Grid and Bloom

Posted on February 27, 2018January 10, 2020 by Karen Stewart

Breakthrough and a New Pattern

There has been a breakthrough and a New Pattern are happening here today. The clogged thought processes have cleared even though the rain hasn’t. After spending the better part of yesterday trying to write this post it is flowing more smoothly today. Sometimes, you just need to throw it out and start over fresh.

Yesterday

It has been a struggle the past few days (weeks). The creativity and energy levels have been extremely low. This happens after a creative burst like there was in January. Usually I realize it and then move on to other projects, paperwork, writing, organizing or cooking or something! This time it has been hard. Just plain hard, after almost two weeks in frustration. The frustration hasn’t gone away and I am still frustrated with the slow progress in healing. The weather hasn’t cleared; it is still overcast and now raining. Some cleaning did happen in the studio (which was really needed). It is no longer the dumping ground for everything that doesn’t have a home. The yarn is again reinstalled into Yarntopia.

Breakthrough

That was yesterday; today a breakthrough happened and a new pattern along with some ideas are again churning through my mind. The results are exciting. Even though I have so many other works in progress, it is so tempting to start on the new ideas. We will see which wins out.

New Pattern

There are a couple of new patterns on the horizon but this is the newest. Charlotte’s Baby Blanket

This baby blanket is named after the most recent addition to my extended family. She is the sweetest baby. Beautiful and perfect as all newborns are. When I started this baby blanket I was not sure whether to crochet a boy baby blanket or a girl baby blanket. This was the result. I love the bright colors and I know that Charlotte will grow into it. The bright colors are cheerful after the sea of pink that seems to come with baby girls. Easy enough for a beginner but challenging enough for an intermediate crocheter with the addition of the border. Portable for crocheting with the small squares to crochet before you assemble the whole baby blanket. Crocheted out of soft acrylic yarns; it is washable and non- allergenic- perfect for a baby’s tender skin. Even though it is named Charlotte’s Baby Blanket you can easily adapt it to a Charlie’s blanket instead.

In the Future

A Breakthrough and a New pattern are great, but I have also been working on new projects for the future. They are so exciting that here are some quick photos of one of them.

Breakthrough and a New Pattern

Aren’t they fun. I love the granny triangles and then look at all those ends below that need to be woven in. It took almost all day. There is also a border that I just can’t like. I am not sure why but I feel the need to rip it out and start over.

What do you think? Rip it out and start over. It just doesn’t seem to flow. The yellow scallops are the last edge of the border and I just don’t like it.

talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on February 13, 2018January 10, 2020 by Karen Stewart

Bloglovin and the Sunshine and Shadows Crochet Blanket Pattern

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Sunshine and Shadows Crochet Blanket and Bloglovin

Today is the first day for the release of the Sunshine and Shadows Crochet Blanket Pattern. Perfect for any rainbow lover the Sunshine and Shadows Crochet Blanket Pattern is a simple intermediate pattern. Chocolate Dog Studio is now included in the Bloglovin blog roll.

Being Creative

Sometimes being creative is elusive- like chasing lightning bugs on a summers night. You chase it around, stalking it and just when you think you have the idea or a good handle on the topic POOF. It’s gone and you are stuck in the dark without a flashlight and you stumble around until you get back on the path. The past several months have been like this as stumbling around on crutches has been about all I can do. There have been some flashes of insight and 2 definite crochet ideas that I can’t wait to share. The crutches and pain meds have kept these two projects under wraps longer than they should have been. I have not been at my best and writing patterns has been beyond concentration.

It has been a struggle. Things are looking up-even though the weather is overcast and gloomy. I am here in the studio for the first time in 2 1/2 months. So all is right and work is happening, finally. The yarn has all migrated back here as well and will soon be filling the shelves of Yarntopia and the yarn annex/doll houses again. The alarm keeps going off to remind me to stand up and put weight on my feet to keep them limber.

I am so glad that life is going to be getting back to normal. The colors I have been working with keep showing up in the little yarn balls that I rolled up on Saturday. Aren’t they pretty and this is just a few of them. As usual, here at Chocolate Dog Studio there are even more colors used than were pictured here.

