moving to my own domain

I have finally launched my own website - I am so excited!  I will continue to blog there - please come visit me at dmcogger.com !!

Open Studio Weekend

The first weekend of October was the Vermont Craft Council's Open Studio Weekend.  After weeks of planning, building sign holders, hanging posters, and dropping off event maps at every location I could think of, the weekend arrived.

All of the things I have up on Etsy were displayed in the tent to the right, thus opening up the "production" part of my studio for visitors to walk through.

Saturday was a nice, sunny day. We had a total of 8 people arrive and look around.  All but one found me by following the signs; the one had picked up a map all the way down in White River Junction and drove up to find me.  I met and chatted with some wonderful people.

Sunday was chilly, damp, and dreary.  Two people stopped by after the church across the street let out, and two more came through around 3pm - that was it for the day.  Very disappointing.

But, as there can be a silver lining to most everything, I met a woman who fell in love with a pair of gloves I had made.  She did not have the cash for them, so we worked out a barter instead.  She had a large rabbit cage, which is something I was looking for.  My Angora rabbits are now happily in their winter (inside) home, while her hands are toasty warm!

My Crochet Muse

"When the muse is with you, work with it."

Needless to say, looking at the date of my last post, my writing muse went away for a while. In one respect, I am almost glad that it did, as it created time for new discoveries.

After meeting Sarah Mutrix at the Vermont Crafts Council spring marketing event, I visited her at The Art House in Craftsbury.  I had gone with the intent of finding out more about their new fiber studio.  I left with an opportunity to teach a class on Etsy!

The crochet muse struck hard shortly after that.  I became so obsessed with a pattern I was working on, I even special ordered the yarn!  It was well worth the effort, as Mary Maxim purchased the pattern.

I also started working tech editing for a couple of new clients.  The crochet muse helped immensely there, especially with patterns that did not have pictures to reference.  It is amazing how many talented designers there are out there!

On the crochet design front, I have had more ideas and subsequently made more submissions in the past couple of months than I ever have before.  All of this hard work paid off when the CGOA approved my application for professional membership!

Now I have to dedicate some serious time to creating product for Open Studio Weekend in October.  This will be my first year participating, and I want it to go well!  Come visit me if you are in the area!

Celebrate Crochet!

Welcome to Day 9 of the Tour through Crochet Country!  Happy Crochet Month!

I have a lot of things going on, so let’s get started!  As a new crochet technical editor, I am accepting designs at a reduced rate to celebrate crochet month.  Not a designer?  How about an idea for what to do with scrap yarn to support the charity of the month, Project Night-Night?

Scrap Yarn to Afghan Donation

Start by going through your stash.  Pull out all the partial skeins, balls, partial cakes, etc. of the same yarn weight.  If any require hand washing, throw those back into your stash. 

Now sort those scraps by color.  Place them on a table, from left to right, in order of the rainbow:  red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.  Sort them again by dark to light within the same color group.

Working with 2 strands of yarn, starting with the reds, and a large hook (K/6.00mm or greater) make a 36” chain.  Verify the number of stitches can be divided evenly by 3.  Double crochet (dc) in 5^th chain from hook, chain 1, dc in the same stitch (V-stitch made), skip 1 chain,* (dc, ch 1, dc) in next stitch, skip 1 chain* across, dc in last chain.

All following rows:  Chain 3, turn, V-stitch in chain-1 space of previous row across, dc in top of turning chain.

When you run out of one strand of yarn, replace it with the next one in your color line up.  This will create a beautiful, one-of-a-kind rainbow afghan as the colors meld into one another.

The border can be done in your choice of grey, white, or black – whatever you have.  Sc evenly around, working 3 sc in each corner, and you’re done!

The Travel Afghan

As I do not have a picture of the scrap afghan described above (I donate them once they are complete), I thought I would share with you another afghan – one that my great-grandmother gave to me when I was a child in the 70’s.  She called it a travel afghan, as it was made while she was on the road touring the country back in the 1940’s.  When they came to a new town, she would pick up a single skein of yarn in whatever color caught her eye at the local 5 and dime, and work on the afghan while her husband drove.  This was the result:

The CGOA

While you are on your tour of crochet country, why not take a moment and check out the Crochet Guild of America?  They are an excellent resource for anything to do with crochet, for beginners and professionals alike!

