Looking back at this challenge. I would say that it has helped me think outside the box. I had to get out of my comfort zone in my sewing and forced me to finish some mending projects. I finished a bunch of things in a short period of time. Â I forced myself to use what I had on hand to fill my shop. It was good for me as it pushed me to create new and different things. It was an incredibly freeing experience to
Here they all are!
See you later,
Karen
Here it is in all of its glory, the challenge blanket and the instructions! I started this in the 100 items in 100 days challenge  and I meant for it to be the very last entry but I just couldn’t wait to get this finished.
I love granny square blankets, but this one is great too! It has one thing going for it that the Granny Square blankets don’t. Can you guess what it is?
It has no holes! That is right, absolutely no holes for the air to get through. So, if you want to crochet a blanket for a non-Granny Square lover this is the one to use!  I used DK weight yarn for this blanket as it was what I had on hand and a G sized hook.
This is a super simple pattern and I am going to share it with you right now! If you need a more complete pattern, I am pretty sure that there is already one on Ravelry.com.
Chain the length you want the blanket to be as a multiple of four. Half double crochet in each chain across.
2nd row.
chain five, skip the first two half double crochets and half  double crochet in the third, half double crochet in the fourth chain two and skip the next two half doubles, half double in the next two and continue in this pattern across the blanket.
3rd row.
Chain two and turn. You will have a funny loopy thing there at the start. Double crochet down into the 2nd row into the first half double that you skipped and then double crochet again into the second half double that you skipped in the row previously.
Chain two and continue in this pattern across the blanket.
This is the basic pattern if you have any problems just let me know.
The last row in the blanket you double crochet into the spaces and half double into the tops of the double crochets of the previous row.
To finish it out I simply crocheted a simple grey  border around all the edges of the blanket with two chains in each corner stitch.
Let me know if you make one! I would love to see it.
Talk to you later,
Karen
P.S. This one is for sale in the ChocolateDogStudio.etsy.com shop!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/186196415/hand-crochet-blanket-afghan-multicolor
This is the final post of 100 items in 100 days!
I finally caught up with myself and I finished these items for the 100 items in 100 days.
Lavender and rice pocket warmers or relaxation hearts, or hot or cold pads. These are pretty much for whatever you need them to be. They are filled with rice and lavender buds. You could also put the in the dryer for freshly scented clothes.
I finally finished up these non paper paper towels. I have had them cut out for ages and they just needed to be sewn.
So there you go the last two items that I needed to post to really be officially finished.
Talk to you later,
Karen
Here is the previous post on this challenge:Â http://www.chocolatedogstudio.com/2014/04/01/april-fools/
and the post before that:Â http://www.chocolatedogstudio.com/2014/02/05/progress/
This is a 100 items in 100 days project. It is definitely all from my stash of yarns, which sadly to say aren’t getting that much smaller. I love this crochet blanket as it has no holes in it like a granny square blanket. The colors are bright and cheerful. The size is perfect and it will be for sale in the www.ChocolateDogStudio.etsy.com shop.
I am trying to decide whether to write the pattern or not. It would have huge pages of color striping in the instructions. What do you think? Should I write the pattern or not? 
Talk to you later,
Karen
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Wow that is a bunch to do! No wonder that I never got the whole list done. I Â still have time to get some of it finished. We will see how I do. What are your goals and how much do you have left on your to do list?
See you later,
Karen
I’m here to talk to you about a  very serious topic that your mother has probably not spoken to you about. It can affect every facet of your life. It can be life threatening, well, it can if you sit on a needle. It can and does separate you from loved ones. It can be overwhelming and reduce you to tears. I am talking about Yarn Addiction.
How to know if you have a yarn addiction.
If you answered yes to more than 15 of these questions, you are indeed a yarn Addict and have the bug most desperately and there is not much hope for a full recovery. You do not wish to recover at all and are most happy with the current situation.
If you answered yes to 10-15, there is a slight chance for recovery. Especially if assisted by carpal tunnel surgery which will keep you from knitting or crocheting for 6-10 weeks, but even then you will probably be planning what you are going to make when you get out of the cast.
If you answered yes to 5-10, the chance for recovery is more possible but still remote.
If you answered yes to less than five. RUN as fast as you can to a yarn store and get enough yarn for an army. After all, this addiction is useful! I mean you make lovely gifts for those that can’t make them themselves.
Talk to you later,
Karen
Yes, I can answer yes to all of the above except #12, I have only knit socks once and they were very holey. I also have not flown since the airlines have changed their rules. So I am very much a yarn addict.
We also saw a wonderful exhibit of recycled items called Come on down by Lisa Hoke.
 
This collage art was about 30 feet long and the colors covered all the colors in packaging that you see on your grocery store shelves. There was a video at the beginning that talked about how she created this art work. Â She worked in 2 or 3 foot sections to make it easier to work with. You could watch a time elapse of her putting the collage on the walls of the museum.
