More crochet lace rock doilies:
…and what the undersides look like:
These are fun and a good, healthy way for me to relieve stress. These are all freehanded – I don’t work from a pattern, just improvise motifs and then close the doily around the rocks with crocheted loops and decreases, using triple crochet, double crochet, and single crochet stitches. Margaret Oomen’s crochet covered sea stones have been a huge inspiration for these; you can find a free pattern for Little Urchin Crochet Covered Sea Stones on the Purl Bee blog and photos of Margaret’s work on her blog, Resurrection Fern. She also sells some through her Etsy shop (knitalatte, scheduled to re-open in early 2012).
I also have some plans to sell pieces from the Kokua Market Yarnstorming and other similar pieces (rock doilies and crochet jellyfish, primarily) to help raise funds for future yarnstorms. Now that I’ve told you, I should get on that!
The Slightly Slouchy Hat pattern was written because a certain surly, sarcastic teenager that I adore enjoys wearing hats that actively annoy people (such as a pilly, linty old rag of a hat, worn to a wedding reception). This teenager is a fan of bright orange, and at the time that I was writing up the pattern, I didn’t have any on hand. Bright stripes of Firefly butt were, fortunately, obnoxious enough, but I still wanted to make one in a bright orange. I asked for recommendations on Twitter, and Beverly of PoMo Golightly graciously passed along a skein of yarn that turned out to be just right. The shades of orange shift and flicker just a bit, giving it a little more interest than a flat monochrome would.
A little while back I ordered 1 ball of Knit Picks Chroma Fingering in colorway “Mix Tape” so I could play with it and see how the long color changes would look. Since I wanted to try using a fingering weight yarn with my Slightly Slouchy crochet hat pattern, I picked up a size E hook and got started. I did wind up unraveling the beginning, snipping off the first color, and then starting again – because no matter what, a big pink circle at the top of a hat is going to make someone think of…something other than a hat.
The colors are wonderful, aren’t they? I like the way the hot brights are balanced out by the dark grey.
This is part of my getting a jump on the winter holidays project list. The Slightly Slouchy Hat has been teen-approved – the Firefly stripes version was made ‘specially for a smart, sarcastic teen who enjoys the added obnoxiousness potential of having the colors of a Lampyridae backside involved. Your mileage may vary.
Pattern: Slightly Slouchy Hat (free! – in US/Canada and UK/Antipodes versions)
Yarn: Knit Picks, Chroma Fingering Sock Yarn, colorway Mix Tape
Sometimes, the difference between “perfect” and “perfectly acceptable” is the difference between missing a deadline and getting a submission in on time. In the previous round of submissions, at least two designers missed the deadline due to technical issues. Your best bet to avoid that is to submit early, and for this round of submissions, that means within the next two days.
Just a reminder: I’m saying here that this is what I find acceptable for a submission to Fresh Designs Crochet. Other publications and editors may not feel the same way! What I’m showing here is an example of how to submit, not necessarily what to submit (I would most likely reject this for being too plain and simple). This example is going to use my Slightly Slouchy Hat pattern (which, remember, would be ineligible because it’s been published already – yep, publishing it myself via Ravelry counts as published).
SUBMISSION: Fresh Designs Crochet, Hats. Slouchy Beanie.
SWATCH: I used a scanner, because I had one handy, but a photo would work just as well, or even better. Because the submission is for a general idea, I didn’t worry about the exact color too much. I scanned two swatches, one with a tan background (the cover of my notebook), and one with a bright white background (the inside of the scanner cover). In this case, a variegated yarn was appropriate, since part of the pitch for the concept is that this is a good project for hand-dyed/handpainted yarns that are variegated, self-striping, or patterned. If your submission is for a project using a solid colored yarn, use a solid colored yarn for the swatch.
Either swatch would be fine for this submission.
SKETCH: I did two drafts in my notebook. The first draft is intended for myself, so I can work out the basic info I need. The second draft is cleaned up and simplified.
