Welcome 2012!

     Happy 2012 everybody!  I hope everyone is having a great start to the year.  As I mentioned in my last post the end of a year and start of a new one always brings about some sort of reflection, and with evaluation often comes improvement.  Here are a few things HN&S hopes to acheive in the new year and some of the changes we're looking forward to.

Renovations

Here are a few changes that HN&S will undergo in this year,

• Overhaul of the blog; I'm going to be changing the layout, look and content of the blog
• Blog layout; background, sidebars, charts, search buttons...
• Weekly projects; I'm hoping to blog and complete a project a week.  These will include small projects as well as a large one here and there when I've completed it.  They will usually but not always contain a pattern.
• Blog tone; I will be adding a more personal touch to the blog, instead of dealing mostly with business information I will be blogging also about personal matters relating directly or inderectly to the business and crafting.  I will also be including more stories and photos of my kitties as they tend to gravitate towards anything crafty.

• Official website; I'm hoping to get an official website up and running this year

• New media outlets; I don't want to go into details as they are still in the early stages, but I'm hoping to launch at least one new 'site' (hint: it will involve tutorials) *exciting*

Projects

Here are some projects HN&S will be working on this year,

•   The New Line; it hasn't been forgotten, just put on hold while other things get sorted out

•  Clothing line; last year I started working on some clothing designs and I hope to get out a few products in 2012

• Misc Projects; this year I'm hoping to take some of my other crafts to the next level and experiement with new ones
• Paintings; I'd like to start a few basic florals or abstracts and put them up on my site.
• Photography; mostly landscapes and nature, but I'll be dabling into other areas as well.
• Soap making; I've always wanted to try this, perhaps the new year will bring on the opportunity.
• Jewlery making; another hobby I set up some time ago but haven't worked on in a very long time.  I hope to get the opportunity to play with it a little more this year.

     I'm sure as the year progresses these goals will change and new ones will emerge.  I hope you'll follow along with me as I tackle 2012!

Keep Crafty everyone and happy 2012!

HN&S

Welcome to Hook, Needle & Spindle's Blog.  My name is Monica and this is my very own tiny, cozy corner of the internet.

A little bit about me

I was born and raised in northern Ontario, isolated on a small stretch of highway 11 as it hits its most northern point in the province.  Crafting and resourcefulness was a way of life.  Whether it was at my grandmother's, my friends' or at home, I was always around crafts and crochet/knitting was as much a part of my childhood as was school or snow storms.  

Despite learning to crochet early I didn't really get hooked (no pun intended) until my teens.  I took it up again around 16 and haven't stopped since.  I mostly enjoy making large heavy weight blankets but have made and continue to make just about anything I can think of.  I have recently gotten into hats and cowls (thanks to my friend Becky) which is quite fun.

A little bit about Hook, Needle & Spindle (HN&S)

Over the years I've always toyed with the idea of selling my creations, it was always just a matter of time, effort and motivation.  With the proper tools (internet) and inspiration (friends and family) in place HN&S was born! At the moment, HN&S consists of an Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/MonicaGarvie), a Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hook-Needle-and-Spindle/201195989891396) and this blog.  I'm hoping to soon add an official website and have a small catalog out over the next few months.

HN&S is about more than just about crochet, knitting and spinning.  It's about all crafts and arts; from knitting and crochet, to cross-stitch and sewing, to painting and drawing, to metal works and carpentry to even cooking and gardening. The sky is the limit.  Join me in this blog as I plow through projects, learn new skills, perfect old ones, get crafty in the community and of course endure the ups and downs of a small crafty business.

As a final note in this brief introduction I'd like to say a few thank yous to some important people:  

On the crafting side, there is of course, my mother who was always a busy crafting bee and a very resourceful woman.  I now draw on my childhood memories of her and her crafting to help inspire my works.  She patiently waited and tried to teach me crochet as a little girl though it didn't really take until I was in my teens, which leads me to Charlotte, my first boyfriend's mother.  I spent many evenings at their home and became interested once again in crocheting as I watched her make more and more blankets.  She taught me some basic crochet and gave me a big ball of yarn which eventually became my first project: a mini blanket.  These two women gave me my first tastes of crochet and the tools I needed to further the passion.  

Chan with her Cross-stitch

Becky with some newly spun yarn

I'd also like to give thanks to my friend Chan (Lori) who introduced me to Cross-Stitch and Becky who introduced me to Spinning and Carding Wool.

Another special thanks goes out to Becky who has and is inadvertently teaching me humbleness and motivating me to 'get up and get to it'.  She has accomplished in mere months what I have thought of for years.  Much of my start up networking is simply following her lead and walking in her footsteps.  She, and many like her, serve as a great source of inspiration and encouragement to me.

On the support side, my thanks go out to my parents for their love and encouragement and a big special thanks to Ken whose faith in me and my dreams has always been beyond reproach or question. Any faith I have in myself comes from him.

Ken and I at one of his hockey games

My last (but not least) thanks is of a spiritual nature.  Though I may not be close to my Creator I hope to be one day.  If God is indeed watching over me and helping to guide me along to a more fulfilling and satisfying life then many thanks are owed, and many thanks are given.  Without this help and guidance I would surely fail.