Treasury!

I woke up this morning, lazed around for bit, made a cup of good coffee, then checked my email. My first was an Etsy conversation that simply said "Treasury!" and had this link-

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c83c2a971ee8eef7c5763ff/nevermore

What a nice Sunday surprise- I made the treasury! Go look at it, because it's Edgar Allen Poe themed. Aw, Edgar Allen Doll is simply untroubled by this...

Pillboxes and Sportsball and Whining, Oh My

This is what is spent my day "off" doing. Let it be known that, while I don't follow the sportsball, I do know who the Cowboys are. But when my aunt asked me to make her three Tony Romos, I wondered why she wanted a steakhouse owner as a doll. Um.... that would be Roma...

Anywho, here they are, non-threatening crocheted fooseball players.

I went on a little craft store binge and bought a bunch of stuff to make pillbox hats. Why I did this now, I don't know. I still have to make two baby presents, two new, original contest entries, and start building up stock again for the next craft show. And what am I doing? Sitting on the couch with a lap full of yarn and blogging.

I came to the realization that, while the yarn business in taking off for me, my social life is on life support. Once someone figures out how to work for yourself and have friends, please contact me. I'll be giddy over the contact at least. I finished the dolls and wanted to reach out to someone, but I seem to be the only one at home this afternoon. So here I am, pouring little bits of my heart out, hoping I'll find my motivation again before I run out of things to say.

Enough whining, let's make some hats! Grab a hook and come on over.

The In-Between Days

This cute little jellyfish is available on my Etsy page as a pattern or a finished piece.

I spent last weekend updating my Etsy shop, hours of photography, posing things, uploading, cropping, and all the whatnot that goes along with internet business. Fyi, I am not a photographer. I crochet things. Until I can crochet pictures of what I make and invariably create a tear in space and time, I will have to find ways to alter my crappy pictures.

I need to be independently wealthy so I can pay someone who knows what they're doing to take pictures of my stuff.

I seem to have wandered into a creative slump. I've made two things since Craft Lake City, and one didn't turn out, which I haven't had happen in a couple years. I've updated my Etsy shop, looked into teaching certification, and been invited to other craft shows, but I haven't been producing new things. Am I pressuring myself too much?

Is it even worth worrying about?

I want to do this for a living (consider this a declaration) but I need to stop pressuring myself on a constant basis. I am not a big-box retailer. Selling three things a day at this point is miraculous and I need to remember that.

Who would've thought crafting would be hard? Which craft event do I pick? What kind of yarn gives me cred? Why did my wee kitty pattern look like a fat not-so-wee cat? Grr. Too many questions.

I have a hard time with the in-between stages. One thing ends, and I flail for a bit, waiting for some sign that it's time to work my butt off again. I can be alarmingly all-or-nothing. That being said, I woke up this morning with the urge to make a list (I like making lists) of what I need to get done and when, so I can make decisions about what direction crocheting will take me the rest of the year.

So, dear reader, enjoy your weekend, make something lovely, and check back to see what neat little thing I will post for you next.

This Not Crocheting Thing

So I told everyone, after Craft Lake City, I'm not crocheting for a week. In this week, I made a pillbox hat and a little cat doll...

Needless to say, I don't possess the ability to stop crocheting.

This time, it wasn't my fault! I went to visit my parents, I didn't take yarn or hooks, and my mother presented me with a skein of yarn and a hook, telling me she wanted to try her hand at it, but decided it wasn't for her. I lasted a whole day avoiding it, but I knew there was yarn nearby, and I succumbed to it's call. I take my drugs in skeins, yo.

When we got home, I had a whole night to relax, and without a second thought, raided my stash and made a kitty.

So this pillbox hat turned out awesome, but I will need to make it again with a smaller hook and more than one color of yarn before I take a picture. I got the idea at Craft Lake City- I made these cute little round makeup bags with zipper openings, but for some reason, people shopping my booth kept trying to put them on their head, thinking they were pillbox hats. I would walk over, unzip it, and they would say "Ohhh!" like I had revealed some secret to life. To me they look like little pouches, but to the general public, they don't. That got me thinking that maybe I could make a cool pillbox hat, and now here we are.

Next on my list is taking pictures of the remaining pieces to post on my Etsy page. Make sure you check it out soon...

And Now for Something Completely Different

Craft Lake City came and went. It was a big blur of crafty activity, and now I'm sitting here, not crocheting.

Um.... I forgot what to do if yarn's not involved.

I'm sitting here, as stated earlier, and all I can think of is taking pictures of stuff for etsy, planning my next projects, looking into the next craft event, and making something for myself. What is wrong with me?! Did you know that watching a movie doesn't require yarn? And that I can cook things?

Yeah, I need to reboot, as it were.

Come to Craft Lake City

It's nearly here! The pressure, oh, the pressure!

Please come and visit the hook'd booth and support all this insane work I've been doing.

That is all.

WOO!!!!

Ten Days and Counting

Craft Lake City is ten days away.

I am currently crocheting through some massive hand issues. Who would have thought that crocheting for six weeks straight would mess you up? Geez. I have made, to date, 123 items for this event. My goal was 220, so I think, even though I won't make that goal, I've made a freaking lot.

I would like to take a moment for a rant.

I have been crocheting everywhere I have a spare moment, which has, obviously, attracted attention from quite a few people. The most common comment is "Oh, you knit?" Now I know I shouldn't bristle every time I hear this, because not everyone knows the difference, but I do. Here are some snarky comebacks I thought of, but didn't say.

"No, luckily for you only knitting uses the stabby needles."

"What? What is knitting?"

"This is a hook, fool."

"No. Will you teach me?"

"No I don't knit. Learn your yarn crafts!"

Okay, now I feel better. Maybe putting this out into the ether will rid of me of the need to snarl at people who say that.

On that note, please visit my booth for hook'd at Craft Lake City (in SLC) on August 14th, from 2-9pm, or I shall taunt you relentlessly.

Okay I won't. But please come anyway!