Hooray!

Hey, remember this?



Well, I can now tell you what it turned out to be....




It's in the new book out by Annie's Attic called Granny Square Wear. Now I will be stalking the mailbox for my copy to show up.

This is a fun project and I'll be wearing one at the Fashion Show at the CGOA conference. And for an idea of how long it took me to make it, I did the sample in a day and a half while at a "grownup slumber party".

Okay, I have to get back to work. Another project due to go out the door by the end of the week. Later....

Lots of stuff

Ah, I've got a moment to breathe, so you get an update and some photos!

First off, the things I've been working on and have out the door:



And....a finished project that I can actually show you!



That's the Cap-Sleeve Top from Mary Jane Hall's Crochet That Fits. I love it. I'm going to wear it at conference. :)

I'm also still making progress on my Roma Babydoll top (no real pics yet as it's still in the stage where it doesn't look like much). I also found a pattern for a tank top out of the Bernat Bamboo I've had forever. I'm probably going to whip that up to have an extra top.

I'm still working on another tank top for wearing to the meet and greet. I likely won't show pics of that in case I get super lucky and it's bought off my back! LOL.

I have also finished the Design Contest entry, but as I've said before...I'm paranoid so pictures won't be posted until after the deadline.

I really wish I could show you the project I'm working on now. It's for publication and it's just the sweetest little project. But I can't. :( I'll see if I can snag a sneak peek pic before I send it off. I'm very proud of it.

That's all from me for right now. As Dee (of CrochetWithDee fame) says, we only have 6 weeks until conference. I've got to get busy!

Happy Birthday!

A very happy birthday to our sweet 11 year old greyhound, Midnight!

Here's his b-day pic:



As you can see, he wasn't too thrilled about getting his picture taken.

Here's a closeup of his sweet greying muzzle:




Not a lot else going on right now. Busy with projects. Sent one set out today and need to send another tomorrow. Gotta go get back to crocheting. Have a great week everyone!

Whoops, lost another week!

I got a lot of great feedback from the Getting Loopy show I was on last week. I hoped everyone who listened found it interesting and entertaining. Mary Beth is a ton of fun and I have a feeling the two of us could have chatted for hours over the phone. :)

So what did I work on last week? Well, in the first part of the week I worked on a design idea that I want to wear while at Chainlink. I got the front done, and am now working on the back.

While working on that, I got word that yarn is coming my way for a design that got accepted. I'm really excited about that design as it will be my first published garment design. It's also a step up along my list of goals. :) So I'm very excited about that. More when I can tell you more!

At the end of the week I received yarn for a project with a super fast turnaround. Thankfully it was a fast and fun project with a delightful yarn (I cannot wait to tell you about this yarn, but I've been sworn to secrecy since it's not even out yet). I swatched and wrote the pattern on Friday night and then did all the crocheting on Saturday. I took Sunday off and then blocked and shipped it on Monday morning.

So far this week I've been working on my sketches for my design notebook to take with me to Chainlink. Today I finally got a format down that I like and was able to complete 5-6 design sketches (including schematics). Tomorrow will be more of the same.

And now, being the queen of quick turnarounds, I got offered today two more projects with a fast turnaround. Thankfully, these will be quick projects. The yarn should arrive on Thursday and I will ship Monday morning. That's the plan as of right now. If I can get really busting on them, I might be able to ship on Saturday. That would be even more awesome. :)

So why do I take all these quick turnaround projects? Well, for one, it keeps my skills up. I have always done better with deadlines. And the other reason (which happens to be the main one)? Because the money will all come in just before Chainlink providing me with the opportunity to be able to buy things at the marketplace. :) And, you know, eat.

So that's what's been going on here. Tonight I plan to work more on my blue sparkle top. All I have left to do is finish the second cap sleeve and then do the edgings. I don't know if I'll get it all finished tonight, but I'm going to try. Hopefully I'll have pictures soon!

Have a good week everyone!

Lots of things

Two afghans are now on their way via UPS to the yarn company. That's right, they're DONE! Whew. Shipped a week before the due date, they'll be there by Thursday. Such a relief to have them done. My contact just wrote and loved the pictures I sent her of them. :) Wanna see?



