WOW What a weekend! 180 & 181

I woke up to the sound of "KERCHING" from my mobile on Saturday morning

That was my ETSY app telling me that I had made a sale!!

I sold a custom made beaded glasses chain

In Royal Blue with multi colour beads

Then it happened again - yes KERCHING!

I sold a pattern for an All in One No Sew Toy!

http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/AliCampbellDesigns

And then again, but this time through my Ravelry Pattern Shop!

WOW

The other news that I have is that my book is nearly ready for publication & distribution!!!

I have been working hard on the finishing touches since Friday & despite a few technical hicups, I think I am almost there, having proof read it for a final (hopefully) time today & uploading it once again to Createspace.  I have spent HOURS not only creating this book & putting it together but more so with the technical side of things!!  Thankfully my friend Nicky came for a coffee on Friday & she got roped in to formatting some of the pages for me - phew!

Thanks Nicky x

It is going to be called

CROCHET FOR BEGINNERS THAT WANT TO IMPROVE

 &

I have devised a unique .......hahaha can't tell you yet!

Interested??

Then watch this space for more news very soon!

 I know I have used this sock yarn before on some other squares, but to be honest I haven't the time to source a new yarn &

I like the way that each time I use it, it comes up with a different look!

Days 178 & 179 - Crochet Classes, Crochet Book & Inside Crochet Magazine

Day 178

To be honest I spent most of yesterday & today fighting with technology as I have finished writing my book, but now I need to upload it to the internet & there have been problems.

Thanks to my friend Nicky, I did manage to overcome a few hurdles, so Thank You Nicky xx

I think I have got all the major problems solved now, so it's just tweaking bits & bobs & getting a photo edited - phew - fingers crossed & watch this space.

I did of course make time for a Crochet Class today & KPK brought in her little hat that she's made for a friends baby who is due in 7 days time.

I suggested the Pom Pom to finish it off, so we made Pom Poms in the first bit of today's lesson

 Isn't it lovely?

And here is KPK making a swatch of the snood scarf that she wants to make.

 

 Can you believe that we even watched a little of Wimbledon Tennis as we crocheted from the App on my iPhone!

Day 179

I am also thrilled to share that I have had another pattern published in Inside Crochet Magazine

My SeaLife Garland looks so great in this photo

And this is what to look out for in the Newsagents - Issue 43 - out today

These fantastic photo's / cover have all been published with the kind permission or Tailor Made Publishing - I thank you.

I love it!

Day 176 & 177 Busy, Busy & more BUSY!!

Firstly I will apologise for not blogging yesterday.  I was a combination of things like being busy with other crochet items, crochet lessons, continuing to write my crochet book & the internet being dead slow for no real reason, so I gave up on trying to blog.

However here are my 2 squares....

I also took a booking for a Crochet Lesson in September (yes booking well in advance!) today - maybe the lady knows how busy I get!!

So my book continues to evolve.  I am not having many problems writing it, my worry is when I come to upload it!!

I am not that technologically capable, and I can only hope that all the photo's that I have added are ok, as it will be a total nightmare if I have to retake all of them in a different way!

Fingers Crossed!

You'll be pleased to know that I am very nearly at the end - a couple more projects to go and that will be it - YAY

Busy Day 175

My friend and fellow Tweeter NS came to me for a Crochet Lesson today.  She crochet's well already but feared she had picked up some bad habits as she is self taught.

So we got crocheting!

Immediately I noticed that she was "hooking" the wrong way round

Instead of doing WOH (wool over hook) she was doing WUH (Wool UNDER Hook)

And this made all the difference, even to her foundation chain.

These photo's are awful, I know & I apologise - it's the colour of the wool.  However the top photo is with WUH

And the photo below is WOH

The main thing here is the vast improvement in the look and neatness of her foundation chain

We then went on to make little swatches, so that she could work her stitches of dc, htr & tr with WOH and not WUH

Look at the lovely neat stitches and the fabulously straight edges!

Well done NS

 Today I also spent time bringing my accounts up to date, getting commissions posted off & working some more on my book.

When Hubby's away in London I do get an awful lot more done for some reason as he's not a hindrance when he's here - it's just that we chat so much!!

Day 176 is here despite my very fruitful day

Days 172, 173 & 174 Another Busy Weekend!