It is awesome incredible artwork full of life and color. She has friend and family save their recyclables for her. It is a great example of creating with what you have on hand.
http://www.okcmoa.com/see/exhibitions/come-on-down-by-lisa-hoke/
You can see a panoramic photo of the installation on her website as well as her other collage work here:Â http://www.lisahoke.com/pages/newInstallations/74.html
talk to you later,
Karen
We spent the weekend away from our children. It has been about 10 years since we planned to spend time away from them with a purpose. The intensive child rearing years can be overwhelming. We got stuck in just planning to get them to adult age and had not planned beyond that horizon. The end of child rearing and the speedy approach of the empty nest is now only about 3-4 years away. So, it was more than time to spend time talking, dreaming, planning and thinking what we would do in the future. We visited the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and saw the Ansel Adams art exhibit and also the Dale Chihuly Glass exhibit. 
We weren’t allowed to take photos in the Ansel Adams exhibit, so I don’t have anything to show you of the beauty he captured in his photographs.
I have been wanting to see the Chihuly Glass exhibit for years and years. It was incredible and the photos I took do not do his work justice. The blown glass is enormous and he created with bright colors. Imagine the bright colors of my crochet blankets only glowing. Each piece of glass appeared to glow from the inside.
This is a boat with giant  glass marbles. The colors were intense and bright. The same range as the colors in the photo below. This is a ceiling installation in a hallway. The colors in this photo are more true to life.
We also saw a wonderful exhibit of recycled items called http://www.okcmoa.com/see/exhibitions/come-on-down-by-lisa-hoke/
I will tell you more about her art soon!
Talk to you later,
Karen
What would you do IF the word IF didn’t exist?
If only… one of the most over used phrases in the English language.
If only….then I would finish that project
If only…I could dance.
If only….I could get a job.
If only…I could travel
IF only….then this would be different
If only….then I could do this…
If only…this hadn’t happened then I could
If only….then my world would be different.
I hate to tell you but the words If Only don’t really have any bearing on where you are going, doing or being. So what? Who cares about the “if Onlies” in life? The words “IF” “ONLY” are really used as excuses. Change the beginning of the sentence and get some action out of them.
I will finish that project
I will travel, I am starting to plan and save my pennies.
I will go and find a new or different job.
I am going to be a catalyst in my life and make some changes that need to be changed.
I will get past the yuck/bad/baggage in my history and move on.
My life will be different because I am going to try to change things in my life.
See what will happen for you if you take the words “If Only” out of your life!
Talk to you later,
Karen
I have been feeling overwhelmed lately. There just seems to be too much on my plate and not enough time. I remembered this email that my husband had forwarded to me and decided to take a look. It is from Michael Hyatt. He has experience and common sense. This year I decided that I needed to streamline my business and then I plunged into the 100 items in 100 days Challenge. I have been blogging and stressing about things to do ever since.
Here is Michael’s article:Â http://michaelhyatt.com/086-what-to-do-when-you-feel-overwhelmed-podcast.html
1. Decide that you need to make a change!
I do need to change some things. My schedule needs to be flexible and work with the ebb and flow of this retail business and my family life. I tend to get into ruts and many times say “No” when it should be “yes”. I have some natural built in things that keep me honest about energy and time usage. I need to say “Yes” to change!
2. Eliminate
What can I cut out of my business or home life? What can I do to change up what I am doing? I am working on some new spins on old items in my shop and some new things altogether. Can I organize things within our family that will allow me to be better organized overall?
3. Automate
I need to automate some parts of my business so that I don’t have to make decisions about little time consuming details. I need to blog and create weeks or months in advance and then decide when I am going to release different  articles.
4. Delegate
I need to plan meals, cleaning and other activities that take me out of the house and away from studio productivity. My family helps all the time so delegating more to them is not possible.
5. Three high payoff activities
These three things save me the most time or pay me the most money for my time ; creating new items, writing crochet patterns, blogs and tutorials, planning everything from grocery lists and menus, to vacation days and business ideas.
6. Productivity Sinkholes
I know that these eat my productivity; leaving the house and studio disorganized, spending too much time on the internet or watching tv, not following through on a task, starting more than I can finish in one sitting when sewing, being afraid of success or failure.
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7. Schedule important tasks
I need to plan when to sit down and sew for extended periods of time. Schedule it in on my calendar. I have already scheduled basic household maintenance things like changing the heat pump filters. It is helping me to remember to do the small things that save money.
8. Hire a virtual assistant….
I’m not really ready for a paid virtual assistant but I can work on using all the tools available on the computer and phone to help me keep track of expenses and mileage.
I hope all this thinking helps out. I have the beginnings of a plan and now I need to implement it one step at a time.
Talk to you later,
Karen