Posted on

Introducing the Cotton Stripe Pillow

It’s about time for you to see the newest Chocolate Dog Studio crochet pattern: The Cotton Stripe Pillow. It finally took a respite time and incredible boredom for the next pattern to be born. No one said pattern writing was easy, but this is an incredibly easy pillow cover to crochet. There aren’t any fancy stitches or counting that you have to do after the foundation chain. Binge watch your favorite show and create this beautiful home accent.

Cotton Stripe Pillow
A beautiful home accent created with cotton yarn left from the cotton waves baby blanket.

The Cotton Stripe Pillow Pattern Release

The Cotton Stripe Pillow release happens today! Today is your day as I will refund the first five buyers of The Cotton Stripe Pillow pattern if you send me any Etsy message or leave the message at the end of the purchase receipt. This offer does have a time limit of the next five days, 9/16/2022 – 9/21/2022.

You can find the cotton stripe pillow in my Etsy shop. You can shop Here.

There is another new pattern coming out next week. The White Serape Stripe. I can’t wait it is a fun calmer version of The Serape Stripe which you can see here. It has taken even longer for this pattern to come to the shop.

Painting

Painting has been happening nearly every day. It is such a relaxing thing for me to do with no calls or preconceived ideas. I am just wandering where ever my brush takes me. Painting and crochet don’t seem to be good partners so it’s either one or the other these days.

As you can see a wide variety of art projects from drawing to abstract painting with a little mixed media also. Mixed media seems to be the biggest area of art these days.

Life

If you don’t like reading about life and how things are going feel free to skip this part. We are working on what we call the kids bathroom. Others would call it the hall bath except we really don’t have a hall or at least it’s really short. It is reaching a logical stopping point. Which we did in this case. At least we need to call in someone that knows more to give us advice.

I was remembering back this week about a story from a friend’s social media post about weird things that have happened with animals. We have had a number of weird things but this one is funny to me even now.

We were living in a new house and the living room felt really empty as Hubs was working late and abnormally quiet and all four kids under 9 were in bed. I was alone after a really long day unpacking. Have you ever noticed how noisy a quiet house can be.

I was sitting and enjoying the quiet, listening to the night noises when I hear a thump on the back of the recliner. I could feel it too, I listened and didn’t hear anything else. Did I imagine it?

Just as my heart was returning to normal it happened again.

The thumps were un-nerving.

I wait and just as I decide it was my imagination when it happens twice this time, THUMP, Thump.

I gather my wits and courage, give myself a stern talking to about how the sound was just my imagination and I peek around the edge of the chair, because I am too scared stand up – there it is a little green tree frog.

Whew, I was so relieved….. Just a little frog. We did the catch and release into the back yard.

Why do our minds always run off to the scariest thing We can think of? Surely I am not the only one has weird things happen.

Talk to you later,

Karen Marie

Posted on

Crochet Round-up

It’s been several years since I wrote and posted here. Here is a quick crochet round up of what has been happening in the studio.

Crochet

The crochet studio is under a buying ban in an attempt to reduce my quite sizeable yarn stash. It’s been quite unorganized as I put it all in storage as drawing become more important.

Four crochet blankets, three crochet striped pillows, and five crochet tote bags in the past 9 months seems a like a huge amount of work. There has been no pattern writing, though there have been plenty of rough drafts written. Two of the crochet blankets were WIPs (works in progress that have been finished, finally!

Thanks for your patience,

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on

A Memory Afghan

THe Memory Afghan

The Memory Afghan planning

The only thing better than a Memory afghan is two. A friend asked and I agreed to crochet her Mother’s yarn stash into two different memory afghans. It was a huge project and the first step was to sort the yarn into two different groups. One for her daughter’s Memory afghan and one for her granddaughter’s (or her Mother’s great grand daughter’s) memory afghan. 4 generations of women, the youngest a baby, including a daughter, a mom and her mother.

