9 Years of Playin' Hooky and a Surprise

Today marks 9 years since the beginning of Playin' Hooky. When I started it all, I had no idea how much my life would be affected by my little business. Your support helped (actually, is helping) me through the hardest time of my life. Your laughs make my days brighter. Your questions help fuel my own crochet knowledge. I feel like we've shared our lives together even though we really don't know each other... and that completely blows me away.

To celebrate, I'm going live on Facebook tonight (6ish mountain time) with some HUGE surprises that you won't want to miss. Like my page and join me live tonight!!

play hard ... play hooky

Don't think of it as Monday...

Think of it as PATTERN DAY!!

I'm so excited to finally bring you my first design of 2015... the Snowdrift Slouch.

Swirl, twist, roll… whatever you call it, you NEED this hat. It’s as fun to make as it is to wear. Versatile, cozy and comfy, with undeniable style. Make it in a solid color or with a color pop. Just make it your own today!

Here's your chance to enter to win a free copy of my new Snowdrift Slouch pattern:

Follow this link to Pin the picture to the left.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/109071622201360202/

Then head over to my Facebook post and leave your Pinterest ID.

Tomorrow (1/13) I'll pick FIVE random winners from all the entries to win a free copy of the Snowdrift Slouch pattern (or another pattern from my shop if you already have it)!

  

  

play hard ... play hooky

15,000 Facebook Fans

Yesterday I posted a picture... a Dobby-esque, crazy yarn lady type picture (and I unashamedly want to frame it). I made my deadline for 24 Colorado Beanies in one month. And that's pretty much what I looked like trying to get it all done. Tired and covered in blue yarn. But at least my hands and forearms were whipped into shape - I wonder if I burned enough calories to have that brownie?

Well this morning I checked in with my Facebook page and had a bit of a shock. I woke up to 15,000 Facebook fans! You know I like celebrating, so as a thank you check out my Ravelry shop and get 40% off your whole pattern order. 

Just use the code HOOKY15000 when you check out all day today (Nov 22).

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

play hard... play hooky

(I'm still trying to figure out this mobile blogging thing. That's why my pics are suspiciously devoid of hyperlinks. My bad!)

16 Real Things Hookers Say

When you have kids, you say weird things. Things you never thought you'd say.

"Stop licking the wall" happened and it got me thinking, so I asked my Facebook fans to fill in the blank...

Real things you say when you crochet: _______

WARNING: If you have gentle sensibilities, you may want to skip this post. The life of a hooker can get a little dirty sometimes.

1. Looking for a cow leg.
2. Oh no, do I really have to pull it out.
3. I've lost my eyes... (when making Ami)
4. Did I hit the hole?
5. 20, 21, 22, 37, 38, 39, 50...
6. I wish I got paid to be a hooker!
7. Hand me those balls
8. Ugh, I hate fingering!
9. Just a minute!
10. If I wiggle it a little more, I think I can get it in there.
11. Please don't put your arm inside mommy's yarn.
12. Get my yarn out of your toes
13. Stop moving, you're wrapped in my wip.
14. Here, you can play with this one
15. That dolls leg is NOT a microphone!!
16. Just one more row.

Bonus....

17. Dammit if it was only an inch longer!

These are only my favorites. If you want to read all of them, check out the original post here.
https://www.facebook.com/PlayinHooky/posts/10154578939125648

play hard ... play hooky

Brace Yourself for the Winner

I always try to bring you something just a little different during Playin' Hooky tee and hoodie week. I used all of my Photoshop "skills" to put a Playin' Hooky tee on Ned Stark and asked you to finish this meme. The comment with the most likes on Facebook wins a free Playin' Hooky tee.

I couldn't resist giving a little something special to my personal favorite captions. These commenters get to pick a free pattern from my shop. If you're a winner, send me an email to claim your prize.

Designer's Picks

• Kiley Jones... They just called you a Knitter!
• Jennifer Bibb (and Alyssa Willey)... It's time to weave in the ends!
• Jackie Fenwick... Last minute gift requests are coming. 
• Steff Walker... You made her lose her stitch count

And the Grand Prize winner of the free Playin' Hooky tee is...

Chellsea Hernandez

Congratulations to all the winners and thank you so much to everyone who played along. I hope we all got a smile out of it.

If you didn't win the free tee, you still have until Wednesday, 9/24 to get your Playin' Hooky gear and represent. Did you know? Every Playin' Hooky tee & hoodie is ordered and hand screen printed by a local artist. The crochet stitch design was specially created for me by another local designer. No big box companies here! I personally quality control check each one as I package them to make sure your order is perfect.

play hard ... play hooky

34 Signs You Might Be (or know) a Crocheter

If you've been with me for a while, you know that I like to throw out this question every once and a while. I never get tired of your comments and stories. This list is an insight into the weird little world we've created for ourselves, and the people who love us in spite of it all.

