NatCroMo Blog Tour 2017

NatCroMo - almost sounds like it could be a blues singer - is National Crochet Month and it's happening NOW!

In the past there may have been a public stigma that crochet is something only little old ladies do in their doily-decorated houses. Well, we all know that's not always true - not to knock the doily ladies because I pretty much think they rock too with their teeny hooks and crochet thread. Mad props.

This generation has brought a new set of crochet enthusiasts and experts who are constantly pushing their skills, and creating new techniques and styles. There's LITERALLY something for everyone. If you doubt it I dare you to google "crochet for _insert anything_" and see what you find.

We've come a long way and we have our very own month to prove it. This year, I'm very happy to be a first-timer in the 5th annual NatCroMo blog tour by crochetville.com. So go check out my interview on their blog to learn a little more about my background, what's most important to me, and if I'm bistitchual. ;)

As a bonus, here's how you can celebrate NatCroMo, Playin' Hooky style.

• TODAY ONLY: A special exclusive for Blog Tour peeps - 50% off on Ravelry when you grab 2 or more patterns! Use the code NatCroMoBlog
• All month long: Take 10% off every pattern in my Ravelry or Etsy shop with the code NatCroMo
• Get some hooky swag with "Looky Looky I Got Hooky" tees, hoodies, and mugs.
• Check out my tips, tricks, and tutorials to help push yourself to the next level.
• Follow me on social media to stay up with promotions and NEW designs!

YAY CROCHET!!

play hard ... play hooky

It's coming

play hard ... play hooky

Friends don't let friends crochet naked

You might need a hoodie... or maybe a tee, but wherever you live, PLAYIN' HOOKY you'll be!

Ok, so I wrote that before I had any coffee this morning. I'm sorry. BUT hopefully it grabbed your attention because, get ready... it's Playin' Hooky Tee and Hoodie Week!!

Get your gear with short sleeves or long sleeves, zipper or pocket, in all sizes for one week only. The listings will be available through Saturday. Each item is hand screen-printed by a local artist on high quality Gildan fabric. Check each listing for more sizing and product details.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

BONUS I've added a giveaway where you could win a free fitted or unisex tee! One lucky winner will get to pick their favorite color & style for an all expenses paid tee! The winner will be announced on Friday, 2/28, so go ahead and order your shirt. If you win and have already bought a shirt, you can choose to either add the free shirt to your order OR get a refund. Use the Rafflecopter widget to the right to enter.
Come back everyday for more entries!

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Get your shirt now!

Spot the tee at tea (possibly one of my favorite sightings ever!)

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY

Zaggy Beanie Relaunch

I took a break from updating my patterns during the holiday season, but I'm back to it! This week it's all about the Zaggy, the what? The ZAGGY! (sorry for the nerd alert).

I picked the Zaggy as my next update simply because I had an order for it so I could easily change the format, check the gauge, add more detailed pattern instructions and tutorials. Plus, it's REALLY fun to make!

If you don't already have the pattern, you can get it in any of my shops. BUT if you check it out on Ravelry use the code HOOKYZAGGY for a special discount through noon on Tuesday (2/18).

Here's what's new:
- Detailed materials required, including yarn amounts
- Corrected gauge measurements
- Updated Photo tutorials
- Added area for you to write notes

 (PS - I made the purple hat, photographed it, and edited pics this morning all in under TWO hours! Whew!)

These hats were all made by my awesome testers! They make my patterns look good!

Where to buy:

• Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/zaggy-beanie---kids or http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/zaggy-beanie---adults
• Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PlayinHookyDesigns
• Craftsy: http://www.craftsy.com/user/176644/pattern-store
• Website: http://www.playinhookydesigns.com/#!product/prd1/194516911/zaggy-beanie---crochet-pattern

* If you already have the pattern, you get the update for free! Past Ravelry & Craftsy buyers should receive an update automatically. Past Etsy & website buyers, please pm or email me your order number so I can send you your update.

PLAY HARD ... PLAY HOOKY

10,000 Fan Giveaway - Happy Peg

Who's ready to see who won?

Drumroll please....

CONGRATULATIONS to...

Avril H.! She gets to play with the hook from Craftwich Creations!
Crescendo Gal & Sandie R.! They each one a new set of st markers from TJB Designs!

