Day 191 - Are you joining Crochet Camp?

 

Have you joined the Crochet Camp yet?

I am very proud to announce that I have been asked to do a Guest Post for this camp & I have been working hard to prepare for it.

In other news - I have a challenge!!

  I have been asked by a friend, to crochet him a beanie hat.

Now you are thinking "where's the challenge in that?" are you not?  Beanie hats, as I know already are easy peasy lemon squeezy

However

This

Is 

No 

Ordinary

Beanie

Hat

This is a 2 colour Beanie, but the 2 colours are not in horizontal rows, they are in verticals, so one half is to be in RED and the other in BLACK

Now that's a challenge!

As you can see, it starts off ok

(please note that I am making this up as I go along as I can't find a pattern on the internet & I have looked and looked)

But as the hat gets bigger the stripe starts to go off course as it's working on a bias

So not for the first time, I have frogged it and started from about half way up yet again!

Possibly for the 5th time!

 However I think I've cracked it.

I used a secret formula to hide the disarray that might be lurking underneath!

Now for some Classic Crochet

My student ML sent me this lovely photo today

 

Just look at the beautiful workmanship on this little sampler

 ML has done a fantastic job & has made me so proud.

Finally 191 square just about made it today

Days 184 & 185 Apologies & Royalties!!

Day 184 = Apologies

Apologies for not blogging yesterday as it was my Birthday!!

I had a lovely day

 With some lovely presents

Including this very FANTASTIC mug

"Keep Calm & Crochet" on one side 

& 

"Head Hooker" 

on the other!!

Superb 

However the icing on the cake was when my book arrived from America!

And today - Day 185

I find that it's  now available on Amazon & it's in stock

PLUS

I have Royalties - that means I have sold a book

I know it's a small step, but it's in the right direction!

 I made the squares for yesterday 3rd July

& 

Today 4th July 

in

Red, White & Blue

To celebrate America's Day of Independence for all my American followers out there

Day 183 - Men do Crochet!!

In European Crochet News:

http://www.thelocal.de/

lifestyle/20130701-50619.html

This is a great link to a post on

The Crochet Hat Kings

In Dorset Crochet News:

 So if you are in Sherborne, Dorset on July 13th do pop along

Thank you Ali Nurts of Butterfly Bright, Sherborne for sending me this photo.

Today I have been busy again, looking and re looking at the amazon web page

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crochet-Beginners-who-want-Improve/dp/1484875117/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372782402&sr=1-1&keywords=crochet+for+beginners+who+want+to+improve

 only to find that another "seller"  a book seller is now stocking my book 

HOORAY

Here's the description to save  you leaving this page:

Using a Traffic Light Crochet Teaching System, Ali will take Crochet Beginners through a series of projects that are written in easy to understand patterns, which will help to build confidence in pattern reading & Crochet techniques. Beginners are often left to fend for themselves when it comes to pattern reading, once they've learnt a few basic stitches & this could break a newly self taught or newly taught crocheters confidence. By purchasing this book, you will not only learn to read patterns more confidently, but you'll learn lots of simple tips & tricks along the way, which you will take with you and your crochet forever & hopefully pass your newly learnt knowledge on to others too! You will also learn to Crochet confidently in Rows & Rounds, Crochet socks, Hats, Granny Squares & lots more, including colour changes, joining methods & finishing touches. There are 10 easy to follow pattern projects incorporating her Crochet Traffic Light system, that have all been designed by Ali, who has successfully taught these patterns to many pupils in the last few years with GREAT results. You will need to know the basic stitches - Double Crochet & Treble Crochet and have a chunky weight wool /yarn & a 6mm or 6.5mm hook to get started in your next crochet journey - from Beginner to Improver! All patterns are written in UK Crochet Terminology.

 Square for Day 183

Day 182 - My Book is now online!

Yes folks it's finally here!

If you click on the picture of the book cover, it will take you to the Amazon.co.uk page where it will be available for you to purchase.

I am on cloud 9
 I can't believe that I am seeing my creation on Amazon!

However I did get off for long enough to make Day 182 Square

And I also spent a little time on my Jumper today!

 Adding a few more rows & sewing in the ends

However there's no rest for the wicked as another job has just come in!

Off to work again 

Not that I am complaining.

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)