We added some white to the neutrals and light colors for the daughter’s afghan. Pinks were added to the baby’s afghan. It was created adult size to get the most use out of the yarn and longest life for afghan.

A Great Grandma's yarn stash.

They all started at this point. A wide assortment of yarns from a Great Grandmother’s yarn stash. She crocheted with worsted weight and has a variety of yarns here from Red Heart to Caron and others. The colors were a bit blah so we added a huge skein of white and then also 3 skeins of pink plus a skein of teal to widen the range and create a more girly blanket as one of the blankets is for an infant.

The Farmhouse Style Memory Afghan

The farmhouse style was crocheted for the Granddaughter who is now a Mom. A more sophisticated selection of neutral colors was chosen. Using up the beige, off white, yellow, powder blue, and grey yarns plus a few of other shades. The squares are all sewn together to create a softer look. The afghan is surrounded with a lovely scalloped chocolate brown border. The crochet blanket is 5’x 6′ before the border was applied.

The Memory Afghan for the Grand daughter's created out of her Grandmother's yarn stash.

The Floral Afghan

The Floral Memory Blanket is crocheted using the same basic floral square. Crocheting the whole blanket in the 3-d Flower Garden Pattern was our first idea. Weight was going to be a huge problem with a blanket out of all of the 3-d flowers. It would have weighed 10+ pounds, too much for an infant, too much for me! Such a huge crochet blanket would be a problem. Suggesting instead that we use a few squares of an adapted 3-d flower and then filling in with squares that were the same design as the one above. They look similar but are different enough to add in personality and age differences. The crochet blanket is

The Great Grand daughter's Memory afghan created out of her Great Grandmother's yarn stash.
Another photo of the Memory afghan for the Great Granddaughter.

So much fun to crochet and so many memories are tied up in these Christmas gifts. I have waited 6 months to show them to you. What a great gift idea and way to use up yarn stash!

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas, and are working on a Happy New Year.

talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on

Organizing New Ideas for Future Crochet Projects

Organizing New Ideas

Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Sometimes, when you get new ideas for future crochet projects, you aren’t ready to start working on them right away. You need time to think about them — to refine and perfect them — until you’re ready to begin the project. So, how do you keep those new ideas stored and organized until you are ready to start working on them? I have several things which I do that help me keep new ideas in mind.

(This post has Amazon affiliate links)

1. Take a Photo with My Phone

I will take pictures of things that  inspire me or trigger ideas in my mind. My phone is usually always with me and a photo is worth 1,000 words. The thin and thick stripes in this wrapping paper would make a great crochet blanket, scarf or sweater.

Inspirational stripes

And here’s an example of a striped fabric that caught my eye. I like the colors in this, although they do seem a bit dark. The widths of the various stripes and the color sequence would lend themselves easily to being repeated in an afghan.

Fabric inspires new ideas

This blanket was inspired by the yarns within it since they inspired me to see the Autumn landscape of Oklahoma: the browns of the plowed fields; the golds and rusts of the trees; the blue from the sky and lakes; and the green of the old dried grasses in the pastures.

Inspired by nature

2. Pin It to My Secret Pinterest Inspiration Board

Yes, I do have several secret boards. (Doesn’t everyone?) If it is online, I will pin it to my secret inspiration board which no one else has access to. When you choose to create something based on what someone else has created, you need to be very careful about claiming too much of their work as your own. You can use it as a springboard to a new idea, but downright copying and passing it off as yours is piracy.  While I do have a secret Pinterest board, it isn’t filled with just other’s work — it has photos of color mood boards, stitches that I want to try, and other things that I think will make beautiful projects.

3. Go “Old School” (Paper and Pencil) and Write the New Ideas Down

(Affiliate links are included for the products I use. I will receive a small percentage of any item you purchase, but it will not affect your pricing.)

Often, I will draw out new ideas or write them down. I find this method increasingly hard to manage, though, as papers tend to get shuffled and lost. Here’s an example of a couple of my composition books (link) (which I love!) full of ideas and crochet patterns.

