Showing posts with label Ravelry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ravelry. Show all posts

Keeping Track of Your Works in Progress (WIPs) in Crochet

 


Do you have LOTS of Works in Progress? (WIPS) If you crochet regularly, I KNOW you do! :)

Crocheting can be a relaxing and rewarding hobby, but keeping track of all your projects can be a challenge. From choosing patterns to selecting materials, there are a lot of decisions to make and details to remember. Today we’ll explore some of the best ways to keep track of your individual crochet projects so you can stay organized and on top of your crafting game.

Create a Project Journal

One of the best ways to keep track of your crochet projects is to create a project journal. This can be a simple notebook or a digital document where you can record details about each project, such as the pattern name, yarn used, hook size, and any modifications you made. You can also add pictures or swatches of the yarn you used to help you remember what you used. Having all of this information in one place can be incredibly helpful when you’re trying to remember what you did on a particular project or when you want to recreate a project later on.

Use a Project Management App

If you prefer to keep your records digitally, there are many project management apps available that can help you keep track of your crochet projects. Apps like Trello, Asana, and Todoist allow you to create individual projects, set deadlines, and add notes and pictures. You can also use these apps to create to-do lists for each project, so you can keep track of what you’ve completed and what still needs to be done.

Use a Crochet Planner

A crochet planner is a physical planner specifically designed for crocheters. These planners typically have pages for tracking your projects, as well as helpful resources like hook size and yarn weight charts, and even some inspirational quotes to keep you motivated. Using a crochet planner can help you stay organized and on track with your projects, and it can also be a fun way to personalize your crafting experience.

Use Ravelry (it's fun!)

Ravelry is a social networking site for crocheters and knitters that allows you to keep track of your projects, patterns, and yarn stash. You can use Ravelry to record your projects and add notes, pictures, and details about the yarn and pattern used. You can also search for patterns and connect with other crocheters for inspiration and advice. Ravelry is a great resource for crocheters of all levels, and it’s completely free to use.

Take Pictures

Taking photos can be so much fun and today it is so muh easier than in the 'old' days of cameras! One of the easiest ways to keep track of your crochet projects is to take pictures. This is especially helpful if you don’t have a lot of time to devote to journaling or using an app. Simply snap a picture of your project and save it to a folder on your phone or computer. You can also add notes to the picture file to remind yourself of any important details. This method is simple, effective, and can be done on-the-go!

Keeping track of your crochet projects doesn’t have to be a hassle and it can be fun!

Whether you prefer to use a physical planner, a digital app, or simply take pictures, there are many ways to stay organized and on top of your crafting game. By using one or more of these methods, you’ll be able to enjoy your crochet projects even more and create beautiful, one-of-a-kind pieces that you’ll be proud to show off.

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FPF Valentine Bear

Free Pattern Friday (FPF) is a new feature at Cute Crochet Chat! 
Come back every Friday to see what is being posted for free!

Is this the CUTEST bear ever!

And there is still time to crochet it for your favorite 'bear' for Valentine's Day!

This pattern comes to us from Belinda Bruque of El Mundo de los Gumis on Ravelry.

What is really great about this pattern is that it is not only free, it is available in 3 different languages,
English, Danish and Spanish!

Enjoy and have a Happy Valentine's Day!

Read about the pattern and download it HERE.



Photo courtesy of Belinda Bruque.
This blog contains affiliate links.
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CYBER MONDAY 2014

http://www.ravelry.com/stores/too-cute-crochet

 From RAVELRY: 50% off ALL patterns in the Too Cute Crochet/Jocelyn Designs Ravelry Shop on CYBER MONDAY only.
Sale prices are good from 12/1/14 at MIDNIGHT ET until 12/2/14 at MIDNIGHT ET.
You must use the COUPON CODE at checkout of MONDAY

There are 128 CROCHET PATTERN in my Ravelry Shop, ALL 50% off!




http://www.ravelry.com/stores/ambassador-crochet

On CYBER MONDAY, Ambassador Crochet's ETSY shop will be 40% OFF for the entire day! 





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Rudy Reindeer Crochet Pattern on SALE!

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rudy-reindeer

I just added Rudy Reindeer to my Ravelry shop!

Rudy Reindeer is a LARGE reindeer that can decorate your door or wall for Christmas.

It measures a generous 9 inches wide and 29 inches long!

