CROCHET | A New Year, A New Obsession | Plus a New Etsy Shop

Good morning everyone!  I hope that you are all doing excellent.  Wow, it's hard to believe that one year passed by, all too quickly and now it's another year...  Anything special going on in your part of the world?

As for me... at the outset of winter, I started a new hobby.  Tadah! Crochet! It seems to be becoming a trend for me these years - Starting something new everytime winter is beckoned.  Yay or Nay?  I dunno :-) Two winters ago, I started NailArts.  Last winter, I started this blog... Now, yup! Crochet.  

Well, when you live in a very quiet city, there's a tendency that your imagination will go wild and you tend to be more creative - that is if you expose yourself to the right kind of influence and you channel your energies well.  Uhmm, I'm not an expert.  lol... Baby sitting kids and providing companionship for the elderly can result to doing a lot of arts and crafts and I am totally fine with that.  In fact, here you see, I enjoy it...

Crochet is taking off as one of the best and well known craft these days and I decided to jump into the bandwagon.  As you may have already read from my previous post/s, it started as an innocent gesture to give a gift to a friend.  Not only the finished item that she could wear for warmth during our walks together but also to spend time with her - hopefully creating beautiful yarn fabrics - to spend the time productively, you know?  

Then, I always get carried away when I succeed at making something - It escalates into a full blown obsession. I self diagnosed my self and the prognosis? OCD:  Obsessive Crochet Disorder.  Yup, it's curable, but it can be difficult to overcome.  There are also complications such as yarn and notions addiction and frequent store-visits syndrome.  Be careful, it's contagious.  Wearing my projects to give my outfit a pop of colors attracts undue attention from friends and family.  Before you know it, you will be holding craft evenings at your place and finding yourself teaching others how to do it... The virus is totally invasive and others can get infected very easily.  You have been warned!

From one successful headband to warm my ears and my friends came imagination: "I can make this for so and so friend..." to "Ah, next winter, I'm going to have my own table at the craft fair".  "Oh, I don't even know where the craft fair is..."{hahaha!} "Maybe, I can write patterns and sell that."  See what I mean with imagination going wild?  I only started crochet a few weeks ago but it seems that my disorder is already terminal. wahaha!!!

To do this and that, I need this and that... Of course, I have to collect the needed tools and notions to fulfill a project, right? {You can say NO but I'll cry, hehehe.}  The adventure begins in going back and forth to the craft store, collecting my tools and some yarn using the ever reliable "40-50%-off-one-regular-priced-item" coupon and there's the ocassional "save-20%-on-all-purchases" - that makes me nutz!  Hubby probably spent more on gas than the actual savings I get. Admittedly, it does feel good to get things on sale, right? Thankfully, the craft store is close by his favorite gadget store... problem solved!

This endeavor, I think, is creative at its best.

First: Paint your nails so that it looks good while crocheting. (I think I have this, just got to find the enthusiasm since crochet had taken over. wink ;)

Second:  Learn to crochet and compose patterns. {Ah, the journey is always an adventure!} Learning how to crochet came natural to me, easy-breezy... But writing a pattern?  Now, I think this is heavyweight brain activity and requires earnest skills. {Suddenly, I don't feel bad about the price I paid for my first patterns... hmp}

Third:  Learn a little bit about photography to attract others to your project.  This is a little tricky for me.  Any tips?

Fourth:  Learn to be a model, hahaha... Have to let others see how your project looks like, right? This is difficult... although some are quite natural at it.  I'm not. #workinprogress

Fifth:  Learn social media talents to connect with others in the business, get inspiration and eventually market your skills.

Sixth: Embrace creativity.  I am thinking creative gift tags, handmade thank you cards ... {Hm, I am also thinking about revamping my blog and turning it into a website - need a good banner... design... color scheme... Filming YouTube tutorials... etc ... etc ...  Oh dear, talk about getting carried away, eh?}

Seventh: Be open to possibilities, think positively and never give up! 

Eight:  Set up GOALS, with priorities in their proper place and a PLAN OF ACTION clearly spelled out.  This requires balance and focus.  This I have to really work on.  Evidently, from this post, you can tell I am bit of a scattered-brain. eeek!

Ninth, Tenth....

In the end, I think this could make a well rounded talent in you {me}... lol...

I have been crocheting a lot on my down time.  My crazy idea of selling my skills somehow? Yes, I'm following through on that, baby steps ~  Beginning from setting up my own Etsy shop account.  It is still very much under construction but it's functional.  I hope that you would visit me there and let me know if something catches your attention.  We can work on the ever coveted sweet-deal, hehehe.  The shop will be updated as I am able to make more items.  Here's the link to my shop. 

My Etsy Shop:
https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/jempanzee

If you are signing up on Etsy for the first time, use this link so you can get a free $5.00 gift card for use in my Etsy Shop {or any shop, really}:   http://etsy.me/1Azjj3v

After, you sign up, please be a dear and check out my shop.  

I also set up a new Instagram page:  http://instagram.com/woven_hugs

And a new Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Jempanzee 


I may be updating my Pinterest too, very soon. This is serious monkey business you see... hehehe...

So... a new year, a new obsession, huh?  What's yours?
 

Warmth in Bloom | Crochet Fashion Scarf and Earwarmer Headband

In this cold winter months, keeping warm can also be fun and stylish.  When I saw this great pattern from a magazine, I immediately wanted to make it. {That involved of course, buying the magazine too, :p }  Before this, I have only crocheted headbands based out of a video tutorial on YouTube.  The tutorial was so informative and basic, it carried me through every little step that made it easy to follow.  Watching the tutor do the steps assured me that what I was doing was right.  This is my first time attempting a project out of a written pattern.  You might imagine how intimidated I was.  But this cute scarf is too pretty to pass on.  I had to try.

Every so often, I second guess myself: "Does this look okay to you?"  I asked my hubby.  Of course he would proudly say, "It looks beautiful!"  I'd take it, as if he knew exactly... er, anything at all about crochet... :-)  I would actually feel reassured and I'd move on pleased.

 

Weaving Warm Hugs for the Cold Winter Days 2

     Another year is almost gone, one other is fast approaching.  We hear it all too often, “Time goes by fast…” or “Where have all the time gone?” I hope that it has been a pleasant year for you, so far.  

     As the normal day to day passes by, we slowly welcome Old Man Winter, almost reluctantly, of course.  It’s cold.  Yes, for me, that is quite the top most reason.  {But a snow storm never made me lonely.  It's so pretty, how can one be so sad?} Fortunately, I found yet another hobby that will help weave out some nice warm hugs to keep warm – for the whole family and friends.