Developing a Crocheting Style of Your Own

Top Of The Morning To Ya!

I want to share a few Crochet Tips for Newbies

Up Crocheting Appliques for Blanket and I wanted to share a few of my thoughts. I know there are a lot of Newbies out there and I know you want to crochet everything, guess what and so do I. You have to figure out what you like, what fits your style. You might have to learn exactly what is your style by trial-and-error. Developing a Crochet Style of Your Own can take a while and may require going through lots of patterns. When trying patterns jot down what you think of it and why; the pros and cons and what you discovered and if you learned anything worthwhile. I believe all of these things help to develop your style of crocheting.

There are a lot of Patterns out there in the Cyber World of Crocheting, some free, some you might have to purchase but never-the-less, you still will need to discover your style of crocheting. I like to crochet my stitches tight; I think it gives a neater look to your garment. I like bright colorful things, you might like things that are more earth tones in color. All these things have a lot to do with your style and your choices.

When I find patterns that I like; especially those I like for more than 1 reason, I tend to follow that designer. I might like their style of ease with learning their patterns due to the way the pattern is written or the instructions seem to be easy to follow for the knowledge that I have with crocheting. I find that sometimes I might need a more challenging pattern to build my skill level.

As you build your library of Patterns, keep records, notes, photographs of your work. You might tuck that pattern away and need to pull it out and trust me you will need again. Your notes should be very detailed.

YouTube has a variety of videos for crocheters. There are videos for advertisement; I like those for Ideas and Color. There are videos for instructional purposes and they also are a form of advertisement for the designer. There is Etsy and Raverly and you can google what you are looking for as well. I spend at least 6 hours a week on research, searching for ideas and seeing what's out there. I love the discovery phase of my work; for me that's what research is, discovering what I want to do or try or learn next. This process helps in building my skills and my library. 

When you find patterns that you like save them and sometimes you might have to purchase a few. I find that you should purchase them when  you see them because they might not be there when you go back to get them; perfect example: I found a pattern for a hat that I liked, it was colorful and whimsical; so I put it in my favorites about two weeks ago and I went back yesterday to purchase it and the seller posted that it was sold out! I sent a message to the seller stating that I was confused, how do you sell out of a digital pattern! I am still waiting on a reply. I'm thinking maybe that is her style of running her online store to promote "Buy Now".

By the way, I hope to have an update for you in a couple of days on the progress of the "Crochet Along Blanket Project". Well just wanted to Chit-Chat this morning. I hope you have a wonderful day.

Oh, What a Feeling! Keep Crocheting

Let's Talk About The ABC's of Crocheting!

Sizing, Stitch Counting, Reading Patterns, Hooks, Yarn!

"Crochet Along" begins November 2015

There are so many steps, functions, and elements to Crocheting. If you plan to crochet and get really involved there are a few things you should learn to be successful at crocheting. There are important steps when you are developing your crocheted projects such as "Stitch Counting" and another thing I think is very important is Pattern Reading. All patterns are not written the same and some patterns you need to concentrate on a wee-bit more. Sizing is very important when creating projects like   apparel items; sizing is important for you to get the right fit.

Let's talk about crocheting is really about you and me developing our own style of crocheting. The ABC's of Crocheting is about the technical side of crocheting. We surf the web and we see designs that we like and want to make and then we have to break down the pattern. This process can be confusing, daunting, hard and sometimes discouraging. We try the pattern and it doesn't work out and we try it again and it still doesn't work out.

With all of this being said; I'd like to share a few website that I think are very informative. These sites have really good information for newbies, vets and oldtimers. I hope you find these websites helpful.

Happy Berry-  I love her work on this site. There a series of YouTube videos for beginners and crocheting beanies and sizing. The link below is for Beanies and sizing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=besUAY_Cofg

Bev's Country Cottage has a page dedicated to sizing. 

bevscountrycottage.com

Bob Wilson 123- This is another awesome site and YouTube channel. She has a great video on making your beanie seamless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55Vgz8mD1HQ

These sites are just a few of the many that are very helpful in assisting you with your handmade items. I hope you enjoy.

Oh, What a feeling! Keep Crocheting.....

Amazon Prime Launches " Handmade At Amazon Artisan"

Amazon Launched its new store "Handmade At Amazon Artisan" on October 8, 2015, and it's all about Handmade items! I like this bold step that Amazon has taken to give the online creators of handmade products a bigger and better opportunity. I love creating my handmade products and it looks like Amazon has an appreciation for the skill and hard work that is put into the making of handmade products. I adore Etsy, but Amazon is now the gateway for online entrepreneurs to having a larger and broader customer base which equates to more profits. In my opinion, Amazon has made a major move in uniting their customer base with online crafters, creators, and entrepreneurs of handmade products. Amazon has sparked the attention of Ten Pink Apples and given me hope that I will be a "Handmade At Amazon Artisan" at Amazon in the near future.

I did a little research and found this website. I want to share with you a little information I found that may answer any questions you might have. The owner of this website has some pretty good inside information about the ins-and-outs of how this works with Amazon. If you care to read the entire article, I have provided the link below. I think this is going to broaden the demographics of customers who will purchase handmade goods. Good Job Amazon!!!

Below is the direct link to "Handmade At Amazon Artisan":

http://services.amazon.com/handmade/handmade.htm

This information is from:https://kennedyrobinsonpr.wordpress.com/2015/06/26/handmade-at-amazon-is-accepting-applications/. She received an invite back in June of this year.

“Handmade” is an invite only community so you have to complete an application. Right now, Handmade at Amazon is open to artisans who make Jewelry, Home products (Art, Baby Bedding, Bath, Bedding, Furniture, Home Décor, Kitchen & Dining, Lighting, Patio, Lawn & Garden, Storage & Organization), Party Supplies and Stationery.

The application is pretty straight forward and simple.  It asks the normal questions such as your business name, city, state, website, etc.  Then it gets into the nitty gritty asking questions such as:

• What type of products do you sell?
• How do you make them?
• Are they indeed handmade or hand-altered?
• How long have you been selling?
• Where do you sell?
• Do you sell at Craft Fairs?
• How many employees do you have?

Handmade Crochet Apparel

Beanies By Bee That's Me

 A couple of "Sneak Peaks" of our Handmade Apparel. Our Sports Teams Beanies. (Click Image To Enlarge)

Hello and welcome back to Ten Pink Apples 

I am happy to announce The return of Ten Pink Apples is official! We will be showcasing your new designs and additions to the Ten Pink Apples Family! We will launch our line  "Booties and Beanies By Bee That's Me" 2016.We will have our original designs which made us famous our "Greeting Cards". We are a Handmade in the USA.

Ten Pink Apples blog is currently under construction, so I hope that you can be patient. We will show you some sneak previews along the way to spark your interest, so stay tuned and I will post updates.

Thank you and good to see you again!