Wrap-Up of Ravellenics 2014

I participated in my first Ravellenic games this year! Ravellenics coincides with the Olympics and it's a time where fiber artists challenge themselves to complete projects and compete on teams.

I was on the team TreeHouse Crochet and started out the games by not pushing myself too hard. I coasted through the first 4 or 5 projects and chose one project that took an entire week of focus to complete. 

Aerial Unwind

This was by far the easiest competition that I participated in. I was making a scarf for a swap and ended up not having enough wool to complete the scarf. 

I used every inch of yarn, then had to frog it (unwind it). It was really hard to unravel that many hours of work, but it was also incredibly freeing! I may start unwinding a little more regularly in the future. 

Hat Halfpipe

I watched a lot of Olympics on NBC simply because I was competing in Ravellenics. I caught the Women's Halfpipe event and was so sad to hear the story of Sarah Burke. Her story and the coverage of this event was truly inspiring and, even now, I continue reflecting on the comments of her parents in the interview. They are truly amazing parents whom I aspire to be like.

Toy Tobogganing

Of course this was the most fun event of all! Who doesn't smile when they make fun toys for kids? We have named this dog puppet, Scout, since that's the name of the dog in our church's Sunday School lessons. The kids love Scout! I get to teach Sunday school next week and can't wait to use him with the kids. 

Free pattern from Stitch 11

WIPs Dancing

Intended for a charity collection seeking 70 animals for children in a women's shelter, Owen the Monkey quickly fell through the cracks last fall. I had finished crocheting all the pieces (including his head/body and facial features not shown in this fun photo) last October, but her remained in pieces until now.

 And here he is all finished next to his favorite monkey friend, Peach.

Scarf Super-G and Mitten Moguls

Do you remember that scarf above where I ran out of yarn? I remade it creating a pattern as I went and here's the finished scarf.

Since this scarf is a little more open-work, I ended up having enough wool remaining to barely squeeze out this matching pair of fingerless gloves.

Sweaterboard Cross

This is the area where I challenged myself. I never make garments. I typically refuse requests to make dresses, clothing and blankets. These projects take so much time and just aren't worth it. But, I decided that I would make a sweater once for myself. The total project cost for this sweater was $20.00 and this includes the price of the yarn and the price of the pattern.

I need to get better photos of the sweater. It's called the Simply Elegant Sweater designed by Jenny King. It's a gorgeous, loose-fitting design that I truly believe would look great on any body type. I wore it to church today and it got a lot of positive feedback. I don't know why, but I'm always a little embarrassed when things I make get that much attention.

This sweater weighs close to 20 oz. and used between 950-1,000 yards of Caron Simply Soft yarn.

Conclusion of Ravellenics 2014

I thoroughly enjoyed the games! I really pushed myself to make the sweater and I'm so happy to have actually finished it in time. I can't believe that I fit in SIX projects aside from this one. I'm completely amazed at what we can accomplish when we push ourselves to reach our goals.

My team, Treehouse Crochet, had a competition running based on projects completed during the games and the total yardage of our projects. But, I'm satisfied in earning the Ravthlete badge! I'll be wearing it proudly as my Ravatar for many weeks to come. 

Finishing Off Friday - an Elephant and Yoda

Before I share my projects, I have to share this photo. Wednesday marked 6 years since my sister passed on from this world. My brother-in-law has been faithful to take a dozen roses to my sister every year on certain dates. When my husband, sons, mom and I arrived at the cemetery Wednesday night, her dozen roses were sitting on top of the tombstone. My niece took a balloon to her mom that said, "Miss You".

Don't cry for us. Just pray that God continues to comfort our family and the two precious kids she left behind.

Creating Beauty with Ugly Yarn

I have been working really hard this year to eliminate some of the unwanted yarn from my stash. Originally, I picked some yarns out of my stash that I wasn't exactly fond of:

A few beautiful projects came out of the challenge box. But when I pulled all my yarn from every nook and cranny, I realized this box was not an accurate depiction of my actual challenge yarns.

What Does an Ugly Yarn Look Like?

Well, it's easier to show it than explain it. I tend to take pretty photos of pretty yarn. And, sloppy, discombobulated photos like this when working with a slightly hideous yarn.

