Category Archives: Crochet

Fair Pay

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“Trying to balance what people will pay while trying to make some sort of profit is really a hard call.”

So, I just finished reading this amazing article, Fair Pay For A Fair Day’s Work, written by Vicki, the knitter extraordinaire behind Dover & Madden. (Also, you should check out her Etsy shop. She makes some beautiful stuff!) I would encourage all of you out there who knit, crochet, sew, or do anything crafty, to read this article, because we shouldn’t be making a pittance for what we do (even if it is doing something we love!) For one project that I made last year, I did the math, and with what I had already promised the customer the price I would charge on a particular item that was harder to make than anticipated, I ended up making less than 50 cents an hour, which is ridiculous. I work really hard on the things that I make, most of the time the things that I make are my own patterns, too, which take time and energy to come up with. I don’t want to sound like I am complaining or getting defensive, but I have had several people request for items at a lower price, and I just want to let them know why I have to charge as much as I do.

I think it’s important that people see the breakdown of how things like handknits (or crochet, or sewn, whatever) are priced. I had a talk with a friend a few days ago and she mentioned that  “If you charged too little, people would undervalue your work. So in essence, the more you charge, the more people value your work.” (Thanks, Betsy!) This is an especially relevant time to bring this up, with the upcoming holiday season, which is obviously my busiest time for custom orders.

But seriously, if you’re a crafter and have trouble pricing your work (I’ve always struggled with this!) I would highly suggest you read Vicki’s article, she eloquently states what I’ve been struggling to for years. Also, make sure to get your Christmas Orders in soon, so I can make sure they’re out to you in time for the Holidays! I may not have enough time (obviously I’ve got a bit more on my plate this year) to do quite as many orders as I did last Christmas, so please make sure to place them early so I can get a head start on making them.

Remember, feel free to make requests for specific animals, or different color combinations, I’m willing to give just about anything a try! Email me at lexikaye@gmail.com if you’d like to place an order!

Another Blanket.

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I’ve started on another blanket. I know, I know. This kid doesn’t really need another blanket, but it’s so fun to make them and it’s nice to have a mindless project to work on.

It’s made out of Chenille Yarn, so it’s really really soft and cushy.

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it reminds me of some kind of Oriental Rug or something. I don’t know if it’s the colors or if it’s the pattern, but either way I still love it. It’s just a simple single crochet. What’cha think?

Baby Boy Blue Blanket

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So, I’ve got all these big projects in the works, and none of them are finished, so I thought I would take a break from actually working on them to show you some of the stuff I’m doing. This is my Baby Boy Blue Blanket, for Togglebuttons.

It’s definitely turning out bigger than I thought it would.

But I am love-love-loving the colors together and the way it’s striping up.

Aren’t those some good boy-ish colors? I think so.

I can’t wait to wrap him up in it! I can’t believe how rapidly September is coming…

A Catch-Up Of Sorts.

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I am having a ‘blah’ sort of day… I think it’s that weird getting back into your regular schedule after coming off of a long vacation, you know? Also I’ve been having extremely weird and vivid dreams. Most of the time my dreams are kind of scary (I’m usually being chased by someone who wants to hurt me) and I think that they’re real the entire time that I am asleep and when I wake up I am all freaked out. But last nights dream was especially real and strange. I dreamed that my baby was born really premature and tiny, and I got a very clear picture of what I thought Togglebuttons is going to look like. (If you were wondering, in my imagination he looked a lot like Paul with curly brown hair and blue eyes) It was a very vivid dream that went on for what felt like hours. Anyway, I’ve just been trying to catch up on housework and things that haven’t gotten done since we were gone for a week and a half. I’ve already gotten the laundry done (AND folded, AND put away. A new record for me!) now just the kitchen and bathroom need to be scrubbed and that’s my goal for today.