Storing new ideas

I also love the post-it note brand of tabs (link) and Post it note file folder labels (link).  I use them to mark the beginning of each pattern or idea that I put in the composition book. It helps keep the patterns organized and easy to find.

Another thing I use all the time is a legal pad  (Link) and clipboard  (link). I write the pattern and notes furiously and then flip the pages. You can even see the paper sometimes in the background of my photos. Nearly every pattern I write has its beginnings on paper in some form. I always try to date and take progress photos as I work. This helps me keep track of how I put it together as well as document my thought processes. This all translates to detailed patterns, with photos, for you!

Organizing New Ideas

4. Pin It to a Real Life Bulletin Board or Magnet Board

saving new ideas
Check out more cool bulletin boards here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/165564215

Sometimes I’ll see a photo in a magazine I own, or maybe the colors in fabric or yarn in my stash will catch my eye. When that happens, I will actually pin the photo or the materials to a bulletin board. I haven’t been doing this as often as I have been taping them into the composition book. The book is working better for me at this time, since I don’t have a dedicated working space. I often find myself in my chair, at the dining table…basically, working all over the house.

How Do You Save Your New Ideas?

Now that you’ve read about the methods that I am using right now, I’d love to know what you do to keep your ideas organized. Leave a comment below to start the conversation!
Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on

A Reason to Rip Out: Color Pooling

Family and friends often ask me what it’s like to design crochet patterns. Recently, I answered that I crochet and rip it out, crochet and rip it out, crochet some more and rip that out, too. I have just finished trying a new technique called color pooling.  Finally, I finish the prototype and let it sit for awhile. Eventually, I take it apart all the way down to the beginning. I can almost hear you sigh as you ask, “Why are you telling me this, Karen?” The answer is simple: learning a new technique means that you must be willing to rip out old work.

I get it–I really do–that feeling of ahh, it’s finally finished! That sense of permanence and finality that comes when you put the hook away, clean up the snippets from weaving in all those pesky ends, and fold up your creation and set it aside. I love that feeling of accomplishment.

The Need to Rip Out

However, there are times when that project just isn’t working out; the colors, the size, the density–something just isn’t right. In your heart of hearts, you know that you are going to hate working on the project and that it will sit unfinished if you don’t correct the problem. You are hesitant–you’ve already put in so much hard work–but you know what you should do. You should rip out that row, those 25 rows, down to the beginning and start over, and simply give the yarn away and start over fresh!

A Reason to Rip Out

I’m talking about the need to rip out in order to prepare you for the next wonderful thing in the world of crochet. It’s big! It’s addicting! And it will cause you to rip out as you work (or design) patterns!

You’ve seen those beautiful variegated yarns on the shelves, the ones that have 2-5 different colors in them, with each color about 10-25 inches in length.  There is this Wow! thing you can do with it, if you space things just so, and crochet the yarn with just the right tension. I know you’ve probably seen projects that use this technique, and you’re wondering about this addicting craze. And, IT IS addicting–In the biggest sense of the word! But, you must get used to ripping out because you will crochet and rip out and crochet and rip out, over and over, again and again.

Color Pooling

I started last night with some Loops & Threads® Impeccable yarn from my neighborhood craft store and my favorite G-size hook. It worked perfectly! I crocheted, ripped out, and crocheted again; in between, I surfed the Internet for clearer instructions. I worked all evening and finally ended up with what you see in the photo below. This is about 34 stitches wide, plus two for turning.  color pooling

What is this mystery? Where did the argyle come from? This, my crochet friends, is called color pooling. Color pooling is when you crochet with variegated yarn in the correct length, tension, and stitch to make the colors show up where and when you want them. It isn’t hard, but it does take determination (and a certain amount of bull-headedness) to want to crochet something in rows for about 3 inches before you rip out and start over to get the patterning right. This method of crocheting isn’t for the faint of heart.

