Well, it's been a busy few weeks. I've been really pushing hard to get my ravelry account in order, to get some new patterns into the template and up on my Lulu account, and even teaching some beginners' crochet classes. It really is so fun, watching people as they get the hang of it and figure out their own personal way of doing it. I always keep encouraging the beginners to keep practicing and to RELAX, this is supposed to be fun and stress-free, but it's hard not to tense up when you're learning something for the first time, especially something physical.
Also, I just got the Fall issue of Interweave Crochet magazine -- what a lot of beautiful projects and great tips. Which reminds me, time to go put up some more helpful tips on the Lifetips website! I tried getting myself to put up 2 tips a day, but I just don't work that way -- I need to get inspired and then put up a whole bunch all at once, then let it sit. Dah! It's not good, but what can I say? Well, I guess as long as I get inspired often enough, it'll be ok.
Ok, perhaps I can go generate some inspiration :-)
Today's Thought: It's late summer/early fall, so it must be ragweed season! Here's a great website with information about ragweed allergies, how to tell if you've got them, and what to do about it!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Getting Serious!
Ok, I have finally started to try to figure out my Ravelry account! It's certainly much more user-friendly than it was when I first joined, but I'm still not getting some of the functions. Oh well, thankfully, there's a lovely volunteer team of editors who come to your rescue and make everything work out :-)
Haven't really had a chance to work on any original designs for the past week or two, I have been too caught up in beefing up the Crochet Guru site as well as sprucing up the patterns that I do have and getting them up on Lulu and Ravelry. I think I have an idea for another little girl's sweater that I'm itching to get started on, so maybe that will be next; or, I probably should start on the scarf to go with a hat that I made out of the latest issue of Crochet! Magazine for a friend's little girl. She sent me a huge bag of yarns in exchange, and there's a lot of good stuff in there! So much yarn, so little time...
Ok, back to what I don't know, but I'll try to post again soon.
Today's Thought: Mmmm, it's getting to be apple and pear season, and there's nothing like spiced baked fruit! Check out our easy and healthy recipe on http://stores.lulu.com/manycreativegifts
Haven't really had a chance to work on any original designs for the past week or two, I have been too caught up in beefing up the Crochet Guru site as well as sprucing up the patterns that I do have and getting them up on Lulu and Ravelry. I think I have an idea for another little girl's sweater that I'm itching to get started on, so maybe that will be next; or, I probably should start on the scarf to go with a hat that I made out of the latest issue of Crochet! Magazine for a friend's little girl. She sent me a huge bag of yarns in exchange, and there's a lot of good stuff in there! So much yarn, so little time...
Ok, back to what I don't know, but I'll try to post again soon.
Today's Thought: Mmmm, it's getting to be apple and pear season, and there's nothing like spiced baked fruit! Check out our easy and healthy recipe on http://stores.lulu.com/manycreativegifts
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Dah, it's already September!
Seriously, how did it already turn into September?! This summer was such a bust in many ways -- the weather was not conducive to a lot of pool time, and it was just plum busy at work too.
Oh, well, that's the way it is. Fall can be such a great time of year, so I comfort myself in holding on to that thought. It does put one into the crocheting frame of mind also, so that's a good thing :-)
So, I saw "Julie and Julia" recently, and it really got me thinking on how I could jazz up this blog and become more dedicated to it. But, there are only so many hours in each day, and with trying to create and write up some new patterns (they look great thanks to my graphic artist Elise Anderson, who came up with a great template for me!), coming up with more tips for the Lifetips website, and just general living, keeping up with the blog has been rough. But, as I said, the Fall has a way of getting one into a serious state of mind, and it often is my most productive time of year.
Oh, so back to the movie and how to implement a Julie-like challenge (for those of you who have not yet seen the movie, and it's worth seeing, Julie Powell decides that she is going to make all of the 500+ recipes from one of Julia Child's cookbooks over the course of 1 year and blog about it). I thought about picking out a crochet book and trying to make each of the patterns over the course of a month, but it's so hard sometimes to predict how long a pattern will take to make. I really don't want to set myself up for failure, so if anyone's got ideas about realistic challenges I can undertake, please leave me a comment!
In the mean time, I have been challenging myself to add at least 2 tips a day as Crochet Guru to the Lifetips website, so keep checking back there -- I hope to have some really out-of-the box helpful info there over the next few weeks!
And, keep checking back here as well -- I might just have a blogging challenge to undertake too!
