Hi friend – I need your opinion.
I mostly write a blog post if I’ve created a new pattern or when I finished a project, but that just seems selfish. I’d be interested to hear what you’d like to see on this blog. Do you like the content I’m writing? What would you like to see more of?
Crafty democracy at its finest.
Take the poll below and let me know your thoughts… Thanks!
There are things in life more wonderful than crochet. I know – blasphemy, right?
In the past two weeks, I have been a bridesmaid twice – once for my older brother’s wedding (Brother Bill) and the second for my good friends, Rachael and Andrew. It is weekends like these that make me high on the beauty of life.
Brother Bill got married in Pittsburgh; Rachael in Buffalo. The great thing about being in back-to-back weddings, though, is most of the prep work is only done once. I’m already tan and my nails are done. I would jokingly tell people, “This is as good as I can possibly get right now!” I believe the bobby-pin count after wedding #1 was 75. (A hairstyle that takes 75 bobby pins is out of control, if you ask me.)
The two weddings were different – one a family one, the other for two good friends. The weeks leading up to the weddings required different amounts and different types of work, yet both were equally special. I am so thankful to have been a part of Brother Bill & Ahsley’s lives for 23 years and to have spent 4 years in college with Andrew and Rachael.
Weddings are an especially sweet time of seeing old friends. I got to see people I haven’t seen in over a year since we graduated college and it was great to catch up. The funny thing is, with good friends, you can be 600 miles apart, but when you get together, it’s like no time has passed. Those are friendships worth maintaining.
I’m sorry for the nostalgia and emotions I’m sharing (this is a big step for me), but I wanted to share my thoughts with you, blog reader. Coming off these wedding weekends, it helped me put things in perspective, and I’d encourage you to do the same.
Life is about “weddings”, in the larger sense of the word. It’s not about the bridesmaids dresses or the center pieces. It’s not about all you can achieve at work, or how clean (or not clean) your room might be. It’s about inviting others to speak into your life and investing time to be a part of theirs. It consists of those moments standing proudly with your friends as they make a commitment before God to grow together. It means creating memories and enjoying the different personalities and quirks and ideas of others.
It means creating community.
I am so blessed to have been a part of not one, but TWO beautiful weekends this month. How could life get any better? I pray God’s love and continued blessings over the new marriages (and for my brother to hurry up and start having kids – Aunt Jayna needs some kiddos)!
And now, since there is nothing more enjoyable than looking at other people’s wedding pictures (yeah right), here are some glimpses into my life:
Siblings
The family
New Sister!
Wedding Party #2
There’s a long story behind this one, but essentially, I’ve been the third wheel for the past 5 years…HA
Go enjoy your “wedding weekends” and fabulous life – More crochet things next time, promise!
While researching my favorite hobby–crocheting–I came across a few interesting facts that made me love crochet even more. I didn’t think it was possible to appreciate it even more, but it was and I do.
Share if you learned something new and interesting about crochet!
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Sources: http://www.crochet.org/newslet/nl0997a.html, http://penniepackard.hubpages.com/hub/A-Brief-History-of-Crochet; http://penniepackard.hubpages.com/hub/A-Brief-History-of-Crochet, http://www.crochetmemories.com/crochet10.php, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crochet
I’m not much for New Year’s resolutions. If I want to do/ change/ fix/ enhance something, well then I do it. But now that I’m on my own and making money, I decided I wanted to improve my quality of life.
This idea of improvement stemmed from “Treat Yo Self Two-thousann’leven” from Parks & Rec (watch the video – you won’t be disappointed).
I decided, no more eating frozen chicken nuggets for dinner. No more buying clothes that are only on sale. No more skimping and being frugal (within reason, of course). No more! This year, I’ve determined to improve my quality of life. If you remove the “of” in that statement, it sounds even more exciting: I want to improve my quality life. Yes, much better.
So besides cutting out frozen poultry from my life, what does “improving my quality life” entail? Great question. Essentially it’s just me spending more money on myself, but here’s a list of things I came up with just now:
In completing that list, I realized most of my “treat yourself” things include food, but I guess it is what it is. The stationery I marked as partially done because that is my latest endeavor.
You see, I came across PowderBluePapers on Etsy and figured custom stationery was the perfect place to start. I told myself it was okay spending over $1.50 on a notecard–I was worth it– and placed an order.
My cards arrived in the mail today and can I just tell you, they have improved my quality of life. I am so happy. I didn’t know it was possible to get this much joy from notecards, but I did. Here they are:
I cropped my address off from the bottom of the notecards, but know that it is there and it is beautiful. I can’t wait to improve the quality of life of others when they receive little notes from me in the mail.
I also splurged and bought myself mini-moo cards (from Moo.com), and as expected – LOVE. I ordered half the cards with a floral design, half with images of crochet hats and knitted cowls. My family hated them, mocking: “Hi, here’s a half-business card,” (giggles) “Hello, do you want this tiny piece of paper?” (mocking laughter), but I think they’re great. Just want I wanted for JJCrochet. I treated myself and I enjoyed it!
