I made another shirt. Didn't turn out quite like I wanted but whatever. This is why we practice, right? Still using up the yarn I'm not thrilled with. I like the yarn just not for this. But I have like 5 pounds of it from a failed Bavarian crochet blanket. I don't necessarily buy new yarn to make prototypes, just use whats on hand. I'm thinking the cuff around the body is too large? It looks different on the dummy.
"The pattern says I can't sell what I make. Can I sell?"
If in the US, the short answer is yes. The Supreme Court ruled on this a few years ago. The author can say anything they want, they have no actual right to say you can't sell what you make from their patterns. You CAN sell what you make. You can NOT sell the pattern. The pattern is copyrighted to the author. Also, you can't just put your name on the pattern and say it's yours. This will be fund out and there will be legal repercussions.
It's good form to credit the author of the pattern when selling your makes. Something like "Handmade by (your name), pattern by (author's name)."
Do you sell at fairs? Online? Etsy?
I know there are lots of free patterns around but I still like to get books. If I like a pattern then I'll like the rest of the patterns in the book by the same person and I also get to support the artist. So it's a win-win.This is one of my favorite designers, she has so many great patterns and so many that aren't in this book. Megan Lapp is know as Crafty Intentions on Facebook, ravelry and Etsy. The patterns look like they'll kill you but I promise they're easy! Not beginner level easy but still easy. She hs so many fantasy creatures done in a unique way so you won't cringe when you see one of her patterns.
Don't forget about your local library! These can be great sources for new patterns and ideas. It's a great place to go an unwind for a bit, search through books, sit and flip through them. Or if you're still not ready to go to a pubic place, many offer curb side pick up when you reserve online. I have access to so many books through my library network. Some books I think I want to buy to keep I end up passing on when I check them out from my library and find out it's not for me, some I end up loving and get right away.
Most libraries in the US are linked to the CAT system. It's basically a nation wide system so libraries can loan out books to other libraries in other states. Shipping may take a while but it does work.
Do you go to your library often? Do you have more than one local library?
I've been trying to branch out in to more useful things with my crochet. Things other than dish clothes/dusters/etc. So I've decided to try clothes. Now I've made a few things like sweatshirts before but nothing that really needed to fit. I think starting with shirts is a good, simple idea. This is my first try. I'm not thrilled with the yarn but it's what I had one hand.
So the last yearish I've been having problems with my hands. These problems usually end with me in a brace of some sort. I can't really hold a hook so I can't crochet. Someone had suggested a "knitting machine" to use during these times. I'm not too sure but got one anyway to try it out. It is easy to use without having to be very dexterous and it does let me do yarny things when I can't crochet but it's just not the same. Also, not sure why the parts are called needles cause they're hooks.....
Have you had to adapt your crafting for an injury, illness or other? What was it and how did it work out? At the moment I'm using the "knitting machine" to stash bust and make a ton of hats and stuff for donations.
So I see a lot of people say "I just learned to crochet. I'm going to start a YouTube channel and teach people how to crochet/my patterns/etc!" Please don't do this. If you're new to crochet, or any craft for that matter, don't make a social media account to "help" or "teach" people how to do it. I would encourage a social media account to show your journey with this new craft and let people know it doesn't happen over night and takes persistence. It would be beautiful to see someone's journey and watch them get better and better! Practice makes progress!
However, it's infuriating to see someone who can't tell their ass from their elbow in a craft trying to "teach" people. Please learn the terminology, how to move fluidly and to proper way to do things. Also, if you have small kids, please try to record when they aren't screaming. I would love to see an account that blossoms from "Learn with me!" to "Here's a simple pattern anyone can do and one I started with." Instead of frustrating veterans in the craft, encourage and stand by new people. Let them know they aren't alone and they have someone to learn with. Only a newbie can fully understand, even though we were all new once, it's not the same.
Do you have a crochet social media account? Please share!
Ok, you've been lurking, looking, gathering your thoughts and information. You are now ready to venture in to crochet! But....What do you do? Where do you start? It's ok, we got you. Here's a very simple list to get you started. It's not carved in stone and you can do what feels best for you, this is just what I use when I teach people how to crochet:
Yarn-I recommend acrylic and size 4 or "worsted weight" yarn. It's just the cheapest and easiest to find plus it's a good size to learn with.
Hook-Size 5MM-6MM as anything smaller or bigger can get fiddly. The type of hook will be trial and error as hooks are very personal. I recommend a Bates or Boye metal hook to start. They're cheap and easy to find and metal usually works with whatever yarn fiber you want to try.
