New Changes

I started this year with the intention of having every week filled with posts, and two months in that can't happen. It was a great set of intentions, but we all know that life gets in the way of that sometimes. If you do not know it, I graduated college a few months ago with the intention of focusing on my writing career. I have always written something, but it wasn't until December of 2014 that I became published. It is a huge source of pride for me. One that makes me so happy. And something that I want to cultivate.

As any crafter will know, sometimes we have to put our hobbies aside to proceed with life as we want. And that is what I am doing. That does not mean I won't be posting. In fact, in the coming months I will be posting unreleased patterns, updating the free pattern section, and more. What I can tell you is....every one of my patterns on Ravelry are now free!

It would have been nice to continue on trying to get them to sell, but I am not the type of person to chase people around begging for them to buy. So, instead I am going to go with my own personality and provide them for free. I want everyone to enjoy my patterns. I want them to be used and loved by many people instead of bought and coveted by the few.

Here's the link to my Ravelry shop! If you have viewed the pattern, here's your chance since they are FREE!!

What this means is that all my future patterns will also be free. There will be a post on the website, Ravelry upload, and a page dedicated to the pattern on this blog.

Another change is that I will no longer have Craftsy or Facebook. The only place you will be able to find my patterns is this blog and Ravelry. It is just two of many difficult decisions I had to make, but in the long run will be a positive for me as a crafter, as a writer, and for my fans.

Please don't think I will stop posting. I will continue to craft and essentially update my blog to showcase what I make. It just won't be scheduled and 4 days of the week! Even a super woman needs a crafting break!

Until next time,

Sarah

Throwback Thursday - Favorite Books and a Bookmark

As an adult and avid reader, I find myself drawn to the same authors over and over again. As a young child, you couldn't tear me away from books. I craved that knowledge. In third grade, my love of reading was cultivated by Mrs. Leihkauff. She opened my eyes through stories like The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrope and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. What I didn't know then is that these two books are classical novels usually taught at that grade level. But, that didn't stop me. We had the opportunity to have a classroom in the library with books surrounding us on all walls - literally. So once one book was done, we could turn around and grab one off the shelf. I found myself reading books way above my grade level just to read.

What it did was provide the backing to be a lifetime reader. That is something that most young people have lost among the many technological advances and cell phones.

How does this tie in with a book craft?

Well, I love reading and support reading through reading, advocacy, and making bookmarks. Just a few weeks ago, I showed multiple bookmarks made with scraps. What I am going to show on this Throwback Thursday is a crocheted bookmark. It is in the shape of a heart. I remember finding a heart pattern (free) and attaching a chain of 20-30 and a tassel. It's very simple to change any applique you have into a bookmark.

Do yourself a favor. Spend a little time with a book each day. You will be happier.

12 Weeks of Christmas - Week 10 Reveal

If you are like me, the week before Thanksgiving everything tends to get much busier. You find yourself running around attempting to accomplish last minute things like buying gifts, making cookies, packaging gifts, and cleaning. So when I decided to do this holiday countdown, I knew that the ornaments I wanted near the end of the countdown needed to be simple and quick. What that led me to was creating a few new patterns myself to offer. It wasn't a hard job as I love to create and design new things.

What inspired this pattern was the wreath we created in Week 8 and a few doll hair patterns I have seen. Who doesn't enjoy the thought of bouncy swirls? Okay...maybe there is a few of you. That's why it also doubles as an icicle in an abstract sort of way.

This last weekend has been a bit crazy. Holiday shopping. A Christmas party. Preparing for another Christmas party. In the midst of all that, I forced (without any reluctant behavior) to sit and prepare some of these for my own tree and for my mother. Here are the results:

Simple and to the point, this is a no thought, no focus pattern. What I love about it is that it falls down in a bit of a cascade. Here's some pictures.

This pattern will be used in 2015 for a doll pattern here at Dande Creations. Look for it soon.

We have only 2 weeks left. It's crazy to think that we are only a few weeks away from 2015. Get your hook ready for Week 11 and 12.

December Deals

As a gift to all my readers, I am offering 35% off on all my patterns in Ravelry. There is no coupon code. Anyone that purchase a pattern in the month of December receives the discount.

Click on the Ravelry button below to be taken to my shop!

Black Friday Pattern Sale

This weekend every pattern available at my ravelry store is Buy 1, Get 1. This is limited to one pattern PER transaction. If you want three patterns, you will only get one free.

Promotion will last from 11/28 to 12/2.

Visit my Ravelry shop here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/sarah-mchattons-ravelry-store/patterns