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Alessandra (Just Be Happy) is at it again! Not only did she donated two copies of her book, but she's also giving this morning's prize from her newest shop, Happy Peg. I swear, she always has the best ideas - it's hard to keep up! Her new peg dolls are SO sweet that I dare you not to smile! She makes everything from firemen to circus performers to farm animals and of course hookers too!

Enter for your chance to win one Crocheter Peg Doll from this upbeat and positive shop. Just imagine having your own little crochet friend standing at the ready. Now I want one!

play hard ~ play hooky

Happy Hooky Holidays!

No lines, no pushing, no gas money... just you with your coffee mug in your pjs! That's the way to shop.

This year, Black Friday lasts the whole weekend with a sale through Sunday plus Daily Deals to keep you coming back for more!

WEEKEND SALE

Are you in search of my patterns?

Use the code HOOKYHOLIDAYS for 30% every individual pattern in my Ravelry shop through Sunday.

http://www.ravelry.com/designers/liz-mcqueen

FRIDAY DAILY DEAL

Looking for the perfect present? 

Check out my Etsy shop and get free US shipping Friday (11/29) on any custom beanie, headband, or disc with the code HOOKYSHIPPING.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PlayinHookyDesigns

play hard ~ play hooky

Tee & Hoodie Week (Yay!)

It's time to check one thing off your Christmas list because it's Playin' Hooky Tee & Hoodie Week! What's even better? There's a new softstyle longsleeve tee to keep you warm. You can also get the same quality tees, pullover hoodies, and zippered hoodies with my skull & cross hooks logo drawn with actual crochet stitches. Start dropping hints to your family, friends, and neighbors. Don't miss it because they're available only in my Etsy shop until Saturday. 

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY

Hooky Halloween Scavenger Hunt

While you're at work today, play a little hooky and go on a spooky Halloween scavenger hunt! I've hidden 10 bats (look for the picture to the left) in my Etsy Shop. Each one is hidden in a different picture. It could be on any picture, anywhere, in any direction! But it will always be this bat in black. To find them, search through all the listings in my Etsy shop. You can earn a coupon code worth up to 20%!

Start hunting: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PlayinHookyDesigns

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Email me or send me a FB message with all the LINKS (not the listing titles) to the listings where you find a bat to unlock your coupon code. 
2. Your discount amount depends on how many bats you find: 1 bat = 2% off... 2 bats = 4% off, 3 bats = 6% off... 10 bats = 20% off!
3. DO NOT GIVE AWAY ANY LISTINGS AS A COMMENT HERE OR ON FB. If you do, you will automatically be disqualified from any discount. Let's let everyone have fun!
4. The hunt is on all Halloween day only. So search fast!
5. Your discount will be good in my Etsy shop through Sunday (11/3).

Here's an example of what you're looking for. If it's not the exact bat shown, it doesn't count.

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY

Santa Beanie Pre-Sale & Photo Contest

I know, it's only September, but store aisles are already filling with blow up lawn decorations, wreaths, stockings, and ornaments, so I'm jumping in too. I'm having a Santa Beanie Pre-Sale so you can get a beanie at a discounted price and I won't be as overwhelmed during the holiday season. I also had a genius idea about what to do with your beanies once you get them... keep reading for details!

• Get a sale price for ordering early
• Order your beanie from 9/18 to 9/21
• It will ship to you on November 1st

Grab your cameras and bring out your footy pj's because in conjunction with the Santa Beanie Pre-Sale, I'm holding an Awkward Family Photo Contest! One winner will get a $25 gift certificate to my shop. It's the perfect last-minute gift for someone you love.

• Submit your photos from now until 12/15.
• Send me the pic through email or my FB page.
• All submitted photos will be posted here on my blog.
• Readers will vote on their favorite photo.
• The photo with the most votes WINS!
• Photos must feature at least one of my Santa Beanies (pictured, it can be made by me or made by you from my pattern) to be eligible.
• Only one photo per family is allowed.
• By sending me a picture you consent to allow me to use it on my blog, FB page, and other social media sites to advertise for the contest.
• You retains rights and credit for the photo.
• Watermarked photography is allowed.

