Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

Wednesday, October 30, 2013 Karen Ballard and I have a mutual love of free form crochet. We met for the first time in a class taught by Prudence Mapstone of Australia at the Chain Link Crochet Conference 2011. I admire Karen's vast knowledge of needle work history and am grateful for her willingness to share with us as my guest blogger this week. Karen wearing a World War II-era knitting hat with stubby needles on top Karen's Heritage Heart,  with flowers symbolic of her heritage, is currently on tour with Prudence Mapstone's traveling "Hearts & Flowers Exhibition" in Australia and New Zealand   World War 1 Attitudes About Crochet by Karen Ballard In 2008, I coined that term, "Workbasket Campaigns" to describe the organized efforts during World War I (WWI) and World War II (WWII) coordinated through the American Red Cross {ARC} and the Navy League to create needle crafted items.  These items were mostly knitted but also sewn, qu...

Monday, October 28, 2013 Soon it will be one year that I started my volunteer job as coordinator of a Cancer & Crochet Support group at my local hospital. Today, I want to celebrate the life of one of our members who died last week. Even though Judy was in hospice, she continued work on her goal of making 100 caps for the premature babies at the hospital. She reached and exceeded the goal with 125 hats! During her last ten days of life, she attended a special event hosted by my CGOA chapter in her wheel chair with oxygen; she also came to the support group. She was one strong and determined woman and we will miss her terribly! I've long known the value of crochet as a healing tool and a method of relaxation. I reviewed books that cover this topic beautifully: Crochet Saved My Life and Contemplative Crochet. Recently my friend Rita, an art therapist, came to share with the group. Rita, Art Therapist, leading group This was the group's first attempt at thread croch...

Thursday, October 24, 2013 Welcome to my Kweendom and I am so happy to be a part of Kristi Simpson's Blog Tour. I know you'll love her book and I wish you luck in winning a copy in my give-away. For details on winning, see below... Sweet & Simple Baby Crochet By Kristi Simpson If there were nothing else in this book besides adorable photographs of babies, it would be well worth the price. But lucky for you there is much much more: a bonus of thirty-five adorable and unique pattern designs for baby-wear! Large, colorful photographs of the projects worn by precious children add to the allure of the book, but in addition, concise step-by-step photos throughout are ideal for beginners. Throughout the book a wide range of readily available yarns are used in the designs. This is another great way for beginners to learn about yarns as they learn to crochet.  These are not your run of the mill baby patterns. Because Kristi uses fun colors and mixes different ...

Thursday, October 24, 2013 Dee and I have been crochet friends for quite some time. I've enjoyed teaching for her chapter of CGOA in Connecticut; I've taken classes from her and I've written about her in an article about "Collecting Crochet" for Piecework Magazine where again, she shared her love of hook collecting.  Dee is known as the "crochet cheerleader" and she blogs as CrochetWithDee . Dee Stanziano Magic Wands by Dee Stanziano: Magic wands; all crocheters have them.  Cleverly disguised as magic wands, crochet hooks vary in many aspects including color, shape and material.  Some are mass produced, others are hand crafted. Some are heirlooms; others are brand new, waiting to cast their first stitches.  With refined practice, we are able to wave our crochet hooks seemingly effortlessly, turning simple string into an array of loops that becomes a series of stitches, and those stitches magically turn into fabric.  Yes, crochet hooks are ju...

Monday, October 21, 2013 Much as I hate to see the vibrant colors, invigorating air and doses of sunshine on the shoulders come to an end, it is also fun to pull out last year's scarves, cowls and shawls in anticipation of wrapping up for cozy days and nights of crocheting. Paisley Cowl-2013 Seven paisleys were languishing in the "deal-with-this-later" pile when the President of my CGOA chapter offered up a UFO Challenge. I didn't win the $50.00 drawing, but I got a new cowl finished! To "wrap up" news of my autumn activities, all I can say is it has been quite hectic. Capitol Building, Des Moines, IA: birthplace of our eldest Riverwalk in Des Moines: clear skies, crisp air! Quilt Study Center, Lincoln, NE Visiting Alan's sister, Alice: tractor museum Chicken wire gown: art museum campus of U of NE Detail Promoting my book, blogging more often and an array of guest bloggers has kept me on my toes. I have been...