You can just look at that photo and tell that I'm not having fun on the project, right?

But, every skein of yarn can be redeemed! I truly believe that even ugly yarn can be turned into beautiful art. That photo above is the WIP photo of this cowl below. I honestly love this cowl and wore it for days after I finished it.

Chunky Braided Cowl

And then there was this yarn...

Image source: TooManyBooks (Ravelry)

Generally speaking, I like earth-tones and muted colors. Why did I buy two skeins of Yarn Bee Whimsy Bulky in the colorway Creamsickle?  I'm really not sure. I bet that I bought it during a retail therapy session where my therapist (that'd be me) thought some rainbowy fiber might cheer me up. I should have gone for a Creamsickle ice cream instead.

But, if I had gotten ice cream, then I wouldn't have this Alien/Monster! 

Ruffle Alien

Those two skeins sat in my stash for over a year before I finally tackled them. I definitely think I won the battle with that yarn and turned it into exactly what it needed to be. My younger son (he's 3) and I both love this guy so much! 

I thought I was going to sell him. Maybe I will at some point, but for now, he keeps watch over the new plushies who are waiting for their forever homes.

Beauty Belongs to the Creator

I hope this inspires you to look at your yarn a little differently. What can you create with that ugly yarn you have been avoiding?

Making the Easy Peasy Sock - In Progress

One of my goals for 2013 is to knit my first pair of socks using DPNS. I cast on Sunday night using the Easy Peasy Socks for First-Timers pattern. I knew about this pattern because I follow the designer (FreshStitches). But, there are a lot of reasons why I chose this one:

1. It uses worsted weight yarn, so that means the project moves along quicker than a traditional sock/fingering-weight yarn.
2. The pattern guides and explains each section you will complete. 
3. There are helpful tips on every page.
4. A note toward the beginning says that this is more like a written class on sock-making with Stacey than it is a pattern.

I am still working on my first sock, but I really wanted to share the progress!

I cast on Sunday night for this sock. Then, I got to this point where the pattern says:

Put up a do-not-disturb sign, and let your loved ones fend for themselves. It's heel-turning time, and you mustn't be bothered.

I love little notes like that! It's sort of saying, "Hey first-timer! Yeah, You! Pay extra attention that you don't get lost in this section! Capiche?"

With that, I left my sock in this state Sunday night:

Turning the Heel

I spent my lunch break Monday turning the heel and setting up my knitting needles for the next section of the pattern. I adjusted my stitches to have an equal number on the left/right needles and the remaining needle was left as it had been all along. When I did this, a little sailboat emerged.

Sailing, Sailing on...Sailing, sailing on...

I finished the gusset yesterday. Don't know what a gusset is? Guess what?! This pattern explains all those terms! Like I said, it's more than a pattern. And, I bet when I move on to a "real" sock pattern, I will probably keep referring back to this pattern for all the helpful tips.

On the 4th Day of Sock-Working...

My needles brought to me: the mindless part of knitting! < I hope you were singing the 12 days of Christmas there. If not, go back and read it again, but this time sing. Maybe in your head if your coworkers might give you funny glances.

At this point, I am finally knitting around and around. I will continue in this manner until I try it on and it reaches my big toe. Then, the pattern has more fun things planned. 

In case you can't tell, I am having a lot of fun in this new knitting adventure! If you want to make a pair of socks, this pattern is a great starting point! You will learn all the basics of making your first sock and all those little questions you have are already answered in the helpful tips scattered throughout the pattern. If you have never made a sock, I hope this pushes you just a little closer to trying it.

If you want to watch the continuing saga of my little sock, check out his project page. 

Expanding My Skillset in the Next 12 Months - 4KCBWDAY7

Day Seven (Sunday April 28th): Looking ForwardOne year from now, when the 5th Knitting & Crochet Blog Week rolls around, where do you hope your crafting will have taken you to? What new skills, projects and experiences do you hope you might have conquered or tried?

Turn Drawings Into Plushies!

I sat down with my kids last week and I finally got a few good drawings from them! I plan on designing my first original amigurumi based on my kid's drawings thanks to the Design Your Own Monster class on Craftsy. I think this is going to be loads of fun! I get bored completing the same pattern over and over...sometimes just making a second one is unbearable. This has the potential of becoming a new path of crochet for me that I am super excited about!

