4th of July Fun

Happy Monday!! Hope everyone had an awesome 4th of July weekend! For as long as I can remember, the 4th of July has been my favorite holiday. When I was a kid, this was the time of year we always went to visit my aunt, uncle, cousins, and grandparents in St. Louis. My aunt and uncle would host this HUGE pot luck style lunch and invite family and friends over for the afternoon. There were games, baseball, and tons of conversation over some amazing food. When it started to get dark, we would pile into the cars and drive to a local park to see the fireworks...sometimes we would even drive all the way downtown to The Arch and watch them go off over it. 

This year was Sweet P's first "real" 4th of July. She was just barely 3 weeks old when we took her to see the fireworks last year (which she slept through!). Since she was a little bigger this year, I was excited to get her all dressed up and decked out in red, white, and blue. I had a BLAST getting this outfit together for her! The Tiered Ruffle Skirt from KT and the Squid has quickly become one of my favorites. Sweet P has this skirt and 2 others that I have made her!

Sweet P rockin' the Red, White, and Blue!

I used to be so afraid of crocheting clothes. In most of the patterns I had seen, I had to make the chest piece, sleeves, and then somehow sew it all together (BY HAND!!) and make it look nice and even. I bought some of Katy's patterns on a whim and am so glad I did! I am so excited to make more of these skirts in different holiday and team colors. 

We didn't have a whole lot planned for our 4th except for meeting some friends at the park to watch fireworks later that night. That gave this momma plenty of time to crochet! After seeing tons of Uncle Sam hats all over my Facebook feed from friends sharing patriotic statuses, I thought "Wonder if I could make one of those." I have this pattern from Sweet Potato 3 Patterns that I was able to use for sizing purposes and create my very own Uncle Sam hat!!

I want you to wear Red, White, and Blue!

Notice the vest? That is full on sequins with red and blue stars! It belonged to my Grams (who also loved the 4th of July) and I inherited it when she passed away last year. Sweet P and I wore our outfits to the park and weren't even there 5 minutes, when a photographer from our town's events magazine stopped and asked to take our picture together. The Hubs seems to think our "get-ups" will land us on the cover. I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Hope everyone had as much fun this weekend as we did! What does your family do to celebrate Independence Day? Did you make any crazy outfits to wear to family get togethers? 

*If you are interested in ordering finished versions of either of these items, please message me on Facebook for details on sizing and prices!*

Update: The magazine that stopped to take our picture Friday night just added them to their Facebook page. A friend tagged me in this or I probably wouldn't have seen it until the magazine came out next month! Who says handmade can't be cute!

Farmers' Market

Back at the beginning of the year, our local Chamber of Commerce started organizing a team of people to put together our town's very first Farmers' Market. Several surveys were set out at local businesses around town and a Facebook page was started to help spread and foster community awareness. Thanks to the hard work of many, our Farmers' Market opened for it's very first season at the end of May.

Getting involved with the Farmers' Market was something The Hubs and I talked about off and on throughout the entire winter. At the time, I had just had Sweet P 6 months before and we were about to move into our new house. I wasn't sure a market setting would be something I would have time for.

Fast forward to the last Saturday in May; opening day for the Farmers' Market. The Hubs and I decided to take the morning and check it out, just to see what they had to offer. It didn't take either of us long to figure out that this was the EXACT kind of atmosphere I wanted to be in to sell my crochet hats and clothes.

I seriously enjoy being out at the Market every Saturday morning with all the other farmers, crafters, and hand makers. It has given me a chance to network with people in my community that I wouldn't otherwise have an opportunity to be around. I am very blessed to live in a town that makes it a point to highlight the artist community and everything it has to offer. The Farmers' Market is just one of numerous events through out the year for crafters and artists to showcase their talents.

My first week at the Market was kind of a bust. I made a little profit, but most of the items I had on hand were hats...not the best thing to sell at the start of Arkansas summer season! I browsed Pinterest, Google, Facebook, and asked around in several of my crochet circles about the best items to sell during the summer at a Farmers' Market.




About the time I was looking for more summer appropriate items to sell at my booth, I ran across a pattern for these cute little market bags. The first one I made was, of course, for Sweet P. We have used it for everything from a library book bag, to a quick diaper bag for church. I think they would make a great beach or lake bag, especially for those quick, last minute trips! Throw in a suit, sunscreen, sunglasses, sandals, and maybe a good book or iPod and headphones and you're ready to go. Or of course you can use it for it's "intended" purpose and take it to the Farmers' Market to fill with all your yummy treats and goodies! 

