Testing...testing...

Well, I've opened the test for my Ribbon Scarf.

I'm still not decided on a name, and I'm still trying to get the final photos, but neither of those are needed for the test phase. The pattern itself is completed, and that's the important part right now.
(If anyone is interested in helping, I'm running the test on Ravelry here.)(And if you're not, that's cool; I'll still announce when it's officially released.)

I took the boys to the park today. Part of this was an excuse to visit Starbucks, as it's right on the way and has a drive-thru, and I haven't had a pumpkin spice latte in a while. Part of this was a genuine need to get Clinton outside and running around. And part of it was an ill-fated attempt to get some decent photos of the scarves.
One of the nice things about living in Las Vegas is the very mild winters that make playground visits, in January, wearing sweaters instead of snowsuits, possible. It's also very, very sunny. That becomes a problem when you're attempting to take photographs of crocheted items that show off the stitches. I tried finding the areas of the park with filtered sunlight, but there weren't many. There was a park bench covered in bird poop (I wouldn't even sit there, I'm certainly not draping a handmade scarf over it), and the ground (again, I'm not going to use it as a display for my crocheted scarves). So the whole photography portion of our trip was a bust.

On the other hand, Clinton ran off a ton of energy and Grant had fun on the swings again, and I enjoyed coffee while it was still hot. So it was still a successful outing.

Names are hard.

Well, they can be. Sometimes it's a really important naming, like when I was pregnant, and Tim and I were trying to decide on names. Naming your child is pretty important. That baby is going to carry his or her name for a lifetime.
Sometimes, it's a fun, frivolous naming, such as a particular meal that someone likes and wants to ask for easily...like when Tim dubbed one of my casseroles, "Chicken Nummies".
Sometimes, it's naming a pet...Buddy found his name because he still a kitten when I got him, and the "Papi" that his previous humans called him just did not fit. But, I was too tired to come with anything clever, so he was just "the cat" to others for weeks, and I called him "little buddy" directly...and then I realize, he was Buddy.

And then there are the times that I'm sort-of naming a pet...but it's not a pet. It's a design. My DNA Scarf was pretty easy to name, since the cable design actually looks like a double-helix. My Harvest Splendor Cowl was easy to name, since it was fall colors, and using the Wheatsheaf stitch pattern.

But the newest one? I've been calling it simply, "Ribbon Scarf", since it looks like an awareness ribbon. That doesn't seem quite accurate, though. Neither does "basketweave scarf" or "toddler scarf".

Oh, I remembered why I chose pink yarn now.

Anyway, I still need to re-shoot the photos.

Another Sneak Peek

I've been working on this scarf pattern for a while. The hardest part, putting the directions into words, is done. Right now I'm working on a simple chart for it, and crocheting another sample.

Yes, in pink.
Why pink? I'm not entirely sure; while I know that something must have influenced the decision to order a single skein of pink yarn, I cannot recall what that was. (I did order it over a year ago.)
Anyway, once the second sample is done, and the chart is finished, I'll just need to take decent photographs, and then we'll be into the pattern-testing phase.
Ok, now that I've seen the "to-do" list typed up, it seems a little further away than I thought. That's ok, though. We'll get there in the end.

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What I'm working on...

I have a few projects I'm working on at the moment, a few of which are actual patterns that will actually be published this year. I just need to kick my butt into gear every now and then.

Hey, remember how I mentioned that one of my patterns will be included in a print book? Funny enough, Amazon keeps sending me "you might be interested in..." links for the book. Anyway, the book is Crochet One-Skein Wonders for Babies, and my contribution is a toddler hat. The hat has a matching cowl, which isn't included in the book, but I'll be self-publishing that one this spring.
I really wish I had a picture of it to show you, but I don't. The submissions were sent out just as we were leaving Japan, and for some reason I didn't think to snap a picture before sealing the mailer and dropping it in the box. (Yes, I absolutely did think about it within minutes of leaving the post office. Whoops.)

I have two scarf patterns I'm working on, too. One is mostly completed, and should hit testing soon. The other...I love, but...wow am I fighting to put directions into words. It's a challenge, to be certain.  (But a fun one. I get a thrill every time I finish writing for the day.)

Here's a sneak peak of the scarves:

Slugging along into the new year

I don't like making resolutions for the new year. I seldom meet them, and it's kind of depressing when I get to December and realize, " Yep, failed at that, failed at that, might have made that one if I hadn't done this instead..."
So instead I just think about what good stuff is going to happen this year.

2016 is a leap year! And it's the year of the Monkey - so was 1980, the year I was born. So this should be an auspicious year for me.

Of course, when the first hours of the new year are spent trying to console this guy
because his first tooth is trying to erupt, it can be hard to see the good stuff. (Two days later and it's barely broken through.)

But, still, there's a lot to look forward to. Such as, Clinton

starting preschool. (Ok, maybe that one comes with equal doses of excitement and apprehension.) And seeing one of my crochet designs in a book. (I'll have a separate post about that later.) And hopefully getting some more designs self-published.
Plus, it's an election year, which should be...interesting.

Anyway, I do look forward to a lot of good things happening in the months to come. Maybe I'll even manage to blog about them!

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