I Love Surprises

The past seven days have been a week of surprises...some for me, but mostly the kind that I'm creating with hook and hand. Lovely springtime weather was a wonderful and welcome surprise when I arrived last week (back in Germany) after a long visit with my family in Chicagoland.

Yesterday, it was warm enough for me to hop on my bicycle and take a two-hour ride along the Rhine River. Mother Nature delighted me with one visual treat after another as I enjoyed the wind in my hair, and the peace and quiet that awaits me in nature.

One of many rapeseed crops (used for canola oil) with their honey-scented yellow blossoms.

This path along the Rhine stretches on for miles through cities, villages and farm areas.

My favorite biking route takes me past several horse farms.

On the crochet side of life, I've enjoyed many surprises, as well. I was delighted by all of the surprises I found in the crafts and creations of my last "It's Finally Friday Link-a-Long". Be sure to take a look at what my blogging friends have been up to in the month of March. I'm so impressed by all the creativity going on, and love hosting my weekly party and joining others. I've made such wonderful new friends in Blog Land. :)

Hook and yarn has kept me busy during every possible free minute as I've been working on some crochet surprises for family members. I can't reveal the complete finished products (which are also new designs I've created for an upcoming crochet pattern eBook) because I don't want to spoil the surprises for any family members that read this blog post, but I'm excited to give you a glimpse.

The 100% cotton in the middle was fun to work with and the colors remind me of cotton candy.

A glimpse of a just-finished cotton yarn design I created.

There is one crochet surprise I can show you, which I'm calling my Happy Project right now because the colors make me smile (although most every crochet project makes me happy). Allow me to show you the progress I've made on my Cath Kidston-Inspired Giant Granny. As of now, it's stroller-sized and will eventually be big enough for a queen-size bed. It will take me a while to get there, but I'm completely enjoying the process of watching it grow.

What surprises delighted you this past weekend? And what are you creating, crocheting or crafting this week? I can't wait to hear about what you're up to!

I'm Currently Linking Up With:

Erika's Crafts Corner Link Yourself Monday

The Secret about Crafter's Secret Yarn (and My First Giveaway!)

A couple weeks before my visit back home in the Chicago area ended, I went on a yarn-shopping trip to Hobby Lobby to select some yarn for a Cath Kidston-inspired afghan I'm making. I was perusing the choices when, out of the corner of my eye, a few skeins of brightly colored yarn practically leapt off the shelf at me. As if the colors weren't enough to attract me, the label wrapped around each skein sealed the deal...I had to see just exactly what they were.

I know I'm not familiar with every brand of yarn, but I feel like I'm pretty well-versed with what the area craft stores carry. But this brand...I'd never seen it before. A bright-colored label, boasting pretty flowers, ferns, a ball of yarn and knitting needles told me the brand was called "Crafter's Secret". Whatever Crafter's Secret was, I needed to be let in on it, then and there.

I picked up a brilliant turquoise blue skein of Crafter's Secret yarn and took a closer look at the label. "Who makes this wonderfully packaged, colorful skein of yarn?" I wondered. A turn of the label was all I needed to find the answer: Hobby Lobby. It was one of Hobby Lobby's own brands.

Admittedly, I've not used a lot of Hobby Lobby brand yarns. I'm currently working on my second project with their "I Love This Cotton" and have to say it's the softest cotton yarn I've ever used, and I really, really like it. Knowing that a purchase of any of the Crafter's Secret yarns would be based purely on "want" and not "need", I selected these four skeins and added them to my already overflowing shopping basket.

Now do you see why I couldn't pass them up?! Being a writer and a researcher, I went directly home to my computer to see what else I could find out about Crafter's Secret. And here's what I found: nothing. Still, nothing would put a damper on the delight I felt at finding such beautiful yarn.

