Free crochet advice, tips and patterns? It's about time!

Hello everyone!

I need to change up my blog a bit.  In addition to putting out an occasional blog about different projects and how to do them, I've decided to add crochet and/or knit patterns, ideas, tricks, tips, etc.  There's no sense in bottling up all that I've learned.. it's time to share.  I'm going to now focus more on specifically the world of crochet!

I just ask that you share this with all of your friends and have them follow my blog so that I can reach out and help others who would like to learn how to crochet, need advice, tips, patterns, etc.  I'd really appreciate it- growing my blog is going to be my #1 goal from here on out!  I know how hard it was for me to start learning how to do it..I had to pull from tons of different resources and would have loved to have had ONE resource to get all of my information from!

I taught myself how to crochet a few years ago and ever since I've been head-over-heals in love with it.  The gratification I get when completing a project is priceless.  I love creating beautiful creations from a simple ball of yarn.  I have learned so much from YouTube, other blogs and from my own trial and error.  I have a few of my own crochet "tricks" that I've never shared before.

I am also going to figure out who to get some learning videos going for beginners, intermediate and advanced crochet learners.  I would like to do short videos showing each of the basic crochet stitches and then move on to actual projects .. would love for you to follow along and learn!

So spread the word!  The crochet queen will spilling all of her tips, tricks, some patterns, videos and a bunch of fun stuff:)

Love to all!

Amy

Winter fashion hats..

So I've been combing manufacturers for some cute hats to offer up to customers at fabulous prices.  I bet I've looked at well over 500 hats... and I'm thankful that I'm not an impulsive shopper!   The first hat I ordered was adorable and I opened it up to pre-orders and received a lot of pre-orders on the hat.  I recently ordered a second style hat and I LOVE it .. but had a (clear the children from the area) HELL of a time getting photos taken of it.  There were two problems with the photos... 1) I was in them  2) the lighting was horrible.   SO... here's what the hats are supposed to look like:

Now... I have a TON of hair as you will see in the pictures below.  So the hat didn't look the same on me no matter how hard I tried to manipulate it around.  I still LOVE the hat because it's super soft and really cute but I realize more now than ever that I will never like taking "selfies" .. I will dislike them, always!

So here are my attempts to show you all what the hat looks like without including a full-on face shot because someone was too lazy to put make-up on and look presentable.  And YES.. that's a Green Bay Packer sweatshirt I have on which I'm sure I'll catch a lot of greif for ;)

I will be opening this up for pre-orders within the next week or so ... too cute to pass up.  It comes in black, pink, red, brown, grey and cream.  You will see in the very last photo, I gave up and finally just held the back side of the hat up so you could see that it is, in fact, a slouch hat.

 

Happy Friday!!

-Amy

The Season is coming... the Season is coming...

That's right! The Season is coming... ..you know which one I'm talking about ... the leaves start changing colors ..the air gets a little more crisp ..it gets a little cooler but not too cold.  Fall is just around the corner and I couldn't be more excited.  I absolutely Love Fall!

I'm already making Fall items .. I received an order for some  infinity scarves today which I'm so excited about because I LOVE making them.  I just started making them out of pure baby alpaca (wool) and there is only one word to describe them... "heavenly".  I so lucked out when finally finding the right stitch to make them with.  I just recently learned how to knit so I was pretty pumped that I picked it all up so quickly so far.  There's a huge difference between knitting and crocheting.  I'd say I'm an expert at crocheting but only a novice at knitting, however, knowing something about both is a good thing. 

I could ramble on and on about knitting and crocheting and sewing ... but I wont!

So some exciting projects coming up.  I'm making boot cuffs..they were a hit last year so they will be making another appearance this year.  Like I said, I just received a larger order for my baby alpaca infinity scarves so I'll be busy making those too!  Also... I'm going to start making Womens headbands in the coming weeks... I have the material all ready to go .. I just need to find the time now.  They will be SO darling ...just wait and see!  

So I have a lot of irons in the fire right now.  I'm going to scale back on purchasing non-handmade items for a bit so I can dive into more of the handmade items... because let's face it, handmade items rule!   Plus, my heart is with handmade and not pre-made.   I'm also making this super cute long jean skirt which will be made from a pair of jeans and some ruffle material.  A customer asked if I could do it for her and it was too cute to pass up ..and she's a great person too:)   So from now until the end of March, I'll be super busy!

I'll try and search for a good DIY project to share this week.  They are always fun!  Until then, take care ..and happy crafting!

Best,

Amy

Basketweave Quilt Tutorial

Here's the link to the quilt tutorial.  I will say, I dont think it was as "quick" as is states to make .. it's a little tricky keeping everything lined up perfectly, etc. but if you take your time it'll turn out cute:) 

Here's the link:

http://www.honeybearlane.com/2012/02/basketweave-quilt-pattern.html

Thanks,

Amy

Checking in...

