Chocolate Dog Studio Archives

Posted on September 16, 2022 by admin

Introducing the Cotton Stripe Pillow

It’s about time for you to see the newest Chocolate Dog Studio crochet pattern: The Cotton Stripe Pillow. It finally took a respite time and incredible boredom for the next pattern to be born. No one said pattern writing was easy, but this is an incredibly easy pillow cover to crochet. There aren’t any fancy stitches or counting that you have to do after the foundation chain. Binge watch your favorite show and create this beautiful home accent.

The Cotton Stripe Pillow Pattern Release

The Cotton Stripe Pillow release happens today! Today is your day as I will refund the first five buyers of The Cotton Stripe Pillow pattern if you send me any Etsy message or leave the message at the end of the purchase receipt. This offer does have a time limit of the next five days, 9/16/2022 – 9/21/2022.

You can find the cotton stripe pillow in my Etsy shop. You can shop Here.

There is another new pattern coming out next week. The White Serape Stripe. I can’t wait it is a fun calmer version of The Serape Stripe which you can see here. It has taken even longer for this pattern to come to the shop.

Painting

Painting has been happening nearly every day. It is such a relaxing thing for me to do with no calls or preconceived ideas. I am just wandering where ever my brush takes me. Painting and crochet don’t seem to be good partners so it’s either one or the other these days.

The Cotton Stripe Pillow — Mixed media art flowers

As you can see a wide variety of art projects from drawing to abstract painting with a little mixed media also. Mixed media seems to be the biggest area of art these days.

Life

If you don’t like reading about life and how things are going feel free to skip this part. We are working on what we call the kids bathroom. Others would call it the hall bath except we really don’t have a hall or at least it’s really short. It is reaching a logical stopping point. Which we did in this case. At least we need to call in someone that knows more to give us advice.

I was remembering back this week about a story from a friend’s social media post about weird things that have happened with animals. We have had a number of weird things but this one is funny to me even now.

We were living in a new house and the living room felt really empty as Hubs was working late and abnormally quiet and all four kids under 9 were in bed. I was alone after a really long day unpacking. Have you ever noticed how noisy a quiet house can be.

I was sitting and enjoying the quiet, listening to the night noises when I hear a thump on the back of the recliner. I could feel it too, I listened and didn’t hear anything else. Did I imagine it?

Just as my heart was returning to normal it happened again.

The thumps were un-nerving.

I wait and just as I decide it was my imagination when it happens twice this time, THUMP, Thump.

I gather my wits and courage, give myself a stern talking to about how the sound was just my imagination and I peek around the edge of the chair, because I am too scared stand up – there it is a little green tree frog.

Whew, I was so relieved….. Just a little frog. We did the catch and release into the back yard.

Why do our minds always run off to the scariest thing We can think of? Surely I am not the only one has weird things happen.

Talk to you later,

Karen Marie

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

Staying on Track: Use Your Stash Challenge 2017

Another day, another project in the Use Your Stash Challenge 2017! This one I have been putting off for at least two years–maybe more, considering the baby I made the first one for is now four-years-old. This is such a beautiful baby blanket, I couldn’t resist starting another one–but that was years ago. If you’re like me and find that staying on track isn’t always easy, this post will be an encouragement to you.

Continue reading Staying on Track: Use Your Stash Challenge 2017

Posted on December 1, 2016January 10, 2020 by Karen Stewart

Organizing New Ideas for Future Crochet Projects

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Sometimes, when you get new ideas for future crochet projects, you aren’t ready to start working on them right away. You need time to think about them — to refine and perfect them — until you’re ready to begin the project. So, how do you keep those new ideas stored and organized until you are ready to start working on them? I have several things which I do that help me keep new ideas in mind.

(This post has Amazon affiliate links)

1. Take a Photo with My Phone

I will take pictures of things that inspire me or trigger ideas in my mind. My phone is usually always with me and a photo is worth 1,000 words. The thin and thick stripes in this wrapping paper would make a great crochet blanket, scarf or sweater.