Today's Thought: Mmmmm, if you want a yummy and healthy treat, then check out Treet. It's a wonderful online bakery of delicious cookies, cupcakes, and more! Find them at www.treetshop.com
Oh, well, that's the way it is. Fall can be such a great time of year, so I comfort myself in holding on to that thought. It does put one into the crocheting frame of mind also, so that's a good thing :-)
So, I saw "Julie and Julia" recently, and it really got me thinking on how I could jazz up this blog and become more dedicated to it. But, there are only so many hours in each day, and with trying to create and write up some new patterns (they look great thanks to my graphic artist Elise Anderson, who came up with a great template for me!), coming up with more tips for the Lifetips website, and just general living, keeping up with the blog has been rough. But, as I said, the Fall has a way of getting one into a serious state of mind, and it often is my most productive time of year.
Oh, so back to the movie and how to implement a Julie-like challenge (for those of you who have not yet seen the movie, and it's worth seeing, Julie Powell decides that she is going to make all of the 500+ recipes from one of Julia Child's cookbooks over the course of 1 year and blog about it). I thought about picking out a crochet book and trying to make each of the patterns over the course of a month, but it's so hard sometimes to predict how long a pattern will take to make. I really don't want to set myself up for failure, so if anyone's got ideas about realistic challenges I can undertake, please leave me a comment!
In the mean time, I have been challenging myself to add at least 2 tips a day as Crochet Guru to the Lifetips website, so keep checking back there -- I hope to have some really out-of-the box helpful info there over the next few weeks!
And, keep checking back here as well -- I might just have a blogging challenge to undertake too!
Today's Thought: Mmmmm, if you want a yummy and healthy treat, then check out Treet. It's a wonderful online bakery of delicious cookies, cupcakes, and more! Find them at www.treetshop.com
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Farmers' Markets, FitTV, and Hair Removal Have Changed My Life!
I have always found blogging to be difficult, probably because I always ask myself "does anyone really care about what I have to say?!" Well, I think I have something really worthwhile to share for a change! And the title really does say it all.
After seeing the movie "Food, Inc.", I really couldn't keep shopping at the grocery store any more. It's frightening how food is mass produced in this country, and the movie just focused on beef and chicken (oh, and high fructose corn syrup, which is a wholly different frightening revelation). Thankfully, here in the District of Columbia, we have many farmers' markets, and one literally across the street from our condo recently opened up on Saturday mornings. We've been getting our fruits and vegetables exclusively from the farmers' markets, and we've been eating more grass-fed meats (including buffalo!) My husband was commenting that, with this one change, he's already lost 10 pounds (he's got a bit more to go, but it's a start :-) I've been enjoying experimenting with different recipes and ways to prepare the produce that is available each week.
So, the healthy eating also has made me focus on getting more exercise. I've been walking a lot lately, and I've even been trying to avoid the elevator or escalator and take the stairs. But, really, that's not enough, and we all know it. And, it turns out that channel surfing can pay off ;-) I came across FitTV, a specialty station created by Dicovery Health. It's got exercise classes, cooking shows, and eco-friendly programming as well. Hard to not give it a try when it's just there, right in front of you (and you get the commercial time to take a break!). I've tried out the kickboxing show, the bhangra workout, and good ole ab crunches!
Ok, so where does hair removal fit in to all of this?! Well, it turns out you can save a lot of time, aggravation, and pain if you don't have to worry about plucking your eyebrows or dealing with the 'stash! You hairy ladies out there know what I am talking about. I came across a kiosk at Tyson's Corner mall for "threading". It's a process by which a very skilled woman (in this case) uses two pieces of thread, by quickly rubbing then together, to remove hair and shape your eyebrows (works for the lip and other facial hair as well). I just had my brows done because I've been having the permanent (hopefully) laser hair removal for the lip area. I've had two of four treatments so far, and there has already been such an improvement. It's just so nice to not have to worry about having facial hair and not to have to spend a lot of time on it! Just psychologically makes me feel better too...
Anyway, I wanted to share how making some small changes have actually made big differences in my physical and mental wellbeing. I will share more as I continue to explore other life-enhancing items that I come across.
Today's Thought: Shepherd's Wool is a worsted weight yarn made in Michigan that is super soft, a pleasure to crochet with, and reasonably priced. If your local store does not have it, check out Debbie McDermott, the owner and operator, and her website at www.stonehedgefibermill.com
After seeing the movie "Food, Inc.", I really couldn't keep shopping at the grocery store any more. It's frightening how food is mass produced in this country, and the movie just focused on beef and chicken (oh, and high fructose corn syrup, which is a wholly different frightening revelation). Thankfully, here in the District of Columbia, we have many farmers' markets, and one literally across the street from our condo recently opened up on Saturday mornings. We've been getting our fruits and vegetables exclusively from the farmers' markets, and we've been eating more grass-fed meats (including buffalo!) My husband was commenting that, with this one change, he's already lost 10 pounds (he's got a bit more to go, but it's a start :-) I've been enjoying experimenting with different recipes and ways to prepare the produce that is available each week.
