Purple Chair Crochet: Inspiration

Friday, June 7, 2013

Knit Picks Order is IN! (Inspiration)

Check out what came in the box from my latest Knit Picks order...

How gorgeous, right? It's an interchangeable crochet hook. I attach that cable to it and I can crochet big ol' Tunisian crochet projects. Not that I had any in mind. But now it's an option.

Oh yes, future sweater material.

Isn't that beautiful?

Love love love.

Classic but not frumpy. What a great book! I'm definitely recommending Blueprint Crochet Sweaters to all interested in crocheting clothes.

Have a Lovely Day!
~Jess

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Saturday, January 5, 2013

A Wee Bit Ugly (Inspiration)

I dedicate this blog post to my mom (Hi, Mom!), who wanted to see pictures of my new old couch.

I recently bought a couch. An ugly couch. That's okay- that's the point. It's ugly. And it's mine. It all started when my charming husband and I happened across this ~~beautiful~~ ugly chair in an antique shop about....6 years ago.

We christened it, "The Ugly Chair" and toted it with us from duplex, to rented house, to apartment complex to, finally, our home.

Then a few months ago, we came across another ~~beauty~~ ugly...

This one is soooooo cozy! So so SO cozy. I can't even.... it swivels, and it rocks. It's perfectly proportioned for shorties like me (5'2"). It's amazing. Whoops, I'm gushing. More here.

Our mantel. Joy. :)
I don't know why this picture is involved...
Where was I again?
OH, but here it is.... the gorgeous new old ugly sofa!!

We found it on Craig's list where it was listed for sale at a new-to-us thrift store, which also happened to be the cleanest thrift store I've ever walked into. Immaculate.

And since this is a "Saturday at Home" post, I started wandering around with the camera in hand, snapping pictures of things that caught my fancy. African Violet, anyone?

My "octagon" bathmat.... it ended up more circular than I was going for.

A close up, complete with foot crumbs (it is a bathmat, after all).

Window plants silhouettes.... the leeks are going for it, but the sweet potatoes.... not so much. The basil is in the empty pot (bottom left) and I just saw the tiniest little sprout poking through today. Welcome to the world, little Basil!

As promised, my "genie slippers". They're actually the Granny Square Slippers via the purl bee and they're comfy and snug and a wee bit ugly (I'm okay with that, remember?).

Oh, and have a look at this.... a newly started flower pot. There's actually a bit of Big News revolving around this one. But you're just going to have to stay tuned, because I'm no where near ready to get into the details.

Hope you all had a beautiful/ugly day!

Have a Lovely Day!
~Jess
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Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Flex Your Creativity (Inspiration)

I never considered myself a creative person.
Enthusiastic about crochet, yes.
Willing to learn and experiment, always.
Desiring to create, usually.
But creative? Oh, no. It's not like this stuff comes naturally to me.

Over the years, as I've read what other people I deemed "creative" had to say, I've come to realize: creativity is not exactly some innate gift that you either have or you don't. None of us are solely Left Brained or Right Brained. People don't fit neatly under the titles and subtitles society has created for us. We just don't.

Here's some fun videos to pick your brain a bit (I love a good brain picking). The first is a link to Sir Ken Robinson's Ted Talk: Schools Kill Creativity. And another ted talk from Elizabeth Gilbert: Your elusive creative genius.

So maybe, creativity is not necessarily something we're endowed with at birth. For most of us, it's a skill we develop, a muscle we flex, a method we study. And for every finished item, work of art, thing of dazzling beauty, are dozens of dead ideas and stalled projects. I imagine that's a reality for everyone attempting to make. For every masterpiece there is a lifetime of work, both before and after.

So to you, whoever you are: Be enthusiastic. Be willing to learn and experiment. Desire to create. Then: flex your creativity.

Have a Lovely Day!

~Jess
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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Poison Ivy (Flowers)

I have poison ivy on my arm. This is relevant to crochet- you'll just have to keep reading.

Last weekend my husband, brother in law and I dug up a plethora of weeds that worked their way into the patch of dirt that is to become my flower garden. Though we've flipped our calendars to September, the mugginess of August still remains, and I foolishly wore flip flops and and a t-shirt to do my work. Gloves, I did wear, but the poison ivy managed to work it's magic (evil magic) on my forearms. My husband's, too. And likely my brother in law's.

As I flipped through my copy of 100 Flowers to Knit & Crochet, ignoring the tingling in my arm (I refuse to scratch, I refuse, I refuse, I refuse), I thought of how much safer it would be to crochet myself a garden, rather than this nonsense of rooting around in the dirt amongst aggressive toads, crawling centipedes, creatures with very large stingers, and plants that want to poison your skin.