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY

New Bulk Deals in my shop

Something new popped up in my Esty shop and my website. More options for bulk patterns & graphs!

Now you have the option to get 2 or 5 patterns at a discount - for when Pick 3 is too few or too many, now it'll be just right.

I also introduced long awaited bulk listings for my graphs. Stock up on 3, 5, or 10 graphs!

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY

Playin' Hooky Tees are back

In my shop for one week only! 

Now that summer is here, I've been getting more and more requests and 'gentle' nudges to offer my shirts again. It's getting hot outside and I start sweating when I think about wearing a Hooky hat, but this is a great way to show your Hooker pride. Design Wars is over and I have a little more time to devote to them they are back in my Etsy shop this week only!

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As a fun addition to this round of tshirt orders, I've added a giveaway where you could win a FREE SHIRT! One lucky winner will get to pick their favorite color & style for an all expenses paid tee! The winner will be announced on Thursday, 6/13, so if you don't want to risk missing the sale, go ahead and order your shirt. If you win, you can choose to either add a shirt to your order OR get a full refund! Use the Rafflecopter widget to the right to enter. Come back everyday for more entries!

The Giveaway is now over. Thank you for your support and congratulations to Jen A.!

***************************************************************************

The tees & hoodies will be available for order until Saturday, 6/15. I will take our order to the screen printer on Monday, 6/17 and printing time can vary up to 2 weeks. Your order will ship in 2-3 business days after I receive them from the printer and you will get a tracking number so you can stalk it to your doorstep!

Hurry and get your shirt now!

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY

Eddyline Sunhat, Headband, & Belt Pattern is here!

Thank you for all your support during this round of Design Wars. Your votes, comments, and shares have made this a great experience and I've learned a lot. I appreciate you sticking with me to the end!

The final results (I don't even know who won yet and it's killing me!) will be posted on the DW blog tomorrow, but you can also see who won in the newsletter, set to go out any minute! Be the first one to know - sign up NOW!

To celebrate the end of a great competition, my Eddyline Pattern is now available! And do you want even better news? The first 20 copies sold on Ravelry are 30% off with the code EDDYLINE. Hurry because I have a feeling they won't last long!
** Update - all 20 sale copies are already gone!! THANK YOU! **

Here's where to get your copy:
Ravelry
Etsy
Craftsy

And now for some eye candy. Here are some of the amazing shots taken by my photographer, Jess at Jlight Photography (and a few I took)...

Who doesn't like free money?

I normally don't get this excited over giveaways, but this is the best one I've seen. Because really, who doesn't like free money? It's Charissa from Mad Mad me's giveaway and I'm not surprised because she always has the best ideas! You could win one of 3 Etsy gift cards - $100, $50, & $25!! Here's how it works:

• Enter to win one of three Etsy gift cards at the top of the entry page
• The more you share, tweet, and pin the giveaway, the more entries you'll get to win!
• Then can vote for up to 10 of your favorite vendors (the top three vendors win gift cards too!!)
• The giveaway winners will be announced no later than Monday, May 6th

So start sharing, posting, and tweeting to win!!

Look for my SpiderMan Beanie to vote for me!

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY

Shell Shock Beanie

YAY!! The Shell Shock Beanie pattern is finally here! After a few months, I finally got it in gear and finished the tutorials for the Shell Shock Beanie (aka the turtle hat haha). There are 3 pages of tutorials with each pattern plus a video tutorial if you need extra help. I hope you love it!

I'm having a lot of fun with this design. Next up I want to try it with two main colors instead of one. But in the meantime, here it is and here's where you can find it:

Ravelry - Kids Pattern
Ravelry - Adults Pattern

Etsy - Kids Pattern
Etsy - Adults Pattern

Craftsy - Kids Pattern
Craftsy - Adults Pattern

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY

The hunt is over...

Thank you for playing with my yesterday! I had a lot of fun and I hope you did too. If you found hearts and unlocked your coupon code, you have all day today to use it. 

