Mission Accomplished :)

Lydia’s poncho is complete! Yay! Though I forgot to write down all of what I did. I hate that, one of these days I’m going to sit with a tape recorder and just record what I’m doing so I don’t have to stop and count, and write down the pattern.

So, one item crossed off the list! You know that feels so awesome, I love the sense of accomplishment this time of year brings. Each time an object is completed and ready for it’s new home is truly a minor victory! When the whole list is complete, I feel like She-Ra!

I hope your projects are getting done, and you’re not frantic…

Also, now is the time to check out the competition page! I’ve started the last one for 2007!

Holiday Sale!! This week only!

I’m in a post Thanksgiving gratitude warm fuzzy mood! So, I’ve put all of my downloads on Lulu on SALE!!

Patterns normally $1 – $1.25 are now $0.50!!

The Secrets of Yarn Project Guide I/II is now only $1.00!

Take advantage of my weak warm fuzzy moment! Because next Monday the prices go back to normal!

Thank you for your support and patronage! Oh be sure to take advantage of the free patterns already available in my Lulu store!

I entered the dragon’s lair and survived!

Ok, I bet you know this LYS (even if you live somewhere else), it is not just non-crochet friendly, the owner is a dragon and you need a permission slip from your dead great grandmother to buy yarn there, BUT they are the only game in town for certain kinds of yarn. You could drive forty miles to the south, but really is it worth the gas?

Now, I will NOT mention this yarn stores name, but I had to go to said store today (SIGH) to purchase yarn for my son’s sweater, and get some more Sirdar Snuggly Bubbly to finish my neice’s poncho. This was the ONLY store that carried those yarns within a half hour drive of me, and since it was threatening to snow, I sucked it up and went to…the dragon’s lair.

 My son came with me, and even though we haven’t been to that shop in two years he remembered the last visit well. “Mom, she scares me.”

“Son, she scares me too. Just be very quiet and stand next to me and we’ll get in and out as fast as we can. I really can’t get the yarn any where else.”

We both took deep breaths, held each other’s hand, and walked into the store, he murmured, “Into the dragon’s lair, Mom”

This made me laugh as I entered which threw the old bat who own’s the place off guard. What? Laughter in her shop? What is that strange sound?

She barked at me “Can I help you?” (Translation: You are a stranger here to steal my yarn)

“Um, no I just came for some Regia…”Look frantically at the shelves, yup still in the same spot, “Here it is! Thanks”

She went to help another customer, and I spotted the Snuggly Bubbly and grabbed four more skeins (so I don’t have to return, maybe I’ll make a matching hat for the poncho)…as she rang me up, she commented on my yarn choice “Hmmm. You like dark colors, huh?”

“Yes I do”

“Harrumphf” (was she channeling my long dead great-great aunt?)

Then I decided to poke the dragon, “Yes, I’m crocheting a sweater for my son.”

“Out of that? You can’t be!”

“Oh sure, it’s washable “

“There’s not enough”

“Nope I have other yarn at home.”

“It won’t match”

“Oh sure it will, I free form.”

Then I handed her a wad of cash, and left the store…

I survived the lair, and so did my son. Hopefully it will be another two years before I have to go back. OR even better maybe I’ll own a friendly yarn store in two  years and I won’t ever have to go back.

The things we do for yarn.

So honored…

On November 9th I wrote excitedly that I had achieved 6,000 hits on this blog, as of this moment I sit at 6,976. I am amazed and honored that you check in to see what’s happening here at the Secrets of Yarn Blog. Thank you so much!!

I will soon be posting some projects as soon as I get pics taken, and a quick and easy Christmas Ornament Pattern written down to post in honor of the season.

Thank  you so very much for you interest in all things crochet!

Wow! Thanks for the great response!

Wow! The downloaded version of the Secrets of Yarn (c) Guide I/II is even more popular than the hard copy! Amazing.

 I feel so blessed at the wonderful reception this quick guide has gotten! It has inspired me to work even harded on my book, Crochet and The Secrets of Yarn (or some kind of snappy title I haven’t figured that part out!)…

I am hoping the have the book available for orders as a hard copy or an e-book by February O8! Four more chapters to write, though I have reorientate ALL of the tables in the book because I forgot I was resizing the pages for publishing…ah well…it won’t take long to do it

Anyway, thank you again for your purchases of the Secrets of Yarn Project Guide I/II! And even more for the thank you emails and rave reviews!

A little crochet wisdom…

After thirty some odd years of crocheting, I have learned to give myself permission to stop and start over if a design is not working.

Why get all frustrated? Trying to make something work that obviously is NOT working leads to tears, anger, and sometimes throwing out the baby (the design) with the bath water. Now, who wants to waste good yarn I ask you?!

You must be thinking, “Oh my, what happened?” You would be correct in thinking thusly.

My beloved little boy has very sweetly requested that I make him a garment. He’s tired of hats and scarves, though he made sure to tell me he still loves them too and to keep them coming, but he wants his own mom-made sweater. He even told me he’d wear it no matter what, it doesn’t even have to fit, or be super cool.