Yes it's been another BUSY weekend - I am just wondering when I will get a WHOLE day off!

Would I like a day away from Crochet?

That is the question.

Well today I caught up with my Squares from Friday & Saturday

Whilst playing Candy Crush (very slowly) on my computer

I love these colours

They are from Rowan Yarns

A few "scraps" that I have left over from a project

which is very handy as  this is good for my new colour a day!

And I have also been making these Crocheted spectacles chains as I am forever putting my glasses (only use them for reading) down & not finding them again which is a pain.  Now they are with me all the time!

If you would like one custom made, I am selling them in my ETSY shop

Just click on the photo to go there (I hope)

Day 171 Crochet Classes Galore & some FAB results too!

 

 This morning I took a workshop of 4

It was a little bit of an impromptu one made up of ex workshop pupils that wanted to come back for another lesson, so they were all working on slightly different things, which meant that I was hobbling around the table quite a lot!

However they all made great progress, learnt new techniques

 

Next was KPK - we started hat making last week as she wanted to make a Beanie Hat for herself & she came in with a beige beanie that was nearly finished.

She described the edging that she wanted to add, so I showed her how to alternate back post & front post half trebles to achieve the look she was after.

She had a flower ready mad that she wanted to add to her hat, so I suggested that she completed her new hat with a pink trim to match the flower!

And look at the end result!!

It really suits her too!

Next week we are going to make a matching scarf /snood & maybe some mittens too!

And this is me in my hat!

 I started my Back & Front Post stitches slight further up than at the normal "brow" & I love it!  Like KPK I can't wait for winter now so that I can wear it LOL

So by starting with a basic Beanie Hat Pattern we have created 2 new Beanie Hat designs!!

This is Day 172

 I am still working on a final commission, which I will have completed tomorrow & all ready for the post next week & ahead of the deadline, so I am pleased.

I mentioned that I now have a regular monthly spot in a magazine on Monday, so firstly thanks for all the congratulations!  I have already sent off my "June" creation & I have LOADS of fab ideas for the coming months which I am writing down in my trusty filofax, so I don't forget!

That magazine is Make & Craft Magazine which has some FAB crafty creations, ideas & inspiration in it.

So if you don't want to miss one of my patterns, you'd better subscribe

HERE

Finally, I was offered a job in LONDON today for a Fashion House that is desperate for a Crocheter to work with them on getting some items ready for a Photo Shoot, but they need me next week and my husband is away next week so I had to say no as there will be no one to look after Scrumpy!

My Puppy comes first.

Day 170 - Still Busy!!

Yes, I am still busy finishing off another magazine commission, so I have only this one sole little photo to show you today

Sorry! x

Day 169 - Sewing & Crochet Class !

I decided to make my plaster cast a "sleeping bag"

 As I can't stand the thought of putting a plaster cast "between the sheets" after it's been paraded around all day

So out came the scissors....

 And the trusty Singer

 And after making a test swatch for stitch tension

I got to work!

 I checked it for size

Trimmed the ribbon

 &

Ta - Dah!

Now for Crochet - My student "V" brought this FAB Granny Square in today

 I love the colours!

I promised her that if she did her homework, which was colour changes in Granny Squares, that I would teach her how to 

Granny Rectangle & Triangle!

And she did really well

Now for Square A Day 170

Here they all are 13 x 13 squares to date!

I love it

And here's the square of the day!

Day 168 - Just as I thought "phew" + Course 3 "The Finishing Touches"

Just as I thought "phew" that's all my commissions work over & done with for a bit, another large bag of the most loveliest wool (100%) arrived in the post today!

Plus I have been asked to do a regular monthly slot for a well know magazine & I am thrilled with this spot!

However I have popped it all away so that I can get on with a few WIP's of my own

One of them is Day 169

Another is a hat that was started with a pupil last Friday who has already send me a photo of hers & I have a lot of catching up to do

And my socks need a tiny bit of work to finish off the edging.  I am now pleased to say that this is now done.

There is also my jumper to finish which is now my ONLY personal WIP which I have promised myself that I will find time for this week.

And after loads of tears & sweat, research & organisation, I present to you

Crochet eLearning Course 3 - The Finishing Touches