This is my oldest with his drawing of Mr. Moon

This is the drawing I got from my youngest.

My younger son is only three. I started him out with a teardrop shape. He drew 3 black dots for eyes. I drew the circle around the eyes. Then, he added that stack of yellow stuff on top. Then, he added a smile and mustache (the mustache is that green line going across the middle). And, he drew the three legs. I thought the picture was finished, but then he needed just a little blue, so now we have some wacky hair action! This will be so much fun to turn into yarn art!

I couldn't let my kids have all the fun though. I came up with my own drawing for a dude who is so happy that his smile is bigger than his head.

My Drawing of Happy, Smiley Dude

Other Crochet Plans

I want to master the loop stitch this year! It makes an appearance in a few FreshStitches patterns: Sherwin the Alpaca and Murray the Squirrel. She also has a microbe and macrobe that use loop stitch. My plan is to complete Sherwin the Alpaca. He's so cute and comes from the Crocheted Softies book.

Expanding My Knitting Skills

In the next 12 months (hopefully before Christmas), I plan to make my first pair of socks using DPNs. The struggle here is that I have a fear of pairs. Something happens with my gauge between completing one and moving on to a second one. The second one never comes out the same. I really need to conquer that fear of pairs!

After knitting my first pair of socks, I want to attempt knitting two-at-a-time. If I get super daring, I may just do this from the get-go to solve that fear of pairs problem. They should come out identical if I make both socks at the same time, right?

I want to complete my first Enterlac project this year, too. I have completed the first section like 5 times and frog it every time. I really hope to conquer that one quickly because enterlac creates such a beautiful fabric.

Pattern Designing Plans

I want to design 4 new items this year. I want them to be things that do not already exist and I want to have a lot of fun with it. I already have a few ideas lined up, but haven't started working on them yet. I might venture out into finally selling some of them instead of giving away everything for free. I promise that my paid patterns will offer much more than the free ones I post here. 

My Finally Organized Stash

New Dressers Purchased for Yarn Storage

My Previous Yarn Storage Chaos

I'll let you peek into my closet...

And, when I couldn't easily access things in my closet, I decided to keep a few (okay, a LOT!) of supplies next to my chair.

 

My husband hated the mess in the living room and that is what led to the lovely organization process!

Peeking Inside the Small Dresser

The drawers slide like butter and my heart pitter-patters at the site of the beautifully and perfectly hand-wound balls of yarn.  The drawers are arranged by color, weight and fiber content.

Handspun & Cotton | Caron Simply Soft | Red Heart Super Saver

Inside the Large Dresser

Take a peek inside...can you tell what my favorite color is?

I love green! And, it looks like I have bought more than I needed in every shade. Anyone need a Grinch hat? Or frog? Or a turtle? Just let me know! 

I learned a few things along the way and my stash is a calming, peaceful and happy place now.

Textured Mini-Blanket Free Pattern

I barely used any of the textured fuzzy/furry yarn to create the hat above. It left me with nearly an entire skein. I am harnessing my yarn stash and created a challenge box with some of my more unique yarns. This was certainly a challenge yarn and it made it into the challenge box.

I took the leftover ball of yarn and created a Textured Mini Blanket and sent it to Farren Carlson Photography this week as a "Thank you" gift. She has given me lots of amazing photos and has been a faithful customer. I hope she likes the mini-blanket and can use it soon.

Textured Mini-Blanket

Supplies

Size "N" Crochet hook

Soft Illusion Super Bulky Yarn in Camoflauge

Pattern

Ch 27. DC in 2nd ch from hook and each stitch across, ch 1, turn. (25)

Row 2 through end: DC in each st across until piece reaches desired length.

I  made mine into a square approx. 15" x 15". 

Gauge is not important on this project, just make sure that you get a nice-looking fabric.

Join the Yarn Stash Project!

If you are a fiber addict and need some help, you are not alone! Don't let those in denial keep you from becoming free from the tangled web known as your stash. Get help today!

