Day 74 & The Crochet Project is here! YAY

I can't believe that it's already Day 74

It's been a busy week.

I have been very busy teaching this week & agreeing to extend workshops

I have also been busy trying to find more affordable advertising for my classes.

I am a "cottage industry" yet I have to pay the same amount for advertising space as, say, a big business in the area.  If I pay e.g. £50 for an ad, I have to at least get 1 response to break even (well actually £2 short) yet if a kitchen company take out the same size ad and get 1 response & sell a £5,000 kitchen they are quids in!

My other frustration this week is my top secret project.  I have emailed photo's of my work, all along the way and I have made the changes asked for and even made mock ups first - anyway, I was given the "go ahead" and now that I have almost finished the project, ready to post out early next week and 1 week ahead of deadline, I get an email late this evening to say "can you try this colour scheme."  

ARRRGGGHHHHHHHHH

Anyway, Day 74 is now upon us and here it is 

 This is thanks to my lady "W" who came for a One 2 One class this morning.  She originally came to one of my Beginners Group Workshops but decided that a few One 2 One classes would put her in good footing.

And finally.....

 

http://thecrochetproject.com/spring-is-here/

Take a look at this new and fantastic online Crochet Magazine packed FULL of amazingly lovely patterns

I will leave you too it!

Day 73 - Beginners & Intermediates Crochet Classes

The Beginners today worked on working in the round in Treble Crochet!

Didn't they do well.

It's in preparation for teaching them Granny Squares next week.

And now for the Intermediates!

This is the bag that "A" has now finished, all lined, all hand sewn too!

 

So (or should that be sew) neat and precise & so 70's - I love it and the colours are great!

In my intermediate classes I like to spend an hour going through the own Crochet problems in the first hour & then to work on a new stitch or a new technique in the 2nd, but that didn't happen last week as we all got carried away with their own projects, so  this week I turned it around!

We mastered No Foundation Chain Double Crochet

And No Foundation Chain Trebles!

Here they all are deep in concentration

 

And here they are smiling, happy in their crochet workshop!

I am still busy in the meantime working on my Top Secret totally exciting commission, however I still found time to do my Square 73

Day 72 Part 2......

Day 72 Part 2.....

I don't know why I couldn't put this bit on the bottom of the first page!

This is all 72 Squares - all different colours so far thanks to Twitter & Student generosity

And this photo was sent to me from one of my One 2 One Pupils "K"

Only a very short time ago she could hardly crochet a foundation chain - now look at her

And this came via Twitter from "S" one of my Workshop Pupils who had trouble reading a pattern.

She's cracked it!

 

And this is Day 72

Sorry for all the jumble up today folks.

I will try not to let it happen again.

Give me a Crochet Hook over technology any day!

Day 72

A fellow crocheter & twitter called Ellie kindly mentioned me on her blog yesterday

http://ellieraine.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/granny-day.html

So I thought that I would mention her on mine!

Do pop over to see her lovely Granny Squares that she's making for Granny A Day 2013.

Crochet Tweets from today's timeline:

cazz @beadercollie

@CrochetAli baby sandals from simply crochet mag #crochet

Tamsyn Gregory @tamsyng

@CrochetAli @morrisseyobe brrrr. I've seen some fab modern ones on pinterest, like this 1 viastylecaster.compic.twitter.com/u4RJNEOw8J

(We were talking about wrist warmers and somehow the subject changed to Crocheted Bikini's!!)

Helen H @TimeWasting

@CrochetAli I know, the sun makes such a difference! Got another busy day of crochet ahead?

(she knows me too well!!)

marie boyle @mariesteaparty

@CrochetAli your tweets always make me smile!! ;o)

(ahhhhh how sweet - I am glad I make someone smile with my tweets)

joanne farrier @joannefarrier

@CrochetAli here's what has been on my hook today :)pic.twitter.com/9eaMA7xBTo

Kelly Pitt-Kerby @Kelspk

@CrochetAli another layer of my granny square blanket!!

Here is a photo from one of my eLearning students

Hasn't she done well?

In case you don't know they are Double Crochet (UK)  and very neat too!

Day 71 Crochet Classes get extended - again!

If you have ever made Crochet to sell at Craft Fairs etc. here's a blog that has some really good advice

http://vickyfully.blogspot.co.uk/

I took 2 Crochet Workshops today.....

Intermediates

And Beginners.

Unfortunately I forgot to take photo's of the beginners class but we started to learn how to work in the round and it was a great sucess!