A large eye/tapestry/plastic canvas needle-Can usually be found in sets with different sizes and a container.
Scissors-Any that can cut yarn.
Optional-A row counter. You don't need this to learn how to crochet but it will come in handy when you start making projects.
YouTube is also your friend. There are tons of videos for beginners and most are very well done. I'm going to start my videos here in a bit, after I get my phone stand to record so I can help you there too.
I hope you share your crochet journey with us!
So my current project is a sapphire blue dragon bag. I wrote the pattern myself and no the pattern will not be for sale. Too many people steal and sell patterns claiming they wrote them.
Anyway, I'm kinda stuck on what color to make the belly of the bag. I haven't found a green that looks good with this particular blue. I can't come up with another color that might look even half way decent and it's making me sad. Any suggestions would be helpful!
Tomorrow is my birthday! I think I'll get myself a nice pattern or pattern book and some yarn.
I've been trying to stash bust this year and not buy yarn I don't need. My stash was getting out of control but for some reason I never had black or white or any shade I needed. Turns out I still don't but I'm working with it. I like being able to just grab the yarn I need for a project and not have to go to the store, stopping my project and ruining my flow. At the same time, the stash was taking over my craft room. I guess there's a fine balance we crafters keep.
Do you have a stash? Do you only get the yarn you need?
Time for a check in! How are you doing? Did you get any new patterns or books? I finally got Megan Lapp's book Crocheted Creatures of Myth&Legend among others in the last month. hat are some of your favorite patterns or book? Do you have a go-to when you need a gift or just busy work? I usually end up making hats for donation when I need busy work or I'm in a crochet slump.
One of my other loves is Sumikko Gurashi. I love Tonkatsu! There's an Uwajimaya grocery store with a Kinokuniya book store inside in my town. I like to go and look at the crochet books, they have some in both Japanese and English. I do get the Japanese ones every now and then because they use graphs and numbers most of the time. This is one of my favorite books to make useful household items from.It's in Japanese but it has charts to follow so it's really easy. Next to the book is a cup washer I made from it. What's your favorite "useful items" book? What have you made from it that you use the most? Share!
Supplies! We as crafters need supplies. Lots of them. Sometimes it's hard to find what we want. I've noticed safety eyes over 30MM are hard to find. I did find a person on Etsy who sells 40+MM eyes though. The account is GurumiSupplies and they have tons of eyes and even eye tools in different sizes.
I'm still trying to find super chunky and blanket yarn in a wider variety of solid colors. I'm not sure why they don't make as many sold colors in larger yarn but it's annoying. I don't really like ordering yarn online cause I can't see the colors for real and make sure it's the same dye lot. I have quite a few yarn shops in my area but they have the nicer stuff. I usually use softer acrylics cause I make mostly toys and utilitarian things. You can easily spot clean acrylic or even toss it in the wash machine which makes it great for toys and useful things.
What is your favorite type of yarn to use? What do you usually make? Do you have problems finding the supplies you need or want?
I made a Plague Doctor backpack from BeautifulArtsnCrafts on Etsy. I used blanket yarn (jumbo) instead of the chunky yarn suggested cause I wanted an actual usable size. It did not disappoint! And the best part was it only took me about 9 hours. Aside from waiting for the 40MM safety eyes to get here. I'm going to make one iin doubled chunky yarn and one strand chunky like the pattern calls for.
This is the backpack add on but she has a pattern for just an adorable plushie too. Definitely check her out!
Ever get in a crochet funk? Just nothing appeals even though crocheting is the number one non-human thing you love? I do. When that happens I go back to my "crochet roots" for the things that made me love it in the first place.
For me that's amigurumi. I love making toys. I also love learning new stitches and patterns. It's always good to have skills to draw on in a craft, especially when you make something you've never tried before. If you've lost your crojo, try learning a new stitch or pattern of stitches. It usually opens the floodgates for creativity as you think of all the things you could make with the newly learned skill.
Have you learned any new stitches or patterns during Covid? Please share!
Do you use any tools besides the obvious hooks, needles, etc?
I have a few crochet journal/log things but I found I forget to use them or just go through projects so fast it's not worth it to me to write it down. Also I feel like there's also a lot of info to fill out that I don't really care about. I almost never measure how much yarn I used for a project or what the exact yarn was.
They seem like a really good idea but I just can't get the hang of using them I guess. And I make a ton of smaller projects that can be done in an hour or two so it'll just fill up the log book with tiny things. Maybe I'll use one specifically for larger projects and just not log my busy work.
