Day 3: My Stash

Day 3 of the YARNutopia 30 Day Photo Challenge is 'My Stash.'

My stash makes me happy. Seeing all the different textures and colors of yarn makes me ache for inspiration to hit. I have only made a handful of patterns relying on others to work up a pattern for me to try out; most do not disappoint. 

This shelf isn't my only stash. Downstairs by my desk I keep a couple of small bags filled with works in progress and I keep a small trash bin that I put current yarn in I am using. When I am done with a project I take the bin upstairs, emtpy it, and then fill it with yarn for my next project. I love having several projects going on at once this way I don't get bored or idle. 

Above this shelf sits a couple of containers for small balls of yarn. The past month I've been working on cutting down some of my supply, just so I have room to buy more. 

I've had a few projects going on this past month so I haven't been up in the craft room to straighten my shelf. That will be done as soon as I finish an order I am working on now. 

Show me your stash!! 

Happy Creating!! ~ Amanda 

Day 2: Can't Live Without

Day 2 of the YARNutopia 30 Day Photo Challenge is 'Can't Live Without.'

Oh, this one is hard. I have so many items I can't live without, from my scissors, stitch markers, bobby pins (my ultimate favorite stitch marker), large corsage pins, needles (blunt and pointy), and of course my crochet hooks.
I was going to add yarn to the list but that one goes without saying!! :)
If I had to pick ONE item, it would be my 3.5mm crochet hook. I played around with some polymer clay and added a handle to it. It's my go to hook for all my amigurumi. I have started using a small hook than the 3.5mm hook but this one just feels really good in my hands. You can't see it clearly in the picture but there is even a small indent where my thumb sits while I crochet. You can't go wrong with someone that feels custom made just for you!! 

Happy Creating! ~ Amanda 

Day 1: Favorite Yarn

Day 1 of the YARNutopia 30 Day Photo Challenge is 'Favorite Yarn.'

How do I pick my favorite yarn? I love them all! I love some more than others. I pick my yarn by what I am making so it's very hard to choose. It's the equivalent of asking a mother who her favorite child is....*spoiler alert* it's the one that is being the least annoying any given day.  

If I had to actually PICK I would say my favorite yarn to use is Bernat Super Value. My deciding factors: wide color range, easy to find, not as scratchy as other value yarns, ease of use. 

There are just a few of the colors I have in my stash of this favorite yarn.

Happy Creating!! ~ Amanda 

30 Day Challenge

I decided to do a 30 day challenge thanks to Nadia over at YARNutopia. If you haven't explored her patterns it's a MUST. I have fallen in love with her creativity and videos. She is easy to follow and doesn't fill the videos with too much talk no related to the pattern. One video I watched her dog was scratching at the door and she was trying not to giggle while giving instructions; it was super cute!

This challenge is a great and fun idea.
Let's kick off the summer!!

Happy Crafting!! ~ Amanda 

Case of the missing needles!!

Ahhh!
I mainly crochet at my desk. I keep all my stitch markers (also known as bobby pins), needles (about 4 different types/sizes) and various other smaller items I might need to crochet in a teacup. It provides easy access and I can move it a round to fit my needs.

My go to needle for crochet is a blunt tapestry needle or darning needle, whichever name you prefer (Is there a difference?). 
I try to be diligent about putting it back into the teacup, even though I know I will need it in less than a minute but somehow I have lost 2 of those suckers. Today, I am down to my last one and sadly, it's different than the last one I used. My new one is shorter and when sewing up amigurumi it's a little bit of a pain since I tend to hide my yarn ends through various spots; sometimes going directly through the object. 

Anyone else experience the 'case of the missing needles?'
Needles-s (har har) to say this weekend I will be picking up a package..maybe even 2....Back to crocheting.

Happy Creating!! ~Amanda 

Back from my Hiatus!

I haven't been very active in the blog department recently. I am hoping to change that.
I participated in a 'Crochet Along', Yarnspirations and The Crochet Crowd hosted. It was a Mystery Afghan. We had no idea what the design or pattern was going to be from week to week. Over the course of 10 weeks we were given instructions. It was a lot of fun not knowing what the end result would be. I plan on making a separate post about the experience in another blog. It's on my growing list of  'to-do'. 

I also participated in a shawl challenge. I made the 'Yes Yes Shawl' and absolutely love it. I am in the process of making one for a loyal customer.

I am also working on a crochet bag. It's made out of squares sewn together to make a bag. A customer sent me the pin for the bag, see it here on Pinterest and the pattern here on Ravelry. 
She really loved the picture that was pinned, the flower square is beautiful (for the lack of a better word). So I searched the internet for a nice flower pattern. I settled on this one. 

Following the pattern of  Inga's bag I will make the 16 squares and attach them. I do plan on adding a fabric lining, so that will be challenging. I haven't added a fabric lining to anything crocheted before. I plan on documenting the process. So positive vibes it turns out. 

I wanted to get this posted before I get off the computer and start on my next cleaning project. Oh, how I love Spring! 

Happy Creating!!  ~ Amanda 

Busy busy!!

Here it is May and I have done a horrible job about keeping my blog updated.
I have been busy crocheting animals and I also made my FIRST crochet baby blanket. I came across a beautiful pattern for a granny square blanket, via Daisy Cottage Designs. 
My sister in law asked me to make a blanket for her new nephew and I jumped on the chance. I sent her the link for the blanket and she loved the pattern and colors (Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Snow, Seaspray and Stone). 

The tutorial was SUPER easy to understand and it turned out beautifully. The only thing I changed was the white edging around the quilt. I couldn't get mine to look as good as Lauren's so I just made up my own. 

I can't wait to make another one of these lovely blankets!!! This one measures at 30" x 30" and I bought 2 skeins of each color (ball weight was 3.5 oz each).

Happy Creating!! ~ Amanda