Granted, my contact got much wider shots than that! :)

I was going to go to the fitness center at our community center but the migraine I've been dealing with all weekend is trying to come back. So instead I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing to prepare for tonight.

That's right, tonight's the night! Tune in at 9pm EST to Getting Loopy to hear about my journey as a new designer. For anyone who's been interested in learning how to get started, what does it take to do this full time, etc, tune in tonight! Should be a lot of fun.

My family has agreed to go to Stitch 'n' Pitch with us! And my brother, being the speedy guy he is, already got our tickets. So, three days before I go to conference, I'll be at the Rays/Royals game. :) Should be a lot of fun. I think my mom will enjoy being able to knit while she watches the game. I just hope that Daddy and Sean don't feel too out of place. This will be John's first SnP, too (he wasn't sure he was going to go, but now he has a ticket, so he has to!).

Did you know that this year is the 15th anniversary of the CGOA? Well, it is! And there's a logo design contest for the commemorative pins that will be for sale at the conference. And I've come up with an idea. I just need to sketch it a bit nicer and then scan and upload. That may be what I work on the rest of the day.

Now that the afghans are done I will get back to work on my design contest entry and items for Chainlink. Lots to do. I'm almost done with my blue sparkly top. I have it sewn together and just need to do the straps and the edgings.

Well, I'm done for now. I hope you all tune in tonight to the Getting Loopy show! If you're unable to, that same link should take you to the archived show after tonight. :)

Weekly update

I should just start saying that I'll update once a week! Sorry about that. Been busy.

I've been working every day (including all weekend) from about 8:30am to anywhere from 6pm to 11pm. BUT, I'm happy to report that the first afghan was finished earlier in the week and the second one might be finished tomorrow (definitely by the end of the weekend). All I have left is one long strip, assembly of the strips, and edging. Oh, and writing the two patterns in format (they're written out in my notebook). It's good to know that I can work on this tight of a deadline and get it finished in time.

I have learned an important lesson throughout this. I need to keep working at this pace to get all the things done that I want to get done. So, my work days will likely stay from 8:30a to at least 6p every day. And I may start taking some time on the weekends to do some work. While I didn't like losing my whole weekend this past week, I was pleased with how much I was able to accomplish. Had I not done that, I'd still be on the first afghan.

Designing, for me, has been a journey. As I learn new things and new skills and new things about myself. From the beginning, the purpose of my blog has been to share those so that anyone who strives to be a designer can get a glimpse of this life. That leads into the next announcement....

Monday night, June 9, at 9pm eastern time, I will be a guest on Mary Beth Temple's Getting Loopy show. What will we be talking about? This crazy journey to become a designer. How a newbie breaks in to the biz. The ups and downs and trials and triumphs. Got a question you want answered? Join us that night and either ask it in the chat room or call and ask on the air. Or, if you won't be able to join us live, feel free to ask me here in comments and I'll answer it on the air. The show will be archived and available soon after we finish recording. I'll link to it here so you can listen.

Wish me luck, I'm nervous about being on the air. I keep telling myself it's just a phone call between me and Mary Beth with a bunch of people listening in. :) To my buddies in chat, I likely won't be in there that night. I cannot talk live on the air and follow chat. :)

Well, I'm off to make dinner. Have a good night!

Lots of news

All work for Chainlink has been put on hold as I'm doing a project for the yarn company. Two afghans due by 6/15. Yeah, I know, I'm crazy. But, I'm already halfway through one. Done in a bulky yarn and big hook, they're moving quickly.

In other news, I just got word that another design of mine is being picked up. This is another national stage, but not a magazine. :) Not going into a lot of detail yet, but it's in line with one of my goals for this year. It's a major step for me in my career. I'm thrilled! And yes, I still do the happy dance every time I hear good news like this.

Okay, I need to get back to work. Since no one has discovered crocheting gnomes who will crochet for me in the studio, I need to get these afghans done. Have a great weekend!!!