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

She grabbed her rocking chair and did THIS!

My 3 year old daughter, Tara, grabbed her rocking chair and took it to a corner of the kitchen. She didn't want to see what she was doing, but when I rounded the corner I stumbled on maybe the cutest thing ever. I stumbled over myself to grab my phone fast enough to take a video before she stopped (sorry about the dryer noise in the background #reallife).

That's my girl!

 

play hard ... play hooky

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

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

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

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

2nd Annual Groundhog Day Celebration

It's Groundhog Day again and you know what that means... our fate is in the hands (...paws) of that prognosticating rodent from Punxsutawney! The question is, will Phil see his shadow?

So here's the gamble:

IF Punxsutawney Phil DOES NOT see his shadow (meaning we will have an early Spring) 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

You might be a crocheter if...

Yesterday I posted that simple statement on my Facebook page and got some hilarious comments! Here are some of my favorites:

• You've lost your hook without ever moving from the spot your in.
• You don't get offended when someone calls you a hooker.
• Your husband wont throw old shirts away cuz you say you can make your own yarn with it
• You have hooks in your purse
• you drool over the crochet work in the background of a movie scene and forget about said movie
• You'll finish JUST ONE MORE ROW before you get up to go pee!
• you never paint your nails b/c the time spent waiting for them to dry is time that could be better spent crocheting!
• you drive by a hobby store and your kids yell...."no mom"
• you look at everyone's winter accessories while at the store saying I can make that...
•  if you have tons and tons of yarn but are always out of that one color you need to finish your project!
• You use your cleavage for hook storage while in the middle of a project
• if you get offended when someone asks what you are knitting.
•  You regularly find a crochet hook....the one you spent 10 min looking for only to just use your backup...tucked in your ponytail.
• you get fidgety when you can't decide what to make next
• you have a tattoo that says "knotty hooker" 
• When friends around you start giving you their yarn they bought because they wanted to be like you but just aren't and they don't want to store it anymore.
• When friends start seeing things crocheted and they walk up to you and say you can make that right?
• You sit on the couch and get poked with a hook
• You answer every question by shouting a number so you don't lost your count
• You walk through the house, turn around and find that you've weaved a yarn web because it was attached to your legs!
• You stalk a stranger with a cute hat on through the grocery store trying to figure out how to make it.
• when ur husband says you are moving your hands like your crocheting when your sleeping:)
• Your husband just sighs and shakes his head when you sit down to watch a movie and you pull out the yarn and hook.
•  if all your friends have a hat you've made but you don't

And of course:

• Playing hooky doesn't mean skipping school!

PLAY HARD PLAY HOOKY