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Crochet blog – January update

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Hello everyone. Welcome to my crochet blog – January update with a couple of free patterns to start 2021. I have been reviewing and overhauling old blog posts. Turns out the last time I sent a general update was back in April 2019! There is nothing that points to success as a blogger better than consistency 🙂 Possibly why my little blog is still just that…. a very little blog!

Anyway – thank you for reading, despite my lack of proper application to the task.

Project Updates

Lockdown Lapghan

In recent months I have been working on two projects. Firstly I created a pattern for a Lapghan using only one stitch, five colours and a pattern suitable for beginners. I called it Lockdown Lapghan and have worked it up in two sets of colours. You can see these below.

Lockdown Lapghan - berries in snow
Lockdown lapghan – Berries in the snow (with Milo)

lockdown lapghan - autumn sunset
lockdown lapghan – Autumn Sunset

The pattern for the Lapghan is spread across three separate posts as follows:

Lockdown Lapghan charts available to download here

Lockdown Lapghan basic pattern in UK and US instructions here

Lockdown Lapghan finishing and edging instructions here

New Large Heart and Edged Heart patterns

The other project I have just completed is a new crochet heart pattern. This is based on my previous heart pattern which remains my most popular (only popular) blog post. I wanted to create a larger sized heart. This one is c 10cm across when worked in chunky yarn. The free pattern for the new large heart is available here and I have also just added an edging pattern which is shown below. The original post for crochet hearts in three sizes is here

free pattern for new large heart
new large heart pattern

New Large Heart Edging – UK instructions

Starting at the centre of the top of the heart in a contrasting colour work 6 Dc. At the top of the heart into the next stitch work 2Dc. Work 2Dc into the next stitch then Dc into the following stitch. Then work 2Dc into the next stitch and 13 Dc down the left hand side of the heart. At the bottom of the heart work 1 Dc into the gap made by the chain on the previous row then 3Dc into the bottom stitch of the heart.

We are going to complete the second half of the heart edging as a mirror to the first. Work 1 Dc into the gap made by the chain on the previous row then 13 Dc up the right hand side of the heart. Next work 2Dc into the next stitch then Dc into the following stitch. Work 2Dc into each of the next two stitches. Finally work 6Dc down the centre of the right hand side of the top of the heart and finish off.

New Large Heart Edging – US instructions

Starting at the centre of the top of the heart in a contrasting colour work 6 Sc. At the top of the heart into the next stitch work 2Sc. Work 2Sc into the next stitch then Sc into the following stitch. Then work 2Sc into the next stitch and 13 Sc down the left hand side of the heart. At the bottom of the heart work 1 Sc into the gap made by the chain on the previous row then 3Sc into the bottom stitch of the heart.

We are going to complete the second half of the heart edging as a mirror to the first. Work 1 Sc into the gap made by the chain on the previous row then 13 Sc up the right hand side of the heart. Next work 2Sc into the next stitch then Dc into the following stitch. Work 2Sc into each of the next two stitches. Finally work 6Sc down the centre of the right hand side of the top of the heart and finish off.

crochet blog January update - New Large Heart - edging
new large heart pattern with edging

That is it for the crochet blog – January update. Spot the new year’s resolution to be better at posting updates and newsletters and blogging in general. Expect more in February (or not 🙂 ) Happy Crocheting!

Annie 🙂

Full time working parent who blogs

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Hello and thank you for clicking through to this page. If you are here for a general explore – please scroll on down! 🙂

I have been finding it very rewarding to work on my blog in my spare time, evenings, weekends, holidays, the (very) occasional lunch hour at work. BUT – I also find it difficult with such a huge list of things I know I need to do for my blog and NO TIME to do them.

I have seen lots of groups to support bloggers and I have joined a few of them. It is great to be in a group of people who are supportive and who understand what you are trying to do.

There seem to be a lot of stay home Mums and Dads in the groups. I know what that is like (ie very tough) – I have been there/done that. However, my current challenges are different.

I am looking to understand whether there is any demand for a group of bloggers who share the same challenges…..

I work full time in a job that demands far more than the 9 to 5.
I have a long commute – 5hrs a day (so I do blog work whilst commuting!)
I have children who are doing their exams over the next few years

If you would like an invite to join my group please drop me an email to Annie@stickytapeandstring.co.uk or leave a comment here and if there is enough interest we can get started supporting each other!!

thanks for your time!
Annie 🙂

Blog progress #6

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Hello and welcome to my August update.    Note – this post is focussed on my progress as a blogger – if you are here for the crochet please visit the craft projects section of my  blog!

