Friday, June 02, 2006

First Post


I hope I am better able to keep up with this blog than the last two I have started. The first one, I was not permitted to post photos unless I paid for the feature, which I did not have the money to do so. The second was a members only site. Neither of these is good for my budding career. You see, I am trying to become a crochet designer, and without photos and public access to back me up, it makes things difficult. I have patterns on another page but I cannot post pics of the finished product without funding, and if I post on the other site, not everyone would have access to it. Hence, my dilemma.

I have been crocheting for 20 years, now. My mother taught me the basics when I was just a kid, and I taught myself how to read patterns while I was in college and needed a stress relief. I recently began writing down some of the things I created myself, and, while time-consuming, it has been very rewarding.

This year, I am attempting to start a craft business. I am going to offer classes in crocheting once I am certified through the CYAA (hopefully, this fall!), and I will also be selling finished items at various craft shows in my area. I also plan to do special orders, which has been my main business so far.

I am a member of CrochetPartners (howdy, y'all!), and a few weeks ago, I had this inspiration to make doilyghans for baby blankets. I shared this idea on the board, and the idea just took off! A doilyghan is basically a large, blanket-sized doily made of yarn (that, or a doily is a doilyghan that has shrunk in the wash). I look for patterns that do not generally have a lot of large pieces of openwork, although netting and filet are quite nice for the projects. Celt's Vintage Crochet has a lot of nice, free-to-the-public vintage doily patterns which many of them are just perfect for blankets. My first two doilyghans were made from the Plate Doily pattern. The first, I made for my 6-month-old dd, and the second I made for a gal I know who ordered it for her new grandbaby who is due to arrive any moment now. Above is a pic of the finished doilyghan I made for my dd. The next doilyghan I am working on is called Nosegay Doily. I'm making each section a different shade of yellow and green...perhaps I'll call it Limon Nosegay? Anyhow, this one I started Wednesday night, and it seems to be rather time-consuming, so I may have to charge a bit more for the finished products as I sell them.

In September, I plan to take part in a local annual one-day flea market, trying to sell my wares. I will feverishly work on various pieces and expand my portfolio so that if folks want to special order something, they will be able to.

2 comments:

Michelle said...

Looks nice. How much farther till it's finished? Great concept. Keep up the nice work.

Sj2b House of Books said...

Great start Tracey! Can't wait to see what else you've got to say, Sharon