So apparently...

So apparently motifs are popular! I've been amazed with all the attention my little pattern has been getting since it was posted a few days ago. In just three days it's been downloaded from Ravelry nearly 150 times! (I know it's not a staggering number, but for someone just starting out writing patterns, it's very exciting. Not to mentioned that I'm easily excited to begin with. ^_^) I want to send a big thank you to a fellow blogger who I only know as Before the Sun Goes Down, who featured the pattern on her blog "Would You Like Yarn With That?" yesterday. You can visit her blog here or by clicking on the blue button over to the right of the page under "Featured On". -------->

Also, I was very excited to see Ravelry user JillianJiggs post a picture of her finished product from the pattern! You can see it on the "Projects" tab of the pattern page. It's such a simple little thing, but it's always nice to see people take interest in your work and make it their own. (And I don't mind the least bit that the picture is blurry Jillian!)

I also want to talk a little bit about the idea of selling patterns through sites like Ravelry and Etsy, but that's probably a whole 'nother post's worth of thoughts, so I'll hold off for now. But once that thought process boils over, I'm sure you'll be hearing from me again!

Playing with Thread

I'm back! I've gotta admit, I'm beginning to like this blogging thing. I find myself thinking during the week about what I'm gonna post next and then get a little annoyed when I don't have the time post it, which has definitely been the case this week! Life is crazy, but it's fun. :) Anyhow, I wanted to share my latest project with you all. I believe I mentioned in a previous post about starting on some earrings. Throughout my pattern scrounging on Ravelry and other places, I realized that there aren't really a whole lot of earring patterns out there that aren't totally granny-ish. Some of you might be thinking, "This is crochet...it is by definition granny-ish Kaity!" I would have to say I disagree. Part of what I love about crochet is the challenge of making it modern and taking it out of the "my 80 year-old grammy made this for me" box. And if you look around, there are several designers out there that have made an effort to do just that. Short story, it would be cool if crocheted items (and handmade items in general) were able to be both functional AND stylish, and those are the kind of projects I try to do (unless I'm geeking out on amigurumi, which happens quite often).

Back to the point: earrings. I really love flowers, and I have recently come to love this particular flower pattern by Carlinda Lewis, which you can find on her blog here: http://hookhound.blogspot.com/p/rosa-crochet-flower.html. And I thought it would be really fun if I could make one of those flowers super small and put it on an earring. This was the result:

It took a little bit of trial and error, but I finally got a look I liked with a little modification of the original pattern. All I did was use size 10 crochet thread with a 1.5mm hook and skip Round 4 of the pattern (so you have 18 stitches in the round instead of 24 when starting your petal bases). This takes the outer row of petals off the flower altogether, making it smaller. In any case, I like them. :) Now that I have a little bit of experience with crochet thread, I'm working on some more (non-grannyish) earring patterns to put up for sale in my Ravelry shop. I'll let ya know when things start happening! Adios.

Just for Starters...

Hello friends. :) Welcome to KrochetLove, my latest attempt at keeping a blog alive. It shouldn't be too hard to guess what it's about, given the title. I am new to the world of crocheting compared to most (going on about 6 months), but I haven't been able to put my hook down for any extended period of time since I started. There is no particular purpose to this blog except that the main topic is crochet, but I imagine you'll see my own thoughts on learning new techniques, comments on others' work, reviews on patterns I've used, and perhaps a few patterns of my own. Right now I'm in the middle of about umpteen projects, so I doubt there will be any lack of material for inspiration. So, if you happen to come across my little blogging experiment, please feel free to comment! I welcome advice and constructive criticism from those more experienced than myself, questions from those that are less so, and any comments will be met with the utmost elation. :D

Seems like a respectable first post to me, if I do say so myself. With any luck, you will see me again soon, but for now, I've got a ladybug plush that needs embellishing. ;) A beintot!