These have been sitting around waiting for the dressmakers dummy and the opportunity to take the photos.
talk to you later,
Karen
Previews for the Week!
Tag: crochet afghan
Beginner Fingerless Gloves
Beginner Fingerless Gloves
I finished up this Beginner Fingerless Gloves this week for our youngest son. These gloves work great for texting or using smart phones. He loves the style of these fingerless gloves. In the soft grey yarn they have a rugged, masculine look in a super easy beginner pattern.
You can find the pattern here in the Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/listing/164527383/pattern-diy-fingerless-gloves-crochet
here on Craftsy: http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/crocheting/accessory/crochet-fingerless-gloves/71157
and of course here in the shop: http://www.chocolatedogstudio.com/product/ribbed-fingerless-gloves-pattern/
They make a wonderful Christmas gift and will really fill out the Christmas stockings this year. The wool ease yarn is washable so I don’t have to worry that he will felt the Beginner Fingerless Gloves in the washer. The ribbing stretches making it easy layer another pair underneath. These gloves leave his fingers free for texting or computer use.
(I have included affiliate links in this post and I will receive a small percentage of any sales you make.)
I always have such a hard time finding crochet projects for the guys in my life that don’t require tons of work or in just plain odd.
Crochet Gifts for Men
Other easy crochet projects for men in Chocolate Dog Studio are several scarves
This Granny Stripe scarf in team colors would make a great crochet gift: http://www.chocolatedogstudio.com/product/granny-stripe-scarf/
The tassel scarf in masculine stripes would be a great gift as well: http://www.chocolatedogstudio.com/product/granny-stripe-tassel-scarf/
A different style of fingerless glove that would also create a wonderful gift :http://www.chocolatedogstudio.com/product/easy-fingerless-gloves/ Using smoother yarns would create a more sophisticated feel to the scarves and gloves. Create a matching set in the same yarns.
Talk to you later,
Karen
Ripple Crochet Blanket Pattern
Hi all,
I finally released a new pattern out into the world. Rather, it is an old pattern that is simply written down for you. It is for sale in my Etsy shop. www.chocolatedogstudio.etsy.com
Here  are the photos of the crochet blankets you can make with this pattern.
It is a great pattern that teaches you how to make your own blanket. You can take this pattern and make it any size you would like.  Use up your leftover scrap yarns and  have a beautiful blanket at the end of your project.
Here is a direct link to Etsy and Craftsy:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/163532020/crochet-ripple-blanket-pattern
http://www.craftsy.com/user/340454/pattern-store
The price is the same at either shop!
See you later,
I must run as I feel that I am really late today!
Karen
I Deserve Better…
Ok, I recently read this article that was on my facebook feed. I am a bit ambivalent about this article after all it hits pretty close to home, cough…cough. I miss the dates on being born in the 70’s by just a bit. So, some of it applies to my generation.
Here is a direct quote from the article and the article links in case you would like to know why a large proportion of us are unhappy!
It’s pretty straightforward — when the reality of someone’s life is better than they had expected, they’re happy. When reality turns out to be worse than the expectations, they’re unhappy.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wait-but-why/generation-y-unhappy_b_3930620.html
I get this article, really I do. It states (unless I misunderstood it) that generations of people born after 1970 expect to have life easy. They expect to not have to work as hard to achieve their ideal job. I kind of agree. I was born right on the end of that baby boom wave in 1966. So I received some of the self esteem training in school that later blossomed into everyone deserves an award no matter how they do. I remember when only the truly gifted or truly athletic received an award. We have four kids and have sat through multiple awards assemblies where kids received awards from being the brightest to being the best with the pencil sharpener…or something similar. I digress…my point is this. How does this attitude affect or infect your small business? It is a rather entitlement attitude that the first time you do anything should be  met with great applause and recognition.
A family quilt from the depression generation. Use up waste not, want not was their motto.
How was your first creation received? I mean the one you created for pay that was not a custom order, not family or a friend.. Honestly, what did it look like? Was it worth the price you were asking someone to pay? Would you buy it…if you couldn’t make it…..Would you buy it? Would I have bought my first listing? Not so much, it was well made but not in my taste? Why was I making things that I didn’t like? Who knows? I really have no idea, except that I thought that they would sell. They were well made and with quality materials, so there was no reason they shouldn’t have sold. looking back now Why didn’t they sell….because of the photos, tags, descriptions and not enough items in my shop, my SEO was crummy and the whole shop was incredibly hard to find with only five items.
One of my first sales and listings and crummy photograph…
I admit I was naive and thought that simply posting it on Etsy was good enough. The world would beat a path to my door. Instead, I found myself on Regretsy for some of my photos (Another don’t ask and I won’t shock you with the really bad photos). I still struggle with photography. I pay for photos for my Etsy shop. Many people don’t but I have an in with the photographer… he is our son. I pay and feed him for his work.
