Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

"Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul." Samuel Ullman The Northwest Chicago suburbs had been my home for over 30 years when we moved to Indianapolis in 2015; I am always ready to return for a visit to play "tourist." My friend Sue from Boston comes to conferences but not for crochet. Sue and I have known each other since 1988 when our children were at the American School in Quito, Ecuador together; and we began to connect more regularly when the CGOA conferences were in Manchester, New Hampshire. It is an easy drive from Boston for Sue and her sister, Claudette, who registers for knit and crochet classes. We also "hooked up" when the conference was in North Carolina where Sue's daughter was living. This year my friendly duo decided to come to Chicago because they had never been there. Yay, we met again! From having dinner with my dear neighbor, Gerry; to taking the Metra to the Art Inst...

February 8, 2014 As reported by Amy Kaspar in the Chicago Knitting Examiner on January 28, 2014, “Women Taking Action, an organization founded by Kamilah Paden and Angela Underwood to further the education and empowerment of women in both their personal and corporate worlds, held their day-long workshop at the University of Illinois at Chicago.” The keynote speaker was Shirley a New York-based designer, who had previously worked in corporate America before making the daring decision to become a knitwear designer. Paden's keynote address, “Finding the Courage to Follow Your Bliss” was focused on her personal journey and how her story can be an inspiration to others to follow their own path they carve for themselves. Shirley’s closing remarks resonated with everyone when she told them what her husband had once said to her , "If someone made you work this hard, you would quit immediately."   Once a year, the fantastic designer craft exhibit, One-of-a-Kind , comes t...

Monday, November 25, 2013 First off, Happy Anniversary to the love of my life, Alan Kinsler! A pictorial essay on our trip to the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, recently. The photos pretty much tell it all! After a pleasant but chilly trip on the El to downtown, we stopped for hot chocolate first! Hershey's, Ghiradelli's?? Ghiradelli's, Hershey's??? We opted for Hershey's because we'd been to Ghiradelli's before. Delish! Dutes Miller crocheting with Coats pink "Pound of Love" He throws the yarn and does a "made up" single crochet Dutes told me that he and his partner Stan Shellabarger learned to crochet just for this project, but that they only know the one stitch they are using. Note: Red Heart "Pound of Love" under the chair. Close up of Dutes crocheting A very congenial couple, Dutes also told me that they started this project ten years ago as a symbol of their connection, their relati...