Remember my Pegboard and how bare it looked? Well, I created these cool hanging organizers that will help in the Use Your Stash Challenge. I thought you might like to see what I’ve done, in case you need a little inspiration for your own organizational needs.
I’m a visual person. Having things stored in hanging organizers (out in the open instead of in cabinets or drawers) keeps things in front of my eyes. Seeing what’s available to use gives me inspiration, and helps me stay on track for using up my stash.
The following is just a quick tutorial keeping with the theme of using your stash.
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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
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! Follow my blog with Bloglovin
I’m not quite sure why, but it seems I usually crochet an afghan in neutral colors about the same time I start dreaming of autumn. The summers here get outrageously hot and spending time inside seems to be the best answer. This year, this neutral afghan is a palette cleanser for me; a change from all the bright, cheerful colors that I use most of the time. Â Almost like getting new back-to-school clothes or new notebooks and pencils, using a neutral palette helps me to reset and prepare myself for the rush that is autumn. This blanket will not be available as a pattern since it required too much tweaking to make it easy to follow, but it will be available in both the Etsy and Amazon shops on September 2nd. Isn’t it gorgeous? I love the different textures and the super soft yarns.
Dreaming of Autumn
I am ready for autumn colors and fall leaves. All the craft stores have their fall decorations and plastic pumpkins out on their shelves already. Â I have been busy designing some new fingerless glove patterns for fall, and they will be available for free to subscribers and in the shop in the first weeks of September. They are super quick and easy to crochet. I promise you will love them.
Back-to-School Schedule
It is back to school time here. Photos of students with cheerful faces eager to start a new school year have flooded my Facebook page.  We are also starting our new school year. It means getting back to a firm routine and trying to balance all of life + school +crochet. I usually struggle with starting a new schedule but this year seems to be different and easier. New ideas and patterns are flitting through my mind as I sit here supervising my daughter’s school work.
These granny squares are part of a new afghan– one of the new ideas I have in mind for this fall. There are new YouTube videos coming out soon, as well. I can’t wait to show you everything! The weather is finally cooling off here, and with it has come an overflow of creativity.
Talk to you later,
Karen
PS: What’s your favorite thing about autumn? Leave a comment and let me know!
Today: quite frankly I am procrastinating, I am hyper – procrastinating! I’m not even sure if that is a word. According to Merriam Webster’s online dictionary this is the definition of Hyper
: to be slow or late about doing something that should be done : to delay doing something until a later time because you do not want to do it, because you are lazy,
Ouch, that hurt! It is how I feel though. I am intentionally lazing around and resting. The weeks have been filled with RUN..Run… Do this and do that! I need down time, my body craves it like I used to crave quiet (when I had four little people in the house.) I have done some of the chores that were screaming for attention yesterday; laundry and some picking up. I have some unpacking to do and some dishes to do. I have yarn I bought yesterday that I can’t wait to get my hands on. I have a bunch of photography for the Etsy shops and then some Christmas gift creating to do.
I have tons of things that have to be done, some errands and so forth but I am being a procrastinator on purpose. I’m not thinking or planning or scheduling. I am not considering the clutter in my house. Well, yes I am but I am ignoring it willfully. I am doing something incredibly difficult for me to do; sitting. I know that I will have to jump up and go and do before long. Chores, errands, Â sewing, crochet and life calls, but for this little while I am going to sit and rest. I am adding white space or margin to my life. I have not had a chance to do this since our vacation in August, or at least it feels that long ago. Do you remember when I talked about margin? I have had two cups of coffee in bed and then some poking about on the internet with no specific purpose, a little thinking about this or that, and I ordered a music book for my daughter.
I have been taking stock of my life. Looking at what is truly important and while I haven’t reached any conclusions I do have some renewed purpose. I think I am back on track and headed several degrees into a better direction. You remember geometry class where you learned that a degree off of the right direction would put you miles away from your destination. Life is like that as well. So I am puttering into the right direction again. The photos are from our vacation this past summer. The last time I got to sit and just be. I am ready for a bit more of that time off.
PS. It is now Friday and I wrote this on Thursday. I am still procrastinating. I guess rest is what I need to do right now in between life as wife, daughter, mom and chauffeur.
Everyday is a new day! Â It has been a long week so far and it is only Sunday! Last week we took 2 kids to college and dropped them off. We then drove the quiet 5 hour drive home. It was quiet and it IS quiet now. We also took the leaf out of the table and it now sits four quite comfortably or five if you really like each other! Â We raise kids to be independent and then we are sad when they finally are! So this week, I am concentrating on the one chick left in the nest. I am thinking of things like Christmas gifts, the Etsy shop, things I am thankful for and what I want to do with this blog!
