2017 Furry Foreseer Day

Tomorrow is Groundhog Day It's the best holiday featuring a glorified rat and thousands of  revelers will brave the frozen noses in a small corner of Pennsylvania to see if Punxsutawney Phil will get us out of winter early.

"This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather."

Every year I take a guess at what Phil will do and then give you a sale if I'm right!! This year I'm a little torn. It's been warmer than usually all winter so far - so part of me wants to say that it'll be an early Spring. But Mother Nature likes to surprise us - keeping weathermen everywhere on their toes - so part of me thinks we may get a fierce cold snap later this month. Soooooooo my official guess for 2017 is that Phil WILL see his shadow, get scared, and hide his furry butt back in his bed, giving us 6 more weeks of winter.

So there it is. My prediction for tomorrow. Lets see if the prognosticator of prognosticators can pull it out for the win!

Come back tomorrow to see if I was right and to get the coupon code for my annual Groundhog day sale!
play hard ... play hooky

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

BRONCOS WIN!

My home team won Super Bowl 50!! Help me celebrate Peyton Manning's record breaking 200th win (or maybe this will take the pain away if you're a Panthers fan). Click the picture to go to my Ravelry shop and use the code below.

play hard ... play hooky

Phil Saw No Shadow!

That means an early Spring for us and a S-A-L-E for you!!

Use this coupon in my Ravelry shop to get 35% off your patterns for the rest of the day only! Hurry, Phil says there's not much winter left so make some beanies while you can still wear them.

Happy Groundhog Day! Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow – an early spring is his forecast!
Posted by Fox News on Tuesday, February 2, 2016

play hard ... play hooky 

Groundhog Day 2016

It's that time of year again! It's Bill Murray's least favorite holiday with a glorified rat and yet thousands will flock to a small corner of Pennsylvania to see if Punxsutawney Phil will get us out of winter early.

"This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather."

 Every year I take a guess at what Phil will do and then give you a sale if I'm right!! This year I'm a little torn. I think the weather is going to keep him from actually seeing his shadow, but I also don't think we're going to get out of a longer winter - especially because it's DUMPING at my house right now. SO I'm torn... But my OCD-centric brain wants to say that he will NOT see his shadow bc of the clouds.

So there it is. My prediction for tomorrow. Lets see if the prognosticator of prognosticators can pull it out for the win!

Come back tomorrow to see if I was right and to get the coupon code for my annual Groundhog day sale!

play hard ... play hooky

The Butterflies Have (Finally) Been Released

It was a perfect day, with great friends, good weather, and much love!!! After such a busy and amazing weekend, I'm finding it hard to gather my thoughts about what it means to me to have you be a part of such a personal celebration of my daughter Bryn. So, I'll just let the pictures do it for me.

play hard ... play hooky

Here comes the baby pool

I had a dream last night that I had the baby, so we'd better get this party started before it's too late.

I thought it'd be fun to start a pool where you can guess when we will get to meet my baby girl. The best part? The one closest to actual date will win $20 to my shop!! As a bonus, EVERYONE who guesses her name right will get a free pattern.

Use the tab above or this link to enter!

http://playinhookydesigns.blogspot.com/p/baby-pool.html

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

It's all happening Friday

FINALLY! I get to see ZBB live! Two years... hundreds of messages... one singer... one beanie... Rolling Stone... and now the concert.

I can't tell you how excited I am. Really, even my thesaurus is failing me. This whole journey has been to remember my daughter Bryn and when Zac Brown wore my hat on stage it was like a little nod from her; an insiders wink that only a handful of people would even notice. 

And now I'm so grateful to experience the energy, the music, and the emotion in person. 

To celebrate with me, use the code ZBBHOOKY in my Ravelry shop through Thursday, 9/4 and get 40% off any pattern. (I need the gas money to get there; and maybe a tour t-shirt)

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

Look for lots of pictures on Instagram Friday night to follow along. #brynsconcert

Read more...

