Gift Nature's Gifts!

Thanksgiving has passed and winter holiday decorations are popping up everywhere! Something I'm really happy about is that I am completely done with my holiday shopping. It's true! I got a jump on it this year and now I get to wrap all of the presents. I think wrapping presents is super fun!

However, I realize that I am likely an anomaly in having my shopping done. Most folks are just getting started. If you're looking for a gift for a crocheter, consider my book: Nature's Gifts for Baby. It can be purchased on Amazon and the Leisure Arts website (where it's on sale this weekend!), as well as in craft stores around the United States. Your giftee will be able to get a head start on all of the baby shower gifts that will be needed next summer as a result of this year's cozy winter moments *wink*.

 Still not convinced? Check out these reviews:

From Mikey of The Crochet Crowd: "Sara has gone that extra step to make the blankets look and feel special."

From Tamara Kelly of Moogly: "Aren’t they gorgeous!?"

From Kathryn Vercillo of Crochet Concupiscence: "I love the way that nature has inspired the pieces in ways that are both obvious and subtle."

From Susan Carlson of Felted Button:  "As you know--I looove making blankets, so this is right down my alley!"

From Susan Lowman of The Crochet Architect: "If you’re looking for some new crochet patterns to make for a favorite baby in your life, I hope you’ll consider this book with lots of creative designs!"

PS: Re-reading all of the kind words of the reviewers definitely has me misty-eyed. The crochet community is so kind and supportive!

Crochet Shrimp Amigurumi

Alexis, my former co-worker turned friend, has the most adorable child. (She's also an excellent hat model.) He is currently three years old and melt-your-heart cute. I always enjoy the stories Alexis shares about him, especially the funny things that he says.

One day, Alexis was working one-on-one with an elementary student who attends the school that I manage. She planned a mosaic art project for the day, a snowman made of ripped pieces of construction paper. Upon returning home, she shared her example project with her son. The following is my best second-hand account of their conversation:

Alexis: "Look what I made at work today. What is it?"

Adorable child: "It IS... a shrimp!"

Alexis: "... a what?"

Adorable child: "It IS a shrimp!" *points to nose of snowman*

Alexis: "No... see? It's a snowman."

But alas, the little one was insistent that the snowman's nose was a shrimp. He didn't stop there, either. Over the next several weeks, he declared several other things to be shrimp, including a slice of lemon in a glass of water. I decided that I needed to make the little dude a crochet shrimp, so that when he emphatically declared "it IS a shrimp" he would be right. When Alexis mentioned that I was making a shrimp for him, he commented "Oh! It will be tasty."

I'm not sure how tasty it is, but here is the shrimp. I made it with leftover yarn from my Sushi Baby Set, which worked out quite well. I recorded pattern notes for the shrimp, but don't have an official pattern for it yet. I may develop one later if there is interest.

Alexis has mentioned that her son is quite pleased with his acquisition.

Giveaway: My First Book, Nature's Gifts for Baby

I am still glowing over the recent publication of my first book, Nature's Gifts for Baby. From the conception of the idea to holding the finished book in my hand, the whole process took about two years. It is fabulously rewarding to see it in print.

Today, I'd like to celebrate with you by offering up a signed copy of the book for giveaway. Hook up these seven adorable projects yourself with your very own book! I'll even write whatever you want in it :p

See below for details on entering the giveaway.

To enter the giveaway, simply complete these two steps:

1 - Share this blog post (or a picture of my book cover) on any of the following social media platforms: Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

2 - Send an email to illuminatecrochet@gmail.com with the subject line "Book Giveaway" proving that you shared it. A link to your post or a screenshot of it would both work.

And guess what? This time, multiple shares count! You can send a separate entry email for each social media platform for more chances to win. This giveaway is open in all countries.

The deadline for entries is Monday, August 22nd 2016 at 11:59pm. The winner will be announced on Tuesday the 23rd. Now, get out there and share to win!

Sushi Baby Set Crochet Pattern

Those who follow me know that I like to imagine bold designs for babies. Babies are only small for a short time. Why not celebrate them (and deck them out in freakishly adorable crochet projects)? Today, I released my new and unusual pattern, the Sushi Baby Set. It is available on Ravelry and Craftsy. Yummy!

