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2011 Awesome Crochet Blog: Free Form Crochet

December 23, 2011 In case I don't get to blog on my regular blogging schedule on Monday what with having the family and grandkids here and all the eating we will have to be doing, I shall post my pre-Christmas joy today! I was awarded the 2011 Awesome Crochet Blogs Award for Freeform Crochet by Kathryn of Crochet Concupiscence . Kathryn , You said in your write-up that I am "friendly," but you are a sweetheart. You offer so much in your blog and yet you are always so appreciative and giving to others. I really appreciate this award and am honored to receive it from you! Stay tuned...I am very excited about another free form project I have in the works. This award has giving me a spark of inspiration to make it my best yet! Thanks again and have the happiest holiday ever! Read about the winners in other Awesome Blog categories:

Me Gifts for Me!

Monday, December 19, 2011 Christmas has come early!! Three new books have been added to my library. It seems my friend Josie in NYC likes to touch and feel books! She orders them and then if she doesn't think she'll ever crochet anything from them, she kindly sends them on to me. Thus I acquired Crochet So Fine by Kristin Omdahl and Creating Crochet Fabric by Dora Ohrenstein. Both are lovely books and I might just have to make the honeycomb neck warmer in Kristin's book RIGHT NOW!  Or maybe it would be a good idea to finish the cowl that I have on my designer's drawing board!It only uses one skein so should be quick. Dora's book is a masterful tome about all aspects of crochet. She has put a lot of work and study into the information she offers. It is a must have for any crocheter's shelf. Last week I bought a funky little book at Half-Price books: Downtown DIY Crochet: 14 easy designs for city girls with style.This book is cleverly put together with drawi

Book Review: Austentatious Crochet

Tuesday, November 22, 2011 You know they say, "Give and you will receive." I was the "buddy" of Melissa Horozewski at the Chain Link Crochet Conference in 2011 in Manchester, NH. She was a delightful person to get to know and to accompany to some of the activities throughout the crochet-filled weekend. At the time she was working on her book, which was untitled. Last week I was quite surprised and excited when her autographed book, Austentatious Crochet, arrived in my mailbox. In her accompanying note, Melissa expressed her gratitude for my helpfulness as her buddy. The buddy program has been a resounding success for CGOA, and I was happy to be a part of it. It is not tough work and crocheters are the easiest people befriend! Now on to the the review... During our brief weekend together, Melissa and I didn't get a chance discuss topics beyond our common passions for crochet. WOW! I didn't know how literary she is! In her bio Melissa says that if a ho

Crochet Can Be Distracting!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 Early one morning last week, I was dressed and ready to go out, dressed in crochet, but wanted to get the crock pot going with arroz con pollo to simmer all day. Suddenly, I realized I was missing one ingredient: a can of diced tomatoes! The chicken and all the seasonings were in the pot and I had no other choice than to run out to the grocery to buy the can of tomatoes. No problem, I thought; I will turn it on low and be back within 20 minutes. It will hardly be heated up by then and I'll just throw the tomatoes on top. I created "Americana Jacket" in probably 1997 and published the instructions to make it in February 1999 in Arts & Crafts Magazine. (The crock pot story will continue). I don't know if that magazine still exists and I consider the jacket a bit tattered by now, but I do enjoy wearing it, especially in the fall. Denim is timeless and well, it has crocheted sleeves. I was just about keeping on schedule until I got in

Scary Goblins? Gruesome tricks? What I love about Halloween!

Monday, October 31, 2011 There is something about October and Halloween time that really strikes my fancy. Is it the crisp leaves, drying and falling? No, they make my nose itch! Maybe it is the crisp air with sunshine, if we're lucky. No, it reminds me of winter not far behind! It has to be the color or maybe it's the apples! Fall colors are not ones that I do well, so I really do appreciate being surrounded by them in nature. It is a gradual process as the chlorophyll is spent and the array of oranges, rusts and browns phase in and jolt the senses against the perfectly clear blue sky? Why is it that some burning bushes turn bright red much sooner than others? Try looking at the big picture: a line of colorful trees in a park, blasts of color along the highway. Apples are so fine just by themselves but amazing when they become a part of the myriad of recipes that I just have to make this time of year: apple pie, apple crunch, fresh apple cake with cream cheese icing,

I Love Yarn day, October 14, 2011

Tuesday, October 18, 2011 I was super-excited about this event and while there with all my crocheting buddies, I totally forgot to take pictures!We met on October 14, the day designated by the Craft Yarn Council as I Love Yarn day. To me it was a no-brainer: what a perfect way to spend a day, celebrating our love of yarn, our love of the fiber arts and our love of edible treats. I arranged for us to meet at Portillo's restaurant in Vernon Hills, IL and I posted it on the Northern IL Chapter of CGOA Ravelry page as well as the Ravelry events page. I also let the Crocheters of the lakes Chapter know about it. We had representatives from both chapters and we had quite a contingent of bi-stitchers who do both crochet and knit. We shared tales of local yarn stores, we shared characteristics of the yarns we were working with and we shared french fries! It is amazing how our strands of yarn bind us together as almost instant friends. There is something about the fell of yarn runni

Bobbles & Bikes!

Monday, October 11, 2011 It is Columbus Day and for many it means no mail and maybe even a day off work if you are a government worker. For me, semi-retired, it means pretty much the same: do the laundry and stay home and blog! Today is special, though; I met my friend Rita for a bike ride in Busse Woods (a forest preserve) and we ended our experience with crochet lessons in our breakfast spot - Ritzy's. Today was yet another incredibly gorgeous day and perfect for a bike ride. We do just under 8 miles in our route which takes an hour. The woods is loaded with fall color; the sites and sound of falling leaves and even a view of the Elk that live there. I am not one to count the days or pay attention to the weather; I refuse to let the weather get in my way! However, we have been having a phenomenon here in Chicago that must be counted: we are in at least our 9th consecutive day of glorious hi-70s and 80s temperatures with sunshine and not a drop of rain. Hallelujah! Rita hoste

Today Was a Day...

Tuesday, October 4, 2011 Today was a day like every day should be: early start and out for a walk in the warm sunshine and then off to the local yarn shop for my Fuzz-Along (formerly Crochet Connection). What a great group of serious stitchers and they are all so nice! We must have been celebrating the return of one particpant who had been on a 3-week river cruise in Denmark because we had donuts and candy corn today! I was able to help two of them with crochet quandries which always makes their day! I even got a few more facets of my current free-form crochet creation done! Following that group I gave a private bead-crochet lesson and another bead-crocheter was born into the world today. She was very excited about what she learned and was going home to continue "spiraling" beads. After a couple of errands, I still had time to read a few chapters on the sun-filled deck, but my mind was spining with thoughts of beads. I strung up a little mix of random-color left overs

Crochet Defines Me

Wednesday, September 21, 2011 Or at least it feels like crochet defines me. It's what I do; it keeps me busy. When Antonio, our friend from Mexico came to visit a few weeks ago, I forgot to post this pic. Here is is with daughter, Bethany. His mother was so sweet to send along this colorful afghan as a gift to me: Last week I met my friend, Ashley, for her weekly challenge. She has asked 52 of her best friends to give her a challenge to carry out weekly during the year that preceeds her 30th birthday. Mine of course was for her to be learn or at least be exposed to crochet by MOI!! We met at the LYS nfd truthfully, she was a great student and learned well. She enjoyed it too and found it relaxing right away! Yay, another crocheter is born into the world! We were out of town for the weekend at a family reunion and then a quick visit to see the grandchildren. JACK CHLOE I got home too late on Monday to go to my new Fibonacci study group; oh well, I w