It is easy to crochet and fun to put together!

The crochet pattern for RUDY will be $1.00 for ONE DAY only!

Yes, that is $1.00!

Get the pattern before the link expires!

Sale will end at 11:59 PM on 11/24/14.



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Baby and Toddler SANTA SET

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/santa-set-for-girl-and-boy

I am so excited to RE-INTRODUCE one of my very popular Christmas patterns from Too Cute Crochet!

See below for the INTRODUCTORY PRICE!

Ever since I released this pattern in sizes Newborn and 3 months only, I have been asked time and again for larger sizes.
Now with the help of my wonderful tech editor and great stitchers, the pattern has been sized for Newborn through 18 months!
The Santa Set contains patterns for both BOY and GIRL and comes in these sizes:

Newborn, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months and 18 months

The PDF includes 32 instruction pages and 25 separate patterns:

Boy Hat in 5 sizes, Girl Hat in 5 sizes, Boy Shorts in  5 sizes, Girl Skirt in 5 sizes and Girl and Boy Booties.

For a short amount of time the Santa Set will be available on RAVELRY for the introductory price of $5.99 for ALL 5 SIZES!

Use the Coupon Code  SANTA  after you add the pattern to the cart on RAVELRY, in order to get this special price! 

THIS SALE WILL END SOON!

After that the price will go up to $9.99, so you don't want to miss out on this sale!




This blog contains affiliate links.
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Huge Crochet Pattern SALE at Ambassador Crochet

http://www.ravelry.com/designers/kristine-mullen
Ambassador Crochet is having a BIG, BIG Facebook fan appreciation sale on crochet patterns in her Ravelry shop!

Get 60% off ALL PATTERNS for one day only, Friday, October 17, 2014.

Get 1 FREE PATTERN from noon - 1:40 EST with Coupon Code 6KFREE

Kristine has a wonderful selection of crochet patterns to choose from! Don't delay! Her patterns are VERY well written so you won't be disappointed!




This blog contains affiliate links.


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I LOVE Yarn Day and HUGE SALE at my RAVERLY Shop!

TODAY, Friday, October 10, 2014 is I LOVE YARN DAY! It is sponsored by the Craft Yarn Council and you can read all about it at the link below:

http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/I-Love-Yarn?tp=i-H43-6o-1rH-8blaY-1o-5qo8-1c-8avlI-1RfXQP

Do you love YARN AND FIBER? What are you doing for I LOVE Yarn Day?

In honor or I LOVE YARN DAY, I am having a HUGE discounted SALE  in my Raverly Shop! 

http://www.ravelry.com/stores/too-cute-crochet


ALL PATTERNS ARE 60% OFF FOR ONE DAY ONLY!

NO COUPON CODE IS NEEDED, BUT YOU MUST ADD THE PATTERNS DESIRED TO THE CART IN ORDER FOR THE SALE PRICE TO SHOW UP! 
 and THERE IS NO LIMIT 
on the amount of patterns you can purchase. 

Choose from over 127 crochet designs of all different styles and types. 
There is something for everyone in this sale!

Stock up for your holiday and winter crochet needs!
Sale ends tomorrow at midnight ET!

PLEASE SHARE OUR PROMOTION!



This blog contains affiliate links.





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BIG Pattern Sale in Our Ravelry Store for National Crochet Month 2014

http://www.ravelry.com/stores/too-cute-crochet

In honor of National Crochet Month (natcromo), Cute Crochet Chat is offering 50% off all our crochet patterns listed in our RAVELRY STORE! 

This sale will run through to the end of March and there is NO LIMIT as to the amount of patterns you can purchase! We have never offered a half-price sale of ALL our patterns before!

When ordering patterns from our RAVELRY STORE, enter the COUPON CODE natcromo and receive 50% off your purchase. Now is the time to get any patterns your have been watching in our Ravelry Store!  We are offering 118 patterns in this special.

COUPON CODE natcromo

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The Laura Cowl Crochet Pattern





Introducing our new cowl pattern, The Laura! The Laura Cowl is an easy, fun-to-do pattern that works up quickly, but is luxe also!

The Laura is named for a new and very dear person, who is not only a friend, but my mentor and coach as well!

