Pamela Veller Crochet Blog

I 'm sitting here crocheting at my desk and I began to wonder "where do you crochet" or "edit" your patterns?  Do you restrict yourself to a specific spot in the house or do you spread your craft everywhere?  Hmmm, things we ponder as we create ♥

T he yard is coming along nicely and the newest planting area is almost done.  The weather warmed up to the 70's.  Today though is a gloomy soft rainy day, just what we need to gently water the newest plants and grass.  Yesterday took care of our friends 3 and 2 year olds (so much fun!) so having an inside day today is nice.  Those two little ones had a great time playing with ICE and a couple of plastic cups.  Simple fun.  The 2 year old also learned how to roll down a small hill, hilarious, actually.  So, today I can get back to my inside projects with my yarns ♥♥♥ yeah, without feeling guilty that is.  Super Sunday to you all.

W hat do you see when yarn inspires you?  A blanket, an accessory, a chic outfit or household item?  Does color entice you in a specific direction?  When you follow that inspiration with hook and yarn in hand does it often become something else or what you first envisioned?  O h, quell my curiosity please and tell me!  Are we alike in that most often what I envision becomes something else entirely?

A t least our old lady Weeping Cherry Tree is in the front yard. Many others soon to follow.  Love looking at her glory through the kitchen window.  We've planted 3 more of these in the yard anticipating the day this old girl is gone.  Bloom on!

I 'm going to get ahead, more wonderful ideas pop into my head!  It is the strength of character and personal diligence that keep one on track to complete those other wonderful ideas before more playing with crochet hook and yarn can begin.  Lately, I'm thinking small.  Small items versus making blankets which I love making but my creativity is leaning on the small side with some new and inventive creativity.  I will share but for now they have to rest on the rails until I can devote time to them.  Not to mention its Spring, so the grass, birds, bulbs, lawn mower, work gloves and tired muscles are also clamoring for some yard time....my dirt caked clothes from yesterday are tumbling in the dryer as I write this so off I go, there's only about a 6 foot section left to be opened up.  Have a super day everyone with whatever catches your fancy.

S he is about 4-ish in this photo, she's now much "older" if you were to ask her :)  When you select "okay" to publish pics with schools, this is what you are giving rights too.  The YMCA sponsored day care put her pic on their bus and Momma saw it as she dropped her son off.  Amazing! 

I take yarn ends that do not get weaved in (saving a few for markers) and give them to the birds.  They love picking up these colorful little threads to weave in their baby's nests.  Happy Spring you guys and so good to see you back!

W e so have Spring fever in this house. I've been dusting that proves it! The sun is shining, now I need a few more 10 degrees, 40 is still too chilly requiring a coat. The buds on the Cherry Trees and others are so tiny, I hope they get to bloom. I hate to say it but I look at my yarn and yarn projects and I pause to just gaze out the window to where I want to be today.

"To Gauge or not to Gauge" that is the question.... "Why do I need to In-Gauge?" "How to get my Hook to In-Gauge?" "Do I In-Gauge before or after the project?" "What if I don't want to be In-Gauge'd?" G auge in crochet is important my mentors demand! How will you know how much yarn your design will take? How will you know what size your design will be? Okay, OKAY! I'll admit it and accept that gauge is important, I can't ignore it any longer. But, dang not so simple for a fledgling! I'm not a math expert by a long shot and the calculator isn't talking to me. So, what to do about this important element of designing? STUDY...STUDY...STUDY! I have found Edie Eckman's little book "The Crochet Answer Book" to be most enlightening on many subjects including gauge. And, I started comparing how others write up gauge instructions in patterns. It is interesting how differently they are pre...

A wise woman once told me something I have never forgotten.  She told me she "lived her life in chapters". I listened, but didn't really comprehend what she was telling me. Does it mean that the page is already written on or is waiting to be written?  Mind you I was just starting my second chapter, you know the one where your trying to make it on your own. She was well along in her chapters.  Her answer to me was brief and simple.  Our lives evolve, we're not the same people we were yesterday, because yesterday we learned something we didn't know the day before, nor do we know what we're going to learn tomorrow because really, tomorrow never comes, it's always today. Down the road you realize what a momentous journey it is. Chapters are good.  Chapters are forgiving and meaningful.  She's not with us anymore, but her wisdom lives on.  In me. You never know what you can achieve until you jump out of your box.  I won't say I have a ...

It runs, it tangles, it attaches, it bundles, it has a mind all its own!  Spent the morning taking apart my closet, trying to decide do I organize the yarn bins?  Then I asked myself, well, ok, if you do that, will you organize in colors, manufacturers, textures, projects, what?  So, I put the newest members into a bin, closed it up good and tight, grabbed my needles, laughed all the way down the hallway! There are better things to do today!  TEE HEE

Hello, good morning to everyone. It's Saturday, that really shouldn't mean anything to me because, I do not have any other place to be but here. Funny how after working, raising kids sets you up with a pattern inside you that says "its the weekend!" enjoy!  Why doesn't every day have that feeling? The weekend arrives and I luxuriate in not getting out of bed, out of jams or out of the house even.  It feels delicious! So, I raise my coffee cup to you and ask you to take a moment today and just sigh.   Happy St. Patrick's Day as well to all my Irish friends and those that have adopted Irish too!!  

Oh, my the modern woman would never agree to this!  We have come far in our independence in over 150 years, enjoy Crochet March everyone!

