Officially Retired But Working More Than Ever

I have officially retired from working outside the home, but I really am working more than ever. The difference is I work at home in a clean house with all my laundry done. The weekends with my husband are fun weekends without having to do chores. 

I have devoted more of my time to designing crochet projects and doing a lot with ebay. My daughter-in-law Whitney taught me how to use Instagram (Sueallencrochet) and I am slowly learning all the social media nuances. Way too much information out there. Although I would die without my Pinterest. I started with a board called Crochet I Love and it got so big I had to break the boards to what they where, Crochet Afghans, Crochet for the Home etc. I can be found at SueAllenCrochet https://www.pinterest.com/susanall1952/

My latest project is an afghan for a friend, I found the pattern on Pinterest and found out the designer offered a kit through Wool Warehouse. Shipping was fast and I am almost done.

 

Wool Warehouse has good prices and quick delivery. The pattern is offered for free with a wonderful tutorial on the Attic 24 blog. 

http://www.woolwarehouse.co.uk/attic24

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/neat-ripple-pattern

Recycling Yarn

Have you ever fallen in love with a color or combination of colors and started something knowing it is not just quite right, but you crochet on just because you want to crochet? Long sentence, glad I am typing. Well, I have. Last year I fell in love with the color combination of pink, green and white. Found the right shades, yarn and thought I found the right pattern. I got the afghan 3/4 done and set it aside.
Last week I was going through Pinrest and stumbled across a pattern that was just perfect for the colors I had found. I made a swatch and it is glorious. My husband pulled the first afghan apart for me and thought I was crazy, but once I told him it saved me from going out to buy more he was happy. I told him I was recycling. Have you ever done this?

It is slow going as I am very busy right and really only get to crochet at night. But it is so pretty. See photos. You can see my Pinterest "Crochet I Love"

 Russ so enjoys taking my stuff apart.

The new pattern is coming out well.

Pattern can be found at Red Heart

Flowers in a row pattern

I am in the process of selling a lot of stuff on ebay.

Where did all this "stuff" come from? I think it comes from my "I can buy any thing I want days", and I look at it and say, "what was I  thinking". I am sure we have all had those moments.

Most of it is from the attic and some from my office. I am turning my office back into a bedroom and taking over my husbands office, he doesn't use it anymore since I bought him a laptop. He now runs our household  empire from his lazy boy.

I am selling my beloved crochet magazines, again I look at some of these and say, "what was I thinking". My how your taste does change, but it does take me down memory lane. I am making copies of the patterns I could not possibly part with and sell the rest.

My husband calls this nesting; when I start cleaning house and organizing everything. I am just doing it on a larger scale this time. I guess it is all this new found time I have. But I just can't start another project until everything is in its place and organized.

Things are a changing in a new phase of my life.

Riding out the storms this week.

We always get the leftovers from tornado alley, but they have been tame by the time they get to us here in Memphis.

Here are some of the afghans I finished this past year. I really am into trying new patterns and color mixtures.

This green and brown one is actually from a kit, my first kit. I wanted this pattern so bad. Couldn't find it anyhwhere, until after I bought it. Go figure. It was fun to make and very nice having all the thread figured out for me. I looked on the Hershnners site and they don't have it anymore. Well it was a year and a half ago that I bought it.

 

 

Liked it so much I made another; called this one my sock monkey afghan. This was made from thread I had bought to make sock monkey hats...long story, starts with pancake craving at IHOP. I am rambling.

 

 

I used Patons Classic Wool. This was so luxurious to work with. Pretty sure I got it on sale.

 

Will post more another time.

 

 

It has been a while...I think I have said that before

I am one of those people that if I can't do it perfect I would rather not start at all, hence, blog with no words. I am going to make it my therapy to write something once a week...baby steps. I love to put my thoughts down  and I will.

I had been so busy working out of the home that I always had an excuse. Now I have been unemployed and I am going to try to work more on my crochet to make my money. Boy, it is hard, but I have never been afraid of hard work.

I am currently working on getting my books on Kindle and as eBooks. A lot of my programing background comes in handy. Almost there.

I have been crocheting afghans.  I think when my Mother passed I spent most of my time at the hospital needing something to do and crocheting was my first go to and an afghan was easy to carry around. After she passed I just kept going. It was my therapy. Moving on.

My sister Liz and I have put some crocheting on Etsy, My Etsy Store  and I will be redoing my website to include some as well. I want to do so much, but I have to focus on things that will make money for now.  Check back soon.

