Another life update. Because you care, right?

This post is long overdue - my last update was almost three months ago.  YIKES!  Since we all know I'm a blabbermouth, you've probably realized that things have been a little nutty on my end.  Or maybe you didn't.  Either way, I'm going to elaborate because I'm an only child and you're my captive audience.

First things first, my 90-year-old grandmother passed away on April 10th.  If you've followed my blog for a long time (and many of you have), you'll know she's the inspiration behind my knitting.  Why?  Because I'm annoying - we know this.  She shut me up by thrusting yarn and needles into my hands and letting me go to town.  I'm not sure she knew how much I appreciated that, or the fact she never sat still; I inherited that trait from her and I'll never regret it.  I take on too much, never say no, cry that I'll never get it all done, and then always come out on top - usually wielding a skein of hand-spun yarn I spent way too much money on.  That's because of her.  (The "always having to do something" part, not the "spending way too much money" part.  My husband wishes I'd also inherited her frugality).

I'm not getting into the dirty details, and I'm not going to spend the next hour of my life weeping through my fingers into the keyboard, but I will say that I hope she knows what she's done for me by introducing me to knitting - and so much more.

Next up?  Best friend's bachelorette weekend and wedding, both of which were a blast.  Michelle and I have been friends since I moved into our neighborhood at the tender age of 9.  I'm 31 now.  Knowing the patience I have for people (none) and the number of people I like for extended periods of time (few), that should tell you something.  I took my MOH status seriously and hope I served her and her new husband, Mike, well.  It was a beautiful wedding and I look forward to celebrating our next milestones together for another 22 years (hopefully more!)

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That time I out-hipstered myself by getting a flight and knitting at Dogfish Head Brewpub

Finally, we took our annual beach vacation, this time to Rehoboth instead of OCMD.  We rented a house with 12 of our friends, ate a lot, enjoyed craft brews, played Cards Against Humanity, and slept on the beach every day for five days.  After a week of what we entitled "Real World: Old People Edition", I returned home relaxed and a few pounds heavier - not because of the craft beer, but because I managed to find another yarn shop on the beach.  I indulged, as you can see.  In addition to a lace shawl pattern book, I also bought some instructions on Brioche knitting, five balls of yarn, stitch markers, Addi circular needles, and a crochet hook.  Oh, me!

There's more, but those are the highlights.  And... I look forward to knitting more this summer, although if the humidity keeps going the way it's going, I won't even look at a skein of yarn.  Unless I'm buying more to cram in my craft room.

I hope you've all had a wonderful start to your summers and that you have plenty of projects planned for the long holiday weekend ahead :)  Chances are, mine won't involve yarn, but I can guarantee there will be reading and barbecue.  Love you all!

Where I've Been: April 2014 Life Update

Hi everyone!  Fritzy and Jenn here to drop in for a long overdue hello.  I hope all of your weeks are off to a great start and that you have plenty of crafty projects to get you through your busy work days (and help you survive until the glorious weekend).

I wanted to pop in and say I know I've been absent, but Life has sort of taken over and I haven't had much time to indulge in my hobby, business, or pretty much anything I like to do in my downtime... basically because there hasn't been any downtime!  Most of it is good stuff, but some of it is (unfortunately) bad stuff that's been keeping me occupied.  I won't go into the details, but suffice it to say, it's been a bit difficult to concentrate.

To tide you all over until I can post photos of current projects, I thought I'd publish a sneak peek of some future blog content you can all look forward to in the coming months:

• An updated version of my Really Easy Slouchy Beanie free crochet pattern, including stitch counts on the rows, gauge, and better yarn recommendations
• A written pattern for a resizable version of the crochet pigtail hats I've been making (due to popular demand!)  I'm almost done writing the pattern and just need to take tutorial photos before plopping it into InDesign for digital publication.
• More product reviews (and giveaways!)
• More class reviews
• Deals of the week
• Obligatory cat photos

And believe me, I'm excited to get back in the blogging game!

So please forgive me if I haven't been responding to comments or inquiries as quickly as usual.  Sometimes I get emails when I'm dead tired and then forget about them because a thousand other things have happened - which isn't much like me at all.  I miss you guys!

[Giveaway] Choose a Free Craftsy Class!

Already know about Craftsy? Then just click here to enter the giveaway!

Unless you live under a rock, you've probably already heard that March is National Craft Month. Well, guess what? It's also National Crochet Month, so what better time than now to put your yarn to good use and learn a new skill?

Craftsy has generously offered me the chance to promote one of my favorite learning tools - Sympoz - so you can try it out for yourself. Sympoz helps you tap into the knowledge of your instructor and classmates. Video lessons are professionally recorded in HD, with clean, clear sound, and enhanced with graphics to emphasize key points… but a great course is much more than great lectures. The Sympoz platform uses proprietary technology to enable video lessons and discussions to blend seamlessly together, much as happens in the best in-person classrooms. Students learn at least as much from interactions with their instructor and classmates as from the videos themselves.

To give you some ideas of what's available through Craftsy and Sympoz, below is a list of classes I've registered for in the past:

• Spindling: From Fluff to Stuff
• Explorations in Brioche Knitting
• Knit Original Cuff-Down Socks
• Joining Crochet Motifs
• Beyond Basic Broomstick Lace
• Tunisian Crochet

And currently, I'm taking a class called "How to Say It" about writing patterns. I've just started and already it's helped me progress toward my goal of putting my thoughts into words more easily.

But Craftsy's not limited to just the fiber arts; there are lots of other fun classes to take, as well, if you're interested in venturing out of your comfort zone. It is National Craft Month, after all! Here are some (yes, just some) of the non-knit-or-crochet classes I'm enjoying:

• Painting Flowers in Acrylic
• Figure Drawing Atelier
• Sewing Machine 911
• Drawing with Colored Pencils
• Perfect Pizza at Home

I'm still in the process of trying to get through them all! The platform is easy to use and the instructors are knowledgeable, patient, and accessible should you have any questions.  How could I resist not getting so many?

So, how do you enter?

Simply click on this link and you'll be entered automatically.  That's it!  You don't have to subscribe to my blog, be a regular follower, or share anything on Facebook or Twitter.  You just need to click here.

When does it end?

I'll be running the promotion for two weeks, starting today, March 13th.  On March 27th, I'll end the promotion and contact Craftsy so they can randomly select a winner and send you your free class!

So now that you've entered and had a chance to browse through the classes, which one will you take if you win the giveaway?

Finished: Purple Knit Headband with Detachable Flower

Believe it or not, I started working on this little puppy back in October while sitting at a craft fair table.  Red Heart had released a variegated version of its Shimmer line (one of my favorites) and I had picked up a ball in the color "Purple Haze".

Now, those of you who know me well know that I'm not a huge fan of variegated yarn unless it's a slow color change; unless I'm head-over-heels about the yarn I've chosen, the time it takes to avoid pooling is just a huge pain in the butt for me.  I loved this kind, though, because it's more "flecked" than variegated.  Yes, there was some pooling (which is almost unavoidable), but it wasn't obnoxious.  I thought the contrasting color chosen - brown - added some interest and made it fun to look at without being too camo.

As it stands, this headband is still for sale in my etsy shop, so if you'd like to purchase it, venture on order and check out :)  Or if you're a knitter and can work it up on your own, download my free pattern over at Craftsy!