It's the last week of their 4 week course next week and guess what - they all want to come for more, so we have booked in another 3 weeks!!

So that's the 2nd time it's happened - that's YARNTASTIC!

Now for Day 71

This lovely multi pink colour is thanks to another Twitter @knitknurse

And that's it folks!

I continue to promote Crochet in UK Crochet Terminology, I have not had a response from the BBC with regards to their "cock up" on Knitting & Crochet & I continue to strive to meet a few deadlines that I have looming on top of deciding whether it is worth my while to do a few more "craft" fairs this year.....

....I am off to re read String Theory Crochet's blog post again!

Day 70, Crochet Workshops, The BBC & more!

After my rant yesterday, I had the following responses on Twitter....

@CrochetAli well said,I have a USA/UK conversion table under my bookmarks as always need it, will dismissed a pattern if in USA sometimes!

@CrochetAli well done for sticking to your guns!!

@CrochetAli completely agree with your rant! Love that you promote UK terminology. Hope you had a good day :)

@CrochetAli I always strongly advise anyone i teach to crochet to avoid american books at least untill they are fully aware of english terms

   And then whilst watching "Call the Midwife" on BBC1 they were talking about KNITTING squares for a blanket, however the blanket miraculously turned into a very nice CROCHET blanket in the end and at one point the blond nurse was knitting squares whilst balancing crochet squares on her knee!  I have tweeted the BBC:

 Dear @BBC1 in #callthemidwifethey were knitting blanket squares that turned into a #crochet blanket. How is that possible? #mystery

  

but as yet there is no response, despite several re tweets from fellow eagle eyed TV viewers & crocheters/knitters alike.

I took a Crochet Workshop today. It was the last of the extra 3 weeks after a 4 week workshop & it was very sad to see the ladies go.  Before they went I took lots of pictures of what they have made.......

 These squares were made by "P" who had trouble understanding a Granny Square in her 3rd lesson

And now she's making FAB rectangular Granny's

For Baby's Pram Blankets!

"R" made these Granny Squares

Double Crocheted them together

And lined the Project bag after attaching Curtain Ring Handles

She also made this sock (1 of 2) for her Grand Daughter after a little help with following a pattern!

And here they both are enjoying their last workshop

Practicing things in their "wishlist"

They have both said that they will come again, possibly for another  workshop or maybe just for a few One 2 One classes or even to my Crochet Clinic which I intend to hold over the Summer Holi

days.

Do you like my Crochet Clinic Logo??

A very talented lady on Twitter "swapped" getting this design together for me in exchange for a free Course 1 of my eLearning Crochet Course 

A great swap as I couldn't have made that fantastic artwork myself!!  Not only that but she is now learning to Crochet!

And finally - After all the excitement I have had today, including try to keep up with a Crochet Submission Deadline, this is the square for day 70

 

Day 69 - Mothering Sunday

In the last few weeks, I have turned down several offers of seemingly "easy money" for me personally, just by becoming an affiliate to promote Crochet, by simply mentioning these Crochet Companies or Bloggers on my blog & being paid a commission to do so.

This may come as a surprise to you.  Why is she, Ali, turning down money to promote Crochet?

Yes it's strange indeed, but there is a very good reason.

This reason is that the Companies & Bloggers in question only have Crochet Patterns in US Crochet terminology.

As you may have gathered in recent posts, I am trying my hardest to PROMOTE the fact that here in the UK we have 

OUR OWN CROCHET TERMINOLOGY

and it would be wrong for me to direct you to a blog or a company page that has patterns written in US Crochet Terminology,

wouldn't it??

YES!!!!

I am going to STICK with Crochet written in UK Crochet Terminology & that is that!

That's one of the reasons that I buy Inside Crochet Magazine.  It's PRINTED in the UK, PUBLISHED in the UK, they use UK Crochet Designers, however, even the US crochet designers they use e.g. Rohn Strong that they use have to write their patterns in UK Crochet Terminology (see pg. 70 of Inside Crochet Magazine Issue 39 - March 2013 for Rohn's fab cushion cover pattern)

RANT OVER 

Happy Mothers Day to all you Crochet Mums out there and NON Crochet Mums too!

I have made this Square for the Twitter Blanket today

 It looks Grey in the photo but it's a very soft beige

I am keeping up with twitter crochet items and I am pleased to tell you that there's a lot of crochet going on out there!

Oh and finally.....

If you want a snippet of my "Learn to Crochet in UK Crochet Terminology" then click here
http://youtu.be/71F4AZLrPWM
 

If you want the full version then go to the Video Tab above and follow the link!!