During that post holiday creative slump, I started several crochet projects knowing full well, that they would be abandoned when the yarn shipments would arrive!
Here is what I started during that time and since the yarn shipment came in.
a bright and cheery granny square blanket
a black and melon granny ripple…
a beautiful big granny square blanket of brilliant colored wool with cream borders
and then this beautiful granny square blanket also out of deliciously warm wool.
I know it seems as though I should finish one before I start the next. My Mom and Grandma’s would agree but, I work best this way. I have two totes with several projects in them that are traveling size. I take these with me to places where I have to sit and wait and work on my projects while waiting. When they reach a point where they are too big to travel, I work on them at night while watching movies. If I reach a point where I have lost inspiration or run out of supplies then I simply put it aside and continue working on the other projects at hand. This system is working as it keeps the shop on a cash basis and I am not buying supplies on credit.
Then why do we keep doing the same things over and over in our business and expect different results. So my question to you is WHAT are YOU going to do DIFFERENTLY this year? How are you going to change the status quo? This has been the question that has occupied my mind the last five weeks. Yes, this question was going through my mind during the Christmas rush. It was a good Christmas season for the shop. Not as good as I had hoped for but quite good anyway. There were some things that I had done differently in the shop and it did pay off.
Since I have been mulling this thought over and over in my mind and the start of a new year is a time for reflection. I was getting frustrated with my inability to come to some decisions. It seemed like the year started with a huge rush of activity; getting kids back to school, kids getting sick, getting some appointments made, updating some paperwork, insurance paperwork, and house keeping stuff. All of it was keeping me from really working on the shop. I felt behind the curve already and we hadn’t even really started the year.
I even worked on this questionnaire  from Etsy and was going to do a great big blog article on it.  http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2013/reflect-on-2012-t/ It was a great place to start but it built in some frustrations as well. I may still do the blog article but really you have no desire to read about my goals unless it is a bullet list and you can scan it quickly.  I am not sure I can condense it down to a bullet list. I even tried to photograph the studio and motivate myself to clean it up because cleaning always has the ability to start a rush of ideas. I did indeed clean up the studio, but then we found some boxes downstairs that had studio items in them… and you can guess the rest.
It is a big year ahead of us with some pretty major changes. Like all families some big things and lots of little things are ahead of us. Some of them we have advance notice of and some we don’t. Â So here is…finally a short list of things I am going to do in 2013
Try and blog more consistently
Feature other artisans once a week….
Make 12 tutorials for my blog…that is roughly one a month… This is a huge hurdle and one I am rather frightened of.
Keep the studio more organized
Diversify the items in the Studio shop…same style of items just different kinds of things…
Read 4 good books about business… I have two titles that were reccomended by my husband. Since he usually only reads non-fiction he is a great resource.
Try to find 4 brick and mortar shops to consign my items here in my region.
Limit my work time to a more regular schedule which includes time off for family and other activities.
Build a link up spot once a week to help others market their shop items.
Then like everyone else I also have the goals to lose weight, exercise, eat right and save money that fit into the personal list along with
Do the budget thing
Continue working on home improvement projects
Get the veggie garden and flower gardens back looking good.
At least once a week do something fun with kids….
Teach DD to cook and sew…she is the last one to learn. I am on the down hill side of child rearing and she deserves to know learn as much as they did.
I have been in the doldrums since Christmas and New Year’s day. I think I can blame it on too much rich food and excess. I have ordered new supplies and I have been trying to come up with new ideas and new directions. I organized all of my yarn this past weekend. Well, I got it all out and stacked it on the coffee table and the couch. I had forgotten how much I owned, or rather owned me. I have taken to calling the couch Yarntopia in an effort to add some humor to the situation. Monday, I sat around on Pinterest trying to find good patterns. Tuesday, I sat around looking at trends and colors for the the coming year, Wednesday, I shoved the yarn from one side of the couch to the other. I do try to keep it under control as the family had begun to complain about it being in the way. Thursday I ignored it completely. I had photography lessons, did some sewing and laundry. This morning, I finally sat down and came up with some working plans to use up some of the yarn I currently own. Unfortunately it is going to require going out and purchasing more! Hmmm, I just put in three orders for yarn and none of what I have ordered will work in the new plans. I have at this point in time five crochet blankets started and four more planned. I am also working on some other crochet items, I am just not sure if they are going to make it to the store. So we will see! Too much to do and not enough time. Well, our schedule will settle down and get back to normal next week. Hopefully, I will get lots of stitching done then.