Do you have log books? Do you use them? Do you only use them for things that take more than a couple hours to complete?
Where are you in your crochet journey? It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been at it, it’s a journey that only ends when you stop doing it.
I'm to the point where I really want to write more patterns. My only problem is I'd never try to sell them. But they'd still be helpful for me when making more items to sell. Lately all over the Facebook crochet groups I'm in I see posts about Etsy/Ravelry/where ever shops selling patterns that aren't theirs. They just steal them and say they wrote them then sell them. I will however sell the items I make from my patterns.
I also got some nail chips so I don't have to have cards on hand. I actually got mine from AliExpress for like half the price on Amazon from the same seller. These will make me memorable and save on resources. I've added a couple pictures of the chips below. You can link them to just about anything, Instagram, business page, Tik Tok, you name it.
What are some of your goals? Where are you right now in your journey? Whatdo you want to do in the near future?
I finished him! It took about 24 days. He comes in at 36 pounds and 11'9" long. I highly recommend you check out OvertonFancies on Etsy. Some of the pattern is hard to follow but she's very responsive if you contact her. I'll be making her Celeste and Torch this year too. I can't wait.
As for this little guy, I took him to my crochet group at the library to finish up his claws and a friend helped me bring him in (I'm n the blue sweatshirt). I had no idea another friend was taking pictures. We sure got some looks! It was also a challenge getting in the elevator.
So this is my project as of now. I'm working on the head and face and it's killing me but I love it. By the time this goes up he will already be done and maybe even his unicorn sister. But I wanted to share the process and progress of such a big project. I want to encourage you to not give up on things you're making that may not seem like they'll ever come to fruition. Take your time, take breaks and take pride. You'll get there and it isn't a race.
The concept of Tunisian Crochet sounds and looks kinda scary, not gonna lie. However, this is one of the simplest things you can do in crochet!
But this post isn't going to be a How To on this technique. It's basically just going to be an introduction and convince you to try it. Yay learning new things!
It's done with a straight hook that has some kind of stopper on the end so you don't lose all your stitches. Cause that would be very sad. It resembles knitting in a couple of ways. The stitches you pick up stay on your hook and there's a stitch called the Knit Stitch. And that's exactly what it looks like, a knit stitch from knitting. This can give your material a very nice drape if needed and it has a nice two way stretch. You will however have to get used to holding the hook over your stitches since they stay on the hook half the time.
Like every other hook, these come in all kinds of sizes and materials. There's straight, circular (has a cable connecting a hook on both ends), cabled and double ended. The picture below is of two standard straight hooks. Blue is metal and purple is plastic. These are two of the easiest to find Tunisian hooks and should be readily available at stores like Joann, Michael's or even Walmart.
YouTube has plenty of tutorials and I'm thinking of making one in the future. It's super easy to get the hang of and I hope you try it out in the new year!
Ok, so here's the story of my massive undertaking. I found a box of my childhood books a couple weeks ago. It got me thinking of how important the library was to me growing up and how important it still is to me. Also how important it is to get kids to read. I have 3 local libraries to outfit!
This will be a set of Keifer, Torch and Celeste from OvertonFancies on Etsy for each libraries little kid section. I've been working on my first Keifer The Baby Dragon for about 6 days now and this is how far I've gotten. I've had to use vet wrap on my fingers to keep from getting blisters, this is a heavy project! I'm having so much fun though. He started out as a giant mutant pickle. And the front paws are bigger than my hands!
I think I'll make this my little perma-sale post. Whatever I make to sell will be put here and I can share the link in my nail chip or Facebook groups or something.
Right now, I'm working on a sapphire blue cross body dragon bag. Stay tuned!
I think I'm going to try out selling some things this year. I'm not trying to support myself with my crochet but maybe I can make some extra money for fun stuff like vacations.
It's so hard to make any significant money from a craft. People just don't want to pay for your skill and time, let alone even covering your supplies. What I plan to do is make what I want to make and not what's "popular" right now and put it up. If it sells it sells, if not I can give the items to shelters or first responders. Not needing to make money off crochet allows me the luxury of doing what I want when I want and not taking a hit if it doesn't sell.
I am waffling on where to sell though. I'll put a perma-post here on my blog to link to but other than that I have no idea. eBay is a no-go for handmade items, I'll just lost on Etsy and Mercari wants 30%+. I also have no idea how to get a booth at a craft fair. These are all things I'm going to look into this year.
Seems a bit ambitious but we'll see what happens.
Here's to a new year! May all your yarny dreams be achieved!
