Experiment vs Design

What's the difference between experimenting with crochet and designing?   I've been pondering this question for a while now.  The dictionary gives us these definitions:
Experiment: a test, trial, or tentative procedure; an act or operation forthe purpose of discovering something unknown.   
Design: to prepare the preliminary sketch or the plans for (a work tobe executed), especially to plan the form and structure of.
When do you feel you get to say that you are done experimenting and you move to designing a pattern for a crochet piece? I've been working on a purse for myself that I just made up to see if I could.  So I guess  you could say I'm designing a purse?  Well, the structure of the purse is nice and it's a good size.  I used 100% wool and tried to felt it but it's not quite as tight a felting as I would like so I guess I'll make the same purse but in a new yarn.  Do I need to write down the pattern notes and "viola" I'm a designer?  There is a good article written by Helen Free in the February issue of Inside Crochet with great tips on how to use the auto-correct in MS Word to write a pattern.  Have any of you out there designed a pattern?

Now as for experiments... if I only make the 1 purse is that an experiment?  Even if I write down the pattern?  I think the word "experiment" is more appropriate for what I would like to try for the first time.
When it comes to things I want to experiment creating:

• Cardigan for me
• Lacey shawl

Materials I want to experiment with:

• Wire
• Rope or twine
• Beads
• Tule

The "Other" World of Crochet

I've crocheted for a long time.  My grandmother taught me to chain stitch and oh how I love to make "snakes" with the scraps of yarn she gave me.   She used to make us slippers and the new babies of the family blankets but she mostly worked in thread.  That was my first impression of crochet: slippers, baby blankets and doilies.

GG Bonnie

After I was married, my girlfriends were looking for something to do while the husbands worked or played sports and we decided to have "Super Craft Saturdays".   Sandy taught us all how to crochet and off I went.  Since then I've crocheted afghans, baby blankets, baby sweaters, baby shoes, hats, softies, doilies, a table runner and so on.  I would buy pattern books and occasionally searched online for patterns.
I thought I knew crochet.  :)
This year one of my resolutions was to become more involved in the "craft community".  And since doing so I found Kathryn Vercillo's blog Crochet Concupiscence.  And as I told her today, she has completely opened up a new world of crochet to me!  She has so much information, job postings, yarn reviews, quotes and more!  By far my favorite has to be her weekly crochet artist posts.  Seriously WOW!  This is NOT my grandma's crochet.
I think my favorite so far is Toshiko Horiuchi-MacAdam and her incredible piece called "Rainbow Net".  Kathryn has also spotlighted Magda Sayeg, Sarah Applebaum and many more.  Go and check them out and find yourself into a new world of crochet!

Toshiko Horiuchi-MacAdam's "Rainbow Net"

Crochet and Football - Oh Yea!

I love to crochet and watch sports; football, hockey, or baseball. I like that I can hear the excitement from the crowd and they give me cues to look up and watch the fun parts. Movies are good background to crochet but sometimes a movie needs more attention. How about you? Where do you like to work? Is it a quiet room by yourself? Are you outside? A passenger traveling? Or are you in your room rockin' out to Lady Gaga?

A Little Totoro to Make you Happy

My friend & I have daughters the same age. Last time we had dinner she told me she was interested in spinning yarn but didn't know where to go for help or instruction. "RAVELRY!" I cried! She visited my site and saw Totoro. One of her daughter's loves Miazaki films as much as my daughter and she asked if I would make her one for her birthday. Cute, no?

New Year - New Calendar

Happy New Year! 2012? Wow, how'd that happen?

A new year holds such promise doesn't it? For me it starts when the new years calendars start to show up in stores. Who am I going to be this year? What do I want to inspire me? Every year I amaze myself with how long that inner struggle takes. Now that I really think about it, the calendar for the New Year is always based in what happened the year before or the goals I want to carry me through the next year.
Last years calendar at work was one from the Alzheimer's association and the one at home was a "Get Fuzzy" cartoon one. My father passed away in March 2010 with Alzheimer's at the young age of 72, I needed that calendar as a reminder of him and what I could do to further the fight of a most terrible disease. The cartoon calendar was for my daughter. She graduated from HS and moved to Oregon to volunteer with AmeriCorp for 1 year before going off to college. Guess I wanted her last year at home to be filled with laughter and love.
This years calendars where purchased without thought but now that I'm filling them with info could really only be described as "spot on!". Here's what I bought:

Christmas Bear Skin Rugs

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everybody!
Hope you guys had great holidays. We went out to sunny southern California for Christmas. The only thing I like about the flights there and back are the 5+ hours of uninterrupted crochet time while listening to a good audio book. On this trip, I listened to the Hunger Games (book 2) and worked on more teddy bears for the Spring craft fair. After making the first one, I decided to use up all my scrap cotton yarn and make more "patch-work" bears. I think they will be very cute. I was able to create 4 "bear skins" before I got home. Creepy or cool?

Did you think I was gone?

Yea, I would too if I were you but really it's just crazy around here. We've really decided to downsize our house now that the kid is out and going to college. So almost right after the craft fair we started a structured schedule of de-cluttering. See:

And getting the rooms "neutralized" with new paint. So it's a bit of a mess around here but between all that and 2 trips out of town (crocheting on a plane) I managed to make 2 Minnie mouse hats and a purple bear for friends. Whatcha think?

Before

After

Follow - Up

So, I just read through the blog and noticed that I told you all what I was starting but never really gave you any "after" photos.  So I'll just shut my trap and show you pictures.  Most of us are visual people anyway right?

Done and Done!

Well here I sit on Sunday night exhausted, happy, and just a bit proud of myself.  The craft fair was Saturday and with my fantastic husband's help we did alright.  The dream of selling out did not become reality but wow what a great experience.  I chatted with women who stopped by the table and fingered the items and told me how they/ their mom/ their grandma/ their aunt... crochet too.  What yarns they like and what they make.  And just as I was about to get disappointed (inside) they would tell me how much they liked my work, how even my stitches were and what a great variety of work I did.  No, really, they did.  :)  So even though I didn't come home rich with cash, I came home much richer in spirit.

"Would I do it again?", you ask.  Hmmm.  I'll wait to answer that when my feet stop throbbing.   :)  We would have to make a lot of changes.  Our booth set up wasn't the most pretty and my banner wasn't the right size and I think instead of making things that other people told me sold at craft fairs (hats & wristlets - of which I only sold 1 hat) I would make lots of teddy bears, curly scarfs in lot of shades, and large afghans. And that would mean I have to start now for next year. ha ha

Have you sold at craft fairs?  What did you like best?  What would you do differently?  Did you leave rich in cash or spirit?

Craft Fair

My first craft fair is next weekend and I'm nervous.  And in conjunction with the craft fair, I wanted to have an Etsy shop ready as well as a new Facebook page and Twitter account.  I've also been crocheting my fingers to the bone and working with a graphic artist to come up with my logo.  Well after all these weeks, everything is ready and this weekend is going to spent tying up all the ends.  I'm nervous about it all but very excited for the actual fair.  Have you had a booth at a fair?  Would you do it again?   

Tools of the Trade

The more I get ready for my first craft fair, the more I'm figuring out how many tools there are for our trade.  This week I've bought $100 of yarn from one of my LYS and some more from the local Michael's Craft store, a book to learn a lot more about the different yarn fibers, and a blocking wire kit.  I told my husband that what I need next is a light box or something similar, a dress form, better storage and basically a whole real work area.  :)

Here is s snapshot of some of my tools.  What do you use?