn; this is just something I had in my stash so I grabbed it for the tinkering.

This picture shows a design project I have been working on for several weeks and plan to self-publish when it's done. My husband got me two balls of Paton's Bamboo Silk for Christmas and I am using that. I often leave my project out somewhere on the kitchen counter so that I can work on it just a bit here and there when I get a minute. I had just torn out a bunch of stitches so there is a pile of curly yarn on top of my pile of pictures waiting to be labeled. See how much I get accomplished? ;) I really love this yarn. It is very soft and a little bit shiny. So far the project is turning out great!

This is something I was working on in January and have almost finished. The yarn is a Misti Alpaca hand-dyed Alpaca Silk that my mom gave me for Christmas. Ohhhh it is so lovely! It is very soft, very dense, and the colors are very pretty. I believe the colorway is called Manhattan Rose. I decided to try it out as a substitute in this pattern from Crochet Today. This pattern was in one of the issues from last spring or summer. It has turned out beautifully. My mom got me 2 hanks. Unfortunately that was just enough to make the wrap minus the very last two pattern repeats on the last row. I did however make it with one fewer set of rows since it was a larger yarn than the pattern called for. So, I will probably buy another hank pretty soon and finish my wrap. Maybe I'll use the rest of that hank to make a skinny scarf to put up in my etsy store.

Well, things are good, but busy. My etsy store has been at a stand-still since early December now that my baby is eating baby food -- this is such a time-consuming stage of babyhood. I have submitted some other design ideas to magazines, but I'm kind of glad that none of them have been accepted right now. I've had VERY little time for crocheting, so it's been a blessing in disguise.

Happy crocheting everyone!

question answered by Ellen Gormley

2010-01-14T16:53:00.002-06:00

I asked a question of crochet designer Ellen Gormley on her on blog www.gocrochet.blogspot.com. She was kind enough to answer me. Here is my question and her response:

April writes:Hi Ellen, this is not really about your post, but I have a question for you. How much figuring out do you do for a design before it is accepted for publishing? Do you complete a finished item first? Just a swatch? Schematics and/or charts? Just a sketch? Thanks in advance!Hi April, I know many people are interested in this topic, so I'll attempt to answer it.The short answer is that I do as much figuring out as it takes to make sure I can deliver on what I promise. That includes swatching, sketching, maybe a second swatch to make sure I understand the increasing and decreasing for the stitch. Extensive note taking on exactly how I accomplished the swatch. It likely includes a schematic for a garment. If it is a small item like a purse, hat or scarf... likely I make the entire project while I'm designing. It's even better if I make it twice, that way, when I send in the hat for example, I have another one here at home to look at when I re-stitch in the editors preferred yarn and I have one to refer to when writing the pattern. I do try to write as much of the pattern ahead of time as I can. It's just such a wonderful feeling when I'm on a deadline and I go to write the pattern and I see some of the work is already done! I do NOT write out the pattern for garments though, because if the editor chooses a different yarn, the gauge will be different, then the pattern is different...When I make a submission, I start a project folder at home. I make sure that I note all the yarns I used and hooks, the color names and numbers. I try to keep a photo of the item or a scrap of yarn and the swatches. Unfortunately, sometimes I need these things to jog my memory on exactly what I submitted (and where). I have many ideas floating around out there and I want to be able to remember what I did. Above is one of my early sketches for the Larkspur Wrap Sweater that was in Interweave Crochet, Fall 2009.
Posted by Ellen Gormley at 6:02 AM 2 comments
Labels: Become a Designer
Tuesday, January 12, 2010

I found this to be helpful. As a very inexperienced designer I sometimes wonder if I am doing things in the best possible way. I had concluded that it wouldn't make sense to actually make the garment I had submitted a proposal for because the yarn would likely be completely different once the design was accepted for publishing. Nice to see how an experienced designer does it. Thanks Ellen!

Christmas gift for my Sweetie

2010-01-08T12:43:00.003-06:00

This is a gift I made for my husband for Christmas. He loves to create new recipes. I bound some pages together by sewing a glueing and then crocheted this cover for his new cooking journal. He was pretty excited about it. I was pleased with how the book turned out. The yellow yarn that I used is called "Arcadia" and I believe it is made by Cascade. It is mostly cotton with a little bit of angora. I bought this yarn planning to make mittens with it. I figured that it would be a nice fiber combination for a pair of mittens for a baby in a not-too-cold climate. Well, don't EVER buy this yarn for wearables. It is by far the scratchiest yarn I have ever used. I've used 100% cotton yarns much softer than this. Fortunately it worked out to be exactly the right amount of yarn for this book cover. I had about 8 inches of yarn left when i finished it.

