On the Pattern Hunt?

Let's chat about patterns.  Where do you find them? How do you find them?  What do you do when you can't find them.  I will share with you my processes and how I go about finding what I am after,

This idea struck me today when I was getting dinner ready for my little dudes.  I had a text conversation with my awesome cousin, who is also a crocheter.  This will take a little telling.  A Facebook friend of hers posted a photo to her timeline asking if she could make the item in the photo and how much it would cost.  My cousin had responded she might be able to.  I shot her a text with an idea on how to price the item and some encouragement.  She reponded back she did not have the pattern.  I told her to hang on and I would see what I could find.  I did a quick Google search and found a pattern for each of the pieces in the photo.  I sent her the links to the patterns I had found.  She was super excited.  I told her it was a quick Google search and done! She said she usually only searches Pinterest and if it is not there, oh well.  She had never thought to search Google.

That comment made me think.  How many others are in that same place? How much frustration is going on?  That is not okay!!

Thus inspiration struck!!  I will share with you how I search for patterns!  So here goes.  The first step is the biggie - the photo or idea of the item someone (who may be you) wants. In the life of a crocheter the photo comes from a friend or family member who wants something made.  My next step is to search Google.  I will enter what I think the item would be called and away we go.  A slight digression here -  sometimes what I think an item is called and what Google calls it are very different, so be ready to have synonyms on hand. Now back to topic.  The search has happened and now the results have populated. Perfect.  I click to images. Why, you ask?  To find the image that was sent to me to see what it is connected to.  If I am luck it is connected to an Etsy Shop, a Ravelry listing, or a blog post.  Those are luck finds because the pattern could exist!

I also have a couple of go-to blogs I will search, and they usually will come up in the Google search.  I will list them out at the end of the post for you.

The next bit gets a little tricky.  It all depends on your willingness to pay for a pattern.  I am going to be honest here; when I first ventured into the online world of patterns I was cheap and felt I could recreate the pattern no problem.  I can still be that way depending on the request.  Now I am more about supporting other crafters and not using my brain space to try to recreate something someone else has already done.  At this point you need to decide where you stand.

Last step. Get the pattern.  Awesome, right?  You are saying sure - if the pattern is there, but what to do if the patter is not there, or the photo is connected to the finished product?  This is where your creativity and comfort level are challenged.  I have a few go-to patterns I have found for crochet staples.  You know - hats, flowers, afghans, etc.  I have these go-tos for this reason.  I will look at said photos and figure out if one of the patterns I use regularly can be the base of the item in the photo.  If it can then it is a mater of figuring out what else needs to be added to the base to achieve the desired item.  

Blog list: 

www.mooglyblog.com 

www.repeatcrafterme.com 

www.littlemonkeyscrochet.com

You will find some great patterns, videos, information, fun on these blogs!

Until next time!

Peppermint Swirl

This adventure started with a text from a friend.  She sends me a photo of a beautiful red and white afghan that looked like it was made out of peppermint candy.  I had seen this same photo on Facebook and Piterest, and I had been interested in making it, but had other projects going.  

Luckily, my friend wanted to use it as Christmas present for her mom.  She asked how much would charge for something like this.  I quoted her a price and she asked for two!  I was pretty pumped because I thought this would be a pretty straightforward and simple project.

I started doing some research for a pattern to create the swirl.  I ended up at this website.  It the exact photo she had sent to me and I was excited!!  You should know something about me, I always search for already written patterns.  I have never wanted to be a pattern writer, so major props to those who write patterns.  Now back to the story.  I thought I had found the pattern, and I was super happy!  I click the link and it takes me to the Red Heart website and to their Peppermint Swirl Afghan pattern. Yay! This would be nothing short of awesome, except for one thing - the Red Heart patter was NOT AT ALL like the photo.  Oh no! What do I do.  I obsessively contemplate using the pattern from Red Heart because it was already written and I would not have to figure anything out.  I decide to use the pattern.  I hit up my local Hobby Lobby, one because it is close and two because I love their store brand wrosted weight acrylic yarn.  I come home and I am ready to get hooking.  

I get going on the pattern, make it through the first round and to the second.  This would be great!  Then I actually try to execute the second round.  I am instantly lost.  Oh boy!  Do you know what this means?  I am going to have to work on this on feverish levels until I figure it out.  But first my family needs dinner, baths and to bed.  Once the dinner dishes are loaded in the dishwasher and the kiddos are in their bed, I start up again.  Now, I consider myself a pretty experienced crocheter.  I have been doing it for over 20 years.  So how could this pattern be so confusing?  I can read it just fine, but what I am doing is not working.  I remember seeing a link to a video on the website, so I swallow my pride and check it out.  It is a brilliant video put together by The Crochet Crowd, showing exactly how interlocking crochet works for this pattern.  It was perfect!!  Mikey was excellent at explaining the technique and even better at demonstrating (I might have tried to keep up with him during the video, and I came close!).  

Thus the journey began.  I took the project with me while I visited my mom for a quick get outta town type vacation.  My cute kindergartener was off track and I need a day or two out of the office, so away we went.  

The first afghan went fairly quickly, mostly because I was able to work on it most of the days I was at my mom's.  It was great to see it come together.  I delivered the first one and got to work on the second.  The process of making this lovely project is well documented on Instagram (@thatyarngirl), but as you can see, there are some here as well.  All of that documentation was loved by some of my friends and family.  As Christmas came, so did orders for other items and I became super busy.  

Etsy has been a love hate love kind of experience for me.  I really did not know how to use it to my best advantage when I opened my shop the very first time. But this was going to be the year for me.  I renamed the shop to something that made a bit more sense and listed some of my more popular items.  I set up the apps on my phone to notify me of any shop activity, created and advertised a coupon code, launched the items, and waited with baited breath for people to flock to my shop. 

