Wafting Down the Scents of Memory Lane
Have you ever had a scent fall upon you and you’re like, ‘OMG, that’s a smell from my childhood?!’ I have a few of those and it’s interesting that at the time of my childhood, those scents weren’t necessarily all that significant. But boy are they today! They can stop me on a dime and my memory is wicked sharp in that moment remembering the memories they conjure up. It must be like teleporting. I’ve mentioned walks down memory lane on my blog. And I’ve shared some of my childhood crafts and paid homage to my mother’s influence in my early craft adventures. But today’s post takes us down memory…
New Project Spotlight: Linen Stitch Crochet Blanket
Today’s New Project Spotlight is shining the light on the Linen Stitch crochet blanket. This stitch is also known as the Moss Stitch, also known as the Granite Stitch. Do you ever wonder why stitches have multiple names, or is it kind of like us humans when we have nicknames? Any way, the linen stitch is a super simple stitch. I made this blanket using variegated yarns and boy, what fun it was! What you’ll need (or what I used) for the Linen Stitch Crochet Blanket 8 skeins of variegated yarn (I used a variety of brands and a variety of started skeins. As one skein ran out, I’d just…
Social Media and our Craft
Social media. A technological advancement. Also a time-sucker. A place where both good and bad co-exist. Today we’re going to talk about the positive and negative effects social media has on our craft whether that be crochet, general crafting, sewing, papercrafting, or any other number of craft ventures. Three problems with social media and our craft 1. Overwhelm and anxiety – when scrolling through social media, and especially in those social media groups specific to your craft, there can be an overwhelming sensation and anxiety. You see all of these fabulous projects and you look at yours like it’s not good enough. Rarely do we think about the person on…
Crafting a Mindset
Mindset. An often overlooked component to our lives. Many times we think if we just take more action, if we just implement more or better habits, if we hang around more positive people, if we do all the things, that we’ll get out of life what we want. These are all things I’ve done in trying to craft the life I envisioned. Yet I never quite put the last touches on that picture of life I had in my head. Why not? Because I didn’t have the right mindset. Why am I doing this? I was too busy doing things without really believing in why I was doing them. Maybe…
5 Ways to Make Crocheting on the Road Easy
What do you most get excited about when you know you’re headed on vacation or a road trip? Is it the destination, or is it the crocheting you’ll get done in the car? Maybe a little of both? Today we are going to talk about 5 things you can take into account when planning your next road trip, crochet-wise. Crocheting in the car can be a great way to pass road trip hours, but it can also be an absolute pain in the neck. With many years of car-crocheting under my belt, I thought I’d share my tips for the former based on my experiences with the latter. 1-What do…
New Project Spotlight: Crochet Infinity Scarf
In today’s New Project Spotlight, we’re shining the light on the Crochet Infinity Scarf from Jamey over at Dabbles and Babbles. I’ve made two of these scarves from thicker weight yarn, and am thinking about working up a few more to use up some of my thicker weight yarns. And to boot, it doesn’t take much yarn…about 1.5 skeins of Loops & Thread. So let’s get into the details. What You’ll Need For the mustard color scarf – 1.5 skeins of Michael’s Loops & Thread yarn (6-weight, 100% acrylic, 104 yards/skein) in the colorway Golden Mist For the light blue scarf – 1 skein of Lion Brand Homespun (5-weight, 100%…
My own slice of humble pie
I was reading something the other day in an older Artful Blogging magazine where a baker told a story about humility. She had been making the same recipe over and over, day in and day out so much so that she could do it in her sleep. One day though, her baking didn’t turn out right. Like, it was terrible. But how did that happen when she could make this recipe in her sleep? Her boss came over to assess the damage and kindly bestowed on a her a beautiful message that went something like this. (I’m paraphrasing): When you get too bored or too cocky with your talents/skills, the…
New Project Spotlight: Crochet Copper Beech Cowl
Today’s New Project Spotlight shines the light on the Copper Beech Cowl from Lion Brand. This is an easy cowl and an even easier pattern to follow. The autumn-like colors of the chosen yarn conjures up cool evenings around a fire. But as with any project, changing up the yarn can conjure up all sorts of other memories too! What You’ll Need or What I Used To Crochet the Copper Beech Cowl 2 skeins of Lion Brand Tweed Stripes (144 yards/skein, 5-weight) in the colorway Woodlands (though it appears this color is discontinued) US-J hook Yarn needle Scissors Lion Brand’s Copper Beech Cowl pattern The pattern calls for 16 rows…
What my younger self would like about my current self
Have you ever wondered what my younger self would like about my current self? I know my younger self would like the fact that I finished college and obtained a degree, since that was always the plan but I got sidetracked. It wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to accomplish given that I was working a full time job at the time and going to night school while raising my son. Thanks to my mom who took him during my 2-3 hour evening classes and giving them a bonding experience he’ll never forget. My younger self would like that I found a good job and became a respected employee.…
How to Sew a Fleece Poncho for 18″ doll
Today I’m going to share one of my super simple patterns with you for a fleece poncho for 18″ dolls, which could also be worn as more of a cowl. Stick with me here and I’ll show you what I mean. A few years ago I had a friend whose girls were into 18″ dolls (in their case, American Girl). Given the size of their family and the budget they maintained, buying official American Girl dolls clothes wasn’t always feasible. So I began making doll clothes for 18” dolls, which included the American Girl doll. What You’ll Need for this Fleece Poncho for 18″ doll 7.75” x 3.5” piece of…