In this post about my early springtime projects, I shared the above picture. Soon after, I received several emails as well as questions through social media about Crafter's Secret -- what was it? Where did it come from? What colors did the yarn come in? Was it true that Hobby Lobby was going to do away with other brands and only sell there's? They were all good questions, and I wanted to know the answers just as much as everyone else did. So the writer/researcher in me went to work.

Yesterday, I connected with a very nice customer service specialist at Hobby Lobby whom we'll call A. I enlisted A's help so I could dig deeper and find out for myself and everyone else what the low-down was on Crafter's Secret. Here's what I learned:

Information on Crafter's Secret Yarn

•  Crafter's Secret is indeed a Hobby Lobby brand and will be sold only at Hobby Lobby stores. 
• Area buyers have sole discretion over the yarns each store carries. There's no way to shed light on which yarns will be carried and which ones won't due to the fact that stock varies per area.
• At this time, there are 34 colors in the Crafter's Secret line.
• At the time of purchase, in a Chicago area store, I paid $2.99 for each 7-ounce (199 grams) skein. 

Now for the fun part...the colors. You see, Crafter's Secret yarn appealed to me for another reason. The names are unique, fun and full of life. Orange isn't orange, blue isn't blue, and yellow isn't yellow. Of course, they are to the eye. But the label gives each color a name and personality all it's own.

And that's where the contest and giveaway come in!

While talking to Hobby Lobby Customer Service Specialist A., I requested a list of color names so I would be able to tell you how many color choices there are and what they are. I'm going to give you all the color names (except one that's abbreviated and is even a mystery to me...I couldn't crack the code!), which leads to the contest....

How to Play

1. Look over the color names, and guess the names of the four skeins of yarn pictured in this post. 
2. In the comment area, leave your guess in the order the skeins are pictured, from top to bottom. 
3. You may guess as often as you wish, with each guess being in a separate comment.
4. Guesses will be taken until the end of the day on Wednesday (April 2nd).
5. Whomever guesses them all correctly (or comes closest), wins!

The Prize

Now I'd love to say that the prize is four skeins of Crafter's Secret but, unfortunately, I'm overseas now and can't get to a Hobby Lobby to buy and ship it. Instead, I will give the winner a PDF copy of my first two crochet pattern eBooks, Crochet Crazy Baby Cocoon & Matching Hat Patternsand Four Infinity Scarf Patterns to Keep You Warm.If there are many, many contestants, I'll probably be inclined to give a copy of one to the runner-up, as well. But there's got to be more than at least 10 guessers for that.  The color list is below.

Crafter's Secret Colors:

SKU#          Color Name

704890        ALPINE SNOW
401778        KYOTO PEARL
411561        PEARL FLECK
548982        SAMOAN SAND
705277        MAGNOLIA WAY
109157        BRISBANE BROWN
516666        WARSAW
763102        HONEY RIDER
233643        SUMMER MAGIC
516781        PASSPORT
317404        I LOVE CAMO!
542415        JINX
705640        I'M JEALOUS
705590        PEPPER.COM
669077        BIG APPLE RED
705558        BLACK CHERRY
591768        CKFLKCHERRY (this is the mystery one I can't figure out, maybe you can!)
705517        PRINCESS
109207        PASSION
316992        ARE WE THERE YET?
549006        MIAMI BEAT!
705665        LIL BUTTERCUP
516807        GONE WISHIN'
669085        A GRAPE FIT!
764944        NOSEGAY
590505        UNFORGETTABLE
705293        BLUE MOON
705319        MIDNIGHT TEAL
404186        HYDRANGEA
317412        ROAD HOUSE BLUES
500926        RUSSIAN NAVY
109181        FABULOUS
542332        SPLASH
232553        CASTLE ROCK

So, now you know the secret of Crafter's Secret. If you've got a Hobby Lobby near you, I encourage you to give it a try. My four luscious skeins will be made into a summer afghan in bright, happy colors that remind me of flower, the beach, carefree summer days and the wind blowing in my hair. I look forward to hearing what you think of Crafter's Secret, and...

Let the contest begin!!

