Midsummer Crochetapalooza

Last week brought all kinds of good news- getting into Craft Lake City, welcoming a new sister-in-law into the family, and seeing my local exposure blow up.

Do you ever feel like you can't crochet fast enough, like every stitch takes five minutes and creates ten knots and your blood pressure goes through the roof and you just want to crawl under the coffee table with the cat and be still for a while?

Oh, that's just me? Alright then.

I've been trying to make my midsummer mad dash more fun by having a theme for each day. Friday was unicorns and watching Legend. Saturday was gnomes and Labyrinth. Sunday was owls and Bones. Okay, so the last two didn't really go together, but you get the drift. Last year, I tried to spread out things, so I didn't get tired of making elephants, for example, but I think that made me too scattered. This summer the goal is to bust out a bunch of each item at once, then move on. So far, it's working well...except for the whole "can't crochet fast enough" thing.

It will all work out, and all be worth it, and you will be so amazed by my stuff that you'll want to jump for joy!

Crocheting With Crossed Fingers

I have been holding my breath and hitting the refresh button on my email like a maniac for about a week. I am a crazy person, it's true, but there is something to be said for a sense of urgency, right?

Today, I found out that I am, once again, one of the Craft Lake City Artists! Woo! Who's laughing about the color-coded spreadsheet now? I know what I'm making! How about you?

I checked in at Signed & Numbered on Friday, and I had sold a couple things, which was most excellent. It seems that the yarny goodness is on an upswing. Now, how to maintain it? Hmm... ponderous.

Please come visit me at Craft Lake City August 13th, along with all the other amazing artists, who maybe also made spreadsheets. Follow this link to see them: http://www.craftlakecity.com/artists

Why am I still typing- I have to make a thousand things! Gahhh!!

Creating and Pondering

It's been an exciting couple of weeks on the yarn island. The amount of custom pieces is growing, along with my exposure. And, so lovely, as of Tuesday, Signed & Numbered in Salt Lake carries some of my yarny goodness. A big thanks to Shauna, the manager, for that one!

I'm still waiting- and by waiting, I mean checking my email every ten minutes- to hear if I have a spot at Craft Lake City for a second year. I already have a list of what I'm bringing. Yes, there will be gnomes...

Today is the first day of my mini-vacation, but I'm having trouble relaxing. It feels very strange to just sit here. I've poked around the intertubes, thought about teaching lessons again, and almost made a second, prettier list of what is going to Craft Lake. I seem to have forgotten how to do nothing.

Sigh...

For those of you (imaginary) readers who don't live around Salt Lake, there's a pretty good arts and crafts scene evolving here. I've been very surprised and humbled by some of the things I've seen. It makes me want to try harder. That being said, I'm bumping up against that big question that all artists and crafters come upon at some point- should I make this my main form of income? I can kind of see how it would look, what I would have to do, but I don't want to take that plunge on a "kind of."

I should come up with a business plan. Hey, isn't that kind of like a list? I like lists...

While you ponder my addiction to lists, turn your attention to today's picture- a blue and white baby owl, who you can pick up at Signed & Numbered on 21st and 21st!

The Wire

I can't stop playing with wire. Cancel that, I don't want to stop playing with wire. It's so easy! My fingers itch to make something with it every day. Want a good tutorial?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZMh1YqX8GE

Carla will show you how, and if you're like me, also make you slap yourself for not trying it sooner. Soon, your fingers will be tarnished and your yarn will miss you. No foolin'. Last night's project was this beaded bracelet, which turned out so cute that I may have to keep it for myself.

Happy hooking!

Wire Day

I figured out how to crochet with wire today. And beads, obviously. I should say, I figured it out this afternoon, and I have spent the last six hours making bracelets. I think I may need an intervention. How did I not do this before?

I've had a slew of new ideas lately, and it seems that this has overtaken everything.

Seriously. Intervention. Get this wire out of my hands.

Etsy Update-o-rama

My husband, who is a computer genius-type, helped me create a new banner for my Etsy page today. Well, I should say, I told him what I wanted, and he made it. Until you can crochet intertube stuff, I will need help. I also took a slew of new pictures, like the one above, which may be my favorite, and listed some new dolls.

Let's sit back now and see what happens, shall we? What do you think- does it look good? I think it does.

New Directions

I've been applying for the next round of craft shows, and one in particular is sticking in my craw. This one has turned me down, saying my stuff isn't unique enough. That really bugs me. Who got to decide what was unique? If it was something a bit more constructive, like "we already have seven crocheters" or "we're not into jellyfish" that I could understand. The way I was turned down just makes me cross-eyed. Uniqueness, or lack thereof, has been decided by a committee.

So, on that note, I'm shifting gears in my crochet journey. I've been working on and off on a book, I've FINALLY discovered how to take better pictures for my Etsy shop, and I have some delicious ideas for some new patterns. In short, I'm realizing I need to stop gauging my success by whether or not I get into craft shows.

So I sat down and made a unicorn. Unicorns make everything better, right?