Have to enjoy this gorgeous respite from the dismal grey weather we've been having here in Mid-Ohio...today is wonderfully yellow!

Because blogging is such a mystery to me seeing the number "2000" on my counter this morning is pretty awesome!  I don't like to say the word "resolution" because I think that somehow ties me to a responsibility rather than the free spirit I try to be, but I did write it down at the beginning of the year!  Keep visiting, I promise to make your pit stop interesting, educational or just plan fun.  God bless you all.

I am book crazy!  I admit it.  You get this title if you have ever spent 7 hours going through boxes, I mean literally boxes of books looking for 1 thing, CRAFT BOOKS! Having done this a few years ago, makes me yearn to do it again.  But this is a once in a lifetime moment, there are no seconds. The story begins with a young couple purchasing a three story building right off our square downtown.  The building was vacant for a long time and the little cafe restaurant on the first floor, facing the towns square was closed.  Left behind in the building was a treasure trove of books.  Many ruined from years of neglect; rain from a leaky roof, others torn and crushed from other falling books, mold and mildew galore.  There were school books, workbooks, children's primers, coloring books, college course books, novels, vintage books and so much more in subjects of math, literature, poetry, music, history and crafts.  All this, 10's of thousands of ...

BLUSH!  Happy Valentine's Day my friends!

DAN!  Spent the largest part of the afternoon in yesteryear and came across this posting.  While I was living in Northern California I happened to pick up a very old scrapbook chocked full of articles about San Francisco as well as articles the original owner clipped on the latest inventions (like the cordless iron!), poems and politics, all dating between 1935 and 1936.  I've chosen to share some of these with you because they are so special.  So, I hope you enjoy this one especially because I so can relate to his companion!  You will probably need to double click on the pic to make bigger to read this lovely article.  I know I will get back to crocheting but for today well....I have a lot of reading to do!

Have you ever woke up and nothing seems to come together?  From laying aside yesterday's project to start something new, only to have other distractions take precedent?  Is it the cosmos, the allure of the book I started last night while curling up under the covers or the bright sunshine this morning beckoning to me to lay everything aside in a heap and go outside?  Well, it is still 30 deg out there, that's not very inviting but at least the snow is melting off leaving patches of green.  I can't complain too much, my hubby is not having a good time either as the truck still won't start and he's been working on it for a week.  What to do what to do.

Where does the time go when all of a sudden your 1st Grandchild is a full fledged Girl Scout and selling cookies!  Sent her a really cute Girl Scout apron from Etsy and she loved it enough to send me this lovely thank you card.  Loved it!

Can any plant more resemble Avatar than Japanese Wisteria in full bloom? We had many of these plants at one time, now looking again to add to our Mid-Ohio garden, can't wait for Spring!

Don't you just love that there is a month to celebrate this FAV craft! Perfect timing to get ready for Spring and Summer goodies!  I can't wait to take this tour down Crochet Lane!  What better way to enjoy my coffee breaks visiting my friends and fellow crocheters participating in this Crochetville event, heh! and I don't even have to get dressed up!!!!!

That's right we have to buy a new vehicle so we can go GET my yarn! HAHA The truck broke down AGAIN and is sitting in a very snowy, icy parking lot. So, would I spend thousands of dollars just to buy a skein of yarn? You BETCHA :)

Met the sweetest Alpaca down the street from me at "Hobo Alpaca Farm" named Banjo. You know I never knew Alpaca's can't eat apples, what a shame because we have so many apple trees around here. Banjo is a runt and is very small for an Alpaca, cute as ever with black, some brown and a patch of white. While I was visiting to hand over bags of apples, that the horses and goat will eat, the owners showed me how to "dry felt" with a tool that has some nasty looking hooks/needles coming out of it. So NEAT, but I have enough trouble keeping on track without starting another craft! But, I won't forget how to do it...some day you never know!

Watch what you wish for! One afternoon my Sig-other mentioned that since we moved to Ohio and couldn't bring our animals with us, he is missing not having a pet; meaning dog. Well, then about a month later here comes this little kitty one night. Up onto the kitchen window sill that was barely wide enough to hold him, peering in at us with these lovely green eyes. Now another month later he is now "named, has a kitty litter box, big bag of food, huge water bowl and sleeps on his lap". We are trying to find his owner as he is declawed but for now at least he is warm.

Added a page called "MY FAVS" to capture my Etsy Favorites. I LOVE ETSY favorites! Here's why: 1.Great reminder of possible gift ideas for birthdays. 2.Great tickler list of things I want to purchase. 3.MY FAVS is a great gift source for ME! 4.Tickler list for new Treasuries. 5.Reminders to contact these owners about their products. 6. Great way to tell other crafters I LIKE them. 7. An address book of sorts of shops I want to visit periodically. 8.Creates inspiration! 9.A great color palate for my ideas too. 10.See number 3 above! Don't hesitate to come back often and check these out, you never know we may have the same taste.

Get organized! OKAY, not a new resolution because I'm sure I've made that one before. I look around my "crochet office" and I see chaos everywhere and mind you "I just organized" a week ago! I get inspired and all hell breaks loose. So, I'm looking for tips, how do you keep all these projects organized so you can complete the last one that took center stage. Not complaining, I'm luckier than most I do have bins, shelves, a table, couple of chairs, plastic bags filled with on-going but not going on projects. So, I'll make another new resolution! To keep no more than 5? projects going at the same time! Well, as you know if you design that I can't keep that one either. Keep CROCHETING to keep smiling!