Proud Pineapple Baby Hat

I love reorganizing my stash. Looking at my yarn provides me with happiness and new inspiration. The other day I was optimizing my storage space when I came across some leftover Vanna's Choice in these colors...

The yarn not so subtly told me that it wanted to become a pineapple. I had no choice but to immediately write up a new pattern, the Proud Pineapple Baby Hat. Check it out!

The pattern is written in two sizes, 0 to 6 months and 6 to 12 months, and is available on Ravelry and Craftsy.

Hyperbolic Baby Toy Set

You may have seen some hyperbolic crochet here before. I thought it was about time that I jumped right into the action myself! Here is my new pattern, a Hyperbolic Baby Toy Set. Each toy is great for digging your fingers into. In fact, I gave the samples plus some other hyperbolic toys to my friend Brenda so that her fidgety high school students could play with them. She has reported back that they love them :) So maybe they aren't just for babies? You can find the pattern on both Ravelry and Craftsy.

Welcome Baby Hunter!

My good friend Angela recently gave birth to a sweet baby boy named Hunter. Congratulations to Angela and her husband on their new addition!

Although I had to miss out on her baby shower due to illness (what a bummer!), I did make Hunter a nice baby blanket. It's sweet and simple and based on my Colors! Baby Set. I just love the texture of bobbles for baby blankets.

What are some of your favorite stitches for baby blankets?

Pink Lemonade Baby Blanket

Us crocheters sometimes have to start projects in the off-season to get them done on time, especially large projects. Yesterday I released an exciting new pattern with that in mind. Relive memories of warm days, fun with friends and family, and cool treats as you make the Pink Lemonade Baby Blanket, my newest pattern that's available on Ravelry and Craftsy. It's perfect for any spring or summer babies you might have coming along.

That picture is pretty darn sweet, isn't it? It was actually taken by Doris Chan! Since I submitted my blanket to the CGOA Design Contest it got to have its picture taken. How special! Doris is very graciously allowing me to use the photo in whatever way I'd like.

So cute and girly! Want to make it for a boy? Simply change out the yellows for two greens and the pinks for white and light yellow and tada -- limeade! Though I love the whole blanket in all of its cuddly goodness, I have to admit that the lemon slices are my favorite part. What do you think? I can't wait to see other folks' finished objects.

Nautical Baby Blanket

When I was in college I was in a sorority, Delta Gamma to be specific. Delta Gamma's symbol is the anchor, so many of my sisters got into anchors and other nautically-themed items. One of my lovely testers, Burgundy, asked me for some ideas regarding a nautical blanket pattern. As you can imagine I was totally ready to jump on board (ba dum ch). I present to you the Nautical Baby Blanket, complete with anchor!

I am really proud of this pattern for several reasons. I love the way the color waves and the texture waves interact with each other. I love that the anchor applique is a bit larger than what's currently available and is worked in one piece. Finally, I love the special technique that's used to give the border a corded look.

The Nautical Baby Blanket pattern is available on Ravelry and Craftsy. Work one up for your little sailor!

Remix Friday: Ghadah Blanket

Crocheters, really fiber lovers in general, are some thoughtful and generous folks. I have seen so many crafters go out of their way to bring something special and personal to a handmade gift. When Mana made a blanket for a special baby she didn't stop at the pattern... she took it to a new level of awesome with this creative Remix.

The Crocheter
My name is Mana (Manahil, actually), and I’m 23 year-old, from Saudi Arabia. After graduating high school back in 2007, my aunt gifted me some crochet hooks and yarn, and I didn’t know the slightest thing there is to know about crochet back then. I asked her to teach me and she showed me the basics. Then, I pretty much did the rest on my own!

The Original Pattern
Personalized Baby Afghan by Kim Guzman 

The Story

I loved the pattern from the first time I had seen it on Ravelry, and I always thought it was too special to make it for just about any baby!

In August 2011, one of my closest friends, Ghadah, passed away in a terrible car accident. It was truly a tragedy! Then two years later, her sister who’s also a friend of mine, gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl I know, and they decided to call her Ghadah after her aunt. It was the best news I heard, and right away, I knew that blanket was going to be made for her!

The Remix
I wasn’t too crazy about the heart border, so I decided to change it, but I wasn’t too sure of what else to make! I thought of afghan squares, and I had few designs in mind, but nothing really clicked, until I stumbled upon a picture of the Fantasy Blanket on Instagram, and I thought “yes, I want something like that!” also, the Mixed Stitch Stripey Blanket was another pattern I took inspiration from.

