The Tucson Chill Top Tutorial

 

Hello, I am looking forward to sharing my latest project with you. I call this the Tucson Chill Top. It's kind of a weird name, but here's the story:

One of the things I love about living in Tucson is the laid back nature. When we first started coming here, my husband and I began referring to this general feeling as Tucson Chill (our own personal proper noun). We would roll into town, let our stress fade away, and lean into this state of chill. I designed this relaxed, drop shoulder, dolman style top to emanate Tucson Chill. The gentle ribbing adds some stretch to the overall relaxed and breezy fit (very important in the desert). It has a nice, classic crew neck and puff sleeves that stop just above the elbow. It’s perfect for work or play, but I hope it inspires a state of Tucson Chill wherever you call home.

The video tutorial will be released on my channel in two parts. I post my tutorials on Tuesdays, so Part 1 of the Tucson Chill top will come out on April 23rd. I am sharing this design in such a way that everyone will be able to customize it to their preferred length and width. I would love to have you join me and embrace the Tucson chill.
 

So Much is Happening

 March was a busy month for me around here! It was the beginning of my video tutorial making goal. I've been on YouTube for a long time, but I have mostly used my channel to post companion videos for my patterns. This year I have decided to put myself out there and share my designs, one at a time, on YouTube.

This meant updating my tech, learning Final Cut Pro, at least well enough to get started, and also Procreate to make thumbnails and short animations. Filming and editing is not brand new to me, but doing it on a regular schedule is absolutely new. I share a new crochet tutorial every Tuesday, and in the first month, I also created additional content on Saturday. Here are all of my projects for the month of March:

The Teddy Bear Crossbody

How to Sew a Zippered Bag Lining

Megan's Headband 

Crochet Class with Jenn Lesson 1 

Crochet Boho Rings Tutorial 

Wind Rose Fiber Studio Tour 

Hyperbolic Crochet Tutorial

Crochet Class with Jenn Lesson 2 

Who is the crazy person who made 8 videos in one month? Oh yeah, that was me! I'm not even sure how I managed to do all of that, but I just wanted to start off strong. I also wanted to be able to refer to my own videos to help those who are new to crochet get started. That is what inspired the crochet classes. Those were a challenge in part because I show how to crochet both right and left handed. Am I left handed? Um, no, but I just can't stand the thought of leaving out all of the beautiful lefties out there. 

I launched my first April video today as it is Tuesday. This is a
follow up to the Boho Rings Tutorial, because quite a few people enjoyed the first one. And as soon as I hit publish on this post, I'm off to film the next one. 

 

I really hope you'll enjoy the content and maybe find a new pattern to try. I have a lot of designs and I would love to know what you would like to see in the coming months. Do you love accessories, summer cotton jewelry, or maybe even wearables? I am just trying to decide what to share and when. I am very open to suggestions. 

All the best and Happy Spring!

Megan's Headband The Video!

Megan's Headband

I'm happy to share that the pattern for Megan's Headband is now a YouTube tutorial. It's official, I've been making crochet projects for so long that I can get nostalgic for my own work. I wrote an in-depth tutorial for Megan's Headband here on the blog in 2011. I went back to visit this post before making the video and I must admit that I was sort of amazed by the time I put into this post. There are so many pictures! I'm sure I wanted to do it justice and make a post that everyone could follow. After all, this is a pattern near and dear to my heart. It's not just about the headband for me, it's about the little girl and her wonderful family that inspired this sweet design. 

I am very new to making long format videos and I must admit I was really in my head over this one. I struggled with the best way to film the part that is critical to the gauge. I ended up sharing the same diagram I used here on the blog and then talking over it for way too long. I can hear all of the YouTube pros telling me what a misstep this is and how there is no way anyone is going to listen to such a long explanation. I don't know. In the end, my internal teacher won out and I really wanted to explain how to calculate the number of stitches now matter what kind of yarn or headband people may choose. I feel like I can be pretty nerdy in my approach to crochet and design. The question is, will anyone listen to a 3 minute explanation to a diagram??? 

Honestly, sharing this is still making me want to make a second version that is a little less in depth. Clearly I need feedback, lol. I guess I'll see if the video finds any fans before I go too crazy. Anyway, here's the video for you. I hope you enjoy!

The Teddy Bear Crossbody Bag - Brand New Pattern!

It's finally here! The Teddy Bear Crossbody Bag pattern is launched!  Launched is a dramatic word, but this bag felt like quite the undertaking. It marks the beginning of my new goal of not only selling patterns, but producing videos. I have been hard at work, filming and editing what I hope will be the first of many tutorials. Yes, you'll be able to make this cozy sling from start to finish by following along with the video. 

I feel like I'm getting a little ahead of myself. The pattern is available now in my Etsy shop. The complete video tutorial will be coming out on March 5th on my YouTube Channel. I've had so many requests for videos over the years, and I just didn't have the time to invest until now.

