Catching Up

Our epic move was 8 months in the planning and executing--mostly executing--but it's over at last. We are finally housed under one roof. It feels so good not to be making marathon trips between the two houses anymore. There is still a lot of unpacking and sorting to do, but I'll be happy for the moment if I can just find my Christmas decorations and get the car in the garage!

We've taken the last couple of weeks to rest up and take care of some other things that needed doing, but considering what we've been up against in making this move happen, I can't say that I feel guilty at all. Today marked the first snow of the season (although it didn't really amount to much), so we're grateful to have finished before bad weather set in.

Speaking of Christmas decorations, we bought a new tree this year. I've been trying to get it put up for a few days now, but haven't been able to find the timet. It should be a breeze since it doesn't require assembly and came pre-lit. That's on the agenda for later today, so I'll put up some pictures next time. 

In the meantime, Happy December! 

Loss and a New Beginning

Long time, no blog! Did I forget I had a blog? Well, not exactly. It’s just that 2010 has been a challenging year for my family (as I know it has been for many others) and has kept us so busy there has barely been time to breathe. With it, came a major loss as we said goodbye to a beloved family member along with a lot of repetitive travel that kept us on the road for weeks and literally left me wondering some mornings which state I was waking up in. And to tell you the truth, this is one of the hardest blog entries I've ever written, and it's taken me some time to gather the courage to write it.

To make a long story much shorter, we put our house on the market in March and were in the process of moving back home to Illinois to be with my mother and other family members when the unthinkable happened--Mom passed away unexpectedly just as the move was getting underway in late April. So, for obvious reasons, we placed the move on hold for a few weeks while we regrouped and got our bearings.

With so many details to handle and decisions to make with the move and Mom’s passing, two houses to take care of (Mom’s and mine, which are 400 miles apart) and making the move itself...which we’ve had to do in stages and is still ongoing...suffice it to say that life has been crazy-busy. Worked in there somewhere was the building of a new garage at our new house and a brief trip to Virginia in June to see Chelsea and Jessica, two of our beautiful granddaughters, graduate from high school. But, given the circumstances, I’m glad to have been busy to help keep my mind off my mother’s passing.

It was largely because of Mom that I became a crochet designer. When I was a little girl, I loved watching her crochet pretty things for our home. When I finally decided to give it a try myself at the ripe old age of 8, she gave me a hook (which I still have), a ball of bright pink yarn and taught me some basic crochet stitches. And so my fascination for all things fiber was born.

Mom lived for her family. She was always there to lend an ear, offer advice and support, to share the good times and the bad and to help us in whatever way she could. She is sorely missed, but we are doing our best to get on with things, choosing to celebrate her life rather than mourn her death, which is how she would want it. And so, life goes on. 


Following is a poem which Mom and I have always liked. I offer it here in tribute to her. In many ways, it sums up my conviction (and hers) that life is eternal. I’ve seen several versions of this poem, and this may or may not be the original, which was written by A. L. Frink.

The Rose Beyond the Wall

A rose once grew where all could see,
Sheltered beside a garden wall,
And, as the days passed swiftly by,
It spread its branches, straight and tall.

One day, a beam of light shone through
A crevice that had opened wide ~
The rose bent gently toward its warmth,
Then passed beyond to the other side.

Now, you who deeply feel its loss,
Be comforted ~ the rose blooms there still ~
Its beauty even greater now,
Nurtured by God's own loving care.


Elaine Stegall
1928 - 2010

My Rose, My Mother



Love and hugs,

Brenda

NaNoWriMo 2009

Something you may not know about me: I’ve always wanted to write children’s books. But, my writing career took me in other directions, and it is only now that I have time to give it the attention I would like to.

Two weeks ago I embarked on the adventure of a lifetime. I’m taking part in NaNoWriMo 2009, and I intend to win. In case you don’t already know, NaNoWriMo is an abbreviation for National Novel Writing Month. Winning it means completing the first draft of a fifty thousand word novel in only 30 days, which breaks down to about 1667 words a day. Madness, you say? Absolutely! I can’t argue with you there. But, the short deadline is also part of the fun of it, that is, of course, if you don’t mind a month’s worth of little sleep and lots of frozen dinners.