A Crocheter’s Guide to Spring Cleaning

1. Announce to all occupants of the house that you are cleaning and not to be disturbed.
2. Gather together all of those unfinished projects (UFO’s).  Go through each one and prioritize when each will be completed (this year, next year, whenever).  If one catches your eye, it’s time to finish it.  Pull that one out, put the rest of them away.
3.  Gather together all of those crochet books and magazines.  Sit down and go through each one.  Bookmark those projects that will make perfect gifts, and also those that you just want to try. 
4.  Go have lunch.
5.  Look at your stash.  Feel the yarn.  Absorb the colors.  Organize it if you want.  Take note of what colors and fibers you are missing.  If you are lucky enough to find the perfect yarn in the right quantity for one of the projects you bookmarked in step 2, put the pattern with the yarn and go find a crochet hook.
6.  Make sure you have all your tools (crochet hooks, stitch markers, scissors, tape measure, pencil) next to your favorite crochet chair.  Chase the cat out of the room if necessary.
7.       Stash the stack of books and magazines at the bottom of the nearest bookshelf, put your stash back where it was, and sit in your favorite crochet chair.  Start on that pattern or UFO.  If anyone asks, you’re done with spring cleaning.  After all, anyone can do dishes.

More on the tour...

I hope you've had fun here at NEKCrochet!  Thank you for visiting! Don't forget to continue your tour - visit Angela Whisnant today.  Here is the rest of the tour schedule:

March 10	Andrea Lyn Van Benschoten	Renee Rodgers
March 11	Joy Prescott	Donna Childs
March 12	Pam Daley	Deb Burger
March 13	Tammy Hildebrand	Marty Miller
March 14	Jocelyn Sass	Jennifer E Ryan
March 15	Andee Graves	Kimberly McAlindin
March 16	Laurinda Reddig
March 17	Brenda Bourg
March 18	Rhonda Davis
March 19	Julie Oparka
March 20	April Garwood
March 21	Alaina Klug
March 22	Erin Boland
March 23	Margaret Hubert
March 24	Bonnie Barker
March 25	Kim Guzman	Susan Huxley
March 26	Susan Lowman	Michele Maks
March 27	Marie Segares	Brenda Stratton
March 28	Kathy White	Lori Carlson
March 29	Amy Shelton	Donna Hulka
March 30	Linda Dean	Kristin Dragos
March 31	Karen C K Ballard	Gwen Blakley-Kinsler

March is National Crochet Month

I have been spending the morning catching up on the blogs of the crochet professionals participating in the National Crochet Month blog tour.  Although today is only the 3rd day of the event, there is some fascinating reading to be done!

see the full tour schedule

It is amazing to me how many different niches there are to explore in the crochet world.  From the history to the future, from the tools to the runway, and everything in between, what I have read so far in this blog tour has been eye opening. I look forward to see what others are going to write!

My turn comes on March 9th, so please check back then for an update!

Time Management - Again

I know I've written quite a bit about time management.  Perhaps this is due to the fact that I am still trying to figure it out.  It's one of those things, I've determined, that the experts in such things can provide guidelines for, but one size does not fit all.  Everyone has their own set of distractions that need to be kept in check in order to get your work done, especially if you work at home.

One of the best guidelines for me was so simple, my jaw dropped when I read it.  Shut the door.  Three simple words.  Whereas I was working in the living room at the time, this proved to be impossible. I began to notice how many times a member of my family would enter the room to ask a question, turn on the television, argue over what channel to watch, etc.

This led to this summer's main project - build a studio.  I have been wanting to join in the Vermont Crafts Council's Open Studio Weekend, but needed a studio.  Now was the time.  Unfortunately for me, the studio was completed too late to join in the fall Open Studio Weekend, but it will be open for the spring.  The studio itself is heated, so I can work in there all winter long.

Hopefully, this will bring an end to the little distractions that make it difficult to work.  I had a sketch/swatch accepted by a major magazine this summer that included a zipper.  I had a good idea of how I was going to work up the sample, but it still had to be reworked a few times to get it right.  I did not get to the zipper until the day before I had to mail it back to them to be received by the deadline.  Wouldn't you know, I could not get that zipper in the way it was supposed to be?  Once I had the whole thing together, I discovered other issues that should be reworked as well.  I mailed it in, as I was out of time, only to receive a letter from the editor a week later that it could not be used due to various design issues (including the zipper).  The editor was kind enough to send it back to me.

I am still reworking that design.  I figured it I had that much trouble putting in that zipper, other people would as well, so I am trying to make it easier to do.  The next time I submit it, it will be right!

Summer Reading

Summer reading for me tends to be more like summer browsing.  I like to take crochet books and magazines, and after catching up on the articles, browse patterns.

credit:  FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I'll choose what it is that I want to make for whom, so I have plenty of time to find the perfect yarn.  If you're looking for something new, check these out:

All Free Crochet is giving away a free copy of Austentatious Crochet - all you have to do is enter.

