How I Kept Myself From Being Successful

I was asked by someone local, "Are you still crocheting?" Eek...The fact that someone asked that question is a problem. I crochet all the time. So, why would a local person have to ask me if I'm still crocheting?

I had to search myself and realized that I am keeping success away by hiding my pieces from the world. It sent me on a search to figure out what misconceptions do I have that are keeping me from being successful? And, in the end, it resulted in the fact that I am neglecting the platforms I have on which to promote my finished pieces to the world of people who may end up buying them.

June Wrap-up

I finished several projects during the month of June. There's something for Duck Dynasty fans, Tinkerbell fans, monster lovers, hunters and children of the 80s. 

I had to bump the Cabbage Patch Kids hat to the front. Aren't these the sweetest things? I have two hats ready-to-ship in newborn/0-3 month sizes. These are $30 for newborn and range in price up to $40 for adult size. Contact me if you are interested in ordering or follow my Etsy shop, because I plan on listing the two I have already finished if no one claims them soon. 

One of the three Cabbage Patch Kids hats I made in June.

 Next up is this Tinkerbell-inspired doll using the A Doll Like Me e-book containing 4 doll patterns from FreshStitches. She turned out exactly as I planned, though I must admit that I spent 3 hours (at least) just trying to get her lips right. I finally glued on some lips and moved on. Do you know a little girl who would love her? She is $75.00 and is still waiting to find a new home.

Princess Ballerina

I love monsters. I LOVE monsters! Love, love, love them! And, I just recently realized how much cuter they are in tiny size. Look how tiny this gal is! She is wearing the Monopoly hat game piece. It fits her perfectly and just shows how teeny tiny she really is.

Ro the Tiny Monster

And, here she is with her mom who is also quite small with her beautiful flower eyes.

Tiny Toothie & Tiny Ro

And, now we get into the things for the Duck Dynasty fans.

I improvised this little camouflage deer hat.

 

Deer Camo Beanie

This awesome pattern for Drake the Mallard Duck is from the amazingly talented, HollieJolly Designs. I think Duck Dynasty fans will love this guy!

Drake the Mallard Duck

And, last, but not least, a customer requested something with a Cincinnati Reds theme. there are links below the picture where you can find the patterns for these items. I improvised the "C" for Cincinnati and cut it out of felt and sewed it on. It's a true baseball cap with the little hole in the back. And it comes with a crisp pair of white baseball shorts. I cannot wait for this baby to arrive so I can see him wearing this outfit. I might faint when I see the photo.

Baseball Cap and Baseball Pants

What I Learned this month

I learned a fancy new stitch called The Loop Stitch. It's used in the Cabbage Patch Kids wigs and is securely attaches the loops so they will not come out.

And, I got lots of practice working with felt and attaching it to my pieces. This came from the eyes/lips of the Tinkerbell-inspired doll and the Cincinnati Reds hat.

Plans for next month

I have all of my projects queued in Ravelry and I plan on working through all of the patterns I purchased by the end of the year. I have 6 months to do it, so that averages out to about 7.2 projects per month! Wish me luck!

I am continuing the yarn stash project where I focus on using up yarn from my stash. It's amazing just how much yarn I have and how much of it was bought without a purpose. For the projects featured in this post, I purchased only one new skein of yarn (yellow) to finish off the pig tails on the Cabbage Patch hats.

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?

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.