(note – I’ve only got two yarn choices listed; that’s not ideal. Ideally, I’d have at least 3, taken from the list of yarn sponsors in the call for submissions. However, it’s more than one, both of the choices are Fresh Designs Crochet yarn sponsors, and so it’s acceptable.)
Then I did a closeup photo (with the camera in my iPhone 3G):
You are probably looking at that sketch photo and wondering if I would seriously accept that. Yes, I would. I can see it and read it. Of course, it will look more professional to have this at least drawn on paper that doesn’t have pre-printed lines, and scan it in, adjust it so the lines are darker, and not have the glare of a red light smack in the middle of the photo. Remember what I said about “perfect” and “perfectly acceptable”? If you’d prefer to draft out something cleaner and more professional looking, by all means do so – if you can get it done and ready to submit at least a day before the deadline.
I’ve set this up in Flickr as a photo set. It’s set to private, so here’s the Guest Pass URL: http://flickr.com/gp/mizunablog/DH705T
Go through the set, and note the way I’ve used the titles and the descriptions to provide more information. The descriptions keep it simple, and reference the call for submissions. Showing the editor that you’ve been paying attention is generally a good thing.
SUBMISSION FORM: So now I’m ready to fill out the submission form.
I’ve got my notes, and now I just need to fill in the form. I’m comfortable with writing a description off the top of my head, so I don’t have one written out in my notes, but that could be a good idea, if only so that I know what I said later on.
Done!
That’s the screen you’ll see after clicking the ‘submit’ button – see why it’s a good idea to have a copy of what you typed into the form?
Now it’s just waiting for an email. The subject line will look something like “Fresh Designs Crochet: submission RECEIVED (Slouchy Beanie)” and the body of the email will be a form letter letting me know that the submission has been received. Note, please, that these are not automated emails. The series editor herself (that would be me) downloads the submissions as a spreadsheet and then generates the form letters, includes any questions about the submissions, and then emails each one. At this point, for the submitters, it’s just a matter of waiting. Final decisions on which submissions will be accepted are made and then the series editor will begin sending out emails notifying submitters of the final decisions on their submissions.
Questions?
Fresh Designs Crochet call for submissions information (including inspiration boards) and online submission form are available at Cooperative Press.
Malabrigo Rasta – single skein projects. Hats, Designs for Men, Toys?
Malabrigo Rios – single and multiple skein projects. Rios is a superwash – think Kids and Home as well as Designs for Men and Hats.
Nazli Gelin cotton crochet thread – fresh, modern thread crochet projects (doilies included). Home, of course – also wonderful for Bags. How about Toys?
Fresh Designs Crochet call for submissions information (including inspiration boards) and online submission form are available at Cooperative Press.
Postcard scan from modashell on Flickr
One of the things I’ve noticed about knit/crochet items intended for wear by men is the use of sturdy, “manly” yarns. Practical! Washable! Graaaar! In my experience, though, there are a lot of men who really like the feel of soft fibers – cashmere, silk, alpaca – especially in items worn next to the skin. One of my besties likes wearing fabrics that invite touching. What can you do with a soft, comfortable feeling yarn in a design for a man?
Postcard scan from naslrogues on Flickr
People come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. How would you design a sweater for a barrel-chested man? A surfer with broad shoulders and a narrow waist? A big bear of a man with a belly?
The color story for Fresh Designs Crochet: Designs for Men is “Vintage Postcard” – olive green, forest green, chocolate brown, burnt orange, bright reds, turquoise blues, slate gray, black, and cream.
Fresh Designs Crochet call for submissions information (including inspiration boards) and online submission form are available at Cooperative Press.
photo by Steve Koukoulas
The color story for Fresh Designs Crochet: Kids is jelly beans – bright candy colors. Yarns already being used in this book include Berroco Vintage DK in Wasabi, Knit Picks Shine Sport in Clementine, and Knit Picks Imagination Handpaint in Mermaid Lagoon – bright colors and comfortable, wearable fibers. I’m particularly interested in featuring indie dyed yarns in this book; most sock yarns are durable and machine-washable, and make great layering pieces. Speaking of sock yarns, Kids, along with Designs for Men, includes socks. Toe-up socks in particular. I’m also looking for onesies, rompers, and pants.