Get a copy of Dora Ohrenstein's latest book, Custom Crocheted Sweaters:  Make Garments That Really Fit.  Almost everyone can use a new sweater!

Laurie Laliberte's new paperback has just been released - Quick Crochet For Kitchen And Bath - another great resource for gift ideas.

For the sports lover, check out another new release - Sports: Baseball, Football, Basketball, Hockey Knit and Crochet Patterns.


The amount of ebook patterns and crochet books is constantly rising.  It appears that Amazon has recently released several vintage patterns on ebook.

If looking at all of these patterns inspires you to create your own, pick up The Crochet Artist Memory to get it down on paper!

Deadline Reminder

The application deadline for the Herrschner's Afghan Contest 2013 is coming up fast - June 15th.  For more information, go to their website.  Speaking from experience, they are some really terrific people to deal with!

In a nutshell, all you have to do is download and fill out the application and get it back to them by the June 15th deadline.  They send you the submission tag.  Then get busy on finishing that afghan!  The finished 'ghan is due July 15th.

Obviously, not everyone can win.  One nice thing about this contest is that Herrschner's may opt to purchase the non-winning, honorable mention designs.  They will contact those they are interested in late summer.  It is a fun way to start getting published as a designer.

The Heat Is On

When the pressure is on - that's when you can really surprise even yourself.  The last half of April was harsh.  All of the semester-long projects were due for school, finals coming up fast....and of course, submission deadlines for 4 crochet magazines, and, why not, let's throw in a contract crochet audition.

Now that April is over and done with, I can look back and say "wow - I did all that?"  One look at my desk (which always seems to suffer the most) brings in a reality check.

Somehow I managed to get at least one submission into each of the mags.  Somehow I managed to get all school assignments done and in on time.  As far as the audition goes, my gauge was too different for the designer - it happens.

There is a short respite between spring and summer classes, which to me is the calm before the storm.  It will give me a chance to clean off my desk, and maybe organize a bit.  The calendar says I can do it all over again in July, only this time we can add it country fairs to the list!

It's Spring! Time To Think About Christmas?

There are all kinds of submission deadlines coming up - for Christmas and winter 2012/2013!

It is totally normal for publishers to work months in advance.  If you think about all that goes into a publication, it makes sense.  For those of us submitting, however, it takes a little bit of a mind twist.

credit: Anusom P nachol

Crochet!, Crochet World, and Interweave Crochet all have submission deadlines in April for next winter.  At a time of year when most people are sick of winter, even a mild one, and are looking forward to spring, it can be tough to look at a ball of wool and see the next great project.

The trick to dealing with the time delay is, well, not to worry about it.  If you are thinking Spring, design for Spring.  The publishers will be looking for submissions for their Spring 2013 editions in a few months and you will already have several ideas down!

By sketching your ideas when they are fresh in your mind, they are completely unique to you.  If they fit with the editorial calendar of a certain publication, wonderful!  If not, drop it in your portfolio.  The important part is to get those ideas down on paper, or typed/scanned into a computer.

This concept did not really sink in with me until this year.  I saw the "inspiration" on an editorial calendar and gasped - it was almost identical to a sketch/swatch I had made one summer almost 2 years ago!  Now I have to dig it out (moving is SUCH a good way of misplacing things!) and submit it and I'm done!  No stress.

Although I have to admit I get strange looks from people when they see I'm currently crocheting a Christmas stocking.....

Credit: digitalart

Something Strange Is Going On....

February in northeastern Vermont usually means several feet of snow on the ground with icy cold nights and cold and snowy days.  Not this year.  We have maybe 6 inches of ice crusted snow on the ground, with daytime temperatures in the 30s and 40s.

This is February???

Maple sugar season usually starts around the last week of February, first week of March.  This year it started last week.  Most disturbing of all is the wildlife.  Skunks and raccoon usually sleep through February.  This year they are out and about, starting their mating season very early.

This 'easy' winter has national broadcasters proclaiming how homeowners are saving 10% of their heating costs, not due to fuel prices going down (they've actually risen), but rather due to less heating being required. This mild winter is not unique to Vermont - it appears to be the same across the continental US.

What does any of this have to do with crochet?  Slow sales of wool products.  Hats, mittens, gloves, and scarves are generally all good sellers during the winter months, but not this year.  I suppose some of it can be due to a poor economy, but mostly I blame the weather.

The bright side of all of this is that the warmer temperatures make it easier to focus on spring and summer products, and to work with lighter yarns, such as cotton, bamboo, and rayon.  By starting now, more time will be available to complete entries for the summer fairs.  I wonder if fall will come early this year, too?