I'm very excited to be able to offer my designs in two formats. As a crocheter, I love an instant download that I can reference anytime from anywhere. I must confess that I have an old school affection for printing out a physical pattern and carrying it around with me. At the same time, I am just as likely to hop on YouTube to learn a thing. I love having choices and I hope you will too!

This brown version is the one I filmed myself crocheting for the video. I have to keep it real and tell you that I've been putting in long hours and ending each day with my brain feeling pretty fried. While I've done a few little projects in the past, mostly using my phone or iMovie, I decided it was time to tackle Final Cut Pro. I am thankful for all the ways it reminded me of iMovie, but there was a lot to learn!

In fact, the list of things I've been learning lately is long. I made a short animation in Procreate. I've had to educate myself about sizing and formats. I made a special thumbnail because that's a thing now. Just when I thought I was out of the woods, I discovered that iPhones are now producing High Efficiency Image Files instead of jpegs. 

Everyday I have stumbled onto more questions to research. I am very grateful that the answers are never too hard to find, but it has absolutely slowed me down.

 

 So I have been feeling like a beginner these days. From time to time, I get frustrated with just my own lack of knowledge around these new tools, but I am trying to be patient with myself as I learn. It feels amazing to have my first project complete and ready to share. The first one has to be the hardest, right?

Hello Old Blog

 I'm doing it.  I am diving back into a blogging practice. For the past few years I have been much more of a consumer than a producer of social media content. I am going to resist the urge to reflect on the past and just focus on the present. 

What is present day me up to?  Well, I'm pretty excited because I am going through my own creative renaissance.  For the first time in my life, I have a proper studio and not just a small room hidden away in my home.  This space is a dream come true. Everyday when I gaze upon the Great Wall of Yarn, the proper name I have given to my stash, I feel pure joy.

I am also feeling very inspired. I love that crochet is going through its own renaissance and I have been voraciously consuming the content of so many talented creators on YouTube. It is both exciting when your favorite art form has become insanely popular and a little intimidating. Even after decades of crocheting and designing, I could not help but wonder if there is a place for me among so many others. 

Of course I think there is room for everyone and we each have our own interesting perspective to offer. Still, I had to figure out what I want my contribution to be going forward. I feel like there are already people crushing it in terms of teaching the basics. What I have decided to do is to simply put my crochet patterns out there on video because it is how we all love to learn. I also like the idea of having my designs on film and free for all to enjoy if they choose.  My resolution for the new year is to get started on this path.

I have so many ideas for updating old projects and for new ones. I also enjoy following trends and pondering how I could make crocheted versions of the styles and accessories I love. Case in point, I was in Anthropologie and was so drawn to the Sherpa Crossbody Sling. It's furry and fun and versatile. I like that it looks great as a shoulder bag, but can also be worn as a shorter, crossbody bag. I love being hands free when I am out and about, so I love a good crosbody bag. 

All this being said, the price tag of Anthropologie's bag is a pretty big ouchy and it's also just fun to see if you can dup a thing. To the left is my prototype made up in a boucle, but I have finally found the perfect fur yarn, so I am excited to get back to work and finalize my design. Yes, there will be a pattern and eventually a video too. Yay!

Did I just "yay" myself? Sorry, I'm excited. Right now I am doing what I suspect everyone else is doing. I am Decembering it up with decorating, gift making, and holiday baking. I will see you soon with more from the studio. I have much to figure out in terms of making videos. I have never really leaned in hard to this medium aside from some simple companion videos for patterns. It's time to modernize my tech and develop my process. Oh my! Help?!

New Hooded Baby Blanket Pattern

I get so much satisfaction from publishing patterns.  Every time I publish one, I feel a surge of motivation and I tell myself that I need to set firm goals and get more done.  My good intentions are usually waylaid by general life stuff, so I guess I need to learn to coast on the high I feel when I actually do publish.

Do you ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes of small craft businesses?  I do all the time.  When I see a particularly great photo, I wonder how many shots it took to get that great one.  How many different set-ups did they try? Where did they find that model?  We in the crafting world have all had to become our own photographers and marketers which I always think is the hardest part.  I daydream about a magical intern who will do all my pictures and listings for me so I can spend all of my time designing.  Alas, it is all on me and not just me I fear.  When you are the offspring of a pattern designer, chances are about 100% that you will get roped into helping out.  

I have two son's, so they manage to escape quite a bit by virtue of being the wrong gender for much of what I make.  However, I am not shy about enlisting them for help. I have to giggle when I think that part of their childhood memories will be some of the weird things I have asked them to do for Wind Rose Fiber Studio. For instance, just yesterday, I had my 19 year old son hold a life-like baby in his arms so I could get a picture of my Hooded Baby Blanket for the pattern.  The poor guy had to sit there and play daddy with a baby doll and he was such a good sport.  I love my kids!

