GoCrochet

Photo Friday

2012-01-27T06:02:00.000-05:00

I think this deserves TWO photos. Here is my Mother and Father-in-law's cat, Hope, who has a broken leg. While they were on vacation, I took Hope to her two follow up check-ups. She is expected to make a full recovery. No one really knows how she broke it. How do you get a cat with a broken leg into a cat carrier? Very carefully.

Fiction

2012-01-26T08:47:00.000-05:00

Scarlet Nights by Jude Devereaux I listened to this one on audiobook. I learned later that it is part of a series of books. I'm not sure where it was in the sequence. Which, I guess is a good thing that I wasn't able to notice that I had missed on previous installments. A big city detective has to go back to his home town to uncover a fraud/murder plot. Reluctant to go back and face his past,

Inspiration: Beach Sarong

2012-01-25T10:52:00.000-05:00

Today's "What was I thinking" is the Beach Sarong! It was in the Summer 2009 issue of Interweave Crochet. Here's the link to the Ravelry page for the project. Originally when the call came out for designs for the summer issue, I was thinking about weddings and items you might wear on your honeymoon, or items to wear on the beach. (Remind me to tell you about the Amazing Grace Wrap). I was

Scrap projects!

2012-01-24T08:38:00.000-05:00

So many of you have stated that your Crochet New Year's resolutions include using up your STASH! I wanted to remind you of this fantastic designer collaboration that will not only be a great use of stash, but all sales benefit a designer friend who has breast cancer. The blocks in Pam's Comfort Cables can be mixed and matched to make a blanket or used along for dishcloths or smaller projects.

Sneak Peek

2012-01-23T08:20:00.000-05:00

I'm sharing a sneak peek with you. Just one of the fasten offs I am hoping to have this week.

Photo Friday

2012-01-20T07:39:00.000-05:00

"Citrus" has now been nicknamed "Piglet". I am so anxious to reveal some crochet to you! I can think of 4 items that will be in spring magazines, so keep your eyes open for the previews.

Inspiration: Blossom Trio

2012-01-18T09:10:00.000-05:00

Last week I talked about the Blossom Blanket, this week, I talk about the Blossom Trio! The three pattern set debuted in Interweave Crochet in Spring 2010 and is now available on their website. Look at the model's t-shirt! It matches so well! The stylist did a great job finding it! What was I thinking? I was thinking of how could I put flowers on the headbands but try to make them blend

BIG goals

2012-01-16T13:26:00.000-05:00

I'm trying really hard not to bust out singing, "I like BIG goals and I cannot lie". With the beginning of the New Year, it's a great time to make goals, but how big should they be? The bigger the better. But the bigger ones might be more long-term goals. In the meantime, break the big dreams into smaller goals that can be worked on yearly and monthly, even daily. Over the holidays, we

Business

2012-01-12T08:49:00.000-05:00

I made my deadline! Yay for getting to move on to a new project. I'm tallying up receipts from 2011. As a small business owner, it appears that the biggest recipient of my hard earned income was the USPS. I'm keeping the USPS in business. Also on my agenda today is wading through emails. If you are awaiting a reply from me, it will likely come today or tomorrow depending on how much research I

Petite Purls!

2012-01-11T11:04:00.002-05:00

Check out the Winter 2012 issue of Petite Purls. The online magazine interviewed me for their Renaissance Mom's series! Thanks!

Deadline Land

2012-01-10T10:51:00.002-05:00

I'm deep in deadline land, I'll let you know when I resurface. Keep those hooks flying!

Photo Friday

2012-01-06T08:43:00.000-05:00

Testing, testing, is my mic on? (Feel free to comment with your suggestion for a caption).

