In April I made a purple bunny and tried to sell it over Easter,  but instead of selling it I received an order for a pink bunny for a baby shower gift. I finally started working on it a couple of weeks ago, in between everything else I was making. Today I finished it. I’m awful with trying to embroider faces, or any sort of embroidery to be honest. I had to cut the nose off once and try again. I can’t say that I’m completely happy with it, but it’s the best I can do. I sent a photo of the finished bunny to the customer who ordered it, and she likes it enough to buy it, lol. Perhaps I’m too hard on myself. What do you think of my bunny? 

The pattern is the One Skein Bunny by Deb Richey.  I love this pattern and I’ve made this bunny many many many times over the past 6 or so years, in many different colors using many different brands of yarn. The pattern calls for Caron One Pound, but this one is made of Caron Simply Soft.  So is the purple one (in the photo below).  It uses about 1 1/2 skeins of the Simply Soft yarn. 

I tried to make the pink bunny identical to the purple one…I think I did a pretty good job of it, it’s just the embroidery that’s a bit different.

Now that this order is out of the way, I can spend more time on the gazillion other projects I’ve got on the go! Lol 

Amanda 🌹

I have a nasty habit of beginning things and not continuing through with them. Whether it be a crochet project, a change in my lifestyle, or just a basic idea in general. However, that’s not the case with Crochet On The Brain.

I began this blog almost 2 years ago, July 13th, 2015 to be exact. Under “normal” circumstances I probably would’ve grown tired with the idea and just deleted it and completely vanished by now. I may not have been around here regularly over the past couple of years, due to challenges thrown at me in my personal life, but I HAVE stuck with it, even though sometimes sporadically.

I began crocheting probably about 10 or 15 years ago (I can’t remember, to be honest). Since the beginning I decided that I wanted to become a pattern designer, and even before then I had a desire to own my own website. I played around with a few sites and blogs “way back then”, but they all just fell by the wayside…I can’t even remember what they were called or if I ever deleted them (they might be floating around in cyberland still).

Sometimes I am amazed that Crochet On The Brain is still alive. It’s not just alive, but thriving! Checking the stats, it’s received almost 9,000 hits. And the Crochet On The Brain Facebook page is nearing 500 likes! I have all of my patterns listed on Ravelry, directing readers to this blog, which is where most of the blog’s views come from. But also, I see that some of my patterns are mentioned on other websites/blogs, with links directing viewers back to here. And the reviews I’ve read are just wonderful! In addition to this, many of my patterns have been pinned on Pinterest! I have to tell you, the positive feedback does wonders for my ego, and when I see that other’s are truly interested in what I’ve been doing, it really keeps me going!

So to celebrate the success of Crochet On The Brain, I’ve just upgraded the blog and paid for it’s domain name.  Now, it’s MINE ALL MINE! (at least for the next year, lol).

I have many ideas in the making. I have pattern ideas that I want to bring into fruition. I need to “revamp” the website a bit. It’s going to take a bit of time, especially considering I have a 2 1/2 year old who thinks she can help me with all of this, lol.

Before I “sign off”, I want to thank everyone who has made this blog the success that it is! THANK YOU! Without readers like YOU, Crochet On The Brain wouldn’t exist.

CHEERS!

Amanda

I came across this image while scrolling through my newsfeed on Facebook the other day, and I feel that it very accurately describes my life at the moment. Actually, for about the past year.

So no, I did not fall off the earth’s surface. But rather a series of unfortunate events, which were really a blessing in disguise. First starting with my husband becoming disabled, and then our family becoming homeless.  Although we have been motel living for over 6 months now, things seem to be back on track for us…upward and onward! Or is it onward and upward?

When time and my energy level allows, I try to stay creative. In December I was able to sell some crocheted Christmas goody bags and stockings. Because of those sales I was able to acquire a few new regular customers, some of which I’ve become good friends with.

I’ve made a few things outside of orders since the December sales, but haven’t had very much luck in selling those items. I made a Valentines Day teddy bear, which interested a lot of people. One lady asked me to embroider her child’s name on it, but I don’t know how to do that. Alas, the teddy bear is still sitting here in my stockpile of unsold items. I also made a purple bunny and tried to sell it over Easter. Once again, people showed interest but it too failed to find a new home. However, a lady has asked me to make one for her, in a different color, for the month of June. .

Because of my lack of time and energy, I’ve made a few dishcloths, both crochet and knit, some following patterns, some made off the top of my head.  Quick and easy to work up, and I can always use them myself should I never sell them.

Maybe a month ago I bought one of those adult coloring books and some pencil crayons,  hoping to find time to relax by myself,  but whenever I get some quiet time I’m either too exhausted to even take them out of the drawer (let alone sit upright,  lol), or I’ve got crochet on the brain!  I tried coloring while my daughter is awake but she wants to be a part of everything I do.  This is a problem too when I’m trying to crochet.  I love her with all my heart,  but she needs to learn to give me some space and leave my things alone! See her little toddler fingers in the photo below? If I want to take a photo of anything I have to be quick before she runs off with it!

