Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

As you have probably noticed, I regularly post to my blog on Tuesday. Hearing the news today that Marinke, aka Wink , succumbed to suicide last Friday, I feel compelled to post today in the hopes that reading this will underscore the great support from the crochet community that we all know and understand. Wink was featured in Kathryn's book, Crochet Saved My Life , which I reviewed in 2012. Depression was a long and difficult battle for Wink and her creative endeavors greatly comforted her and motivated her to reach out to other crafters through her blog, A Creative Being .  This time unfortunately, being creative and reaching out was not enough. For those of us who so believe in the healthful benefits of crochet and crafting, this is devastating. Seeing her blog which is brightly colored and happy-looking is so sad and ironic when the realization sinks in that she was suffering deeply. My contribution crocheted from Wink's pattern: Spoke Mandala Crocheting one of ...

As the author of one of the earliest kids’ crochet books myself ( Kids Can Do It Crocheting , 2003), I know a thing or two about how to teach children to crochet. I highly regard the book Deborah has produced. It is chock-full of everything one needs to know in order to become an enthusiastic crocheter; yet she breaks it down into progressive parts that serve to hold a child’s interest without them getting discouraged. In July 2014, Deborah was a featured Guest Blogger on my blog where she wrote about her passion for teaching children to crochet and revealed that she was working on a book on the same subject! With 34 years’ experience teaching in venues as diverse as park districts, needlework conferences and homeschooling, Deborah has degrees in both English and Theatre. All of her teaching experience, bundled with her passion for crochet, makes for an excellent guide book that helps children to learn to crochet and carry on the legacy we all love! Deborah’s to...

“Cute” is the only word to describe the twenty patterns found within this book by animator, Vanessa Chan. As she points out, “There are endless possibilities to create whatever you want with just a few stitches.” You’ll learn how with these patterns ranging from easy to complex.

Reviewer’s Note: As a participant myself in the very first Coral Reef Project in Chicago, I also featured the project in my book amazon, The Fine Art of Crochet  in the section entitled Era of Collaboration. If you also participated as a crocheter in one of the many and varied Coral Reef around the world, you will want to buy this book which includes YOUR name, as a keepsake! Even if you didn’t crochet a hyperbolic model for the reef, you will want to own this coffee table-style book that is full of colorful fiber art created by activists and collaborations of makers.

Honk! Beep! Vroom! by Cathy Smith This new book published by Martingale  has not only projects for children but also for adults. Crocheters everywhere will enjoy making these interesting vehicles as gifts. Eight projects complete with moving parts are featured including a police car, taxi, ambulance, convertible care, dump truck, VW Beetle, bus, and firetruck.