Hot off the hook!
"I've been gone for a looong time now and when you continue reading this you will understand why."
**Last night,** I finally completed my Sunny Blanket. I started this project in March 2021 when I came back to Portugal from France, my husband is a welder supervisor and works mostly outside of Portugal as they get a higher paye and sometimes I can accompany him, then I flew back to France and was unable to take my Project with me. Then came requests from clients wanting me to make them afghans, I sold in total four in 2021 the last one being in December. Then came January and I stayed in Portugal and found the Sunny Blanket project box! Wow, I had completely forgoten about it. All I had was the center mandala.
**I jumped right in** and got re-accquainted with the project. This is overlay crochet, one of the many techniques used with a basic crochet stitch. As long as you know the foundation stitches and how to read a pattern you can easily make your own. I'll let you in on a little secret........**it's my first one!** So if I can so can you.
This blanket comprises of **three** patterns that you must buy from the designer. $4.50 sounds like a lot, this was my mindset many many months ago until I made the maths. It's really not a lot, just think about it. Different to knitting designers, crochet designers allow/authorise the sale of finished project as long as you use your own images and not sell more than four per pattern (mass produce). Heck it took me roughly two and a half months to do this one. When you sell your product you would have made that expense back ten fold.
So if you are a crocheter and want to make it here is the link to Lila Bjorn's website where you will find more info, story and links to purchase it
https://www.lillabjorncrochet.com/2020/02/sunny-blanket.html
Here is a photo of my Sunny Blanket. There are four color ways and I chose the "frozen".
I am so in love with it. Won't be selling this one, no way!
Next I have a video so you can a close up of "her", videos sometimes helps in visualising a item in real time. I especially created a Youtube creator account for this specific reason as an aide to visualize in movement/real time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uTvrHDoU8o
This is my Passion, to bring to life all the ch, sc, dc, hdc, trc, so forth that I read in a pattern. This is the "why" I go MIA, I really am a busy girl with my craft.
Hope you enjoyed this.
Love, Peace and Light to you,
Sandra
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Sophie's Universe, A Crochet Afghan
So where do I begin?
My writing skills are not on the same level as the top writers as my creativity only applies to my crochet skills and with this said I hope you can bear with me as I try to express myself.
So let me stop rambling on and on and get down to what's important: Sophie's Universe!
Sophie was a lifesaver, she appeared at a time in my life where I was in limbo back in 2015. How I came across her I don’t know, maybe the Universe accidentally slipped the website in between all those tabs I had opened, lol. Any way moving forward….There she was beautifully displayed on my screen, my jaw dropped.
What a beautiful afghan I thought to myself and proceeded to read the article. It was so well written and organised by the owner that it was a pleasure to just be there. Photos, pattern, links and even youtube tutorials. The last time I had a hook in my hand was when I was in High School more than 10 years ago. But I still remembered all the lessons that my Mom had taught me then.
This pattern was part of a CAL (Crochet Along). I read the pattern for sizes and supplies needed and quickly searched for a haberdashery, yarn supplier in South Africa, and bought hook and yarn. My Journey began, the beginning of my purpose for being. Every waking minute I would spend working on Sophie, not interfering with the running of my home, family and the Sunday Ride of course.
Beautiful isn't she?
****Pattern****: This is a free pattern and can be found here along with other very useful links. Dedri Uys of Look At What I Made is the owner of this pattern.
https://lookatwhatimade.net/crafts/yarn/crochet/sophies-universe-cal-2015/sophies-universe-cal-2015-information/
I couldn’t believe my achievement on completing Sophie. For someone who just crochet doilies in her teens this was a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction rolled into one. My heart filled with so much pride. Hubby and the boys loved the end result as they were witness to the “birth”.
Two warnings, though:
Pets LOVE Sophie, so prepare to be ambushed!
Partners and spouses are not immune to her either,
often helping to choose colours or checking up on progress
****Video Tutorial:**** This step by step video tutorial by Esther Dijkstra was a huge help for me.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCZnKEb9VzY0g_D0L_hc3U_1OTY2IOKpZ
Now I can proudly say that I am 100% fluente in pattern reading regardless of who the designer is.
****Tip!****
As this was my first ever textured afghan I did not plan my color scheme or keep to a specific brand, I just bought at will and what captured my fancy. Something I will never do again!
So remember! Always purchase yarn of the same brand and yarn weight/size.
Below is a very short video of my Sophies Universe up close. She is 5yrs old now and still jaw dropping.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtUmNHl4hGg
So there you have it. Hope you enjoyed this post and that I inspired you enough to want to go out and buy that yarn to hook this Beautiful Afghan by Dedri Uys of Look At What I Made.
Like us “Hookers” say, Happy Hooking.
Peace, Light and Love to you Beautiful Soul,
Sandra
Choose, Plan & Share
****Choose****
I will start off by choosing a pattern to my liking and gather all info about the pattern. The designer, the yarn needed, the tools (by this I mean hook size, scissors, measuring tape, etc.), the pattern itself.
