Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

Monday, July 29, 2013 As I said in my book, The Fine Art of Crochet, at the conclusion of the introduction: "Fortunately today there are many, many artists who choose to express themselves through the medium of crochet. Although space constraints prohibit me from featuring them all, my hope and my dream is that this book will be a springboard to the understanding, not only for crocheters but for the public at large, that crochet is a valid and vibrant medium in the field of art!" My plan is to continue to educate about crochet as art here on my blog and today I am featuring fiber artist, Patrick Ahern from Los Angels. He is a kind soul and it was a pleasure getting to know him by phone. Patrick Ahern, of Los Angeles, was a musician before he was a crocheter. He likens both skills to each other because he says, “The chords in music are patterns and crochet patterns have rhythm to them as well.” Patrick further explains that he gets a sense in his head, but he doesn’t ha...

Sunday, July 28, 2-13- So, I found the camera in the refrigerator in the bag with corn on the cob, but that's a whole other post in itself! Tuesday, July 23, 2013 I was a teacher of 4 classes at this year's Knit & Crochet Show in Indianapolis last week and I did book signings during the lunch breaks at both the Indy Chapter of CGOA and at Crochetville. So, it was pretty intense and I really didn't take the time to do many photos. Anyway, with or without photos, it was an amazing conference. The registration numbers were high at this wonderful venue, Sheraton Hotel at Keystone Crossing. there were many familiar faces of the CGOA loyal fans, Past Presidents, Amy Shelton, Marty Miller, Karen Klemp, Tosca Mark, Pam Oddi and me! Delma from Alaska has now attended her 19th conference without missing a single one!! She deserves a reward. There were faces from the past and faces I get to see once a year: Nancy Nehring, Joyce Wyatt, Mary Harris, Joan Davis, Jenny King (from ...

Monday, July 15, 2013 I'm delighted to announce today that I'll be introducing a series of guest bloggers who will stop by here periodically to contribute essays on subjects near and dear to their hearts (and mine). Often it will include crochet-as-art as a topic which I hope will be of interest to many. Today I welcome  Kathryn Vercillo. She is a prolific blogger   and a passionate crochet advocate. I guess, if nothing else, I should be known as someone who enjoys the unique and even the odd. For that reason alone, I had to get to know Kathryn and to have her tell me the meaning of "concupiscense"! In 2011 , she awarded me the Awesome Crochet Blog  award for my Free form Crochet and I wrote about it here In 2012 , I introduced Kathryn as my "cyber-friend" and reviewed her just-released book, Crochet Saved My Life Please enjoy Kathryn's essay that follows and many thanks to her for an interesting read! Crochet Art History Resources: 1...

Tuesday, July 2, 2013 Art abounds in the world-class city of Chicago, my new home as of July 7! I consider gardening an art and we can thank former Mayor Daley for enhancing miles and miles of streets, medians and parkways with gorgeous plantings. In addition, businesses add to the floral profusion by sponsoring sculpture exhibits periodically among the plantings. Public art is a part of daily life as the many outdoor sculptures enhance an incredible skyline. "The Picasso" is thought of by residents as more than art; this untitled piece exudes pride and has become an icon that represents this wonderful city. Fiber art is an important component of the vibrant arts community in Chicago; and it is no surprise that I found 20% of the artists in my new book, The Fine Art of Crochet, living right here in the city. This past weekend, I was pleased to visit one of my favorite artists in the book, Pate (pronounced Patty) Connaway at a "performance" he was doing at t...