This is my latest crochet project, another blanket for my dogs. This is actually crocheted blanket number 3 for them. The first one has a few bites in it, but otherwise, has managed to survive. The second one was demolished in about a week.

I wondered why one seemed okay with them and the other was just a toy to destroy, and then I realized that with the first one I had used very soft baby yarn. It was originally going to be a baby blanket for a human baby, but I didn’t like how it turned out, so it ended up as a dog blanket. The second dog blanket was a big granny square style blanket made of acrylic yarn.

Do they notice the difference between the yarns? I’m thinking, yes, they do. So I decided to use up scraps of baby yarn I have and make a third blanket, this time using double crochet stitch so it more similar to the first blanket. I’m just half way finished with it, so fingers crossed, this one will survive.

In fact, I was testing out my new flip video camera recently and caught them wrestling in the back yard. So this is an example of how crazy these two guys can get around here:

I have been working on a new jewelry related project during my summer vacation, and until I got to a certain point of completion, I didn’t feel comfortable discussing it here. However, I have made some major progress and see my vision coming clearer ever day, so I finally decided to spill the beans, at least some of them.

Drum roll please…Tammy Powley (aka the Crafty Princess) will soon be offering jewelry kits for sale. This is a project that I have been dreaming about for way too long and decided to just buckle down and do it this summer.

Of course, it has been way more work than I expected. For example, my husband is helping me with the photographs since it is basically impossible to take photos of your hands making jewelry since, well, you need your hands to operate the camera. On our first photo shoot, he asked me how many photos I thought we would need to take. This shoot was for two of the kits, so I said well, maybe two dozen pictures or a tad more than that. How many did we end up taking? More like 100 pictures!

When I get further along, I will reveal more details about the designs I’ve created for the kits, but for now, I can say that I’m just starting with a small number to test the waters. My vision for the kits I think are a little different than what I’ve seen available so far. In fact, I’ve been pretty surprised at what I’ve seen as far as kits in general. My goals when putting together the designs for each kit include the following (in no particular order of importance):

• Use quality materials, some of which are not available at the average craft shop
• Develop a “class in a kit” approach where each kit covers specific skills
• Provide step-by-step instructions tailored for each specific kit
• Incorporate high-resolution photographs for each tutorial that accompanies each kit
• Generally create kits that are appealing to beginners but also appeal to intermediate level jewelry makers
• Offer convenience to buyers, no going to the craft store, bead shop, or ordering a huge list of supplies on-line.

I’m really hoping I get these all together and ready to announce properly, yes, with lots of fan fair, press releases, and Hollywood parties (okay, maybe not a party but you get the picture) by the time I start back to school, which is (yikes!) only a few weeks away. So stay tuned!

My plan for this weekend is to make a resin photo pendant to give to my mother of her mother for Mother’s Day. My mom has recently started to make jewelry, and my grandmother passed away a few weeks ago, so I thought this might be a nice present that she can really appreciate by incorporating it into a jewelry piece she designs herself.

Here’s what I plan to do (and hopefully, it will work): I printed the photo on regular paper, and I plan to cut it to fit into the round bezel (which came from Rings & Things, item #46-301-21-0). Then I will seal the paper in modge podge, and after it dries, I’ll put it in the bezel and pour 2-part epoxy resin in it. This project is very similar to a Resin Flower Pendant project I created recently, so I’m fairly confident that it will work.

I think this is a great Mother’s Day gift idea because you could also put in photos of her children or a flower like I did for my other resin pendant. Use a two loop bezel and create a kind of Y-necklace design, or use a one loop and just add a chain to it and you’re done.

I don’t get much time to crochet these says. Mainly, I crochet a little in the evenings when I’m chilling out and watching a TV. (And, yes, I do watch TV, horrors! I read so much for work, that I really need some down time ya know.)

Well, here is my latest project. It’s for the next charity challenge of one of my crochet groups which is making red scarves for a group called Heart Sisters. I’m doing a simple combination of regular single crochet and single crochet going in the back loop. This creates a kind of ridge affect. I’m not 100% sure of how I like it so far, but hopefully, once I put an edge around it and block it, the final product will look good enough to donate.

EDIT: Carolyn Thomas who runs the site mentioned above was nice enough to correct me that while her site does offer educational assistants related to women’s heart issues, it is not the same group I am making these scarves for. That group is actually called Women Heart, and you can find out more about donating red scarves on here.

I’m using Vanna’s Choice in cranberry, so it is a really deep, dark red color. Yummy! I’m still a huge fan of this yarn I have to say. While it is acrylic, it is so much softer than many of the other brands I’ve tried in the past. Hopefully, I’ll have this finished to show you the completed scarf next week.