The pattern itself could be free or paid, an extra note will be made regarding this. I will however use as many as possible that are free.
****Plan****
Now with all this gathered info you will set out to plan your workflow, how? By “creating” a project box where you will keep all in there. Print out the pattern or save it to your device. Apart from my box I also have a trolley where I store all my crochet tools and extras in, easier to roll about in order to set up where I’m going to work. A comfy chair with backrest pillow and a stool/bed to put your feet up. Some prefer to watch series. I prefer to listen to Reiki sounds or just calming relaxing sounds.
Important: Do hand yoga before you start and please do not crochet for more than an hour. Take a break not only to stretch and activate your legs but most importantly to rest your eyes.
****Share****
This is where all the fun begins! Yay!
With all in check, we can finally start. I will share my final result as soon as possible. I will discuss any hiccups I might have found, share some tips and tricks and share some pics and video.
With this all said I sincerely hope you will enjoy it over here in my little space of the internet and enjoy in the fun of creating art.
Love and Light to you Beautiful Soul
Sandra
Hello my friend! I am so glad you stopped by to visit me in my little creative corner of cyberspace!
Hi, my name is Sandra, I am a wife and a mother, Newbie to the fitness world, rediscovering my passion for photography and Crochet, I love nature, I am always learning new things and I am crazy about the things I love.
I finaly registered here on read.cash as an online journal where I can document my life and emotions as well as a creative outlet to share the things I am passionate about in the hopes of improving myself and breaking the limits I have unconsciously restricted myself with.
**MY STORY**
As for my skills, I would have to say I’m mostly self taught. Everything I know I have learned from life and Internet Articles. This is about my journey of self discovery and self love.
I have issues with my self esteem. I know what it’s like to feel without purpose and direction. I know what it’s like to lack motivation. I’m learning about loving myself for who I am as a person and not what I look like. I’m doing what I want. I’ve felt heart break. I’ve had debilitating depression. I Like to have fun and do spontaneous things.
I am a both a proud Wife & Mother. I have an understanding of who I am and what I want. I’ve learned what it is to be treated well. I can appreciate life and the small things.
I pride myself on being able to accept that I have made mistakes and learned from them and that I must start to love myself more for who I am and start to make improvements & corrections in my life.
**WHY I WANT TO SHARE?**
I am passionate about empowering others and inspiring others to live a life of intention, positivism and abundance.
I’m a morning person and organizational freak!
I believe that with a vision and the purest of intention, we can manifest a life that feels the most authentic and fulfilling to us. I’m a strong believer in transparency and of just being yourself!
Sharing all parts of me and my life, because that is what is real. The ups and downs, and showing myself in all of my authentic glory and just owning it. There is nothing wrong with that!
People need to realize that one can have a perfect and happy life even if one still experiences the good and bad things that come with it. Life and balance is about accepting every single part of your life as it is.
Allowing ourselves to process our emotions, good and bad, and reflecting on it. Turning negatives into positives and squeezing whatever good you can out of every situation life throws you into.
**MY GOAL ON READ.CASH IS…**
A - I began crocheting when a was a child -taught by my mother- and I must say I wasn’t enthusiastic about crocheting then. My first Project was a couple of doilies to decorate my bedroom with.
As I grew older I did not crochet for many years. Life happened, College, started working, getting married to my soulmate and later giving birth to two healthy perfect boys made me lose interest in crocheting.
But then, and in 2015, inspired by some lovely crochet blogs, I picked up my hook and began crocheting again. It was relaxing therapy and it quieted my “noisy” brain and allowed me to make beautiful things.
I will be sharing crochet patterns for all skill levels and more about the patterns and supplies I love.
I am not a designer but I create from patterns, paid or free, from Crochet Designers that I love.
B - On another but also very important note I strongly believe that balance is vital and key to long term happiness. I'll admit that I haven't quite figured out how to stay balanced at 100% in my daily life —but I’m constantly working on it.
**LONG STORY SHORT STORY**
So be it work, play, fitness, health, indulgences — it’s all about finding a balance that keeps you healthy, happy, and driven. Skimp out on one thing and you’ll likely pay for it in some way or another later.
So this could be your ideal digital hangout if:
1. You long to make things with your hands just like your grandma did but you don’t necessarily want those things to look like they belong in your grandma’s house. (Although I’m sure it’s lovely.)
2. You like "Bookmarking" but you love making even more.
3. You want an express reference of supplies you will need for your project.
4. Maybe grab some of my tips on a balanced life that I have learned in all these years.
5. Or indulge your eyes with my very amateurish captures with my Nikon D3100 or my Huawei Mate 10 mobile. P.S. I've become very lazy lately and have negleted my DSLR camera, so most are from my mobile.
So … grab a cup of coffee or tea, look around, and hopefully you’ll find some crochet inspiration or learn something new throughout these pages.
If you ever need a hand or have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comment box of related post and I will be more than happy to help you out.
All the best,
Sandra
"from SunShineSparkles at Crochet nd Life"
@SandraLopes
