Big new design, little bit of madness

Sure you can skip ahead to the pictures, but I'm in a particularly verbose (word of the day) mood. If you have the time, this is the story all about how my life got flipped-turned upside down... wait no. This is the first look at my new design, the Boulder Beanie, and just how trying being a designer can be sometimes, but in the end it's totally worth it.

I was awake at 3:30 the morning of my son's first day of kindergarten. It was a mixture of nerves for his first full day of school, mentally running through my to-do list, and my brain throwing me random 90s TV theme songs. Some of them are still stuck in my head.

Either way I got up at 5 motivated to get through my list before anyone else in the house was up. I folded laundry, cooked breakfast, cleaned the living room, packed my son's lunch, checked email... you get the idea. By 6:30 the sun was starting to light my backyard and it became the perfect place to take pictures.

I pulled out my tripod, attached my remote shutter, drug my wooden bench half-way across my yard, and started blindly shooting, and shooting, and shooting. Hoping that if I took enough pictures I'd get at least a few keepers.

Backing up a little... I'd first had the idea last winter, just not the time to work on it. So this Spring I finally attempted it. Fail. It was ok, but it wasn't what I saw in my head. I knew I could try to force the design, but instead I put it on the shelf and took a break over the summer. 

The break was exactly what I needed. I spent a lot of time playing with my kids, I read a little, and my house was actually clean on a regular basis. About a month ago inspiration finally hit. So I dusted off my hooks. That's when I found out just how many different ways there are NOT to make this design.

I changed everything, EVERYTHING about this design more than a few times. Yarn weight, hook size, colorwork, multiples, stitch counts, brim styles... it goes on. Welcome to my world.

Here're just a few of my failed attempts. I didn't take pictures of most of them. I just couldn't. Warning: bad phone pics and unfinished hats coming your way...

Yuck. I can't bare to make this picture any bigger.

It was only when my in-laws came to my house for the weekend that I finally had the best idea yet and the day to devote to it (a huge thanks to my awesome mother-in-law, Karen, for letting me work while she played with her grandkids). It came together seamlessly in the end, the way it was meant to. Not forced, just easy. So without any more rambling, I proudly give you my first design for Fall 2014...

the Boulder Beanie

This mah Abercrombie shot... now all I need are the half-naked guys.

It comes in a kids size too

I hope you liked my little preview and look into my sometimes crazy life. Let me know what you think of my new Boulder Beanie. It's coming out Monday, 8/25 so get ready!

play hard ... play hooky

And the winner is...

Voting for Design Wars 3 is now closed! Thank you so much for all your support, votes, shares, and comments! No matter what the final outcome, you made this a really fun experience for me.

While we wait for the winning design & Red Heart prize pack winner to be announced, I wanted to announce the winners of my little giveaway! If you don't see your name, it's ok, I saved something special for you on the big pattern release day, tomorrow!

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

Free copy of the Eddyline Sunhat, Headband, and Belt Pattern:

• Amy H.
• Brooke C.
• Elizabeth A.
• Martha A.
• Tiffany V.

Eddyline Crochet Kit:

• Holly N.

Custom Word Disc:

• Sarah K.

Playin' Hooky T-shirt:

• Heidi J.

Congratulations!! All the winners have been emailed so be sure to check your inbox if you think it could be you! Stay tuned for the pattern release tomorrow and for a fun surprise to help me celebrate the long-awaited release of the pattern!

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY

Autism Awareness Graph

April is Autism Awareness Month. In honor of all the exceptional child and adults living on the autism spectrum I wanted to release a new graph. $0.50 of each sale of this graph will go to Autism Speaks. I am also going to auction off the hat and cozy shown below to raise more funds to donate.

The puzzle piece is the symbol of autism to show that each child is special and forms a unique piece in the puzzle, so I decided to go big with this one. You can show your support with both the big design or the smaller one.

Get a copy:
Ravelry - http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crochet-graph---autism-awareness-puzzle-color-grid
Craftsy - http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/crocheting/accessory/autism-awareness-puzzle-color-grid/50647
Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/listing/128418979/crochet-graph-autism-awareness-puzzle

** UPDATE **

With your help, I was able to donate $214 to Autism Speaks!! Thank you for helping me make the auction and sales of the graph such a success! :)

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY

Evolution of a Graph

I've had a lot of fun creating graphs to go along with the Graph Beanie Pattern! And thank you for all your suggestions and seeing hats you've made from the pattern - keep them coming! I definitely have more ideas than time to do all of them. I made the decision to test every graph I release, and for some reason, my new TMNT graph has given me a few problems along the way. BUT, this shows you why I take the extra time to test each and every graph. I want it to be the best it can be and sometimes that means going through several drafts to get to the final product! Some of the differences are subtle, but combined, they make a big difference from the first to the last versions. :)

1. Obviously not right - one eye is all wonky
2. The wonky eye is better, but I don't like that he's looking to the side. I also didn't like the overall shape of the eyes
3. So I started completely over with the graph design. I like the shape of the eyes, thought it was right until I took some pictures of the hat on my son. The eyes are too far apart and it looked more like a bug than a turtle
4. Moved the eyes closer, but forgot ad moved them an odd number of rows - the eye went wonky again.
5. YEAH! EUREKA!!

the "bug" TMNT

This is why it sometimes takes me a while to get it right, haha. But I'll either get it right or scrap the graph, so you always know you're getting a quality pattern!! 

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

I'm Rambling...

Thank you to everyone who voted for your favorite font! I am just waiting to get the proof back so I can approve it, then she'll hand-carve my stamp! I'm so excited to see it in person!!!

On another note, I can't believe how busy I've been. I just started another part-time job during the day. I stay at home with my kids, but I can take them with me to the office. It's not a normal schedule so some weeks I'll be working more, some weeks, less. But it's a really fun environment. The job only goes to October so even if it's really hard to work with my schedule, it's not forever.

AND I'm only 3 sales away from my 300th Etsy sale! Since being in Etsy Finds a few weeks ago, I've had several sales, including my first international sale of a finished hat. I've sold several patterns abroad, but never a hat! It's going to Belfast, Ireland and the buyer says he's going to take it with him on a trip around the world! How COOL!! PICTURES!!!

World-Travelling Beanie

My only problem is that my local supplier stopped carrying the yarn I use. So now I have to order it and wait for shipment. It's been delaying some of my orders, but all my buyers have been super understanding. It's just frustrating and I feel it's a little unprofessional. But as long as I keep in contact with the buyer, it's been ok.

I also have a new line of products that I'm trying to get listed, but I haven't had any spare time!! I got some pictures back on Friday and I REALLY want to get them in my shop. Hopefully soon!!!

First look at what's new at Playin' Hooky

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY


Thank you SO MUCH to Jess Melton from Jlight Photography for the awesome new photos! 

Sneak Peek

I'm adding an entirely NEW LINE to my shop very soon! I just sent them off to be photographed. In the meantime, I'll give you a sneak peek at what's new!