The Sunshine and Shadows Crochet Blanket

The first new pattern for 2018 is the Sunshine and Shadows crochet blanket pattern. It reminds me a bit of the Rainbow Granny Stripe crochet blanket from several years ago. There aren’t many colors that aren’t included in the Sunshine and Shadows crochet blanket pattern.

It started like this. Beautiful ombre stripes of yellow and pinks and red.

Soon it had purples added to make it a little wider. It just grew like magic from the yarn. I couldn’t put it down long without adding another row to it.

The longest it sat alone was about 8 hours while I decided which color to add next; the blues or the violets or overnight when I was sleeping.

The border needed to be simple and neutral as there were so many colors already in this crochet blanket. It would be so easy to change the border to blue or purple and emphasize a favorite color range. The beautiful rainbow stripes reminded of the good times and harder times in life and the rainbow that comes out after a storm. This is why it is named Sunshine and Shadows. It crochets up fast and makes a great gift for family or close friends. Imagine what a lovely blanket this would make for someone with a serious illness. How cheerful it would be! It is twice as warm as usual due to being crocheted with two strands of yarn. This pattern is available now here in the shop and then also on Etsy.

Coming up soon

There are several other patterns in the works and they are close to being finished.

The weather is beautiful here this week. Lovely weather that makes you want to work in your garden and set out plants. It is still too early here for anything other than bulbs. While I am wishing for gardening. I am also ready for a little more snow it makes me want to spend time crocheting. What is going on at your house? Snow? rain or just cold weather?

talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on January 25, 2018January 10, 2020 by Karen Stewart

Business Boutique and Chocolate Dog Studio

Business Boutique

If you have ever wanted a little behind the scenes look at the how and why I started Chocolate Dog Studio, today is your chance. A couple of years ago I attended a Business Boutique seminar in Nashville Tennessee. Business Boutique is a wonderful conference for women that have ever thought about starting, wanted to start, or are entrepreneurs. There were women there from all walks of business from the Multi Level Marketing groups to women starting businesses in everything from gluten free crackers (that were delicious), to physical therapists. Everyone is so encouraging and nice. Just plain nice and interested in why you are there and you business idea. It was amazing.

There was an opportunity for a podcast interview and I seized the opportunity. I was so very nervous during this interview. It was really way outside my comfort zone. Now two years later hearing it for the first time this morning, I was totally overwhelmed. I sound so confident and in charge and I must admit that many times as a creative person; I am more of a mess than organized but there is a method in my madness. If you only want to hear my bit of the interview it starts about the 39 minute mark and last for about 4-5 minutes, not long at all.

https://www.businessboutique.com/podcast/how-to-use-storytelling-in-your-business/

This podcast interview was recorded by Christy Wright at a Nashville Tennessee Business Boutique conference. If you are a woman starting a business then go and soak up as much information as you can. I highly recommend the conferences and her book. It is uniquely tailored to fit women and their needs in running and starting a business.

Yarn

I intend to spend it crocheting and patterrn writing, so I’ll leave you with an inspirational photo or two of yarn! I have to confess that I did buy yarn at the post Holiday sales and drastically increased my stash, but that means that I can crochet more!

Business Boutique

Some new stash that came in after Christmas

And then there is the old stuff that keeps hanging around no matter how much I use it, it never seems to decrease in mass. It never ever goes away, the more you use it up the more you have left over. I think a scrap afghan is in my not so distant future.

talk to you later,

Karen

P.S. I have to say that I am not paid by Business Boutique either for the interview or this blog post today.

Posted on January 23, 2018January 10, 2020 by Karen Stewart

Tiny Squares and Long Ombre Stripes

Tiny Squares and Ombre Stripes

The tiny squares are a tiny bit frustrating. Like really, really frustrating but they come out so beautifully in this lovely pillow cover. Here is a quick look at it before the ends were sewn in and it sewn together. This pattern will be released next week. It isn’t difficult just time consuming.

