Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

Monday, October 31, 2011 There is something about October and Halloween time that really strikes my fancy. Is it the crisp leaves, drying and falling? No, they make my nose itch! Maybe it is the crisp air with sunshine, if we're lucky. No, it reminds me of winter not far behind! It has to be the color or maybe it's the apples! Fall colors are not ones that I do well, so I really do appreciate being surrounded by them in nature. It is a gradual process as the chlorophyll is spent and the array of oranges, rusts and browns phase in and jolt the senses against the perfectly clear blue sky? Why is it that some burning bushes turn bright red much sooner than others? Try looking at the big picture: a line of colorful trees in a park, blasts of color along the highway. Apples are so fine just by themselves but amazing when they become a part of the myriad of recipes that I just have to make this time of year: apple pie, apple crunch, fresh apple cake with cream cheese icing, ...

Tuesday, October 18, 2011 I was super-excited about this event and while there with all my crocheting buddies, I totally forgot to take pictures!We met on October 14, the day designated by the Craft Yarn Council as I Love Yarn day. To me it was a no-brainer: what a perfect way to spend a day, celebrating our love of yarn, our love of the fiber arts and our love of edible treats. I arranged for us to meet at Portillo's restaurant in Vernon Hills, IL and I posted it on the Northern IL Chapter of CGOA Ravelry page as well as the Ravelry events page. I also let the Crocheters of the lakes Chapter know about it. We had representatives from both chapters and we had quite a contingent of bi-stitchers who do both crochet and knit. We shared tales of local yarn stores, we shared characteristics of the yarns we were working with and we shared french fries! It is amazing how our strands of yarn bind us together as almost instant friends. There is something about the fell of yarn runni...

Monday, October 11, 2011 It is Columbus Day and for many it means no mail and maybe even a day off work if you are a government worker. For me, semi-retired, it means pretty much the same: do the laundry and stay home and blog! Today is special, though; I met my friend Rita for a bike ride in Busse Woods (a forest preserve) and we ended our experience with crochet lessons in our breakfast spot - Ritzy's. Today was yet another incredibly gorgeous day and perfect for a bike ride. We do just under 8 miles in our route which takes an hour. The woods is loaded with fall color; the sites and sound of falling leaves and even a view of the Elk that live there. I am not one to count the days or pay attention to the weather; I refuse to let the weather get in my way! However, we have been having a phenomenon here in Chicago that must be counted: we are in at least our 9th consecutive day of glorious hi-70s and 80s temperatures with sunshine and not a drop of rain. Hallelujah! Rita hoste...

Tuesday, October 4, 2011 Today was a day like every day should be: early start and out for a walk in the warm sunshine and then off to the local yarn shop for my Fuzz-Along (formerly Crochet Connection). What a great group of serious stitchers and they are all so nice! We must have been celebrating the return of one particpant who had been on a 3-week river cruise in Denmark because we had donuts and candy corn today! I was able to help two of them with crochet quandries which always makes their day! I even got a few more facets of my current free-form crochet creation done! Following that group I gave a private bead-crochet lesson and another bead-crocheter was born into the world today. She was very excited about what she learned and was going home to continue "spiraling" beads. After a couple of errands, I still had time to read a few chapters on the sun-filled deck, but my mind was spining with thoughts of beads. I strung up a little mix of random-color left overs ...

Wednesday, September 21, 2011 Or at least it feels like crochet defines me. It's what I do; it keeps me busy. When Antonio, our friend from Mexico came to visit a few weeks ago, I forgot to post this pic. Here is is with daughter, Bethany. His mother was so sweet to send along this colorful afghan as a gift to me: Last week I met my friend, Ashley, for her weekly challenge. She has asked 52 of her best friends to give her a challenge to carry out weekly during the year that preceeds her 30th birthday. Mine of course was for her to be learn or at least be exposed to crochet by MOI!! We met at the LYS nfd truthfully, she was a great student and learned well. She enjoyed it too and found it relaxing right away! Yay, another crocheter is born into the world! We were out of town for the weekend at a family reunion and then a quick visit to see the grandchildren. JACK CHLOE I got home too late on Monday to go to my new Fibonacci study group; oh well, I w...

Thursday, September 15, 2011 As I mentioned last week, I had a lot of projects in the works and they were bound to come together sooner or later. Here's what I've finished since last we chatted. Nellie Necklace. Made with stash yarn, this mixed-media necklace is embellished with a polyclay flower by "Nellie." I don't remember who Nellie is or where I got it, so it is particularly thrilling to finally put this beautiful flower to use! Earrings for Sylvia . She and I are bartering Crochet for knit! Earrings for Deb. She bought the focal bead and seed beads and commissioned me to make the earrings. Bear-themed diaper cover & hat for Jack! Coin Purse for Sylvia . I owe her big time! She uses Noro! Tonight I will bring a new crocheter into the world. My young friend, Ashley, is turning 30 next June and she is expanding her horizons in the 52 weeks that precede this momentous occasion. She calls it "365 days of Ashley." She called on 52 of...

Wednesday, September 7, 2011 Sometimes we get a little restless and complain about the business end of the local guild meetings. However, if it weren't for the National Guild: CGOA, the meetings, the organizing and the volunteers there wouldn't be a chapter AND I wouldn't have met Boston Bobble and Beady Buddy! Today we had a social outing and a mission to explore a bead store. These kind of social events are really the way to get to know chapter members and lots of fun too! Our destination was Bodacious Beads in Des Plaines, IL I've been there many a time; it was a frequent destination when I was a member of the Bead Society of Greater Chicago. My cohorts were newbies and I was in charge of keeping their spending under control. As fate would have it, I came with a small list of things I reeeeally needed, so I got distracted from my duties. They surpassed the $100.00 mark, but hey, that got the 10% discount!! It is very easy to get distracted in a store of this k...