I haven't made anything from 100 Flowers to Knit & Crochet, but I'm itching to (and just itching).

Maybe I'll start a series. I'll do 1 flower a day/week/month... something manageable. Upon reflection, once a day is a bit too much, I know myself too well to commit to that.

The best bit? No poison ivy. :)

Have a Lovely Day!
~Jess

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Tuesday, September 4, 2012

It's a Start (Inspiration)

Back at the tail-end of spring we had a mishap with my laptop. One minute, we were goobering it up in front of Mac's Photobooth, me and my bedtime bidden boys. And then the computer froze. I attempted to restart it, and finally did a force shutdown. And then: blue screen.

The diagnosis? Dead hard drive. Good bye, videos of my children (all the ones that didn't make it to facebook). Pictures, too. Good bye all those crochet patterns I'd been working on. At least 10 in-progress patterns were lost. ~~I could have cried.~~ I cried. A lot more than I should have. For a couple of days. I obsessed over the whole thing. Kicked myself for not backing things up on our external hard drive. Was upset I never uploaded all those baby videos to facebook (I mean, who wanted to see a 5 month old baby playing with blocks for 8 minutes? Besides his parents, of course).

And despite getting my lappy back from the lovely people at the Apple store "fixed", I couldn't bring myself to write more patterns. Not the more complex ones, for sale on Etsy. I distrusted the daggon thing (I *still* do, if I'm honest. The screen's getting wonky. I need to shop for a computer...). And the idea of starting over with my pattern template, with my pictures, with my folders, with my Purple Chair Crochet in general made me queasy and reminded me of the loss of everything. Honestly, losing the patterns was the sprinkles on the cupcake (I don't like cherries. And I suspect I'm misusing this metaphor).

So, I gave myself a break. I put the etsy shop on vacation mode (despite my PDFs being safely stored in my gmail account). I blogged a bit, here and there this summer. The inspiration struck to start crocheting for charity. But the designing? Nope. Didn't happen.

I gave my break a deadline of Labor day for no other reason than it seemed appropriate. And now Labor Day's come and gone (gulp) and I have to get back into designing. I started sketching a few things in my notebook earlier today. A cowl I want to make. Very basic. A wardrobe staple. I'll start back small. But it's a start.

Have a Lovely Day!
~Jess

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Thursday, July 5, 2012

Pick a Winner! (Work in Progress)

The Sunburst Granny Blanket is nearly d-o-n-e!

I don't have pictures just yet, but they're coming. Promise.

In the mean time, it's time for some visual inspiration for the final touch: the border. And where else does one turn for visual inspiration, in this year two thousand and twelve, than the wonderful world of Pinterest? I should note that a winner has already been picked by the Sunburst Granny's recipient - the lovely Stephanie. Still, it doesn't hurt to show the crochet enthusiasts some crochet eye candy with their original sources. It's for the good of the people, really.

Image courtesy: Muita Ihania

First up we have some lovely, basic scallopy borders. Fuss free, yet fantastically finished. (I wholeheartedly recommend visiting Muita Ihania to see the full blanket. What a wonderful way to arrange basic granny squares! It's on my to-do list.... one day!)

Image courtesy of: Ellen Bloom

This beauty is very pineapple-y fabulous. It's got more pizzazz and visual interest than the scallops, for sure, but may not be what the Sunburst Granny needs. Sunburst is awfully pizzazzy all on her own.

Image courtesy of Attic24

And of course, where would we be without Lucy? I'm sure a great many people have learned their methods from Lucy's tutorials. And here's one, for the Granny Blanket Edging. It's very similar to the scallops (first picture), but there's an extra round of chains in between to give it a ruffled, lacier look. Mhm, lovely indeed!!

Of course, these are just the first 3 that caught my eye. The possibilities are endless (or at least include 150 more options).

If you know of some nice 'n simple borders (perhaps that you've used for your own blankets?) leave me a link in the comment section! I'm all about hoarding inspiration, specifically on my pinterest page: Crochet ♥

Have a Lovely Day!
~Jess

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Monday, July 2, 2012

My Stash Bustin' Quilt

As a child my mother taught me how to sew. I took to it well enough and I can competently follow a pattern from start to finish (with only a few phone calls to Mom, for verification purposes, you understand).

But I never *loved* it. I only really loved picking out the fabric and the pattern. Cutting and pinning and sewing and tweaking the sewing machine and hemming and finishing and trying on and alterations were a necessary evil if I wanted that hand-made garment in the very beautiful fabric. It wasn't long before I stopped sewing altogether.

