Hi guys.
I was completely overwhelmed by the number of replies and comments I received after my last newsletter. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. Your suggestions have given me a lot to think about and your kind words made me blush. This might sound a bit corny, but I really felt a sense of community - so many strong women giving me advice and encouragement, reminding me, in particular, that family always comes first.
I have decided to send the newsletters out monthly/sporadically (unless I'm doing a CAL or other weekly activity) and will continue to focus on crochet, with the occasional random meander.
When I sent out my last newsletter, I was working on a review for Sew and So. They had asked me if I would like to review one of the following books: Snuggle and Play, Little Happy Circus, or Beatles Bugs and Butterflies. I couldn't decide which one was cuter, so I asked if I could write about all three - not least because I wanted to get my hands on a sneaky peek copy of all three!
The books are all brilliantly presented and I thoroughly enjoyed going through them and making one item from each. You can read more about that HERE.
I've also got a new pattern to share with you at the end of November. I say 'new pattern', but it is really a new twist on an old stitch repeat. I am head over heels in love with how it has turned out and will be sharing my progress in four instalments.
Due to time constraints and my absolute inability to wait until I have time, I asked my friend Kay to work up the sample. Although I had a general idea of the pastel shades I wanted to use, Kay helped me choose the exact shades - she's much better at pastels than I am. The post was supposed to be short and sweet - yarn, colours, a few photos - but it very quickly became a cup-of-tea post. You can read my ramblings HERE (again, thank you for the amazing response!).
Spread Happiness With Crochet
For a while now, I have been thinking about sharing people's happy crochet stories, both in the newsletter and on the blog. I get such a rush of joy when I see how other people have used my patterns. Hearing their stories makes me feel like I am part of something much bigger than just creating patterns.
This idea first came to me when one of my subscribers, Jayne Hinton, told me the story of GrandmaThassis in Zakynthos who crochets brightly-coloured chickens for the family shop - which is called Hxara, meaning Happiness.
If you have seen my My Story Shawl, you will know that I actively encourage people to tell their stories through the patterns and colours they choose to use. (You can see some examples of the My Story Shawl HERE on Instagram.)
I would love to create a platform where people can share their own stories and comment on other people's stories. For now, we are going to call it #LAWIMstories - you know, those 'look at what I made' moments that make you feel like a child again, running up to your mother with a smile as wide as your face to show her what you've made!
I would love it if you would start sharing your stories on Instagram and Facebook using this hashtag. Hopefully, by the time the next newsletter comes along, I'll have gotten my act together and done a proper post about it (which will include Gradma Thassis' story).
Have a wonderful week!
Dedri
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