In the last two weeks that I have been able to set up, I've had a better selection of things that are more summer friendly while having sales on my more winter related items. If you make and sell a lot during craft fair season, a farmers' market just might be the perfect way for you to clear out some of that left over winter inventory! I have loved having the chance to network with people in my community and just get my product and name out there! 

Market season is just getting started and I'm excited to see where it goes from here!

Bennett's Newborn Pictures

I love getting photos back from photographers, especially when those photos are of my friends' little ones. Yesterday morning I woke up to these wonderful images of baby Bennett taken by Melissa Donner Photography.

If you are interested in any of these items, please message me on Facebook or email me at simplycrochet13@gmail.com You can see more of Melissa's work on her Facebook page. If you are local to Northeast Arkansas, consider using her for your next newborn (or family) photo session! 

Pattern Sharing is Stealing

The topic of pattern sharing (giving away copies of paid for patterns for free or sharing a pattern as your own original design when it is not) has become a hot topic in the crochet world lately. After seeing yet another blog post on the topic today, I had to stop and give my two cents worth.

First, pattern sharing is stealing! While I am not a pattern designer (yet!), I know many who are. The time, effort, and energy they put into designing, writing, and testing a pattern is in my mind, priceless. Most designers spend HOURS, even weeks and months, designing and tweeking a pattern until it is "just right." Most have a group of trusted testers that try the pattern out and give any remarks or proof reading that is necessary before it goes out to the general public. These designers then sell these patterns for $3-$6, roughly, some may be more or less depending on difficulty or sizes available in the pattern. You wouldn't expect to get a finished product for free, so why should anyone think the pattern would be free as well?

There are so many other avenues where you can get cheap or FREE patterns!

1. Follow your favorite designers on their social media pages!!

When I find a pattern (or a design style I like A LOT) I tend to check and see if that designer has a Facebook page. If they do, I "Like" the page and then follow it like crazy. Designers are great about giving back to their fans/customers by offering sales periodically throughout the year. Back at the beginning of the year, I was able to snag 11 patterns from one of my favorite pattern designers for less that $10! If I had bought them at regular price, I would have spent well over $20. I would have never have learned about the sale had I not been following the Facebook page! Many pages will get together with other pages and offer HUGE giveaways of patterns and supplies as well! These don't happen often, but when they do, they don't disappoint!

2. Get involved in pattern testing

This is something new that I'm starting to branch out into. Designers are always on the look out for people to test their latest pattern! I will say that this is a long process sometimes. There are so many people out there that want to test, and only so many open spots. The reward is worth it though. I recently got to test out a new scarf pattern for Baca Creations. Not only did I get a finished copy of the pattern I tested, but I got to pick another one from her Ravelry shop for FREE!! But this goes back to the first point, I would have never had the opportunity had I not been following her Facebook page! One and Two Company is another page that is always looking for fans to test for her. Some designers ask that you link to your Facebook page so they can see examples of your work, so make sure you always have your current work posted!!

3. Free Pattern Blogs

Let's be honest, there are a lot of free patterns out there that stink. They aren't cute or fun like some of the things you see on Etsy or Pinterest. There are so many designers out there that post their patterns for FREE! And I'm not talking about hats like your grandma made when you were a kid (and my step-grandma made us some UGLY hats!) These hats and other crochet items are fun and modern without breaking the bank. One of my favorite sources for free hat patterns is Repeat Crafter Me. Sarah has some AMAZING animal hats as well as tutorials for all kinds of other crochet and crafty projects! She was one of the first people I started following when I got into more elaborate hats. Moogly is quickly becoming another favorite. Tara post all kinds of free patterns and round ups. There is never a shortage of awesome patterns from her! The Yarn Box, Cre8tion Crochet, and Elk Studio were others that were suggested that offer free patterns or links to free patterns.

4. Pinterest and Ravelry

I've been on Pinterest for ages! In fact, it's where I learned about and found a lot of the designers I follow today. I have board upon board of free patterns, anything from hats to blankets, scarves, appliques, booties...even photo props!! Ravelry on the other hand, is new to me. I'm slowly learning how to use it and see all the awesome patterns and networking for yarn crafters it provides!

