happy halloween
crochet:: the coolest bucket hat, like ever
I’ve said it before and I will say it again. For a girl that doesn’t wear hats, I sure make a lot of them. So many in fact, that I have begun to wear them.
This is my newest hat design because yes, I had to reinvent the wheel. I tried other patterns. I really did. I frogged all of them. This one has all of the features I needed.
- super simple to follow instructions because I’m basic that way
- amazing yarn that you can soak in ice-cold water, wring out and stay alive in the blazing sun of climate change
- face-flattering brim because I am hyper-critical of how I look in a hat even when I am picking veggies from the garden by myself at 8am on a Sunday while wearing sunglasses
You can find the pattern in my Ravelry shop 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
not crochet:: still knitting
I took knitting classes a few years ago to expand my skills. Apparently, I mostly expanded my scarf collection.
This was a fun one called Pure Joy made with souvenir yarn I got in Ft. Collins, CO last year. There’s a FABULOUS LYS there called My Sister Knits and it is worth checking out if you’re ever in that part of the world.
Thanks for stopping by 🖤
crochet:: spring cleaning
Well friends, I have done it. I followed through and ditched my Etsy shop. there are no active listings and my messages directs to my Ravelry designs.
I’m doing a little spring cleaning sale of my hand dyed sock yarn over in my Instagram stories.
If you’re not the Instagram type, you’re welcome to email me. All of my sock yarn is 80% superwash wool/20% nylon, 357 yards, and $20 per hank. I will cover the shipping costs within the USA. PayPal only please.
There will be more listed soon, and it’s all first come, first served. Thanks for stopping by!
crochet:: etsy, ravelry, and me
I have a love/hate relationship with Esty. There, I said it. I have opened and closed my shop a couple of times over the past 9 years. I think this time it’s for good. Their model just isn’t sustainable for a small potatoes pattern writer and indie yarn dyer like me.
I’m still migrating all of my patterns to Ravelry, and I think I will keep it that way. Hell, I may even return to regular blogging here. I’m not a social media mogul or an influencer. Actually, I laughed while typing that because pfftt…I don’t want to be either of those things. I’m not an in-your-face sales person. I’m going back to basics.
While the blog posts will be short & sweet, I will see you around here more often.
If you’re interested, the patterns above are available in my Ravelry shop.
BYE BYE Etsy!
Thanks for stopping by😊
🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻
crochet::life::everything in between::
Wow, so I haven’t written a post since December…story of my life since 2015 pretty much, huh?
Thanks for sticking around and not removing me from your email or reader. I may not be exciting, but hey, I will show up occasionally to prattle on about crochet stuff or try to make you chuckle. None of this has been planned and it’s free, so kudos to you for thinking I’m at least interesting enough to visit once in a while. (Holy hell it’s been so long since I’ve tried to write something decent, I had to look up ‘a while vs. awhile’ for that sentence.)
So you ask, what pray tell has the yarnchick been up to all of this time? The answer is that I’ve been making a ton of stuff, watching more streaming video seasons of crap than anyone should, taking care of my husband through 3 back surgeries (he’s fine now btw), getting my amazing son through college, and generally being caught up in the mundanities of life. The important to me things like blogging, and pattern writing, and figuring out where my future ‘yarnchick business’ will go; have all been stuck in last place for far too long.
I’ve done some fun projects, and I post quite often to my Instagram @yarnchick40 if you are so inclined. I have started a second account @hookertherapy too, if you are further inclined because I’m a glutton for punishment building my future business around that name. I still have this love/hate relationship with fast social media…I still wonder if blogging is dead at times, and the mere snippets of microblogging don’t leave me feeling as if I am making a dent in furthering my yarny career. Buuuut, it seems as if the fiber arts community is becoming as short-attention-spanned as the rest of the world sooooo yeah, when in Rome…
If you’ve been around for the ride, you are aware that I have posted quite a few free patterns. They will be going away. Please feel free to use them if you already have favorites that you have downloaded, but eventually they will all be moved to paid patterns in my Ravelry store, and will no longer be available on this site. Over there, I am @yarnchick40 and I’d love to connect if we haven’t already. I wanted to make sure that you were aware in plenty of time before they are each removed. It will be a slow process, but after today I will not be able to guarantee their time on this site.
That should catch you up on the basics; and as always, I appreciate that you stopped by. Happy hooking 🙂
crochet:: merry gothmas
crochet:: sometimes i knit
I learned how to knit this summer and I’m enjoying the the change. While I can crochet after an adult beverage, I’m not quite as skilled at knitting…yet.
I found this yarn & pattern at Expression Fiber Arts btw
Happy hooking…or needling…whatevs😘
crochet:: give, then give some more
I’ve been trying really hard to help the homeless in my community. I hooked hats & scarves & gloves to distribute in a park that is a place many homeless people spend their days. We have brutal winters & I realized I don’t do enough with my craft to help. I had several items that had not sold from my (long closed) Etsy store that were packed in a box when they could be keeping someone warm instead.
For a while there, I was on a hat binge. I made the grey & black ones for my niece & nephew, then made more just like them to give away…it felt great!
Then I realized that I had blankets galore made for ‘just in case’ I needed at quick gift, and others that were gently used but lived in the linen closet for years because I had moved on to the next afghan.
I also had store bought cold weather gear taking up real estate in my home that would be better served to those that had so little…I was on a roll!
There were samples & prototype pieces that were culled & cleaned, ends woven & snipped, last rows completed.
Recently, I was able to hand some out directly to very lovely people in need of warm gear. I hugged them and told them that I cared; it was an experience I will never forget. I need to do more of this with my fiber art.
Thanks for stopping by ❤
crochet:: on the subject of October
On this date in 2007, I was meeting with my cancer surgeon & his nurse for the first time. I had only been diagnosed days before & I was a complete wreck. With every scenario that was laid out in front of me, I wept even more. I was inconsolable. Nothing about a cancer diagnosis or it’s treatment is easy. Nothing.
Over the course of the next 9 months, my surgeon & nurse not only proceeded to save my life, but to change it completely. I listened to a lot of music and played with a lot of yarn while getting chemo and waiting in hospital lobbies. I learned a ton of things going through that ordeal, one of the most important was to do what I love because life is too short. Yarn makes me happy.
It’s my hooker therapy.
Cancer never really goes away from your thoughts once you’ve had it.
And whoa-nelly hooker therapy helps.
It’s 10 whole years later. I’ve gone from thinking I know a little about my craft, to actually knowing a ton more than I thought was possible to learn. I’ve become a yarnsnob, because life really is too short to use cheap yarn. I try to do a bit of hooker therapy every single day. I have even more to learn and only 1 lifetime to get it done. I got goals y’all!
One of those goals I am pleased to say, was to design, publish & get paid real money for my patterns. I started that last year in earnest when I applied to design for Yarn-Crush. I was asked back again this year & was over the moon with joy! Below are my designs from their April 2017 & May 2018 subscription boxes. The patterns are listed here on Ravelry. I’ve put them on sale for the month of October at 33% off. No coupon needed.
My plea to you for today:: go get your ta-tas tested
photo by YarnCrush
photo by YarnCrush
*I am not a spokesperson for YarnCrush. I just think Joanna & her team are amazing & I enjoyed working with them immensely*
yarnchick 