It’s Monday…….Time to make some tough decisions… See what’s happening with Vickys Handcrafted Designs

Hi everyone hope you are all well. Its been a rollercoaster of a year some great things happened and some not so great things happened. Some happy and some very sad and devastating. Its been a year of great changes, triumphs and tragedies. Its also been a year where some tough decisions had to be made.

Part of my reason to start my crochet page was to develop a business along the way. I did do that and had many years of enjoyment running my own business, but as time went on and the pandemic hit, it became more difficult to keep going. I persevered in the hope that things will improve. They didn’t, I became more disillusioned, more unhappy, couple that with other things happening at the time and crocheting seemed more like a chore rather than something I looked forward to. Something had to be done and now!

I decided to let go of the business component, forget about marketing and selling and just enjoy the art of crochet and all the other crafts I like to do. Its been four months since I made that decision and already I can see the benefits. I am no longer tied to a clock, having to produce product by a certain time. I am free to create or not depending on what my schedule is. It has also allowed to me explore other crafts that I like such as drawing and painting and also weaving. Being your own boss is great but sometimes the business ends up being the boss, that is something I definitely wasn’t happy with.

There are also so many work in progress projects I had commenced and never got the chance to finish.

coasters –
handbag
table runner

I had started projects 2 and 3 quite a while ago and the coaster this week using a loom weaving technique. I am planning on adding some crochet motifs to it. I am hoping to finish as many as I can and showcase them each week. I will also try and include the pattern or if I made the pattern up include that.

All in all its been a great decision and something I am glad I made! What has been your epiphany this year? What changes have you made that has helped in your daily life?

Thank you as always for reading my posts. Until next time happy crafting

Vicky

November 28, 2022 2

Work in Progress Wednesday……November edition!

Crochet basket https://www.instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs

Can’t believe it’s already nearly the end of the month! December is only 7 days away! You know what that means! Christmas is just around the corner!

Every year I tell myself the same thing I will start early with my Christmas shopping get it done well before Christmas Eve. Then I laugh really because who am I kidding as if that will ever happen!

This year I am kind of ahead of myself. I have started making cute little crochet baskets to put gifts in. My friends and family can reuse the baskets for any purpose and hopefully there will be less paper waste!

This pattern I love as it’s a contrast in colour and you can make the basket any size. Just change the hook size or add or minus rows.

I have a gorgeous fabric I am lining the basket with too!

Can’t wait to show you all the finished product!

Hope you are all having a wonderful day! Thank you for reading my posts!

Vicky

November 24, 2021 0

The Art of Crochet Throw Series

November 19, 2021 0

Work in progress Wednesday 11 August 2021

Is it just me or is this year flying by!

With Covid raging around the world it’s an anxious and stressful time for everyone. I hope you are able to keep safe wherever you are.

The one thing that keeps me sane during lockdown times is crochet. I get so lost in selecting yarns and patterns and counting stitches my mind doesn’t get a chance to wander and think of all the sadness in the world right now.

At the moment I am working on some blankets and baby accessories. I will have some items ready soon for a gift pack. I just got the boxes in today. I will show the preview on Friday.

Baby booties available soon in my Etsy shop

Above are a cute pair of baby booties. I still have to finish them but I love the colour and simplicity of the design.

August 15 is granny square day. I love to crochet continuous granny square blankets. They remind me of days of old. A beautiful traditional design that will last for decades to come. I am nearly finished the blanket. I am not sure of the name of this Caron cake but I love the blue and mint and white combination!

These are some blankets I crocheted. Some from patterns and some my own ideas. They are in various stages from completed to just needing a boarder to needing just a few squares to complete.

I love the variety of colours and the warmth they radiate!

What are some of your favourite go to projects to unwind! Comment below!

Thank you so much for reading my blog. Take care and stay safe.

Vicky.

August 11, 2021 0

My week so far…..

This week has passed by in such a blur! Don’t know where May went but here we are the first week in June.

On the bright side I did manage to do some crochet work. Below are photos with some of the projects I worked on this week.

Project 1: The Aster Chunky Crochet Rug – Pattern by Stitchedupcraft. You can find Kylie from Stitchedupcraft on Instagram. She is a very talented designer and her patterns are so easy to follow and look amazing when finished. The great think about her patterns are that you can customise them to suit your style and colour preferences. There is so much room to add your creative flair to them. This is the 3rd pattern I have made from Kylie’s designs. I have a couple more lined up which I will feature when I finish them.

The second lot of work is from the Art of Crochet series. These squares are from series 2. I have worked on both series 1 and 2 but I have to say the style of the squares and colours used on series too are amazing. Hoping to finish this by the end of the year. I am half way through now.

Well thank you for reading if you got this far. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend. I will post updates of my work as I go along.

Vicky 🌻