Handmade Felt Finger Puppets

2010-01-08T12:36:00.003-06:00

I bought these adoreable finger puppets for my youngest daughter for Christmas. I wanted to post about them because they are SO cute! The detailed embroidery is excellent and very well-done. I bought them at www.stayawake.etsy.com. I just wanted to share the cuteness!

"Too Cute" Christmas gift

2009-12-17T21:25:00.003-06:00

My wonderful professional crochet mentor Jocelyn Sass gave me a crochet pattern for Christmas. It is a pattern for this adoreable bear. This is hands down the cutest crocheted bear I've ever seen. You can see more pictures or purchase the pattern from http://www.toocutecrochet.etsy.com. Isn't she just adoreable?!

Eve (from Wall-E)

2009-12-11T13:31:00.002-06:00

I have a 2-yr old that LOVES the movie WALL-E. So, for Christmas I decided to crochet "Eve" for her. We purchased a WALL-E toy and gave it to her for her birthday, so I decided that now she needs an Eve. I figured this out as I went along and did not write it down, so there will not be a pattern available from me for this. I thought it turned out pretty good. What do you think? It is stuffed with fiber-fill. I made it with Hobby Lobby's "I Love This Cotton". As cotton yarns go, it is very soft.

2009-12-11T09:19:00.004-06:00

A few months ago I put out the message to friends and family that I wanted to make a group project of putting together some afghans for charity. Several friends responded by making squares. I was able to put together four afghans! Great work ladies! The pattern is from the http://www.redheart.com/ website. I first saw it in their magazine crochet today. I want to say that it was in the Sept/Oct issue. You can now download it for free from their website. They also suggested in the magazine a number of charities that would accept donations of the afghans to be given to those in need. I had planned to donate it to the organization they mentioned called Warming Families. I found when I looked at their website http://www.warmingfamilies.com/ that they work locally through area coordinators. There is not however a coordinator in Oklahoma, so I took it upon myself to find a local organization that could use them. I took them to The Hope Center in Edmond at Danforth and Broadway where they will be donated to individuals that are poor and/or homeless. They all turned out really nice.

The first afghan pictured is made of squares in dark green, light green,
rose pink, tan and navy blue. All of these squares were made
by my good friend Heather. Way to go Heather! The next
one pictured has squares in bright pink, periwinkle, plum
purple, gray, and a variegated yarn that contains blue, purple,
and white.The pink, perwinkle, and gray squares were made by
yours truly, the plum purple, and variegated squares were made by my excellent friend Darci. Thank you Darci! The next one pictured contains squares in olive green , dusty purple, gray, burnt orange, tan, ecru, a couple ecru w/ magenta, and a few that are made of a variegated yarn in fall colors. The olive green, dusty purple, burnt orange, and tan were made by my wonderful mom. She's a great lady that I love very much! The ecru and ecru w/ magenta were made by my friend Darci (thanks again darci!). I made the gray and the variegated ones to finish it off. The last one pictured has squares in baby pink, a tweed of ecru with brown and dark gray flecks, sage green, dark tan, and a sparkly gray/silver. The baby pink squares were made by my good friend Linda; this was one of only a few crochet projects for her--she did a great job! The tweed, sage, and tan squares were made by my very good friend Kim. I didn't even know that she crocheted before she volunteered to help with this project. How fun to find another crocheting friend! The sparkly gray squares were made by my oldest sister Suzanne,
who taught me how to crochet when we were both kids.
Thanks Suzanne!

BTW, in case you hadn't noticed, I stink at formatting these blog posts. It just doesn't go well for me. Sorry about that. I'm sure I'll get better at it as time goes on. Well, thanks everyone who contributed! The helpers at The Hope Center were very glad to recieve them!

Giveaway from my Etsy shop!

2009-11-30T16:33:00.002-06:00

There is a facebook fan page called NurseryLove that is doing a free giveaway this week for a free item from my Etsy shop. You have to become a fan to enter the giveaway. Here is a link to the page: http://www.facebook.com/NurseryLove#/NurseryLove?ref=mf.

Good luck everyone!

Etsy treasury

2009-11-19T20:23:00.001-06:00

I made my first Treasury list on Etsy. You can check it out at the following link:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=95304

Enjoy!

