Website and Projects Update

As many of you know, I have been trying to complete my crochet website so that I may be able to set customized afghans and accessories.  However, it is taking a lot more time that I had originally anticipated.  I have the majority of my afghans uploaded with their information.  Now I am focusing on getting the yarn options pages completed, as well as figuring out my order forms. 

My dilemma with the order forms is how can I make it as user friendly as possible.  I am working with my mom, who is fantastic with Excel, to create a form that will have all the options within the form in drop down menus.  This way you do not have to type everything you want into the form.  I am also going to have it automatically calculate totals with shipping and the deposit amount required for the items being purchased.  Who would have thought it could get so complicated?

Anyways, the website is well on its way to getting finished.  I just need to have a computer to use to work on it.  (My laptop is at the store getting diagnostics ran because it randomly turned off yesterday and had a hint of a burning smell to it.  It turned back on, but they are checking it out to see what happened and if they can keep if from happening again.)

As far as my current projects, I have completed all 42 starter centers for my granny square afghan, the most tedious part of the whole project.  Now I am working on completing all 7 of square A, and I will work from there.  I also started the Mickey Mouse baby blanket last week.  Since it is all single crochet, it will take a lot of time and yarn.  One skein complete 11.5 rows and took me a few hours (granted there were several disturbances between since I was hall monitor for state testing).  I will post pictures some time this week when I am not working.

Well, I have to get back to things.  Have a good day!

<3 Stephanie

iPhone Crochet Frenzy

Hello!  So I have recently gone crazy with finding new apps to encourage my crocheting addiction.  Here is a picture of one of my pages on my iPhone.

 So I have these apps: Vogue Knitting, Stitch Minder, Red Heart, Lion Brand, Crochet Handy, Jo-Ann, Michaels, and Pintrest.  I LOVE having the Pintrest app because I can browse through ideas during my small breaks and I find so many new ideas through that.  I use the Michaels and Jo-Ann apps for ideas, as well as their coupons.  Red Heart and Lion Brand also have free patterns and have links to stores and sites for their materials.

But what I really discovered was the Vogue Knitting, Stitch Minder, and Crochet Handy.  Crochet Handy helps to decode the acronyms and phrases within patterns.  The Stitch Minder helps keep track of stitches and counts of your current projects...and it can do multiple projects at once.

But the best of them all: Vogue Knitting.  Yes, I know, I do not knit.  However, it has some really amazing tools.  Let me show you.

As you can see you can save your projects that you are working on.  You can list what materials are being used and any special notes that go with it.  As you can see I listed my Granny Square Afghan that I started that other day, with the hooks I need and the list of colors I am using.  You can also add any types of picture you want.  I used my first square as mine.

You can also save what size hooks (or needles) that you have so that you know if you have what you need or need to purchase one. 

The same goes for the yarn.  What I love about this app versus the others that I have seen, is that you can list the brand, color, how many yards/ounces in each skein, how many skeins you have, and any additional notes that it requires.  You can also take a picture of the yarn and use it as the icon, or save the pictures from websites on your phone and upload those as the icon.  Then when you start a new project, you pull can list the yarn being used in that project.

Just thought I would share what I recently found.  Who knows, it might be useful for you. :)

Yarn Trials

So, yesterday I went to my local yarn store in hopes of figuring out what colors I wanted to use to make my sample afghan that will have 63 different squares on it.  I thought I had found the most perfect yarn!  It was the Red Heart with Love and it was labeled as clearance for $1.39 a skein!  I was in heaven.  I was going to be able to buy yarn for the sampler ( which I need 15 skeins) AND be able to get yarn for a granny square blanket (needing 12 skeins) all for under $40....then the manager wondered by and saw all of the yarn in my buggy.  She then told me that the yarn had just been put onto the shelf and that whoever stocked it didn't remove the clearance tags, and that they are $4.99 each.  Let me tell you, I definitely had my bubble popped!  So I only bought the 12 skeins for my granny square throw, and I only bought those because I was given 30% off my purchase.  

Colors:
1. Holly Berry; 2. Aubergine; 3. Mango; 4. Iced Aqua; 5. Lettuse; 6. Black

So I have only made three squares so far out of 42 squares.  I can whip these out pretty fast as long as I'm not trying to watch tv. :-P

I will keep you posted as I make more of the pieces. 

<3 Stephanie

The Beginning!

Since you are just now getting to know me, let me paint the best picture of my life that I can.  Currently I am a senior in college, set to graduate this May.  I am finishing out my schooling by student teaching in the Plano school district.  Therefore, I am teaching Monday-Friday until 4pm each day.  Then I run over to my part-time job as an associate at a local JoAnn's store.  The store I work at is HUGE, so my brain is coming up with endless ideas of stuff to do.  And then, on the weekends, I referee kid's competitive and adult recreational soccer.  So if you haven't already noticed, I am a very, very busy person!

Despite my crazy schedule, I still make time for scrapbook retreats and events, as well as crocheting on a regular basis to help clear my head.  Recently, several teachers at my mentor school have or are having babies.  I started crocheting blankets for each of them, when one of the teachers mentioned I should start selling my items.  This came up because I a making specific blanket and created a latch hook rug pattern for a custom rug for the nursery.  So that is what got my whole website going.

Now I am trying to get website up and running and build the clientele to keep it going!  On this blog and I will post my different projects I am working on, including the specialty blanket and rug.

Last week I successfully made my first pairs of baby booties and a preemie cap!

I really enjoyed making them.  It took me a little over an hour to make the set.

These are the baby botties I made.  The ones of the right hand side are the first ones I made.  They are so cute!

Well I have to get back to my busy schedule.  I look forward to sharing my work with you!