It has been a tough year

My Mother passed away this summer. The woman who taught me almost everything I know about crochet. She put the hook in my hand to give me something to do and keep me busy. She hated when we (3 boys, 3 girls) would say “I’m bored” as she had so much to do to keep us together. My Father was in the Navy and was gone months at a time and I know we were a handful.
My Mom was in the hospital for 5 weeks. My sister Mary was there during the day and I was there at night. My other sister Liz was in the hospital having had heart surgery. We do what we do best and crocheted. I completed 3 baby afghans and 2 full size afghans. (I will be putting these on my website soon.) The past weeks we have gone through my Mother’s personal things and are trying to move on. My Mother had so many family photos and I am scanning these now for other family members.

I can’t wait for 2012. It has got to be a better year.

“Don’t Undervalue Your Labor”

I picked up a the November issue of  Martha Stewart Living while at Hobby Lobby yesterday. I was drawn in by all the pie on the cover. I am a huge fan of pumpkin and I  am always looking for new ways to eat it.  Sometimes I think that is why I am shaped like one..ha. I did not get a chance to look at it until this morning. I read it pretty much cover to cover. The dog section was so enjoyable,


The one section I enjoyed  the most is called  Follow  Your Art in the Dreamers into Doers-small business section, page 102. How to turn crafts into a career and three women who dared to do it. Since being laid off in June I am very interested in doing my craft full time. Can you imagine crocheting for a living?  I am a sponge for all the knowledge I can get on how to make this happen. Jane D’Arensbourg, one of the featured artists, when asked her best advice answered, Don’t undervalue your labor,

“I want everything to be really great,” she says. “If it takes a long time and has to be expensive, then so be it.”

It goes on to say she offers a range of prices by creating simpler pieces , rather than cutting corners to make items faster and cheaper.

Good for you Jane! I have said this for years. Artists and crafters do not charge enough for labor. I was talking to the girls at Hank of Yarn last week about this very subject. Hank shook her head and sadly agreed that we never get our labor in dollars. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to make hand crafts so expensive they do not sell. I want to get a fair price for what I have created.

In the book “Crocheting For Fun and Profit” I was quoted as saying,

“Customers do not care how many hours it took for you to make your product, and they don’t realize your time is as valuable as your time. Standard formulas do not work for me”

This was true then and sadly it is true now. I think we can change that if we change it together. The next time you buy a handmade product think about what it took to bring that product to market. I have seen items on Etsy and other sites and wanted so badly to email the crafter and ask, “Can you really make a profit selling this low?”  Something to think about.

Classes for my Ornaments

The ladies at Hanks of Yarn (7075 Malco Blvd, Southaven, MS, http://www.hankofyarn.com/.) are preparing for classes on Crocheted Christmas Ornament Covers. How exciting. They will start November 1 at 5:00 and continue each Monday evening through the month. They also have some Saturday classes planned. You can contact the store at 662-349-8883 if you have any questions. The ladies did a class for themselves and proved that beginner crocheters could make the ornaments. Well done!

Fashion and Travel Revelations

Just got back Sunday from a trip to Miami. Alas, I think my traveling is over for awhile. In May we were in New York City, Washington DC a few weeks ago and last week Miami. One thing I did notice in all my trips is the fashion. Now if you were a close friend of mine you would not think that I spend a whole lot of time thinking about fashion. I do, I think about crochet when I look at the fashion on the streets, in magazines and on tv. I am always pointing out crochet to my husband, I'm sure he tunes this out by now. I notice colors and combinations. I love combining colors that are not "normal" go togethers.

While traveling I did realize that what we see on tv and in magazines women actually wear. I know, I was shocked myself. It all clicked in Washington DC. We sat at an outdoor cafe and people poured out of the subway and there they were; dresses, suits and heels, they wore heels to walk everywhere in DC, not just functional heels, 3 inchers.  While shopping in Miami I was hard pressed to find a pair of heels that was not 3 inches.

Now that I am back and settled for a time I can use my travels to inspire me. I will post some awesome Miami photos soon.

Trip to Washington

A few weeks ago I joined my husband in Washington DC. He was there for work and when finished he took a little vacation time. I still can't believe we lived 4 hours from Washington DC for 8 years (?) and never went.

I had the first day to myself so I walked from our hotel in the DuPont Circle area to the White House. It was a beautiful day, not too hot, not too cold. Rain was expected so I took an umbrella.

Loved, loved all the cute shops and boutiques. It was early so I planned to stop on my way back.

