Hey there! It has been a while! This homeschooling crocheting momma has been too busy to sit down for a bit and make a post. I'm not sure if a lot can relate but once you've been gone a while, it takes a lot of effort to get back in to the things you liked doing the most. I originally planned on making a come back post last January 1st. That didn't go well. Then I thought of making a post last March/April. It's like a first quarter of the year kind of thing. A lot of things happened IRL that stopped me from doing that. Now that it's May, there's this part of me that says I should just make a post on June. It's like a half year kind of update. Then there's this part of me that says You're just overthinking it. Just sit down and type! Nobody cares when you create your post, just do it!
So here I am. Making a post. Trying to get back. I'm catching up on some of the latest chika on discord. Trying to catch up with some friends too. You know how it is when you are really tired and you plan on just lying down on bed, making just enough movements so nobody thinks you're dead. That's my life on Hive right now. but IRL, I've been so preoccupied.
It was around the last quarter of last year that I started to disappear. I got back to back to back MTOs in my crochet. I created this really gorgeous crochet bolero for a ballerina. Her mom ordered one for her as a gift on her recital. Then I made a post of the WIP, then another mom friend also has a little ballerina that will be having a recital that same month. So that's 2 boleros that I was creating simultaneously. It's a good thing they both wanted the same designs so I did not have to think too much of the patterns. While I was doing that, another mom friend saw my post about the crochet hobby horse and asked if I could make 6 of those. She'd be gifting it to her friends' children for Christmas. I was almost done with one of the boleros so I accepted the order.
Then on that same month, I joined this crochet group in our city. (One of the biggest mistakes I made in my life. I'll tell you more of that on another post. Or not.) This group has a lot of crochet activities. One of which was making a crochet mandala. Which is really so cool because that was the first time I made one. It was going to be displayed on a certain crocheters event but I got to tell you, I was a little bit underwhelmed with the appreciation of my and my fellow crocheter's works. I sold that mandala though for a fair amount, it has found its home and that makes me so happy.
Come December, I joined my first ever bazaar. I have always wanted to join one. Not that I could produce a lot of items right away, I'm a slow crocheter, after all. I just wanted to see how it feels like to have my items on display, talk to people about my craft, and also to meet fellow crocheters. At first, I didn't have any sales but as Christmas came nearer, our sales got higher. There's nothing like capitalizing this holiday, ain't that right? LOL! I felt the love and support of my friends. This is why I know I am with the right people. I knew I have found my village.
The bazaar continued until 2nd week of January so I got so occupied to even do a Crochet Year in review. It would have been a fine review because I pushed my limits last year when it comes to crocheting. That was the first time I had so many MTOs. Each month is a different flavor, some old clients came back for more and even referred me to their friends. It was so rewarding, personally, and financially.
I joined another bazaar last February where I sold out so many flowers. Making bouquets was one of my greatest challenges. It tests my patience, it makes me pray to all the gods I know, it summons my deepest darkest raging emotions. LOL. But last February, I did so well in the crochet flower sales department. Yay! My best seller was the rose pen topper. This was also the month where I got to teach at a crochet workshop sponsored by the city Mayor. She even stood beside me, listening to me teach. Yikes! I'm just so glad I wasn't too starstruck, I didn't stutter while I was teaching.
March was the month I officially met my now closest crocheter friends. We all came from that crochet group that we will not mention anymore, sharing the same worst experiences, and deciding to call it quits and forming our own more relaxed, more fun group. It's not open for recruitment but we are very warm and welcoming, but it's not like we're going to institutionalize our group. We got together because of our love of crochet, then we ultimately became the closest of friends.
Last April was also a really good crochet month. A friend of mine referred me to their Pastor whose daughter has a thesis about corals. (I don't think I should say much about her thesis defense so let's just say it's about corals.) She wants to decorate a small room full of corals. So I signed up to help out. Then asked my newly found crochet friends if they were interested. We all found purpose and joy in this big project and we can't wait to see all of our chunky crochet coral works on full display in the coming weeks. I'll tell you more about it once we visited the site in the university. So exciting!!!
Photo obtained from the official photographers of events I joined in. Permission to post was requested and granted.
Also, all throughout the first quarter of the year up to now, I've been mentoring on different crochet workshops. At first, I joined other crochet mentors, helping out on their crochet workshops on different places. Then last month, I soft launched my very own crochet workshop. My first batch of students just finished their 4-session workshop and I still have another batch, that are currently on their 2nd session. More of that once I share all of my learnings on organizing workshops.
Come to think of it, this was supposed to be a life update, it turned out to be my crochet life update. I guess I'll share more of my other activities on my next posts. Our homeschooling has been so full of adventure as well. We went bird watching, we joined a violin lesson for kids and moms, we had an exclusive museum tour, and so so so much more! Plus, I officially learned how to draw and paint! I can't wait to show all my works of art. It's not much to look at but hey! I made it so I love it. haha
