It's Okay to Dream Big

My favorite dreamer was John Lennon. He dreamed big, told everyone about it, and he wasn't apologetic. He knew what his dreams were, and went after them in the ways that he knew how... using his celebrity to bring social awareness to issues that were important to him.

Our family thyme these days. Har, har, har!

New Normal

I forgot to do the last post for my Happy Day Project. It didn't catch on with anyone in the grandiose way I had envisioned it in my brain, so I ended my so called "project" (Random. Anyone remember the show My So Called Life?). I'm seeing it as a failure, and that's okay. The whole thing was really important for me to do, because it made me focus on what makes me happy in MY life... not anyone else's. I'm seeing those things quite a bit more often, without actively having to seek them out. It's opening up my feelers a bit, and I'm having good days more than I'm having bad days. I'm not longing for things I don't have (as much), and comparing myself to others definitely is at an all time low. I'm not going to post all of that last week's pictures here right now. You can see the entire album over at my Flickr or by searching #happydaykbg on Instagram. It was a good exercise for me, and I'm glad I did it.

Fuschia living in my greenhouse until it warms up.

Work in Progress Wednesday: Skirt Work, Man.

I'm making a skirt for my lady monster. I love it . I'm getting anxious to see her completely finished and probably won't continue in the original direction that I had intended for her. That's not really shocking, because most things I start end up that way. You should see my kitchen. Anyway, I'm waiting for her to let me know how she'd like to be finished. Clothing her and adding her feet/claws has to come first.

Work in Progress Wednesday: Skirt Work, Man

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Getting it Together - Wholesale Line Sheet

Today I put together a line sheet. It has room for improvement, but I think everything does. If we waited for everything to be "just right", I don't think anything would get done. As I get this wholesale gig down more, I'll be able to fill in the spots that need a little more love, or better yet, pay someone to do it for me. For today though, this is my finished product. I'll be moving forward to a payment/term sheet tomorrow.

Photos copyright Knot By Gran'ma

Photos copyright Knot By Gran'ma

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Free Baby Booties Sock Crochet Pattern

New updated pictures are all that are left of this pattern overhaul. Thank you for your patience.





Baby Booties Socks

Skill Level
Easy

Materials:

Size D crochet hook (3.25mm)
1 skein of sock yarn

Special stitches

Decreased Single Crochet (d.sc) - insert hook through st, yo, pull loop through st, insert hook into next st, yo, pull through st (repeat as many times as pattern calls for), yo, pull through loops on the hook.

Worked in the round, do not ch 1 unless noted. Preemie and 6-12 mo in parenthesis.

Work in Progress Wednesday: Revamping a Pattern

Ever go back to a pattern you had designed years ago? Ever try to crochet up that pattern, which works out, but is kind of not up to your current design standards? Yeah, that happened yesterday. What was supposed to be a quick gift has morphed into an entire pattern revamp so that the gift will be just right. Perfectionist much?

Lovely, lovely, lovely yarn

Since this is a gift, I'm being cryptic in my sharing. You'll get the entire thing next week. This is the yarn I'm using... well I'll be using one or both. It all depends.

Since I have no monsters or actual projects to show, here's a picture of Agamemnon after his trip to the vet yesterday.

The vet said he's still too heavy... more exercise for us!

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Happy Day Project: Week 2

Little bits of my happiness this past week...

Cottonball clouds. Day 8

Happily Hooking It Up

I'm happily writing this post this week. Hubs has been away working then taking a class until 9:30 pm each night, and I still accomplished this batch of dolls. Being the solo parent did cut into my creating time, and we were just really really busy on top of that. I suppose that's the way it always works though. It's okay. We had a blast filling up the time.

It was nice to feel that same crochet rhythm once I was able to sit down and work. I've been thinking along the lines of this is the task, and I'll get up to do a different task once (and only once) this task is finished. Also, cutting down the computer time helped immensely. I'm actually closing my inbox after the first initial glance, and it's getting easier not to peek. That being said, the blogging end of Knot By Gran'ma is picking up a little. Small victories.

I got the unicorn pocket monster thing out of my system for now. This batch of 3 are crocheted up out of scrap yarns. In creating the scrap version, and then knowing I have a non-scrap version, I was able to play with my pricing and see what I'm actually making per hour and what can go into wholesale markets, and all of the "fun" that goes along with that.

Unicorn Pocket Monsters

Work in Progress Wednesday: Monster Owl

I don't understand the, "Hey let's buy an owl themed something" kick that's been going on for like the past 7 years. I said it. Regardless of my understanding, I was asked to crochet up an owl mascot for an local organization. (I did roll my eyes a little when I heard it was an owl, but whatever.) Then suddenly, I fell in love with my design. I wasn't expecting that to happen, so I'm making up another one in super bright colors, with what seems to have become my creepy monster eyes. Let's face it. Owls can be scary. Monsters can be scary too, so I'm marrying the ideas together to make a kind of creepy monster owl doll. Not too creepy though. Owls do that all by themselves.