It feels like I have been able to make some real progress this month as I was on holiday from my full time day job for a week or so.     I will include my stats for August compared to July at the bottom of the post.    But the key headline is that traffic to my site has more than tripled in the month.   Here is how I did it:

Actions taken to drive blog traffic

Write new, relevant content – One post I wrote early in the month grabbed the attention out there on Pinterest and I had two or three very exciting days where traffic to my site increased.   This also had a lasting impact as I acquired new followers on Pinterest.   As I had more time available this month I was able to write a new free pattern which again drove additional traffic to my site.   There are lots of actions you can take to drive traffic but having solid content makes it all so much easier.

I used the power of Pinterest –  I use Tailwind to manage this for me but also pin manually from my daily commute.   I am an affiliate for Tailwind so if you click on links on my blog to explore Tailwind that could generate a small payment to me at no additional cost to you.   However, that is not why I am recommending this tool.   Tailwind is a great way to maintain regular pinning, especially if, like me, you work full time and have to cram all your blogging into the weekends and evenings.    The reason I recommend it is simple.   I could not do without it.

I started with the free version but I now pay for a higher level of membership.    I am a member of five active tribes within Tailwind.     These are groups of people who are pinning in the same interest groups.    I post every new pin I write to the relevant tribe which then means that other tribe members see it and if I am lucky they add it to their scheduled pins.   Some of the members of the tribe have many more followers than I do so if I am lucky and one of my pins is selected by a tribe member with a big following it can really help!

Every Sunday I get my Tailwind schedule loaded up with my own pins and pins from other members of the tribes I belong to.    I can schedule pins for a couple of weeks or more but generally only set up one week at a time.    My Pinterest following is growing steadily.    This drives much of the traffic to my blog, and I am sure that this is in no small part down to Tailwind.

I Got started on Instagram – (with the assistance of my children!).   August was my first month on Instagram.   I found it really easy to find like minded people on this platform.   I also found it much easier to share work in progress quickly.    The format is based more heavily on images and there is no click through option so you only need a photo of your work and a few lines of text.

You need to set up a business account which gives you access to insights and stats on how your posts are doing.    This also enables you to include a link to your blog on your profile page.   You get information on how many profile visits you have had in the last seven days.   Those are important because those visits have been to the page that has your blog link and could have driven traffic.

You get an immediate response when you put new material up which is lovely and you can ask for views/opinions which can be helpful.     I haven’t explored the ‘story’ side of Instagram yet.   It is on my do list because I understand you can set up links to your blog from your story.    I can see my blog traffic increase when I gain new followers and put up new content.

Invested more time in Facebook – I had a Facebook account but hadn’t really had chance to use it.    This month I started to get involved in blogger support groups.   If you search for groups in your niche to join on Facebook they will all have their own set of rules you need to follow.   Find groups that fit your needs that have rules you can buy into and put in an application.   It really is worth while spending time on this.   There is so much support and help out there and you will find you can help others too which keeps it all going.     I started working on Facebook late in the month so didn’t see much impact as of yet.   I plan to spend a lot more time on Facebook in September.


So that has been my month!   Here is the impact.

Blog Progress Report – August 18

  • Pinterest followers – 770 (up 67 this month
  • Instagram followers – 313 (up 313 this month!)
  • AdSense clicks – 11 (up 5 this month)
  • AdSense income to date – £1.59 (down £0.23 this month after one really well paid click in July!)
  • Amazon affiliate income – 0
  • Shareasale income – 0    (Tailwind affiliate links)
  • Subscribers – 14 (an increase of 11 :-))
  • Etsy listings – 10
  • Etsy sales – 0
  • Page views – 2,178 (up 1,588 this month!)

I am delighted with progress but worried that it has been a blip that will be hard to maintain…. tune in next month to find out.    Happy blogging!

Annie 🙂

Blog progress #5

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Hello and welcome to my (definitely not weekly) update!     The last time I posted on progress with my blog was mid June.   Since then my day job took over and I haven’t really been able to put out new content.    I have been finding ways to spend what bit of time I had profitably though.   This post covers what I have learned.   At the bottom of the post I will share my progress for July 18 and going forward I plan to share monthly.   Please note – this is an update on the process of running and developing my blog rather than on the crochet side.    For crochet updates and patterns – please check out the craft projects area of my blog! 🙂

How to keep up blog progress when you have NO time!   10 ideas below.