And here’s an example of a striped fabric that caught my eye. I like the colors in this, although they do seem a bit dark. The widths of the various stripes and the color sequence would lend themselves easily to being repeated in an afghan.

This blanket was inspired by the yarns within it since they inspired me to see the Autumn landscape of Oklahoma: the browns of the plowed fields; the golds and rusts of the trees; the blue from the sky and lakes; and the green of the old dried grasses in the pastures.

2. Pin It to My Secret Pinterest Inspiration Board

Yes, I do have several secret boards. (Doesn’t everyone?) If it is online, I will pin it to my secret inspiration board which no one else has access to. When you choose to create something based on what someone else has created, you need to be very careful about claiming too much of their work as your own. You can use it as a springboard to a new idea, but downright copying and passing it off as yours is piracy. Â While I do have a secret Pinterest board, it isn’t filled with just other’s work — it has photos of color mood boards, stitches that I want to try, and other things that I think will make beautiful projects.

3. Go “Old School” (Paper and Pencil) and Write the New Ideas Down

(Affiliate links are included for the products I use. I will receive a small percentage of any item you purchase, but it will not affect your pricing.)

Often, I will draw out new ideas or write them down. I find this method increasingly hard to manage, though, as papers tend to get shuffled and lost. Here’s an example of a couple of my composition books (link) (which I love!) full of ideas and crochet patterns.

I also love the post-it note brand of tabs (link) and Post it note file folder labels (link). I use them to mark the beginning of each pattern or idea that I put in the composition book. It helps keep the patterns organized and easy to find.

Another thing I use all the time is a legal pad (Link) and clipboard (link). I write the pattern and notes furiously and then flip the pages. You can even see the paper sometimes in the background of my photos. Nearly every pattern I write has its beginnings on paper in some form. I always try to date and take progress photos as I work. This helps me keep track of how I put it together as well as document my thought processes. This all translates to detailed patterns, with photos, for you!

4. Pin It to a Real Life Bulletin Board or Magnet Board

saving new ideas — Check out more cool bulletin boards here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/165564215

Sometimes I’ll see a photo in a magazine I own, or maybe the colors in fabric or yarn in my stash will catch my eye. When that happens, I will actually pin the photo or the materials to a bulletin board. I haven’t been doing this as often as I have been taping them into the composition book. The book is working better for me at this time, since I don’t have a dedicated working space. I often find myself in my chair, at the dining table…basically, working all over the house.

How Do You Save Your New Ideas?

Now that you’ve read about the methods that I am using right now, I’d love to know what you do to keep your ideas organized. Leave a comment below to start the conversation!
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Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Karen Stewart

A Reason to Rip Out: Color Pooling

Family and friends often ask me what it’s like to design crochet patterns. Recently, I answered that I crochet and rip it out, crochet and rip it out, crochet some more and rip that out, too. I have just finished trying a new technique called color pooling. Â Finally, I finish the prototype and let it sit for awhile. Eventually, I take it apart all the way down to the beginning. I can almost hear you sigh as you ask, “Why are you telling me this, Karen?” The answer is simple: learning a new technique means that you must be willing to rip out old work.

I get it–I really do–that feeling of ahh, it’s finally finished! That sense of permanence and finality that comes when you put the hook away, clean up the snippets from weaving in all those pesky ends, and fold up your creation and set it aside. I love that feeling of accomplishment.

The Need to Rip Out

However, there are times when that project just isn’t working out; the colors, the size, the density–something just isn’t right. In your heart of hearts, you know that you are going to hate working on the project and that it will sit unfinished if you don’t correct the problem. You are hesitant–you’ve already put in so much hard work–but you know what you should do.Â You should rip out ~~that row~~, ~~those 25 rows~~,~~Â down to the beginning and start over~~, ~~and simply give the yarn away~~ and start over fresh!

