Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

We always come home from the Crochet Guild (CGOA)-sponsored conference on such a high. It does take a while to come down from the excitement. This year I came home on the "red-eye," San Diego-Chicago, and spent all of Sunday in a fog-like trance. Probably won't do that again! It was not without great forethought and trepidation that I attended this year leaving my husband with 24-7 caretakers in charge. All went real well from start to finish for both him and me. I couldn't have had smoother travel. I loved my hotel room and enjoyed the balcony and the near-perfect San Diego sun & air. I logged lots of steps on my Fitbit. To my great relief, I found everything in good shape when I returned and thank goodness for texting as I was able to keep in close touch with my dear husband every day and often! I arrived Thursday afternoon and enjoyed a leisurely time getting the lay of the convention center, getting registered, and running into familiar faces. Oh yeah, and...

Colorful Crochet Lace I loved reading Mary Jane’s introduction, and felt like I was right there in the room with her as she shared her excitement for creating this book of chic crochet patterns for us.  Inspired by the architecture, fashions, gardens and culture of France, the patterns all carry French-inspired names. I couldn’t wait to take a look at this collaborative approach and to see how Mary Jane translated her inspiration into crochet! Known for her exquisite styling when it comes to her pattern designs, this book is no exception! The pineapple is a classic crochet pattern, but used as a peplum on the cover design, Haute Couture , it is a perfect example of how Mary Jane uses vintage style to create on-trend fashions. She has also developed the use of another classic technique which she calls the Graduated Stitch Method as her signature approach to create elegant shaping in her garments. As we’ve come to expect from the folks at Interweave, great diagrams, bea...

Imagical Seasons Vol. 1: Spring Imagical Seasons Vol. 2: Summer The interesting title of these books sets the tone for what crocheters will find inside! Making use of the “portmanteau word” which blends two or more distinct forms like smoke + fog = smog, Alla has blended the words "imagine" and "magical." You'll find imaginative and magical designs for the little ones in your life. Alla Koval “creates happy fashion designs by combining colors, texture and materials that make her designs unique and enticing.” After selling hundreds of custom-created children’s fashions, she decided to start writing up the designs to instruct others to make them. She is well suited to create original fashions that will thrill mothers as much as their children! At first Alla feared that she would burn out, but she now feels that writing the patterns is what makes her the “happiest person in the world!ead!” Read the ...

I am participating with 9 other bloggers in the Blog Tour to promote Alla Koval's 2 new books: Imagical Seasons Volumes 1 and 2. See my review here on the blog at 8:00 AM (CST) on July 15, 2015. To join in the blog tour and see other reviews, interviews and give-aways, see the schedule below. Alla Koval with Pixie CrochetQueen: Your kids fashions are charming and unique. What inspires you? Alla: Thank you so much, Gwen! Sometimes, the idea for a design just comes into my head and I don't know from where. I just visualize it clearly and then somehow turn the mental images into something real. Other times, I find inspiration in paintings and photographs—Pinterest is an amazing source of inspiration and eye-candy. I look at things and try to understand if I can see something special that has to be noticed.  Many times I start by looking for unusual stitch patterns, and start building my ideas from them. It’s so interesting to see how a stitch pattern evolves w...

Imagical Seasons  - Crochet Couture for Kids 2-12 /Spring 2015  AND   Imagical Seasons - Crochet Couture for Kids 2-12 /Summer 2015.  These books are adorable and whimsical and perfect for the crocheter who loves making custom children crochet garments and accessories.  The books will be available for pre-order mid-June and will officially go on sale early July, Etsy being one of several sites where they can be purchased. Return here on July 15 to read my complete review during the Blog Tour of the first two volumes for Spring and Summer. Below is a complete schedule of the talented bloggers who are participating on the tour. Check in often to read varying takes on the books, chances to win prizes and in-depth interviews of the author, Alla Koval! Alla Koval Blog Tour 2015 July 13:  Knitting and Crochet - Amy Solovay http://knittingandcrochet.net/ July 14:  Faina’s Knitting Mode – Faina Goberstein http://f ainasknittingmode.com/blog ...

As you have probably noticed, I regularly post to my blog on Tuesday. Hearing the news today that Marinke, aka Wink , succumbed to suicide last Friday, I feel compelled to post today in the hopes that reading this will underscore the great support from the crochet community that we all know and understand. Wink was featured in Kathryn's book, Crochet Saved My Life , which I reviewed in 2012. Depression was a long and difficult battle for Wink and her creative endeavors greatly comforted her and motivated her to reach out to other crafters through her blog, A Creative Being .  This time unfortunately, being creative and reaching out was not enough. For those of us who so believe in the healthful benefits of crochet and crafting, this is devastating. Seeing her blog which is brightly colored and happy-looking is so sad and ironic when the realization sinks in that she was suffering deeply. My contribution crocheted from Wink's pattern: Spoke Mandala Crocheting one of ...

As the author of one of the earliest kids’ crochet books myself ( Kids Can Do It Crocheting , 2003), I know a thing or two about how to teach children to crochet. I highly regard the book Deborah has produced. It is chock-full of everything one needs to know in order to become an enthusiastic crocheter; yet she breaks it down into progressive parts that serve to hold a child’s interest without them getting discouraged. In July 2014, Deborah was a featured Guest Blogger on my blog where she wrote about her passion for teaching children to crochet and revealed that she was working on a book on the same subject! With 34 years’ experience teaching in venues as diverse as park districts, needlework conferences and homeschooling, Deborah has degrees in both English and Theatre. All of her teaching experience, bundled with her passion for crochet, makes for an excellent guide book that helps children to learn to crochet and carry on the legacy we all love! Deborah’s to...