CAL Project Materials

Good morning my friends.  I hope you have all had a good week and are off to the start of a fun weekend. 
I will be starting my Crochet-A-Long on Monday.  There will be quite a few of us working together and I can't wait to see your end results! 

This project is gender neutral and can be made in various sizes.  I will post 1 section of the pattern each day on my blog until we reach the "repeat" sections and then I will give you a few days (or more if needed) to work through those.  At the end of the CAL,  I ask that you post a photo of your project on my FaceBook page and msg me your email address or Ravelry ID and I will "gift" you the PDF pattern for your keeping. 

So, Let's get started!  Here is a list of the materials you will need.

This will require 3 colors of yarn. It can be your brand preference as long as it's a #4 WW yarn.
       I have used Red Heart Super Saver for mine.  You could also use Caron Simply Soft, Red Heart Soft,  
       Vanna's Choice or something similar
             1. Your first color needs to be dark. 
             2. Your second color needs to be a lighter shade of your first color. 
             3. Your third color needs to be a neutral.
                  For example:  Windsor Blue, Country Blue, Aran
                                        Dark Sage, Light Sage, Aran
                                        Claret, Dusty Rose, Cream
Yarn Qty: Small - 6oz each color
                Med -  12oz each color
                Large - 18oz each color


Hook size: H (this is what I use, but again, you can use the hook size you are most comfortable with as the pattern will work for any size.


This is a great way to go through some of that stash that you've been hiding under your bed. Or maybe in the closet?  Mine is all over the place since I have a small house and not enough storage :)  And if you don't have enough in your stash, well, now you have a reason to go shopping - right?
I'm so excited!  Go gather your things and we'll meet back her on Monday at 11am MST.  (the first section will only take you a couple of minutes)

Featured Crafter: Hatch-ed With Love

Welcome to our Featured Crafter post (week 3)

This week you will meet the talented Miss Jennifer of Hatch-ed With Love.  Jen is another crochet designer with some really fun patterns!  Take a moment to get to know her a little better and visit her site.

What is the main focus of Hatch-ed With Love?
My main business focus is pattern writing!! I began as wanting to sell my handmade things but more people were interested in patterns. After I finally gave in and wrote up my first pattern, I was hooked!! I never thought I would be able write patterns that would sell, so I never tried. I love learning and there is still so much I want to learn!!

Hatch-ed With Love on Storenvy



What is your greatest accomplishment?

 My greatest accomplishment would be starting my page and getting my name out there. My grandma always told me that I needed to sell my things. I had no idea on where to begin, after she passed away in 2011, I went searching for a way to get my name out there. Facebook pages were just starting to become popular, my cousins girlfriend told me to start one. I told her that if she could think of a catchy name then I would do it and that is where Hatch-ed With Love came from. And is my biggest accomplishment to this day!! 

Hatch-ed With Love website

What is something you struggle with?
 Something I struggle with.. everything!! I'm bad a time management, I'm bad at writing notes down, I'm bad at buying way too much yarn, I'm bad at saving money, I'm a sucker for buying patterns I may never use. There is a lot of struggling. But without struggling you would not be successful. I struggle sometimes to push forward, but I know if I don't continue to push I will go nowhere!!

Hatch-ed With Love on Ravelry 

What advice do you have for someone who is just starting in the craft business?

Advice for someone starting out... Practice and patience. It takes practice to be successful, the more you practice the better your products will turn out. Patience is a must. Without patience you will get nowhere. Even when you feel like business is slow, if you are patient, people will come when you are least expecting it!! Don't be afraid to put your name out there like I was in the beginning!!

 

Hatch-ed With Love on Craftsy 

 

Who is someone you admire in the craft business?

Someone I admire in the craft community would be Tera from Trifles N Treasures!! I just love the passion she has about crocheting. She gets an idea and within minutes, she has a pattern. I love how easy her patterns are to follow and I love how much she has branched out (pun intended) with making the wooden crochet hooks. She is the friendliest most caring person ever. She has the biggest heart and is not afraid to help someone out!! She has encouraged me so much when I have been down and felt like giving up!! I recommend everyone to go buy ALL her patterns!!

Well, There ya have it!  Jennifer is one of my "online" friends who I get along with very well.  If she lived close to me, I could see us sitting on the patio crocheting and chatting away :)
And...I have to agree with her - Tera is a wonderful person and hopefully I will be able to feature her in the near future!

The last photo to share with you is:

The Love Your Kidneys Beanie (this one she is donating $1 from all sales to the National Kidney Foundation)

Love Your Kidneys Beanie on Ravelry

The Wonderful World of Yarn

Do you ever have trouble deciding what yarn to choose for a project when
going to the store, standing in an isle full of many yarn variations and colors?







I must admit that I'm a creature of habit and I tend to stick with using the same brand/type of yarn for a good amount of time.  When I first started crocheting (many, many moons ago)  I only made afghans and because I was only 10 when I started, I used what was the least expensive which was Red Heart Super Saver yarn. 

Free Petal Stitch Afghan pattern

I really like this yarn for afghans because it is warm and easy to work with and has such a huge variety of colors.

As I started designing baby clothing, I didn't want such a think yarn and fell in love with Caron Simply Soft yarn.  It is so nice to use something that I don't have to worry about it itching the baby's skin.  The ONLY thing that I don't like about Simply Soft is that the threads of the yarn can split often and make it slightly more difficult to work with at times.  It does have some beautiful colors to choose from and I love making baby afghans with it too!

 Butterfly Afghan and Overlay pattern

  We can't forget about the fun Boutique Sashay yarn!  I thought the scarves were really pretty that everyone was making with it - but I HAD to try something different with it!!  I absolutely love how these dresses turned out and my girls are still wearing theirs often and still get compliments every time.

 Princess Britt Infant pattern

Princess Britt Toddler pattern

Then Summertime came and I needed to use something that would not be to hot to wear and I tried out.  I had tried Cotton at one point, but it seemed really stiff to me and hurt my shoulder to work with...Utill I tried Red Heart's Creme de la Creme.  It is available locally and is easy to work with.  It has such fun verigated colors to choose from and is reasonably priced. 

 Stars & Stripes Infant Sundress pattern

Now, I'm on to a new yarn...Red Heart Soft.  It is pretty comparable to Simply Soft, but it doesn't seem to split like Simply Soft does.  The plus side to this is that it is available in my local store also and Simply Soft is not.  I am a huge fan of the deeper colors such as Burgandy, Navy Blue and so on.  The shades available in this yarn are great and I will be using it more! 

Ribbon Candy Infant pattern 

So,  How do you choose which yarn you want to use?