This trendy cowl is a must accessory for Winter. Crocheted from a soft blend of 50% Wool and 50% acrylic, this beautiful cowl will keep you warm, yet stylish on a cold day.  Wear it with a coat outdoors or indoors over a sweater. This cowl is smaller than our other cowls and does not need to be wrapped. Just slip it over your head! A large hook and super bulky yarn makes this a fast project!

The Laura is available in my ETSY SHOP, or RAVELRY in my Ravelry Shop.





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Crochet Boutique Book Review and Giveaway

 Crochet Boutique by Rachel Oglesby

Recently, I was lucky enough to receive a review copy from Sterling Publishing of CROCHET BOUTIQUE "30 Simple, stylish hats, bags and accessories" by Rachel Oglesby, published by Lark Crafts.  
Are you looking for crochet designs that are quick to crochet yet trendy? If you like crochet accessory patterns that are simple yet fashionable, then this book is for you. Some of my favorite items to crochet are accessories and Crochet Boutique has plenty of them. There are a total of 30 crochet patterns including 7 hat patterns, 10 scarf and cowl patterns and 9 bag and accessory patterns. Each one is stylish and trendy for today's crocheter.

Crochet Boutique has a little of everything. Rachel describes the crochet items herself in the Introduction: "Stylish items to adorn yourself. Cherished gifts to make for your loved ones and fashionable accents for your home". 


There is a full techniques section in the back of the book that describes all you will need to know to crochet the items in this book. Since most of the designs are accessory items, they all appear to be quick to stitch. Except for the Bamboo Handle Bag (which is intermediate) they are ALL rated beginner and easy and use mostly #4 worsted or #5 bulky weight yarns.

Need a quick gift for a trendy relative? This book has many crochet items that fit the bill. I can see several items that I will be making for my daughters this Christmas!
If you are on Ravelry, you can see all 30 projects HERE!

Would you like to own this book? Lark Crafts has graciously offered to give away a copy of Crochet Boutique to ONE lucky winner! To be eligible to win, please COMMENT below. Let us know at least one gift you will be making for the upcoming holiday season! One winner will be chosen at random on November 1, 2012. Thanks to all who participate!

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Friday Fun - Crochet Patterns

Let's face it....crocheters and knitters LOVE patterns! Some stitchers collect patterns the way others collect antiques! The downside to this is that we NEVER get around to making ALL the designs that are in our library. The upside is that we can be continually INSPIRED by the best and the brightest crochet and knit designs that are out there. Here are a few for this week:


Cupcakes by Skymagenta  -- 
These cupcakes are not only cute, they are PRETTY! You can purchase the pattern from Skymagenta.
Skymagenta has a wonderful pattern shop on Ravelry and
you won't believe all the incredible crochet goodies she has to offer!


Dahlia Shawl by Lisa Naskrent for Interweave  -- Wouldn't this Dahlia SHAWL by Lisa Naskrent be beautiful for the HOLIDAYS? Gorgeous!


Peter and Patty Pilgrim by Rachel of Crochet Spot  --  How cute are these crochet Pilgrims? They measure between 8 and 10 inches, so I think they would crochet up quickly. Especially for this month!

Urban Revival Slouch Hat by Vicki Howell  -  Love this slouchy hat! Functional yet ultra feminine!
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Sometimes It Just Doesn't Quite Come Out Right

This past week, I have been working on a new Easter set for babies and little girls. Recently, I have definitely enjoyed designing all the frilly, cute little girl's accessories that I have placed for sale in my Etsy Shoppe. I guess it reminds me when my own daughters were young! It was so much fun in those days designing for them!
Usually when I am designing something, I am very lucky to have the actual crochet item come out pretty close to what I envisioned in my mind. But this week, I struggled trying to get the little girl's purse design for the Set just right. When I was finished with it, it DID look exactly like what I had been seeing in my vision and sketch, but unfortunately, when I began to sew the purse together, I realized it was not going to work! Rats! For some reason, the finished project turned out to be too awkward looking.


I am very fortunate that design mishaps don't happen to me very often. Perhaps this is because most of my designs are usually quick and easy to do, I don't know.
I was terribly discouraged yesterday. It is hard to abandon a project that you have put your energy into. But today, in the light of a new day,  I have decided to re-design a new purse to match the Easter Bonnet that is already completed. So, it is back to the drawing board! Hopefully, I will be able to complete my "Put On Your Easter Bonnet" set as planned!