I guess I should share a bit about the pattern while I'm here.  I wanted to make something super soft and fluffy so people could use it as a prop for precious new baby pictures.  At the same time, I wanted it to be practical.  After toying with a few ideas, I remembered my kids old hooded bath towels and how cozy they were.  It was fun to wrap them up after a bath from head to toe and let them snuggle. I decided to make the same kind of thing only as a furry blanket. You can burrito up a baby with hood included or just use it as a nursery blanket. While the pattern is not difficult, it can be a challenge to work with fur yarn.  You need to be able to feel for where the stitches go, but as long as you are comfortable with a crochet hook, the Hooded Baby Blanket should be a quick and easy pattern.

The Early Bird is The Tired Bird

I just had a shot of my favorite cold brew, so hopefully I'm good to go. 

I am on Day 1 of waking up early.  When I say early, I mean the 4 o'clock hour. I don't know if this is a trending thing, but I blame, um, I mean, I give credit to WheezyWaiter for this little adventure.  I follow him on YouTube and last week he shared his experience with shifting to an early to bed, early to rise schedule. If you're curious:

This is one of those videos that stuck with me.  To say I value time, especially creative time, is probably an understatement.  I often feel frustrated when my creative energy runs out, but the night is still young.  I end up watching a couple hours of TV because who goes to bed at 8pm?  

So I tried it.  I slept with my Apple watch on and a 4:30 alarm set to vibrate. It actually took 12 minutes of vibration before I woke up, but I was trying to spare my husband an early morning alarm.  I'm sensitive like that. :)

I usually wake up around 6am, so this didn't feel like that much extra time.  Determined to make the most of it, I went for a sunrise run, listened to my current audio book, Creative Quest by Questlove and I killed a few zombies (PvZ 2). Now, at 3:12 in the afternoon, I am feeling the sleepies, but I am determined to push through.  I know it's going to take a few nights to fully transition.

I think I am going to switch my wake-up time to 4am.  I want just a little more am.  I'm hoping I'll have an easier time getting to sleep tonight.  Last night I tossed and turned which is adding to today's roughness. 

This may be a crazy, short lived experiment, but I can't resist giving it a go.  I would much rather spend two hours in the early morning being creative, running, or just generally doing stuff than that same amount of time laying in front of the TV.  I wonder how I'll feel a few days from now?   

There Is a Better Way, But I'm Doing it This Way Anyway

There is a better way to do this thing I'm doing, but I'm going to go ahead and do it this other way anyway. This sounds crazy and yet with almost every design I undertake, I find myself thinking this kind of thought.  It's different from second-guessing or some sort of crisis of confidence, but rather my brain telling me that there is another way of doing the thing I'm doing that would be even better. I will ignore this intelligence and continue on, very often wasting some of my own precious time as well as yarn which I would argue is also precious. 

Case in point, my current project is a baby blanket for my nephew's first.  My idea is to take a classic doily pattern and make it up in a soft, baby yarn, modifying it just a little to take out some of the larger spacing in the design so that it would serve well as a blanket. The idea is sound, even kind of fun and appropriate for my vintage loving nephew and his wife, but as I work up the blanket, I know it would represent better in a solid yarn and better still in one with a less fluffy texture.  Yet here I am, ignoring my own reasoning and working through with my initial yarn purchase.  The best thing you can say about this variegated, furry yarn is that the colors will be appealing to the indented recipients and it has an impressionist air which will probably even present the suggestion of lace when complete. Even so, I know deep down that I will end up crocheting the whole piece over again and this will become something taking up space in my studio or at best, donated to a charity which will have no idea what it is supposed to be. 

Why do I do this? 
Do I want to prove myself wrong? 
Is it because I can't abandon a project once I've begun?  
Will writing this phenomena down create personal change?

Honestly, I think this is just a shout into the void, an existential "why?" and one of many I have about myself and my creative brain. Perhaps I'm just wondering if anyone can relate. 

I'll come back and share my finished baby blanket, both of them. 

Daydreamer Dolman Sweater Pattern and More!

I was just reading my last blog post from September of 2018.  That's right, September! Blimey it's been a long time!!!

At least let me follow up my last ancient post.  Since the fall of last year, I have managed to get a couple projects done.  The Daydreamer Dolman Sweater is my brand new pattern that has been months in the making.  I really wanted to design something to showcase all of the fun, cake style yarns on the market. This was made using Caron Latte Cakes and I just love how the colors present themselves in cool, geometric patterns. Of course you could go solid or design your own.  I made

up this second one with short sleeves using Yarn Bee's Fur-Ever Style and trimmed it out with a pretty blue from my stash.  This one is lighter weight and a nice layer to throw on over a tank.  It's worked in a free size for all of us fans of loose, comfy clothes. 