Hatching Ideas
Like these eggs, I am waiting on the right time for my ideas to hatch. There are so many things that I would love to do but I just don’t have the time. I am getting to take a painting class this year with my daughter. I will show you my work as I go. It has been ages since I have really painted and I am completely self taught.
Every once in a while I will stop by an estate sale. I stopped at two today. I found this beautiful hand hooked rug. The date says ’54 so I am assuming that it means 1954 and not 1854. I really don’t think it is that 100 years old, but I really don’t know much about it.
It is a punched rug with wool strips instead of yarn. It has never been used as you can see that the burlap backing isnt tacked down to the back of the run like it would be if it had been used.
It is a little old fashioned and somewhat out of style but I love the color shading in it. I also found a wonderful bucket of crochet cotton thread in various sizes and colors.
Quite a nice selection of threads. It was a fun day though my feet hurt today after all the walking.
I have been sewing a bunch of beautiful baby bibs. They are so cheerful and happy!
They aren’t quite finished but they will be soon! Â I can’t wait to show them all to you. I hope to get these bibs photographed and in the shop on Friday of this week, along with some new baby blankets. They are all lighter weight and perfect for summer weather. They all have snuggly flannel on one side and cool soft cotton on the other.
This week has been a busy driving one back and forth to different activities for the kids. One is assisting at vacation bible school and the other has been needing a ride back and forth to work. So I have put many miles on the car this week. It ends tomorrow and there should be more down time next week.
I am sure that you remember these from my sewing binge last week.
Here is the midpoint.
Here they are in all the beauty. These turned out so well that I can almost forget all the zip bag failures!
I spent a whole day piecing these together. Then the better part of a morning stuffing and hand sewing the opening closed. They are cute and lovely. They will also be available in the www.ChocolateDogStudio.etsy.com shop on Friday at 6 pm. There are all sorts of lovely colors in each one and they are stripey and fun. I am working hard on the fun part of the shop! When they are gone they are gone as I used bits and pieces I had been collecting for awhile. Each one is unique. These could easily have fit in with the use my stash challenge!
Here are some new items for the shop. I finished these last week.
Do you remember these fabrics from Instagram and facebook? Here are the finished products.
They are fully lined with a white cotton fabric. The neck straps are adustable with D-rings. Most of these aprons have the extra long ties like a chef’s apron so you can tie it in the front. They came out beautifully. I love them. I have three more that I need to cut out and sew but I couldn’t wait to show you these. These will be available for purchase in ChocolateDogStudio.etsy shop on Friday of this week!
I love perennials in my flower beds. These grow in the raised flower bed at the front of the house. I am transplanting an off shoot to the new flower bed.
Aren’t they bright and sunny. I can’t remember the name of them. We also have Russian Sage growing in this flower bed. The sage was planted in the middle and has migrated out to the front edge.
It has bright blue flowers that the bees love. It is tall and ferny and simply lovely and yes I cropped this photo so you can’t see the tree growing in the bed at the back. Here is a good shot of reality. It is the area around the corner from the front garden bed.
It is pretty wild and needs a lot of work. These are the new flowers that we added last week.
English daisies and Purple cone flower both of which we had at our last house. They seem to love hot summers and the so- so watering job that I do.
I have too many projects going right now and I feel really stretched thin on the creative side of things. I am in the process of adding some new to the shop and I feel really pretty overwhelmed and terribly forgetful. I am tending to skip around from project to project during the day and not seeming to accomplish much.
I guess I need a new challenge and there is one I am thinking about but I just can’t decide if I really want to participate. It is a daily listing challenge and I am wondering if it would be wise to try it. I would have to list something new in the shop everyday. Summer, has been a little crazy so far. We have three of the kids home. One is working a full time internship with regular working hours and the other is working almost full time hours at Arby’s. This means that he has crazy hours. So I am not sure about the listing challenge. The other challenge is a one hundred Granny Square block challenge. I am still thinking about this one. I have been tossing it around since we lived in Iowa, which is close to 2 years ago. The other challenge has to do with more scrap busting! I am still thinking about this one, but I know that it wouldn’t be wise to totally stop buying supplies like I did for the 100 items in 100 days challenge! Â http://www.chocolatedogstudio.com/2014/01/17/1-thing-for-100-days-challenge/
