Bon Voyage Crochet Projects

I'm about to set off on honeymoon to Paris. Even though we'll only be going for a week (and we'll have a very small baggage allowance), I can't face the thought of leaving my yarn and hooks behind. I also like the idea of being able to make something in a foreign country and being able to bring it home as a special momento.

Many of my current wips require lots of yarn or many colour changes, so I need to pick a project that will be easy to travel with.  Below are a few projects that would be perfect to stash in your suitcase and hook up while on distant shores....

Florence Triangular Scarf - by Roest

Crochet Photo Frames - Ideas Magazine

Lace Stockings - by Shiri Mor

Kindle Cover - by Mon Petit Violon

Happy crafting x

Etsy Pricing Formula Printable

Starting an Etsy store is no joke. There are so many things to think about, and often questions you need to ask yourself that you didn't know you needed to ask. With the help of books like Craft Inc, I had some idea of what I needed before I opened Darling May Crochet but there still was (and is) lots to learn.

One of my biggest conundrums was how much to charge per item. There is a useful price formula that you're sure to find when you start trying figuring this out:

Materials + Labour + Expenses + Profit = Wholesale x2 = Retail

To make sure I get this right, I've created a little helpful template to work this out. You can download this printable here.

Happy crafting!

P.S. Do you have suggestions of sections to include on the download? Get in touch to help me make it even more useful.

Craft Room Decor: Yarn Wall Prints

Darling May Crochet HQ is almost a year old! I've been thinking of making my little craft room prettier by hanging up a few prints. At first, I thought about a few inspirational quotes. You've got to love a good well-placed quote to keep the motivation up. Then, I had a brainwave. Surely there must be some yarn-themed wall hangings out there? Of course, Etsy didn't disappoint. I found these lovelies. What do you think? Which print do you like most?

Prints from:

Woah There Pickle

Bokeh Ever After

Lucky Ink Design

Crochet: A Guest I Couldn't Not Invite To My Wedding

I was the nightmare bride, but not in the way you may think. I was the bride who had no plans. Mere weeks before my wedding I was still being asked the usual questions like "What's your colour scheme, Robynne?" My reply? "Ummmm, I don't really have one." In fact, I didn't even have table cloths or much decor until the Tuesday before my wedding. Heart-stopping stuff, right? Magically, everything worked out beautifully and I had the wedding I never even dreamed I wanted.

One thing I was absolutely sure I was going to have on our special day was elements of crochet. At first my plans were grand. Decor would be crocheted. Favours would be crocheted. The dress shall be crocheted! As time quickly dwindled away though, my plans became less ambitious and I settled for crochet bouquets and crochet ties for the groomsmen.

I began the wedding crochet in earnest after I stitched in my last ends on my Christmas gifts. Following a wonderful pattern from Red Heart Yarns, I crocheted flower after flower in my spare time using Patons 4ply cotton. The pattern for the bouquet can be found here. Due to time limits (i.e. due to the fact I still had not assembled my bouquet the night before the wedding. I lie, my sister-in-law actually took on the role of assembly for me. She saved a bride from burning the midnight oil and I shall forever be in her debt.) I did not use the suggested method of placing the stems in a polystyrene cone. I simply used flower tape and wrapped it around the wire stems. I adore how they all turned out.

As I sell crochet ties on my Etsy store, I feel I could make them in my sleep. 6 ties were dutifully stitched in Rowan 4 ply cotton following the pattern from Geek Chic Crochet. The groom, his men, his dad and my brother were all very lovely to agree to wear a tie on the day.

It's a difficult task to made a wedding "unique" but being able to incorporate this little passion of mine on such a special day made me feel like our wedding was very "us". Also, it saved a heck of a lot on our budget not having to buy fresh flowers.

P.S. Want to know how to willingly get every lady up for the bouquet toss? Throw a crochet bouquet!
P.P.S. Our gorgeous pictures were taken by the lovely Dearheart Photos.