A Reason to Rip Out

I’m talking about the need to rip out in order to prepare you for the next wonderful thing in the world of crochet. It’s big! It’s addicting! And it will cause you to rip out as you work (or design) patterns!

You’ve seen those beautiful variegated yarns on the shelves, the ones that have 2-5 different colors in them, with each color about 10-25 inches in length. Â There is this Wow!Â thing you can do with it, if you space things just so, and crochet the yarn with just the right tension. I know you’ve probably seen projects that use this technique, and you’re wondering about this addicting craze. And, IT IS addicting–In the biggest sense of the word! But, you must get used to ripping out because you will crochet and rip out and crochet and rip out, over and over, again and again.

Color Pooling

I started last night with some Loops & ThreadsÂ® Impeccable yarn from my neighborhood craft store and my favorite G-size hook. It worked perfectly! I crocheted, ripped out, and crocheted again; in between, I surfed the Internet for clearer instructions. I worked all evening and finally ended up with what you see in the photo below. This is about 34 stitches wide, plus two for turning. Â

What is this mystery? Where did the argyle come from? This, my crochet friends, is called color pooling. Color pooling is when you crochet with variegated yarn in the correct length, tension, and stitch to make the colors show up where and when you want them. It isn’t hard, but it does take determination (and a certain amount of bull-headedness) to want to crochet something in rows for about 3 inches before you rip out and start over to get the patterning right. This method of crocheting isn’t for the faint of heart.

Playing with Color

I love it! What a great way to play with color and buy lovely yarn that already has the pattern built right in! There are so many variegated yarns to choose from, too. Some have larger color sections than others, soÂ keep that in mind when you are shopping.

I will show you more in a later post, as I am off to play with the yarn and see if I can’t make it wider. What did I do with the 18 inches of skinny, skinny scarf, you ask? I ripped it out to make a wider one (after the photographs, of course)! So far, it isn’t working, but I will figure it out.Â I’m not quite sure whether it is the tension, number of stitches, or what.

Remember: crochet, rip out, repeat.

(I’m hooked! This is like Sudoku, or spider solitaire with four suits. I just can’t put it down, and I will win in the end! As you can see below, it’s time to rip out again.)

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Karen Stewart

Why Etsy Isn’t the Only Way to Sell

Etsy isn’tÂ the only way to sell. Are you surprised to hear me say that? Let me be more specific: If you need to pay off debt, save money or simply earn quick cash, Etsy isn’t the best way to sell your handmade products. Don’t get me wrong– Etsy is a fairly good online venue, but these days it isn’t the only one.Â It certainly isn’t a fastÂ way to earn money; with 1.6 million sellers, it is a challenge to get your product seen at all.

For most people, Etsy is a slow-growth, long-term business investment. If you are looking to supplement your income now–this month, next month, or even this year–Etsy is not the place to do it. There are really very few people that hit the top of the income curve on Etsy within a year. It takes time to learn the ropes for selling on Etsy.

Alternative Methods of Selling

Personally, if I were uncertain about selling anything I created, I would pick another venue first.

There are other (less expensive) ways to advertise and sell your handmades online. In the beginning, all sales depend on how many people you knowÂ and how much they shop. This is your “natural market,” and it’s your best first place to start.

If you are already active on one or more social media platforms, this is where you should take your first marketing steps. When I started my online shop, they were not as well known–or even around–so you’ve actually got it easier than I did. Let’s take a look at some of the obvious places, and remember: no one platform is the only way to sell. Find what works best for you.

Facebook Sales

Selling via Facebook is quite easy to do. If you’ve had an account for any length of time, you’ve already created your natural market–your ready-made customer base:Â friends and family. It is inexpensive–okay, it’s actually free–to start your own Facebook business page and share it with your friends. While Facebook does offer ads and the ability to “boost” posts for a fee, it isn’t required. The more people interact with your page, the more it will appear in their news feed. The more people “like” and “share” your posts and page, the more new views you’ll have, and this will bring you more customers.

