There's Another Crocheted Container

I made an entry last August on one of the potential uses for crochet: making a container. You can check the post here.

I actually made 3 sets (3 pieces per set). I gave a set to my friend Lisa. I gave another one to my boyfriend Rob. The last one is the one featured in that entry.

Here's the set I gave Rob.

You can even fold it to get a different look.

Here's the flower shot from the top with 2 containers inside the largest one.

Hope you all have a colorful long weekend!!! Create something!

They Got Hooked!

I just had my first basic crochet workshop at Craft MNL last October 27. It was a great experience and it felt fulfilling seeing the participants get their hooks on!

Our goal was to make granny squares. It's a simple pattern and it's something that can be done by beginners. I made them choose the colors that they want for their yarn in their crochet kits so they can add their personal flavors to the squares.

We had 5 participants for the AM session. Hooray to Daff, Sweet, Imana, Tammy, and Sydney for having the patience to get their way around their hooks and yarn.

Notice the kid on the right (below)? That's Sydney (Tammy's daughter)! She's only 8 but she's already making it happen with crochet!

We had a packed PM session with 7 participants. Kudos to Rita, Bea, Katrina, Christine, Jem, Tania, and Cheska for tapping (and reviving as well) the dexterity in their hands.

The participants and their grannies!!! Thank you for coming! And thank you for inspiring me to be a better teacher :)

Special shout out to Imana Alonzo (the knitter who is willing to crochet) for her really cute knitted doll! She will be teaching knitting soon. Do check her blog by clicking this link.

I'm Calling It a Bed Throw. Here's a Peek!

Just a peek of the reverse side :) I will only be able to share the entire spread, in all its crocheted glory, when I have given it already to the owner. It's almost time to say goodbye to this project!

Thirty and Crafty

My friend, Alessa Lanot of Life After Breakfast, celebrated her Big 3-0 with fellow crafters and bloggers last Saturday at The Brgr Project along Jupiter St. in Makati City. It was an afternoon of good food, good vibes, good conversations, and good crafting :)

Alessa prepared canvas bags for the crafters to design during the party so one can be exchanged with another crafter and one to be auctioned off to benefit a school in Masbate.

Click the link to continue reading to see what I crocheted for the canvas bags!

Raffle for the Crochet Workshop at Craft MNL!

I have a cool treat for the participants of my upcoming Crochet Workshop at Craft MNL this Oct. 27! I will be raffling off a vintage craft magazine with crochet patterns called, "The Workbasket."

This magazine is a rare find (since these were published in the '70s). The 70s was actually the decade when crochet exploded with colorful and intricate patterns!

There will be 1 winner each for the AM and PM sessions!

For details of the workshop, please go to this link.

Yarn Store 4: Craft World Garage Sale (Pasig)

[I hope you can read this entry from start to finish...don''t just skim through the pictures :p]

Warning: You might experience some craft overdose. This is the motherload of all crafty stuff.

I've been featuring yarn stores in my blog to help crocheters out there find places where they can get their yarn supply. I'm not into other crafts and don't share much about craft stores and the other stuff they sell. This one is an exception though and is worth telling about. I don't know if this is an exclusive scoop, but if anyone of you is into crafts, this blog might just be your manna from heaven (yes, I'm that boastful about it).

Do you know Craft World? They used to have branches in SM Megamall, Market! Market!, Robinson's Galleria, and Festival Mall. It's actually quite sad that with all this renewed appreciation for crafts and handmade stuff, especially among young people, this "institution" is no longer serving the needs of crafters like us in malls.

So one good question to ask is, "Where did all the stuff from all those branches go?"

They all went here.

It's literally a garage sale. I didn't even know it was only one tricycle ride from my house. Craft World has had this factory outlet for ages. The owner has migrated abroad and has (sadly) closed her business. The property itself is on the market, so once this place is sold, we would all have to say goodbye to it. Everything must go. And I'm about to show you what they have. You won't believe how low the prices of the materials are. This sale will blow you away :)

Click the link to see what they have.

Last Few Remaining Slots for The Crochet Workshop!

We still have a few remaining slots for the AM and PM sessions of the crochet workshop. If you want to learn something new and be productive over the long weekend, join us in this workshop and I can teach you how to crochet and how to make creative projects out of basic patterns.

Fee is inclusive of a crochet kit. Check out the contents here.

Click this link to register.

Yarn Store 3: Heavenly Stitchin' Moment (SM Mall of Asia)

Well, it's more of a craft store that also sells yarn. According to Heavenly Stitchin' Moments' Website, it is "a chain of retail shops since 1996 specializing in Do-It-Yourself crafts: cross stitch, paper tole, miniatures, paper clay, scrapbooking materials, needle punch, latch hook, beads works, jigsaw puzzle, picture frames and others."

I went to SM Mall of Asia last week and visited their branch there. Hit the jump to see the kinds of yarn they sell.

Coming Out of the "Crochet Closet"

Crocheter and Proud!

I started crocheting in high school. Between then and now, I've been pretty much "hiding in the (crochet) closet." I think most of my friends know I crochet but I used to be quite shy or maybe ashamed in saying that I seriously love crocheting. They didn't know I have a library of crochet books and loads of yarns - and that I actually consider having emotional attachments to crochet especially when I turned to it on some depressing fits.