Here are the most "liked" comments from my Facebook page. If you have some time to kill and want to read the whole list, check it out here.

WARNING: don't drink while reading this! I just spit coffee on my keyboard. At least there wasn't any yarn on it.

1. When your kids try to ask you a question and you respond with counting louder.
2. You can quote any movie or TV show and know exactly what's going on, but have NO CLUE what the characters look like.
3. Your phone autocorrects to sc/dc/st/FLO/fpdc when you try to type real words
4. You find NO offense in being called a hooker!
5. You count loudly and stare down people that are trying to talk to you while you finish a row. 
6. You lose multiple hooks/needles/supplies without ever leaving the spot youve been in for hours.
7. You just nod your head and roll your eyes when your hubs calls it knitting for the 749th time this week.
8. When "frog" is no longer an animal that croaks
9. One of your top priorities when looking for a new home is finding adequate storage for your yarn.
10. When you have a hook and a skein in your glove compartment in case of emergency.
11. When your pattern stash is larger than what you'll ever finish
12. You have more yarn than clothing
13. Your kids don't ask you to buy them toys they ask if you will crochet them something, and you are so honored that you drop everything to complete it despite any other WIP.
14. You go on vacation and google ahead of time where all the yarn stores are. yep, true story.
15. You have to start thinking about Christmas gifts NOW!
16. You spend your time trying to prove to people that crocheting isn't just for little old ladies!
17. Your before bed mantra is "one more row, one more roll, one more row "
18. When every pattern you find requires a yarn you don't have and therefore, you are FORCED to go buy more yarn.
19. when your hubby knows he can bribe you do do almost anything with the promise of new yarn!
20. The phrase "I've got balls" is't dirty!
21. You follow someone in a store wearing a cute crochet scraf or hat, trying to figure out what stitch was used, what type of yarn without letting said person know you are following you.
22. you're working furiously on a piece to get it finished, hold off going to the potty till it's an emergency, & then get caught up in your yarn while making a mad dash to get there! Only to pull out half of the last row you were working on!!!!
23. Your lint roller is covered with mohair, wool, fun fur AND pet fur.
24. You pack your yarn bag for a road trip but forget your tooth brush. (True story just this morning.)
25. Your husband is proud to tell people his wife is a hooker who works with hard wood (since I carve hooks, also...)
26. you wake up in the morning wrapped up in the yarn you were using before you fell asleep last night. 
27. When you go to take a shower you find crochet hooks stashed in your top, pockets, and hair. Not to mention in the car, in your purse, and every room in the house!
28. You have tried telling your husband that your yarn habit helps keep the heat bill down and we even need more yarn because we live in an old, poorly insulated house.
29. If, when pregnant, the first thing that gets packed in your hospital bag is yarn!
30. You might crochet if the words " baby weight" have nothing to do with a well child visit!
31. You only ever shout at the dog ( or dogs in my case) when they catch your yarn ( usually by accident) and drag half your project round the room .....happened again today lol!
32. You cant watch a TV show with out looking at the crochet items saying I can remake that. As you pause it till you can figure it out or till the kid and hubby yells
33. Craft store employees know your kids by name!
34. when you get up from your chair you drag a long string of yarn with you and you don't notice it until you're already in the kitchen. And then that last row you were working on is completely undone.

And here's why you should always have a crocheter by your side... you know, in case of emergencies and stuff.

• You are on a road trip in a rental and hit a coon causing the front bumper to fall off on one side. Your only tools are: yarn, scissors and hooks. You crochet a chain to tie the bumper to the battery posts and cut away the debris with your favorite scissors and still drive 13 hours home with no issues.

I'll leave you with something to remember... even Disney likes us more.

play hard ... play hooky

Bryn's Candy

Wednesday, April 16th, is my Bryn's 7th birthday. But it will be the second time we've had to celebrate without her. Last year, with LOTS of help, we put a flower garden on the fence of the Kindergarten she was supposed to go to.

It took me a lot longer to decide how to celebrate this year. I could never find the perfect project, and well honestly, I just ran out of energy to organize something huge. But with your help, we can still do something pretty cool.

I love you more than candy... that's what she said when I tucked her in at night. So this year, we're going to spread love and happiness through candy, and Bryn would have LOVED it!

I scoured Ravelry and  found two free candy crochet patterns on Ravelry that remind me of Bryn.

Here's what you do:

• Pinwheel Candy Pattern - http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pinwheel-candy
• Lollipop Pattern - http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lollipop-brooch
• Make up as many or few as candies as you want.
• The brighter the colors the better!
• Write a note, or leave them bare. 
• Put them out as a yarn bomb... leave them in random candy dishes... hand them out to strangers... as long as it will make someone smile.
• Get a picture of the candies in action.
• On Wednesday, post your pictures to Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter with the hashtag #brynscandy.