I came up to Lafayette Square and stopped to take pictures before approaching the White House. It is so pretty, smaller than I thought. I headed for G Street to find the Macy's Store. Every city, I have to look. For some reason I found nothing to buy, can you even imagine? I was also looking  for a fabric store my sister had told me about but when I came out of Macy's it was starting to sprinkle so I headed back to the hotel.

I stopped at a cupcake store and the cutest boutique, lou lou,  at 1601 Connecticut Ave. It was handbags and accessories. I found the most wonderful rhinestone peace sign. It was a find.

The next day it was suppose to rain so we decided to spend the day indoors doing the museums. We started with the Smithsonian -Natural History and on to American History. What fun. Lots of walking and Julia Child's kitchen, what is not to love. After lunch the rain had tapered off so we headed back toward the hotel and Madame Tussuad. I had never been and thought it would be a hoot. It was.

Walking down 12th street toward Tussuads, we passed the Old Post Office. Curious we saw a sign that said there was a tower. 12th floor, intrigued, let's try it. OMG what a trip. These photos are what you see from up there. It was amazing.

Down in the lobby of the building there was this little shop that took photos of us shaking hands with Obama. They looked so real. What fun. On to Tussauds.  Lots of walking this day.

The wax figures gave me the creeps, took me a while to warm up to them, I guess I expected them to speak or something.  Johnny Depp looked so real and of course George Clooney was my favorite.

We did all the tourist stuff for a couple of days. We ate in outside Cafe's and walked for miles. We only had one day of real rain. I can now cross DC off my list for now.

Knit and Crochet Pattern Books

I was browsing through Amazon today, looking for the latest and greatest crochet pattern book. I really don't need another one, but I am a true addict who has to have the latest. I might miss something in the crochet world. My pet peeve: why when you type in crochet do you get 3 books crochet 12 for knitting, then on top of that the books that have both crochet and knit has 2 crochet patterns and again, 12 knit patterns. I am so happy that there are women in this world that can do both, I applaud you, but I am not one of the fortunate ones. I really hate to buy a book that has both. Pick one, do one, don't mix it up. Thanks for letting me vent.

Hank of Yarn, Ms

Took trip out of state on Friday-only 40 minutes from my house, to Hank of Yarn. Kathy had invited me to come down and talk about a class on my ornaments. What a blast! These ladies are really a great group. The store was a buzz with activity and everyone was happy to be in their element. I do enjoy the fact that it is a crochet friendly shop...they speak crochet and knitting, not just knitting. The store was bursting with beautiful yarn, every color every size.

I loved talking about crochet and especially my ornaments. They are going to teach some classes so check with them to see when that might be. They are located at 7075 Malco Blvd, Southaven, MS, www.hankofyarn.com.

From left, Jenni, Kathy, Hank and Cheryl

Back in the blog saddle

Since my last post I have been laid off from my wonderful job at International Paper. It wasn't a surprise, we knew it was coming and they did right by us all. This has freed me up to finish my book while I look for another job. I have even started another book on crochet earrings. I will post some pictures soon.

I have a busy day with a birthday lunch with my BFF's (Happy Birthday Vicky) and then down to a yarn shop in Southaven , MS. They have invited me to stop by and help set up a class to teach how to make my ornaments, how cool. I'll take some photos and post them when I get home.

Planning what to do this year?

I have so many plans in my head that it just might explode.

When I am not in the "Crochet Designer" mode, I have a job outside the home, I am a Sustain Test Planner for International Paper. I love this job to it's very core. It allows me to do what I love best, which is plan and it allows me to be creative. I work with a manager who know how to work with my creativity and let's me run wild. He knows I will get the job done right. He is so open to my ideas and believes in me. What a knock out combo.

Back to the planning. I plan everything, my day, my week, my month and my year. My work at my job is a given, I plan every morning. My life is a bit more complicated because there are so many variables. My family and my business. I want to do it all so I plan in small stages to make sure I can account for all the variables. I don't like to be too constricted to one single plan and not let in any spontaneity. This seems to work for me.

This week I will be planning for the year. I have some great creative ideas for my crochet I will share soon.

So many ornaments, so little time!

My sister Mary and I went shopping in Collierville yesterday. Our target was Charming Charlie's, a really must go to shop for everything that a woman wants in accessories. You name it, they have it....bling city is what I call it and at really affordable prices. (Commerical over) We had driven in kinda behind and to the side of the store and we were focused on that only.

