2013 Round-Up

Wow!  So it's 2014 already.  Where has the year gone?  The older I get, the faster and faster time seems to pass.  2013 was a good'un, there's no doubt about that.  Mostly, because I started Curly Girl Coop, and found a place to jabber on about crafting with like-minded people.  I enjoy writing this blog so much and can't tell you how happy it makes me when you comment on things :) 

There's been a lot of crafting...

Which has made me very happy.  And there were a few stand-out pieces for me...

1. Sheldon the Sheep

Sheldon was a game changer.  He was my first attempt at designing something rather than following a pattern and I was so chuffed with how he turned out.  Sheldon has brought a lot of traffic to my blog, has led to me getting involved with a couple of fantastic British yarn companies which is so exciting but most of all he gave me the confidence to try my hand at designing.  Not bad for a little fluffy sheep. 

   2.  Yarndale

Yarndale was a great event to be part of.  Tracking the build-up online, the across country road trip across and then being there for the very first one was really great.  Will I go every year?  Probably not.  It's such a long way from Great Yarmouth and it has a definite emphasis on hand-dyed yarn which isn't necessarily my thing but another trip will be on the cards in the future I'm sure.

 

 3.  One Sheepish Girl Bloomdrop

I loved this yarn bombing.  It was the first yarn bombing that I have taken part in and I was a bit nervous about how it might go, but the flower drop was well received (with a little family drama thrown in for good measure but hey, when isn't there?!) and I was proud to honour my grandma in a way that was personal to our relationship.  This year, I hope to be brave enough to do some more yarn bombing without worrying what anyone else might think.  

So how about 2014?  Well, top of the list is to keep this up!  I really do love writing my blog and am determined to always make time and space to do so.  I also really want to carry on designing things as inspiration comes to me, but don't want to force ideas and take away the fun of it, so I'll just have to see how it goes.  I really want to get into using my sewing machine too.  I got a sewing machine last year but have hardly used it (I broke it once and then have been a bit scared to try it again) but I got a real urge to sew over the Christmas break and so am hoping to take this forward in 2014.  On the sewing front, I'm also tempted by some beautiful embroidery that's been cropping up on Instagram recently.  Perhaps this will have to feature in my 2014 plans too?!  

October Round Up

Whoah.  October has been a crazy month for me and Sheldon.  Who would have thought that posting a picture of him on the Yarndale Ravelry group would lead to such exciting things.  Sheldon has gone global!  His popularity has been truly overwhelming, I'm so grateful to everyone who has taken the time to send kind comments about Sheldon and have loved seeing pictures of Sheldon's cropping up on the internet.  

Because of Sheldon, my life of crochet has become even more diverse.  I have been asked to team up with a British wool company to work on some designs, yarn reviews and all that good stuff.  I can't tell you how excited I am at this opportunity.  On one hand, I am a little nervous about being ready for something like this.  Up until now, my crochet has been just for me, occasionally shared with my friends but mostly only to satisfy myself.  What if what I do is not good enough for what they want?  But I've shaken those thoughts off.  When am I ever going to get an opportunity like this again?  So I'm going for it, and plan on doing the best that I can do.  One design is already done, and there are more to come in time for Christmas.  When I can tell you more, I will do, I promise :)

Plans for October - reviewed

• Making some bunting for a friend that I've already taken shamelessly, embarrassingly long to get around to (ok, I'm going to be realistic, I have every intention of doing this, I'm just not sure exactly when it's likely to be, and probably not before christmas now)

• Starting my tunisian crochet Craftsy class - still to do, perhaps when I have some holiday from work I'll get to it

• Learning more about using my DSLR camera - some reading done, more learning to do

• Starting to think about things I need to make for christmas decorations/presents - I've made a start, but there's so much to do!  Another holiday project I think

• Making a cowl for myself (well, I deserve a treat too) - stuff for me has taken a bit of back burner for now, this might have to drop off the list for now

• Trying my hand at a bit of designing (!) - well at least there's one tick this month!

• Christmas Christmas Christmas really!

Plans for November

Are your plans Christmas focused too or have you got any other things on the go this month?

What are you most pleased to have made this month?  What are your plans for October?

September Round-up

Wow!  September has been and gone already and it feels like we are hurtling towards winter and all that it brings.  

There has been lots of great things in September.  One of the big ones was my first attempt at getting involved in yarn bombing.  I was a little cautious about it all, worried that it would be laughed at or ruined, but the response was fantastic.  People took the time to find me on Instagram to say thanks and posted on Twitter that they found my flowers and liked them.  It was such a good feeling to think I had contributed something that had made people smile.  

Yarndale was a fantastic way to say goodbye to September, it really was a great experience and I loved my time there.  It seems like I waited so long for it to come around, I can't believe it's all over.  

Do you see Nelson the Owl and his little log has snuck into the round-up?  I'll make sure you get to meet him soon!

Plans for September - reviewed

• Taking part in the One Sheepish Girl Flower Yarnbomb - done!
• Making some bunting for a friend that I've already taken too long to get around to
• Starting my tunisian crochet Craftsy class
• Learning more about using my DSLR camera - started
• Starting to think about things I need to make for christmas decorations/presents - started

So, as usual, I've got distracted this month and not achieved much of what I'd set out to.  Having said that, I still feel like it's been a busy and productive time.  

Plans for October

• Making some bunting for a friend that I've already taken too long embarrassingly long to get around to
• Starting my tunisian crochet Craftsy class
• Learning more about using my DSLR camera
• Starting to think about things I need to make for christmas decorations/presents
• Making a cowl for myself (well, I deserve a treat too)
• Trying my hand at a bit of designing (!) 

What are you most pleased to have made this month?  What are your plans for October?

August round up

So it's September already.  How quickly the summer months have come and gone and now we're steadily heading towards Autumn.  Scary how quickly time passes as you get older.  Or maybe it's just all the things that have happened in August that have made the time pass so fast.  

It has been a busy month.  Most excitingly, I prettied up my blog so that it's now something I'm proud of.  New design, new colours, new header, new facebook page, complete newness.  It's surprising how much time it takes to sit and write up my posts, and it's certainly eating into my crocheting time, but I'm enjoying this new part of crafting just as much as I enjoy actually crocheting, so I'm keen to keep going.  

Plans for September

• Taking part in the One Sheepish Girl Flower Yarnbomb 
• Making some bunting for a friend that I've already taken too long to get around to
• Starting my tunisian crochet Craftsy class
• Learning more about using my DSLR camera
• Starting to think about things I need to make for christmas decorations/presents

What are you most pleased to have made this month?  What are your plans for September?