They are not my thing. They are fussy and time consuming and there are so many, many ends to sew in. It is fun to see how the patchwork look does show up as I thought it would but The ends will drive you to distraction.

They are also boring, but I’m finished with this pattern and idea, for now. It seemed like a great idea at the time but sometimes you need to rethink your plans and go back to the basics long ombre stripes. This was pure joy to crochet and took a little over two days to complete. The pattern is in the process of being written and will be in the shops soon!

Time Flies

Time flies, but not when you want it to. Have you ever noticed that time is scarce when you need it most and overwhelming when it you are forced to do something you do not like. I have been sitting around for the better part of almost 8 weeks and it might as well have been 6 months. It feels like 6 months but it has only been 8 weeks. Christmas and New Years have come and gone. The family gatherings are over and we are deep into winter, here. Crocheting has just started here after the forced sabbatical due to foot surgery. Here it is the middle to the end of January and I had to tell the kids to take down the Christmas tree and also the Christmas lights outside.

More Little Squares

These little squares have also been filling my time. You will see more of them in a later project.

We are doing well and time is passing by, I should get the go ahead on walking with boot next week (I hope). I do feel rather like Daisy. I have my fort do you! Mine is filled with yarn and pillows, while hers is filled with dog beds. The comfy chair in my room is surrounded by yarn, tiny squares and ombre stripes, and pillows for my foot.

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on December 31, 2017January 10, 2020 by Karen Stewart

Old Year and New Year 2018

If you prefer my crochet posts, then you should stop reading right about now- this blog post is about the Old Year and New Year 2018. The Old Year and New Year-2018 a stark contrast, one has the pages all scribbled on and the 2018 is sitting fresh and clean waiting for the pen to make the first mark. I thought I was going to reminisce and set some goals but I have decided to write what I am thankful for on this last day of the year. Maybe it will set the theme of thankfulness for 2018. There are so many blessings that just pass us by without any acknowledgement or even just a passing nod. The Old Year and New Year 2018; how many days rushing around being busy or overloaded last year and how many will be similar in the new year.

I try every year to plan out the year to be calm and orderly. I used to think that I was just unorganized and that if I paid better attention I would travel a straighter path and the plans I make for the coming year would happen. The years have added a smidge of grace to this as I now know that there is NO WAY to plan for the future and have 100% of what you plan actually happen.

When I started writing this I thought a list of everything accomplished would be the thing for this post. There really isn’t the a person alive really that interested in what has happened this year, besides family. So, no brag board. No giant list of everything good and bad that has happened.

Just a smattering of photos of what was the best.

These little people that call me Grandma! What an incredible blessing that they are in our lives.

The ability to have good medical care where and when you need it. The family that has baby sat me for 6 + weeks while I have healed. It gave me the opportunity to sit and think about the future. Lay some plans and spend time thinking. I rather like taking all of December off from the business and crocheting. My hands thank me and the creativity is starting to generate more ideas.

4 distinct seasons and dogs that think I am the world’s best human, the ability to see every color in the rainbow.

The opportunity to take time off and spend family time, to be there when I am needed and free to crochet whenever I want.

The New Year 2018

Studio Goals

Here is the to do list for the coming year. This is all subject to change.

2 full sized afghan patterns
At least 3 blog posts a month, averaged out over the year.
12 patterns – 1 a month or something like this
Seasonal decor
Hats,
More Baby patterns
Some patterns for kids, toys and things… or something like this.
A book or two… we will see.
Increase the free patterns
Start up the You Tube videos again.

Personal Goals

Be more intentional about faith and exercise.
Declutter 3 specific rooms/storage in the house- you know- the rooms filled with junk. I am sure you have one too! If you don’t, send me some tips about living clutter free.
Cook at home more and in advance
Garden a little bit.
Take a trip without kids
Vacation with the kids

That is a great list and I know that it will be a good thing to get even ½ of it done!

What is on your list this New Year? Leave a comment and let me know.