Etsy Shop

2009-10-20T09:49:00.003-05:00

Well, I've got some "Sweet Little Mittens" for sale in my etsy shop http://www.aprilcreates.etsy.com/. I should have more listed within the week and another pair finished. I go back and forth about whether or not I want to do an etsy shop. Some parts of it can be fun, but I don't have much of an idea how to run a business. The tax part of running a business is almost enough to scare me away from it. I guess that I'll figure it out as I go along, like most people do. So, stop by the shop once in awhile and see what's there. For now and the next few months it will probably be mostly infant and children's mittens. We'll see what else I come up with to put there. All the fiished items that are for sale in the shop will be made from my own original designs. Eventually I should have some patterns available to purchase as .pdf files or as hard copy. Enjoy!

My very first sneak peek!

2009-10-03T08:26:00.004-05:00

This is my very first sneak peek picture! This was taken during blocking, so the yellow dots arae pin heads. This will be published sometime next year!

Still crafting

2009-09-21T20:53:00.007-05:00

Well, it's been awhile since I have posted any pictures of projects. I have still been crafting, but I've had so many projects going at once that I haven't been finishing a lot. I also haven't been taking the time to blog about it. I have been very busy with a new baby, but I find that new babies are easier to take care of when you've been there a few times before (assuming that the baby in question is a fairly healthy, cooperative baby, which ours is). So, I have some pictures to post of projects in process. The most important and highest priority project has been a twin size quilt for our second daughter. I finished the quilt top a few days ago. Whew! I started this at the beginning of the year...maybe it was in the spring actually. I determined that I would finish it by the end of the year. With the top finished all I have left to do is the tying a binding. I really prefer the look of quilting as opposed to tying, but I wouldn't finish it for years if I had to quilt it, so oh well.

Another high priority project right now has been preparation for Halloween. I usually wind up making at least one costume. This year it was a costume for the same daughter that is getting the quilt. I'll post some pics and more info on that later, but I'm finished with that. Thanks to my friend Amber for giving us a dragon costume that we are going to make work for our oldest daughter.

This next one is a project I have been working on for awhile as my project to work on when I have nothing better to do. This is all laid out on my bed. It is hard to see all of it, I know. So, it looks rather odd. I have lots of old bits, or even large bits, of yarn that I have no intention of ever using again. Most of it is old crusty acrylic yarn that I don't care for by either feel or color. I decided that I would take these old leftovers and get some practice with stitches and techniques that I hadn't tried before. I have tried cables and plaid and various interesting stitches. I've taken these odds n' ends and laid them out on my bed into a rectangular shape. My plan is to sew them all together to make a very scrappy, and rather ugly, afghan for the kids to use in the car. I realize that it is not the least bit attractive looking, but they'll have fun with it anyway. As a bonus, I used up some old yucky yarn to make way for new yummy yarn, and I got some practice with new stitches.This picture is one of a pile of crocheted squres that are destined to by part of an afghan to donate to a charity organization called Warming Families (http://www.warmingfamilies.com/). The pattern comes from Crochet Today magazine two issues ago. Myself and several friends are all making squares that I will be sewing together and edging before sending to Warming Families. These are all the ones that I have made and a few from one friend. Many more are in the process of being made by the same and numerous other friends.This next picture is my first attempt at freeform crochet. This has not been blocked so it doesn't look as nice as it might. I had a t-shirt from a few years back that was not very long, from the days when showing your mid-drift was in style...maybe it still is... Anyway, my thought was to make two sections of freeform lace to sew together and then attach to the bottom of the shirt to make it longer. Well, I started on it and decided that I didn't like the attaching it to the shirt idea. I didn't like the look of it, but the freeform lace is pretty. If you want to try it out, you just start crocheting any which way you like. There is a book by Myra Wood called "Creative Crochet Lace" that teaches you all about the idea. It is not mindless crochet however. I like to be able to keep my hands busy crocheting while watching movies with my hubby or waiting for webpages to download on my slow computer, but this type of crochet isn't like that for me. I have to think about it. I'm not sure what I'll do with the two pieces I've made, but maybe I'll find a use for them later. It was fun to try. Maybe I'll try it again sometime.The next (and last) four pictures are of books that I have acquired over the last year. Three of them are crochet books and one is a quilting book. The first picture, I'm sure you can see the title just fine, is a nice instructional book , though I'm not sure that it's the best, for beginners. It does provide instruction on some slightly different crochet techniques that I would like to try at some point: tunisian crochet, hairpin lace, and broomstick lace. It also has numerous stitch ideas like a mini stich dictionary.This is the quilting book. I will say unequivocally that I do not like this book. I wish I hadn't bought it. For starters that blocks that are photographed for the book are not pieced well. Lots of lines that ought to be straight are crooked. They are not made in particulary nice colors. Those blocks that are intended to look like a picture of something are not detailed enough to look nice to me. So, I would not recommend it.This book is called "Crocheting on the Edge" by Nicky Epstein. It has some beautiful crocheted trims in it. It also has some patterns/project ideas. I like some of them. It is a nice book to have if you are looking to choose your own edging for a project.This is my latest acquistion. I just got this last week after ordering it two weeks ago. It is a crochet stitch dictionary. I really like the colors they used in the swatches. It has lots of stitch patterns to choose from. This is a good way to get your creative juices flowing when you are trying to come up with your own design for something.