It takes a long time to craft a blog post.   At least, it takes ME a long time to craft a blog post.   Maybe some of you have them tripping off your fingers and all the technical tweaks and twiddles just glide through in your world….. mine is more of a struggle.    Write, read back, edit, read back, scrap and start again, write, read back repeat….  then once I have a post I am more or less happy with…. time spent fighting with the idiosyncrasies of the technical side to post and promote the work.   I could go on – but basically I need a good few hours of clear time to be able to put up a post.    Usually this is a weekend task but there are times when my weekends are just too full.    I have the odd fifteen minutes here and there but no solid block of time.    The list below covers what I have found to be the best uses of these short bursts of time.    These are also the things I do when I am out of inspiration for a new blog post.


Brainstorm ideas for future posts.   You can do this whenever, wherever – as long as it is safe to let your mind wander.  Always carry a notebook!

Take photographs.   Keep an eye out for useful shots.  It doesn’t matter if they are not perfect – you can always crop them and focus on just a small element of a larger shot.   They could give you ideas for a future, more professional shot.

Keep up on social media.   Do you promote your blog on all social media sites?   Does one work better for you than others?  If you are travelling or have a short break in your day.   Make sure you are set up to use social media on your phone and put in any time you have building your network and engaging with your potential audience.

Keep on top of email and comments.   It doesn’t take long to respond to individual emails or comments.   However, if you let them build up it can feel like a big task.  It should be fun/exciting when you get contact from your followers.   Feedback is also a potential generator of ideas for posts so again – keep your notebook handy!

Read other blogs in your niche area and consider what appeals to you.   What works well and why?   What can you learn and apply to your own blog?

Contact other bloggers in your niche area or related subjects and give them support.  I don’t know about you but I am soooo thrilled when someone contacts me with supportive or constructive comments.   I don’t do enough of that but plan to do more!   It only takes a minute or two to leave a comment.

Reschedule Pins on Pinterest that you do not feel have had as much success as they could have had or reschedule Pins that were very successful first time round.   I use Tailwind for this.  I think you can use it for Instagram too but I am only a beginner on Instagram and haven’t yet linked my account to Tailwind.   When you reschedule old Pins make sure the links back to your blog are working!   Please note – these links are affiliates link so if you do click through to the Tailwind site it could generate a small income for me at no additional cost to you.   However, Please note, I am recommending Tailwind because I really rate it!

Develop more content in your niche – for me this means designing crochet items or producing crochet.   Working on existing projects is something I can do when I am too tired to think so it works well when I am busy.

Re-read your own blog (critically).   Blogs build over time and it is easy to forget what you have posted previously.    If you re-read it can help generate new ideas or you might find that there are posts that need a small edit to be brought up to date.   Make sure all the old links are working.   I often find I am reading old articles on other people’s blogs and they are normally still relevant but sometimes the links are no longer working.

Sketch out a draft post.   If you don’t have time to write a post but you do have an idea albeit very high level, get it down on paper or capture it on your device.   This could be in a note app or in the wordpress editor as a draft post.   It is much easier to flesh out an idea that is already written down.  At least – that is my experience!

Those are my 10 ideas.    I hope you find them helpful and that you find the time you need to work on your blog soon.

Finally – here is my status report.   Showing progress in July

  • Pinterest followers – 702
  • AdSense income to date – £1.82   (up £1.70 this month)
  • Amazon affiliate income – 0
  • Shareasale income – 0
  • Subscribers – 3 (myself, my son and MY FIRST actual subscriber – woo hoo!)
  • Etsy listings – 10
  • Etsy sales – 0
  • Page views  – 590 (up 170 this month)

Still a long way to go 🙂  Happy blogging!

Annie.

blog progress #4

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Hello and welcome to my fourth weekly update.   This week is different for two reasons.   Firstly I realised that this is an anniversary of sorts – I set up my blog around a year ago.   Secondly I have decided to split the blog progress updates from the crochet blog because I am not sure whether all readers would want to see both.

The realisation that I have been working at this in my spare time for a little over a year now surprised me.   It feels like I have only really been working on this for a couple of months.   I didn’t put much time into it at first and I didn’t set myself any goals when I started.   Big mistake.    Everything feels a lot more focussed now and in the last two months I have started to make real progress.

