behold, summer

Howdy, folks! Summer is in full swing here in New Jersey. It's mostly been hot and sunny. Although, as I write this, it's cool and raining. I have been crocheting a lot, and also making some postcards, paintings, and other fun things. The other day, I used alcohol inks to color sea shells. I used Mod Podge and bits of tissue paper to decorate rocks on another day. I recently got LASIK eye surgery, and I'm still paying off the costs of the surgery. If you would like to support me, please check out my Etsy shop, GreenOwlCrochet. I also accept crochet commissions. Thank you!

decorated rocks

painted pineapple magnet

a painted sea shell

a postcard I made

Happy holidays!

Happy holidays from my home to yours! I have been sick with rhinovirus for over four weeks now. Despite my illness, I have been working on several projects. In the past month or so, I have made a cactus mosaic, a painted stone, three wooden slice ornaments, a scratch-art picture, two crocheted ornaments, a painted wooden rainbow, a painted ceramic cat, and some doodled postcards. In addition, I am almost done crocheting my panel for a pro-choice yarn bomb that is being organized by Jen LaMastra and Gabrielle Peck. I hope everyone has a lovely holiday season! As always, if you'd like to support my work, please check out my Etsy shop, Green Owl Crochet.

Caron Cotton Cakes review

     Hi, all! I hope everyone is doing well despite the pandemic. Here in northern New Jersey, our grocery stores are running out of supplies like toilet paper, bananas, laundry detergent, etc. On the bright side, I got a commission via my Etsy shop, Green Owl Crochet, for a granny square lap blanket. The customer wanted an acrylic and cotton yarn. I chose to use Caron Cotton Cakes. I love this yarn so much that I wanted to write a review about it. 
    I bought two skeins of Caron Cotton Cakes for a commission. The customer wanted a soft, acrylic/cotton yarn. I went to Michaels (the craft store) and they had a lot of a yarn called Caron Cotton Cakes. I love Caron Cakes, so I figured I would enjoy using their Cotton Cakes. Sure enough, I love them! This yarn is 60% cotton and 40% acrylic. It comes in 8.8 ounce (530 yard) skeins. It is a worsted weight yarn and Caron recommends that you use a size H/8 (5.0 mm) hook with which to crochet this yarn. The yarn is soft and luxurious-feeling. I usually dislike cotton yarns, but again, Caron Cotton Cakes is soft and lovely to work up. 
    I bought two skeins of Caron Cotton Cakes in the colorway Fruit Tropics. Later on, I bought one skein of the colorway Blue Hawaiian. I am not sure what I will do with the skein of Blue Hawaiian. However, as I previously mentioned, I am using the two skeins of the Caron Cotton Cakes in colorway Fruit Tropics to crochet a granny square lap blanket. I am using a size K/10.5 (6.5 mm) hook to work up the lap blanket. 
     Have you ever worked with Caron Cotton Cakes? If so, how do you like it?

the granny square lap blanket I am working on

Fruit Tropics (left) and Blue Hawaiian (right)

another view of Blue Hawaiian

in like a lion

In the past month, I have been crocheting a lot, and writing and making a few pieces of art. My friend, Pepe, commented on a painting I made. He said that it "looks like [Joan] Miro". What a compliment! In terms of my crochet, I made a lap blanket for a friend of mine, Lindsay, and I finished about half of another lap blanket. I am making the latter lap blanket with various scrap yarns. Please do not forget to check out my Etsy shop, Green Owl Crochet. Until next time... Ciao!

"Just Play #1"

close-up of scrap blanket

close-up of rainbow lap blanket

my cat, Callie, models the scrap blanket

discount code for my Etsy shop

If you have always wanted to purchase something from my Etsy shop, Green Owl Crochet, I have good news for you! I am offering 15% off anything in my store with code "AWESOMESAUCE". The code works from now until November 1, 2019. I also accept crochet commissions. If you are interested in commissioning me to crochet you something, my email is ericalaurend on gmail. Thank you!

cat bedding donation

Hello, lovely people! As you know, I love to crochet. In the past year or so, I have crocheted maybe 25 beds for cats. I  donated some to an organization I heard about through a woman from FreeCycle a while ago. Last week, I donated twenty of these cats beds to the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge in Oakland, New Jersey (USA). These beds are all created by hand. It takes about two hours to crochet each bed. I pay for all the yarn myself. It's quite an investment! However, I know that the bedding I make helps the cats at the shelter, so I'm happy to do it. Did you know that I also have an Etsy shop? It is called Green Owl Crochet and it's really cool! I also accept crochet commissions. Cheers! 

more crocheted rock cozies

Hello, beautiful people! Last week, I crocheted five rock cozies. I sell them in my Etsy shop, Green Owl Crochet, as paperweights. They are really fun to make! I am also happy to announce that I even sold one of the crocheted rock cozies. I was delighted about that! I hope everyone is having a good summer. I am definitely looking forward to the fall, though, as I dislike the heat. How about you? Are you looking forward to fall? Ciao! 

March 2019 update!

     Hello, mates! It's the early morning here in New Jersey. I'm awake so that I can feed the baby birds. I figured now is as good of a time as any to update my blog. 
     Last week, I was able to make some art! I made six pieces of art on canvas or cardboard and three pieces of art on 4" x 6" postcards. I was so happy to finally be able to make some art! I'll share some pictures of my art below. Please don't forget that I am @EricaBerrie Instagram. I share more of my art, crochet projects, etc on there.
     I've also been crocheting a bit. Recently, I've made an ear warmer, a wreath (for a customer), and two hats. I also worked on the granny square lap blanket I had started back on Christmas day at my cousins' house. I love having at least one large, easy crochet project going at any given time. If you're interested in buying any of my crocheted goods or commissioning me to crochet something for you, please check out my Etsy shop, Green Owl Crochet. Thank you! 

