Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

Monday, September 23, 2013 Have you ever crocheted with cabochons? Do you know what a cabochon is? Well, it's a french word meaning,  a gem or bead cut in convex form and highly polished but not faceted. Because I am on a mission to "cover my world in crochet," I've been intrigued by cabochons for quite a while.  Today my favorite cabochons come from Tanya McGuire Lampwork & Jewelry. We met a few years ago at a fiber show and Tanya is a gem of a person who creates fabulous "gems" with her lampwork. I fell in love with her pieces and this past summer I bought my first cabochon from her. Here's what I created... Tanya McGuire Lampwork-cabochon bead-crochet brooch Tanya gave me a shout-out this week on her blog Following is a little history of how I got started making brooches from cabochons. I love the colors, designs and the possibilities. Some of the first cabochon brooches I made were done with cabochons I made myself from postcard...

Sunday, July 28, 2-13- So, I found the camera in the refrigerator in the bag with corn on the cob, but that's a whole other post in itself! Tuesday, July 23, 2013 I was a teacher of 4 classes at this year's Knit & Crochet Show in Indianapolis last week and I did book signings during the lunch breaks at both the Indy Chapter of CGOA and at Crochetville. So, it was pretty intense and I really didn't take the time to do many photos. Anyway, with or without photos, it was an amazing conference. The registration numbers were high at this wonderful venue, Sheraton Hotel at Keystone Crossing. there were many familiar faces of the CGOA loyal fans, Past Presidents, Amy Shelton, Marty Miller, Karen Klemp, Tosca Mark, Pam Oddi and me! Delma from Alaska has now attended her 19th conference without missing a single one!! She deserves a reward. There were faces from the past and faces I get to see once a year: Nancy Nehring, Joyce Wyatt, Mary Harris, Joan Davis, Jenny King (from ...

Wednesday, April 4, 2013 Opening my email box on Monday proved to be quit exciting as the cover of my new book and galley for the interior was waiting for me! I've spent these last two days going over each word with a magnifying glass to make sure there will be no errors upon publication. I wish I could post an image of the cover here and now because I love it. But alas, one word needs to be removed so I will resist temptation and keep you in suspense a little while longer! Even though I spend intense days on the computer, I always make time to crochet. Although it took me 3 days to load up the size 11-0 seed beads for Little Dots & Spirals bangle bracele t,  it was gratifying to bead-crochet it in just two evenings.  I won the pattern from Linda Lehman in the 2012 contest over at The   Bead Crochet  Exchange on Ravelry   and it is quite an amazing design. I once commented to Linda that her designs are so complex that she must have a br...