I also remember a guy friend telling me, when I was single, not to tell any guy I'm going to date that I crochet. Dang, deal breaker :p I don't know if guys are imaginative enough to conjure up an image of me crocheting while sitting on a rocking chair and wearing my glasses. I guess the first thing people think of when they hear the word crochet is "grandma" or "doily."

Crocheted Shoes in Anthem (Powerplant Mall, Rockwell)

I stumbled upon these shoes on a display at Anthem in Powerplant. When I looked closer, I noticed they're crocheted! Super cute, right?!

Apart from the loafers, they also have ballet flats and wedges (not in the picture).

They're from the brand, "The Sak." I got super curious with what other stuff they offer so I checked out their website.

Screen print taken from The Sak's Website. 

OMG. They have more crocheted shoes, cases, and bags! Really cool stuff, and super inspiring for crocheters like me. They also sell leather bags and knitted shoes.

Screen print taken from The Sak's Website.

Hooray for crochet!

Anthem (Powerplant, Rockwell)
2/F Archaeology Annex, The Powerplant Mall,
Rockwell Dr. Cor. Estrella St., Makati City
Open During Mall Hours 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM, Monday-Thursday / 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM, Friday /
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM, Saturday / 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM, Sunday
L: (02) 896-9534
http://www.facebook.com/ILoveAnthem

The Birth of The Crocheting GIFs

Let me start your week with my crocheting GIFs. It makes my crocheting look fast (if your internet is also fast)...or annoying :p

Complete List & Prices of Crochet Books in Fully Booked (High Street)

Just thought this could help those in search of brand new crochet books. In my earlier post, I featured some crochet books being sold in Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street. After practically going through its entire Crafts Section, I was able to take down all the crochet books in their shelves.

Here they are with prices as of October 11, 2012. Hit the jump for more books.

Crochet Books in Fully Booked (Bonifacio High Street)

I love the Crafts Section of Fully Booked in High Street. They have the biggest selection of craft books I have seen so far anywhere in Manila. They probably have the most crochet books in their display compared to other bookstores (and probably to other branches of Fully Booked).

The Crafts Section is located on the 2nd Floor of Fully Booked. They used to have a confusing display arrangement and I found it hard to locate the crochet books. When I went there last week though, guess where I found most of the crochet books...on the bottom part of the shelf.

Bottom? Tsk, disgrace :p I had to squat (with that skirt on). Well at least they're all together now. And seeing them all together made me feel, well, happy (yes, I'm shallow).

All these books are imported (obviously). These books are priced from P500 to P1,200. Yep, they're expensive. If you're going to buy just one, you'll have a hard time choosing. I guess it will help if you skim through all of them and see what book can answer your crochet needs. Keep in mind as well if the designs in a book are unique enough that you won't be able to see free patterns of them on the internet. Having an actual crochet book can be motivating and inspiring (compared to getting patterns on the internet).

Hit the jump for some of the titles found in Fully Booked High Street (as of October 5, 2012).

Ready to Assemble!

Just finished crocheting 540 pcs. of motifs for my African Flower Challenge. The painstaking process of sewing them all up begins.

This is my stack of motifs. There are 24 different sets of color combinations.

I can almost see how this will look like, all 4x6 ft of it all spread out.

Getting Ready For The Crochet Workshop

Getting ready for the Crochet Workshop at Craft MNL on October 27! Check out what participants get in their crochet kits.

Look at the yarns! Participants get 5 yarns each. And they get to choose the colors. Yum!

You even get two hooks (different sizes of course) and your own special pair of scissors.

Participants will also get free patterns that will help them have a good start at crochet. Simple but creative patterns that can be used for different kinds of projects.

If you're interested to sign up for this workshop. Just click this link.

Hope to see you there!

It Always Starts With Something Small

I wrote an entry before about taking on an African Flower Challenge. I needed to finish 540 pieces of hexagon motifs using only mercerized cotton to make an afghan/blanket with a size of 4x6 ft. Just an update, as of today, I've finished 513 already. The bigger task ahead is putting them all together. I will make my final reveal of the finished product this month (finally).

Let me tell you why crocheting sometimes doesn't make sense at the start. When you start with a round, you kind of doubt if it could look beautiful. You can't see the potential yet. The rounds look imperfect and you get very conscious of every stitch. Every seeming imperfection is highlighted.

Then you add another color. You get even more doubtful if the second color makes sense. It probably looks uglier. Somehow you can see the hexagon shape you're trying to achieve, but it's not enough to convince you you're getting somewhere.

Then you add another color and you can see something taking shape. You're driven to keep going.

Another splash of color convinces you that you are heading in the right direction. You're practically dying to finish it so you don't take any breaks. Even if your hands are beginning to hurt, you still want to continue and see it to the end. The seeming imperfections at the beginning don't count anymore.

You just breeze through the second to the last round. It looks better now with the added color. It would have been hideous if you just stopped at the previous one.

So you finally make it to the last round. You clean the loose ends and you're done. Great. Now you start thinking of the other pieces you still have to make and what you have to do after you crochet those pieces. Daunting, but achievable.

Crocheting is pretty much a journey from beginning to end. There's a finality to it, but it takes a lot of patience to get you from Point A to Point B. Patience more than skill actually. You learn the skill by having a lot of patience practicing. So don't be overwhelmed when you want to make something big. Take it one stitch at a time :)