Playing with Color

I love it! What a great way to play with color and buy lovely yarn that already has the pattern built right in! There are so many variegated yarns to choose from, too. Some have larger color sections than others, so keep that in mind when you are shopping.

I will show you more in a later post, as I am off to play with the yarn and see if I can’t make it wider. What did I do with the 18 inches of skinny, skinny scarf, you ask? I ripped it out to make a wider one (after the photographs, of course)! So far, it isn’t working, but I will figure it out. I’m not quite sure whether it is the tension, number of stitches, or what.

Remember: crochet, rip out, repeat.

(I’m hooked! This is like Sudoku, or spider solitaire with four suits. I just can’t put it down, and I will win in the end! As you can see below, it’s time to rip out again.)

time to rip out

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on

Yikes! Stripes Blanket Pattern

The Yikes! Stripes blanket pattern is so fun and easy to crochet. The colorful stripes and long length make this a great gift for the man in your life. The soft, chunky yarn is not what I normally use in my patterns, but that’s exactly what makes it more masculine: the bold colors and thick, warm strips.

Like a Favorite Scarf

Just look at these stripes! This pattern reminds me of the “team” scarves that so many people wear to sporting events. Can you imagine presenting this to the sports fan in your life? I’m sure he’ll find the colors of his favorite team in there!

I’m so excited for you to see this pattern and make it for yourself! Keep reading for links to my Etsy and Craftsy shops, where you can find the pattern.

 

Yikes! Stripes Blanket Pattern, www.chocolatedogstudio.com

This pattern is perfect for a beginner. It really is fun to crochet it and watch as each stripe continues the lovely pattern.

Yikes! Stripes Blanket Pattern, www.chocolatedogstudio.com

This blanket works up super quick, but you will need to know how to weave in all of the ends as there are quite a few of them.

Yikes! Stripes Blanket Pattern, www.chocolatedogstudio.com

Yikes! Stripes

The yarn for this pattern is easily found and relatively inexpensive. If you’re looking for a second project to squeeze in before the holidays, or for an upcoming birthday, this is it.  You can find the pattern in either my Craftsy store or in my Etsy store.

No time to crochet and need this blanket now? You can purchase the Yikes! Stripes blanket at either Amazon or Etsy. Thanks for shopping; I hope you will consider making this fun pattern in all of its wonderful stripey-ness!

What I’ve Been Up To

If you haven’t had a chance to check out my YouTube videos that I’m making for the studio yet, I hope you will take time soon to stop by and see them. I have an Okie accent, which will hopefully bring a smile to your face as you listen. I honestly had no idea it was so thick!

It is truly amazing and humbling to see my videos out there in the world for all to see. I just can’t get over it! I am sure my family is getting tired of hearing me talk about them. Besides the videos, I am also working on two different afghans, along with writing new patterns and blogging. Life is never dull around here!

School has started; it’s my daughter’s senior year. She’s the last child, and that means I am almost at the end of what feels like a lifetime of teaching. It will be the end of an era for both homeschooling and motherhood. I will have 26+ years of “always being there” under my belt. Where did the time go?!

Are you transitioning this year? Perhaps you’ll soon have an empty nest, like me. Or maybe you have elderly parents for whom you have taken on caregiving duties. Leave a note in the comments and tell me what’s going on in your life! Then take time to sign up for our newsletter, so you’ll always know when new patterns are released.

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on

How to Join Yarn in Crochet

This past couple of weeks I have been posting new youtube videos once a week. This week I am adding  a new video to the series So, You are New to Crochet: Joining yarn. This is such a short video and takes a little bit of the mystery out of joining yarn. It is one of my favorite joining methods and a little different as it takes care of weaving in one end of the yarn as you go.

 

The week has been full and busy with family and business pulls on my time. I have spent quite a bit of time at the library this week as one of my daughters has had a commitment 4 days this week from 8-12.How to Join Yarn in Crochet, Chocolate Dog Studio, chocodogstudio, chocolatedogstudio

This was the view from the second floor of our library one day this week.