Thank you for your help! I can't put into words how much it means to me that you're willing to help me celebrate my amazing daughter and keep her memory alive.

play hard ~ play hooky

Update: I did it! I actually finished making all the candies I had hoped to for her birthday tomorrow. If you want to leave a note with your ‪#‎brynscandy‬ tomorrow and aren't sure what to say, here's something I just wrote...

For Bryn, a girl who loved life, lived big, and shared smiles. Here's a handmade candy to celebrate and spread love on her birthday. She isn't here so we'll do it for her. I love you more than candy.

10,000 Fan GIveaway - New Moon Studio

We have come full circle with one full week of giveaways! Thank you to  everyone who entered, all my new fans, and of course my vendors. It's been an incredible time so far and I hope you think so too!! My hope is that I introduced you to some drool-worthy shops. First up as always are the winners from yesterday.

Drumroll please....

CONGRATULATIONS to...

Schere K.W.! She will be making ice cream headbands and bacon scarves with Twinkie Chan's book!
RaeLynn O.! Can tote her WIP's anywhere because she won the tote from Yarn Pop!

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For my final giveaway, New Moon Studio is donating a STUNNING hand thrown yarn bowl. I'm finding it hard to describe; it's just that beautiful. Seriously, no words... just look!

The bowl is made with high fire stoneware and covered with combination of two beautiful glazes.

It is approximately 6"x3".
Each yarn bowl is made to order, so estimated ship time from final pick is 3-4 weeks.

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I also want to give a final thank you to all of my vendors! I couldn't have done with without their amazing talent. If you missed any of them during the giveaway, here they are...

Yarn Baby

Mad Mad me

RAD stamps

East Mesa Design

Just Be Happy Patterns

Auntie Jen's Creations

Craftwich Creations

TJB Designs

Happy Peg

Manjar Sweets

The Lemonade Shop

Wearthou

Twinkie Chan

Yarn Pop

New Moon Studio

play hard ~ play hooky

10,000 Fan Giveaway - Just Be Happy Patterns

Who wants to know yesterday's winners?

Drumroll please....

CONGRATULATIONS to...

Amy H.! She won the set of hooker stamps from RADstamps!
Alexandra M.! She won East Mesa's granny square mug!

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Alessandra has created something that, well, just makes you happy! A native of Brazil, she has been inducing smiles with her adorable newborn props, cute kids animal beanies, adult styles and so much more! She is one incredible lady... she'll crank out props, hats, and cozies like you've never seen, all with a positive attitude and a smile on her face. And guess what? She has her own book too! So inspiring.

For Wednesday morning's giveaway Just Be Happy has donated a copy of her book to two, YES TWO lucky winners! It's full of adorable and whimsical (but wearable) designs for kids. Check it out to start your day with a smile!

play hard ~ play hooky

10,000 Fan Giveaway - RADstamps

Before we get started on today's free loot, who wants to know the winners of yesterday's?

Drumroll please....

CONGRATULATIONS to...

Jonna V.! She won the hand painted skein from Yarn Baby LLC!
Lindsey I.! She won Mad Mad me's clay hook!

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I found RADstamps on Etsy and immediately bought myself three stamps! Not only are they UH-mazing, but they're priced so right that it's ok if you can't pick just one. I dare you to try (did anyone else hear Barney Stinson say "Challenge Accepted"?).

This morning, one lucky hooker will win this set of mini stamps that are small but pack a punch. Leave your mark on your envelopes, your stationery (do people still have stationery?), your hand, or your friend's forehead... just keep STAMPING!

play hard ~ play hooky

10,000 Fan Giveaway - Yarn Baby

Thanks to the generosity of a few amazing shops, I've put together a giveaway featuring high-quality handmade items every hooker would want to find in their stocking.

Here's how it'll work:

• I'll feature 2 shops every day - each for 6 hours - Get ready for some seriously amazing shops!
• The morning shop will be featured from 8am-2pm (MST), and the afternoon shop will be featured from 2pm-8pm (MST)
• You'll be able to enter for that shop's prize for the 6 hour time period only
• I'll announce the winners the next morning
• Winners have 48 hours to claim their prize.
• Please read the terms and conditions before entering

If you want a sneak peek at the afternoon shops, make sure to sign up for my newsletter

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** NOW CLOSED ** Winner to be announced tomorrow!

Now that all the official business is taken care of, I can introduce you to my Monday Morning shop!

Say hello to YARN BABY! If you haven't seen her gorgeous hand dyed and hand painted skeins, you're in for some great yarn porn. What's even better? She creates a backstory to each skein she crafts! Love it.