As far as crafty stuff goes, I’ve got my needles and hooks in a lot of different projects right now… so many, in fact, that I am needing to put a few of the more non-urgent ones away so that I can make sure to get some of the other ones (orders and such) finished within a reasonable amount of time. For instance, I am making this vest for my baby boy, but it’s a 6-9 month size, so it’s pretty obvious that I don’t need to be working on this one urgently.

Also, I am working on this Granny Stripe Blanket, (also for Togglebuttons) and it’s just so fun to work on that I can’t put it down. I love doing Granny Squares, Granny Stripes, you name it, I love doing it. it’s so nice to not have to count ripples or stitches and just be able to mindlessly crochet while watching a movie or something. It’s not the greatest picture ever, but I’ll get a better one when I do the big reveal.

And a few more custom orders for Lemon Curd Hats, this time in dark purple and dark green. I do love making these hats, because I’ve made so many of them now I don’t need to look at my pattern or anything, and they’re on the smaller end (as opposed to a blanket or something) which makes them nice and portable!

And there’s several more that I won’t bother to take pictures of, like the quilt that is 1/3 done, or the mobile which is currently just a stack of yarn waiting to be made into something, and another baby hoodie which hasn’t gotten to a point worth taking a picture of yet.

Oh, and I can’t wait to show you all of my lovely birthday presents, too! (Most of it includes yarn! Woo!) and of course I’ll pop in tomorrow to do the weekly “You Knit What?!”, so stay tuned!

Retro Ripples

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I finished another project today. A ripple blanket in fun, retro colors.

Ok, that was just a little teaser for you… the whole thing makes me a bit dizzy, so I thought I would just show you a bit of it. Are you ready?

Hmm, looking at it now it looks like the top right grew a little faster than the rest of it, but pretend you don’t see it, ok?

Mmm, how I love the soothing crocheting motion of making the ripples.

It’s quite big, for a ripple blanket. Bigger than the rest I’ve made, at least.

And I am so glad that it’s finished. It’s been taking up the corner of my couch for way too long.

Knitting Catch-Up

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So here is a bit of that knitting catch-up.

A simple brown sweater for a cute little girl.

And another slouchy hat. No pictures of me modeling it.

I love this yarn. I love, love, love this yarn.


It’s so squishy and wonderful.

Also, a crocheted surprise for someone!

I also love making ripple blankets. This is my 3rd one (or 4th? Now I can’t remember) and it’s just as much fun to make as the first.

I’ve got a few more projects that are still being worked on, but should be ready to share later on this week.

Ezra and his Stripey Blanket

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I just thought I would pop in this evening and let you guys all know how cute my nephew is curled up in the blanket that I made for him before he was born.

I stole this picture from my sisters blog, but I couldn’t help how cute he looked all wrapped up in his blanket of many colors!

Daisy Chain?

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So now I’ve got a few of these flowery things… I don’t really know what to do with them. I was thinking about attaching them to a string and making a daisy chain or something to go around my craft station.

Do any of you crafty people have any great ideas? I know that you’ve all got great ideas…. so you should tell me.

Make a really big one and turn it into an afghan? Stick it on a bobby pin and wear it in my hair?

In other news,  I repotted my hens ‘n chicks and our Christmas cactus, and they are thriving in their roomier new homes.

(Hens n’ chicks, or Sempervivum tectorum)

(Christmas cactus or Hatiora gaertneri)

Crochet

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I don’t crochet a lot anymore… I kind of miss it sometimes. This evening while we were waiting to get hungry enough to eat dinner we were watching a tv show and all I had next to me on the couch was a crochet hook and a ball of pink yarn. I didn’t really have anything in mind, but just sort of let myself work out a pattern as I went. Nothing fancy, but I do kind of look how it ended up. I am thinking that I should make a set of these as coasters, maybe for house warming gifts, or maybe making a bigger one to make placemats or something.

Sorry for the crappy photo quality. It’s already kind of dark here and so the lighting is terrible, but I just wanted to show you. What do you think?  Too girly? Maybe if it wasn’t pink it’d be less flowery. Maybe for the next giveaway!