It has been a busy Holiday season. Things are moving so incredibly fast. The Chocolate Dog Studio shop has been over run with shoppers…which is GREAT, and I am very thankful. Â Here are some photos of the crochet beauties that rounded out the shop this year.
This is a grand total of 10 full size crochet blankets and 5 baby blankets, two with baby hats. This isn’t counting the boot cuffs and Christmas ornaments. I have been fighting burnout on the crocheting end of things and I think a little break is what is called for. So, if I can I will take a rest. I have a couple of special orders lined up to finish now and a couple for after the holidays. I won’t turn down any special orders that come my way but I think I will sort through the yarn, roll it into little balls and maybe put it up.
Chocolate Dog Studio has tons of items 45% off at http://www.chocolatedogstudio.etsy.shop
Please stop by and say hi or just browse the shop. I uploaded a bunch of photos to my ravelry page. There are a few more details about the blankets there. You can find that here: http://www.ravelry.com/people/chocolatedogyarns .
I really want to encourage you to shop local. Buy from businesses that are owned in your area. When you shop local, money stays in your town, county and state. You help people keep their homes and pay their bills. When you buy from a small business; you  have a direct influence on your community. So this Christmas season buy from the small business owner and crafts person. Here are a few made in the US shops for you to check out.
This beautiful shawl was hand knit in Michigan by a master knitter, Linda. She was a stay home mom and is now a Grandma. She is my friend Rose’s neighbor and friend. Linda knits for the pure pleasure of it and has a few items for sale in Rose’s shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/SewEcological. Rose sells customized Harry Potter sweaters and also upcycled infinity scarves. Check out Rose’s shop for lovely hand knits and upcycled items.
This is a small sample of the tote bags that my friend Lesley creates in her shop Whimsybags.etsy.com. There are bags for every taste and style. They are sturdy and beautiful. This is a perfect practical gift for teachers, friends and neighbors.
These are just a few samples of items that are available online. Anything you order will be delivered directly to your door or mailbox.
Yes, I am excited! I finally got the photos done of the newest Chocolate Dog Studio items…Boot Cuffs. I can make them in wool, acrylic and blends. They can be any size from petite or teen to larger sizes.
Here are a few photos..
Thanks for looking. They will all be posted to the shop in the coming week!
Who needs anymore stress on Monday? So here are some beautiful photos of a blue baby blanket that I just finished and shipped off on Saturday!
I simply love the beautiful colors and it is wonderfully soft. It is 36″ square. It was a custom order and started from these beautiful yarns. It was a super quick crochet job as I started it on Sunday and shipped on Saturday!
I am working on another custom order now and it is huge. I believe it is going to take 150 crocheted granny squares. Yes, 150! Yikes, I have a plan though and it is happening pretty quickly. I have about 80 centers worked now. I will show you more at a later this week.
This is a fun little granny square baby blanket that I crocheted up quickly a week or so ago. I started it during the move and then ran out of yarn as I only picked up one skein. So I added the green and pink to make it large enough. It starts with a 20 round granny square of the multi-color yarn. Then it has a row of green, another variegated round and two rounds of pink. I then added sweet little two round granny squares to the ends to make the blanket a rectangle.The whole thing is bordered with two rows of green and the pink scalloped border. Here is a detail photo of the cute little granny squares.Â
I apologize for the snap shots of the baby afghan. I have lost my good camera sometime during the move. I really think it is hidden in a box that is not unpacked yet. Hopefully it will turn up soon. This pretty little blanket will be in the shop as soon as some decent photos are taken. It was really just a quick little fun project! The good news is that I used up the variegated yarn.
What have you been working on?
Talk to you later,
Karen
P.S. I can always make one in blue and white for that baby boy in your life!
I know this sounds like so many other Ta dahs that you read about in the crochet blogging world. Actually, there is no other way to celebrate a wonderful finished project, aside from a party, but who goes to a finished project party?
Here you go the newly finished Granny Stripe!
I love the chocolately richness of the zig zaggy border.
This was created with soft new yarns from England. Yes, I actually ordered in enough yarn to finish this crocheted blanket. The yarn is so incredibly soft that it puts our American yarns to shame and the colors are bright and cheerful.
I love the way the granny stripes vary from one section to the next, always with the same  seven colors bordered with the chocolate brown stripe. It is big, twin bed sized.
