Update from the Land of Hooking

I know, when Thing-A-Day ended you all wondered how I was going to fill my time. No need for worry, I'm doing quite nicely.

I recently signed up for another crafty website, Craftster. It's a forum for people who do all sorts of crafty things across the gambit; really, if you can think of it and it's a craft someone on Craftster probably does it. I've decided that there are a few things I absolutely love about Craftster since I joined up about 3 weeks ago. There are a lot of different crafts on there so I can see what lots and lots of people are doing that are crafty and artsy. There are also ways to get advice on various topics and lots of inspiration for different ideas.

Something that Craftster does (and Ravelry does too, though I find Craftster's forums easier to navigate) are craft-alongs. I've started one (a Turtle-Along in the Crochet forums) and posted for two others (Muppet Eyeglasses Holder and White Elephant Crochet Along). I'm also participating (starting this month) in the 2008 Color-Along for any craft where a different color is assigned every month and you make something in that color. There's a Strongbad craft-along that I'd like to get involved with sometime this year too (though admittedly I haven't checked the Strongbad Emails in a while). It's really neat to see what different people are doing with either a similar theme or a similar pattern.

The other thing that I think that Craftster does well are organized swaps. These are swaps where crafters are paired up to send each other presents. The thing to these swaps is that you have to be a Craftster member for at least 1 month and have posted at least (I think) 15 times in order to participate in a swap. There's one coming up that has a closing date the day that my one-month-iversary with Craftster occurs that I'm really interested in. I sent a message to the organizer - and I got my reply that a spot is being held for me! I'm really excited about this for some reason, so I bookmarked the thread about the swap so I can send my information in on the 22nd.

They also do a monthly craft challenge where people make things based on the current theme and then submit them to the forum. At the end of the submittal period, Craftster users vote on their favorite project and the winner gets a prize. This month is a Dollar Store Challenge, and I'm feelin' up for a run to the brand new Dollar Tree in Salem for this one. Submissions are due between April 1-5, so I have plenty of time to get my tax-free dollar shopping and cheap creation juices flowing.

And... on a non-Craftster crafty note: I figured out a way to get yarn cheap when my ginormous stash finally begins to deplete. People list yarn they're trying to offload on both Craigslist and Freecycle. Ooooh baby. Plus, there's a website that sells yarn in bulk at decent discounts that I found recently.

I also just found out that it's National Crochet Month. I have 19 days left in the month, so in honor of National Crochet Month I'm committing to finish a total of 5 projects in the next 19 days. I have three in the works already, plus a Stitch N' Eat this coming weekend - so I don't foresee this as being an issue.

Oh man, this craft "bug" isn't letting up at all; I'm like Christopher Walken needing more cowbell. When we get a house (someday), and I have a craft room... watch out...