Crochet is... I can’t think of three words, I can only think of one... ART! Crochet is art, to me. ❤

What a kind and heartfelt gesture. The blanket is beautiful! Well done, Mana. You can connect with Mana as “manakhq” on Ravelry, Instagram and Pinterest. Happy Friday!

The Secret Garden Baby Blanket

Pattern releases are an exercise in delayed gratification. After I come up with an idea it can take between one and three months for the pattern to be written, error checked, and tested. Only then can I release it with confidence. I've been waiting for this pattern to be ready, and today it is! I am pleased to show you The Secret Garden Baby Blanket, based on the beloved children's book by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

The pattern is now available on Ravelry and Craftsy, and the sample blanket is listed on Etsy. As for me, I'm finishing another pattern today to start the process all over again!

Sleepy Panda Baby Set

Pandas are rare and special. It's hard not to love those sweet, cuddly, beautiful animals. You know what else is special? Infancy. It's such a short time and yet so meaningful. Babies are like little sponges, absorbing information about the world around them and learning new things about their own bodies every day. Did you know that babies flail their arms and legs because their brain is working hard to cement only the strongest motor connections? All of the flailing movements slowly become more deliberate as the weak connections are dropped and the strong connections are reinforced. Amazing!

Here's a baby set sure to delight panda lovers everywhere, the Sleepy Panda Baby Set. I was originally going to put a panda applique on the blanket, but my amazing genius of a husband stopped me and said "No, the baby should be the panda." Indeed!

The Sleepy Panda Baby Set pattern can be found on Ravelry and Craftsy.

Crochet Sample Sale

Hello, friends! It's the time of year when I sell all of the finished objects that haven't already been sold or given as gifts during 2013. All of the items you see here were handmade by me. Some of these items were made as samples for the writing of my own original patterns and some were made because I wanted to try out the patterns of others. A few items were free-handed, meaning I invented the designs myself but did not write patterns for them. I know many of you have probably started your holiday shopping and I want to give you this opportunity to buy handmade. All proceeds will go towards more materials so that I may continue to grow in my blossoming and successful crochet design career.

Below you will find a list of item descriptions and prices. If you are interested in a piece and would like more information, please contact me with the name and/or item number via text, phone, or illuminatecrochet@gmail.com. Items are one-of-a-kind. When they're gone, they're gone!

1. Sweet As Honey Baby Set, $65. Pattern by Me
2. Paris Baby Set, $65. Pattern by Me
3. Amber Bee Bag, $20. Pattern by Me
4. Blair Headband Collection, $10. Pattern by Me
5. Natural Baby Hat, $10. Free-handed
6. Denim Baby Hat, $10. Free-handed
7. Textured Baby Hat, $10. Free-handed
8. Women's Divine Hat, $18. Pattern by Sarah Arnold
9. Women's Motif Beanie, $15. Free-handed
10. Women's Half-Crossed Hat, $18. Pattern by Me
11. Lullaby Baby Set, $65. Pattern by Me
12. Wheel of Dreams Baby Blanket, $45. Pattern by Me
13. Nicki Tote Bag, $25. Pattern by Me
14. Large Octopus, $12. Pattern by Paula Gail
15. Small Octopus, $8. Pattern by Paula Gail
16. Small Octopus, $8. Pattern by Paula Gail
17. Heart Garland, $12. Pattern by Sarah Anderson
18. Strawberries and Cream Baby Set, $50. Pattern by Me

For domestic shipping, please add $5. International shipping will be assessed on a case by case basis. I sometimes do custom orders if the idea interests me. If you'd like to chat with me about a custom order, please email me at the address shown above. Be aware that it may take a few weeks for me to fill the order and a customization fee may apply.

Here's a BIG THANK YOU to all of my blog readers, pattern and object buyers, social media followers, friends, and family who have supported me this year. Illuminate Crochet couldn't shine without you!

<3 Sara

Friday Focus: Maja Masar

When the weather outside is frightful...isn't crochet delightful? For sure! I love spending the gusty grey days with my hook and yarn. It's also nice to take a gander at all of the pretties other people are putting together. As I was making my internet-addicted crochet search rounds, I came across the sweet little baby booties of Maja Masar. I have to admit that I'm usually not the biggest fan of baby booties for whatever reason, but when I saw Maja's designs I became a convert. She also has several other sweet patterns. Here she is to chat with us as today's featured designer.

