My FAVORITE Crochet site YET!

Many of you likely already know of this site, BUT I was just introduced to it today!  This site has a VIDEO Stitch - onary Guide!!!  I HIGHLY encourage you to check it out!!!!

New Stitch A day Video Stitchonary

I LOVE this "boxed puff" stitch.  They send you a new stitch to your email everyday too!  Today they shared a "Rapids Stitch"

Acrylic vs Cotton: How One Hooker Learned to Stop and Smell the Cotton

For MOST of my "crochet life" I was avidly against COTTON.  I just did NOT understand WHY people would write patterns using it, OR what was wrong with my old acrylic.  Let me start by saying, it is not a war!  There isn't a "winner" or "loser" between the two.  So, we'll explore the benefits of BOTH, and hopefully get you "smelling the cotton" by the end of this blog post!

What crochet stitches are you forgetting?

OK, so all of us hookers have finally been blessed with crochet coming back in style.  We see it in accessories, photo props, cozy covers, and tiny stuffed animals.  SO we now pattern demand is up, but how do you make YOUR pattern stand out?  It is all about texture and DETAILS.  The general rule of product supply is you either have to be the first, be the fastest, or be the best.  Obviously, it is fairly hard in the year 2013 to be the FIRST to crochet anything.  And fastest works for the supply portion, but won't help us sell patterns....I guess we have to be the BEST.

To be the BEST, we have to get the details right, this is where having a barrage of special stitches to choose from will set you pattern that tiny step ahead of similar patterns available.

Changing colors - Often when creating a pattern, I remind myself not everything has to be an appliqué.  There are times you can use "Tapestry" crochet or working over the color, to crochet one piece with various designs.

Get "A Chunky Monkey Hug" Pattern here

So You Think You Are Ready To Write Your Own Crochet Patterns? 4 Lessons You Need To See

So You Think You Are Ready To Write Your Own Crochet Patterns?  4 Lessons You Need To See

A SICK 'LIL MONKEYS Tutorial
By Kelli Wohlgemuth

So, you've learned to crochet.  You've bought a few patterns, found hundreds more for free, and now you are even creating your own stuff, but how do you put it all in pattern form?  By now I am assuming, you have passed the sketching phase and are ready to create your item, but hold on, I learned the LONG HARD WAY about pattern format.  I confused many a tester.  Often times even when following the Craft Yarn Council standardized abbreviations and pattern format, people are still confused.  I think this is because in the age of the internet, people learn to crochet differently, they pick things up in bits and pieces.  If you are lucky, your mom or grandmother taught YOU the right way.  The HARD way, with all the funny letter and symbols and pictures of loops to follow on a page.