Well, that shows you most of what I've been up to lately. The other project that I have just started, but will not make a high priority for awhile, is a felt stocking (kit) for our baby. It won't be finished by Christmas, but she won't be old enough to notice. I'll use an extra that we have this year. Another project I would like to start, but won't just yet...I can't imagine why..., is a backpack for our oldest daughter. She is not into princesses so much, she prefers dinosaurs, dragons, and sharks. She was given a princess backpack for her last birthday though, so we are using that for now. I'd like to make her a backpack and applique a dragon to the front of it. I have also drawn a cute turkey that I would like to make into an applique for a wall quilt. This is the next project that I have planned for the Needle Arts Group that I organize for my friends and church members. So, I'm happily saturated with craft projects!

Publish!

2009-09-12T08:10:00.001-05:00

Well, yesterday I had some very exciting news. I'm going to get my very first garment design published! I'm very excited. I look forward to spilling the beans about it when it comes out. I can't say much until then.

3 swatches, 3 yarns, 3 stitches

2009-07-31T18:18:00.003-05:00

These 3 pictures are the swatches I have made for the project I am planning to design. This will be a clothing article for a young girl. It will be a warm weather item, so the fabric needs to be as light and breathable as possible without being see-through. The light pink one, which has a nicer color than the picture shows, is an organic cotton called Rowan purelife. It is quite lightweight, which I like, but not machine washable--definitely a downside for a children's item. It is not especially soft, just your ordinary cotton feeling.

The magenta colored yarn is 80% bamboo, 20% wool. It is called Debbie Bliss Prima. It is very soft, and machine washable. The yarn is a little thicker than I really want though. It is DK weight, where the two others are fingering weight. The thickness combined with the wool could make a slightly warmer fabric, which is not so good during warm weather.

The dark purple yarn is a 100% mercerized (does anyone know what that means anyway?) cotton that is very densely-spun. It is RYC's Sienna. It has a neat feel to it that is kind of silky. It will make a heavier and slightly less drapey fabric than the other cotton, but it is machine washable, a definite bonus.

So, I have 3 yarns to choose from, which I chose by looking at the info for lots and lots of yarns available at my favorite yarn source, yarn.com. They have such a large selection, that I prefer that to a local yarn store most of the time. Macine washability is pretty important to me, and so is feel. However the denseness of the fabric

is pretty important when you are crocheting something for warm weather times. The RYC Sienna is the one that I am leaning toward. As a bonus, it comes in a great variety of colors. The Debbie Bliss Prima also has lots of color variety. The organic cotton has a very limited variety of colors because all of the dyes are natural plant dyes.

I also have 3 stitches to choose from. I think I like the ones in the light pink and dark purple swatches the best. The shells in the magenta yarn are nice, but I think that they may just distract from the look of the garment itself, be too busy.

Opinions to share anyone?

2009-07-17T10:11:00.004-05:00

This was my first attempt at felting. The swatches on the left were not felted, those on the right were felted. I know it's not a close-up shot, but you can probably see that there is not a lot of difference in stitch definition between the two sets. I had hoped to accomplish a near total loss of stitch definition. I felted the swatches for 20 min in the washer. I think the problem was that the water in my washer wasn't hot enough. I set it on "warm", but got water that was maybe slightly warmer than tap water. Every water source in our house seems to take a long time to warm up. Even though the washer is just on the other side of a wall from the hot water heater, it apparently has the same problem. I guess next time I'll have to try it on hot. The felted swatches have also been blocked, so they lie flatter than the others. I also made two swatches each with hook sizes H, I, and J to see how the stiffness/drape of the fabric would be with those differences. I felted one of each. Interestingly, the felting seem to pretty well equalize the difference, so that all the felted swatches have about the same drape.

