Boys & Bacon

I started crocheting in a professional, selling my things capacity in the spring of 2012. I was MASSIVELY, planetarily, huge! My first son was born Aug 3, 2012. One of my first, and most successful patterns was for an ice cream cone rattle. It was an amazing opportunity to use some colorful scraps, and people loved them! I sold out every weekend at the Saturday Market Artisans fair I was doing. It was a simple pattern I could crochet up the pieces for in-class lectures, and sew up later. I've pulled the pattern from my old retired blog and brought it over here. Everything in 1 place. Have fun! I'd love to see the finished products! This piece is made in 2 parts which are then single crocheted together. It is created using  amigurumi  basics, and is crochet in a spiral, so don't connect your rows. Materials: Yarn, acrylic or cotton are best for baby gifts, wool for cat toys. Crochet hook 1 size smaller than yarn recommends. Polyfill (this is what I use) or woo

You know those colds and coughs that just stick around? They cling to everyone and everything? When you finally get rid of it, you pick up a toy your kid slept with while they were sick, and you ALL HAVE IT AGAIN! It's here. My brain doesn't function a full operating capacity, my focus is shot, and I get a lot of nothing done. My real estate business took a back burner, the house is a mess, and the only thing I did all weekend was stream Netflix and crochet. The kids played between naps and zoning out because of their colds, and hubby spent the weekend wrapped up and feverish in the bedroom reading books. It was a phlegmy coughing weekend. Ugh! BUT! All was not lost. My traditional fallback is crochet, and because I've been doing it so long, I managed to be productive in the sense that I filled a couple of orders, and designed a new hat. I've even written it down. The pattern will be available soon. I call it the Sellwood Spiral Hat. It's crocheted in a spir

As I sat in a dimly lit room last night, fighting off the worst migraine I've had in some time, lamenting that my medications were downstairs in the car, and knowing I couldn't handle the pain of going downstairs, I had a thought.  A crochet pattern. And my brain wouldn't give up on it. I HAD to do something about it. RIGHT. THIS. SECOND. Despite the pain. So today, as I look at the finished hat, and the scribbled and barely legible notebook, I'm reminded that some people thrive in creative chaos.  Should I have just slept through it? Maybe just jotted down a quick couple of notes to remind me in the morning? Probably, but what came out of it was a hat design I love, that isn't quite so plain as I've been doing.  It also got me thinking about all the times I crocheted or doodled through my classes, and despite the constant fidgeting, I still managed to be fully involved in conversations and understand the concepts well enough to reflect higher

It's been more than a little while since I posted, and it's not because I've been lazy. Okay, maybe a little lax, but it's because I've had so much happening over the last 6 months, that writing for my blog isn't the first thing on my mind. But I want to make it happen more. No one dictates what I write, so maybe it's time to diversify. (Affiliate links provided) I've been working full time on my Real Estate business after we moved to Portland, OR in March. It's been stressful and expensive, but it's been totally worth it. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can see that this is going places, and will help us live a happier more fulfilled life, once we get our feet under us. Aside from the move, the boys each received a family membership to local entertainment venues. Connor got an Oregon Museum of Science and Industry ( OMSI ) membership, and Cohen got an Oregon Zoo membership. They've had so much fun getting out of the h