Pinterest Sales

Pinterest is still a fairly new venue–about which I’m still learning–but there are many people using it successfully to sell their handmade items. You will need to set up a Pinterest account, which is free to do, and then it’s a matter of “creating pins” as a way to advertise and link back to your website. Like Facebook, the best place to start is by getting your friends and family to “follow” you.

All the details and “how-to’s” can be found on Pinterest, as well as by searching online.Â Here are a few links that may be of help as you set up your shop on Pinterest:

Instagram Sales

This is another venue that I’m really new to, so I’m still in the exploring stages myself. It is also free, but you’ll need a smartphone to use Instagram. Like Pinterest, the potential for sales is on the rise with Instagram. I see many people selling headbands for babies, doll clothing, and jewelry here.

Like other social media outlets, your single best bet for making extra money quickly with your handmades is, quite simply (you know where this is going, right?), your friends and family.

Here are a few links that may be of help as you set up your shop on Instagram:

Not the Only Way to Sell

Each of the above social media platformsÂ has unique features when it comes to selling handmades. Whichever you choose, remember that clear, attractive photos are the key to getting the attention of your buyers. Learn about each platform. Try them out. And then decide for yourself which you will use. Don’t let anyone tell you there is only one way to sell online — I’ve just shown you there are multiple ways!

Now, go out there and get your business set up on social media–you can do it!Â Have fun with it! If you have any questions about starting a business selling handmades, leave a comment below, or on any of my social media pages. (Feel free to share your social media pages with me as well!)

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Karen Stewart

Yikes! Stripes Blanket Pattern

The Yikes! Stripes blanket pattern is so fun and easy to crochet.Â The colorful stripes and long length make this a great gift for the man in your life. The soft, chunky yarn is not what I normally use in my patterns, but that’s exactly what makes it more masculine: the bold colors and thick, warm strips.

Like a Favorite Scarf

Just look at these stripes! This pattern reminds me of the “team” scarves that so many people wear to sporting events. Can you imagine presenting this to the sports fan in your life? I’m sure he’ll find the colors of his favorite team in there!

I’m so excited for you to see this pattern and make it for yourself! Keep reading for links to my Etsy and Craftsy shops, where you can find the pattern.

This pattern is perfect for a beginner. It really is fun to crochet it and watch as each stripe continues the lovely pattern.

This blanket works up super quick, but you will need to know how to weave in all of the ends as there are quite a few of them.

Yikes! Stripes

The yarn for this pattern is easily found and relatively inexpensive. If you’re looking for a second project to squeeze in before the holidays, or for an upcoming birthday, this is it. Â You can find the pattern in either myÂ CraftsyÂ store or in my EtsyÂ store.

No time to crochet and need this blanket now? You can purchase the Yikes! Stripes blanket at either Amazon or Etsy. Thanks for shopping; I hope you will consider making this fun pattern in all of its wonderful stripey-ness!

What I’ve Been Up To

If you haven’t had a chance to check out myÂ YouTube videos that I’m making for the studio yet, I hope you will take time soon to stop by and see them. I have an Okie accent, which will hopefully bring a smile to your face as you listen. I honestly had no idea it was so thick!

It is truly amazing and humbling to see my videos out there in the world for all to see. I just can’t get over it! I am sure my family is getting tired of hearing me talk about them. Besides the videos, I am also working on two different afghans, along with writing new patterns and blogging. Life is never dull around here!

School has started; it’s my daughter’s senior year. She’s the last child, and that means I am almost at the end of what feels like a lifetime of teaching. It will be the end of an era for both homeschooling and motherhood. I will have 26+ years of “always being there” under my belt. Where did the time go?!

Are you transitioning this year? Perhaps you’ll soon have an empty nest, like me. Or maybe you have elderly parents for whom you have taken on caregiving duties. Leave a note in the comments and tell me what’s going on in your life! Then take time to sign up for our newsletter, so you’ll always know when new patterns are released.