I haven't written in my blog in a LONG time so I figured I'd better take the time to write.  Things are always crazy busy and I just love it.  I've been sewing more lately which makes me SUPER happy ... my sewing got a little lost when I started crocheting and knitting... crochet and knit items are so popular that I had a hard time keeping up ... so sewing was put on the back burner.  I'm happy to say that I'm back to being able to sew more again and I LOVE it.  I'm currently making some gorgeous rag quilts, headbands and soon to be womens convertable scarf/nursing cover.  There are just so many things out there to make...and I've gone crazy with buying fabric lately so I need to start sewing more in order to keep my fabric supply down to a manageable amount.

I've done a couple/few giveaways since my last blog post. I have also donated items to two silent auctions, both involving individuals who were diagnosed with cancer (both have children).  I really enjoy helping out- it's the very least I can do to make even a tiny difference in their lives to make it a little better.  God gave all of us talents and he intended us to use them in a positive way.  I encourage everyone to give, give, give ... even for no reason.

This Fall I will be offering crochet classes.  I haven't quite figured out when this Fall but as soon as I figure it out, I'll get dates and times posted.  I've never had crochet classes before so it should be a lot of fun!

Well, I need to get going on a quilt I'm making!  I hope you are all doing fabulous... I'll post again soon!

Be well!

Amy

DIY Lace Flag Garland for baby's room ...

DIY Lace Flag Garland.. a great addition to a nursery!

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Depending on the length of the garland, cut as many triangle pieces as you want. I cut 12 to make a little over a meter of the garland.

Now you attach the triangles pieces to the string. If you don’t have a sewing machine, you can handsew each triangle. If you are using a sewing machine, use the piping foot.



Now all you need to do is hang it up in thep erfect place.... it's that easy!

Thanks for tuning in ...I'm always on the look out for great DIY ideas!

And the fun continues ..

Here we are, March 6th ..the day I get a call from the realtor letting us know that the closing date on our new home is on March 11th (MONDAY!!). 

I am excited ... and I'm also stunned because the reality of how much work this is going to be.  I will definitely be covered from head to toe in paint before this next month comes to a close... I'll probably have 50 bruises and scrapes, possibly some colored hair (from the paint!)...and exhaustion, total exhaustion.  It's going to be a long road/haul but it will be worth it.  Finally, there will be bittersweet moments.  The moment when we say goodbye to a home we have share so many memories in.  A home we brought babies home to .. a home we shed tears in, a home we filled with laughter and joy.  A home that truly means so much to us but one we ran out of room in.  Ironically, the new house we bought is almost identical in layout ... I suppose that's why we fell in love with it... it reminded us of "home".  It's easy to find a house but it's difficult to find a "home".  I will miss this little love shack!

Due to the fact that I will be moving, I will not be taking custom orders until we get settled in to the new home.  The good news is, I will FINALLY have a craft room.  I could hardly contain myself when I realized that there was enough rooms in the house for me to have a craft room... I am in heaven! I will have so much more room to create and be creative.  I will also have enough room to be able to display my work for those who stop by to pick up a gift for a baby shower, a gift for a friend's baby or a gift for their own little angel.  I absolutely love when customers drop by my home...it's so nice to get to meet my customers (most become friends!).  So if you ever want to drop by to see what I have on hand, please just let me know and do stop by ... you'll feel right at home :0).   I will announce when I can start taking custom orders again.. and in the meantime, there will be moments when I sit to take a break and do what I love (crochet, knit and sew!) so there will still be new items available for sale throughout the coming weeks.

I'm already starting to think about next Winter.  This past year I did my first annual "Cheer for Children" fund where I saught out a family with children that had fallen on hard times and I went to Sioux Falls and purchased toys for all of the children to give them (annoymously) at Christmas.  I had a couple of my customers donate money to the fund as well (THANK YOU, you made a difference in their lives!)!  I'm hoping to make that a bigger deal this year and am hoping to bring in more donations so WE can bring cheer to more children this Christmas.  If we can get this off the ground a little better this year, I will be looking for a few elves to go shopping with me this year to help buy the gifts!  I can assure you that the experience of buying gifts for kids in need is a feeling you will never forget .. the joy it brings will fill your heart, guaranteed.  This past year I purchased gifts for 4 children who had lost their mom to cancer last Fall... I was heartbroken when I heard their story and just could not imagine how those kids were feeling and I knew that even if I couldnt make a big difference, I had to at least try to make A difference.  So keep an eye out... I'll probably start campaigning for that around June! :)

Well, I suppose I better get going so I can pack.  I promise that once I'm all settled in to my new home, I'll have a few giveaways to celebrate!!   Thanks for tuning in ...

Be well!

Amy