Black Friday.

Tomorrow is the beloved Thanksgiving. I will be spending it with my family in the gorgeous Vermont. Unfortunately, all I can think about is Black Friday. Outside of my crochet life, I support myself by being a retail wench. I work as a cashier at an American chain that always has sales going on and rhymes with "holes". I loathe my job's focus on promoting a credit card with a 21.9% interest rate and luring customers back with marketing strategies.

I am working Black Friday.

And I am scared...mostly because of this ridiculousness:

This level of consumerism is terrifying.

Finger Crochet

So, I had a brief chat with the lovely Neen of NeenCrochet on Skype recently. She mentioned she was finger crocheting a blanket. That totally blew my mind. In concept, it makes total sense. So, how did this not cross my mind before? Is it as difficult as I thought? Apparently not! I found oodles of YouTube videos which teach how to do it. What appeals to me is that since it works on a large scale, a blanket can be done in a few days. I'm thinking of loading up on some Red Heart yarn and making a pretty blanket in blues and greens....That is when things settle down in Etsy land! Orders have been fairly steady, off line and on line, which is great. Anyway, here are some videos I thought were super helpful and demystified it all for me

Keeping Inventory

Today I took a moment to organize my stash and was astonished when I found yarn I forgot I had. My friend Allison recently gave me her entire collection of yarn. There's some super soft alpaca/silk yarn I need to figure out what I'm going to do with. Moreover, I discovered projects I started and almost finished. I found a baby sea turtle without fins and a GLaDOS potato without connections. I also found my first attempt at mittens (which don't quite match in size). I think I might have to do a giveaway/contest at some point. When do you know your stash has grown too large?

WIP:
I'm working on my first baby owl hat in preparation for winter. I'm also working on finishing the projects I just found!

Recently finished:
Flying mint bunny and a custom order for The Knight from The Binding of Issac, a super creepy but cool video game.

Exciting news:
I sent off my second ever international sale to England!

Hello Internet!

Sorry for the lack of posting. I started a new job as a retail wench. School has been keeping me busy as well. I bought some more yarn today (that I probably don't need)...But hey! I can never get enough of that lovely sapphire blue (or as I call it: Tardis blue) that Lion's Brand Vanna's Choice produces. I also bought some lovely shades of green to play with. What yarn have you bought recently? How are you all?

Crochet for a Cause II- Finished Hats for Reed's Relief

Wedding Bells- Cold Shoulder Capelet

So, my best friend is getting married next month! I can't believe how quickly time is passing by. Today, a fellow bridesmaid and I went to have our dresses fitted. They look quite stunning. Although the wedding is in June, and it's likely to be hot, I'm making myself a capelet just in case. I bought some lovely mohair at a yarn shop long ago with the intention on making the one I saw in my beloved copy of Happy Hooker. I'm happy to say that the yarn was made locally, just about an hour away :D It's my first time using mohair. I have to say...it's taking some getting used to!


Here's a picture of the capelet finished by Black Dove:

Hopefully mine will look as good!

Crochet for a Cause & Mother's Day

So, my first charity project hasn't ended up being for the American Cancer Society (still a work in progress). However! It is for a cause that is of great importance to me and my family.

In one of my online communities, someone posted up the need for crochet goods from bags to blankets for Reed's Relief. Their mission statement:

Reed’s Relief provides comfort and diversion to children admitted into intensive care, and to their loving family members. While providing financial assistance through the distribution of goods and services to families of children found in the NICU, PICU, or pediatrics unit, Reed’s Relief brings awareness and education to the general public.

My mom lost a few would-be older siblings before I was born. When I was born, I was three months early. My mom recounts how she wasn't able to hold me and how she would get up painfully early to go to the hospital every morning until I was able to come home. I caused quite a panic. It's easy for me to tell how difficult it must have been for her. My mom kept the hat I came home in. It's basically a rag with a string tied round one end.

So! I'm crocheting a few lovely baby hats and a blanket (my first!) for Reed's Relief. I'll show you my work when it's done. I'm pretty excited to see how the blanket comes out.

In the mean time, crafters, you should check out Reed's Relief!

I finished up a pair of plushes for Mother's Day. Check them out:

Do you have any plans for a Mother's Day project?