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on December 28, 2017January 10, 2020 by Karen Stewart

Temperature Afghan

Temperature afghans-if you have crocheted any length of time at all, then you have seen them all over the internet, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram at the first of the new year for the last several years. If you do a search for Temperature Afghan you will probably come across a variation of this photo. This afghan wasn’t created primarily to be a temperature afghan, though someone on the internet did use this photo to portray one.

Temperature Afghan Tips

What is a temperature afghan?

It is an afghan crocheted one row a day with the color related to the temperature of that day. Blues and Purples for cold weather and yellows/oranges/reds for warmer temps. Greens for the middle temps. When completed there is a visual representation of the year’s daily temperature and 365 rows of beautiful afghan.

Problems with a temperature afghan?

They can be huge! 365 rows of huge crochet blanket.
It is a long commitment. You must know that you will stick with a project for every day of the year (not my thing.)
They can be ugly if your regional temperatures zoom up and down like ours in Oklahoma where it can be 80 degrees F one day and below zero the next.
It can be boring.

The answer to fixing the boring part and huge commitment is to crochet last year’s temperatures. Find the temperatures for last year on the internet. Print them out and then you can sit down and crochet the whole thing in several weeks! Which is what I would do if I were going to crochet one.

How can you adjust the temperature afghan to fit your crocheting style?

There are so many ways that you can use to crochet a smaller version.

It could be the temperatures for the month a baby was born or your birthday month.
A scarf illustrating the temperatures for 3 winter months.
It could be a granny square blanket with 2 or 3 daily temperatures.
Crochet a special year to memorialize someone’s life.

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Life is Fun

Right now, life is fun. I am figuring out how to get around and do daily living activities while not putting any weight on my right foot. Which means that I am not getting around much at all.

Before Christmas

I spent my time crocheting these dino hats for the Grandkids and then also finishing up their sequined Christmas Stockings. Which did need me to be down and immobile for several weeks to get them finished. Sometimes I go without the boot when I am sitting around but it doesn’t mean that I am walking on it yet! I am still following the Doctor’s orders

The looked cute on the grandkids with the dino tails to match. The dyno hats crocheted up quickly and are fun to make.

The tails are wonderful and were created by www.etsy.com/shop/kidhub. She did a great job and I was able to custom order the colors to match yarn that I already had on hand.

Beautiful Moments

There have been (what deceptively looks like) beautiful moments like this.

Where it looks like I spent all day snuggled under a crochet afghan drinking yummy hot drinks. When I got about 3 micro seconds of this bliss before I spilled the coffee in my lap. Which goes to show that photos do not often tell the whole story.

The second photo above makes it look like I am incredibly organized, and getting some work done. I am not sure about the quality of my work due to the pain meds I was taking at the time. It is time to go back and review my work. We have had a downturn in the weather this week and we went from shorts weather to a dusting of snow before Christmas and it is now brrr cold with a bit of ice due on Saturday.

It was beautiful, and I bribed a child to go out and take some snow photos for me.

I also got in my pre-Christmas yarn order that I forced myself not to open until the hats and stockings were finished. Sometimes I need a big carrot to get the job finished. This is always fun and if the colors seem odd, I was filling in some missing colors from Yarntopia. I did miss some vital colors that will have to go in another order.

After Christmas

Since Christmas, I have been doing a ton of organizing paperwork, thinking, planning and talking with friends. I haven’t had this much sit down or chat time in months. I just move too fast and jump from one thing to another without stopping to force myself to slow down and do nothing. It is good to be able to sit and think but it also means a certain amount of boredom has set in. Binge watching tv is now done and over, I have seen all I want to see on Netflix or Amazon. So, I have moved on to business planning and thinking about coming new year.

So now you are caught up with where I am and what is going on at Chocolate Dog Studio. Things are good, and the foot is healing as quickly as can be expected. I am thrilled at the thought of a New Year and the new crochet projects ahead of me.

Talk to you later,

Karen

P.S. I hope that your Holidays have been wonderful and relaxing. I would love to know what is going to be on your list of crochet projects to do this year?

Posted on December 11, 2017January 10, 2020 by Karen Stewart

Christmas Countdown and the Holiday Sale

Here we are in full on Christmas countdown mode and gearing up for the Holiday Sale. The days are shorter and filled with activities. Music events, church, children’s programs in addition to work and living life.