There is absolutely no need to steal anyone's hard work! You wouldn't walk into a department store and steal a designer handbag (or maybe you might, depending on the designer!) but the concept is the same no matter what. You wouldn't want someone to take your hard work and pass it off as their own or share it with friends. If a friend asks where you got a certain pattern, instead of sharing, direct them back to the designer's site(s) where they can get it for themselves. $3-$6 is what any of us spend on coffee, drinks, or eating out for lunch daily...Why not use that money and get the pattern you've been eyeing for months!

What are your thoughts on pattern sharing? Any suggestions for others or tips you have for finding free patterns? What are some of your favorite free pattern sites and blogs?

My Yarn Stash

My yarn stash is probably one of my most prized posessions. Sounds crazy, I know, but I love being able to go to my stash and be inspired by the colors and different textures each skein brings to the table. Having just moved into the new house, I knew at some point I would have to begin going through my stash and thinning it out. It wasn't until last weekend when I finally sat down and started going through boxes and putting things "away" (into more organized boxes and piles) that I decided it was time to purge the stash.

The stash plus multiple WIPs and finished projects

YIKES!! I'm an organized person and this was beginning to drive me nuts!! And I know if it's driving me this crazy, then the Hubs is ready for it to go! My stash isn't as large as others I have seen so this small cabinet that I inherited from my Mamaw works perfect! I try to only keep what I need or will use in my stash. When custom orders come in that require something I don't have, that's when I go out and buy more yarn. I work heavily with acrylic yarn (mostly Red Heart Super Saver) because it's easily accessible, but have begun branching out. There are a few skeins of ILTY as well as Bernat Softee Chunky (MY FAVORITE!!), and Caron Simply Soft. 

After it all got cleaned up

It probably took me 10-15 minutes to get everything back in working order. There are still some WIPs and finished items floating around the cabinet, but those will have to wait until I can get some more plastic drawers. I'm guesstimating at roughly 25-40 skeins and multiple scrap balls in here. Since I primarily work with acrylic yarn, there wasn't a big need to sort according to weight or texture. I keep my warm colors on the top shelf, cools in the middle, and neutrals at the bottom. The very bottom portion holds scrap balls and other miscellaneous items. 

So, where do you keep your yarn? Is your stash a crazy mess or pretty organized? Share pictures of your stash with me on Facebook or tag me on Instagram (@simplycrochet13) I'd love to see how you keep your yarn organized!

Happy Easter!!

Easter weekend has to be one of my favorite holidays. I love the egg hunts and family get togethers, but so much more than that, I love taking the time out to celebrate Jesus and all that He's done and continues to do in my life. Last night we got together with our sister church in the next town over and had the most awesome Good Friday service.

Before my weekend gets crazy busy with family picnics, hang outs, and more worship I had to share some Easter goodies with you guys. These sets aren't only good for Easter, but any spring photo session!

I can't believe it's almost been a year since we had this picture taken of Sweet P! I have a friend that does some photography and she took pictures of P when she was roughly 2 months old. This stump in her yard, tall grass, and bush made it the perfect setting for a little bunny!

The lamb hat is one that I've been wanting to work on for AGES! Repeat Crafter Me shared the pattern for it a while ago, but I never really had a reason to make one. Lambs are perfect for newborn shoots or Easter minis! 

If you are interested in either of these sets, message me on Facebook as these aren't available in my Etsy shop yet. 

I hope each of you has the best Easter weekend! Enjoy time with your family and loved ones! 

Playing Catch Up

Whew!! What a month it has been!! We finally got moved into our new house! We're still working through boxes and trying to figure out where everything will go but for the most part, I think we've settled in pretty nicely. 

Today, the cable guy came out and we were able to get the internet and cable hooked up. I didn't realize how much I had missed having cable until I was able to turn cartoons on for Sweet P this afternoon before nap. We went ahead and opted for the most basic cable package the provider offered. We've learned that we really don't watch that much TV and the shows we do watch are easily accessible through Netflix or Hulu. We aren't saving a whole bunch, but it's enough of a difference bill wise. 

Of course, I've been crocheting up a storm while Sweet P and I have been home watching movies all day. I have so many new projects and ideas to share with you guys! I'm in the process of updating my Facebook page...getting rid of all the old pictures and streamlining the albums so you can find EXACTLY what you're looking for!

I'm so excited to be back! Keep an eye out because BIG things are coming!!

Jen