NaNoWriMo is held every November 1-30. Brainchild of author Chris Baty, it started out with him and a few of his close friends. From there, it has skyrocketed in just a few years into a worldwide event that boasts nearly 170,000 participants around the world in 2009.

So, what happens if I don’t complete the novel in the specified amount of time? Well, nothing, really, except that now that I’ve put it “out there” on public notice, I’d have to wipe a lot of egg off my face while trying to explain to friends and family members why I didn’t finish. I think I’d rather be attacked by flesh-eating bacteria. So, barring any cataclysmic events I can’t control, in spite of the short deadline, I intend to finish.

Now, getting said novel published is another matter altogether. It’s a very tough market to breach, and I hold no illusions about it. But at the end of my life, whether it has been published or not, I can at least say that I wrote a novel. I won’t have to say that I didn’t try.

One good thing has come of this. I’ve learned the value of a power nap at my desk. Who needs the lying-down-in-a-real-bed type of sleep, anyway? I can do that after the revisions and editing, say next October sometime.

For more information about NaNoWriMo, check out the Web site at http://www.nanowrimo.org/.

And now, back to work…

Love, children’s novels and NaNoWriMo,

Brenda

Autumn is in the Air!

I really love this time of year. The stifling summer heat and humidity are finally gone, replaced by much cooler and drier fall temperatures. It’s a lot more pleasant to be outdoors now, so I’ve been taking advantage of it whenever I can between work and errands and some rain. My husband and I have been working hard on getting our yard ready for winter, raking leaves, cutting back plants that need cutting back and just generally making things look nice.

Yesterday, I decided the outdoor landscape looked fall-ish enough to dress my front porch for the season. Usually, I do this about the third week in September, but it has been a warm fall and the leaves are just now turning color. Maybe it’s silly, but I don’t like to put my fall decorations out while it still feels like summer because I don’t like rushing the seasons. It reminds me of the retail stores putting the Christmas decorations out at the same time as the Halloween decorations, but that’s a rant for another day.

I snapped these photos while I was arranging the front porch. I have a few more things I’d like to add (including a life-size scarecrow that will sit on the love seat in the photo), so it remains a work in progress for the moment since it’s windy here today. I’ve already had to rescue a few things to keep them from blowing across the yard into the street, but I’ll put out them out again when the wind settles down.

A couple of blog entries ago, I mentioned that I had ordered the yarn to swatch a fall afghan. The yarn has arrived, and I’m busy stitching it up now. What fun!

Love and fall colors,
Brenda

Recycling Unsold Design Swatches

When I swatch a design, whether on request from an editor or for an independent submission, I like to let my imagination and the design process lead me where they will—that is, of course, unless the editor has specific instructions about what she expects from me. Can I work to an editor’s specific instructions or visualize exactly what I want to create and then reproduce it in yarn or thread? Absolutely. But, unleashing my imagination to create whatever it desires when the opportunity permits keeps designing fresh and new for me, even after nearly 27 years in the business.

As most any designer will tell you, the design process is often one of trial and error. Sometimes, I come up with a design element that I like but feel isn’t quite right for my current project. Instead of discarding these swatches, I collect them in a small plastic tote I keep next to my desk. Eventually, I go back through them to see what I can use in another design.

As those of you who follow me on Twitter or Facebook may know, I’ve been on a cleanup, de-clutter campaign in my office over the past week or so. Yesterday just happened to be the day that I decided to go through the aforementioned tote and decide what to do with the contents. While I knew there were quite a few swatches that I would be able to use, even I was surprised to find that I can easily put together at least 12 designs from the cast-offs with the possibility of a half dozen more. Here is an obscure preview (right) of a few of the swatches I am planning to turn into new designs. Sorry I can’t show you more detail. In fact, the parts I’m showing you are actually parts that will change, but that’s how the design business goes. None of my editors would thank me for making public work that I submit to them!