A direct consequence of her time commitment has been extended time getting work done, just not housework. I need to head out to the library more often. It is quiet and there are no dogs barking or household chores pulling at my time.

I have a neat opportunity heading my way at the beginning of August. I can’t wait to tell you about it.

Crocheting has been simple and direct. Right now, I have 4 afghans started and I have finished 4 quick and easy projects. I am working with some neutrals in shades of grey, beige, cream and brown in a wide variety of textures and incorporating some stash yarn. I love how the colors blend.

How to Join Yarn in Crochet, Chocolate Dog Studio, chocodogstudio, chocolatedogstudio

I am not sure of the pattern as it is bugging me right now.How to Join Yarn in Crochet, Chocolate Dog Studio, chocodogstudio, chocolatedogstudio

The orange is reclaimed yarn from a sweater. It has been hanging around in my stash mocking me. The yarn is very low twist and exceedingly hard to crochet into anything that looks great. It is turning into something strictly utilitarian. I think I will get rid of what is left. I am very disappointed in the yarn.

The lovely purpley blue is turning out quite nice. I’ll show you later what it is turning into.How to Join Yarn in Crochet, Chocolate Dog Studio, chocodogstudio, chocolatedogstudio

Remember the hexies, they had a couple of rounds added and some joining in a bright red yarn. It is about 1/3 the size that I need it to be so I am going to lay it aside for awhile. I will let it grow organically as I am left with little balls of stash yarn. It is making quite a nice afghan and I love that each hexi is different.

zHow to Join Yarn in Crochet, Chocolate Dog Studio, chocodogstudio, chocolatedogstudio

I have also been working on the home front and there are odds and ends to finish up before school starts next month. I was painting my daughter’s bedroom a couple of weeks ago. It was this horrible cafe au lait color with a muddy green wallpaper accent wall. It was dark, depressing, and made the room feel incredibly small. How to Join Yarn in Crochet, Chocolate Dog Studio, chocodogstudio, chocolatedogstudio

I have it finished and it looks wonderful. Pardon the lumpy quilt. I originally took this photo to show my Mom and it ended up here as well.

How to Join Yarn in Crochet, Chocolate Dog Studio, chocodogstudio, chocolatedogstudio

There is more work to do in her room. There is a little bit of wallboard repair that needs to be finished and then I will need to touch up the paint. Needing to repair the wallboard didn’t show up until we were in the middle of the painting. Her room looks so much better, even needing the repair. I need to get back to work on it and finish it up!

What have you been working on lately, home chores, crochet or other things?

Talk to you later

Karen

 

 

 

Posted on

Where I Talk about Gauge and Why it Matters

What is gauge and why does it matter? There is another youtube video out today and I am introducing gauge and why it matters. It does matter, most of the time. I am not too concerned about gauge most of the time but you should be. Since I design most of my own crochet and walk my own path.

Where I Talk about Gauge and Why it Matters, www.chocolatedogstudio.com

Gauge matters most when you are crocheting from a pattern. The one thing about gauge is that you MUST use the same size crochet hook throughout a project, unless the instructions say otherwise.   You can find out more in my youtube video on gauge.

There is much going on this summer as we ready our house for a fun gathering of friends. I have been reading about scruffy entertaining. I am afraid that the house will be  scruffy looking but I hope that it isn’t too scruffy. Scruffy entertaining is having friends over with  minimal cleaning. I really do need to find the tops of my coffee tables as they are full of yarn, patterns and scissors. Since some of the friends coming have toddlers, I have to put away all the pins, scissors and yarn. Life has been busy this summer with full time crochet work, three kids at home and all that life brings in the course of the week and will be sorting these things out. It is wonderful to feel well enough to work and clean in the same day.

What are you working on and how is the summer going at your house?