My top tips from a year of blogging.

1.  GET STARTED

I spent so long dreaming about starting a blog; talking about starting a blog; reading the work of other people who were starting a blog….  you get the idea.   I spent so long doing everything BUT start this blog.   It can all feel a bit daunting at first but it is like all large tasks, you make a start and chip away at it and before you know it you have a blog!   One thing is certain, if you don’t start, you will never have a blog.   The first step I recommend is get yourself a domain.   I use 1&1.  Many people recommend Blue Host.   If you want real ownership of your content and flexibility to monetise your blog one day it is better to host it on your own domain.   The link below will take you to 1&1 where you can have fun checking out potential names for your blog.   1&1 have very low pricing for starter packages.   At the time of writing these start at £0.99 per month for the first year, £4.99 per month thereafter.  You probably won’t need more than a starter package – if you do that would mean your blog had really taken off and would be a nice problem to have!!   Don’t let anything hold you back – make a start today and get your blog off the ground.

2.  WORDPRESS

WordPress is a really easy way to get your blog up and running and it is free.    1&1 offer a download which takes minutes to load.   I paid for a ‘theme’ when I started because I read that some of the free themes do not allow you to set up advertising.  Here is a link to one of my first posts from last year  where I went into more detail on setting up your blog and included a link to the free tutorials that helped me get started.   The more you work with WordPress the easier it gets so again my recommendation is JUST GET STARTED!!

3.  MONETISE straight away but don’t stress if nothing much happens!

I waited until the last few months to get started with monetising my blog but there is no reason to wait.   Many of the affiliate schemes out there and advertising plans accept newbies.   I am a member of the 1&1 affiliate programme as you can see from the link above.   This has not brought me any income so far but it could do – at no additional cost to my readers.

I also use Google AdSense which is great fun if only for the trackers that show how many page views and clicks your site has gained.   See my status report at the bottom of this post.

My final recommendation is to join Shareasale through which you can apply for links for products and services you want to recommend.   There is no charge to you for this. When readers of your blog click on these links you will earn a small income at no additional cost to your reader – everybody wins!   Join shareasale.com, Earn Cash!

4.  USE SOCIAL MEDIA

Use social media to build up a following which will then drive traffic to your blog.   Whatever your niche build up a profile in that subject area.   This year I have used Pinterest mainly.   There is a huge amount of help and advice out there on Pinterest and facebook in particular where you can also link up with other bloggers who help and share in your progress.   I have found Pinterest to be a quick way to build a following.  Facebook seems to require more work and I haven’t really used very much as yet.    Twitter and Instagram also help drive traffic  but again need more time spending on them.   These are on my list for this coming year.

5.  PUT OUT CONTENT REGULARLY

I have had the most success when I have put out content on my blog weekly or bi weekly.   With Pinterest I have gained the most followers when I have pinned around 20 times per day.    My pins are partly my own content but also quality content that I have found on Pinterest.   Pinning takes time and to be effective needs to be spaced through the week.

I use Tailwind to schedule my own pins and pins from my Tailwind tribes.   This allows me to put in a couple of  hours on my blog at the weekend and benefit all through the week when I am busy with my day job!  Using Tailwind has enabled me to build my Pinterest following quickly.

Tailwind tribes are genuis – they allow you to find like minded bloggers and make connections that give you the chance to promote their work whilst showing them your posts and gaining help from them.

I am a member of the Tailwind affiliate programme but have not yet earned any income.   Tailwind is free to use at entry level but I have now upgraded to a paid service.   I simply couldn’t run my blog without Tailwind as I am so pushed for time during the week.

The other recommendations I have read up on but cannot claim to have experience of yet are as follows:

  • Build a mailing list – I just set mine up so will report when I know more
  • Guest post on other blogs – I received my first invitation to do this and I plan to take that up when I have some really good content to share
  • Build your network – comment on other blogs and follow like minded bloggers.   This is very much in my plan for the coming year.There is so much you can do when you have a blog, so many strategies to try.   It doesn’t have to take up all your time though.   To repeat myself (again) – my heartfelt recommendation is to give it a go – just get started.   I have had so much fun doing this this year and I am looking forward to a successful second year.


