Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

We always come home from the Crochet Guild (CGOA)-sponsored conference on such a high. It does take a while to come down from the excitement. This year I came home on the "red-eye," San Diego-Chicago, and spent all of Sunday in a fog-like trance. Probably won't do that again! It was not without great forethought and trepidation that I attended this year leaving my husband with 24-7 caretakers in charge. All went real well from start to finish for both him and me. I couldn't have had smoother travel. I loved my hotel room and enjoyed the balcony and the near-perfect San Diego sun & air. I logged lots of steps on my Fitbit. To my great relief, I found everything in good shape when I returned and thank goodness for texting as I was able to keep in close touch with my dear husband every day and often! I arrived Thursday afternoon and enjoyed a leisurely time getting the lay of the convention center, getting registered, and running into familiar faces. Oh yeah, and...

Colorful Crochet Lace I loved reading Mary Jane’s introduction, and felt like I was right there in the room with her as she shared her excitement for creating this book of chic crochet patterns for us.  Inspired by the architecture, fashions, gardens and culture of France, the patterns all carry French-inspired names. I couldn’t wait to take a look at this collaborative approach and to see how Mary Jane translated her inspiration into crochet! Known for her exquisite styling when it comes to her pattern designs, this book is no exception! The pineapple is a classic crochet pattern, but used as a peplum on the cover design, Haute Couture , it is a perfect example of how Mary Jane uses vintage style to create on-trend fashions. She has also developed the use of another classic technique which she calls the Graduated Stitch Method as her signature approach to create elegant shaping in her garments. As we’ve come to expect from the folks at Interweave, great diagrams, bea...

Imagical Seasons Vol. 1: Spring Imagical Seasons Vol. 2: Summer The interesting title of these books sets the tone for what crocheters will find inside! Making use of the “portmanteau word” which blends two or more distinct forms like smoke + fog = smog, Alla has blended the words "imagine" and "magical." You'll find imaginative and magical designs for the little ones in your life. Alla Koval “creates happy fashion designs by combining colors, texture and materials that make her designs unique and enticing.” After selling hundreds of custom-created children’s fashions, she decided to start writing up the designs to instruct others to make them. She is well suited to create original fashions that will thrill mothers as much as their children! At first Alla feared that she would burn out, but she now feels that writing the patterns is what makes her the “happiest person in the world!ead!” Read the ...

I am participating with 9 other bloggers in the Blog Tour to promote Alla Koval's 2 new books: Imagical Seasons Volumes 1 and 2. See my review here on the blog at 8:00 AM (CST) on July 15, 2015. To join in the blog tour and see other reviews, interviews and give-aways, see the schedule below. Alla Koval with Pixie CrochetQueen: Your kids fashions are charming and unique. What inspires you? Alla: Thank you so much, Gwen! Sometimes, the idea for a design just comes into my head and I don't know from where. I just visualize it clearly and then somehow turn the mental images into something real. Other times, I find inspiration in paintings and photographs—Pinterest is an amazing source of inspiration and eye-candy. I look at things and try to understand if I can see something special that has to be noticed.  Many times I start by looking for unusual stitch patterns, and start building my ideas from them. It’s so interesting to see how a stitch pattern evolves w...

Imagical Seasons  - Crochet Couture for Kids 2-12 /Spring 2015  AND   Imagical Seasons - Crochet Couture for Kids 2-12 /Summer 2015.  These books are adorable and whimsical and perfect for the crocheter who loves making custom children crochet garments and accessories.  The books will be available for pre-order mid-June and will officially go on sale early July, Etsy being one of several sites where they can be purchased. Return here on July 15 to read my complete review during the Blog Tour of the first two volumes for Spring and Summer. Below is a complete schedule of the talented bloggers who are participating on the tour. Check in often to read varying takes on the books, chances to win prizes and in-depth interviews of the author, Alla Koval! Alla Koval Blog Tour 2015 July 13:  Knitting and Crochet - Amy Solovay http://knittingandcrochet.net/ July 14:  Faina’s Knitting Mode – Faina Goberstein http://f ainasknittingmode.com/blog ...