March | 2013 | The Whole Knit & Caboodle

Pattern Sale/Fundraiser

by wholeknitandcaboodle

A lady on my street had her vehicle broken into last night. The thief made off with a backpack that was in the van and left her with the expense of replacing her window and the University library books that were in the backpack (which are not cheap to replace).

It’s sad that this happened to such a sweet lady. She’s got two young boys and her husband is currently between jobs. Like me she has a small business- she knits and sells her items from home but because she works outside of the home as well, she doesn’t have as much time as she’d like to be knitting items to sell.

You might think we would see each other as competition but it’s not the case. She’s bought items from me and has also sent customers my way. I actually bought something from her today.

To help her out I’m having a BOGO sale on all the patterns in my Ravelry store, the proceeds going toward replacing the broken window in her van. No coupon codes needed, discounts will show up at checkout. The sale will run until the end of the day on Saturday (Pacific time).

Please head on over to my Ravelry store if you’re interested in picking up some super cute patterns for a really good cause. If you’re not in the market for new patterns or if you’re not a crocheter and would still like to help, please share and help get the word out. It doesn’t cost anything and you could help a very sweet person who is having a hard go.

Thanks ❤

Crochet

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Hooked on Clay!

by wholeknitandcaboodle

The last few evenings when my hands are sore from crocheting stuffies I’ve been playing around some more with polymer clay. It’s been a nice break for my hands and it’s a lot of fun.

For the longest time I told myself that I couldn’t use a crochet hook with a handle because I bought a foam one on a whim one time and it was awful! It covered the thumb rest and part of the throat of the hook, it made holding the hook feel awkward. It was change. And I didn’t like it.

I’ve been drooling over some of the amazing hooks put out by a couple of the pages I follow on Facebook and decided that my poor Red Heart hooks needed a facelift. I decided not to sculpt anything for them- I wanted a slim, streamline handle that I would be comfortable holding for a long period of time.

After some smooshing and mashing, wrapping and rolling, here’s what I came up with:

I think I may be “hooked” on polymer clay!

I should get close-ups of some of my favourites- I really love them and they’re actually really comfortable. The designs on some of them are really pretty and I know I’ll never be able to duplicate them, they sort of fluked into existence. Maybe with a little practice I’ll be making clay canes like a master and I’ll be able to create some really remarkable ones 🙂

On another note, I released my Shy Pig (Piglet) pattern last week and the response was astounding! In my short time as a designer who sells her patterns I’ve had the pleasure of being on Craftsy’s top 20 leaderboard a couple of times. Usually around #14 or #15 but it’s always a thrill to be up there with established designers such as Bonita Patterns and Frayed Knot.

When I released Shy Pig, he was #1 for about a day and a half! #1! It was amazing. I even took a screen shot (photos or it didn’t happen, right?)

The #1 Pig! For a day and a half!

Sure, he was on intro special while he was #1 but I’m still so proud of the achievement. When hubby came home from work that evening he insisted we order sushi in celebration (though I think he just wanted sushi 😉 ).

Crochet Polymer Clay