It is always a rush to get the perfect gift for each and every person on our gift list. It is such a struggle to make sure that no one is forgotten or left out.

The Holiday Sale

There are some good sales happening at the Etsy Shop and also here on the blog in the next four weeks. This is the first 25% off any $20 or more purchase. Everything handmade is on sale in the Etsy shop including the afghans. The patterns are on sale here and the Etsy shop. Take your pick and finish out your shopping! The last guaranteed Christmas arrival shipping day is the 16th of December.

Recovery

I am recovering nicely and spent more than half the day sitting up and taking care of this and that computer chore. I am feeling better and can’t wait to get downstairs and see the Christmas tree. It has been 2 weeks since I have navigated the stairs. Crutches and stairs with a half turn in them plus pain meds have worked to keep me upstairs. Tomorrow is the day that I finally will see the downstairs. I knew it had a been a long two weeks in bed (mostly) when one of the kids saw me sitting in the chair and said “Oh, you are sitting in a chair!” like it was some really strange event to see me anywhere but bed. Everyone has been incredibly kind and helpful even when I am less than my best.

Crochet

I have had one little Grandchild visit in the past two weeks . He spent the time talking about Grandma’s big booboo (the boot instead of a cast.) I am missing those little people desperately. I have not been up to seeing them but we do have a cookie decorating event coming up soon. So, I will get to see them then. I have had the crochet hook out after I finished up this sequined stocking that I had promised.

I am starting work on some Dinosaur hats as a little grandkids Christmas gift. They are receiving dinosaur tails for their Christmas gift from Grandma and Grandpa.

The tails velcro on and were custom made by the Etsy Shop- Kid Hub. Jennifer did a great job and everyone loves them. The hats are a fun add on to the tails and can be worn to pre-school even if the tails can’t. Imagination stretching gifts are my favorite gift to give.

Kid Hub

Talk to you later,

Karen

P.S. What are you shopping for this year? Are you crocheting any gifts? How is your Christmas Countdown going?

Posted on November 21, 2017January 10, 2020 by Karen Stewart

Black Friday and Beyond

There is so much that is happening in the next 10 days; surgery, Black Friday and beyond. I really wanted to do the Christmas shopping season up big this year, however, surgery is looming for me and I am only offering sales in the Etsy shop. Thanksgiving weekend has different sales almost every day in the Etsy shop. Please come back frequently to shop for patterns. If it isn’t on sale the first day you look it probably will be the next day!

Ready to Wear and Afghans

Any ready to wear or afghans need to be bought this week. They need to be wrapped prior to surgery so that they get shipped out quickly.

Happy Thanksgiving

May you have a Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. May your Christmas be merry and bright.

Black Friday and Beyond

We were driving past this sunset on our way to church Sunday night. The leaves and bright sunshine just called for a photograph. It is blurred and imperfect but that is so much like our lives these days. Beauty that is blurred and imperfect. I’ve been looking for the beauty in life everyday, as life has been a little tougher around the edges lately. This sunset just made me thankful for life and family. Beauty no matter how blurred is still beauty. It still brings a deep and abiding peace as it reminds me who is in charge of life.

Talk to you later,

Karen

P.S. The surgery is clean up work on a foot that doesn’t work properly and will leave me crutch bound for all of the Christmas season. I’ll pop in once in awhile closer to Christmas. See you then. You will see me more on Instagram as I crochet tons while I am recovering from surgery. Look for new patterns in the January and February.

Posted on October 31, 2017January 10, 2020 by Karen Stewart

Fall Update

It is time for the Fall Update. I have been really slow writing these days and if you read down you will find out why. I started writing this in October and now it is November.

Truthfully, I haven’t been in the studio much this month as our time has been spent doing home repairs and painting in our house. I have taken my time and painted slowly and steadily over the past two weeks. October is flying past, much as it has in past years. The time just seems to get away from me.