Please keep in mind that the Kids book is for garments and accessories; all toys will be in the Toys book.
Fresh Designs Crochet call for submissions information (including inspiration boards) and online submission form are available at Cooperative Press.
photo by Wouter Beugelsdijk
The color story for Fresh Designs Crochet: Toys is “treehouse” – as with the other inspiration boards, the color story isn’t necessarily the theme, but if it inspires you, go with it!
Toys aren’t just for kids – take a look at the Blythe Blythe Blythe! Flickr group, for example. I’ve got a Pullip doll myself – and an iPhone, which is really just as much a toy as a tool. These are all toys that can be accessorized and customized – and I’d love to see submission proposals for accessories and companion pieces for toys. Clothes for a teddy bear? A teddy bear for a doll? a sleeve that makes an e-book reader look like a teddy bear?
One of the thoughts I’ve had about Blythe and Pullip dolls lately is that it would be really nice to have custom-made wig stands, hat stands, and dress forms. I’ve got a couple of ideas about how I could crochet one – how about you?
Fresh Designs Crochet call for submissions
Photo: “Foliage” by Robyn Jay
The color story for Fresh Designs Crochet: Hats is “Foliage” – which is a pretty broad-ranging color story, since that includes all the seasons and plants of all sorts. While the color stories aren’t necessarily intended to be a theme, if the inspiration strikes that way, I say run with it. Hats are worn all year round in all kinds of climates; what kind of foliage evokes a hat for hot, humid days? a walk in cool, windy woods? sinking up to your knees in snow? a rainy season?
More recently, I read Turning Writers Into M*********** Rockstars on the Terrible Minds blog (FYI, the blog post title and body include strong language). It includes:
Writers are so polite. Their hobbies tend to match. “Oh, I collect first editions of classic American novels!” “I crochet!” “I have a sugar glider named Lord Byron!”
We’re done with that. It’s time to crank up the volume knob, break it off, and stab the shard of plastic into someone’s neck. Authors need bigger, badder, waaaaay more f*****-up hobbies.
Crochet is polite? The writer, Chuck Wendig, probably hasn’t heard about yarnbombing/yarnstorming or the Crochet Liberation Front. It got me to wondering on Twitter what a crocheted Rockstar Writer hat could look like, and over the weekend, I started playing around with some ideas myself. I’d love to see yours.
DEADLINES: the sooner you can get your submission in, the better. For the first call for submissions for Fresh Designs Crochet, more than half of the submissions that came in up to about a week before the deadline generated emails from me either to correct errors (like typos in an URL), to inquire whether Yarn X would be suitable, or to say ‘really like your hat design you’ve got on Ravelry, do you have more design ideas in that direction?’ Waiting until the last minute can also mean missing the deadline because of a technical difficulty. Not fun.
Deadlines for this call for submissions:
- Submission date deadline: 02 September 2011, Friday, 8:00 pm, Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time: Honolulu.
- Not sure when that is? The timeanddate.com World Clock Time Zone Converter can show you what that will be in your time zone.
- An email confirming that your submission(s) are/have been received for consideration will be sent within 5 working days of your submission. If that form letter does not appear in your inbox within that time, please check your junk/spam mail folder. If it’s not there, please email me at mk [at] cooperativepress [dot] com.
- Acceptance notification deadline: 09 September 2011, Friday. That means final decisions will be made by Friday and you will be sent an email letting you know if your submission has been accepted or not. If you do not receive an email by 11 September 2011, Sunday, please reply to the submission confirmation email and let me know.
- Finished samples and pattern deadline: 20 January 2012, Friday. Finished project to be received by Cooperative Press in Lakewood, Ohio, USA. Finished written pattern submissions to be made via email or online form submission.