So, the healthy eating also has made me focus on getting more exercise. I've been walking a lot lately, and I've even been trying to avoid the elevator or escalator and take the stairs. But, really, that's not enough, and we all know it. And, it turns out that channel surfing can pay off ;-) I came across FitTV, a specialty station created by Dicovery Health. It's got exercise classes, cooking shows, and eco-friendly programming as well. Hard to not give it a try when it's just there, right in front of you (and you get the commercial time to take a break!). I've tried out the kickboxing show, the bhangra workout, and good ole ab crunches!
Ok, so where does hair removal fit in to all of this?! Well, it turns out you can save a lot of time, aggravation, and pain if you don't have to worry about plucking your eyebrows or dealing with the 'stash! You hairy ladies out there know what I am talking about. I came across a kiosk at Tyson's Corner mall for "threading". It's a process by which a very skilled woman (in this case) uses two pieces of thread, by quickly rubbing then together, to remove hair and shape your eyebrows (works for the lip and other facial hair as well). I just had my brows done because I've been having the permanent (hopefully) laser hair removal for the lip area. I've had two of four treatments so far, and there has already been such an improvement. It's just so nice to not have to worry about having facial hair and not to have to spend a lot of time on it! Just psychologically makes me feel better too...
Anyway, I wanted to share how making some small changes have actually made big differences in my physical and mental wellbeing. I will share more as I continue to explore other life-enhancing items that I come across.
Today's Thought: Shepherd's Wool is a worsted weight yarn made in Michigan that is super soft, a pleasure to crochet with, and reasonably priced. If your local store does not have it, check out Debbie McDermott, the owner and operator, and her website at www.stonehedgefibermill.com
Thursday, July 16, 2009
A New Project on FaveCrafts.com
So, my angel ornament is now available as a free download at my Lulu shop and on FaveCrafts.com! It turned out pretty nice if I do say so myself! It was a fun way take an idea and interpret it my way. I find that those are the most satisfying projects for me -- someone gives me an idea of what she's looking for, and I give it my best shot. Anyway, it's probably too early to be thinking about the holidays, but the pattern's there when you want it!
Today's Thought: If you are in Denver or happen to be visiting, be sure to stop by the Lamb Shoppe, a beautiful, friendly yarn store/cafe!
Today's Thought: If you are in Denver or happen to be visiting, be sure to stop by the Lamb Shoppe, a beautiful, friendly yarn store/cafe!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
The Crochet Guru!
Yup, that's my big announcement -- I am now the Crochet Guru on www.crochet.lifetips.com! Every day, I've been trying to add in more and more crochet tips, and there's a nice little collection of them so far. Please check it out and keep coming back for more!
In other news, I've been working on the cookbooks. It's been slow going because we've been testing out the recipes, doing research, typing up our findings, and trying to learn a new computer program. I long for the day when I can just spend my days pursuing my creative endeavers rather than workin' for a living, but alas, it'll be a while I think. I still consider myself so fortunate though to have a wonderful "real" job and some time and energy to pursue MCG matters :-)
Today's Thought: Inga Mertens has come up with a beautiful handbag made from granny squares! Her pattern can be found at http://www.stricksucht.de/anleitungen/crochetedbag.pdf
In other news, I've been working on the cookbooks. It's been slow going because we've been testing out the recipes, doing research, typing up our findings, and trying to learn a new computer program. I long for the day when I can just spend my days pursuing my creative endeavers rather than workin' for a living, but alas, it'll be a while I think. I still consider myself so fortunate though to have a wonderful "real" job and some time and energy to pursue MCG matters :-)
Today's Thought: Inga Mertens has come up with a beautiful handbag made from granny squares! Her pattern can be found at http://www.stricksucht.de/anleitungen/crochetedbag.pdf
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Very Wise Words
I just came across a newspaper clipping that I've been holding on to, but with the benefits of having a blog, I can post and share with you and preserve it for myself without the clutter! "Shelly in Oregon" wrote to Caroline Hax, the author of an advice column Tell Me About It in the Washington Post with these two tips:
1) If something can't be fixed in 5 minutes, then don't mention it. So, for example, if there's an unzipped zipper, parsley in someone's teeth, crumbs on a shirt, it's fair game to bring to someone's attention. Height, weight, stain on clothing, size of nose -- all off limits!
2) Are you gossiping or not? If you're not part of the problem and/or part of the solution, then there is no need to be discussing it with anyone.
Ok, so go forth and behave yourself!
1) If something can't be fixed in 5 minutes, then don't mention it. So, for example, if there's an unzipped zipper, parsley in someone's teeth, crumbs on a shirt, it's fair game to bring to someone's attention. Height, weight, stain on clothing, size of nose -- all off limits!
2) Are you gossiping or not? If you're not part of the problem and/or part of the solution, then there is no need to be discussing it with anyone.
Ok, so go forth and behave yourself!
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