Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

This is second year I have entered the state fair in the needlework category and I am still learning how to negotiate the process. Nevertheless, I am happy with the results: three ribbons! The judges comments on all three of my entries were 100% positive and complimentary. At first, I found their choices of prizes baffling. However, I came to realize that many, many entries are submitted in all categories and the competition is stiff. I thoroughly enjoy entering and hope that the prize money covers my cost of entering!  I will enter more items in each category next year; that is if I have enough  projects completed and worthy of entering. I will include a small portion of the comments with each photo that follows. Tell me what you think and if you've entered a State Fair where you live. Honorable Mention ~Crocheting Adult Clothing Free Form Collar : "Enough beading to make it interesting but not overweigh the item. Thank you for entering." 3rd Place ~ Fabric...

It wasn't planned, but I love the fact that my 2-part article about this dynamic and loving Turkish Mother/Daughter team hugged our Mother's Day weekend! Aysegul's mother, Sebahat Crochetkween:  Aysegul, are you an experienced crocheter or is your mother teaching/tutoring you? Aysegul:  I learned basic crochet stitches from my mother when I was eight years old, I was creating clothes for my dolls. I am just a beginner when it comes to crocheting with beads and my mother does not have much time to teach me at the moment. But, I plan to learn her beaded crocheting techniques and use my experience as a learner to create educational tutorials for other crocheters in the future. Other than crocheting, I have learned a lot from my mother since we started working together. She surprises me with the way she solves her creative problems; she always finds new ideas to combine different techniques, colors and design elements. She uses her tools in unexpected and imaginative ...

Incredibly amazed when I discovered Irrregular Expressions and the work of Turkish artist, Sebahat, I wanted to know more. Following is the interview I conducted online with her and her daughter, Aysegul. Crochetkween: Is Bolu, where you live, near any larger Turkish city that we would recognize? Aysegul:  Bolu is a small city midway between Istanbul and Ankara, we are surrounded with snowy mountains, dense forests and small lakes. 

Formal Jewelry If you are a Mother-of-the-Bride, a bride who makes time to crochet, or one whose fashion sense is channeled from episodes of the hit series, Mad Men , then Formal Jewelry is for you! Grey Sparkle Necklace The theme of this booklet falls into a narrow niche, but if you want to create jewelry with a formal, dressy look for wedding or nightlife, you will enjoy what it has to offer.

Linda Lehman hails from Silver Spring, Maryland and retired from a career in finance many years ago. Since that time, she has focused on her love of crafts. She has had a successful shop on Etsy  for 4 years where she sells not only the finished bracelets and necklaces but also patterns for crocheters to make their own jewelry. She is also the author of Bead Crochet Jewelry (Schiffer Publishing). Linda Lehaman, author of Bead Crochet I am a member of her Ravelry group  and was the lucky recipient of her annual drawing where I have won challenging patterns as well as jewelry and beads from her co-moderator, KnotChaCha . Linda also has a store on Ravelry. I am so inspired by her skills when it comes to designing that I wanted to get to know her better. "Dots & Spirals": I won this pattern and it is a delight to wear! Crochetkween: What got you interested in crochet? Did you learn crochet or bead-crochet first? Do you do other beading techniques? Linda:...

Three lucky winners can enter for a chance to win a copy of the brand new, DIY Holiday. Add your email on my blog where it says “follow” and email me a note that you did so. US addresses only , please, by December 1 at midnight. Good luck! I don’t usually expect to find consistent pattern quality in a magazine that is stretched in as many directions as this Premiere Issue published by Interweave/F + W. However, the editors, Amber Eden and Karin Strom, have proven me wrong! Included are 25+ hand-crafted projects for the holidays and you will find familiar names among the designers across many genres: crochet (4 projects); Knitting (4); Quilting (4); Modern Sewing (4); Needlework (2); Jewelry (4); Mixed Media (3); and Weaving (2). Shisha Ornaments by Susan Haynes Opdahl Designated “Cool Crafts on the Cheap,” several projects were also chosen in mind for cost conscience crafters. DIY Holiday  has everything one needs to take on a new craft, including downloadable patter...

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...

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...