UPDATE: And the winner is....Quiltzyx (aka Sue) who guessed two of the four names correctly! Congratulations Sue!

From top to bottom, the yarn colors I have pictures are:

• Splash (turquoise blue)
• Passion (raspberry pink)
• Are We There Yet? (orange)
• Miami Beat! (yellow) 

Thank you to everyone who participated in my giveaway! I look forward to hosting the next one soon. 

The Big Reveal: My Lazy Daze Crochet Poncho

Those who crochet or craft regularly usually spend the bulk of their time creating items and gifts for other people. If you're like me, you delight in knowing that you're investing your time, craft and heart into something that others will find use in. Because I'm so far away from family much of the year, crocheting things for them makes me feel closer. But in the midst of finishing a soft, cozy lapghan for the couch in my Chicago-area home and the last of four infinity scarves made for my recently released pattern eBook, I also found time to make something special for myself!

It all started when I spied this single skein of yarn...missing its label and slightly unraveled...in a bin at Hobby Lobby. After a bit of detective work, I discovered that it's Red Heart Boutique Treasures in Watercolor. Isn't that a scrumptious sounding name?

Although I was already up to my eyeballs in crochet projects, I instantly knew what this yarn wanted to become and added the project to my list. From start to finish, it was an inspired piece of work I've called my Lazy Daze Poncho.

I designed the Lazy Daze Poncho with my Q hook in mind, which I inherited from my grandma, because the yarn has an airy look to it. The combination of extra-large crochet hook, the yarn and a chunky stitch makes the Lazy Daze Poncho ideal for keeping extra warm in the winter or as a lighter cover-up during spring and fall. Here it is as a work-in-progress....

And now for the Big Reveal! Are you ready?! Drum roll, please.....

Big Reveal: Lazy Daze Poncho by Go Crochet Crazy

After having to completely unravel my first attempt (I miscalculated my measurements and made it too long), I've perfected my pattern directions and was able to have this finished and ready to wear after four days. It kept me warm on the flight from Chicago to Rhineland, Germany and I've worn it on a few other occasions. Each time, I've received compliments on the colors and design.

The Lazy Daze Poncho pattern is part of another upcoming crochet pattern eBook that I'm currently working on. Additionally, I want to encourage you to check out Red Heart's Boutique Treasures line because the yarn is to die for and their color combinations are gorgeous. I think, like me, you'll be inspired to crochet something beautiful that you can wear and enjoy often. 

Today I'm Linking Up With:

Crochet Addict What You Doing Wednesday?
Small Things Fiber Arts Yarn Along Wednesday
Oombawka Design Link and Share Wednesday
Krafty Inspiration Thursday Link Party 
Four Seasons Blog Hop 
Hello Little Home Birthday Link Party
Natasha in Oz Say G'Day Saturday

How Many Skeins of Yarn Fit in a Crochet Crazy Suitcase?

Oh my. Time to pack and head eastward toward the land of sauerkraut, Oktoberfest and medieval castles. On the other side of the Atlantic awaits my boyfriend M, who's been enjoying a very spring-like winter with extra motorbike rides while I've been freezing my tootsies off in Chicagoland. As hard as it is to leave my family, all good things must come to an end (including the Spring Fling Link-a-Long which closes tonight). I know I will return as soon as possible.

Packing is a problem when traveling between continents. My time in Germany has taught me to appreciate the little things even more and has opened my eyes to some of the things we all take for granted in life...like red and green-colored sugar for Christmas cookies, flavored coffee creamer and canned pumpkin (all things I must admit to having minor meltdowns about at one time or another). I've removed clothing from my suitcase to make room for baking supplies or other things I knew I wouldn't be able to find in Germany. Could I just use a second suitcase? Sure, but at $70-125 a pop, I choose to go the creative route and get it all into one suitcase under the 50 pound limit.