He does an incredible job.
What I am trying to say is that a business….any business is HARD work. It will take time for it to grow and provide income. My business has been around for five years. I have wanted to throw in the towel and quit at least once a year for the past five years and five years is not a very long time in the scheme of things. Most small businesses fail in the first five years. I have learned a bunch and I am still learning. Some of it is this entitlement attitude that I am overcoming and some of it is just the plain ole learning curve (as my husband calls it.) It just takes TIME to get a business off the ground and to start making $$. I make mistakes and learn from them and sometimes they are expensive mistakes (like the time I shipped a card to Malaysia for $35, don’t ask why) and sometimes they aren’t.
What advice would you give a new online shop? What mistakes have made that you learned from? What would you do different?
Talk to you later,
Karen
p.s.
I am going to step off my soap box and say this about that article. I don’t think that many kids born between 1990 and present have had it quite as easy as the article states. Many have seen their parents loose their jobs, homes, cars and possessions. I think many of them have learned to work hard and that hard work pays. I have great hope for the future generations as I see our kids and their friends work hard to achieve what they want in life. I do not see the entitlement attitude as much as I did in my post college years. We expected to have everything all at once. I see them starting savings accounts and waiting to buy what they want. So, maybe they did learn from our mistakes. If they did then it was almost worth it.
The Rainbow Blanket
Here it is, The Rainbow Crochet blanket!At the beginning… Not far from the beginning…. 
 In the middle…. 
 I apologize for this photo. I took it with my phone and it just isn’t very good. Here it is in all it’s glory. 
 
and now a whole blanket shot! 
 These whole blanket shots are always a bit tricky. It is a wonderful arrangement of beautiful colors. All in all it took me a week to crochet it, and that is a record for me. I don’t think I could do it again. It kept me busy while I was laid up recovering from surgery. It is now available in my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/listing/162914101/blanket-hand-crochet-blanket-afghan. If  you want to make your own Rainbow blanket you can also purchase the pattern here on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/168162461/blanket-hand-crochet-blanket-pattern or Here on craftsy: http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/crocheting/home-decor/rainbow-granny-stripe-blanket/70263
talk to you later,
Karen
Why Be Afraid?
So, yesterday I asked if you are afraid. What I was really asking was  “Am I afraid?” Yes, incredibly, horribly afraid. I am afraid that I write to a black hole, that people will laugh, and the big one that NO ONE will buy any of the blankets I make. Does it really matter if no one buys any of these blankets? Will I stop crocheting them if no one buys them?
No, I have this compulsion. It makes it easier because I love crocheting them. The activity of creating, the anticipation of the moment when I will be able to sit down and work on them. The choices of the yarns and fibers for the finished product. The moment when they are approaching the finish line. The Ta Da moment when I lay it out in front of one of the few whose opinion I greatly value; my cheerleaders , my family and…. boy, are they biased and I love it! Then I approach you; my internet friends and post it on the blog, facebook, ravelry and then at last on the final judgment stand; the marketplace. I love all the feedback but mostly  I love the feel of the yarn, the colors, how it comes together and winds up being something warm and cozy. I like to think about who will use it and to pray that they have great memories while using the blanket. The prayers woven into each and every blanket are for peace, for love, for the normal allotment of sorrows and joys, for friends to comfort and to celebrate, for brief moments of pain without which we wouldn’t know the mountain tops of joy and achievements. Prayers that the blankets will cover tiny toes and laps for naps and stories, hugs and kisses. There is a whole lot of joy to get out of a simple crochet blanket.
I was a lot like Linus when I was little and I still feel a little like Linus from Peanuts. I guess I have never grown out of the need for a special blanket! I send my kids off to college or out into the world with one of a kind blankets. Sturdy ones that can handle the dorm washer and dryers, that can take abuse and dish out warmth, comfort and love. One that is a hug from me any time they need it. One that is bright and colorful to bring happiness and a touch of home to the dull dorm rooms.
So why should I be afraid of continuing to do what I love to do. Fear should have no place in this equation but it does because I am human. I hate being judged and found lacking. I fear because such a great part of my heart ends up being in each and every blanket I make.
Why do I sell the blankets that I make? Well, I have to admit that a family can only use a certain amount of blankets and why should I keep the joy as not everyone can crochet.
What are your reasons for crocheting or knitting? Why do you do what you do for a hobby or is it a business?
Talk to you later,
Karen
Are You Afraid?
