One Year Journey

(This post may have a few "repeat" photos, pictures, stories, but I wanted to tell the WHOLE story in one entry):


It is NOVEMBER, 2011 ... And it has been exactly ONE YEAR since I first discovered the "World of Blythe", and knew instantly that I wanted to be a part of it.

It all began quite simply ...

I love to crochet, it is my THERAPY.  I had made so many afghans (lap size;  I don't like the full bedspread size ones) and they were piling up.  I always used my own pattern and design, looking EVERYWHERE for ideas and inspiration.

Last November ... 2010 ... I searched on-line for:  "crochet turkey".  I think I was going to send a humorous email to my family, as I did share the HILARIOUS website with them:  "What Not to Crochet" dot com.  If you ever have a free moment, check it out.  It seriously made me fall off my chair laughing.  And that is rare for me.  It is not only the items they show, it is their quirky, witty commentary that is just so entertaining!  And maybe only those who crochet think it is funny, but I think EVERYONE knows someone who crochets, and remembers the time when that dear person said to you "oh, sweetie, I am going to crochet a [fill-in-the-blank] for you!!!" ... and the first thoughts that come to mind, are pure horror!  Crochet does have a "bad rap" ... this I know ... !  (just think "bathroom decor, and you will know what I mean).

ANYWAY .... I digress, as usual...

The search for "crochet turkey" came up with a LOT of hideous items, let me tell you.  One in particular I though was very interesting though ... one lady actually used a light pink yarn and made a "raw turkey"!  That was impressive, although something I would never make ... probably  ;)

THEN, I saw something that looked not only adorable, but do-able.  I was NOT familiar with "amigurumi" at that time, but THIS is where it all began, and THIS is the adorable little turkey I saw:

I immediately printed out the free pattern, and I already HAD the simple colors, so I went home that weekend and began my first attempt into the world of amigurimi  (which is basically crochet done in the 'circular' style that I am familiar with, I just was not familiar with the term.

In my usual style, I sort of "tweaked" the pattern; either intentionally or "by mistake" I will never tell :)

Instead of using brown, red and orange on the tail, I added a row of yellow shells at the top ... and instead of the tail being a half-circle in shape, mine ended up being nearly a complete circle, when folded in half, leaving just enough room for the turkey "tail end" :)

HERE is my little baby:

MY SISTER AND ME:  THANKSGIVING 2010

I was SO happy with how he turned out, that I brought him to work and put him on my desk ... and believe it or not, he was a conversation piece! 

But it went MUCH further than that .....


My girlfriend liked them SO MUCH, that she asked me to make "some" for her!  HOWEVER ... she wanted a whole FAMILY of them!  And here is the deal:  I really love my friend.  And although she offered to "pay" me, I already knew there was no way she was ever going to pay me for the TIME that I would have to invest in making these items.  She wanted ONE large turkey ... and 6 small ones!!!  For some bizarre reason, I decided to say YES to her request ... and here is THE TURKEY FAMILY:

THIS "labor of love" took me about 2 FULL weekends, plus every night after work, for more than a week!


We also used the little turkeys for our employee Thanksgiving feast table centerpieces  (and yes, I took pictures, but I can't seem to locate them at the moment ....arghhh!

I also took my little guy to Thanksgiving Day at my sister's house, and since she always decorates in festive fashion, I was able to use her decor to take even MORE pics of my little creation  :)

My little GUY at my sister's house; on the mantle

And as you can imagine, after I made my little GUY ... (guys !!!), my thoughts turned to Chrismtas !  Oh boy ... the possibilities were endless!

For example:  MY CHRISTMAS ANGEL Tree-Topper ... a combination of researching all sorts of other patterns, then as usual "tweaking" them just a bit to fit my own vision ...

I also made and make other crochet items during the Holiday ... JUST to carry on the annoying tradition (ha!) ... here you will see what I mean:



My little SNOWMAN FAMILY:

MY fancy little SHOE ORNAMENTS:

AND ... for "FUN" every year, I make ONE crochet scarf in a Christmas motif theme, and then make EVERYONE wear it for a photo shoot !  There is only ONE scarf, but I make everyone pose for their OWN photo ...

MOM ...

ME ...

Moniquee and Jason (my only son and his wife);  Their dog MoJay; and ME

EVERYONE has to participate... The old ... The young ... The Girls ... The Boys ... and YES, OF COURSE ... ALL OF OUR DOGGIES !  Thankfully I am a bit of a "dog whisperer", so I can usually get some cool shots  (this happens ONLY when their owner is not present ;)

As you can see, Molly is VERY happy .....

AND.... SEE how HAPPY and OVERJOYED they are !!!!  (ahahahahahhhhhaaa!)

Molly and MoJay ... you can just IMAGINE what they are thinking !  ha!!!

HERE is my sister's reaction to the whole thing:

(GOOFY SCARFS from 2009):

My nephew and his Mom's dog;  Ella

My Molly:  her expressions are PRICELESS!

Me and my sister's dog:  Ivory  (she is the white puppy in the 2008 scarf picture)

(from 2008):

Puppy IVORY !

My son wearing the DOG'S scarf !

My Molly and My Niece

OKAY, BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF MY ONE YEAR JOURNEY INTO BLYTHE WORLD ...

One of the things that really caught my eye when searching for "crochet ornaments" in November of 2010... was a little miniature sweater, on a little miniature hanger.  I thought it very unique, so I decided to make one for my sister:

Christmas Sweater ornament I made for my sister:  Christmas 2010

.  And it was during THIS search, that I kept seeing the very strange looking "big eyes doll", and it was then that I realized:  Hey, I could make sweaters for this doll!  Not just ornaments at Holiday time !  and thus it began .....

I am NOT kidding when I say that I have spent EVERY WAKING MOMENT WORKING on this goal, of opening my etsy shop, with MY ideas for Blythe fashions.

I began with making little sweaters, but as the weeks and months went on, and my EXTENSIVE research has never stopped, my main goal was to try and make something DIFFERENT.  Some things that were not already SATURATING the market (you know which ones I mean).

My original goal was September ... to list all my Halloween and Holiday items ... which was moved back to October 1 ... and now, here we are, the first week in November, and I am SO frustrated!

My brain, my ideas, my AMBITIONS go way faster than my little hands can actually CREATE!!!  I also work in an office, from 8 to 5 every week day, and have been using EVERY night up unitl midnight to crochet.  On the weekends, I USE EVERY MOMENT to work on this goal, and at times, I have been known to stay up until 3 am!  (believe me, I "pay" for those late nights later.)

and JUST when I think I am ready ... there is the issue of PHOTO SHOOTS, and my camera not performing as those awesome SLR types do, and I am just FRUSTRATED!  I did not want to list ANYTHING until everything is perfect ... but of course THAT is just not going to happen.

SO, I have just made a HUGE decision to just POST MY WINTER HOLIDAY ITEMS NOW.

I have a HUGE inventory of all sorts of items, but I want to be organized and cohesive.  It has just been SO MUCH work, and I have no idea if anyone will even LIKE what I have created!  Very scary.

The name of my shop is:  SWAN LOVE DESIGNS.  I chose the Swan, for what it represents ... The Ugly Duckling (original Blythe) transforming into a BEAUTIFUL BLYTHE doll, that is admired by all :)

I also did not choose to use the word "doll" or "Blythe" ... because one never knows WHERE one's creativity will lead them :)

ETSY ... HERE WE COME ... !!!