#createandgrowchallenge

[crochetcetera]

I started to take a picture of some of the tools I use for today's #createandgrowchallenge prompt. Crochet hook, pencil, paint brush, pliers, hammer. But as I considered what I would write to explain what it is that I DO, I realized it was actually much more simple than that. I'm a maker. My HANDS are my primary tools. As a creative, that means I'm a Creator, and for that I use my hands. As a crochet teacher, I use my hands to gently guide my students towards understanding, leading them towards the empowerment of embracing their own creativity through crocheting. What do I do? I find tiny moments of inspiration and beauty in the world around me and then my job is to find a way to share that with others - and when I teach, I get the honor of helping others to find their own creative voice as they learn and practice a skill and art that has proven time and time again to be meditative and healing and downright empowering. It's both incredibly humbling and indescribably invigorating, like life and joy bubbling right up out of my soul! I love being a maker. Being an Artist. And it's an exciting time to be embracing that again (can you imagine if Salvador Dali had Instagram!?) but I miss my students SO much. Teaching is a joy that I never expected to embrace, but it fills my heart and inspires me in ways I never imagined. https://www.instagram.com/p/CDZYUAqJAj7/?igshid=p7cj1t88rmwj

[crochetcetera]

Have you grabbed your copy of the James River Wrap pattern yet? If not, be sure to use coupon code windingriver to save 10% on the pdf pattern download via Ravelry or Etsy! (Follow the links in my profile) ⁠ ⁠ #jamesriverwrap #crochetpattern #crochetwrap #crochetshawl #crochetcetera #createandgrowchallenge https://www.instagram.com/p/CDmcv0RJFq9/?igshid=1g2vp1kb12zba

[crochetcetera]

I find so much inspiration right under my feet, y'all! This tiny little thing is battling the heat, dryness, and periodic mowings the best way it knows how - by blooming just as soon as it can muster the strength for it! I know "bloom where you are planted" is a mantra I'm a bit tired of hearing (milspouse here) but it's a challenge many of us face, even without the frequent moves that come with being a military family. Finding tiny sparks of beauty like this fierce little Santa Maria feverfew, though, make me happy! And it reminds me to slow down and notice the small things, which is where and when I envision so many of the things I create. Where do you look for inspiration? #createandgrowchallenge https://www.instagram.com/p/CDkCjpnp33x/?igshid=1pdmbvvdy6eyu

[crochetcetera]

I first envisioned this project on the road to visit @centeroftheyarniverse and @danceswithwoolrva, the first two of my four stops on the inaugural @jamesriveryarncrawl. My other two stops on the crawl were @theflyingneedlesyarn and my own LYS at the time, @yarnmatters. Sometimes a design concept comes from the yarn but sometimes it comes all on its own, suddenly, like lightening striking in a moment of inspiration, and then I have to find the yarn to bring it to life! So at each shop I visited, I looked for locally dyed yarn in colors that reminded me of my own time on the rivers there in Virginia. The river in my pictures is (shhh) actually in Texas, where we moved just a week after the yarn crawl last year! I'm so pleased to finally be able to share the pattern with you. Thank you SO much to my tech editor @jamesbartley.co.uk as well all of my fabulous testers, including Donna, @keinaphels, @shabelcreations, and @sandhyakarandikar. You all ROCK!! The pattern is available on Ravelry as well as in my new Etsy shop and you can save 10% for the pattern launch with coupon code windingriver, now through August 16th at 11:59 CT. Enjoy!⁠ ⁠ Featured dyers: @littlefoxyarn, @kimdyesyarn, @robinspromise, @the.fiberists, @baad_mom_yarns, @urbangirlyarns, @temptingeweyarn, and @wise_owl_crafts ⁠ ⁠ #jamesriverwrap #jamesriveryarncrawl #littlefoxyarn #kimdyesyarn #robinspromiseyarn #thefiberists #baadmomyarns #urbangirlyarns #temptingeweyarns #wiseowlfiber #centeroftheyarniverse #danceswithwoolrva #theflyingneedles #yarnmatters #crochetpattern #createandgrowchallenge https://www.instagram.com/p/CDeo0SLJNyy/?igshid=kkuf81u7zwqw

[crochetcetera]

@williamsanastasia_ wants to know what my superhero origin story would be for the #createandgrowchallenge. How did I get here? Spinning my own (z-twist!) yarn and all! I have to tell you that one surprised me, ha ha. The stitch markers I've made, off and on, for a few years now, and they were a result of my jewelry making as a teen, which was the result of my grandmother teaching me how to make rosaries. Which reminds me that my creative bone lives deep not only inside me, but through the generations that came before me. My mother taught me to crochet. My grandmother taught me to make rosaries. My Granny helped me try my hand at woodworking (and Mom helped me build my workbench where I make shawl pins). My Dad took me stomping through the woods and made me sit still and listen (for deer and turkeys and even bears!) and Mom gave me names for the trees and flowers that we saw. My superhero origin story would be like that of the prodigal son, blind to the gifts and joys that I was so lucky to know as a child that I forgot for so long. My superhero story would be one of homecoming. I'm still searching to identify my super power, but I can feel it lingering closer! What's YOUR super power?? P.S. this is Greenscape from @thing4string in a superwash merino - my first full skein of chain ply! Doesn't it tie in beautifully with the #jamesriverwrap collection!? #connieleespins https://www.instagram.com/p/CDcUOYGJS_I/?igshid=o70597jeid2v

[crochetcetera]

Hello, August! And hello to all of the lovely new folks since my last intro post. In case you didn't know, I'm Connie and I'm a Fiber and Mixed Media Artist. Whoa, I said it out loud! Well, sort of. ;) I'm a crochet designer and teacher who doesn't get to do much teaching anymore and thanks to the pandemic and #the100DayProject I found myself on a journey back into art in other forms. And so you'll probably start seeing a lot more art here again! Did you know when I first opened my Instagram account, I was mostly sharing pictures of my nail art? I've had my Facebook page a little longer and it has always been almost exclusively crochet and fiber focused. But now that I'm painting again (having a baby put a stop to nail art pretty quickly!) I'm discovering that I can take a concept or a moment of inspiration, like the James River, and I can interpret it and reenvision it through a variety of mediums, which is making my inner artist clap her little hands in utter delight! So anyway, all that is mostly to just say hi and that I'm participating in the #createandgrowchallenge from @williamsanastasia_ and, of course, we begin with an intro post! So here I am, struggling with the wind during the #jamesriverwrap photo shoot - I ALWAYS struggle with the wind, it seems! But my darling husband is becoming more and more patient and productive every time I stick him behind the camera! If you feel like sharing, I'd love to hear a little about you, too! Is the weather miserably hot where you are, too? It's almost fall, though! What are you most looking forward to in the coming months? https://www.instagram.com/p/CDW6X1TJgAG/?igshid=1bt21n9nj74hz