Use the Rafflecopter form to the right to enter for this beautiful hand painted skein - worsted weight, 218 yds. Stop by her Facebook page and ask her to tell the story behind it!

play hard ~ play hooky

Why I can't crochet naked in public

This morning, I woke up to a yard blanketed in snow and 9,999 fans on my Facebook page!! I'm only one away and I almost can't believe it!!

Last week I decided I should plan a celebration. I gave you a choice between a sale, a giveaway, or me crocheting in public. Naked hooking was the landslide winner but it's too close to Thanksgiving to go to jail so I decided to plan a giveaway! 

I've been working behind the scenes to plan something truly great featuring high quality hooks, totes, buttons, st markers, books, mugs, and more!

If it was any other week, I'd open the giveaway on Monday, but it's Thanksgiving here in the States. Family time is incredibly important as is giving ourselves a break. So to give us all some time off, I've decided to schedule the giveaway for the first week in December!

It's going to be hard to wait that long, but it'll be worth it!

Thank you so much for your support and love. It means more to me than I can say. I wouldn't be here without you. <3

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

WHOA!! 9,000 FB Fans!!

Whoa! Sometime during the night I reached my 9,000th fan! To celebrate, try out some new patterns you've been eyeing. It's buy 2 get 1 free in my Ravelry shop until Sunday! Whooo hoooo!!!!

Thank you so much for all your support!

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY

Busy Week

Lots going on this week, so I hope I can keep up!

I have been working with Kim, from Oikos Handmade, to co-release a pattern for the Graph Beanies you seen on my FB page lately! I'm so excited to be able to offer this to you!! Kim & I will both be offering the beanie in our shops along with "a la cart" graphs you can get separately. If you have any requests for graphs, let me know!

There could be a SECOND pattern release this week too! It's been a long time coming, but the "Turtle Beanie" (or whatever other name we decide on... go on and give me your suggestions!!) is in the works! I have a few things to finish, including an all new video tutorial to help with the tricky bits, but my goal is to git-er-done very soon!

I have also decided to make Playin' Hooky Sightings a monthly contest, with bigger, better prizes. So keep your eyes peeled and your pictures coming. Remember, the more spontaneous and epic your sighting is, the better your chances of winning!

If I see any Playin' Hooky Harlem Shake vids, that would have to be an instant winner!

And of course, who can forget that today is the day I'm ordering our hoodies & t-shirts! I'm so excited I could pee. But I won't, haha. I'll let you know as soon as I talk to the printer when we can expect them for delivery!!

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

Newsletter in the works

You may have heard, or noticed it for yourself, but FB is severely limiting the reach of small business pages, favoring those who can pay big money to reach all of their fans. From a page owner (and page liker) point of view, it upsets me that a very small percentage of my fans actually see what I post. IMO, if I "like" a page, I did it to stay in touch with that particular company.

Sure, there are a few things you could do on FB like selecting "get notifications" to make sure you see your favorite page's post, but all-in-all I'm not exactly optimistic about the direction that FB is going in terms of promoting my business. That being said, I still love sharing my thoughts, creative process, promotions, and finished beanies with you and my FB page is here to stay.

So why am I bringing this up? I want to make sure I stay in touch with you, without being overly obnoxious. I'm thinking about starting an email newsletter for big updates, contest announcements, upcoming sales, and new items. What'd you think? It'd never be more than one email a week, and more likely only 2-3 times a month.

Would you be interested in a Playin' Hooky newsletter?

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY

1st Weekly Playin' Hooky Sighting Winner

Last Monday I started a new contest for you and the first week of Playin' Hooky Sightings was a lot of fun. You used Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to submit some great pictures. In fact, I couldn't decide on just one. So we have two winners this week!

Congratulations to MELANIE for her pic of her daughter playing with her Playin' Hooky Disc and RENEE for her pic of her husband and his pit crew wearing their Houndstooth Beanies on their way to Sault Ste. Marie Michigan for the I-500 snowmobile race! 

Melanie & Renee won a skull and cross hooks button!

I'll choose another winner next Monday so keep your eyes peeled and submit your pictures!

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY

Playin' Hooky Sightings!!

It's ON (like Donkey Kong?)... wow, I'm old.

ANYWAY I've started a new & ongoing weekly contest for you!

• Have you ever seen someone wearing a Brain Waves Beanie walking down your street?
• Are you proud of the Shockwave Beanie you just made?
• Did someone stick a skull and cross hooks sticker on your favorite stop sign? 

Well, snap a pic and post it to my Facebook wall, Twitter or Instagram (use #PlayinHookySighting on Twitter & Instagram so I can find them)

I'll pick my favorite pic every week and the winner gets a prize and a feature on my social media sites & blog! Just remember:

• The more creative/silly/epic the picture is, the more likely you'll win
• Don't be too much of a stalker - if you can, ask if they'll pose so you can win a contest.
• NO DUCKLIPS!
• I don't condone the defacement of public property haha!

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY