Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

Monday, May 20, 2013 I met Sheryl Thies last October when I attended the symposium put on by the Knit & Crochet Heritage Museum in Madison, WI. An out-going and friendly person, she is also a talented crocheter and knitter. I am delighted to review her latest book, her second, on Tunisian Crochet. Tunisian Crochet Encore : New Stitches, New Techniques, New Patterns by Sheryl Thies Published by Martingale, 2013 I had a very positive experience over ten years ago with Martingale publishers when I participated as one of the designers in Crochet Today , a book they published to celebrate the Crochet Guild of America. Today, Martingale and Sheryl Thies do not disappoint! She had me at page one! The word “encore” in the title gives a hint to the creative metaphor that Sheryl uses throughout the book. She muses that once the basic Tunisian skills are achieved, crocheters will develop a rhythm with their hook and not be able to put it down, much like when a line or rhythm...

Wednesday, May 15, 2013 On April 24, we moved into the next phase life when we received an offer on our house which has been on the market for three years! Even though we willingly made the decision to sell our house back then and are well aware that we need to downsize, it still came as a shock. Signing those papers sent me into a whirling dervish-like scenario which included mixed emotions of both exhilaration and sadness with a dose of panic thrown in! It has been my dream for years to live in the city of Chicago and enjoy this fabulous city during the lush spring and fall seasons and then to have a winter house in Mexico. We had the winter house in Mexico and enjoyed it for 7 years, but sold it a year ago when we realized that we didn't want to be away from our grandchildren and family for six months during the winter. We have now leased a condo in the city of Chicago and will try city living for a year. Maybe I'll get the call to live there out of my system. We don...