I read this article this morning as it scrolled past on my facebook feed. It hit a sore spot with me and I had to write. Anyway here is the article and then the quote that started all this introspection.
http://storylineblog.com/2013/09/11/if-youre-not-scared-youre-not-doing-it-right/
Steven Pressfield sums it up well in his groundbreaking work, The War of Art:
“Self doubt can be an ally. This is because it serves as an indicator of aspiration. It reflects love, love of something we dream of doing, and desire, desire to do it. If you find yourself asking yourself, “Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?†chances are you are. The Counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death.â€
Are you doing your own thing or copying someone else’s work? Are you wondering if you are following the beat of your own drum or a rehash of yet another whatzit? I do ask myself these questions over and over again as I sew mundane things like cup cozies, baby bibs and crochet blankets.
What I truly want to do or wish to do is the very thing I am most afraid to do. Â I like sewing the baby bibs and cup cozies, but my heart is truly in design work. My heart lies deepest in working with colors, fibers and creating. I struggle to write patterns and do design work simply because the work proceeds from my fingers without much thought. It is relatively unconscious and simply flows through the arm and out of the hook. It is intuitive, and one of a kind. How can you create patterns of one of a kind creations?
I guess I will need to figure that out in the coming months. After the last three months of recuperation from surgery I am very aware of the limitations of my body. I know that my hands are not capable of crocheting more than 1 custom adult sized blanket a month. Which makes at the very most only 12 blankets a year. How can a business be sustained on 12 blankets a year? That is the question that keeps me awake at night.
Do you have any suggestions or comments?
talk to you later,
Karen
I do have to say that this has nothing to do with 9/11 nor is it in any way to take away from losses  and grief that we as a Nation are feeling today.
What’s in the future?
Right now I have about five crochet blanket ideas running around in my brain. One is definitely on the hook and progress is being made. One in in the design mode, two are definitely going to be crocheted as I have all the supplies and the shop needs them. I am thinking about several more scarves and tossing color combos around. Some scarves like this…
I want to make another one similar to this… 
Some more baby receiving blankets like this..
So all in all I guess I have about eight or more crochet ideas percolating. Then there are a bunch of new baby bib ideas plus some coffee cozy ideas. All with a autumn/winter feel to them. Most of them are for boy babies as I feel like the guys get slighted when it comes to cute boy things.
I would like to make a couple of quilts for the house on the home front. We are redoing a bedroom and it doubles as a guest room. It needs a little spiffing up as it feels dark and outdated. It has some really bad wallpaper that is almost ten years old now. I am also working on some pinterest ideas here and there. So those are also rolling around in my brain. We will see what happens when I actually get up off this couch and start walking! Planning is great but the proof is in the doing. Here are the quilt ideas that I am thinking about. Aren’t these beautiful!
Yes, these are off of Pinterest and if you find the original page please let me know. I searched but didn’t find the page to be able to give credit to the design work. I’m off to eat lunch and do more crocheting. I have been going slow on the crochet this week as the crutches are hard on my hands, on the plus side, my arms and shoulder muscles are getting a great workout off and on all day.
Talk to you later, Karen   Â
Granny Square Bulls Eye Blanket!
Finally, It is finished. This blanket has taken me longer than any other. It has been frogged not once but twice. Here you go the ta da photos. It is now listed in my shop and ready to go to a new home. It is 100% wool. You can find it here in the shop:Â https://www.etsy.com/listing/159280644/crochet-afghan-hand-crocheted-blanket
My wonderful, oldest son took these photos for me as I am still on crutches. He did a great job and I am really thankful that he helped me out!
Thanks, Mark!
Talk to you later,
Karen
The “To Do List”
Here is what I have been working on these days.
The red granny square blanket only needs 21 more squares and edging to be completed. Â Let’s not forget that I will need to weave in, sew down and clip all these long threads.
The brown granny square blanket needs  more yarn. I am almost finished with this. I lack about 10-12 more rounds and then edging. I won’t have many yarns to weave in as I carried my yarn from one row to another.
Boot Cuffs
I have tons of yarn that I bought to crochet these. I have about eight that need to be joined and finish work.
Scarves
I have one dark green scarf that needs to be completed. It is wool and a joy to crochet. We cleaned up prior to the wedding and it was tucked away.
There is also one dark blue cotton yarn scarf that needs to be completed.
I am also wanting to crochet a bunch of granny stripe scarves for the shop. I think they would make great stocking stuffer gifts for my girls, but I think that they are overloaded on yarny things.
Patch blankets
When my kids were in scouts I started making patch blankets. This is a blanket with all of their patches sewn on so they don’t get lost. They would look a bit like this. I also sewed his favorite  t-shirt fronts to our oldest’s blanket. Needless to say, the others now want theirs finished as well.
(You can find this patch blanket here: http://www.streamwood.net/scripts/prodList.asp )
So this is my to do list at present!
What is on your to do list?
Karen