• Join the Yarn Stash Project
• Join the Ravelry Team for encouragement
• Instagram your destash using hashtags #YarnHoarderPrevention or #YarnStashProject2013
• Follow me on Instagram - username: niccupp

Harnessing My Yarn Stash - One Skein at a Time

Why do I have all this yarn and still have to buy more?

Since October, 2011, I have constantly had orders and not a day has gone by where I did not have another order waiting as soon as I finished one. The problem is that nearly every order is unique. It requires a yarn that I don't already have. So, I use the money from one transaction to buy the yarn for the next transaction. It is a rare occurrence for an order to use up an entire skein of yarn, so with every order, my stash grows larger and larger.

But, the yarn stash monster has been fed long enough. This year, I am committed to destashing as much as possible so that I can actually be profitable in my 2nd full year of business.

January Wrap-up

I set goals in January and I am trying my best to keep up with them. Let's recap them real quick.

• Crochet more for Charity
• Rest once a week
• Always Take Photos/Create a Ravelry Project Page
• Design More

So, January is over....how did I do?

Sock Monkey - Free Preemie Pattern for Rosie's Cozies

My friend Elisabeth at Calleigh's Clips and Crochet Creations created a new Preemie Tiger pattern for Rosie's Cozies. I would have never known about this project if it hadn't been for her. She inspired me to come up with my own design to fit a Zooish theme. 

Rosie's Cozies is a project created to honor the families of those fighting for the lives of their children in the NICU. 

Rosanna DeVries was born at 23 weeks and after two rollercoaster weeks, the Lord chose to take her home.  This project is meant to honor little Rosie's life and the family who fought for her.

2013 Goals

Goal 1: Crochet more for Charity

Sometimes art is most beautifully shared through the unselfish act of giving to someone in need. I will crochet more for Charity. I created Charitable Crochet on Pinterest and hope that some of my great online friends will help me find more organizations and opportunities to pursue this goal in 2013. If you know of charities looking for donated crochet items, please leave a comment on this post and I'll add it to the board.

Goal 2: Rest Once a Week

Running a business can prove quite demanding when you work a full-time job. Add two kids and a husband who is a full-time pastor and you have my life. Crocheting used to be my method of relaxation. Then, it morphed into a business that has been going full-steam ahead since October, 2011. 

I need rest and it will only happen if I make it happen. This practice has been very beneficial to me and to my family since the new year began. Serving my family will always come first. I will communicate this up-front to customers and give an "anticipated" time period for the item requested. I will make sure I give myself more time than needed to complete the project, so that I don't feel rushed to meet a deadline. I crochet to relax. It will not become a stressor this year. :)

Goal 3: Always Create a Ravelry Project Page

And ALWAYS (always, always, always) take photos of items before they leave my house. Working rest into my calendar was not a priority last year, so I always felt rushed to meet deadlines and let too many amazing things go without photographing them. I always asked for pictures, but rarely received them. :(

This year, I will load all of my projects on Ravelry and I will take pictures. And, I will make it a point to share pictures on my blog and Facebook page more often.

Goal 4: Design More

I know that for a goal to be attainable and good, that it must be measurable. I would like to design one pattern per month. However, I do not want to pressure myself. Therefore, my goal is to create 6 new designs this year. Anything beyond 6 patterns this year means that I am stress-free and loving what I do.  Most of the designs I make this year will be free. 

I have an idea for a line of patterns that would be available for purchase. No one is making/selling that idea right now. I'm ecstatic that the idea for the product line came to me not long after starting Niccupp Crochet and there is still no one making/selling it. If I can hunker down and set to work on that sometime, that would be awesome. :)

So, these are my goals for this year. I don't have anything over-the-top exciting in my goals. This is my year of rest and enjoying what I do. 

Stretching my Craft Skills

Welcome back to another edition of Pintastic Tuesday where I pick a thing or two from Pinterest and try it, then tell you if it was a success (pinTastic) or failure (pinDrastic).

Today's Pinspiration (Pin + Inspiration)

Sewing Baby Shoes

Source: Pinterest | Original Source: Pamela Susan Fine Jewelry & Gifts

Crafting One-of-a-Kind Button Art

Source: Pinterest | Original Source: Busted Button

Source: Pinterest | Original Source: Busted Button