Easter Bonnet worn by my beautiful niece, Jillian!
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Inside Crochet Magazine


I was delighted to go to Barnes and Noble and find Inside Crochet magazine on the shelf! Inside Crochet is the the UK's newest and only crochet dedicated magazine. Most crochet enthusiasts have waited awhile for this new crochet magazine to hit the stands and I am happy to say, that the wait has not been in vain! The editors Julie Holetz and Amy O'Neill Houck have obviously put much time and effort into determining just what crochet lovers would want in a magazine dedicated to their favorite craft. It certainly helps that they are both avid crocheters and needlework designers themselves!
This first issue is chock full of all the things one might expect from a needlework magazine: great tools; favorite products; timely articles on eco-friendly crochet; crochet book reviews on some of our favorite authors....but Inside Crochet goes so much further than I expected!
Inside Crochet has wonderful step-by-step photographs on how to crochet for the beginner. But if you are not a beginner, you don't need to feel left out. There is a wonderful article on understanding Charts and Symbols that will have you tackling a skill that perhaps you thought you might never master. And several of the patterns are rated for the Intermediate stitcher.
I love the size of the beautiful color photographs...I love the size of the graphs, schematics and the charts....I even love the size of the advertisements...who cares that they are geared for the UK...because I love browsing all things crochet and yarn, it doesn't matter!
I don't think there is one thing that Julie and Amy has left out of this issue! Between Crochet on the Net, Inside the Crochet Studio of Claire Montgomerie, Dates for your Diary, Indy Yarn Profile and more....they have covered all the crochet bases! Of course, you will love the wide variety of crochet wearables from some of your favorite designers, also. Just remember, though, that the crochet terms used in this book are UK terms.
♥ Favorite patterns: Sweet Feet (socks) by Julie Vaconsin, Meadow (scarf) by Robyn Chachula, Strawberry Shortcake (top) by Josi Hannon Madera
♥ Favorite Feature: On most patterns, the editors give wonderful YARN ALTERNATIVES for the design. What makes the alternative special, though, is they list them according to price range; SAVE, SPEND AND SPOIL YOURSELF Love it!!
Bonus: for those who belong to Ravelry there is a Inside Crochet Ravelry Group devoted just to the magazine.
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Amazing Crochet Lace IS Truly Amazing


I learned to crochet 31 years ago while my husband was stationed in Italy and I was pregnant with my first child. I had been knitting for several years, but had always wanted to learn how to crochet because it seemed there were so many beautiful things you could make from crochet that you could not do with knitting. Being in Europe and surrounded by so much old crochet lace only enhanced my desire to learn. So when two of my friends started making beautiful pineapple crochet tablecloths, I knew I had to learn. I just loved the delicate, lacy thread designs of doilies and wanted to create some of my own. The pineapple design continues to be my favorite today and I am still inspired by beautiful thread crochet designs.
So when I saw Doris Chan's book, "Amazing Crochet Lace", New Fashions Inspired by Old-Fashioned Lace, I just knew I had to have a copy!
The book, itself, grabbed me from the beginning. Yes, I knew from flipping through the pages that it had luscious designs; but I was also pleasantly surprised when I began to read (in Doris' own words) the Forward and the Trimming Me section in the beginning of the book. Doris has a natural talent for telling a story that makes you want to know more.
Crochet-wise, Doris introduces and teaches her own approach and techniques to making "a seamless lace garment", which are used throughout the book. She calls it her MO, or modis operandi and says you need only to know basic crochet skills in order to learn them.
Fashion-wise, the book is filled with lovely, lacey wearables that have become Doris' signature style. It seems as though she put a lot of thought into choosing a variety of beautiful styles and colors that would appeal to many different tastes. One of my favorites is the beautiful pineapple Blue Curacao Shawl. Apparently, I am not alone, because I have seen this lovely shawl posted many times on Ravelry!
The book is photographed beautifully. I love the black and white backgrounds contrasted by the full color of the crochet designs.
If you love crochet lace, you will love this book! It is crochet lace-lover's eye candy!
Oh, and for the record, I know I am a couple of years behind on this review and that Doris has another book out since writing this one! I can't wait to buy Everyday Crochet to see what that is all about!
BTW, if you enjoy Doris' storytelling as much as I did, you can visit her blog Doris' Everyday Crochet to hear more!
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