This time the packing conundrum is not over baking supplies or Christmas presents, but yarn. There have been times when I've sacrificed the yarn for other things (can you believe it?!), but I wouldn't DARE do that now. Yarn and crochet have become too integral to my daily life, my joy and sometimes my sanity to leave my new yarn purchases behind.

The brands I love in the US are not available in Germany unless I order them online at a much higher price plus expensive international shipping. Although I have found yarn there that I like, when you live in another country it's just nice sometimes...and very comforting...to have things from home.

Over the course of my visit here, I've purchased these scrumptious yarns for some fun crochet projects which I talked about here...

And now for the moment of truth. Here they are packed in my suitcase...

Leaving me just a little bit of space for my clothing, five pairs of shoes and my toiletry bag. Oh my. I'm intent on not leaving my yarn behind.

So, how many skeins of yarn fit into a Go Crochet Crazy person's suitcase? The answer is: 25. Now you see what happens when you Go Crochet Crazy!

As you read this blog post, I am either at the airport or somewhere between the Midwest and Germany. I don't say goodbye because that's too difficult; just "see you soon".

So, see you soon robins, redwing blackbirds, cardinals and downy woodpeckers who come to my bird feeders. See you soon furry friends, Alice, Ernie, Sophie and Patches. See you soon baseball field and nearby farms, and funnily enough, Walmart, where I can buy all the things I miss when I'm overseas. Most of all, see you soon family members friends. I will start missing you the minute I leave.

But my travels have taught me that after every "see you later", there's always a "hello". Soon I will say "hello" to the horses on the nearby farms and the myriad birds that flock to the fields for tasty morsels. I'll say hello to our small Mayberry-like town with the slower-paced lifestyle that reminds me of life here in the 1970s. I'll walk down the poplar tree-lined path that leads me past fields of flowers and whatever vegetables the farmers are growing this year, and say hello to the beauty of nature I feel fortunate to be surrounded by. And, most of all, I'll say hello to boyfriend M, who's been patiently waiting for me these last several weeks.

And, finally, to you...it's "see you in a bit!"...from a different time zone, but still the same me...going crochet crazy as ever.

It's Finally Friday Link-a-Long at Go Crochet Crazy

Yippee, it's Friday, and we're just days away from springtime! Although I'm a summer girl through and through, I find springtime to be one of the most inspirational seasons of the year. Doesn't the onset of spring make you want to do a little redecorating, start a new project or do something that says "New Beginnings"?

Speaking of new beginnings, my newly published crochet pattern eBook, Four Infinity Scarf Patterns to Keep You Warm, is now available (more on that in an upcoming blog post).

One of my greatest sources of crafty inspiration is seeing what you're crocheting and creating. Join in the fun and show us what you're up to in this week's Go Crochet Crazy Friday Link-a-Long. Yay, for Fridays!

Go Crochet Crazy Friday Link-a-Long Rules

1. Add links for up to three of your blog posts (not just your home page) using the ADD YOUR LINK button below.
2. Leave a comment on the two blogs before you, letting them know you found them through the Go Crochet Crazy blog. If you're one of the first two to the party, you can comment on the last one or two from this Link-a-Long from last week (this way everyone gets comments). Please feel free to comment on more, if you like.
3. Share this post through Google+, Pinterest, Twitter or Facebook...that's more exposure for everyone joining the link-a-long.
4. Optional: Let your readers know you've joined the Go Crochet Crazy Friday Link-a-Long by linking to this post in text on your blog.

An InLinkz Link-up

A Weekend in Pictures

Many happenings have made this a wonderful weekend. On the blogging front, I started my first Link-a-Long with a link widget on Friday (you can still add a thumbnail picture and blog link here and I hope you will!). The temperatures have risen ever so slightly as spring draws nearer. I had a fun overnight with the oldest of the littles (my children's children) who is nine and as fun and honest as a nine year old can be! And progressed on a few crochet projects and made some exciting purchases.

Here's my springy, child-centered, and yarnily awesome weekend (thus far) in pictures.

