Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

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, ...

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...

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...

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 ...