The Roller-coaster Begins Again...

Yeesh! has it really been that long since my last post??? Jeez! I'm seriously so sorry about that! What could I possibly have been doing all this time you ask? Well let me see...

• Kids started school again - getting them ready is always a hubub and I know there are tons of others out there that feel my pain. Riley is now a freshman. Aurora started third grade. Jacob started second grade. What a spread, right? Luckily, they all go to schools that Amazing Adam and I have previously attended, and the two elementry school teachers were also teachers for Riley when he attended the same school. We're set up for a very awesome school year!
• Crocheting... if I haven't been blogging then I had better been yarning, right? Well, I've been working my fingers off! I finished a Seahawks version of Moogly's Circles of Love Afghan which I am currently trying to sell on my Facebook page. I also made 4 Pokeball inspired dice bags for the family. Photos of these projects are posted on Facebook as well. I'm currently working on Spider Mambo's I Heart Skulls Circle Cardigan for Aurora. She chose Caron Simply Soft in Neon Pink & Limelight. No missing that girl in the car-pool lane after school!
• Working. Working at my out-of-the-home job managing an answering service. New employees, former employees, company picnics... the usual. This is usually where I'm reminded that there are less than 100 days until Christmas. When I'm reminded of this, I usually send snide comments to the reminder.

Doesn't exactly seem like a lot, but there's a lot of time and driving and other energy put in to those events, right?

What is coming up next, you're asking. Well, I have a few things on my to-do list:

• I Love Yarn Day (10/10/2014) - I really want to post another pattern to celebrate I Love Yarn Day, unfortunately I don't think it will be free this year; it will, however, be discounted for the week of I Love Yarn Day. Stay tuned to Facebook and this blog for more details as we get closer.
• I still have the Penelope Bag and Sunshine Sack to post (I'm somewhere in the finishing stages), had another idea for a bag, but we'll see if I'll even bring it to fruition since I ran out of a "seasonal" yarn. (HATE that, nothing but a tease!)
• I also still have the pattern for my Submissive Hooters needing to be finalized.

I need someone that can sit next to me writing in "crochet speak" as I create these things, seriously! I'm thinking it should be considered a foreign language to speak "craft." 

Anyway, I just wanted to check in with everyone; I've seen a number of views increase over the last few weeks and I am incredibly humble and thankful that all of you have found my little blog. You have no idea how much squee it gives me.

For all you new followers: WELCOME! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, don't hesitate to comment on posts here or on Facebook - haters too! You're all welcome! If I didn't want honest opinions, I wouldn't put it out there to be judged by the general public. 

So, here's to hopefully not such a long silence between posts! 

Have a great rest of the week!!!

FREE PATTERN: Supernatural Moonlight Infinity Scarf for "I Love Yarn Day!"

Happy I Love Yarn Day!

I know it has been a long time. And let me tell you, chaos reigns! There has been a lot going on – but then again, who’s life doesn't have chaos?  Over the last few weeks I've been in quarantine due to a nasty cold that has been kicking my butt (hopefully, I’m on the mend now). Plus a nasty of creative block; I’d start a few patterns then unravel everything I’d done in the day. It just wasn't grabbing my attention and it was all lacking passion and enthusiasm.

This last weekend I was again sequestered into the bedroom as to not contaminate the rest of the family I watched Supernatural Season 8! Oh, I had finished Seasons 1-7 a few months back and had been wanting to catch up on Season 8 as it was the current season, but my cable provider (you know who you are) sucks and wouldn't provide them in any helpful order. Imagine my thrill when I was notified by Netflix that it was now available on instant streaming! Heck, yes!

almost too much squee for one geek!

Thus I was inspired by a healthy (and much needed) 2-day session of Season 8; which was luckily prior to the premiere of Season 9 this week. Lately, I’d been trying to do something with a “granny square” stitch and I had been collecting sparkly yarns over the past few months, knowing that I’d find the perfect project someday. Well, that someday happened!

To not only celebrate the rampant geek squee that is Supernatural, but to also celebrate I Love Yarn Day, I present to you my new pattern:

worn the long direction - bad selfie, sorry!

in this pic i have folded it to double up as a cowl
another bad selfie!

