Etsy

Monday, October 28, 2013

Good afternoon!

So I completed the Lacy Jacket that I began a few weeks back. I found the pattern at http://www.yarnspirations.com/. My intention was to have it done for my sister's wedding, but no such luck. It came out beautifully, even if I did go in my own direction in a few places. I dislike when a pattern writer asumes that people know how to do specific combo stitches they put in there. This one tells you to base chain single crochet- I had to look that one up. Then it calls for a shell stitch. Well, I know what one is, but they come in different sizes. This pattern does not tell you how many double crochets to do. It seems that after you complete the final stich, they are calling for a 4 double crochet shell, but then they say they want you to have a chain space in the top- no sense. So, how did I do it? I made a 5 double crochet shell, using the odd number to create a middle stich  for the next row to latch onto. This seemed to come out quite nicely. I'll post a picture later today.

One of the nice things about crochet is that it's more like cooking rather than baking in that you can doctor up the pattern or settle on "that'll do". One little tip is to tighten up edges by doing one less chain at the beginging of a row. For example, if your row calls for chain 3=a double crochet, then you can do a chain 2 instead to make a tighter look to your edges.

Happy crafting !

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Welcome!

Hi! Welcome to Arts, Crafts, Etc.! My name is Jessica and I hope to have great conversations with you about all sorts of topics! I have enjoyed doing projects since I was a child, and I continue to do them on my own as well as with children. I have an extensive background working with children at camps, after-school programs, in school, and in therapy. I have seen the positive impact arts and crafts can have on children and adults alike. I hope to share my passion for The Arts as I am a musician as well as an avid crafter. I have family involved in painting, drawing, photography, dancing, micro brewing, knitting, and sewing/dress making. I plan to share their experiences and links to their sites as part of a features section. Arts and Crafts keep the creative juices flowing and bring joy and a sense of accomplishment to those who engage in them. I look forward to your input and feedback as well! Happy crafting!