One of the hats I made! March 22, 2019

Bermuda Circles (mixed-media on canvas)

Angelina and Erica March 2019

Tanager Senna (mixed-media on cardboard)

Yes!! (mixed-media on canvas)

late February crochet projects

I've been hooking up a storm! It's late February and here in New Jersey, it's still nice and cold. We had a snow day last week. I was stuck in the house all day, so I used the down time to crochet a whale stuffie, finish a hat, and start on a cactus stuffie. I still haven't finished the cactus stuffie, due to lack of a dark brown yarn (for the cactus's pot). In the past two weeks, I've also crocheted two cat beds, an ear warmer, and two cowls, and I started on a fall-themed wreath for a customer. Speaking of customers, have you checked out my Etsy shop yet? If not, please check it out! It's Green Owl Crochet. Thank you!

Hats 4 the Homeless

For the past 2-3 weeks, I've been hooking up a storm! I made some holiday gifts for friends and family members. I also made a bunch of items for an organization called Hats 4 the Homeless in nearby Hackensack, New Jersey (USA). For this, organization, I made 7 ear warmers, 5 hats, and 2 scarves. One of the scarves still needs the ends woven in, so it is not pictured here. I hope everyone is doing well. Happy holidays! 

PS- If you would like to support me and help me pay for yarn, please visit Green Owl Crochet, my Etsy shop. Thank you!

deep fall crochet goodness 2018

Hello, beauties! I've been having a lot of bad days, due to my severe pain and fatigue. However, I've still been able to crochet a lot. In the past month, I've made a scarf, a blanket, and two hats. One of the hats is for my dad for one of his Christmas gifts. Speaking of Christmas, what are you all doing this year for the holidays? My mom, dad, and I are driving to Massachusetts to see my aunt, uncle, and cousins. I love going to see them! Alas, car rides make my fibromyalgia pain much worse, so I hope the pain won't be too bad this year. As a friendly reminder, I have an Etsy shop where I sell items I crochet. I also accept crochet commissions. I would greatly appreciate your patronage. Ciao! 

I heart you... (November 2018 update)

I had a huge fibromyalgia flare-up in August and ended up in the hospital. My chronic pain and fatigue have been kicking my butt, frankly. Most days, I have to spend hours in bed. It's awful. I have, however, been able to do some art-making and crocheting! I've made some hats, ear warmers, scarves, and more. I'll donate some of these items to Hats 4 the Homeless. I've also been helping my dad care for the three baby parrots, writing poetry and journals, participating in activism (such as mailing postcards to politicians), and engaging in some street art activities. I've gotten some sales in Green Owl Crochet (my Etsy shop), which is so great! It's always encouraging and uplifting when someone buys something from Green Owl Crochet. If you can, please check out Green Owl Crochet. Also, I accept crochet commissions. Just email me through Etsy and I'll see what I can do. Thank you!

birds, birds, birds!

     I've been living at my dad's house for the past four months to help him care for his parrots' babies. They are hyacinth macaw babies. We now have two! The oldest is Angelina, a girl. The younger baby is temporarily named Carolina. We may, however, change the name, especially since we don't yet know if it is a boy or a girl. 
     When the babies are first hatched, they need to be fed every hour, around the clock. I have a sleep disorder and am often awake at night, so it made sense for me to take over the nightly feedings. My dad does the daytime feedings. We also have a woman who comes in a few times a week to take over one of the feedings. It's exhausting! 
     Between feedings, I've been keeping myself occupied with my usual hobbies (crochet, reading, and mail art). I've also been writing a fair amount of poetry. Last week, I wrote thirteen poems in about three days. It was fun! I'm still doing my volunteer tutoring "job" through Project Literacy. So, yes... the exhaustion is real!
     In the past few months, I've crocheted a large heart, a small heart, a large rainbow, a rock cozy, a stuffed toy pumpkin, a hat, a mason jar cozy, and lots of cat beds. The cat beds are mostly for the local animal shelter, but I also mailed some to friends and acquaintances. I'm currently working on a cowl and a drawstring pouch. My friend Joshua commissioned the pouch from me. Yes, I accept crochet commissions! If you're interested, please email me at ericalaurend on gmail. Also, please check out my Etsy shop, Green Owl Crochet!

the tale of the super-bulky yarn

On Saturday, I received a package I'd ordered from JoAnn's. The package had some large hooks and yarn from Lion Brand's London Kaye line. Since then, I've been crocheting up a storm! In the past, I haven't used super-bulky yarn much. Now, I'm loving it! Here are some pictures of the items I've made. Please don't forget to visit my Etsy shop, Green Owl Crochet. Thank you! 

bad health day, good crochet day

I had a terrible day yesterday. I had "the usual" (severe leg pain and debilitating fatigue), plus a bad headache. I did, however, manage to crochet a lot! I worked on a scarf and a red garland. I had to scrap the scarf because the yarn had so many knots in it that it was giving me grief. The red garland is for my aunt and uncle's Christmas tree for next year. I also started and finished three crochet projects: a mason jar cozy and two rock cozies. All three items are for sale in Green Owl Crochet, my Etsy shop. And please remember that I also accept commissions! Thank you, crochet, for allowing me to feel productive, connected, content, and calm, even during bad days.