The 2010 Yarn Club for Crocheters!

Well, here's my latest venture -- a Yarn Club designed for Crocheters!  I've belonged to yarn clubs before, and I loved getting a surprise package in the mail, full of yarn and sometimes other goodies.  But, some clubs weren't reliable in the timing of their shipments, and often, the patterns included with the yarn were for knitters.  I haven't been able to find a yarn club that had the features that I wanted, so I decided to create my own!

Now, this club is not intended in any way to interfere with your yarn shopping at your local yarn store (like the wonderful FibreSpace!), but is meant to supplement your regular projects with some unexpected goodies and surprises. 

The plan is that you will receive a package of yarn and other goodies every other month starting in February 2010 (then in April, June, August, October, and December). I'm partnering with local and/or small fiber producers to provide you with exclusive and unique yarns that, frankly, are too hard and not cost-effective to stock in stores. Enough yarn will be included in each shipment to complete that month's featured crochet pattern for men, women, baby or the home. Special surprise treats will also be included in each shipment (perhaps a special hook for a Tunisian crochet project or a handmade stitch marker for an amigurumi pattern or a specialty tea packet to keep you warm while you work!)

And the most important parts?
- Timely and Reliable Delivery by Priority Mail by the 15th of the month
- Yarn Selections and Patterns chosen with the Crocheter in mind
- Reasonably Priced for the Quality and Value Received

I really tried to keep the price down as much as possible, but to make it a quality program, a year's subscription to the Yarn Club for Crocheters will be $210.  I am offering preferred pricing of $195 for a full subscription until January 1, 2010.  I think it would make a great holiday gift for yourself or other crocheters in your life!  We can mail or email a certificate to your gift recipient letting them know about your thoughtfulness and the goodies they will be receiving throughout 2010.

If you don't want to commit to 6 shipments and just want a "taste" of what the club has to offer, then we are offering a half-share membership of 3 shipments (February, June, and October 2010) for $125 (or $115 if you order by January 1, 2010).

Please click on the tabs at the top left of the blog and place your order today before prices go up!!  If you've got any questions, just send an email to contact@manycreativegifts.com

Teaching Crochet

I had another great class yesterday at FibreSpace with three wonderful ladies!  Teaching crochet is fun, and I really enjoy that look of accomplishment and enjoyment that the students get at some point in the lesson.  I keep saying that it's easy to learn how to knit but hard to make anything besides a simple scarf; with crochet, it can be harder to learn, but once you do, you can make anything!

I think the hardest thing for new crocheters seems to be how to hold the yarn. The hand holding the hook should be doing nothing else but wielding the hook; it's the other hand that has to feed the yarn while holding on to and guiding the crocheted material as it's created.  I often suggest holding on to the work itself with your thumb and middle finger and let the yarn come up and over your index finger.  I'm not sure how else to describe it, and I keep experimenting with ways to demonstrate and explain it.  Leave comments if you've got any suggestions!

Oh, and I've got a new free Santa ornament crochet pattern listed on my Ravelry designer's page!  I think he turned out pretty cute --  he's also available on FaveCrafts: 
http://www.favecrafts.com/Ornaments/Crochet-Santa-Ornament

Today's Thought:  I found a great website with free puzzles on it!  It's fun trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle on the computer, and they've got lots of other types of puzzles too, it's a great break, but don't let it become a time suck!  http://www.mypuzzle.org/

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hard to believe it's already here and almost over!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving day.  I was fortunate enough to attend a wonderful turkey buffet with all the trimmings, to come home and stretch out and watch some football, and to get a start on a fun little Christmas ornament that I will be posting here next week :-)

So, til then, I hope everyone's got tomorrow off like me.  I'm planning on taking it easy this whole weekend, so you'll hear from me again next week!

Off the Wagon

Talk about having fallen off the wagon!  I'm not even sure that's the right expression, but bottom line, I have not been blogging obviously.  No excuses, but seriously, this time of year, it's just getting tougher and tougher to do everything.  Oh well, so we do what we can.

Not sure I've got anything worth blogging about -- ideas in my head, but they require a little research so that I know what I'm talking about when I write about it for you.  So stay tuned...

Today's Thought:  I just got a Filtrete air purifier, and what a difference it's already made.  The apartment is less dusty already, and odors, especially after cooking, don't seem to linger.  I found a great deal on http://www.discountfilterstore.com/ and their processing and delivery is great.

Lampwork Beads

I have been learning so much about lampwork beads v. polymer clay beads v. crystals v. all the other kinds of beads out there!  I've decided that providing crochet patterns is not enough, so I'm expanding in to project bags and crochet stitch markers, hence the new-found knowledge about beads.  I've always enjoyed jewelry, beads, all sorts of bright shiny objects, so this isn't really such a big jump for me.  And, thanks to my partner in crime Helen, the project bags are sooooo beautiful!  A sampling of our items are up on the Etsy website, so please check it out and let us know about any custom orders you'd like to place :-)

Today's Thought:  A shout-out has to go to Smudgie's Beadery -- they've got a beautiful and affordable array of beads!  Find them on Etsy as well as http://www.smudgiebear.com/

The Newsletter

Ah, I'm always amazed by how quickly newsletter time seems to come around!  We've got a great sweet potato recipe in this month's issue, but I'm struggling with the "mind" and the "crochet" sections.  It's been challenging coming up with different things for mind and spirit, but it's been good because it really makes you stop and think about each aspect of your life.  It's probably even more important at this time of year, when you realize the holidays are almost upon you again, and it's going to get crazy busy pretty soon.  It's so easy to lose sight of what this time of year can and should truly be about.

Ok, I'll post more tomorrow -- it's Monday Night Football, so forgive me :-)

What Can I Say?!

I still haven't been able to take my own advice and get on a steady blogging schedule!  Oh well, you know, all I can do is just keep trying :-)

I have been working on a Holiday Snowflake Baby Hat and am in search of pom poms.  I'm thinking I might have to make my own, but it would be so nice if I could just find the perfect ones at a reasonable price at the first (third?!) store that I go to ;-)  I hope to be posting pix and the pattern on Ravelry soon!

Today's Thought:  Fiber.  No, I don't mean yarn fiber (though it's good to get your daily amount of that too), I mean fiber from foods.  It's really important to get your daily recommended amount, which is 20 to 35 grams (the average American usually only gets about 12 to 15 grams a day!).  Wheat, potatoes, most fruits and vegetables, as well as kidney beans and brown rice are all great ways to get fiber into your diet.