Don’t you just love free things?  I think most of us do.  The problem is finding free things that are worth anything.  My favorite free thing is information; classes and books are right up there in the top ten.  I found a great free class for crafters.  Basic Florals is a great class for any crafter to take; florals are used in just about every craft and understanding the fundementals will increase the quality of the crafts you produce. 

Welcome to Basic Florals

Flower Meanings

I missed World Ocean Day – it was on June 8th, but I think being behind in my email doesn’t mean I can’t take a moment to consider the care we need to give our planet’s oceans.  And why not celebrate that environmental concern by making an octopus.  Okay, not a real one; I have to admit that an octopus isn’t the most attractive creature swimming about in our oceans, but this one I found is awfully cute. 

Cheeky the Octopus is not only an icon for World Ocean Day, but is the official mascot for Crochet Me magazine.  She really is awfully cute and would make a wonderful gift for someone who collects sea creature items, an oceanographer you know, or just a great looking “pet” on your desk or bed.  I can’t think anyone wouldn’t love Cheeky.  As a side note, this is a great project for beginning crocheters and can be adapted to add many personal touches – it is just a really good pattern.)

Cheeky The Octopus

More On World Ocean Day

Image of Cheeky used with permission of, and copyrighted by, Crochet Me Magazine

I found out about this artist, and his Web site, approximately a week ago.  So did everyone else on the Internet I think, because it was so flooded with traffic, the bandwidth was exceeded and the site was KO’d for several days.  I have been checking everyday because I really want you to take a look at it.

Men and women interpret their artistic creations differently.  That is only natural (not because of the Mars or Venus thing) because of the construction of the male and female brain.  It has to do with different chemicals and hormones as well as anatomical differences with the corpus callosum and a bunch of other things that are way beyond the scope of a craft blog.  Bottom line:  Men and women who see something they wish to interpret through an art medium, see it differently.

Nathan Vincent is such an artist.  He does his work through a medium that is most commonly utilized by women.  He crochets!  But he isn’t creating little lace doilies or even wearable items; he is interpreting the traditional male roll through a traditionally female craft.  The results are fantastic, unusual, and it is pretty obvious why he had a bit of a bandwidth problem when the word got out.  Stop by – the site is stable again and the photos are great.  His statement about his work is very interesting as well..

Nathan Vincent

There is a risk in crafting.  Any kind of crafting.  The risk is addiction.  Actually it is not an addiction in the strictest definition of the term, but it might as well be because of the effect it has on crafters.  I can’t even count the number of resolutions I have heard on New Year’s Eve that go something like this:  “I promise I will finish my unfinished _____ (fill in the blank – knitting, crocheting, beadwork, whatever craft you like) before I buy any more projects.”  That is a resolution that lasts about a week, if that long.  Crafters are addicted, compulsive about, or just plain nuts about starting new crafting projects.

It is a self-defeating behavior but one that almost all of us are guilty of doing.  Much of it is because of how much we love what we do.  Another thing that can cause a huge WIP (work in progress) supply, is the explosion of imagination.  Once you start one thing and get going on it, other ideas begin to germinate. One thing leads to another and pretty soon you have a dozen projects with a dozen more sets of supplies to start others.  They call it a yarn stash, or a bead stash for a reason!

I have a few hints that have helped me get my “stash” and WIP list a little more under control.  I have recently made some changes that have caused a temporary swelling of the WIPs, but it will “cure” itself in a few months and then the WIP should diminish until I have a static and manageable amount of things I am working on.

• Don’t feel you should only have one project at a time going.  That is unrealistic.  You will want different projects to work on depending on your mood, whether you need a gift, degree of complexity, how portable it is, and so on.  But just a few different ones should satisfy the need for variety without overwhelming you.  And it is nice to finish something once in awhile!
• Pick one, two or three crafts that you really enjoy and are really good at.  Also give yourself room to grow.  Choose those crafts you continually can improve at.  Becoming really good at a couple things is much more satisfying than doing a lot of things just fairly.
• When you shop for supplies, keep in mind what crafts you have chosen to pursue(based on hint #2).  If you can use it within those crafts, it won’t be a waste of money or start you on another wild goose chase.
• Organize yourself.  File your patterns in notebooks, file folders, plastic bins or whatever works for you.  Categorize them so that when you want something, you can find it.
• Store supplies in an organized system.  Put yarns together and subdivide them; sock yarns should be stored with sock yarns and bulky yarns should be stored together.  Make it so that you can get to what you need quickly.
• Get small plastic storage bins and put one project in each bin.  Label the outside of the bin.  Keep something by the sofa or chair where you watch television or movies and work on that project there.  Keep one by your bed; when a sleepless night arrives, an hour of crocheting or knitting can do wonders.  If you work on crafts that are difficult to work on in certain environments, keep books around to read about improving your skills or admiring the galleries of other people’s work.
• Reward yourself.  When you complete a project, you get to do something you really want – a trip to the bookstore?  An afternoon at the movies?  There are many ways we can motivate ourselves.
• Keep a craft journal.  There are journals made for many kinds of crafting and seeing your progess and completed work is a lot of fun.  After a few years, you will see how your skills have grown.
• Give back a little.  Get involved in a charity project that utilizes your crafting skills.  Consider a swap of knitted or crocheted squares – there are swaps all over the Internet for every craft.  It is a lot of fun to meet people and exchange crafting projects.  I am involved in several swaps right now and they have been good for me in terms of keeping me focused.
• Keep a blog.  It will keep you honest.  If you are posting photos of your work and you talk about it, your readers will expect to see that progress and to see a finished project.  As a benefit, you will meet a lot of people and make some very special friends.

You will never get over craft addiction completely.  Who wants to?  Part of the fun is knowing all of the wonderful things you have waiting to be made.  Keeping it under control, however, will help your budget, your stress level, and your sense of pride all at the same time.  And that’s a pretty crafty idea!