Here's the breakdown of how many hearts were found (for all you number nerds like me):

No one found less than 5 hearts!
5 hearts found - 4.2%
6 hearts found - 16.7%
7 hearts found - 16.7%
8 hearts found - 8.3%
9 hearts found - 29.2%
all 10 hearts found - 25%

If you found all 10 hearts that's AWESOME! But if you didn't it's probably killing you where that last heart (or 2) was hiding. So I'm going to show you in no particular order (the hearts are no longer on the pics in my shop):

CROCHET PATTERN - Waffle Headband

Big Waffle Ski Beanie - Kids Custom Crochet Hat

CROCHET HAT PATTERN - Kids Ziggy Beanie

Playin' Hooky Disc - Crocheted Cotton Flying Disc

CROCHET HAT PATTERN - Kid's & Baby's Gingham Beanie

CROCHET HAT PATTERNS - Houndstooth Beanie - Adults & Kids Sizes

Avalanche Beanie - Adults Custom Crochet Hat

Ridgeline Beanie - Adult's Custom Crochet Hat

CROCHET HAT PATTERN - Shockwave Beanie - Kids Size

CROCHET HAT PATTERN - Twisted Beanie - Kid's Size

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY

2nd Annual Valentine's Day Scavenger Hunt!

While you're at work today, play a little hooky and go on a  Valentine's scavenger hunt! I've hidden 10 hearts (look for the picture to the left) in my Etsy Shop. Each one is hidden in a different picture. It could be on any picture, anywhere, any direction! To find them, hunt through all my hats & patterns until you come across one and you'll get up to 20% off!

My Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PlayinHookyDesigns

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Email me or send me a FB message with all the links to the listings you find to unlock your coupon code
2. Your discount amount depends on how many hearts you find: 1 heart = 2% off... 2 hearts = 4% off, 3 hearts = 6% off... 10 hearts = 20% off!
3. DO NOT GIVE AWAY ANY LISTINGS AS A COMMENT HERE OR ON FB. If you do, you will automatically be disqualified from any discount. Let's let everyone have fun!
4. The hunt is on all day! 
5. Your discount will be good all day today and through tomorrow

On the right is the exact heart you will find in each correct picture. If it's not that heart, it doesn't count. On the left is an example of how it may be hidden.

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY

Phil Didn't See His Shadow...

.... SO that means I was right (for the second year in a row I might add)! :) And that means an early Spring and a sale for you!

Use the code GROUNDHOGDAY25 for 25% off* my Ravelry & Etsy shops for the rest of the day.

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!!

*$6 eBooks & #2.99 throwback patterns on Ravelry are not eligible for the sale

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY

The hunt is ON!

Valentine's Day Challenge!!

While you're at work today, play a little hooky to go on a scavenger hunt! I've hidden 10 hearts (like the one to the left) in my Etsy Shop for you to find. Each heart is hidden as the last picture of a listing. So to find them, hunt through all my hats & patterns until you come across one and you'll get up to 10% off!

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Email me or send me a convo through Etsy with all the links to the listings you find
2. Your discount amount depends on how many hearts you find: 1 heart = 1% off... 2 hearts = 2% off... 10 hearts = 10% off!
3. DO NOT GIVE AWAY ANY LISTINGS AS A COMMENT ON MY BLOG. If you do, you will automatically be disqualified from any discount. Let's let everyone have fun!
4. The hunt is on all day, so no rush!
5. Your discount will be good all day tomorrow (Feb 15).

Let me know if you have any questions!

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY

Phil saw his shadow!

YAY! Phil saw his shadow which means 6 more weeks of winter & beanie-wearing weather. it also means that you get 25% off any item in my Etsy & Ravelry store for the entire day!

Use the coupon code: GROUNDHOGDAY25 during your checkout!!

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!!

Groundhog Day!!!!

Tomorrow's groundhog day. While I don't really put my hopes in the hands of a small woodchuck named Phil, I thought it'd be fun to gamble a little on what the famous prognosticating rodent from Punxsutawney has to say. I know there's more than one forecasting groundhog, but I had to go with Phil... he knows Bill Murray.

So here's the gamble:

IF Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow (meaning we have 6 more weeks of winter & beanie-wearing weather!) I'll release a coupon code for 25% off anything in my Etsy or Ravelry shop good all day tomorrow! Stayed tuned to find out what's going to happen!

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY