Wholly Craft Newsletter!

Wholly Craft Newsletter!: "March is National Craft Month, so why not get crafty? Our class schedule is packed with old favorites and brand new workshops, just in time for the crafty holiday! You'll find a spicy little coupon at the end of newsletter to give you a little nudge in the workshop direction :)"

Check out the Wholly Craft newsletter!! Lots of great stuff and TWO classes with The Woobie!!

#4- Get a Crochet Hook Tattoo

My list got off to a good start when I learned to spin wool and the next day I completed another item on my list.  I have other tattoos, so this wasn't a first time experience, but it was something I had been thinking about for awhile.

I had put the word out to the Twitter crowd that I was looking to get another tattoo and asked for artist and studio suggestions.  I settled on Sweet Baby Octane simply because I had both heard good things about it and it is in the neighborhood.

Last Tuesday Ryan and I had gone in to see about meeting and artist and getting an appointment.  To get in with a good artist one often has to wait up to 6 weeks for an appointment so I wasn't expecting to get my tattoo right away.

I had the crochet hook with me that I felt best represented the size and shape that I wanted my tattoo to be and showed it to D.  I chose a size J hook because it is the one I work with the most and it seemed to be the perfect size for my forearm.  I had arrived at the shop at just the right time because there had been a cancellation for Friday.  I was pretty stoked that he could fit me in so quickly and was really looking forward to it.

D is not only a great artist, but a really great guy.  My tattoo was not too complicated so we did not spend a lot of time together, but he's a guy I totally could see myself hanging out with.  Both of my previous tattoo experiences were OK, but I was a little uncomfortable with the artists' personalities.  The first guy was a butthead (which is the nicest way to put it) but I am sure he thought he could be, being one of the only artists in a small college town.  When I got my second tattoo the guy was a hell of an artist but barely spoke at all, so I sat for over four hours in almost complete silence.

D was so easy to chat with and also efficient at his craft.  Although my design was not large or complicated it still required a good amount of straight lines which are incredibly difficult.  He completed my design and made it look easy.  The studio was incredibly clean and totally comfortable, and I was in and out in under an hour.  I will totally be going back to him for future work and I would totally recommend him to anyone looking for an artist.

I tried to wait till I had healed to post a picture, but I'm getting anxious and it's still not that pretty to look at.  So you only get a small peek at what it will look like.  Once it is healed I will come back and post a higher quality picture.

Veggie Crochet Hat Class

Are you looking to take your crochet talents to the next level?  Tired of crocheting in squares?  Want to make something really creative for yourself or a loved one?  Take my crochet class and learn to make some original hats!

The Pink Woobie will be teaching a two week crochet class on March 20th and 27th at Wholly Craft.  We will delve into intermediate pattern reading, increasing and decreasing your stitch count, sizing for hats, and a little bit about crocheting embellishments for your projects.

Each class will be two hours long and you will be able to complete one of the hats pictured (carrot, grapes, apple).

Your project is an original Woobie design so you can be guaranteed to impress your friends.  The class is $28 dollars and you will need to supply your yarn and hook.  The patterns requires at least 3.5 ounces of worsted weight yarn in the color of the hat of your choice as well as small amounts of green and brown for the embellishments, along with a size J hook.

If you are interested in signing up for this crochet class, you can sign up at Wholly Craft or online at the website.

I look forward to seeing you in class!

Crochet Stitch Class

Hey Friends!

Have you learned to crochet and looking to learn new stitches?  Well you are in luck!

The Pink Woobie will be teaching a one day class at Wholly Craft  on March 12th at 1pm.  I will be teaching 3 stitches and you will complete dishcloths to take home.

The cost of the three hour class is $20 and you will need to bring at least 7oz. worsted weight cotton yarn and a J hook.   Sign up at the store or on the Wholly Craft website.
Also, check out the facebook event page for more info.

This will be a great time, and I would love to see you there!

Huge Nerds

I don't think it's a secret that Ryan and I are huge nerds.  However, when we first met, and even when we got married, I was not up to his level of nerdiness. Since then I have become a pretty big science fiction fan and although this is something that Ryan is on board with he always feels the need to make fun of me for it.  Hence the conversation we had this evening:
Me: "You love that I'm a big nerd, if I wasn't we would never be able to watch tv together."
Ryan: "Yes we would."
Me: "Yeah right, what would we watch?"
Ryan: "The nightly news."
Me: "But we don't watch the nightly news."
Ryan: "Well we would have to."

Yeah for nerds!

Embracing Life with Chronic Pain (Part 3)

This is part of series about embracing life, you can find part 1 here.

Me with two amazing ladies @CarolynMaul and @JanelleSteele
in a photo booth at a Twitter inspired event.
I stole this picture from Carolyn's facebook page. Hopefully she won't mind.

Another thing the wonder of Twitter has brought me is an amazing connection with the people of my city.  I kind of fell in love with Columbus about two weeks after first moving here over 5 years ago.  I knew there were great people who lived here, but kept striking out when I tried to develop friendships with people I was working and going to school with.

I did meet a really great group of people our first summer here playing softball with the Maggots, and I am still really close to them.  In fact I got to hang out with them on Friday and it was so refreshing to just BE with people who already knew me and my flaws and still loved me for who I am.  We don't see each other as much as we once did, but they are also the kind of people that if I see around town, just giving them a hug and saying hi is enough to carry me for the rest of the day.

