Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

I rarely go so long without blogging and I don't like to use the excuse "Life got in the way." So suffice it to say, I am back! My goal on this blog has always been to express the connection of crochet to my everyday life. It is such an important part of my being or my identity; and I like to point out the many "hooks and connections" that influence how I live. On December 19, my husband and I made our 3rd move since June 2013! We experienced the ying and yang of suburban Chicago vs. the city of Chicago for 16 months. Being a "city girl," I yearned to live in the city and soak it all in. Ravenswood condo This little dream of mine was an overwhelmingly positive experience. We walked and walked, we viewed the city from the treetops while riding the "El" or the Metra. We enjoyed outdoor dining during Spring, Summer & Fall at the myriad of multi-ethnic restaurants within reach. We wandered to street fests and art galleries along wit...

Craft Fair Basket I've had for 30 years and still love it I have a thing for baskets and quite a collection of them, I must say. They comfort me and when I look at them, I feel joy. I've collected baskets for many years from craft fairs, travels and from other countries I've visited or lived in.

Monday, October 28, 2013 Soon it will be one year that I started my volunteer job as coordinator of a Cancer & Crochet Support group at my local hospital. Today, I want to celebrate the life of one of our members who died last week. Even though Judy was in hospice, she continued work on her goal of making 100 caps for the premature babies at the hospital. She reached and exceeded the goal with 125 hats! During her last ten days of life, she attended a special event hosted by my CGOA chapter in her wheel chair with oxygen; she also came to the support group. She was one strong and determined woman and we will miss her terribly! I've long known the value of crochet as a healing tool and a method of relaxation. I reviewed books that cover this topic beautifully: Crochet Saved My Life and Contemplative Crochet. Recently my friend Rita, an art therapist, came to share with the group. Rita, Art Therapist, leading group This was the group's first attempt at thread croch...

Wednesday, September 4, 2013 Because I am passionate about crochet and because it plays such an important role in my life. I am constantly “thinking crochet.” I want to bring awareness about crochet to everyone in the world. They don’t necessarily need to achieve the level of passion that I have for the craft, but my dream is that our society in general would come to recognize crochet as a valuable art and craft.  I also want to see the entire genre of crochet planted firmly on a continuum with all the other needle arts as a valuable pastime and art, and for the day to come when society stops confusing it with knitting! I have often joked that I am “covering my world in crochet” and that’s because I think crochet can beautify nature as well as contribute to many aspects of my community. I have been covering rocks for years and I turn them into sculptures or decorative o bjects. Claire Zeisler:  Fragments & Dashes , Threads magazine, Oct/Nov 1985 My fi...

Tuesday, November 27, 2012 Do you spend time in online crochet communities? Is spending too much time lurking or surfing the Net your weakness? I disagree with those who insinuate that spending time on Facebook means one has “no life.” Sometimes a stand-out person comes along in an online version of a cocktail party and the sharing of our interests/passions and knowledge creates a sort of click that resonates with the heart. Kathryn Vercillo is that "click" for me. I can’t remember where or how we “met", but I do remember that in December 2011 she honored me with her “Awesome Crochet Blog Award” for Free-form Crochet on her blog, Crochet Concupiscence . What’s not to like about Kathryn for doing that for me? Seriously though, I feel as though by virtue of our interests and our spirit of needing to shout crochet from the rooftops, we are friends even though we have never met face to face. When I did the following interview with Kathryn by phone, she was working on he...