The hat is still on hold for a little while longer. I have decided to try to whip up the amigurumi banana for my nephew as part of his Christmas present. I found the pattern at Amigurumi Paradise, which also has an adorable free monkey pattern available too. (Thank you to Barbara for letting me post the picture above.)

While I basically plan to give his mom a little money to buy him something he needs/wants/likes, I wanted to have something for him to actually open as far as presents. He’s only four, and right now pretty much lives off of crackers, apple juice, and bananas. So, I thought an amigurumi banana might be funny to give as that extra something to wrap. Plus, he did seem to like the frogs I made awhile back. The instructions look pretty straight-forward, so hopefully, I’ll have my own to show you before Christmas rolls around.

I finally have had a chance to get started on one of the hats from Drew Emborsky’s book, In All Caps. It’s the beret on the front cover, and am using Red Heart Eco-Cotton Blend yarn in the color denim. I love working with this yarn because it feels great. It’s kind of hard to explain. It is soft, but not soft like baby yarn, more like smooth feeling when it runs through your fingers as you stitch.

Hopefully, it will come out right. I am still not that great at following patterns, and while this is labeled “easy” in the book, well, I’m not very confident about my abilities. I’m so used to doing “no brainer” type projects because primarily I crochet in the evenings while watching TV, and this has required me to count and keep track of where I’m at and what I’m doing.  I’m trying not to rush it, but I sure hope I get it done by the time we get some cold weather around here.

The dog’s blanket has grown. It is no longer small enough to fit into my regular little crochet project carry-all and has moved into my very cool Michael’s tote, which I got when the local Michael’s had its grand opening around here a year or so ago. I am now onto the third skein of yarn as well, so it’s a fair size; however, the boys say it is still not big enough. So onward and upward to outward I guess too! I may get this finished by this weekend. Then I’m thinking of….gasp….making something for myself!

I’m working on a new jewelry making book, and I have the first group of items, including finished jewelry pieces, printed images with required labeling, artlog, and CD, ready to ship off. This means my first big deadline is met, actually beaten since I’m about a week ahead of schedule. Yippy!

I know this picture is far from visually appealing, and that’s part of the deal when working on a book. You can’t show off all the fabulous finished items you’ve crafted for it. In fact, you make them, write about them, and then pack them off and say good-bye for anywhere from 6 months to a year, “Good-bye my lovelies, I will miss you!”

Now that school is back in session, at least for people like me who teach during the second summer semester, life has been crazy-busy. It seems like I’m either working on grading papers or preparing for my classes that start in the fall, which is just a little over a month away, yikes! Then on top of that, I work on jewelry articles for my About.com site, so there has been little time to craft just purely for the fun it.

I have been treading, keeping my head above water, until the other day when I received a really nasty email from a student. I’m teaching web-only classes for the summer, which has its perks since I don’t have to physically show up for a class. However, one issue with web classes is that sometimes students become a little more aggressive (or maybe courageous is a nicer way to say this) with their emails. They say things they would never dream of saying to my face. I had such an email the other day, and it really put me into a horrible mood. I sent a brief, curt reply, but the whole thing just nagged at me the rest of the day, especially after the student decided to write me yet again with an almost equally bad reply. Like I said, this is not uncommon. In fact, normally this is the same student who will later write and ask me how he/she can bring up his/her grade and is there any extra credit available! Yes, believe it!

Anyway, I was really having a tough time getting out of this icky mood, and then I realized I needed to step away from the keyboard and the grade book and the other school work I was doing and have some fun. So, I picked up some gorgeous tangerine mist Vanna’s Choice yarn I had just received in the mail and started working on another amigurumi project, a totally cute little tiger. (The free pattern is from the Lion Brand site).

Amazingly enough, about 15 minutes into my crocheting I felt so much better! And, at least for a little while, I was not thinking about how or if I would even reply to the last nasty email I’d gotten from this student. When I did return to my work, I was much more relaxed. This is a lesson I need to remember. Even if I have a ton of work to do, the work will always be there waiting for me, but my mental health needs a craft break once in awhile!

Okay, I have a number of issues going on with my first attempt at amigurumi, but I still had to show off him off. Even with all his flaws - which I won’t bother to point out to you - he is pretty dog gon’ cute!

I’m working on my second attempt at him, and I think I’ve got enough yarn to make maybe two more, so I’m not giving up yet. These guys work up so quickly, even those new to crochet will be amazed. If you haven’t dipped your toe into the amigrumi pool, now is the time! Seriously! I got this free pattern from the Lion Brand Yarn site, and they have a ton more. I’ll just warn you that making these is kind of like eating potato chips!