So, I started to make a sweater in the simple tunisian stitch with dark (and I mean almost black it’s so dark!) purple fuzzy mohair laceweight yarn. One whole skein into the mix and  I’ve looked at the piece, I’ve had to free form to get the edges straight (I decreased on accident, and found the mistake too late, which is so my fault for staying up till four in the morning crocheting), and I am not sure I like the yarn for a sweater, not a straight sweater for a young man. I could make a really awesome lacey shawl, or a lacey cardigan to die for out of the yarn I have left, and that’s what the yarn kept screaming to be as I worked at this sweater he so anxiously awaits.

So tonight I went through my meager commercial yarn stash. You heard me, meager. I blow through a lot of yarn, and I don’t buy tons of yarn as a rule, I spin most of mine. Then I found some Regia sock yarn that I bought on clearance.

Hmmm. It’s washable, it’s a straight plain jane yarn, and it’s mostly wool. Ooooh, all qualities I like. It’s in a lovely rusty brown color, which looks so nice on my boy. So I’ve started over, in fact I’m even doing a different pattern entirely.

I’m using my old standard HDC, and basket weave to make up this sweater.

The mohair? It’s going to be either a lacey evening wrap or shawl, since I’m not seeing a lot of good lace patterns for shawls in crochet these days. I guess I’ll have to write one.

But for now, it’s the little poncho for my neice that I’ll be making (half way done), and my son’s sweater. I think he’ll love this, and I’m making it a little big so he can wear it for a while. He’s eleven and growing, a nice slouchy sweater can last for at least another growth spurt.

What about all that work I did with the first skein of mohair? Oh, well I have plans for that too, you see the International Free Form Guild is having another joint project, and that mohair is going to be the canvas on to which I “paint” my submission.

It’s all good!

Moral of this story:  It’s ok to stop if it’s not working, and free forming makes life a whole lot less full of guilt for doing so!

Happy Thanksgiving…

Well, I don’t know about you but I’ve already started cooking for tomorrow! I have the kids help me, each is in charge of a dish. Why?

 Well, to prevent what happened to me the first time I had to prepare a holiday dinner by myself. You see, all of my elders had been the cooks (and man they were good cooks too!) but we were shushed out of the kitchen and didn’t learn, that was the province of new brides etc.

Well, I was a modern day new bride (who could cook) but half a world away from anyone who could show me how to make the dishes. I did spend good money on phone calls to my grandmother and great aunty to get the recipes, and once I woke my mother up at 2am to get her recipe for deviled eggs.( I was 11hrs ahead of her and forgot the time difference!)

So, to avoid this, I teach them my signature dishes, the one’s they like best, and then each year a new “old” dish, so that they won’t be waking me up at 2am someday to get my recipes!

I treat it like I do crochet, it’s their legacy, their heritage. These are the important things in life, these are the things that make it all worth while. Cozy moment, and silly times, more important than the stress and the rush…

I hope you enjoy your holiday in the USA, and those of you who are not in the USA or from the USA, well Happy Thanksgiving to you too. I am very thankful that you read my blog, it gives me great encouragement, and spurs me on to even more creative endeavors!

Thank you all, and Blessings on you and yours.

For Lydia

For Lydia

Originally uploaded by CMHS yarn & designs (laurie wheeler).

It’s wonderful to be an aunty, especially to younger children! In my case I am the aunty to teens and little ones. My neice, Lydia, is turning seven th is month, and I thought about buying her some toys to mail to her, but really she has so many toys, and I don’t see her very often. I wanted her present to be special.

Then I remembered that when I was her age, one of my favorite aunties made me a whole wardrobe of fashion doll clothes. And even though I hated playing with dolls, I loved the clothes. Well, since I think my neice is a doll! I’m making her a cute little “granny” poncho out of Sirdar Snuggly Bubbly. I’m going to make a little one out of matching yarn and don a little doll so that she and a doll can match!

I hope she’ll like it! I know i’m having fun making it, and I just know she’ll be cute as a bug’s ear in this poncho! (and I can hear Lydia tell me now, “Um, Aunty Laurie, excuse me, but bugs don’t have ears.”)

Crochet Liberation Front Blog Moved…

This is to let you know that I have moved the Official Crochet Liberation Front Blog to THIS ADDRESS.

 I was having trouble allowing RSS Feeds from the blog, and on blogspot I can easily run polls Right now you can vote for the kind of patterns you are interested in seeing more of!

 Please take a chance to visit the CLF Store for buttons, bumper stickers, tote bags and more. I don’t make a huge amount off them but each little bit will help fund the CLF as we move towards liberating the hook!

The Ravelrouser Group~ Success~ and Yummy Food

The Ravelrouser Spinning Group met tonight at Lighthouse Christian Fellowship in Stanwood, Wa for the first time. It was a resounding success! We had 13 people show, and I know of at least six others who wanted to come, and will in the future. With this group as a core, there is only one way to go! GROWTH!

 Not to mention we are all good cooks, or at the least have good taste in cookies The potluck was fabulous with most of us worried there wouldn’t be enough food, (giggle) we all had plenty to eat and nibble on!

Our next meeting is Saturday Dec. 15, from 4-7 at the Lighthouse Christian Fellowship in Stanwood, WA.  Feel free to contact me if you are interested in attending and need directions or have questions.

(BTW You don’t have to spin to join us! You can want to learn a technique or share your skills. We have people who spin, knit, crochet, naalbind, embroider, quilt, weave, and much more! This is a really neat group of people who enjoy sharing each others company and encouraging each others growth as people and crafters/artists!)

We just had a blast, and I got some very needed spinning done! YAY!