In order to felt you have to start with a yarn that is at least partially animal fiber. Other fibers don't felt. I used Louet's Riverstone (100 % wool). You need friction, warm to hot water, and plain soap, such as Ivory dish soap. You can do this by hand and rub the material in the water, or you can do this in your washing machine by placing other items in the wash that are similarly colored. I found some good felting instructions by searching the Lion Brand yarn website.

I hope to eventually design a felted garment with this yarn, but obviously, I'm going to need more practice. I need to be able to consistently get the results that I want and a predictable amount of shrinkage. Then I'll have to be able to tell others how to get the same results.

baby hat

2009-07-08T16:23:00.003-05:00

I started this little hat last night and finished it this afternoon. It's very simple and small. The pattern I based it off of is one that my sister got on the internet somewhere, but I haven't been able to find it again, so I don't know who to give the credit to. It starts with a ch 4 joined into a ring, a ch 2 turning ch (which does not count as a st throughout the pattern), and 13 dc in the ring. There is another ch 2 turning ch, and 2 dc in ea dc around, join w/ a slp st. The next round is *1 dc in first dc, 2 dc in next dc*, repeat from * to * around. The next row is where I changed the pattern because I was working w/ a worsted weight yarn and a size H hook rather than sport weight yarn and a size G hook like the pattern calls for. I also want it to be small enough for my newborn, who will be needing it for a few days in 2 to 3 weeks. So, the next round is *1 dc in ea of the next 3 dc, 2 dc in next dc*, repeat from * to * around ending with 2 dc in last dc, join w/ a slp st, ch 2, turn. Each round after that is just 1 dc in ea dc, join the rnd w/ a slp st, with ch 2 turning chs that do not count as stitches, turn. This hat has 14 rnds total.

The yarn I used was Naturally Caron's Merino Wool blend. I bought it at Hobby Lobby. It is 75% acrylic and 25% Merino Wool. It is washable. The hat only takes a partial skein. This hat is purple with a bright green ribbon. I love the color combination, but I've always had different ideas when it comes to combining color. Yeah for me!

Plaid Crochet

2009-07-02T18:07:00.002-05:00

Earlier this week (end of Jun 2009) I couldn't sleep much at all one night. I was thinking about crochet all night long, and even dreaming about it when I did manage to sleep for a few hours. I've thought for awhile that I'd like to design something in plaid but didn't know how to do it...until this particular night. I figured it out during the night. I made this swatch the next day to try it out. It worked!

You have to have 3 different colors to make this particular plaid. You could use more colors, but it would get complicated. Each of the vertical stripes has to have its own strand of yarn. You use that strand of yarn for each of the stitches in that stripe. The back doesn't look pretty because you have a little bit of that yarn that gets carried up the back between rows. The horizontal stripes are just as easy as any other horizontal stripe--you just join that color and do the number of rows you want, then switch back to the base color. I made my red stripe one stitch, or one row (of sc) wide. The black stripe is 3 stitches or rows wide. All of the stitches are sc. You have to choose which color you want on top when the lines cross.

Well, I've figured out how to do the plaid. I'll probably design something with that in the future.

Jewel's Crochet Snugglie "Quilt"

2009-07-01T18:12:00.004-05:00

I designed and made this some months ago for our youngest daughter. This is the first of my published patterns. I plan to also post it at http://www.crochetme.com/. I hope this is the first of many.

Jewel's Crochet Snuggly "Quilt"
Difficulty: Intermediate

Yarn: I Love This Yarn!
Color: MC-Periwinkle, CC-Buttercup
Hook: I

Make 8 ea of fur stitch squares and "Stem & Petal Stitch" squares

Fur Stitch squares:

With CC, ch 15

Row 1: sc in 2nd chain from hook and in ea ch across (14 sc). Ch 1, turn.

Row 2: *Loop the yarn over the top of your index finger (you could also use a knitting needle or dowel). Yo, and draw through loop on hook. Sc in next sc.* Repeat across row (14 loops, and 14 sc). Ch 1, turn.

Row 3: Sc in first sc and in ea sc across (14 sc). Ch 1, turn.