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on September 2, 2016 by Karen Stewart

Yikes! Stripes, Ta-dah!

I love the Yikes! Stripes crochet blanket. The masculine colors and simple stripes makeÂ it ideal for the man in your life, while the easy pattern makes it fun and quick to crochet. This blanket only took me about two weeks to whip up, working in the evenings. The striping pattern reminds me of team colors and scarves. This blanket is longer than usual to be a bit more man-sized and perfect for a bed or using in a recliner.

It started like this.

Little bits of yarn

to check the

striping pattern.

I have always liked

blue and cream.

More color

combinations

were checked

until I felt it

was just right.

Then it evolvedÂ into this

lovely striping pattern,Â marching along

row after row.

Here it is in all of its glory.

ItÂ is the perfect size to fit over someone lying in a recliner. The length is a generous 80+ inches, and the width is 43 1/2 inches.

Yikes! Stripes

The Yikes! StripesÂ blanket is available in my Etsy and Handmade at Amazon shops, and the pattern will release next week. (Choose the colors of some of your sports fan’s favorite teams and you’ll win for sure!)

School Colors

The Yikes! Stripes afghan reminds me of the first days of school and how so many students wear school sweaters or team scarves to show support for the home team. We take our high school and college sports teams pretty seriously in this area. What about you? Do you have a favorite team or school?

School has already started in Oklahoma, and I’m seeing lots of people in the northern part of the country posting on Facebook about their school starting today. I hope that you and yours have a wonderful time at school this year. Thoughts of new notebooks and textbooks, rekindled friendships, and the feel of a sharp, new #2 pencil gliding across a page of paper are dancing in my head. I can hear the laughter that happens at lunch and see the kids havingÂ fun on the playground in my mind.

We have already started our homeschool courses. Our dining table is overrun with school books, supplies and (of course) yarn, scissors, crochet hooks, and even more paper. I found myself running late one morning this week, and my spot on the table looked like this.

I would like to say it doesn’t look like this very much, but I hate to lie. It looks like this most mornings; coffee, something quick to eat for breakfast, and colorful piles of yarn.

I am in the middle of grading math and writing patterns, checking dentist appointments for my family, and driving Mom from time to time. Life feels too short, and the to-do list feels too long. I am learning to be content once again; that in my weakness and incapability God is my strength. I do it all for Christ’s sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong. It is seeming to take me most of my life to learn this truth.

Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christâ€™s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)

How about you? Leave a comment to let me know how the beginning of school is going for you. What are your school colors? Who do you cheer for? Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter, too!

Talk to you later,
Karen

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Karen Stewart

So You are New to Crochet: How to Weave in the Ends

Here is my next installment of So, You are New to Â Crochet: How to Weave in the Ends. Crocheting so many granny square afghans has given meÂ soÂ many chances to learn how to weave in the ends. I have used several different methods on weaving in the ends and have finally stopped with this method. I like it best.

The week is a busy one with the brick and mortar shop Lokal and Main’s Grand Opening last night and some gardeningÂ later in the week. The shop was overflowingÂ Â with people so I didn’t take any photos. I will try to stop by later this week and take a few photos so you can see how lovely it looks.

Today is bittersweet for me. I remember my father today as this is the day he lost his fight to cancer 10 years ago. He fought a long hard fight for 15 years, and it was devastating when the news came that there was nothing more that could be done. He was cheerful Â and sweet tempered to the end and I never heard him complain. DadÂ was usually the first to share a joke and a laugh. Â One of Dad’sÂ gifts was the ability to change the mood in the situation by making people laugh. I watched him time after time enter a hospital room or hospital waiting room where family was waiting nervously and by sharing funny stories help people relax and laugh. He did that for me more times than I can count. Â Today, I want to remember him as he lived, laughing.