Although I design in most areas of crochet, floral afghans have long been my signature. So, it’s not surprising that most of the cast-off motifs have a floral theme. Because there is this one unifying factor throughout, I have more options regarding what I can do with them. I can easily translate them into a couple of afghan books if I wish. I can also submit them individually to different publications. Or, I can discard the afghan idea completely and make them into something entirely different. I haven’t decided exactly what I’m going to do with them yet, but drawing on this resource of otherwise unused design work pays, both in terms of potential earnings and time that I haven’t actually wasted when I created them in the first place. So remember, hang on to those little doodlings you do with your crochet hook and your fiber of choice. They are almost as good as money in the bank if you happen to be interested in a design career.

Love and recycled designs,

Brenda

The Best Laid Plans…

I had high hopes for spending some of my time this summer updating and promoting my blog but, with all the travel, the time passed in such a whirlwind that some days I almost wondered which state I was in. Things are finally settling down, though. My travel plans are at an end for the year so I have time once again to concentrate on getting creative. While there were “only” 4 trips, it amounted to a whopping 3700 miles by car with lots of things to do in between. While the summer months didn’t leave much time for me to design, you can bet that I was putting together ideas in my design notebook, many of which I’m busy swatching now.

Even though I didn’t have a LOT of time to design, I did manage a couple of projects for one of my editors which I’ll tell you more about as soon as I know they have been released. In addition, Carol Alexander, editor of Crochet! magazine, used one of my dishcloth designs, Dishcloth Duo, in the At Home section of the November 2009 issue. In case you’re wondering, it’s a single design but worked in two different color ways with Coats® Crème de la Crème cotton yarn.  Even though it’s my own design, I have to admit it is my favorite dishcloth pattern. The reason is that I really like the convenience of working with medium weight cotton yarn, but I don’t like the bulk that many dishcloth patterns have. So, the simple (sc, ch-1) pattern is my answer to reducing the bulk without leaving the gaping holes which can occur with double- and treble crochet stitches. You can check out this issue at the Crochet! magazine Web site, but hurry before the next issue is published and replaces it on the Web site. To view the Crème de la Crème selection at the Coats and Clark Web site, click here.

Since summer has faded into fall, it’s getting chilly here in the Midwest now, especially at night. I had to give in and turn the furnace on last week, and it’s cool enough that a trip outdoors any time of day requires a jacket. Now I wish I’d made myself a pair of those cute fingerless mitts that are so popular, but you can be sure they are at the top of the list of things I plan to make just for me. I love the changes of seasons, and fall is an especially great time to bring out the heavier yarns and stitch up something warm and wonderful!

Speaking of the changing seasons, the leaves turning color on the oak tree outside the picture window in my office has inspired me to swatch an afghan in all the rich autumn colors. I’ve just ordered the yarn and can hardly wait to get started on it. Sometimes it’s hard to keep my mind on my work, though, as the view through this same picture window also provides a great deal of entertainment. With oak, walnut, pecan and evergreens in my back yard, it’s a true haven for all the neighborhood squirrels. They are especially active right now and have been putting on daily shows for me as they chase each other up, down and around the tree trunk and across the canopy of the trees in my back yard. 

And now, it’s time to get back to work!

Love and yarn,
Brenda

Follow Me on Twitter!

If you haven’t already discovered it, Twitter is a great way to keep up with what is going on in the lives of friends, family, business associates, celebrities and other people you want to keep track of. You can access it from your computer or your mobile phone (if you have the capability). I find myself updating my Tweets much oftener than I do my crochet list, simply because it’s easier, and I can do it on the fly. For those reasons, I’ve removed the link to my crochet list in the sidebar and inserted a Twidget (Twitter widget) instead. It's the best option for staying in tune with what is going on in my crochet world.

Happy Tweeting!