A whole new world of people was opened up to me when I started following people from Columbus on Twitter.   I started getting out of the house to meet people, meanwhile forming relationships through online dialogue and silliness.  I’ve started considering Columbus MY city, and the truth is MY city is filled with some of the most creative, compassionate, driven, and unique folks.  The people I have met have different backgrounds, work in different industries, are different ages, and come from all over the world, but we always find something in common.  I still get down and feel lonely from time to time, but usually all I have to do is tweet about it and I get all kinds of encouragement and love sent to me instantly.  My blog, Etsy shop, and life would certainly not be as successful if it wasn’t for everyone I speak with on a daily basis, whether I see them in person once a week or every couple months.  It’s really rather fabulous.

Blue Skies

Just a reminder to myself, and others too, that this weather does get better and there will be blue skies again.  This is a picture I took from my fire escape yesterday afternoon.

Rain, Sleet, Snow

The weather sucks, and after having such a great week it's really kind of a let down.  When the weather gets liket his I feel like crap and my pain is heightened.  So, here I am in a ho hum mood with not a whole lot going on.  I have some crochet orders to fill, but again with the pain it's not so easy.

Not sure what I'm going to do to cheer myself up, but I am sure I will think of something.  Perhaps some hot tea and a warm blanket, or perhaps just a nap.  If all else fails I will break out my coloring book and crayons.

What are some of your go-to cheer up techniques?

#1- Learn to Spin Wool

On February 27, 2011 I began the journey of completing my 30 things before 30 list.
It was number one on my list mostly because I knew it would be the first thing that I would be doing.  I will not be completing the rest of the list in any kind of order, so here it goes.

I signed up for a spinning class a few weeks ago at Wholly Craft in Clintonville.  I had seen it listed when I was checking out the listings for the classes that I am teaching in March.  I love buying and working with yarn and have wanted to learn to spin for quite awhile.  There are a few options here in central Ohio, but none that were really convenient for me.  This beginners class at Wholly Craft was the perfect opportunity for me to learn in a comfortable setting.

This one is for Stevie

Ryan and I went out for dinner with good friends tonight and it was great to get caught up. The kids get bigger every time I see them.  They are also always way excited to see us both.  A few weeks ago I had told the youngest boy about my website and told him he should check it out.  I've seen him twice since then and although he says he hasn't seen it yet he still remembers the address.  So here is a little post for him.

Steve, Stevie, Little Man, Quad Boy, etc this one is for you!!!

Embracing Life with Chronic Pain (Part 2)

This second part is about steps I'm taking to embrace this life that I've been blessed with. You can read the first part here.

Now that you know a little bit about my history with chronic pain, I want to move on to the real reason I’m writing, which is how I plan on coping with the pain, moving on, and embracing life.  2011 has already brought a lot of changes and challenges for me which I’ve been so excited to share with you here.  I bought my awesome new domain, revamped my blog, opened up the Etsy shop, and was contracted to teach classes.  This has all been part of me stretching out and beginning to embrace my life with chronic pain.

Embracing Life with Chronic Pain

This is the first part of a series that I'm writing about embracing life.  This post describes some of what my life has been like living with chronic pain thus far.

It is no secret that I struggle with life on a daily basis.  I am almost in constant pain.  The horrible fatigue that plagued me for so long after my fight with pneumonia in 2007 is starting to ease up and I’ve been spending many more hours awake, upright, and often out of the apartment.  Is my chronic fatigue cured?  Probably not.  But it is much less severe and only gets really bad occasionally, especially when I don’t pace myself. 

Custom Orders

You can now make a custom order right here on my website.  When you click on the Custom Order tab above you will be shown a form.  Once you fill out that form and click "Send Request" I will get an e-mail with the information you provide.

I will respond to that e-mail within 48 hours to discuss the details of your order.

Sending a request does not mean you will be expected to make a purchase.

Once I give you the details and the price you will have the choice to make the order.  On larger and more expensive orders I will require a deposit before I begin working on your item(s).

It can take up to 6 weeks to fulfill a special order, an expected date of completion will be given when the order is finalized.

30 things before 30

2011 is the year that I turn 30 and I've been finalizing a list of 30 things that I would like to do this year.  For the most part they are things I've never done before, and focus around things happening here in Columbus, Ohio. There are a few exceptions to this rule as I do have other tattoos.  I still have to decide upon one more thing, so here is my list of 30 (29) things to do before I turn 30 on December 18, 2011.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I made these cute little guys for a friend who is giving them as a Valentine's present and thought I would share the love with you!

Wednesday already!

I can't believe it's Wednesday already.  The week went by so fast.  Since I'm not posting anything in my shop this week, I thought I would give you a peek at what I have been working on.

First there are two reasons I'm not posting anything in the shop.  One, I have a bunch of custom orders to finish up and two I am planning to release a a new collection of creations in a few weeks.  We will call it my "spring line."

Stitch and Bitch with the Woobie

Every time I lose a crochet hook, this is where I find it.

It's finally going to happen!

On February 24th I am hosting a Tweet Up!  What's a Tweet Up you ask?

Well simply put, I'm putting the word out through my Twitter followers that on February 24th I will be hosting a get together.  This particular Tweet Up which is entitled "Stitch and Bitch with the Woobie" has a crochet and knitting spin on it.

We will be gathering at the MoJoe Lounge in the Short North.  The address is 600 N. High Street.  Bring your crochet hooks or your knitting needles and your current project.  You can purchase cocktails or coffee, and just hang out with me and other like minded individuals.  I will be getting there at 6:00 and plan on staying till at least 7:30 but I'm sure others will stick around longer.

There is no RSVP necessary, but if you would like to view the official invite to this event you can click here.

I'm really looking forward to this and hope to see you there!!