NatCroMo 2017

It's really hard to believe that another National Crochet Month has rolled around!  I'm so honored to be part of the Crochetville Designer Blog Tour again this year in celebration of the enduring life skill and art that we all love so much. 

In anticipation of NatCroMo, I started offering my Pollie the Octopus pattern for free, hoping that each reader will feel inspired to make at least one to give to her local hospital to help premature babies!  More details on why octopuses are so comforting are in this post.

Also, I'm going to be having a little crochet mystery giveaway near the end of March through my Facebook page, but you have to "like" and follow my page to be in on it (a winner will be chosen from among the page's likes and privately messaged for shipping information).  I'm closing in on 500 likes, so please help me get over the top!  I'll be dropping hints about the goodies included, so check back here on the blog and on Facebook often!

This year's blog tour theme is Glamping.  Now, I am not at all the camping type, but I'm really enjoying the virtual trips we're taking this month through Crochetville's NatCroMo Facebook page, and be sure to click on Vedetta Lodges in Tuscany, Italy -- bellissima!

But still, my post is indirectly related to the theme of loving crochet and being inspired by exotic getaways and everyday locations.  This month (and throughout the year), we are going to be motivated to visit some of these amazing yarn stores that are participating in the tour and start a number of the beautiful patterns that this month's featured designers generously have posted.  But, March has 31 days in it, and, at some point, the abundant offerings of NatCroMo are going to be overwhelming -- I'm here to say that it's ok to give yourself permission to NOT crochet (only you can let yourself off the hook so to speak). 

Treasonous talk for the month in which we celebrate all things crochet?!  Hear me out.  I'm not advocating giving it up totally or taking a break if you don't feel like it; but, there are times when NOT crocheting will actually deepen your love and appreciation of crochet and help you see it all with fresh eyes (and hands!).  Frankly, I've gone through a few periods like this recently and wanted to share my experiences:

1.  Do NOT crochet when doing so gives you more angst and stress than it takes away.  Whether it's a project that's on a very tight deadline (real or imagined) or a new technique that's giving you fits, if crocheting is causing stress, you need to step away.  Life is already full of enough stress, something you love should not be adding to it.  Sometimes just a few hours away will do the trick; sometimes you'll need more time to decompress and center again.  The point is, trying to power through is going to set you back more than stepping away for the time you need to love crocheting again.

2.  Do NOT crochet when it's adversely affecting your physical health.  Whether it's the fact that you've been sitting on the couch not moving (except for your hands) for hours or that you're giving yourself carpal tunnel, it's time to put down the hook and get active!  Sometimes I try to justify watching TV by telling myself that, hey, I'm also crocheting, I'm doing something productive and meaningful.  That's true, but when hours have gone by, I realize that I feel stiff and sluggish, my eyes and neck hurt, and that I should have been pacing myself.  As they say, moderation is key.  Now, I keep an eye on the clock; I don't crochet for more than an hour at a time -- once I get to a natural stopping point, I put my project down and go for a walk.  Even if it's only for 10 minutes and just around the apartment, I get up and move!  It's usually all I need to feel better, plus this approach makes for a better crochet project in the end because I then take the time to look over the crocheting I've done and assess.


3.  Do NOT crochet when it feels like a burden.  Usually, I love making all different types of crocheted gifts for relatives and friends, and I love designing and posting new patterns, but sometimes the whole process just feels like one more thing that you have to do rather than something that you love to do.  Now, for my sister designers who are thinking to themselves, well, I'm not going to be able to make a living if I don't stay on top of all my projects, I'm especially going to encourage you to take a break.  Stepping away, even for just a day, to regroup, rethink, RELAX, can make all the difference in approaching your work with a fresh eye and renewed spirit.  Inspiration for a new crochet project is all around us, but we won't see it if we don't stop to take it all in.

So, to end on a high note, it's amazing how the love of crochet is spreading far and wide, with such variety in techniques and designs.  It's obvious that the fiber arts for many is not a short-lived fad but a lasting lifetime endeavor.  Enjoy the journey and please stop by to visit me on my blog or Facebook page during your travels.  Here's to many, many more NatCroMos!

Blogging Schedule?

Ah, yes, the blogging "schedule".  I felt the need to use quotes since there is NO schedule right now!  But, that's just got to change.  As I said in my first post of the year, I don't want to post just for the heck of it; I want to create blog posts that are worthwhile and meaningful.  That needs to be done, however, on a reasonable timetable; if you're like me, you take comfort in certain things popping up in your email at certain times :-).  Too much, though, and it's overwhelming; too little, and you wonder what's going on...

I'm going to try to be better at linking and coordinating posts with other social media outlets also because I know everyone's got different favorite sources for information, and each platform has its own benefits and burdens too. 