Materials 

N Size Crochet Hook

Yarn:

     Loops & Threads Charisma – Black, Purple & White (5 Bulky)

     Loops & Threads Dewdrops – Amethyst & Diamond (6 Super Bulky)

Yarn Needle & Scissors for cutting & finishing off ends

Notes:

• Each round will finish with a slip stitch to the beginning cluster of the row.
• Beginning Cluster:- ch 2 + 2 dc in the same stitch (the ch 2 will count as a dc for the beginning cluster only)
• Pattern Cluster – 3 dc in same stitch
• Do NOT chain any stitches between clusters.
• It was my intention as I created this scarf that the clusters remain close, not too much space between as a more traditional cluster stitch may be, as I wanted this to be plush and cozy.
• As you’re working or even when you’re done, I found that tugging the stitches both vertically and horizontally across the rows & columns helped to seat the clusters between other clusters making sure they settled where they were supposed to.
• For changing colors I found it easiest to just tie off and cut the yarn mostly due to the number of colors in use and their mass to move around each other. It is your decision if you want to carry through or tie off.

Foundation: (Use your first color; see below for an outline of the color scheme I used.)

I found that there are two basic ideas to starting off a project. For this one, due to the amount of stitches required I preferred the beginning chain over the foundation row – here are both for you to decide:

• Beginning Chain - chain 131 stitches, sc in 2^nd stitch from hook, sc back to the beginning (130)
• Foundation Row - Foundation sc for 130 stitches; sl to join to 1^st stitch, careful not to twist the chain when you join to the beginning. (130) YouTube has videos on how to stitch the Foundation Single Crochet.

Supernatural Moonlight Color Scheme

Foundation              Charisma Black

Row 1                     Charisma Black

Row 2              Dewdrops Amethyst

Row 3              Dewdrops Diamond

Row 4                    Charisma Purple

Row 5                     Charisma White

Row 6                    Charisma Purple

Row 7              Dewdrops Diamond

Row 8              Dewdrops Amethyst

Row 9                     Charisma Black

Row 10 (sc)             Charisma Black

Pattern:

Row 1: (Black) ch 2, 2 dc in same st, skip 2 stitches, 3dc in next stitch. *skip 2 stitches, 3dc in next stitch* continue repeating from * to * until you reach the beginning cluster, sl st to join. Tie off & cut.

Row 2:-9: Repeat Row 1 – changing color with each new row, following the color scheme listed above or a color scheme of your own choosing. 

Row 10: (still using black) sc in each stitch around. Sl st to the beginning stitch, bind off.

Finish off any remaining loose ends.

That’s it. Super simple really, but I LOVE this scarf! I’ve got rave reviews about it from work and family. Have fun with this pattern, use colors that speak to you… I’m already thinking of what other color schemes I can come up with!

Feel free to sell the items made from this pattern, just please don’t replicate the pattern, if anyone wants the pattern for themselves, please direct them to my blog!

Also, if you find any errors or discrepancies, please let me know!

Hope you enjoy making your Supernatural Moonlight Infinity Scarf, I’d love to see your finished projects!

employee snapped what i hope is a better pic?

It had been my original plan to spend all day crocheting at Starbucks while the kids were in school. However because I've been ill and missed too much work and then the kids don't have school due to a teacher professional day. I'll be at work, but I'll be yarning in my heart!

Anyone do anything fun to celebrate?

I Love Yarn Day!!!

I found out about I Love Yarn Day a few weeks ago through a craft blog that had this link posted for their website: I Love Yarn Day.

I was excited to see that they had October 12th planned for this year's events. It seems that there are a lot of events going on all throughout the interwebs and various locations. Super cool!

So, this year, now that I have this blog, I've decided that instead of just one day, I'm going to celebrate all weekend - goodness knows I can use the time dedicated to my preparation for December's craft fair!

That is why I plan to post my first free pattern on this blog over the weekend! Now, just to get it from my head to the screen in a way that will make sense to everyone.

Wish me luck and stay tuned!