It warmed up enough for a walk...the first outdoor walk in a month!

Oh joy, oh joy! The first robin of spring!

Teaching nine-year-old M to play Crazy Eights

Breakfast with my little friend

We laughed and enjoyed Mr. Peabody and Sherman

To go with an upcoming room redecoration I'm planning on with Cath Kidston colors.

Bought the burgandy to go with the beige for a quick chunky lapghan.

Yarn for an upcoming Giant Granny Afghan in Cath Kidston colors.

Start of chunky stitch lapghan in beige, taupe and burgandy.

Continued work on my upcoming poncho pattern!

As you can see, it's been a wonderful weekend with much-needed signs of spring, some solo time with the oldest of the littles and a few hours tangled in yarny goodness. Come join my link-a-long so we can see what you're up to. What happenings have been filling your weekend?

Free Pattern Friday & Link-a-Long!

When my crochet hobby morphed into a crochet business, I never knew that I'd encounter so many wonderful people in the process of promoting my work. Crocheters are a special group...the people I've encountered have been supportive, encouraging and they appreciate the fact that crochet adds so much more to their lives than just a few handmade items.

Before arriving to this point in my life's journey, I've worked as a teacher, and I've been a writer and businesswoman for nearly two decades. As a small business coach, I've always enjoyed seeing others succeed. It's in that spirit that today marks the first Go Crochet Crazy Free Pattern Friday!!!!

In yesterday's blog post, I invited people who blog about crochet and offer occasional free patterns to contact me so I could promote their blog and a free pattern of theirs. Not a lot of responses poured in, but for the first Free Pattern Friday, it's okay. Directly below you'll find a mixture of some of my free patterns, free crochet patterns that I'm promoting in response to yesterday's post and a few favorites from some of my most beloved blogs (I get a lot of inspiration from reading others' crochet blogs). Pictures used for this promotion are original from the crocheters and all credit for the patterns go to the people listed with each of the patterns.

**If you visit any of these blogs/patterns, please leave the crocheters a comment (we all love to receive comments) and let them know you heard about their pattern from Mary at the Go Crochet Crazy blog.**

After sifting through the free patterns available (links to the patterns are in the titles), continuing scrolling to participate in today's Link-a-Long, where we spread a little crochet love by visiting one anothers blogs!

Free Pattern Friday: March Promoted Patterns

Cotton Spa Cloths by Go Crochet Crazy

Easy skill level and quick to make, these spa cloths are a wonderful gift or fantastic, functional treat for yourself.

Cream and Pastel Chunky Infinity Scarf by Go Crochet Crazy

Wrap yourself in beauty and warmth, with the easy-to-crochet infinity scarf that works up quick with a chunky stitch.

Baby Play Block by Joanita Theron

Such a fun and educational item to crochet for babies! The skill level is easy, and the play block has pockets and embellishments to keep baby busy. 

Snow Cape with Hood by Linda Dawn 

Linda has a lot of beautiful patterns on her blog (they're all free to download on Ravelry). This snow cape, for sizes 0-3 months, is so elegant it even makes wintertime special. 

Granny Square Crochet Diamond Pattern by Crochet Geek

If you're in the mood for something a little bit different and pretty for your next crochet afghan, Crochet Geek's Diamond Pattern YouTube tutorial will get you on your way. She also offers many patterns for left-handed crocheters.

Happy Flower Block by Annie's Place

Just looking at this afghan square makes me happy...the colors say spring, summer and happiness all at one time.

Raindrops Stitch Cushion by Attic24

This newest of free patterns from Lucy at Attic24 is a beautiful color explosion. She uses it for a cushion/couch pillow, but you could easily use the stitch for an afghan, as well.

So there you have it, Free Pattern Friday on the Go Crochet Crazy Blog! I hope you'll stop by and tell me what you think, and visit some of the other crocheters, too!

Onto this week's Go Crochet Crazy Link-a-Long!