So that's my big new pattern, but in my last post I was talking about my All Wrapped Up in Circles & Squares Applique and how I was working on project using this motif.  I ended up assembling two of the 10" squares and designing a handbag.  All of the details can be found on Instagram by searching #circlesandsquaresbag You can find me on Insta @jennofwindrose and here is what the finished project looks like...

Cute, huh?

I guess I have one last share before I call it a night.  I recently found a source for really nice quality Recycled Sari Silk Sliver.  It is free of little threads and bits that are commonly found in recycled sari silk so its pure pleasure to spin.  If you love all of the gorgeous and somewhat random colors that can be found in recycled sari silk, you will go crazy for this fiber.  Oops, can't forget the pic!

Okay, I am going to call this Wednesday done.  Hope life is treating you well!!

All Wrapped Up in Circles and Squares - New Crochet Patterns

All Wrapped Up in Circles and Squares is the name of my latest pattern, but it also feels a bit like my mental state, at least the "all wrapped up" part.  With one child in grad school and the other starting under grad, I have achieved a level-up of sorts.  I'm greeting my newfound autonomy with over-eagerness, jumping into all of the projects that I have been promising myself I would do if I had a little more time. I have wrapped myself up in all of them.  

Of these myriad projects, was the goal to design and publish more patterns.  For starters, I had an idea to design a mandala, only to find out that they have been all the rage for at least a couple years.  How did I get so out of touch?  Oh well, I designed my mandala anyway.  I call this the Tulip Mandala.  There are subtle little flowers worked into the pattern.   

After the mandala, I decided I wanted to create a lotus flower in profile.  You see plenty of crocheted lotus flowers, but they are typically an overhead view.  They start at the center and work their way out to the petals.  Crocheting in the round lends itself to flowers made this way, but I have always loved that iconic lotus in profile, so I created an appliqué to be used as a centerpiece or embellishment.  Here's my Lotus Flower Appliqué.


I guess after the lotus flower, I must have been on an applique kick, because that's when I designed my latest motif, All Wrapped Up in Circles and Squares.  The inspiration for this design came from some old fashioned yarn play.  I was stuck on a plane, so I pull out a hook and a skein of yarn (never leave home without the essentials) and just started to noodle or doodle or whatever it is we yarn people do.  I ended up with a circle where the outer ring was a fully wrapped round of stitches.  It was overlay and underlay.  It had texture and what I think of as a stained glass effect, colors peeking out between lines. I did not know how I would use it, but I knew I had to turn it into something.  

When I sat down to work with my new shape in earnest, I thought, "What if the circle becomes a square?" I turned my wrapped circle into a square and then I turned it back into another wrapped circle, and then again a square.  It was a challenge to write, a brain teaser of sorts.  It's easy to crochet in the round and it's easy to make a square, but going back and forth was something new, at least for me.  In the end, I had a nice, big 10" square.

Currently, I'm working on designs utilizing the All Wrapped Up in Circles and Squares motif.  I'm giving the first tutorial away CAL style on Instagram.  You can find all of the posts by searching #circlesandsquaresbag and you can find me on Insta @jennofwindrose

The Tall Muk Luks Pattern is Here!

I have been crocheting my Tall Muk Luks for well over 13 years now, but making something, and writing a pattern for that same something, are two very different enterprises.  I have gone through quite a few versions on my path to this final product.  The Tall Muk Luks are so beloved to me that I could not bring myself to publish a pattern for them until I was truly happy with my work.  The day is finally here and I am so pleased to be able to share this pattern with you!  The Tall Muk Luks Pattern is available in my Etsy store and more details on the pattern can be found in the listing.  It's a challenging crochet for intermediate to advanced skill levels, so if you are a beginner, find an experienced helper.  I've included 27 pictures in this mammoth of a pattern to carry you through to success!

Fiberpunk Beads

If intentions were blog posts, you would hear from me often, but today I am making good and turning my thoughts into typed words.  

I have been having fun in my studio playing around with my Fiberpunk Beads and I've started to make sets of them for other jewelry makers to explore.  I am hoping they will find their people and be used in new and inventive ways. 

I'm starting out by creating sets in solid colors.  Each one contains a large pendant, a tube, 6 spacers and three extenders.  I hope I have chosen components that will be assets to any design, but once I have a good variety of these kits, I'll branch out.  

I love the texture fiber adds to jewelry and the way it contrasts the hardness of metal.  The beads I'm making are a combination of tatting and crochet and I'm trying to create designs that are out of the ordinary.  When you look at these beads do you see earrings or a pendant necklace?  Maybe you see a multi-strand bracelet or embellishments that can be sewn on like appliqués.  Most of all, I hope you see possibilities!