This is what you do when you have no more orders!

I run a crochet business.  That means I make money when I have crochet orders.  But what happens during slow seasons when I have no orders?

Creations!!  That's what happens.  Let's face it.  I am only one person and I can't crochet 24 hours a day.  When I have a lot of orders coming in, I can't create or try new things.  Call me the random crocheter, but I crochet whatever people ask me for.  If I'm busy with orders, I don't get a chance to try new things.  There is a sort of relief when there is a little lull in orders.  Don't get me wrong!  I want and LOVE orders.  I will work my butt off to seek them out.  But the lull...it's like dawn on the farm.  All is quiet and my brain is firing all it's happy synapses!

What do I do with all the time?  I spend a lot of time looking through patterns which I save for this lull that happens once in a while and I finally get the chance to try all the stuff  that I, at one time many moons ago, thought would be amazing!  How could I tell until I tried it?

I know it sounds counter-productive, but really, I enjoy the chance to test.  Some day I might even try my hand at writing up one of the patterns I try to create.  There are so many ways to crochet and so many concepts to try that I have new ideas flowing though my head all the time!

If I had all day, every day, to just work on crochet...well...

It's a process!

There are choices when it comes to yarn?

Yes!!  There are so many choices in yarn.  In fact, the yarn can make all the difference in the finished product.  Watch and learn!

Here are some Messy Bun Hat  pictures using these different yarns.  See if you can tell the difference.

Things I wish I knew When I Began to Crochet

I knew when I found out I was having a boy, I wanted to make him a blanket.  I already had 2 girls and I never really learned to crochet for them, but this time, I was going to learn.  So I took to learning from YouTube!  I dreamed of single crochets and double crochets for months.

One day, we were having lunch at a local restaurant and walked by a table full of ladies.  I happened to glance in a open bag.  I wasn't snooping, it was wide open!  Okay, I know that's weird, but something caught my eye.  It was a gigantic crochet blanket.  When I looked around the table, I saw all the ladies were working on crochet projects.  Turned out, they were a crochet club.  I did go back a few times and sit with them, working on my lopsided and all kinds of crooked baby blanket.  They gave me bits of advice, but really, I think they felt sorry for my son's gift.

It was a rough start.  Not gonna lie.  But I did eventually get that blanket finished about 2 weeks before he was born.  It will serve as my reminder that when you practice, you can get better.  I have progressed immensely since those days.

I wish I learned:
1.  How to count my stitches.  My start may not have been so rough had I taken the time to count.
2.  Just because the stitch is big and it works up quick, doesn't mean it is the right stitch.
3.  Yarn matters.  Cheaper is not always better.
4.  The hook matters! See #3.
5.  Read the pattern before you make the project.  Do I really need to explain this?  Let's just say, it is really important to know how much yarn you will need.
6.  If you're not sure, YouTube!
7.  Not all patterns are created equal.
8.  There is a coupon for everything.  Be patient, and when the coupons come out, stock up baby!
9.  ALWAYS....ALWAYS...ALWAYS bring yarn, hook, and don't forget the scissors.
10.  Be patient.  If there is a question about the level of patience, refer to 1-9!!!

Practice is the key.  It isn't easy.  It can be frustrating.  When all else fails, step AWAY for the CROCHET!  You can always come back later.

Small Successes

I am so over the moon excited at the places that my little crochet world is going.  I have been doing a lot of marketing to try to get my name out there and with little to no knowledge of social media marketing, this can pose a challenge.  Let go backwards for a minute.

Crochet is a passion.  It turned out to be one that made a little money for me.  As time has gone on, my goals have changed from wanting to sell my work, to wanting to teach my craft.  This requires social media and a knowledge of its viral capabilities.  I have watched countless webcasts, some that just wasted my time.  I have read countless blog, also some that were not quite useful. But I have learned and implemented lots of trial and error.  Its a process.

Now, I have reached hundreds and hundreds.  I need to reach thousands and thousands.  So I will keep on plugging and learning and trying and "error-ing".

In the meantime, I was featured on marketing page that reaches many more than I reach!  Vendors of the World featured me this weekend!  Little successes mean a lot.  The more people I reach, the more I can do.  It has been my goal for a while to get tutorial videos out on my YouTube Channel.  Please go and subscribe so you can be a part of my channel and see the tutorials as they come out.  I am going all out now.  Determined to start this new leg of my crochet journey.

It is all a process.  A lot of learning.  A ton of research.  But quite satisfying.