Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

On Saturday, I went on the Annual Studio Art Walk which benefits student artists. Around 100 artists were represented in 30 locations. Sheila Ruof and I enjoyed our day very much and I saw so much beauty which I want to share in photos. Besides the art, color and views that intrigue me abound throughout town! On my way to pick up Sheila, I saw these ladies having so much fun putting these balloons together as a sculpture. They told me it is for a bullfight. Finished: a cactus! Self-Guided Art Walk I bought a ceramic dish and a small watercolor, both gifts. The brochure with map to the artists' studios is beautifully done. An outside wall before first stop Coincidentally, the first  house we stopped at was one I had posted here days earlier because I think it is beautiful on the outside. A Bed and Breakfast we entered had many artists displaying their works. Notice the reading material for guests! Virgin de Guadalupe Niche with ceramic ...

Last week, when I was alerted about a new kind of "yarn bombing" taking place in Libertyville, Illinois, I was sure my good friend, Susan Lutz Kenyon and her Crocheters of the Lakes chapter of the Crochet Guild of America were behind it. Susan is a charter CGOA member and has been a loyal member since 1994. Her contributions, both nationally and locally, are too numerous to mention her but very much appreciated. I was right about Susan's involvement. She and several chapter members were involved in installing their crochet squares on the trees and other members contributed many squares. Proud as I am of everything CGOA and its members do; it is always exciting to me when outside entities decide to focus on crochet for for a good cause, recognizing its beauty and versatility! In this case the town of Libertyville wanted something eye-catching to promote their Fine Arts Month in March. Two women, both named Beth, were the coordinators. The two Beths

Landscape Cowl on Cover This book just goes to show that "there are always 2 ways to skin a cat"! I've done a significant amount of tapestry crochet work crochet during my "crochet life," and have also taken classes from the experts at Crochet Guild conferences. Alessandra has solved some quandaries for me that I have had about the technique. Provisions Tote Full of good information about tapestry crochet, beautiful photography and twenty, mostly fashion projects, that explore the basics of the technique, the reader will be inspired and encouraged to do more complicated projects after trying some of these patterns. Aptly named, every project inside is gorgeous and on-trend for the fashionista and the home! Distant Mountains Throw To avoid the usual bulkiness of tapestry crochet, which is not desirable in clothing, the author makes a point of only including 2 colors in each row of her fashion motifs. Her design rows line up perfectly with h...

Vashti Braha  I’ve known Vashti's passion for crochet since the day I first met her at the Crochet Guild (CGOA) booth at Stitches Midwest back in Summer 2004.  It is no surprise that her presence in the world of crochet has evolved from active crocheter, to designer, CGOA board member to her current role as entrepreneur and owner of Designing Vashti Lotus , a yarn company. Her innate curiosity, love of the technique of crochet and drive to improve has led her along this path. 2015 brings in plans for a “coming-out” party of sorts; the “debutante” is named “Lotus!” Help me celebrate by learning more about what makes Vashti tick and how she is managing to meet the challenges of such an endeavor. We'll look at her past and let you in on where she is headed!

September 23, 2014 Tunisian Crochet for Baby by Sharon Hernes Silverman Tunisian Crochet for Baby Ranging from quick and easy hats to cozy sweaters, Sharon’s projects in Tunisian Crochet for Baby allow your hook to create unique looking fabrics. If you have never used the Tunisian method before, no worries! Included in the book are excellent sections, Traditional Crochet Skills Refreshers, Tunisian Crochet Skills   Refreshers along with a helpful Beyond the Basics section. Also the author of Tunisian Crochet: The Look of Knitting with the Ease of Crocheting ,  and Tunisian Crochet Baby Blankets , Hernes Silverman is passionate about the technique and has spent years perfecting her skills and her designs. She shows us that not all baby items need to be done in pastels; and her patterns add excitement to gifts you will want to give to beautiful babies and deserving moms year after year! Checkerboard Blanket & Hat To learn more about Sharon and her mission ...

Tuesday, April 2, 2014 Crocheting Clothes Kids Love  by Shelby Allaho & Ellen Gormley Ellen Gormley is the new editor of Crochet! Magazine . She says in the book that she stitched more than 80 afghans before beginning her design career in 2004. Shelby is an award-winning designer who has widely published her unique accessory designs widely. Crocheting Clothes Kids Love is every grandmother’s dream: a go-to resource for best-dressed  grand-kids ! What fun! I have already added several from the twenty-eight featured projects to my To-Do list. When my heart skips a beat and I go right to my stash to pick yarn and get started on one of its projects, I know I love a book! That’s the case with this book and I’ve already started on the quick and adorable daisy head band from the headband trio of designs, for Chloe! Daisy Headband Bow Band This book written by two talented designers is full of colorful photography and fashion-forward instruct...

March 6, 2014 Modern Baby Crochet by Stacey Trock I like to always have at least one baby gift on hand because nine months flies by really quickly and it is too much pressure to wait until the last minute to make a baby gift. Modern Baby Crochet is my new go-to pattern source for choosing the next gift on my to-do list! As Stacey Trock’s website indicates, she puts a fresh spin on the look of baby projects. Bold & Bright: Mondrian-Inspired Afghan Stacey encourages her readers to step it up a notch when it comes to choosing colors. She says modern babies don’t need to be stuck with just pastels anymore! Focused on the hub of baby’s life, the nursery, the twenty-one designs are divided into 3 color groups: Bold & Bright, Pretty in Pastel and Naturally Neutral. Pretty in Pastel: Crinkly Toy Before even getting to the projects, crocheters receive a wealth of crochet knowledge about gauge, choosing hook size and finishing techniques. Presented in a comfortab...

Monday, December 9, 2013 Paper Yarn by Uta Donath, Eva Hauch, Petra Hoffman, and Claudia Huboi In recent years it has become a common practice for crochet designers to “hook up” with a yarn company to design with their latest yarns. The designer’s expertise in addition to lots of swatching brings out the best in the yarn, provides upscale designs that crocheters hunger for and brings notice to the versatility of crochet. Recently, I unintentionally came upon an exciting book while passing by the “Hobbies” cart at my local library. Paper Yarn is a unique and exciting book which brings a wealth of knowledge about style and technique to the niche of using paper yarn. The five authors bring an impressive resume of experience in the fiber field to their presentation of this book: textile and fashion design, creative design at magazines and publishers to name a few! They have teamed up with Habu Textiles, BJ’s Craft Supplies and Papershed who provided the materials which a...

Thursday, December 6, 2012 I usually blog on Mondays; where has this week gone? Have you ever been privileged to have a professional photographer us a blanket you have crocheted in a photo? It hit me like a bolt of lightening recently, when my daughter shared pics from a photo shoot she did for her Christmas card. There it was...the blanket I crocheted for her wedding gift. It was draped gracefully around her now precious family of four, some 7 years after I had gifted it. Low beautiful to see the filet hearts draping them in love. (I'm hoping we'll get a set of these gorgeous photos as a gift and then I'll post it here). Meanwhile, it got me to thinking of some other photos I have in which the photographer used blankies I had made. What fun and a lasting legacy of my crochet to which is quite an honor. The crochet is so beautiful as background as well. Try scanning crochet sometime. It makes for beautiful eye-candy and is great for your Facebook Timeline! Jack, ou...