• The original campaign
• One year later and the hats I sent
• He wore it!
• Playin' Hooky in Rolling Stone Magazine
• Playin' Hooky with ZBB in the Rolling Stone (the video)
• The news on the official ZBB website

A huge thank you to my bestie Poppy, who's going with me. You made the way for us to go. Without you I couldn't have done it. (heart)

play hard ... play hooky

Right after this row

CONFESSION TIME. I asked what's the worst thing you've put off to finish just one more row. Here are some of my favorite answers from Facebook and Instagram that you - let's face it - we all do so we can just finish one more row...

Which ones are you guilty of?

1. Pee...
2. Do the dishes
3. Clean the kitchen
4. Make dinner and it usually ends with "we're doing take out tonight, kids!"
5. Feed my kiddos lol
6. Sleep
7. Haha, I have gotten DAYS behind in laundry because I'm wrapped in my crocheting!
8. On a very rare occasion my son might get to stay up late and watch movie so that I could finish my project
9. Change a poopy diaper... Backfired. She decided to take it off for me 
10. My poor kids have been late to soccer practice more than once
11. My son's bedtime has been pushed back more than once so I can keep hooking. Then my husband comes in and wonders why Monk is still awake. Oopsy!
12. When my oldest was a toddler I had just learned how to knit and crochet and was a bit obsessed. Apparently I told him "one more row" one too many times because he asked me for something and I responded "just let mommy finish one more row" and he started sobbing and yelling at me "Mom! Don't say bad words!" Oops!
13. Get the crying baby:/ (he wasn't crying that bad)
14. Eat
15. One more row.. being late to leave the house for appointments
16. Letting the dog inside while its raining.
17. Sex... 
18. I cut it pretty close on taking a movie back to the red box
19. Take dinner out of the oven:)
20. Let the dog out.
21. Writing a paper for a course that was due the next day! I was hoping creativity would help give me ideas on what to write.

And this is why I love you all. We're in our own separate little worlds, but we all end up doing the same weird things. All in the name of yarn and hooks.

play hard ... play hooky

Playin' Hookyversary!!

WHOOOO HOOOOO!!!

I'm celebrating 5 years of Hooky and to round out my week of games and giveaways, I have an epic surprise for you. Something I've never done before, so get ready to be happy!!

That's right! I'm giving you one free pattern of your choice in my Ravelry shop only.

Go to my shop, pick your favorite pattern, and use the code PLAYINHOOKYVERSARY5 - that's it.

It's good for the rest of the day today (Sunday, 8/3) so get it quick.

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

HE WORE IT!!!

An idea... thousands of messages... a year and a half... one country singer... the dream came true!

Zac Brown honoring my daughter Bryn by wearing the hat I made him.

I'm in tears and a bit of shock as I write this. Forgive me if my words are inadequate.

It started a year and a half ago on a particularly hard day. I had just released my Shockwave Beanie pattern and the picture I posted of my husband reminded one fan of Zac Brown. She had the crazy idea of sending him a hat in hope that he would wear it in memory of my daughter Bryn. The idea grew and became a campaign. My family, friends, and of course my fans got involved and flooded the band's Facebook page, Twitter, and website asking for a response. 

We waited, but never heard back. And I was ok with that. Maybe a little disappointed, but the point of the whole thing was to remember Bryn and help lift my spirits during an impossibly difficult time. You did that tenfold, so for me it was already in part a success.

Back to my amazing fans. A few very dedicated and loving people continued on the hunt to find someone, anyone, who could get the hat in Zac Brown's hands. A full year later, one found success. I got in touch with a friend of Zac's who volunteered to do whatever he could to help. I immediately made two new hats to send, the original Shockwave and an Avalanche, to give him a choice. I also couldn't resist making a matching one for his baby boy on the way. 