Monster Owl Doll... just needs his wings sewn on and some stuffing.

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April 2013: Blog Posts

April was a busy month for me. I'm finishing up organizing the Fishkill Fine Arts & Craft Show application process, started offering affordable advertising on my blog, and redid my newsletter (which no one has seen yet). In the midst of this, I've been blogging, making monsters, and gardening... So, here's the month of April in blog form for you all. They are ordered from oldest to newest. Happy reading!

Jim the Grawr Monster - For sale at The Art Riot

Practicing No
Drowning in Clutter Workspace
Work in Progress Wednesday: Monsters and Legs
Does Your Product Need a Purpose?
Work in Progress Wednesday: Top Secret
I Will Never Miss All of This
Writing up the Past
Happy Day Project
Creating a Community: New(ish) to Me Blogs
Find Your Fight and Do It
Happy Day Project: Week 1


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Happy Day Project: Week 1

It's been an entire week of capturing photos of things that make me happy. I have learned a few things in the process, and learning is always nice. If you're wondering what I'm talking about and what this Happy Day Project is... click here, yo.

Number one: I'm thinking more about my life and being mindful, and I am seeing far more happiness in my life than sadness. Sweet!

Number two: I suck at posting my photo every day. Also I didn't research my hashtag originally and had to change it last minute to #happydaykbg.

First time bowling... under black lights and a disco ball. Day 1

Find Your Fight and Do It

I was feeling a little down and unmotivated yesterday. I was looking at the creativity that was coming out of people and wondering why I wasn't fully helping support our family out financially. Sitting at the computer, "working" for hours, and I wasn't getting anything done. I started a blog draft, opened 8,000 tabs and proceeded to distract myself from doing what I was supposed to be finishing. Apparently I don't have that type A personality which lets me just sit and work... hook or online.

Mini Pocket Monster progress

Creating a Community: New(ish) to Me Blogs

The mission of most days lately seems to cram in some amount of blog reading, while still skillfully managing to get some work done. The appearance of getting some work done is also acceptable. If anything, a rocking dinner on the table will make up for the piles of clutter everywhere, because I have blogs to read. Maybe it's not that over-dramatic. Maybe.

I've been checking in with Habitual Homebody and Alycia's life/crochet/house hunting living in general. Her writing is pretty down to earth and resonates usually in the tone that I'm accustomed to hearing when It's calm in my brain. She's also turning me on to the best podcasts, which I also am trying to sneak in. Maybe more when I start running. Did I mention that to anyone? Well I'm buying running sneakers and taking it from there. Alycia's podcast advice could come in very handy  there... if I don't fall over after I spit out my lung.

Smile! I painted this. It's my high school friend, Tom.

The other place I've been checking in with lately is terribleminds by Chuck Wendig. Before you go over there, be advised that his writing my not be safe for work or life apparently. It's all in the disclaimer. Actually go there, and read just that if you have to. It makes me smile. The cursing, style of writing, his humor... love it all. It really is my kind of reading. It makes my brain do exercises, and then I'm smiling. So maybe this blog is my happy place a little. This post of "How Writing is Actually Work" caught my eye yesterday, and it turns out his book, Blackbirds, came out a year ago today (April 24th 2012). What are the odds?

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Happy Day Project

Each day is a gift. I find it's hard to remember this sometimes. Those blues grab my feet something fierce at times, and try to drag me down into the imaginary mire of despair. That's probably something that's best avoided. In keeping with avoiding things that make me meet up with the blues, I'm focusing on the things that make me happy. One thing a day, and I'm making sure it's photographed. You can follow along on Instagram (and join in) with the #happydaykbg hashtag or on Flickr.

My life is blessed. I get to work on things I love, in my home, and with my kids. I can't say a lot of people get to do that. It sure is motivation to keep growing as a person, as a business, and as a creative force to be reckoned with. Today is another chance to do just that.

Creatively growing

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Writing up the Past

This is one of those skills that I wonder if I ever had the moxy to follow through on... maybe. Maybe not. Writing. Writing makes me feel like I'm 10 years old all over again. You know, before I knew that the world is sometimes a really crappy place full of really miserable people (It's not people's fault. People forget to look at what we have and not what we do not have).

I used to have a pen in hand constantly... writing here and doodling there. Then it stopped. It's not that it's become a chore, but I feel like the words dried up in my brain somewhere. Or they're stuck and all the fiber in the world won't release them to the paper... or keyboard. I'm not about to try to shove a banana in my ear to test that theory either.

This weighs 8,000 pounds.