Rows 4-18: Alternate repeating rows 2 and 3. Finish off.

"Stem & Petal Stitch" squares (Stitch from The Ultimate Sourcebook of Knitting and Crochet Stitches)

With MC, ch 22

Row 1: 3 Dc into 4th ch from hook, skip 4 chs, 4 dc into next ch, ch 3, skip 3chs, 1sc into next ch, ch 3, skip 3chs, 4 dc into next ch, skip 4 chs, 4 dc into last ch (15 dc). Turn.

Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc now and throughout), 3 dc into 1st dc, skip 6 dc, 4 dc into next dc, ch 3, 1 sc into next sc, ch 3, 4 dc into next dc, skip 6 dc, 4 dc into top of turning chain (16 dc). Turn.

Row 3: Ch 6 (counts 1 dc, ch 3 now and throughout), 1 sc between next 2 4-dc groups, ch 3, skip 3 dc, 4 dc into each of next 2 dc, ch 3, 1 sc between next 2 4-dc groups, ch 3, 1 dc into last dc (10 dc). Turn.

Row 4: Ch 6, 1 sc into 1st sc, ch 3, 4 dc into next dc, skip 6 dc, 4 dc into next dc, ch 3, 1 sc into next sc, ch 3, 1 dc into last dc (10 dc). Turn.

Row 5: Ch 3, 3 dc into 1st dc, 4 dc into next dc, ch 3, 1 sc between next 2 4-dc groups, ch 3, skip 3 dc, 4 dc into each of next 2 dc (16 dc). Turn.

Rows 6-9: Repeat Rows 2, 3, 4, and 5 in order.

Finish off

Join squares into a checkered pattern of four rows with four squares each.

Edging:

Note: Leave 3 unworked sc between each motif. When you complete a motif, begin next on the motif to the right of it. When you come to the corners (i.e. there is not enough room to work another motif before arriving at the corner of the blanket), work a "Corner edging motif." For all other motifs, work a standard "Edging motif." When you have worked all the motifs but one use the "Last edging motif" instructions.

With MC join w/ a slp st to the right end of any side. *Work 67 sc across that side and one additional sc in the corner.* Repeat from * to * around the blanket and join w/ a slp st to beginning sc (272 sc). Ch 1 and without turning, work a slp st in the same beginning sc as well as the next 5 sc. Begin working first edging motif with that slp st.

Edging motif

Row 1: Join yarn with slp st to designated sc (already done for first motif). Ch 3 (counts as dc now and throughout), work 3 dc in same st as the slp st. Ch 3, skp 3 sc and sc in next sc. Ch 3, skp 3 sc and work 4 dc in next sc. Join w/ slp st to end dc of adjoining motif (not necessary for first motif). (8 dc) Ch 1, turn.

Row 2: Slp st in first 4 dc, ch 3, work 3 dc in same st. Ch 3, sc in next sc. Ch 3, work 4 dc in next dc (8 dc). Ch 1, turn.

Row 3: Slp st in first 4 dc, ch 3. Work 3 dc in same st. Work 4 dc in next dc. Finish off.

Corner edging motif

Row 1: Join yarn with slp st to designated sc. Ch 3, work 3 dc in same st as the slp st. Ch 3, skp 1 sc and sc in next sc. Ch 3, skp 1 sc and work 4 dc in next sc. Join w/ slp st to end dc of adjoining motif. (8 dc) Ch 1, turn.

Row 2: Slp st in first 4 dc, ch 3, work 3 dc in same st. Ch 3, sc in next sc. Ch 3, work 4 dc in next dc (8 dc). Ch 1, turn.

Row 3: Slp st in first 4 dc, ch 3. Work 3 dc in same st. Work 4 dc in next dc. Finish off.

Last edging motif

Row 1: Join yarn with slp st to designated sc. Ch 3, join w/ slp st to last dc of adjoining motif, work 3 dc in same st as the first slp st. Ch 3, skp 3 sc and sc in next sc. Ch 3, skp 3 sc and work 4 dc in next sc. Join w/ slp st to end dc of adjoining motif (8 dc) Ch 1, turn.

Row 2: Slp st in first 4 dc, ch 3, work 3 dc in same st. Ch 3, sc in next sc. Ch 3, work 4 dc in next dc (8 dc). Ch 1, turn.

Row 3: Slp st in first 4 dc, ch 3. Work 3 dc in same st. Work 4 dc in next dc. Finish off.

Weave in all ends. You're finished!