Project Linus- What crochet means to me

I am a Project Linus Blanketeer!! Here is what Project Linus means to me. 

Project Linus is an organization that donates blankets to children in need. Children in hospitals, homeless shelters, social services agencies, etc, receive blankets from PL every month. They have donated over 5 million blankets since 1998.

I became involved in PL while I was in college. I had very rigorous course work, as well as clinical involvement every day for my major, so I was having a hard time finding time to volunteer. I decided to find something that was more suitable to my schedule. I found Volunteer Match on google, and began to search for volunteer organizations that I could get involved with from home. I found out about Project Linus through that website.

I was enthused by the idea that I could do something that I love, while helping out children in my city. I can sit at home and crochet tons of blankets, any size, from baby to young adult, and drop them off at local drop off sites in the Columbus, OH area. These places are usually craft stores, and make it easier for me to support small businesses in my area when I find new projects that I want to try. I also can use these places as potential avenues to channel business to my website. I left a few business cards at a local shop called Quilt Beginnings when I dropped my blankets off. I signed up for their newsletter, and I feel like I can determine where my business comes from based on the coupon code I left on the cards.

Project Linus gives me a sense of pride and achievement every time I donate a blanket. I love the thought that my blankets will go to helping keep a child warm and happy. They also provide opportunities for hands-on volunteer work with the organization. They have "sorting days" monthly so that volunteers can come into an actual location, and organize the blankets to be sent out. 

I really enjoy being a part of such an organization. I feel very fulfilled knowing that what I do helps someone else. These are two of my most recent donations to Project Linus. They are both about medium sized blankets. I love the granny square blanket, as the yarn makes me think of outer space. I call it the "Galaxy" blanket. The second blanket is a ripple pattern, with gray, white, purple and salmon colored yarns.

Thank you so much for reading, and happy stitching!!

~Reg

View My Etsy Store Here :)

New project!!

This is a new pattern that I am working on. It is called a leaf stitch I believe. I found it on a random website, and I searched for weeks to find a written pattern to help me make this! I finally found a website that had a written pattern and this is how it is coming out!! =) But the blue piece will be a baby blanket for my nephew (possibly) and the purple one I will probably send to my sister. 

This pattern takes much time, effort and patience!! It calls for multiple extended double crochet in the same space, and it took a while for me to get all of the DC to be the same size and length. Also, it is difficult to figure out which spaces the shorter "leaves" go into, to make them even on both sides. It still takes me a while during each stitch to choose the correct space, but I love this pattern nonetheless. 

I will finish both of these blankets first, and then I will probably attempt to create other, more difficult items with the pattern, such as beanies or fashion scarves for the summer. this pattern is so gorgeous and elegant, and the hard work that it takes to learn and duplicate really shows in the beauty of the piece!! 

Please let me know what you think about my pieces, and if you try the pattern, let me know how it turns out!!!

I am so excited. I will post a few pictures of the pieces I am creating, as well as the link to the pattern itself. The pattern is not in English, but there are great pictures that you can follow!! Just let me know if there are any questions, I might make a video detailing the process.

Leaf Stitch Pattern (with pictures)

Thanks for reading, and happy stitching!!!

~Reg

View My Etsy Shop Here :)

 

Crocheting is LIFE!!!

I am creating this blog to try and put some order into my crocheting life!! I think that if I blog about my items, my current projects, and my experiences with crocheting, I will be more organized when it comes to this part of my life. I love to crochet and I am trying to get more into blogging, so I think that this is a great start.

I started crocheting when I was 11. I enjoy it so much! It's calming, and it makes me happy! I love to just sit in front of my television and crochet, scarves, hats, flowers, any and everything! I have so many crochet blankets in my apartment it's kind of silly. But I love it. 

I donate many of my blankets to an organization called Project Linus here in Columbus, which gives blankets to children in the hospital. I would love to be able to work more with them, and one of my goals is to start a crochet circle so that we can donate mass amounts of blankets and other accessories to charitable organizations. 

I love to teach crochet, but I am not good so far about creating my own patterns. I love to follow patterns and modify them to fit my own personality. Sometimes I just freehand something and see how it turns out, and most of the time it comes out awesome! 

I have an Etsy website where I am attempting to begin selling my products. Etsy is a great website to find many handmade, vintage, and unique items. My shop has a bunch of really cute items in it right now, but I am in the process of updating to a spring collection. I am really excited about starting this blog journey and hopefully getting more people excited about crochet!!!

I will be trying to post every week with new ideas and works in progress (WIP) that I have. I really want to draw people, especially young people into the world of crochet and into appreciation for the art of handmade crafts!

If you would like to check out my etsy page, please visit at Crocheted Conceptions by Regina on Etsy

These are just a few examples of some of my works!! Enjoy!!

xoxo
~Reg