An InLinkz Link-up

I AM so excited! I can't wait to visit all your blogs, see what you're up to and spread a little crafty love! One things I've found as I've become more involved in the crochet community is that we're really a great group of people. I invite you to join in today's Link-a-Long to give and receive some of that wonderful kindness, camaraderie and a little love from fellow crafters. 

Happy Yarny Crochet Crazy Friday!!

Let's Get Ready for Free Pattern Friday!

Even though I'm a freelancer whose "weekends" seldom take place on the weekend, there's still something about the impending arrival of Friday that excites me. Each Friday on this blog I try to do something a little extra special to spread a little crochet love and help promote other crafty crochet bloggers. A couple weeks ago, I hosted a Link-a-Long (which I'll be including in tomorrow's promotion to increase exposure for participants even more. Last week, we celebrated Off-the-Hook Friday to showcase our recently finished crochet projects.

Tomorrow, in celebration of Friday and our love for all things crochet, I'm hosting the first (of many) Go Crochet Crazy Free Pattern Friday! My greatest wish is that you'll be a part of it.

It's hardly a question of whether or not we're going to crochet, now is it? It's just a matter of getting our hands on the next pattern we want to work. That's where you come in! On Free Pattern Fridays, I want to promote a free pattern you have available on your blog. Come one, come all...here's what you have to do:

Free Pattern Friday Guidelines

1. Email me at MaryYlisela@yahoo.com or through the Contact Link on my blog. Include a link to your blog with the free pattern you want to promote.
2. If there's not an About You blurb on your blog, just give me a couple sentences about you and your blog.
3. Comment on my Free Pattern Friday blog post tomorrow.
4. Promote Free Pattern Friday blog post (this increases exposure for you and the other participants) through your most active social media venue (Google+, Facebook, Pinterest, etc). 

I love love love the opportunity to promote fellow crocheters and crafty friends! Nothing would please me more today than to have you light up my email inbox with links to your free patterns. Lets spread the crochet love and get more visitors to everyone's blogs. Happy Almost Friday!

Wintery Weather & Exciting Crochet Projects

Snow was falling lightly when I woke up this morning. I could feel the crispness in the air as I opened my eyes, so Sophie (one of my cats) and I snuggled down under the heap of covers for a little bit longer. She's always happy to oblige when it comes to snuggles. :) Judging by the amount of snow on the ground and the bunny footprints going through it, the snow must have started an hour or two before waking time.

Neither the rabbits or birds seem to be too concerned about the snow.

Meanwhile, I continue to play a game of Tag-You're-It with this nasty head cold. One day I'm nearly better, and the next day it's gotten the best of me again. Having managed to avoid every illness in the past three years, I believe this cold has decided it's time I get caught up!

But you can't keep a good woman (or avid crocheter) down, can you? I'm armed this morning with a large cup of dark Italian roast coffee to remind me of warm summer days in Verona or along Lake Garda. Even my coffee cup is willing me on toward health.

And I have two crochet projects I'm very excited to share with you! One is nearly finished...it's the last of four infinity scarves (here's the first) I've created for an upcoming pattern book. Here it is in it's work-in-progress state.

Another project has been on my Crochet To-Do list, which I talked about here, and I'm excited to allow myself to start on it today!!! I'd forced myself to exercise self-control until I was coming down the home stretch of the final infinity scarf. Now that I'm there, I can begin working with this scrumptious yarny treat to make myself an asymmetrical poncho.

As I sit here on this wintery March morning, with my hot cup of coffee and cozy blanket, I can almost imagine my poncho -- in lovely hues of purple, blue, green and pale yellow -- keeping me warm like a favorite blanket. I envision myself wearing it inside to keep warm on a chilly day and outdoors to keep the slight chill of springtime or autumn away. I'm looking forward to showing you the finished project and sharing the pattern with you! In the meantime, it's another good day for "cozies", just as it was this past weekend. Happy Wintery Wednesday, friends!