And flock they did! In the form of favorites, views, and likes, but not in the form of orders.  I can't pretend I wasn't a little broken hearted.  But the last day my coupon code was valid an order was placed.  I was stunned!  Guess what they ordered?  The Peppermint Swirl Afghan.  I was humbled!  This project had been a process and a journey, and now someone wanted to be part of it.  Wow! Just wow!

Until next time!

The Move to Formal

This is crochet thread. For years it has been my mortal enemy.  Why, you ask? My snarky answer would be, "have you ever worked with the stuff?!" In reality I was not patient or experienced enough to work with it then.  To be completely honest, I don't know if I am any better off now.  Luckily my husband has more faith in my ability than I do sometimes and it is a wonderful thing.  He found the pattern for this beautiful shrug on Pinterest, and suggested I give it a try. Me being the kind of person that I am, did not shrink from the challenge.

I have to say this: Gauge is important!  I completed the project and discovered that event though I had followed the pattern for a size small - the completed project fit me, and I am more of a large.  So next time, yes there will be a next time, I will pay much better attention to my gauge!! 

Prepping for the completion of this project was different.  I think this is only the second or third time I have officially blocked anything!  As you can see pins and cardboard are essential elements to this process - at least for me!

I have big plans to take this project up a notch and add beads next time!  It will take much more planning and prep before I even start he project, but I think it will turn out beautiful!

One Skein Wonders! Review

So I discovered an awesome thing at the library: they have crochet pattern books.  Don't ask me why I did not think of this before, but I didn't.  I think this is one of my new favorite things to check out of the library because, and I don't know if you have ever noticed this, but pattern books are expensive!!  When I was younger and Google did not exist (what!?) pattern books were the only way to really learn something new in crochet.  Trust me I spent my mom's hard earned money on those books and for the most part I still have them.  What I love about technology now is those who are talented enough to not only create, but write their own patterns now have an avenue to share them without publishing a pattern book.  It is wonderful!!  That being said, there is still a place in the wide world of crochet for a decent pattern book. 

I have decided one of the features of this blog will be to review some of the pattern books I have or I can borrow from the library.  This edition of the book review will look at Crochet One-Skein Wonders.  This is a great book!  Something I loved about the book is it runs the gamut of fibers, techniques, and types of patterns.  I will be reviewing more than the patterns shown here because of the impressive array of patterns.  

The patterns I was able to put together for this post are from the medium weight section and they were wonderful.  They are easy to follow and fun to work on.  Each pattern also included a diagram, which I have learned is handy when you don't quite understand what the pattern is saying.  It is especially helpful if you are a visual kind of person.  If you are anything like me and have quite a stash of yarn in your house, this book is great to stash-bust!

Tootsies!!

It is kind of embarrassing how long it has been since I have posted well, anything!   So let's play catch up! This project is a great one, and it is simple.  For those of you who have a little one and love showing off toes, this is the project for you!  You can find the pattern here on the Whistle and Ivy website.

Here is what I noticed as I made the project.  This project sized small with the recommended hook size for me. I crochet a little loose.  I used the recommended hook size, but they turned out tight.  I used a size F and they worked out better.  Lesson learned today: pay attention to your gauge!  Also when making booties try to have the measurement of the foot so you can make sure the project will fit correctly.

Watch for the pattern book review I will be posting in the next couple of days!  I have found a great resource in my local library.

Variations on a Minion

How do you go from a pile of curly squares to an afghan?  Well it is a long story, so here it goes.  I have a wonderful sister-in-law who is one of TYG's biggest supporters.  She is the one you can thank for the Minion Hats and many other projects I have completed.  

She asked me several months ago if I could make Minion hats for her to give as gifts for a set of twins baby shower.  Of course I can make Minion hats, that would not be a problem.  She also asked if I would be able to make matching afghans.  That would be slightly more complicated, but I am not one to turn down a challenge, so of course I said yes. 

I had a pattern in mind I could modify to make a great Minion themed afghan.  I downloaded a free issue of a crochet magazine to my iPad.  I was excited because that would be an easy project to work up.  What I had not counted on was the move to IOS7.  I hadn't backed up my iPad before I updated my iPad.  Big mistake!  The free issue was wiped out and is no longer free, dang it!!

Time to move to plan B, which I did not have fully formed in my head.  I turned to Google for answers. After some particular searching I found a pattern that no only filled the need, but would be a bit of a challenge.  I found the Red Hart pattern Tunisian Color Block Throw, you can download the pattern from this link.  

I do not have a lot of experience with Tunisian crochet, so this would be fun.  I attempted the stitch suggested in the pattern and failed miserably at it.  I decided to use the basic Tunisian stitch, or afghan stitch. You can find a great tutorial on YouTube, or use this link. I made the block larger than the pattern suggested because my hook was smaller than what the pattern called for.  I used the pattern from Red Hart for the edge of the squares and the edge of the afghan.  Of course if this were to be a Minion afghan I would have to add the eye.  The really great thing about a basic afghan stitch is you can cross stitch on it very evenly and it turns out wonderful.

Christmas Work

Christmas for TYG was a busy one!  Several wonderful things happened at once.  First I had several orders for items, some I had already made and some new.  Thank you to those of you who ordered from me this past holiday season.  It was a huge success.  

Hats were a big item this year followed closely by infinity scarves.  Both of those are quick projects, but when they are ordered in large quantities it can consume quite a bit a time.  I was lucky enough to get all of the holiday orders finished on time.