December Update!

November came and went with a lot going on.  I entered myself into 3 gift guides & an a-list (Chakra Gift Guide by Phylameana Desy; The Streeter A-List for Accessories & Apparel and Bath & Beauty, and Life with Lovebugs Holiday Gift Guide under Knit/Crochet).  I also kept up on blogging and scheduling and took several custom orders.  And now here it is December already?!  I can't believe the Solstice is just around the corner!

Some other things that went on was the launch of my newsletter - if you're not on it, you can subscribe right here on the page!  I send extra special & early updates there.  I also only give out some special sales via my newsletter that you won't see anywhere else.  So if you love my work, like I know you do if you're reading, stop stalling and sign up already!

While I've been very busy I can say I have a lot to show for it - I had several custom orders placed and filled  before the end of November including two sets of striped armwarmers I named Donatello's Revenge, four sets of house slippers:  A Hint of Blush, If You Were Coming in the Fall, Gray Misty Morn, The Ants Go Marching, and Jack o Lantern's Light.

With December I look forward to more orders as the holidays loom ever closer and the promise of fun new projects I've gotten my little mitts into - like tatting.  I also hope to be able to take a small break from the store, because I'll have caught up on work and do a little work for my photography & design as well as my healing center.

And let me give you a tiny hint at something to look forward for those ordering this month...(be on the lookout for a blog post about it too!)  I'm putting the finishing touches on my branded packaging so you'll get to see my hard work all too soon.  If you want a quicker, personal look head on over to the store and place your order now!

And here's a special treat to those who took the time to read all the way through to the bottom!  I'll be running a Yuletide sale for one week 12/10 to 12/17 resulting in 30% the entire store!  Just use code "YUL3" at checkout in my store!  **An important note:  due to delays surrounding the holidays I cannot guarantee anything ordered during this sale will make it to you before or by 12/25!  I do apologize for the inconvenience!*

To you I hope you bundle up, light the fire, and enjoy the indoors with those you love and develop even more wonderful memories!  Stay safe, keep warm, and feel free to drop by to say hello!

Cyber Monday Free Shipping Extravaganza!!!

So you're super bummed, you signed up for my newsletter or you just missed the Black Friday sale I just held.  That's okay, I've got you covered!  Monday and Monday alone I'll be doing free shipping on everything available in my store.  This will exclude certain things, but they won't be available for purchase so no need to worry about having to cancel an order if you didn't read the fine print.

This sale starts midnight on Monday and ends midnight on Tuesday EST.  I'll be deactivating the store right before and right after (11:45 pm - 11:59 pm Sunday and 12:01 am - 12:15 am Tuesday).

This is a limited time offer and one I may not be doing again so jump on it while you can!

Happy Crafting,
Aradia
of
Aradia's Hand

October Book Review - Creepy Cute Crochet by Christen Haden

Image Source Credit

I love to crochet so how could I have not bought this book.  Sporting a picture of a monkey with a fez hat, a little Cthulu, and a mini grim reaper... I was sold!

This book is creatively written starting out with the author's inspiration of how they came to write it as well as tips, tricks, and resources that are always popularly found in how to books.  A benefit of the book is it's small enough to fit in your project bag to tote around while you hook cute monsters, however I am sad that the pictures in the how to basics are so very small, not optimal for the beginning amigurumi enthusiast.

Projects range in things you'd expect to find in this book - like zombies - to things less expected such as the gladiator (I'll admit to missing the creepy reference here since they're just cool!  Yes I'm a fan of the Gladiator movie...)

The pictures of each project are great, though again some of the diagrams are a little small so I wouldn't recommend this for a novice.

I'd give this a 4.5 out of 5, only docking for the fact that some of the diagrams are a little on the tiny side for my tastes.  However this allows the book to remain in pocketbook form so it's not that big a deal if you can read standard crochet abbreviations!

October Craft/Art Form - Crochet

Crochet gets treated like the red-headed step child many a time.  Passed along by knitters as something for those less serious.  But anyone who has looked at or scoffed at the idea of crochet with disdain obviously doesn't know the art or it's range very well...

Crochet may not be as old as knitting, but it certain has it's own claim to fame.  Progenitor of many an intricate lace doily that graced your grandmother's home and that of fine ladies in the Regency era.  It was all the rage in the 70s with "granny squares" and if you're of my generation you likely have curled up in a granny square afghan before.

Crochet, like knitting, at it's core is the simple twisting of fibers with a tool.  The major pull and benefit to crochet over knitting for many is that it look less complicated with the use of 1 tool, rather than two simultaneously.  The reality is that it isn't any easier or harder.  While knitting has only 2 basic stitches, crochet has 5 (ie., slip stitch, single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet, triple crochet) basic stitches.  There is only one way to decrease or increase a stitch however unlike knit which gives a veritable plethora.  Crochet also has a number of special stitches from elongated versions of all of it's basic stitches to decorative and textured stitches (eg., popcorns, bobbles, puffs, picots...).

As with many fiber arts starting to crochet is as easy as acquiring hook and yarn, and of course a little instruction.  Both allow for a myriad amount of choices to suit your taste, style, and wallet.  Hooks are available in aluminum or steel, depending on the size, but also plastic, acrylic, and wood of various types.  They also come in differing styles, including standard, Tunisian, cabled, and two differing types of double ended hooks (one version is for working Tunisian back and forth the other to combine hooks, they may face the same direction or opposite ones.)  Yarn is available in the form of synthetic man-made fibers (eg., acrylic, nylon, rayon), plant-based fibers (eg., cotton, linen), and animal-based fibers (eg., wool, mohair, angora, cashmere, alpaca, silk) or a blending of any of these.  Due to the potential size of a project crochet has an easy portability to it, except in the case of larger pieces, such as afghans.

Crochet differs largely in some ways from knit in it's basic use.  Crochet is perfect for sculptural and three dimensional objects.  (This is not to say that you can't do such thing in knit at all, just that it is easier to do so with crochet.)  Unlike knitting crochet has a denser feel to it and is worked up one stitch at a time.  The benefit of this is it's great for outerwear and things that need to be heavier or thicker, and if you do have a hook mishap and drop your work you likely only messed up one stitch.  (As opposed to the catastrophic dropping of needles where in an entire row could unravel!)  With the greater amount of density however you use roughly 3x the amount of yarn.  So a similar project would take more yarn in crochet than it would to do in knit.

Crochet comes in a number of styles, including amigurumi (the making of small dolls or toys comprised entirely of single crochet, originally made in knitting), Irish Crochet (a particular style of crocheted lace), Tunisian Crochet (uses a special kind of hook that is either elongated, has a cable to extend it, or is double ended), and Freeform Crochet (this technique involves a number of crochet techniques that build upon one another to form often abstract designs).

When choosing to learn crochet depending on your style of learning there are many options.  YouTube offers videos on everything you would need to get started.  Many sites also offer full color, live picture tutorials so you can "see" stills of how a stitch started, in progress, and finished should look.  There are a plethora of books and magazines about crochet, that all cover the basic stitches.