Talk to you later,

Karen

 

 

 

Posted on

Crochet projects and other projects

Here is what I am doing now on my crochet projects and other projects. The flower blanket is zooming along and I am almost finished with it. Here is a more current photo of it.  I just have the borders left on it now and it is enormous. It is a heavy blanket and will be wonderful this coming winter. The blanket already has a home as it is a custom order. It will feel good to start on other crochet projects, I have so many in mind.Crochet projects and other projects; ChocolateDogStudio, crochet flower blanket

I went to the business conference last weekend and it was wonderful. The goals setting advice and clarity I got for my business has been wonderful. Crochet projects and other projects; ChocolateDogStudio, crochet flower blanket

I was able to meet Crystal Paine of Money Saving Mom. I have been reading her blog for years and it was nice to meet her in person.  She is as fun in person as she is online.Crochet projects and other projects; ChocolateDogStudio, crochet flower blanket

There has been a bunch of stirring around and re-organizing. I am excited that part of this area will be my new studio area. Crochet projects and other projects; ChocolateDogStudio, crochet flower blanket

We have been having a huge cleaning session, getting rid of extra stuff, condensing boxes, and packing up our daughter’s college items until she gets her own place. This is the dirty truth about our makerspace. It sometimes becomes the catch all!

I also found some yarny messes that I have been organizing and clearing out.

Crochet projects and other projects; ChocolateDogStudio, crochet flower blanket

It is Memorial day here and we spent time at the cemetery decorating Dad’s gravestone. He was a veteran and we are thankful for his and other’s service for our country.  Dad’s stone is the one in the foreground. Crochet projects and other projects; ChocolateDogStudio, crochet flower blanket

If you or a loved one has served we thank you for your sacrifice for our freedoms.
The week was full and fun. It has been a busy week and even busier weekend. I am excited to finally get to work in the new studio area. I hope to get more organized with my pattern writing and crocheting.  My yarn is more organized. I have decided that I have too much yarn and need to get started crocheting so that more of it leaves my house! (Is it really possible to have too much yarn?) I have yarntopia and then three plastic tubs full along with baskets full in the living room. I also bought more this past week at a flea market, but it was sooo nice and such a lovely color!

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on

Crochet Projects

I am working on several different crochet projects this month. I have three in progress; a custom granny square and two new stripe afghans. There are also 3-4 projects in what I call the incubator.

The incubator is a blending of several things; a secret pinterest board of ideas, yarn in yarntopia, and visual ideas that persist in running through my mind over and over again. Sometimes the ideas make it to the sketchbook or a yarn order.

The flower blanket you have been seeing updates on through Instagram. It is just a huge project. I feel like I am eating an elephant, one little bite at a time. I know it will be completed soon but it feels like climbing up a mountain on a slippery ice. It just keeps dragging on and on with no end in sight. I really wish I was at the joining stage. Truthfully, I’m not. I was just setting them out to verify how many squares I really needed. Crochet Projects; ChocolateDogStudio, Granny square flowers

 

I have been continuing to read the books on my list. I have been completing the exercises as I go and I think I am making progress. Breaking Busy has been reminding me to not overcommit to activities. Frankly, it has been hard as my life is in a shift of priorities. It appears that we are shifting from parenting to coaching to support staff, and from being friends with parents to keeping an eye on things for them a little bit more. Mom calls it the sandwich generation. I know she is right as sometimes I feel pretty squashed.Today, I am tired, deeply exhausted that tends to go with the fibromyalgia has set in. The weekend was full of family, fun and plain hard work. The results are amazing and today’s exhaustion is worth it.

The weather is gloomy and chilly today, which makes me want to snuggle under a blanket with a cup of coffee. I just need a  day of quiet, crochet and dinner in the crock pot. So, I am off to get dinner started so I can sit and crochet the rest of the day guilt free. The laundry is going so I feel pretty productive even if I am not working very hard.

Talk to you later,

Karen