Finally!

Over a month and a half after I first started the process of writing down and formatting my pattern for Navi, I am done!

The pattern is now available for sale on Ravelry under the name "Hey! Listen!"

Almost there...

I am 90% of the way done with the pattern for Navi. All I need to do is create a chart for the wings to offer both the chart and written instructions so that the directions will hopefully be as easy as possible for others to understand.

I hope by tomorrow afternoon (Saturday the 12th) the pattern will be ready.

Pattern Designing

I've always enjoyed making up my own designs and creations, regardless of which craft I'm currently working in. I designed a small stained glass window for my younger brother, I've created my own quilt designs (with the help of my husband), and I've made up plenty of crochet and knitting projects along the way.

It's been an interesting challenge to turn those made up creations into patterns because I know how I created each item, but I have to find a way to write the instructions so that someone else can follow them to create the same object. Sometimes I get it right, but other times I've only made the process more complicated.

My current love is for creating amigurumi items. I love the near instant gratification and how cute each one is. The current pattern that I am working on writing the pattern out for is for Navi, the fairy found in several Legend of Zelda video games.



The biggest challenge so far has been the wings, but I have the lower wings figured out, so I'm halfway there! Look for a notice here that the pattern is available in the next week.

New Yarn!

Well, not new exactly, but new for me. Ryan and I went to one of the thrift stores not too far from our apartment, and I found four sweaters to pull apart and reclaim the yarn. Two of the sweaters are very similar shades of gray that I hope to turn into a Gryffindor sweater for myself before the Deathly Hallows movie premiere in November 2010. I've unraveled two of them so far today, and I might get to the others later, or by next Tuesday at the latest.

The bottomless pit...

That is my crafting supplies is slowly being conquered!

I've been working on a couple of orders, while starting to design my next new pattern. The new pattern will also be the first amigurumi I've designed, and I love making amis!

Another part of the cleaning and reorganizing is to find all of my knitting needles and crochet hooks and to account for all of them in the handy dandy table in my Ravelry database. So far I only have the crochet hooks properly accounted for. It is slightly sad to realize that there are a couple of sizes of hooks that I have three hooks in the same size.

Back to work I go!

Progress!

Things are moving right along. I'm probably going to finish up my grandma's birthday present tonight, and then I'll be working on two sets of dishcloths that have been ordered, plus a surprise gift for a friend.

I'm also getting a good handle on what I want to do for my part of the table at ACen's Artist Alley next year. There are a few details to work out, but I'm well on my way to not only get a pattern designed but also working on building up my inventory of products.

I'm also getting better at being a stay at home wife. While it's not always easy, and our money situation is difficult, we're doing the best we can.

New Toys!

Okay, not really new toys, but a new technique that I learned at my Local Yarn Store this past weekend. I had always wanted to try hand dyeing yarn, but I was never confident enough in myself to try it on my own. So, when I saw that there would be a class I jumped at the opportunity, and I am so glad that I did!

This class was focused on dyeing with ingredients you might already have in your home, primarily unsweetened Kool-Aid, food coloring, and Easter Egg dye. I dyed my skein a beautiful shade of blue with purple and green spots. I have no clue what to knit with it now, but I'll find something.

I'm putting a call out to anyone who reads this - what color combinations (colorways) would you like to see and what would you call it?

Sorry it's been so long

My job at the bank was getting in the way of keeping up with this blog, but no longer. I left my job at the end of April (it was quit or get fired), and I have now been working from home on my little craft business for nearly two months.

An essential part of this business is my knitting machine. It allows me to knit large blocks of stockinette stitch in a short amount of time, usually for scarves or afghans. Usually I love it, but right now it's really giving me a headache. I was having some problems with it, but hopefully those issues have been resolved - meaning I can finish up the projects I'm working on.

Once I'm finished with these current projects I hope to develop new patterns and update this blog on a more regular basis.