    Finally – here is my status report.   Showing progress in the last seven days:

    • Pinterest followers – 602  (up 27 this week)
    • AdSense income to date – 40p   (up 8p this week)
    • Subscribers – 1 (me – it was a test)
    • Etsy listings – 10
    • Etsy sales – 0
    • Page views last seven days – 61 (up 27 this week)

My focus this last week was on Pinterest board descriptions and I have increased my following more rapidly so it could be that that has been paying off.    Next week I plan to work on my group board applications.    That’s all from me.  More next week.

Happy blogging!

Annie 🙂

2 June 2018

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Hello 🙂  Welcome to the third weekly update on my journey to being a full time craft blogger and designer.    Ooooh that sounds exciting when written down….  but to put it into perspective, this journey could take me the remainder of my working life and I might not actually be a full time craft blogger until I retire from paid employment in my 70’s!

This week I have been working on defining my goals and developing a tracker so I can measure progress.   Some of my goals feel like an awfully big stretch from where I am now but all the advice out there says to aim high!   The goals needed to be broken down into smaller targets for the next six months.   Here they are from my bullet journal…..   I will be adding to these targets as I work out what is most important and what works.

One of the top tips for beginner bloggers is to set up and manage your own mailing list.   I learnt quite a lot this week whilst researching  and setting up my mailing list.  If you are reading this you might have been invited to join mine!    I hope you will join 🙂  I will write a separate post on this in a couple of weeks when I can comment on how well it is working for me.

Focussing on the technical side of my blog this week I have also been researching hints and tips for bloggers on Pinterest.   There seem to be so many blogs out there about blogging and many of them are promoting courses that claim to enable bloggers to turn their hobby into full time income.   The courses are expensive!!   I am not against investing in my blog.   I have spent a little already on getting set up with my own website using 1&1  there is a link to 1&1 below (note this is an affiliate link which could give me a little income at no increased cost to you).   1&1 have several low cost entry plans where you can set up and really own your blog from the start giving more flexibility and protection for your work.   Many of the plans come with free domain names and it is good fun checking out which names are available – checking costs nothing 🙂

1&1 Ionos

At the moment, I believe that there is so much more I can learn from reading and researching without spending money on courses.   I have a long list of things to work on and I will share with you anything that makes a big difference.    The top tips I will be working on this week are as follows:

  • Improve board descriptions on Pinterest – include key words
  • Apply to join group boards – although this is getting a mixed press currently
  • Declutter my blog

On the creative side this week I have merged two projects!!   My sample blanket that was stalled because I couldn’t come up with a design I really liked, and the heart patterns from last week.   I have made a pattern for the heart within a square and it is the same size as the sample square pattern I produced earlier this year.   Here is a link to the free pattern for the sample square.   I will be writing up the pattern for the heart square this week so I can share it in next week’s update.

I have worked up a few heart squares in the Drops Paris – 100% cotton yarn and here they are laid out in the start of the design I plan to complete.   This is a great stash busting project.   The other really good thing about this project is that it is perfect for working up on the train!   I have worked out that I am going to need more yarn though…. not a help to my stash busting efforts.    I have a room full of yarn and seem to keep needing to buy more!! 🙂

I picked up a tip from Kat over at KrazyKabbage on the best conditions to photograph large projects outside and I have managed to take this photo of my big Sunshine Flower blanket.   This is the best photo I have taken so far – very happy with it.

In the evenings this week I worked a few more sections of my Spring Flower blanket.   I am really pleased with the way this is coming on and I am documenting the pattern at every stage so I will have another item to list on Etsy when I am done.  I don’t have a photo this week but will share again next week.

I will probably list the blanket on Etsy too but when I cost the blankets in terms of the time they take to make, plus materials, the price I need to charge makes them unaffordable.   I am listing them with little hope of a sale but at least they show the patterns.

Finally a weekly status report.  I am hugely excited by the leap in my advertising income which has almost doubled…… to 31p  🙂

  • Pinterest followers – 556
  • AdSense income to date – 31p
  • Subscribers – 1 (me – it was a test)
  • Etsy listings – 10
  • Etsy sales – 0
  • Page views last seven days – 34

I am starting to track page views – apparently this is key to success.    Stickytapeandstring.co.uk is currently running at around 140 page views per month.   Some bloggers quote 1000 per day as being the level you need to be taken seriously…. As I say – this is not going to be a short journey!    More next week….

happy crocheting and happy blogging,

Annie 🙂