Inspiration: Blossom Blanket

2012-01-05T09:07:00.000-05:00

It feels like YEARS since this one was published in Crochet Today, but it was only May/June 2011. This fun hexagon blanket was made of Red Heart Sport Solids. Was one of your New Year's Resolutions to crochet down your yarn stash? I think this would be a GREAT stash buster. You can also change the colors of the blue hexagon "backgrounds" to use up more small amounts of yarn. If you change

2012-01-03T07:57:00.000-05:00

It's back to work for me today. But I have boring tasks on the to-do list, nothing worth sharing by photo. I'm actually planning on tech editing a pattern this morning. It will be great to have it off my to-do list. Chickee purchased this little critter over the weekend. This is Citrus. (Who I can hear running laps in her cage behind me). Too cute. She's a few-months old guinea pig and

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T10:27:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! For all of you aspiring designers... it's time! Time to wrap up your receipts from 2011, close out and print and save your balance sheet from 2011. Time to reflect back on the goals from 2011. Don't forget to give yourself kudos for things you accomplished that didn't even make it to the list. Time to make goals for 2012. Here's a birdhouse decoration that Tom and the kids

Photo Friday

2011-12-30T06:53:00.000-05:00

Oh Dear. Meet Ruby and Bumbles, Chief's new pet gerbils.

Knitting

2011-12-29T14:28:00.000-05:00

I just finished Susan B. Anderson's Twister pattern. It's available for free from the Spud & Chloe website. It's 2 skeins of Spud & Chloe Sweater. Since I didn't have 2 of the same color, I took two of what I did have, pink and yellow! I thought it might be fun and look like a variegated rose :)

Real Quick...

2011-12-28T13:24:00.000-05:00

I'm still busy doing family stuff, but I thought I'd post this photo... My brother, Ken, brought my book to our family gathering because he wanted me to sign it! So sweet.

And the Winner is....

2011-12-23T09:24:00.000-05:00

The winner of the digital edition of Simply Crochet by Robyn Chachula is.... Ashley from Flint, MI Yay! (confetti drop here)... Ashley, please email me as soon as you can to Ellen @ GoCrochet dot com Here's a photo for your Friday:

Book Review and Giveaway: Simply Crochet

2011-12-21T06:38:00.001-05:00

Ok, so it's not exactly fair that I'm reviewing this book... since I'm IN IT! It's Robyn Chachula's new book, Simply Crochet. The book is now available in hardcopy and ebook formats from Interweave Press. The book is based on the 1, 3, or 5 balls of yarn. My Dots and Dashes blanket, is 5 skeins of Caron Simply Soft. Of Course Robyn has several of the 22 designs in the book, but she also

Dirty little secret

2011-12-19T11:59:00.000-05:00

I'm going to let you in on a secret... I sold some projects that were supposed to be published, but then weren't. And do you know what? It happens all the time. I think sometimes editors buy projects and then they later find out that the bought too much or that some patterns took up more space and so something had to be "bumped" or saved for another issue or offered in another way. This has

Photo Friday

2011-12-16T07:44:00.000-05:00

Inspiration: Primrose Stole

2011-12-14T13:26:00.000-05:00

Have I told you about this one yet? This is a rectangular stole made of Spud & Chloe Fine. It's a superwash wool and silk blend and it blocks beautifully. The pattern is available through Tangled online magazine. What was I thinking? One of my cousins, who lives out of state and I don't get to see often, and I re-connected on Facebook a while back. Reading my posts and seeing my work,

Gift to YOU

2011-12-13T06:06:00.001-05:00

So, yesterday I was telling you about Stefanie Japel's Craftsy class. I've been taking the class on www.craftsy.com It's called Circular Knit Lab: Hats four ways. It has been teaching me how to use circular and double pointed needles to make hats! So far, at my own pace, I have made the Sweet Pea and Wheeler Hats (below). Well, Stefanie read my post and decided to offer YOU, my readers, a

Knitting

2011-12-12T09:07:00.001-05:00

Don't worry, knitting is not taking away from my crochet time. This hat, is part of the Circular knitting class "Circular Knit Lab: Hats Four Ways" with Stefanie Japel on Craftsy. I love the Craftsy class forum. This is the second hat in the class and it has taken me (cough, 3 months?) to finish? Because of course, crochet has to come first. But still I love learning and I love knitting and

GoCrochet

Photo Friday

Fiction

Inspiration: Beach Sarong

Scrap projects!

Sneak Peek

Photo Friday

Inspiration: Blossom Trio

BIG goals

Business

Petite Purls!

Deadline Land

Photo Friday

Inspiration: Blossom Blanket

More

Happy New Year!

Photo Friday

Knitting

Real Quick...

And the Winner is....

Book Review and Giveaway: Simply Crochet

Dirty little secret

Photo Friday

Inspiration: Primrose Stole

Gift to YOU

Knitting