Pumpkin Patch

Things have been slower this month in the crochet world for the studio. We have been taking some much needed time off for family, house chores and simply recharging our batteries. The first time that time off has happened in October since 2007 when the Etsy shop first opened. Time off that was well spent and much needed. It is too easy to get on the treadmill of life and just never slow down or get off. We went with the grandkids to the pumpkin patch.

Home Repairs

The painting is finished and while there are many other big chores around the house that need to be finished, I feel almost ready to tackle life again.

The awful 80’s grey is finally leaving the room.

Our youngest daughter helped with the painting during her Fall break from school.

New Patterns

Here it is almost November and I have just started crocheting again after almost three weeks. There are some patterns coming out in the next week that will be easy and quick for Christmas gifts. This will be hitting the shops this week!

Yarn Bowl Winner

The winner of the yarn bowl is Julie from Texas. Julie- your yarn bowl is on the way!

Health

I’ve had some health issues crop up so if I am gone more than normal don’t give up on the blog. Keep checking in and things will be running more normally later on this year (nothing serious, just really slowing me down.) I’ll be keeping in touch more via Instagram for the next little while. I will send out an email when I get back to the blog.

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on October 5, 2017January 10, 2020 by Karen Stewart

Diamonds and Yarn bowls!

Today is full of Fall, Diamonds and Yarn bowls, a little of everything today, plus 2 new patterns and an introduction to the newest afghan!

Fall

Here is it is, the beginning of the Fall season. The leaves are beginning to change here in Oklahoma. It seems early for Autumn, but I am not complaining to a few cooler days. Aren’t you ready for sweater weather after all the heat of summer? Fall always brings such changes. Retail shops are in full “Get ready for the Christmas Season” mode. Pumpkin spice everything is out in the shops. Chocolate Dog Studio is no exception. There are a couple of new patterns out in the shop.

The Denver Scarf and the Basket Weave Granny Square Blanket are both brand new this week.

The Diamond Afghan

This is the newest afghan! You have been seeing glimpses of it all August. The Diamond Afghan is beautiful. Crochet this blanket in any color you want, or combinations of colors. I chose white and warm grey, as I just love the neutral combination. It would work well in any home. Pay attention when you crochet and “You must keep your wits about you” as Bilbo Baggins says. It is easy to get off count and find the diamonds crawling all over the blanket. Counting on certain rows will certainly help. This is another front post/ back post double crochet afghan. It is nice large size; perfect for two. The classic diamonds will be beautiful in any color combinations or simply a nice solid color.

It seemed to take awhile to get past the scarf stage of afghan crocheting.

Diamonds and the Yarn bowls

The diamonds are crocheted into the afghan and not on top of the afghan or added later as some cable crochet is.

A wonderful Christmas gift, perfect for receiving and giving. The afghan and pattern will be available soon in the shop.

YARN BOWL GIVEAWAY

Fall, Diamonds and the yarn bowls

There is an overabundance of beautiful yarn bowls in the studio. My father in law is a woodworker and he has been creating these for me quite regularly. There are 7 yarn bowls in the studio and more to come before the end of the year! I want to share the beauty of these beautiful bowls. Please post a comment here on the blog and you will receive one of these beautiful yarn bowls. Free for leaving a comment, it can’t be any easier than this. This is for new email subscribers and returning. You must post a comment here on the blog with your newsletter email. Just tell me what you want to see more of on the blog; free patterns posted on the blog itself, or free downloads or both, afghan patterns, kids patterns, step by step instructions, baby afghans, YouTube videos, whatever you want to see more of! That is the only requirement to enter this little drawing. New readers are always 1welcome to join in!

I am sorry but I can’t ship these bowls out of the U.S., the postage is just too expensive. Wherever you live, I will still love to hear your opinion. Comment at the bottom and then list where in the world you are reading this blog. – i.e. Karen – London, crochet baby sweaters, or something like this.

Note: The end date of this giveaway is the 12th of October! I will announce the winner in the newsletter!

Talk to you later,

Karen

P.S. I’ve been busy sprucing up the house for the holidays. It is involving tons of paint and furniture moving. It is an exciting start as we peel off the border that has been up since 2000.