A Big Ole Brain Dump (for anyone who cares to read it!)

We love the Indiana State Fair (and elephant ears)
almost as much as we love crocheting!

When Andrea and I started this thing called MotherDaughter Creations nearly 3 1/2 years ago, we didn't really have a plan. Well, ok, we sort of had a plan: let's make cute baby things, sell them on Etsy, make some serious extra cash (college bills!), and give 10 percent of our proceeds to HOPE61. We did make baby things--some incredibly cute, some just so-so--and we sold some on Etsy, but as for the serious extra cash, well, let's just say college bills are still rolling in, even though we no longer have any college students in the family! We even dabbled in a little pattern designing. But, the most important part was the fact that it was a team effort and we enjoyed coming up with new ideas, trying different patterns out, and finding amazing pattern designers online, in addition to giving to HOPE61. 


But in the last several months, we've let things dwindle down in the Etsy shop (it's still open, just no new products recently), and we've been completely quiet on Facebook. I've been working hard to finish a personal project (can't tell what it is in case the person it's for happens to read this!), and we've been working like crazy in recent weeks, gearing up for a couple of craft fairs we're doing this fall. Basically, I think we may have gone through some crochet burnout. Crazy, I know. 

Made this fun apple basket in a crochet
challenge sponsored by The Crochet Crowd.
The challenge is closed now, but be sure
to check them out ... they're
always doing something fun!

So. During these past few months, we've talked off and on about what to do with MDC. If you crochet or knit for fun, if you sell your creations, if you design patterns, if you create beautiful handspun yarn, if you just try to stay current with the online community of knitters and crocheters, then you know what we know ... the premium that we all pay is time! And I have been trying to work through just how do I want to spend my extra time. Andrea and I both work full-time jobs, so MDC is a second job for both of us, but we don't want it to be a burden; we want it to continue to be fun!

And here's what we envision. We would love to expand MotherDaughter Creations to become more of a community rather than just an Etsy shop and a Facebook page and a couple of patterns on Ravelry and Craftsy. Yes, we'll keep those things going ... might even get motivated to add something new once in a while! But mostly, we love all of the sharing that we've seen lately: free patterns, give-aways, encouraging words. Rather than spinning our wheels trying to come up with new ideas, we want to promote others and encourage others, and possibly even get off-topic here on the blog sometimes, sharing whatever might be tumbling around in our minds. We want to share ideas and opportunities and projects. We want to not feel the pressure of trying to run a business, rather, we just want to be encouragers.

I know, I know. Facebook and blogs in all corners of cyberspace have filled up with just such communities. And maybe we've hit a saturation point. But maybe we haven't. Maybe someone needs an encouraging word today, needs to show off their first crochet project, needs to ask a question about what directions in a pattern mean. And maybe, just maybe, this is the first time they've come across the opportunity to ask or to share. 

Another basket for the crochet
challenge. We do love the Colts
around our house!

Okay, this has now become one of those blog posts that I often look at and say, "Uh, toooo long! No time to read it!" But if you've stayed with me this far, I have a fun little announcement to kick off this new community. (Btw, we may talk about a slight name change. Maybe.) We have a grand whopping total of three crochet patterns on Ravelry and Craftsy. One is a freebie, and two are for sale. You, dear reader, are lucky enough to be the first to learn we are slashing the prices on the two "for sale" patterns. And by slashing, I mean offering them for free from here on out. They aren't doing anyone any good if they aren't being used! We'll do something fun (though probably not free!) in the Etsy shop, but that will have to wait, because right now, I'm getting ready to head to Haiti for a week, and Andrea has a big move coming, along with a week at a conference.

Please feel free to share your thoughts here or on our Facebook post. And watch for lots of fun things coming on the FB page; we'll be sharing, sharing, sharing!

For the Crocheters...the Invisible Join

Over the years, as I have learned more and more about crocheting, I have found two "secrets" that I don't know how I managed without before I learned about them. Understand that these techniques are no way, no how, original with me. If you Google them, you'll find dozens of tutorials on how to do them. I've opted to share them in our blog, not because I'm awesome with them or I'm a great hand model, but because I want to include a link in the patterns we're beginning to publish so that if people don't know how to do them, they've got an easy way to find the instructions. 

The two techniques are the magic ring (aka the magic circle, the adjustable loop or any combination of these). Those instructions will come tomorrow. :) The second technique, the one I'm going to share here, is called the invisible join. I use it to finish off nearly all of the hats I make. With this technique, you make a nice, smooth join as you finish off, so that it is nearly, well, invisible!

And without further ado...the invisible join!

For my example, I've just finished a hat and am ready to fasten it off. 

 First, remove your crochet hook and leave a bit of a loop.
Cut the yarn about 3-4" from the last stitch.

Next, pull on the loop so that the tail comes out and you don't have a loop anymore.

Now, thread a yarn needle with the tail that you have just pulled through. Insert the needle into the stitch you want to join to. (When I'm doing this on a hat, I always use the first stitch to the left of the chain that began that round. Translated: the first stitch in that last round.) Be sure to go under both loops with your needle, just as you would if you were crocheting a stitch, and pull the yarn through.

 

Now it gets a wee bit tricky...well, tricky to explain, at least, but hopefully easy to
understand and do! Put your needle down through the back loop of your last stitch
and pull the needle through, to the inside, until you have that nice little
v-shape that technically isn't a stitch, but looks very much like one!

Pull it until it is the same size as your other stitches, and voila!...you have a nice smooth join at the base of your hat! 

 
Happy joining!

Sharing the Love

In our first blog post, I said that we want to share about other wonderful folks that we have come across since we began MotherDaughter Creations. We'll do this periodically in posts entitled Sharing the Love. As you can see if you pop a glance up at the title here, this is the first of what I hope to be many of these. Every time I think "Surely there can't be that many more photographers, yarn sellers, vendors, etc. out there", I find a new photographer, yarn seller, vendor, etc. whose work I love! So, in hopes that we can help you find some new favorites also, without further ado...let's share the love!

Our first feature is a no-brainer! The reason that MotherDaughter Creations exists is because of Shelly at Storybook Photography by Shelly. Last summer, Andrea was helping her make baby halos (because Shelly needed more to do!), and as they talked, Shelly found out that we both enjoy creating with yarn. She encouraged us to think about making baby things to sell online. (OK, if you happen to know Shelly, you know that "encourage" probably doesn't really describe it well...there was a lot more enthusiasm involved than "encourage" implies!) After praying about it and talking about it a lot, the rest, as they say, is history! We're now into our second year, and we're having a blast with it! 

Here are just a few examples of Shelly's amazing work in photos that she has taken of babies modeling some of our goodies. 

Gorgeous, no?! You can see even more gorgeousness on her website here. Shelly doesn't have a Facebook page right now , but if you leave a comment here to show your appreciation for her work, we'll make sure she sees it. :)  

Have a great week!