Vermont Crochet Designer Creations Is Now Open!

I have finally finished enough of the setup of my Etsy store to officially open!

visit me!

I took my time with this, trying to get everything right.  I found a new book at the library, "How to Sell Your Crafts Online:  A Step-by-Step Guide to Successful Sales on Etsy and Beyond" by Derrick Sutton.  The first few chapters focus on how to get your Etsy shop up and running, advice on keywords and listings, as well as photography (my major weak point!)  I do not have an avatar yet, even though the book promotes and tells you how to make one.  I simply can't decide on what I want it to be!

I'm still going through the second half of the book:  chapters on Google Analytics, various marketing and tracking techniques, shop promotion, etc.  It's taking a while, as after a read a chapter, I try to implement it with my online endeavors.  It seems to be working, too!  One of my other blogs had traffic increased by 300 percent in a single day!

Therefore, I am viewing my Etsy shop as a work in progress.  The items currently listed for sale are items that were made for the craft fairs I opted to skip this year.  They were priced the same as they would have been at the fair.  I plan to add more items as I make them; a much better prospect than throwing them into a bin to store until the next craft fair season.  I may decide to list patterns for sale as well, although I have read warnings from other designers about patterns being "stolen".

One thing is for certain - there is a LOT of work involved diversifying crochet projects and design to earn money with it.  More web presence means more exposure, which will hopefully mean more paid projects.

That being said, I'm off to crochet something!

What a Project!

I had an idea for a booklet with about 10 patterns in it.  I pitched it to a publisher, who 5 weeks later sent the dreaded "thanks but no thanks" letter.  I then sent it to my CGOA mentor, who encouraged me to self publish it.

What a wonderful idea! I thought.  I was clueless about the amount of work I was putting on myself for this.  I didn't know the first thing about self publishing.  This began a great deal of research, which I am still doing.

It turns out that you can sell crochet patterns on Ravelry, Amazon, and Kindle.  Apparently there is a market out there for various ebooks.  You can also sell on Etsy and your own website.  This has opened up an entirely  new world for me to explore!

As I have written and sold patterns before, I think I have that part of the process down.  It takes time - a LOT of time.  I have to jot down pattern notes while I crochet what's in my head.  Then, once the item is complete, I have to translate those notes into a readable pattern.  Then comes the dreaded photo session.  If a good picture is worth a thousand words, then my photos are worth about 3.  Usually someone in  my family will take pity on me and get a few good shots of the item for me.

Formatting is taking me a little bit of time to learn.  As is setting up my own website and Etsy store.  The process is slow, but once done, I won't have to do it again.  This is keeping me motivated, even when frustrated!

Each of the 10 patterns needs to be completed, not just a sketch.  Each pattern needs to be written, each item photographed, introduction text needs to be written, table of contents and cover pages need to be decided upon, online shops need to be set up, formatting needs to be done, and then, once the booklet is finished, it needs to be marketed.  Sheesh!

My goal is to have it all done by March 2012.  I still have to make time to work on Christmas presents!

The Sting Of Rejection

The Yates Farm Yarn Sale Aftermath - Find The Cats If You Can!

Crochet design definitely has it's ups and downs.  One of the major downs in the rejection letter.  I received 5 of these last month, which naturally caused me to question myself.  What was I doing wrong?

Enter one very helpful mentor.  Anyone interested in becoming a crochet designer should join the CGOA and apply for a mentor.  Without her, I probably would have given up completely.  Instead, I am now looking forward to the next batch of submissions.  

I emailed my mentor, then, at her suggestion, I mailed the rejections to her.  She went through them and identified my weak points.  Then she emailed me a sample of what her submissions look like.  They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and in this particular case that is very true.  One glance at her attachment and everything she had told me over the phone clicked.  I got it.  

I learned that submissions are a lot like resumes - whoever looks at it should find what they are looking for at a glance.  This is something that I have to work on.  Due to the encouragement of my mentor, I am now re-energized and have direction.

Competition among crochet designers is fierce due to the limited number of publishers.  Thus, there are far more rejections than acceptance letters.  I am not alone, and the rejection no way indicates my designs are crap.  I simply need to convey my ideas better. 

Warning: Black Does Not Scan Well

Crochet design often presents many frustrations that seem to come out of nowhere.  I ran into one of these roadblocks recently when I designed a crocheted hat.  After spending many hours working on it and its significant amount of detail work, I brought it over to the scanner to start the submission process.  The hat was worked entirely in black simply because that was the first skein in my stash I grabbed of the correct fiber and weight.

