CROCHET HAYSTACK STITCH

The lastest addition to The Lily Collection – Baptism Cross Blanket XIII afghan using the Haystack Stitch. Learning new crochet stitches are fun and designing in the art world of crochet is my thing!

This crochet design pattern falls off the hook at a fast pace and the Haystack Stitch is easy, well defined and a repeat pattern. Welcome Baptism Cross Blanket XIII with your likes and shares which support me as an independent small business crochet designer.

The blanket is larger than my other designs at 47 inches length x 42 inches wide. Using the ethereal quality of Caron Simply Soft yarn and a G6/4.00mm crochet hook makes this design come alive. All my Cross designs are special to me and I know you will love this one too.

SERIES: Desire to Self-Publish TAKING STOCK

What is your crochet skill-set?

Okay, it seems we all learned to crochet at the knee of our Mother or Grandmother or so it seems in all the BLOGS I’ve read (yawn). But then what happened? What’s the rest of the story?

Are you still crocheting in singles and doubles, blankets in circles and squares? Become a master of Tunisian, Croknit, Broomstick, Filet and Intarsia? Are you reading from patterns or charts? Do you consistently change mid-stream every pattern you do?

The Crochet education never stops.

Someone out there creates another stitch pattern our hand itches to pick up the crochet hook, again.

That is the world of Crochet.

Some say, crochet is too difficult to learn. For me knitting has been a bugger! Maybe because I learned crochet as a young mother and have been intrigued by its diversity. Every time I get into trouble with knitting I can’t easily figure my way out, I equate it to popping a sugar cube in my mouth (melts away, or in knitting RUNS AWAY!). Crochet on the other hand is easy to frog (definition: Rip-in it out without losing all those rows!).

Figuring out your crochet education goals can be fun and there are tons of folks and videos to help. Websites, Blogs and Groups like Ravelry, Craftsy and Crochet Guild of America. If I had to recommend any I recommend all of them.

AND, then there is Self-Publishing. A completely different journey altogether BUT, a natural path to follow if your skills and desires are there.

SERIES: Desire to Self-Publish INTRODUCTION

I think there are those of us in the “craft world” maybe ALL of us who create have this inner desire and passion to publish ……. something. We want to show others what our inspirations look like.

Even as the digital age grows there is no loss in the book publishing industry to publish craft books, it thrives and one area it does is in the world of crafts.

All my publications are on the Internet, I am a big believer in doing my-own-thing if you will and the Internet allows me to do that….and at minimal cost! The cost factor is why I chose to publish digitally in the first place.

There are many “how-to’s” and probably how-to “How-To!” publications out there with step-by-step “steps”. I’m not suggesting that how-to’s are not helpful, they are. If your drive is to publish at some point you will need to document your inspiration and have a place to capture that documentation as well as where to actually publish what you documented. Make sense?

I want to talk about something else entirely. Something that is more ethereal in nature. Or, broken down into its parts:

e (is) the (inspiration) real (real) = Is the Inspiration Real?

Does your inspiration have what can be identified as having Legs? Maybe others you have shown it too, have asked you to make one for them or how they could make it themselves? Does your inspiration have a physical place to be, a store shelf perhaps? Or a digital pattern, on a website? Or, do you seek a large Publisher to be shown in a book for those that seek such things?

If your answer is yes, then I encourage you to follow along as I share what I have learned publishing my CROCHET inspirations, what characteristics “IN YOU” that will profoundly help and move you forward in your craft.