I may have stopped sewing, but I did not stop fabric shopping. Often, when I would go into Joann's for some yarny goodness, I'd pick up a smidge of fabric here and there. Or if Mom came out for a visit, I'd beg her to make me some pillows or curtains or even a crochet hook carrier (which I really need to start using again.... another blog post, perhaps). As a result of these maternal exploitations, my fabric stash grew.

Enter Good Intentions. "I will make this a quilt! A picnic quilt! Super simple, just squares, very random, stash bustin' quilt." My little family picnics here and there throughout the year, whenever the day begs for it. But, oh, how much I hate sewing. And my mother isn't a quilter. And my mother in law (who *is* a quilter-- you should see what she can do!) is a few states over and has already made us 3 quilts-- no machine involved.

Enter Sharon.

Sharon is The Awesome. If you say, "Hey, Sharon, can you make _____ for me?" she can and she will - quickly, and precisely, and with a smile on her face (I don't think I've ever smiled at a finished sewing project. Scowled, yes, but smiled... not that I recall.)

This is how my story played out....
Me: "Hey, Sharon, can you make me a quilt? I have the fabric; I can get it to you. I just want it for picnics, so 60" x 60" and I was thinking just squares- nothing crazy."
Sharon: "Yep! Sounds good!"

And then POOF! From a bag of fabric, she produced this:

Most of this fabric was actually used for projects around my house, gifts for friends (hand sewn only, as me and the Singer don't actually get along) and other bits were cut down from baby shirts and even a pair of boxers (Whaaaat! they glowed in the dark. How do you throw something like that away? The answer is you don't: you make it a quilt). So it's 90% sentimental fabric (even the backing was a top sheet from my teenage years. I promise I'm not a hoarder) and 10% I-really-loved-this fabric. My boys love pointing out the familiar squares -- "Look! A PILLOW FROM MY ROOM!!!" yells my oldest son -- and selecting their favorite colors -- "Blue! Blue! Blue! Blue!" my youngest points to all the blues, equally delighted with each.

I am so delighted with this quilt!

And I love having crafty friends. Thank you, Sharon!

Have a Lovely Day!
***

Sunday, July 1, 2012

A Book Review (Inspiration)

Anyone with small children understands the love/hate relationship that exists towards your local library.

On the one hand: Look at all those FREE BOOKS! Hours of reading new material, books you and your little ones haven't memorized, books with different pictures, and that, if you can't stand them, can easily be slipped back into the Book Deposit slot. Whoops, there goes the horrible one. Let's re-new Chicken Soup With Rice and forget all about "Beep, Beep, Let's Go!", with it's dis-jointed sentence fragments.

On the other hand: Taking small children into a room full of people who are silently reading to themselves amidst hundreds of bookshelves filled with thousands of books and expecting appropriate library behavior is laughable. In our home my children are book monsters. They love to read and they also love to fling the books off the bookshelves (occasionally scaling the side of one. That is, after all, what empty bookshelves are for), rip out pages, throw the books when they're finished, step on them, color in them, decorate the beautiful pages with stickers and even smear their peanut buttery fingers on the cover page. This activity is a noisy sort, and usually involves shrieks, laughter, giggles, and ultimately reprimands. Obviously not even a smidgeon of this behavior is library acceptable.

But last Saturday I had a game plan. My charming husband was working his occasional weekend shift and I was desperate for a book or two. Or three. Actually, four. And so, despite all the reasons not to: I took the boys to the library.

I consider it a success: No one got lost (though there was a dramatic episode involving a toddler running out the door and a mother racing to catch him and the older son having to be left behind.... oh wait, yes, that was us). No one shushed us (though I shushed them), and we had no over-due fees (because I'd paid them last time). And, on top of all this: we got books!

And look at what I managed to snag before the boisterous games of hide-and-seek amongst the nonfiction section started getting too rowdy and drove us to the children's section...

Time for some Crochet Fashion Eye Candy!

Love the scalloped edging on this. It'd be so perfect on the beach!

Perfect top! I returned the books, but I'm going back for this pattern!

Crocheted hammock!? Yes, please.

Looks so cozy- can't wait 'til Autumn.

I'm honestly not sure about this one. I want to like it...

Love this hat!

Dramatic and I Love. It.

Mmm, so much lovely inspiration! There's something incredibly perfect about sitting down with a book of crochet patterns. The internet, often, comes at you too fast. But, lounging indoors on a hazy summer day, lazily flipping the pages of a book. Well. That's worth the chaotic trip to the library.

Have a Lovely Day!
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