And here she is again, sneaking into the photo! 

A few months ago I decided I wanted to try cross stitch,  so I bought this:

It’s still in its package  (however, I did take it out once to look at it!) At the time I was waiting for my new eyeglasses (bifocals) and decided to hold off on starting this project until I could see better.  I can see clearly now…but…I also have this to work on:

My tote bin of yarns I’ve been collecting!  Each one has a specific purpose in mind, of course. It’s just a matter of getting it all started!

But the project I’ve been devoting most of my time to is this:

I’m designing a cotton bag. It’s about 12 1/2 inches tall.  When (if) I get it done, and once I tweak the pattern (I’ve been keeping notes) I’ll be sharing the pattern here with you.

And speaking of writing patterns,  I’m nearly 100% certain that I’ll be devoting most of my crochet time to creating my own patterns now, both free and for sale, rather than trying to sell finished products . This decision being based on past experiences,  with it being difficult to sell to people the finished product. I think it’s a combination of reasons…some people are broke, some people are cheap, and the stores sell cheaper versions of these items! Those cute little diaper cover sets are being sold in Walmart now, handmade by women in poorer countries. As we know, crochet can’t be duplicated by machine. I’m pretty certain these women aren’t being paid properly,  but I’m not going to get into my thoughts and feelings on that right now…

I have A LOT of patterns and designs floating around in my mind. I’ve been working on an idea for an amigurumi doggy for my daughter, basing it on a stuffed doggy she’s had since birth. It’s been washed a number of times, and it’s lost its shape and fluffiness. Below is what it looks like now, after almost 2 1/2 years of love:

I also want to make her an amigurumi kitty, since she meows constantly. A few days ago she woke up meowing! Lol.  I made a trip to Jo-Ann’s yesterday to stock up on safety eyes and found green cats eyes. Of course I bought them. Now to come up with a pattern!

In addition to my blog, you can also visit my profile on Ravelry.com:

http://www.ravelry.com/designers/amanda-bryant

When I decide to sell any of my patterns, they will most likely be sold through Ravelry.  However, I’ll keep everyone updated on my decision through my blog posts and Facebook page.

I am really hoping to be able to spend more time crocheting and updating Crochet On The Brain, now that life seems to be settling down a bit. But regardless of what happens, the blog will always remain published, even if I never have the chance to update again ☺.

Until next post…take care and happy creating!

Amanda

I’ve been living life without an internet connection, except for on my husband’s smartphone, for the past 7 or 8 months, and so I’ve not been able to post any patterns in that time (save one really easy peasy neck pillow pattern). But of course that does not mean I’ve not been crocheting! Here are some pics of some of my recent creations (sorry, no patterns):

I created the Raggedy Ann doll, Pikachu and the Big Red Dog (based on Clifford, obviously) freehand. The stars were made using a free pattern I found online Lil Starfish by champygirl .

There are a few other things I’ve made here and there over the past months, but at the moment I don’t have photos….

Happy Hooking!

So I haven’t posted lately, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been crocheting 🙂 I’ve gotten two projects started AND completed in the last couple of weeks.

First, I made this little granny square blanket. It’s about 30 inches square. Big enough to be a lapghan or crib blanket, or a play blanket for on the floor. I based it on a pattern from an old book I picked up at a flea market 3 or 4 years ago.

And then next, I just finished this hooded sweater this morning for my 15 month old daughter. I followed a pattern from a free e-book I downloaded a few years ago called Winter Fashions For Toddlers. The pattern is called “Simplest Toddler Sweater”. I added a few extra rows to it, and also an extra button. It really is a simple pattern. It took only a few days to make, and that’s with a toddler hanging off my leg, lol. I’m thinking I might change the buttons at some point. These are just buttons that I had on hand.

And now I don’t know what to make. We will be moving in a few days, so maybe I should make some boxes, lol. On that note, we won’t have internet access at our new place, for how long I don’t know. But I’ll try to pop in whenever I can.

Until next time!

Amanda

I finally finished it. It only took me about six months to do so! Really, it shouldn’t have taken so long to complete but I kept getting sidetracked by other projects.

It consists of 63 squares, each one about 3″x3″. Every square is a different color sequence. The pattern for this can be found in the book “Afghans to Knit & Crochet” by Better Homes and Gardens, copyright 1986.

Now I just have to wash it and hope that it doesn’t fall apart, lol.

I hope this new year brings you all much success and happiness!

I have decided to revert back to my old way of blogging, that is, just post whatever I want to whenever I want to, rather than making it mandatory that I post a certain thing on a certain day. According to my site stats, the majority of my readers seem to be interested in only the free patterns I post anyhow, lol. But that’s ok, because I love to post patterns! And I’m happy to see that so many people have been interested in those patterns 🙂

So, once again, Happy New Year! Keep on hookin’!

Amanda