But now, dear reader, I need YOUR help!!  Sometimes it feels like I'm blogging and posting into a black hole.  I hope I'm writing about matters of interest to you, and I respect those of you who just want the information and no interaction -- I do it myself all the time too.  But, I've recently gotten more interactive on Facebook with others' posts, and I'm finding more enjoyment and community as a result.  I'd love to have and need your feedback because I'd like to create that feeling here (and on my Facebook page) too.  So please leave a message with your thoughts and ideas...

My aim had been to have a techniques post on Tuesdays and a random topic discussion (fiber and/or small business related) on Fridays.  Should I try to go back to that or try something different??  One thing I do want to weave in is my progress on the Crochet/Knit Bucket List -- I'm hoping my experiences and musings on the process will be interesting and relate-able :-).

Well, I hope others are getting to enjoy a 3-day weekend in honor of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. 

Happy crocheting and knitting!

A Special Anniversary Discount

As I promised, we're going to be doing a little celebrating for the rest of April, and the first special involves 50% off in my Ravelry store (http://www.ravelry.com/stores/phyllis-serbes-designs---many-creative-gifts).  Just use the coupon code "HappyAnniversary" between now and 11:59 PM EDT on April 19th.  There's no minimum purchase required, so I hope you'll give one of my patterns a try :-)

Visit our Facebook page next Tuesday for the next little surprise!

Alas...

Well, all I can do is try, try again next year!  I'm also going to take this opportunity to talk about some things that did go well.  First and foremost, I've really been enjoying making and building friendships on Facebook.  Please come "friend" me and visit/like the Many Creative Gifts page!  I've gotten to see some really beautifully made crochet and knit items on Facebook that I've shared and read some well done blog posts.  It's been educational and inspiring and given me some ideas about how I want to revamp my blog next year.

I've also had another pattern, the ZigZag Book Bag, published in Inside Crochet magazine.  That was a fun project that involved working with a bobbled chevron pattern and thicker yarns and hook.  Inside Crochet is offering a free download of the issue, so please enjoy!  I will post the pattern in my Ravelry store as soon as I translate it into American ;-).

I also did my first Holiday Bazaar!  It was really interesting to see what drew interest and what was overlooked... 

So, at this point, I wish you a very wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year!  As we usher in 2015, I hope you will continue to subscribe to my blog and enjoy what I'm able to offer.  I truly believe that next year will be better than the one coming to a close, and I hope we go on this adventure together!  As I always say, stay tuned!

Year of Making

I've got a new friend on Facebook, and I've noticed in a number of her recent posts that she's got project pictures with the hashtag "yearofmaking".  She's also made references to using up her stash and resorting to dying her existing yarn because she has vowed not to buy any new yarn (I'm assuming for a year or until it's all used up).  She really got me thinking about the huge stash of yarn that I have and how I really should be doing something with it!

Thus, I am starting a Year of Making of my own.  From August 15, 2014 to August 15, 2015, I am going to try to use up as much of my existing yarn as possible.  I also want to use this time to learn some new techniques.  I hope to still keep designing my own patterns, but I also think it would be great if I actually use some of all of these crochet books and magazines I own to make some of the patterns that I bought them for in the first place.  Knitting might also have to factor in here somehow too.

So, who's with me?!  I plan on posting my progress on my Facebook page, and I really hope you'll join me and post as well.  I hope to start blogging on a regular basis again to share our experiences during this time, but the best laid plans...

Coopworth # 217 and a Naming Contest

We've got a new sheep!  Coopworth # 217 is a two year old ewe who is carrying on the line of Coopworths originally from a well-known breeder in West Virginia.  Her grandmother, Honeysuckle, came to the Owens Farm when they first moved to Pennsylvania.  Honeysuckle was known for her exceptional fleece and had a ewe (# 140) who also had beautiful white fleece.  In the fall of 2011,
# 140 was bred with their natural-colored ram Baritone and had twins: a ram lamb and my # 217.

Number 217 spent her first year as part of the Owens' Sheep Camp.  She was haltered, led around, given treats, entered into Lamb Races and Hide and Go Sheep, and got to play with lots of children.  As a result, she's really quite friendly and curious about people.

After that cushy first year, she spent the winter with a group of other yearling ewes and rejoined the flock this spring.  Right now, she is out to pasture and will be getting her first blanket next week to protect that beautiful fleece.

So, it's time for another naming contest!  Since her grandmother was named Honeysuckle, I hope you'll keep that in mind in coming up with a sweet name for # 217 in her own right.  Please post your entries (no limit) on our Facebook Page (I'll have a post on which you can comment and add your entry). I'll have some nice crochet treats for the winner, but I do reserve the right to end the contest and just come up with a name of my own liking for her.  Good luck!