More waiting. I thought about the campaign off and on, I'd get the occasional message that someone saw him wearing my beanie only to find out that it wasn't. But again, I was honored to have come so far with the dream. 

Yesterday it came true. I got a message of another sighting and I thought, "here it comes, another false alarm." I watched the video and as the camera panned in I thought, this might be it but it was still too far away. And then I saw it. Instantly I had tears running down my cheeks through my smile. I felt overwhelming joy knowing that he was giving Bryn this little shoutout. For a brief moment, she touched his life too. It was like an inside secret and the feeling is indescribable. I feel like I'm on the cover of the Rolling Stone!!!

Thank you's seem trivial, but they truly come from my heart to the woman with the idea, the fans who jumped in, the woman who wouldn't give up, the man who volunteered, and of course Zac Brown himself.

It still amazes and overwhelms me that so many people did all they could to make this one idea happen. It's a testament to the caring and support of our little community. And it was for my girl. Even though Bryn's not here, her spirit will continue to bring smiles, love, and sparkles forever. She and God are definitely watching me smile today. Mommy loves you more than candy.

Find out more...

• The original campaign
• One year later and the hats I sent
• Playin' Hooky with ZBB in the Rolling Stone (the video)
• The news on the official ZBB website

play hard ~ play hooky

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 - Yarn Pop

We're down to our final two prizes in my giveaway extravaganza! Are you ready to see what's up for grabs this Sunday evening?

If you know me, you may know that I'm a HUGE supporter of crocheting in public. I love the questions, the amazed looks, and the conversations it starts - bringing our craft to the masses (although in my tiny town, it's more like a small cluster). This next prize from Yarn Pop will help you take your projects to go while looking AMAZING while you do it!

Her bags come in a variety of gorgeous prints and sizes for any project! The have grommets across the front to let your yarn hang free and the large tooth zipper across the top keeps everything safe and secure (and maybe even toddler-proof!).

Lori is donating one "Totable" Yarn Pop in the Red Crossbones print (fitting, dontcha think?). Use the Rafflecopter link to the right or this mobile friendly link to enter!

PS - Keep an eye on Lori's Facebook page and her blog because she's running her own holiday giveaways where you can enter to win even more totes!

play hard ~ play hooky

10,000 Fan Giveaway - Twinkie Chan

My 10,000 Fan Giveaway is down to the last two days! It's been an amazing ride so far! Want to see if you won yesterday's prizes?

Drumroll please....

CONGRATULATIONS to...

Lindsey J.! She gets to bring home her very own octopus (hook) from The Lemonade Shop!

Nikki A.! The Crochet Me Somethin' necklace will soon be around her neck!

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Twinkie Chan... what can I say about her except that I LURVE her! She's colorful, creative, and sticky sweet (in the best way!). Not only is she the best at designing food-related crochet awesomeness, but she's incredibly generous and thoughtful when it comes to giving business advice for aspiring crochet designers. And have you seen her ROCKING tats? Oh and she eats yucky stuff. Yup, it's official - she's amazeballs.

She's giving away one copy of her book "Twinkie Chan's Crochet Goodies for Fashion Foodies". Mmmmmmm crochet goodies... nom nom nom

play hard ~ play hooky

10,000 Fan Giveaway - Wearthou

Perfect for a Saturday Date Night is this Crochet Me Somethin' Necklace from Wearthou. Made entirely from sterling silver, the ball of yarn is 1cm across and has a single crochet hook, shaped by Shirley and is soldered securely in place. It is then tumbled to give it all a glossy shine.

I had one of these necklaces and proudly wore it. Everyone who asked got to listen to me explain that "No, I don't knit. I'm a HOOKER!" :) I loved the dialog it started.

And then I lost my necklace... insert sad music here. But don't worry! My story has a happy ending. I knew I couldn't live without it so I bought myself another one!

Use the Rafflecopter to the right or this mobile friendly link to enter!

play hard ~ play hooky