I don’t normally share so much that is close to my heart but today I Â just had to share. I am doing Â a little planning today and later I hope to be spending time with the crochet hook as I keep working on a new afghan. I can’t wait to show it to you. It uses suchÂ beautiful wool yarns and it is another granny square afghan. It makes me so thankful that I learned how to weave in the ends. It truly is a crochet skill worth having!

Talk to you later,

Karen

P.S. Remember long ends are easier to weave in!

Posted on August 2, 2016January 10, 2020 by Karen Stewart

Get Yourselves Organized!

How do you get yourselves organized? I use a variety of organizational methods to keep myself organized, but first one of my favorite movie clips.

This movie clip has one of my favorite lines “Get yourselves organized down there”. Sheep on a motorcycle doing acrobatics. I often hear “Get yourselves organized” in Wallace’s voice while I am working in the studio. It must be something to do with the sheep = yarn thing.

The design idea can start with the flash of an idea, a color theory carried over from another textile, or an outgrowth of another crochet blanket, a photo off of instagram. Keeping track of ideas has been difficult. Brief flashes of insight are difficult to write down on paper and keep. Visual ideas are even more difficult.

Recently, I have been working hard to write down and keep these ideas trapped and in my mind. Often I will draw out an afghan plan. I keep these in a notebook, composition book (link) or binder. place where ideas sit and incubate until they are ready to hatch. The incubator is a compilation of different places. It is a little bit secret Pinterest board, a little bit composition book and binder combination.

Many times the yarn itself tells me how to use them in a pattern, I will do some color play with the yarn to get an idea of how it will look when it is finished.

If it is a fabric that has given me an idea for color striping, I will take a photo or print out a photo of the color stripes. I will use this photo as a basis for my afghan, adding colors and taking colors away until it is truly a design of my own. This is what I am doing in the photos up above.

Get Yourselves Organized

It can also look like this.

Here I am doing a little math to see how many squares I need for an afghan I am working on.

or even this

Get Yourselves Organized

Ideas often sit in my scrap yarn bucket just waiting for the right time.

I work hard at not copying another’s design work. It is difficult with the media bombardment to keep your work original. There are so many avenues to search out patterns and to generate new ideas. As a crochet designer, I feel it is important to be as original as I can be and not knowingly copy another’s design work.

Talk to you later,

Karen

How is your WIP (work in progress) going?

Send me some photos via instagram… just tag me in the photo and I will pop by and comment.

Posted on July 30, 2016 by Karen Stewart

Matisse Exhibit

It was time to see Matisse: In His Time this past weekend and it was incredible. Seeing overÂ 100Â works of art from various big name artists on the same day was exciting. Kuddoes to my art history teachers as it was surprising how much I remembered from the classes I took.

Chihuly’s glass to a Calder mobile to Matisse and Picasso, made the wholeÂ visit fun. Calder’s mobile was in a special exhibit downstairs of art held in private collections throughout Oklahoma.Â Please excuse my photography.Â Photography was allowed without flash and many of my photos are dark or too blurry to share.

This painting is by Matisse and the other by his friend Albert Marquet. The view is the the bridge Pont Saint-Michel. Matisse and MarquetÂ shared a studio when they were young men. It is fun imagining them sitting side by side painting and sharing in the frustrations of putting what you see in your mind down on the canvas. There were a total of 50 works by Matisse and 50 by his contemporaries.

This is a Le Corbusier painting and one of my favorites of a man playing a guitar.

This week:

I have been busy working on tutorials, videos and new aprons for the consignment shop. The shop is located in downtown Jenks, Oklahoma, and opens on August 1.

Art is always aÂ great inspiration. Inspiration hit for a new afghan that I can’t wait to show you. Yarn shopping is on my horizon first and then I will get started crocheting. Time is filling up with finishing up anÂ afghan in browns and greys. Crocheting with a different color palette than I normally use gives my brain space and cleanses myÂ color palette. There are some fun new patterns that are quick, easy and perfect for this Fall; in the works as well.

Talk to you later,

Karen