Peak Productivity

As many of you know, I am constantly searching for the productivity holy grail!  I feel that I manage my time pretty well, going through decent spurts of great productivity but then (longer) periods of downtime.  I do, however, always feel like I could/should be doing more somehow.  But, from new articles and research that I’ve come across, it seems that a number of our natural human instincts are actually spot on and should be encouraged. 

In the April issue of Inc. Magazine, there’s a whole section devoted to research on and techniques for increasing productivity, or I should say from what I gathered, making better and healthier use of your time, even if you’re not getting more actually done (quality versus quantity).  Recently, I feel that I’ve really begun to appreciate how important it is to let the brain rest.  I feel so inundated every day with information, much of it useless, but still I have to figure out how to dodge and weave away from the cr*p and to capture the truly useful and important information.  Once it’s captured, then it needs to be organized and then acted upon or filed away for future reference.  Rather than tout yet another system for accomplishing these tasks, the articles in Inc. try to give some scientific insights into how the brain reacts to these processes and what will help it react better.  The cover story “Get More Done” makes some unusual suggestions, but hear them out.  I found the following 3 points quite thought provoking:

1.       Think Fluffy – recent research findings suggest that viewing cute images heightens mental concentration and carefulness.  Test subjects who viewed pictures of baby animals experienced enhancements in their fine motor skills and performed better on dexterity and visual search tests.  So, feel free to go on over to my Facebook page and get your fill of cute lamb and baby animal pictures!

2.       Turn Up the Heat – literally.  Studies show that office workers are more productive when the thermostat is turned up to 77 degrees.  Typing errors dropped by 44 percent while typing output rose by 150 percent.

3.       Let It Rain – bad weather is good for productivity.  Not surprisingly, when beautiful sunny skies aren’t calling, people get more work done.  A Harvard Business School study found that turning desks away from windows can boost productivity as well as letting employees work shorter hours on good weather days as long as they make up the time during bad weather or other times.

There’s also an article that recommends against multi-tasking, stating that not only is the brain not equipped for it, but that it might actually do harm.  The article recommends 3 approaches:

1.       Dedicate 20 minutes to one task, then switch to another task rather than trying to do both (or more) at the same time.

2.       Cut down on email and check it only a few scheduled times per day (and turn off notifications the rest of the time).

3.       Answer quick questions in person or by phone to further cut down on the amount of email.

Other articles explain the importance of physical exercise as well as sleep and “disconnection” for the brain. Mmmm, maybe I need to go back to that new crochet project I just started and get off the computer!

A Moth in Wool's Clothing

Thankfully, I have not been seeing any moths flying around the house or any holes in my sweaters, but this article in the Washington Post caught my eye, so thought I should share in case anyone's had to face this distressing development.

I've heard from an expert at the Textile Museum that placing clean garments in plastic bags for short periods of time can really help in avoiding infestations and preserving items.  The WP article also suggests hot storage or running a garment through the clothes dryer, though that sounds a little scary for a wool garment that you want to keep the same size! 

That's why I keep my yarn hanks and balls in plastic containers, for both organizational and cleanliness purposes.  I just heard recently also that you should not wind a hank into a ball until right before you're planning on using it -- the pressure of the outside of the ball on the core can adversely affect the consistency of the yarn.  I'm not sure I've ever noticed anything like that, but I found it to be an interesting tip...

Please join this conversation and share your tips for yarn and garment maintenance here or on my Facebook page!

Last Chance!

Progress is being made on the new website, and I hope to be unveiling it soon!  So, yes, the blogging has taken a back seat...

In the mean time, please help me out and "pay with a tweet or facebook" and get your free Flower Power pattern!  It's only until the end of the month, so grab it while you can :-)

Also, I'm planning on doing a special week of crochet tips and tricks on Facebook starting in July, so go and "like" our Many Creative Gifts page and stay tuned.

Facebook Timeline Page Countdown

So, looks like Facebook is at it again -- all pages are going to convert to the new format on March 30th.  Ugh.  I really like the current page layout and had kind of gotten it looking the way I wanted.  Now, time to go through this all again :-(.

Thankfully, the folks at Smaller Box recently posted an article about how to prepare a new cover image (850 x 315 pixels), a new profile image (180 x 180 pixels), and application icons (111 x 74 pixels) for your new Timeline page.  I'm playing around with the page now and hope to launch it before they force me to, but we'll see...

I feel one of those "need to rethink everything again" feelings coming on.  Probably because I am going through one of those frantic crochet project finishing phases again, while the electronic side of things languishes.  I need an intern (aka free help!).  Mmmm, maybe that's not such a far fetched idea -- I give some young, eager student a chance to show his/her stuff, and s/he gets a project to add to the portfolio.  Anyone know anyone looking for such a challenge?!