That is when I discovered something new.  Black does not scan well.  None of the intricate details I had so painstakingly worked into this design showed up.  This is not lace, but rather texture detail, so no amount of blocking would help.  I tinkered with the scanner settings, to no avail.  After cursing the technology, I had to face facts.

I now was left with 2 choices:  redo the hat in a different color or make the submission by mailing the hat and all other related materials.  Reworking a swatch is not really an option as the shape of the hat is crucial to the design.

It is always helpful to find a way to make a roadblock to work in your favor.  In this particular case, it looks like I will be doing my own pattern testing to see if I can re-create this hat in a different color following my own directions.

I've never had issues scanning surface/textural detail in lighter, more colorful projects.  Now I have learned that black is not a good choice for working samples I plan to scan.

Making Money With Crochet

As crochet is an artisan skill with some level of popularity, it is possible to make a little money with it.  It is NOT a get rich quick type of deal, however.  The upfront investment is yarn and a whole lot of time.

 People who sell at craft fairs must create their inventory.  Using a hat as an example, let's say that one hat takes 4 hours and one skein to make.  To have 10 hats on hand to sell, 40 hours and 10 skeins of yarn have to be expended. Obviously, you would need more than those 10 hats to fill up your table, but you get the idea.   The day of the fair can be a profitable one or not, depending on attendance and how many people purchase items from you. 

Designing for magazines takes longer - sometimes, much longer.  Although I've never worked on the editorial side of things, I've spoken to many designers and emailed publishers.  As a designer, you come up with an idea, sketch it, swatch it, gauge it, notate it enough so you can make it on demand, and for fashion submission, draw a schematic with sizing.  This process can take days or even weeks to complete.  It can take months, sometimes even over a year, for an editor to contact you.  They may hold on to it for a future issue.

About 7 or 8 years ago, I had submitted a laptop case (finished product, no sketch) to a crochet magazine that now no longer exists.  Imagine my surprise when I received it back 20 months later with a "thanks but no thanks" note!  By that time, the Lion Brand yarn I had used had been discontinued!!

The standard amount of time for a book deal, I am told, is about a year's worth of work.  Booklets take a little less time, perhaps, but with either one a proposal must be written and accepted, examples of your work have to be submitted, several editorial approvals must be given....lots of administrative time in addition to crochet time. 

Self-published designs still require you to go through the design process.  Add to that making the finished product, photographing it, writing up the pattern, editing, and formatting.  Once all of that is done, you can put your pattern up for sale on Etsy, Ravelry, or your own website. 

Contests are a little different, in that you may or may not have to provide the pattern for the item you made.  County fairs sometimes award cash prizes, as do several contests online, such as Herrschner's and Mary Maxim.  

Although it is possible to make money from crochet, every item, every submission, every design is a gamble.  You must truly love your craft and stick with it to profit.

The Crochet Design Process

The crochet design process is how things go from an idea in your head to something that can be shared with the world.  Every designer is different, but I believe the basic steps are the same.

Sketch

You have this great idea, now you have to put it on paper.  Even if you think you can't draw, you have to try!  The sketch is your base.  It reminds you of where you are going.  Use color to highlight certain areas or to make the sketch more complete. 

Notate

How big will it be?  Write down how long, how wide, how tall - use arrows if necessary.  What weight of yarn will work best?  What stitch pattern?  The sketch is now becoming your blueprint for the design, so add as many details as possible.  Remember, if you are planning to use this for a submission, you may not see it for a long time.  You will need as many details as possible not only to impress your idea on an editor, but also to jog your own memory when the time comes to make it!

Swatch


Now pick up the yarn and a hook and play with your chosen stitch pattern.  Practice increases and decreases in pattern and see how it looks.  You many decide at this point that a different stitch pattern or different weight yarn would work better.  Change hook sizes until you get the look you want.  Be sure to write down the hook size you settle on and any other changes in the notes. 

You may also want to block your swatch to see how it will stretch.  This is a good time to measure your gauge as well.


Crochet


Go ahead and make it!  Be sure to write down notes to yourself, such as how many stitches you chained, how many repeats, how many stitches per row, etc.  Sometimes I will write "started 2nd skein here" and sometimes I will simply save the wrappers with the project to keep track of the amount of yarn.  Keep in mind that you will be using these notes to write your pattern in a format the rest of the world can understand!

Write

There are templates available for this stage.  Some publishers have their own submission forms that can also be used as a template.  Either way, this is the point where you take all those notes to the computer and start typing your design pattern.  This is also the point where you will learn how strong or weak your note taking was.  That's why it is best to also have your finished project with you to refer to if needed. 

Please keep in mind that this is a very basic overview of the crochet design process.  There are entire courses dedicated to the topic that cover all the details.