My name is Maja and I come from Zadar, small town in the center of the Croatian coast. I'm the mother of two beautiful children and they are the inspiration for all of my patterns. My son is true little helper. He is only 8 months old and always wants to grab my yarn. :) Here is me with my daughter on a weekend trip. She is reading the map and the rest of us follow.

Who taught you to crochet? How long have you been doing it?

My mother taught me how to crochet basic crochet stitches about 20 year ago, and as she was crocheting only doilies I thought that was all I could crochet. That was not too interesting to me so my hook lay down for 20 years. Then my niece asked me to crochet a cellphone purse for her birthday. I said "ok" and wrote in Google search "crochet". Wow... what I found was amazing and I started crocheting all over again. That was in 2010. Since then I have crocheted baby afghans, baby booties, scarves, hats, bags... about anything you can think of. I sold some baby booties on Facebook and they soon became a huge hit! I have more than 14,000 fans on my page. Now I know that my real passion is designing booties and baby toys.

Why do you crochet?

I started selling my patterns two months ago on Etsy, Ravelry, and Craftsy, and I also have shops on Zibbet and Luulla. That is really my dream job and I hope it will soon become my only job.

 

Crochet Favorites

My favorite crocheting yarn is 100% cotton because of the beautiful and clear color. When I crochet with wool it always seem blurry to me but that doesn't stop me from using wool as well. :) 

What are you working on right now?

Currently I'm working on my patterns. I want to make many of them as I already have many booties that need to be written down. My imagination never stops working and new ideas come to me daily but I just don't have time to write everything so quickly. So I go one at a time and soon there will be many of them. 

A few finished objects...

This is designed as a baby carriage toy, "4 Elements". The idea came to me when my daughter and husband watched Avatar, so I said to myself "Why not?". :) The patterns still waits to be written. 

  

This one was designed when one lady told me "If you crochet flip-flops, I'll buy them." So I did, and she did buy them. :)

This is the first model of baby booties that I crocheted and when they were finished my thoughts were "Ok, now we're talking business", and my adventure with Facebook started. Since then I've improved them but idea is still the same.

So cute and creative! My personal favorite pattern of Maja's is her ladybug baby booties pattern. Her work can be found under the brand Maki Crochet on Etsy, Ravelry, Craftsy, Zibbet, Luulla, and Facebook. Thank you so much for showing us your adorable creations, Maja!

Lullaby Baby Set

Hello there, yarnies. I'm sorry to report that there won't be a Friday Focus today. I took a little too long to get the ball rolling on a couple of designers I was interested in, so there wasn't adequate time given to expect a response from them by Thursday night. Not to worry! Friday Focus will be back next week and I've got several amazing designers lined up.

The day is not a total loss. In fact, a little greedy part of me is actually a bit happy that I get to post my own work today...perhaps I subconsciously neglected the Friday Focus? In any case, what I have to share with you today is a brand new pattern! I'm really proud and excited to share it with you. May I present the Lullaby Baby Set.

Although the pattern uses basic stitches and could be accomplished by a beginner, the appliques were an intense amount of work to both design and attach. When I was finished I truly felt triumphant. Those who make this set are sure to take pride in their work.

The blanket shows a musically accurate version of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star in the key of G. When I first began designing crochet patterns I knew I wanted to make a baby blanket based on sheet music. It took me a little while to decide which song to go with. Another strong contender was Ode to Joy (for your little bundle of joy!), but I ultimately went with Mozart over Beethoven and selected this children's classic. Did you know that Mozart formally arranged Twinkle, Twinkle at one point? I didn't before I wrote this set! I stumbled across that little tidbit while I was deciding which key and meter to put it in.

 

A few of my appliques ended up a little tipsy, but I think it gives my blanket character. The pattern is available on Ravelry. Special thanks go out to my incredible pattern tester who whipped up her sample in less than a week! She is super duper speedy, I really don't know how she does it. Keep a look out for her upcoming project page on Ravelry. She said that the colors she chose reminded her of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Cute!

Stayed tuned to Illuminate Crochet, folks. Next week we will resume our usual broadcast schedule!