Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

Freeform crochet artist, Karen Ballard shares that a sampling of her freeform crochet, beading and weaving will be featured at the ARTFactory exhibit, Wild Webs , in Manassas starting October 15 and running through December 4, 2021. Also featured is the U.S. premiere of 50 Years of Flower Power Prudence Mapstone's Freeform collaborative crochet and knit art. "Freeform art is unrestrained by patterns, techniques, materials, shapes or colors. Over 200 artists representing 24 countries collaborated on the 35 x 5 foot piece that commemorates 50 years since the term flower power was coined in Berkeley, California, and used as a passive resistance slogan for non-violent protest against the Vietnam war.  Fifty Years of Flower Power Ballard is an author, textile and bead artist who has lived in Northern Virginia most of her life. She is the 2020 Crochet Guild of America Hall of Fame recipient. Mapstone was born in Sydney Australia and currently lives in Brisbane. Karen Ballard: NC N...

So goes the title of a 7-week class I have just finished at the Indianapolis Art Center . I enjoyed it very much! Each week our class of 3  touched on a textile technique: weaving, macrame, dying, crochet, arm-knitting were all included. I've done all of these technique in the past, except arm knitting. I enjoy them all as I do them, but crochet is the one that calls to me. I am an advanced crocheter and always have trouble finding a class to suit my needs. After 40 years at it, I am mainly interested in improving my art-making skills with crochet .

Since the #chainlink2018 took place in Portland, Oregon in July, I took advantage of the travel westward to also visit my sister and brother-in-law in California. Although it was a short visit, they showed me wonderful hospitality and we took in the highlights of the Carmel Valley region. Shelly's Gourmet Cooking Alice and I share a love of the fiber arts and she was a professional textilian before she retired a couple of years ago. Her love of quilts and quilt history and she is still continually creating works of art in her "Playhouse." Once a textilian, always textilian! First stop on our agenda was the quaint little town of Pacific Grove where we enjoyed wandering from resale  shops, to the ocean, to a great restaurant for lunch and best of all, a yarn shop that just happened to to have a small quilt exhibit on display. The photos I took are not necessarily the best quilts, but the ones to which I was attracted. Interactive Quilt: Pure Silver when Clos...

I've been on island time since February 1 and have wanted to blog, but somehow could not seem to focus on what I wanted to write. You may even find my post today to be "rambling;" but hey, that word is in the title of my blog; so here goes. I cannot stop the waves from rolling in and back out (nor do I want to); and acceptance of that premise has brought me serenity. Here on the island, I am sandwiched between nature and tourism! I enjoy soaking in the sunshine and fresh breezes equally as much as the culture of tourism. The rolling waves are meditative if I just stop and appreciate them.  They shape the sands, creating scallops, shelves and lines. Hoards of walking humans create patterns with their feet and shoes. I've seen some dolphins, but not as many as I would like. I have to be satisfied with birds, the occasional crab, and kids/adults making sand "castles." Great Blue Heron Human prints Sand castle Sand elephant I...

Trevor Smith from Portland, Australia, is hooked on food! Anne Ewbank wrote about him in Atlas Obscura on January 31, 2018. All photos courtesy the artist and Michael Reid Sydney. He's gained a reputation as "crochet master" and even "Crochet King." Maybe I should meet him! Crown Roast Christmas Ham Cheese Plate Tutti Frutti Fish Platter Cake Lobster Mixer

There is a thread connecting us all as humans. A loop of crochet has me intertwined to many in different and satisfying ways. I am all about crochet. It lays on the coffee table in the living room and drips from the arm of the couch ~ works in progress abound. To-Do projects fill a basket and UFOs wait on my desk.  As the introduction of my blog says, "My life and my crochet are inextricably linked." It is uncanny how I can often weave a connection between mylife experiences and how my crochet is a part of it. First off, I so firmly believe in the value of crochet as a therapeutic tool and healthy activity. I learned to crochet 46 years ago and I had been married to Alan for forty eight and a half years when he died on July 1, 2016. We were together when I learned to crochet while serving as Peace Corps volunteers in Honduras, Central America. I learned from the aides who worked with me in the clinic I started in our small village. Although Alan is no longer with me ph...

Artists & Makers Editor Jeannnine Stein explains in her editor's letter that the goal of this exciting new magazine is to “be that friend, that peer, who will guide you through the rough spots, help you celebrate the victories, and inspire you to achieve your wildest dreams” in today's atmosphere where supporting art and handmade goods is the right thing to do. As I began my first-pass perusal of Artists & Makers I was struck by the incredible information in just the ads! I viewed full-color ads about arts and crafts; things I will probably never do, but are nonetheless inspiring.  These are some examples:  “next steps in painting with fire, video on binding custom books, a mixed media art retreat; and a coffee table book about art studios; and that is just from the first 8 pages! "Gustavo Victor Golar: Carving His Own Path" As I continued to delve into the content of the articles, there was exciting insight to share. I chose one article to share...

Saturday, May 3, 2014 From the very early days of the Crochet Guild of America (CGOA), I depended on willing volunteers to give of their time and talents. For me, it was also so exciting to findvolunteers with artistic talents willing to work on such things as our first organization logo, the newsletter masthead and crochet-themed notecards! This is our first logo, designed by Brian Muecke, a budding graphic designer and high school friend of my daughter's. It was presented at our Chain Link Conference in 1995 in Somerset, NJ.   Also that year, another volunteer designed a new masthead for the Chain Link newsletter. It has had many incarnations, especially when Carol Moore was the editor and added color. It has, though, essentially remained the same for all these years. During the first conference in 1994 , participants were invited to design afghan squares that depicted their inspirations from that first amazing experience. By 1995 at our 2nd Chain Link Conf...