Odds and Ends

This one will be kind of quick. Getting back into the swing of work mean's I have so little time for creative pursuits.

I've been trying to figure out how to get this shape with crochet all through the week. The first three tests I did just didn't have the result I wanted. This one was the best of the bunch and worth my time to explore. This is done on a micro scale. This is the test for a full-size shawl. I used the planned increases and decreases just as I will for the full-size shawl. It gives a great representation of the shape of the finished shawl. I learned this trick from a knitter who introduced me to the 5 Shawls in 5 Days Challenge. Don't knit, or crochet, a full-size shawl when you can learn everything you need to about the shaping from a miniature.

I picked up this Shawl in a Ball yarn on a whim while at the craft store last weekend and I figured this would be the perfect test. I think this hook is just a little too small for this yarn, but I'm going to keep with it as I like the resulting fabric. I'll update you on this project as it comes along. This one will be simple double crochet to let the ombre yarn do the work. Maybe I'll experiment with different stitch designs once I know how this life-size test works out.

Last weekend I pieced this perfect backing. I thought I had a tutorial for my favorite way to piece quilt backing but it seems that was in a post and not on a page. Perhaps I should revisit that.

The backing was for this fun quilt top I made ages and ages ago. I've quilted it and it just needs to be trimmed and bound.

Because I like to support creative people in being creative and in being paid fairly for their hard work, here is a link to some work by an artist that was asked to create for free or for "exposure." Check it out and remember you have worked long and hard on your creativity, don't give it away.

Tired of Being Asked to Work for Free, This Artist Started Drawing These Client Requests

If you want to learn more about calculating how much you should charge for your work, no matter what kind of creative work you make, you should check out Sam Hunter's We Are $ew Worth It collection of articles and resources. It is totally worth your time.

Stay creative and make!