I have started 2012 off treating myself and I must say that I am enjoying it. I am too thoughtful and good to myself, ha. But what it really comes down to, is what am I willing to spend my money on and why don’t I spend it on others? I’m trying to be more conscious of my spending, more purposeful, but also remembering it’s okay to let myself go sometimes.
What are some ways you could treat yourself to improve the quality of your life and the lives of others? Maybe it’s going to a movie or buying that new purse or calling an old friend. Whatever it is – DO IT! Life is too short and you deserve the finer things in life, and that most certainly excludes frozen chicken nuggets.
Jo-Ann Fabrics has their very own coupon page.
Yes, you read correctly. This new page is regularly updated with printable, online and in-store current Jo-Ann Fabrics coupons and hosted on Jo-Ann Fabric. I don’t want to take full credit for this, but I’ll take partial credit. I help manage Jo-Ann’s online advertising (I know – dream come true, right?) and one of my suggestions to their marketing team was to have a dynamic coupon page hosted directly on Jo-Ann’s site.
I’m thrilled to see this new design because, like you, I’ve been there.
I’ll peruse pages on Jo-Ann’s site looking for crafty supplies, load my cart up, but right before I check out, I’ll hit up Google looking for Jo-Ann coupons. Sometimes I’d find coupons on other sites, sometimes none at all. But now Jo-Ann has current coupons located on their site. Yes, please.
To view Jo-Ann Fabric’s Coupon page, visit here: http://www.joann.com/coupon
Along with coupons, Jo-Ann’s offers a number of discounts cards and programs. If you haven’t heard of them before, now is a great time to sign up for one. Last year, I wrote about Jo-Ann’s VIP card, but I’m happy to tell you Jo-Ann now offers a lot more reward programs (outlined below)
You can receive one of these discounts (ranging from 10% – 15% off your total purchases). Jo-Ann offers 3 different types of reward programs and chances are, you fall into one of these categories:
To read more info about the VIP reseller and non-profit cards, go here: http://www.joann.com/vipdiscounts/
Jo-Ann Fabrics is all about rewarding their customers, which I appreciate. They’re really tying to improve user experiences and care a lot about customer loyalty. Hey, they have the best selection around and with great prices and reward programs like their VIP card, they have my business.
Sign up for one of their reward programs and start saving!
It’s time to hang up the gloves.
The question of which is better–crocheting or knitting– has been discussed since the first sheep’s wool was spun into yarn. Knitters hold their needles high as they offer delicate stitches and sweaters that took weeks to knit, while crocheters fight back with the functionality of their knotted work.
As someone who has been crocheting since she was 8 and knitting since she was 13, I want to end this argument for good.
Crocheting is Better Than Knitting. (Don’t tell me you couldn’t see that coming…C’mon, I have a crochet company.)
Here’s 8 reasons why crocheting is better than knitting:
1. Crocheting takes 30% more yarn than knitting. While some might view this as a disadvantage, I view it as a positive. Any compulsive crafter would have to agree. The bigger dent you make in your overwhelming yarn stash at one time, the better.
2. Crocheting uses one hook instead of two needles. Why phenangle two things when it’s easier to hold just one?
3. Crocheting is faster. Knitters see patterns for 5 1/2-hour crochet afghans and cringe. They dream about the day they could make something that fast. For crocheters, making an afghan in two evening sittings isn’t anything new.
4. Crocheting is easier to learn. I’ll admit this one is subjective… but it’s factual and true.
5. You have more freedom when crocheting. Crocheters use one hook with one loop of yarn on it. Knitters, on the other hand, have perfectly aligned loops sitting obediently on their needles. Where’s the freedom? When crocheting, if you suddenly want to go over the side, go for it. Back the way you came? Sure – not a problem. Want to join something together? Just fold and stitch along the top. Ladies, it doesn’t get more free than that.
6. You can easily make a crochet flower and other accessories. I put crochet flowers on pretty much every hat I crochet because I think they’re adorable. (In fact, I love making crochet flowers so much that I created a Video Tutorial on how to crochet a flower.) Patterns for knitted flowers involve no less than 12 steps and lots of sewing together. All that work takes the joy out of flowers.
7. There are less crochet patterns than knitting patterns. Also might seem like a downside, but the thrill of the hunt makes this a plus for crocheting. Finding a good crochet patternis like finding GOLD. Hundreds of books have been written about knitting, but good crochet patterns are harder to trace down and more rewarding when you find them.
8. And finally, the most compelling part of the case: Crocheting creates a heavier, stretchier fabric. This heavier fabric is useful when making:
Pretty much the only thing people would rather knit than crochet is a sweater. So for projects that are a sweater, pull out the knitting needles. For everything else, grab a hook because crocheting’s where it’s at.
And so, I think you will find that crocheting, as whole, is better than knitting.
What’s your preference? Are you a one hook or a two needle crafter?
1. Featured Artist of the Month
2. Local Newspaper Article
3. The Collegian- pg 10
4. Keystone Edge - April 2011 Edition
5. Good Housekeeping, Feb 2012 pg. 92
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