An hour later when we came out, right before me was this display. Angels sang and clouds parted for the sun to shine down on these ornaments.  How could I have missed them? My second thought was how cool would this be to cover them with my patterns? Silly I know, but wow. I came up with all kinds of visions of us coming in the middle of the night to paint my patterns on them. I also wondered where do they store something this huge when not in use? Inquiring minds want to know.  I want to be there next year when they bring them in. Just so cool. Hope you all are having a wonderful Christmas season.

Book 3 Ornaments

Here are 2 of the ornaments from Book 3 coming out soon.

I had truly hoped to get these out before Christmas, but it doesn't look like that will happen. This book has been a long time coming, but if anyone knows me it must be right before I send it forth into the world. Ha.

I can say this, most of the ornaments in this book require more crochet knowledge, not that the stitches are difficult, but a little more counting than I am use to to, just not as simple as the first 2 books.

I really should dedicate this book to Sandra, you know who you are, who has written me every year asking when my next book will be ready.

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Thought I would post a word before I get started on my pumpkin pies. I have had a glorious week so far just doing nothing but crocheting. I am on vacation from my job and decided to get Book 3 finished and I hope to have it out in the next few days. I am looking for today to be nice enough to get out and take some photos. Wish me luck and have a wonderful day. I'll post a photo of one of my new ornaments by this weekend so stop back by.

Craft Show In Reelfoot

A couple of weeks ago my sister, Mary and I took off on a Friday for an adventure. Since my husband retired from the Navy a few years ago I miss all the traveling. Anyway, we had planned a trip to Tiptonville, TN to the annual Reelfoot Lake Craft Show. This happens every year, the first weekend of October. I had heard nothing but praise for this show. I kinda wanted to scout it out to see if I might want to sell there next year. First photo is my sister Mary.

We arrived at 9:00 and found a great parking spot at the beginning of the show. We were delighted and excited to see how big it was! For the most part it was outside but there were a few buildings with vendors. We walked and walked and walked and walked some more. Three hours later we sat on a bale of hay and shared a plate of curly chips.

Should have taken a picture before we started eating, it was piled high!

I was amazed at how much crocheting was being sold at the show. Usually you see one booth, but I saw no less than 8. One booth was a woman 90 years old in a wheelchair making baby afghans. Her daughter was the salesman and said her Mother just loved to crochet. She had so many beautiful afghans to show for it. My only concern was that she was all but giving them away. The daughter said she tried to get her Mother to sell them for more, but she just did them for the love of crochet.

Here I go on my soapbox, the reason crafters do not make much is because most are willing to give it away for the love of the craft. I am not speaking of doing your craft for chairty. I am speaking of not selling yourself short, you are worth at least minimum wage for your labor. If it takes you 1 hour to make an ornament cover to sell, you have to charge at least $5.00 for labor and then the cost of material. Why would you sell it for less? If someone wants your product they will pay the price because they obviously know the value of you time and effort. Period!

The day was a blast, I bought some candles, and a "Papillion Crossing" sign. The day was beautiful and the crowds were starting to get thick when we left right at 1:00. Here I am hiding in some flowers.

Wow! What a stormy past few weeks we have had. We had a huge storm Tuesday night that put on quite a show. My husband and I stood in our garage and watched "War of the World" type thunder and lightning. As the lightning hit I would say "Look for the pod!" We heard one so very loud thunder , it was like the sound started the same time the flash and went on for what seemed like minutes, but was most likely seconds. When I woke the next morning and walked through my living room I saw that we had lost a tree. It is funny that the night before I had told my husaband that if that tree was not there we could see the lighning better, be careful what you wish for! When I drove to work I found out I was not the only one that lost tress, they had fallen everywhere. Memphis is just known for their storms and Cordova has had it's share this year.

Where am I?

It has been a while since my last post. What have I been doing? Living life, crocheting a little less this year but trying new things. I took a jewelry class to make lanyards to wear to work. Love it! Here is one of my favorites. I'll post a few more when I take some photos.

I took the class at Ami's in Germantown. It was a fun filled Saturday afternoon. Would recommend to anyone.

Last week I took a Polymer Clay class at Memphis College of Art. I took it because in making the lanyards I wanted to try my hand at making my own beads. I don't think this will be my calling, but I so enjoyed the class and hands right in there style of Lisa Tribo, artist extraordinaire. I think I will try some of the larger beads to use on the end of the lanyard.

Placed a new order for Twilley's. They have come out with the 50 gram ball. I always seem to order in the summer when they are doing inventory. I vow to put my order in by February next year so I can receive by September. They have discontinued the 250 large cones. I did place an order for the 1000 gram ?cone?. I don't know how it will come. A lot of my customers make snowflakes out of the white and it is a must have.