ICAD Challenge - Day 1

I'm doing the Daisy Yellow Index Card A Day challenge!

You can learn all about it here: Daisy Yellow ICAD FAQ

This is my first index card.



 I used a black pen to do some doodling and then some oil pastels to colour in.

This challenge will hopefully encourage me to be a little creative every day, try new techniques and to have a morning ritual of getting up just a bit earlier and creating with a cup of coffee by my side!

I'm hoping to blog about it once a week with that week's cards. I'm also going to use it as a journelling exercise and write either my plans for the day or what I actually did.

You can join at any time, check it out!

Are you doing the ICAD challenge? What are your motivations, and what do you hope to get out of it?

4KCBWDAY3: Infographic

Today's prompt for the Knitting and Crochet Blogging Week is to use an infographic.

I used Excel to whip up this one:

How I Use My Knitting Time

As you can see, I spend more time thinking and researching what I want to knit and how I will knit it than actually knitting!  How much of your knitting time do you actually spend knitting?

If you'd like to see some more creative knitting or crochet infographics, click here or search for 4KCBWDAY3.

Here are some I loved:

All She Wants to Do Is Knit with the connections between monkeys and knitters

Eskimimi Makes with the average knitter or crocheter

Crafts from the Cwtch with the difference between a regular knitter and a knitting blogger

4KCBWDAY2: A Mascot Project.

Today the prompt for the Knitting and Crochet Blog Week is to find a pattern that represents or embodies our house mascot. Yesterday, I chose the house of bees, so today I need to find a pattern with a bee-like theme...

When I'm looking for a new project, I usually start by looking through my knitting board on Pinterest, or my queue on Ravelry. If I can't see what I am looking for, I use the Ravelry advanced search to narrow down some options.

So, at the moment I'm thinking I need to make a cute little hat for a baby shower in a couple of weeks. I searched baby hat bee, baby hat honey. Then I tried a few other things bee related, and some how I ended up with this sweet Norwegian baby hat pattern.  I also remembered this Flower Power hat I favourited a while ago. When I find a pattern, I like looking through a few finished projects and reading notes to see how people went in knitting or crocheting. As I read and looked around for information on these two patterns, I also started considering the crochet Owl hat that I made for another friend's baby recently.

Now like a bee, I'm flitting between these projects, trying to decide on one. Because they won't use up much yarn, I'm sure I'll be able to find yarn for whichever one I pick in my stash.

Which hat do you think I should cast on?

4KCBWDAY1: The House Cup

This is my first post for this year's Knit and Crochet Blog Week!

Eskimimi has asked us to choose a 'house' based on the type of knitter we are.

I guess I would identify mostly with the bees:

The House of Bee: Bees are busy and industrious, but can flit from one interesting project to the next as bright and shiny things capture their interest.


This would explain my ridiculous WIP pile, and my major case of second sock syndrome (this situation has, if anything, got worse...)

These are lonely socks waiting to become a pair...

I definitely like to keep busy, and start new projects regularly. One of the things I like most about knitting is researching and searching for the perfect pattern. Once I have bought the yarn, cast on, and done enough to see what it will look like, I kinda lose interest, and want to start a new one. I am trying to stop doing this, by concentrating on small projects that I will finish before I see something else that looks more exciting! This mostly means hats. Luckily, I love knit hats, and don't think I can have too many. I also need to record my projects more, even if I do finish a project I rarely photograph it and record the details here on my blog or on Ravelry


I'm also a bit of a monkey:
The House of Monkey: Intelligent and with a fun loving side, Monkeys like to be challenged with every project presenting them with something new and interesting.

I do like projects that require new skills or techniques, though I wonder how much this is me being a bee and trying to find something interesting enough to hold my interest!

Which house would you belong to?




To see other blogs taking part in the Knitting and Crochet Blog Week and writing about this topic click here or search for 4KCBWDAY1.

Starting on my dream

I've been busy knitting away to create products for my Etsy store. I've almost filled a notebook with ideas, plans and to do lists.




I bought some beautiful wool yarn from Bendigo Woollen Mills, and I'm knitting bright and colourful hats. This is a work in progress shot of my first hat.



This week I'm really going to focus on finishing up my products, and hope to start listing them by May. The Big Hearted Business Conference that I attended in March, and reading posts like this by Katie from House of Humble make me realise how many people struggle with thoughts of failure and not being good enough to try for their dreams.

This afternoon I am going to a natural dying workshop, I'm really excited. I had made a tote bag as a sample/prototype, and although I was happy with it, it led to new ideas which require new skills. That's something that I have learnt while making and designing my product - the very act of creating leads to more inspiration and creativity.

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week

I've decided to take place in the 4th Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week!

I did it back in 2011, and found some great blogs that I still read now. I've had a quick look over the daily prompts, and they look very interesting - I can't wait to decide which house I'm in!

If you'd like to join, check out this post on Eskimimi Makes for all the info.

Big Hearted Business Conference 2013

Wow.

Last weekend, I flew to the Big Hearted Business Conference in Melbourne, organised by Clare Bowditch.

It was absolutely inspiring and motivating, two full days of amazing speakers telling us to follow our dreams, then giving us practical advice on how to do so.

I'm still trying to process all the information, and trying to work out how to hold on to the energy and passion of so many people that I met and listened to.

I created these little boards with some of the words that spoke most to me.

To make your own of these, visit www.recitethis.com

I would definitely recommend the Big Hearted Business Conference, and am already planning on going again next year. If I were you, I'd sign up to the mailing list right now!