Are you a life-long learner, like me? I absolutely LOVE to learn new things!!! I’ve taken so many classes over the years, mostly in crochet. It’s so much fun to learn something new, especially new crochet (or knitting) techniques!
I also LOVE to teach others new things such as crochet, knitting, tatting, paper quilling, etc! Next month, I’ll be teaching 5 crochet classes at the CGOA (Crochet Guild of America) Conference in Itasca, IL, just outside of Chicago. There will be over 50 classes available to take and so many crochet techniques to learn! If you’re a crochet enthusiast, like me, this is THE PLACE to learn more about crochet! Here are the classes I’ll be teaching at the conference:
Beginning Bruges Lace Crochet – Wednesday, July 26th from 6 – 9 pm
Beginning Bruges Lace Crochet class
Beginning Filet Crochet – Thursday, July 27th from 2 – 5 pm
Beginning Filet Crochet class
Invisible Repairs – Friday, July 28th from 9 am – 12 pm (Note: This class is sold out!)
Invisible Repairs class
Intermediate Filet Crochet – Saturday, July 29th from 9 am – 12 pm
Intermediate Filet Crochet class
Intermediate Bruges Lace Crochet – Saturday, July 29th from 2 – 5 pm
Intermediate Bruges Lace Crochet class
I’m really looking forward to teaching these 5 classes! I always enjoy meeting new people at the conference and spending time with old friends! Everyone is so friendly there and willing to help each other out with any questions they have, whether it’s crochet-related, hotel-related or anything else. I love to inspire others to learn new things and stretch their crochet knowledge and skills!
To learn more about my crochet classes, or any of the other classes being taught (and to register for classes and events at the conference), just go to the CGOA website here.
There are many things going on at the conference besides crochet classes, too. There is a show floor with vendors selling crochet-related items, a design competition (for CGOA members), the CGOA Masters pinning ceremony, the induction of the newest CGOA Jean Leinhauser Crochet Hall of Fame winner (this year it’s Carol Alexander), the CGOA Masters Day, a professional workshop, a designer meet & greet (where designers can meet with editors and sell their designs) and a fashion show. To read all about the conference, check out this page.
If you’ve been to the CGOA Conference before, what is your favorite part of the conference (if you can name only one thing)? If you’d love to go, what would be some of the classes/techniques you’d love to learn?
If you’re like me and enjoy crocheting necklaces to wear or give as gifts, you’re going to love my new crochet necklace pattern, Vine Necklace. This necklace works up in no time with size 3 crochet thread. You can use any colors you’d like, or make a bunch of them with different colors to go with lots of outfits!
Vine Necklace
The necklace pattern is versatile, in that you can make all 3 strands of vines or only the flower strand for a simpler, even faster necklace!
Vine Necklace with 1 strand
This pattern was originally published in 2013 as part of the CGOA Across the Board ebook. However, the copyright on this pattern has reverted back to me, so it’s now available for purchase by anyone!
The sample necklace was made with size 3 Aunt Lydia’s Fashion crochet thread in #32 Candy Pink, #606 Goldenrod and #625 Sage. Either a size D/3 3.25 mm aluminum crochet hook or a size 0/3.25 mm steel crochet hook can be used.
The pattern includes written instructions and photos of each section of the necklace.
I hope you enjoy crocheting and wearing this necklace as much as I enjoyed designing it!
The pattern is available for $4.95 on the patterns page here.
For the past 2-3 months, I’ve been working very hard to fine-tune the pattern for my newest crochet pattern, “Mom’s Favorite Baby Blanket”! I enlisted the help of 4 pattern testers on Ravelry and their input was “invaluable”!!! They made great suggestions for improving the pattern and making it easier to understand, since the construction for this blanket is not your “typical” crochet construction!
If you’ve read anything about this pattern, you’ll know that I designed this pattern last year after my mom passed away. She had a favorite baby blanket pattern that she liked to make for new babies in the family. It was from a kit and was worked in 7 strips with 19 motifs in each strip. That made for a lot of seaming and tons of ends to weave in (7 x 19 x 2 = 266 + 2 ends for the edging = 268 ends)! Who wants to weave in that many ends, let alone sew strips together with 19 separate ends (so the colors would match)? Not me!
Last year, the month before my mom passed away, she started one of her favorite baby blankets for my granddaughter. The month after my mom passed away, I finished it for my mom and gave it to my son and daughter-in-law in May, right before my granddaughter was born in June! They know how special this baby blanket is to me and they cherish it (at least I hope they do!). I certainly didn’t enjoy all the time spent sewing the strips together and weaving in the ends! And I know a lot of other crocheters don’t like either of these things, either! So I set out to design a baby blanket that looked like my mom’s favorite baby blanket, but without all the seaming and weaving in ends. And I think I hit the nail on the head! Here are close up photos of my mom’s baby blanket and mine:
Mom’s Original Baby Blanket
My Redesigned Baby Blanket
My redesigned baby blanket still contains 7 motifs in each section and 19 sections of motifs. However, there are NO strips to crochet and NO seaming to be done in this new baby blanket design! There are only 38 ends + 2 ends for the edging (= 40 ends total) to weave in on the whole baby blanket! This is a HUGE improvement from 268 ends, don’t you think? That’s an 85% savings on ends, which translates to lots of time saved and leaves more time for crocheting! Yea!!!
I used DK/light worsted weight yarn for my baby blanket, which came out to be 34” wide x 48” high. Yours can be made wider and/or higher, if desired, by following the instructions for resizing the blanket. The blanket is made with basic crochet stitches: chains, double crochets, single crochets and slip stitches.
The pattern includes 2 symbol crochet charts: one for right-handed and one for left-handed crocheters. The instructions include the appropriate differences for right-handed and left-handed crocheters, as well.
With the help and suggestions from my pattern testers, I decided to take lots of step-by-step photos for this pattern, to help YOU be successful! I think we all know how time-consuming photos can be, but I really think they were needed in this pattern, since the construction is different than most other crochet patterns!
In the pattern, there are 43 step-by-step photos for the main part of the blanket, 46 step-by-step photos for the edging and 10 more photos showing how many chain spaces you should have in various places in the pattern (so you’ll know if you’ve made a mistake and you can fix it before it gets worse)! That’s a total of 99 photos to help teach various aspects of the pattern in a visual manner and to be able to know if you’re working it correctly or not! Here’s a sample of one of the photos in the pattern:
Sample of a Step-by-Step photo in the pattern
With all of the additional photos, the pattern is now 30 pages long! I know what you’re thinking! That’s too many pages to print out without using a ton of ink/toner! But have no fear! Included in every purchase is a shorter 14-page pattern with a few photos, the full written pattern and the symbol crochet charts, but without the additional step-by-step photos for printing. Both pdfs (the 30-page version and the 14-page version) are available for download with purchase of the pattern.
I’m releasing this pattern on a special day to me. Today, April 20, would have been the 29th birthday of my daughter in heaven. Her name was Rebecca. She was born with a closed pulmonary valve in her heart and lived a little less than 6 months. My granddaughter, who my mom starting crocheting her favorite baby blanket for last year before she joined my daughter in heaven, is named Rubekah, in honor of my daughter in heaven. Here’s a photo of my granddaughter and the blanket my mom started, in case you haven’t seen the dozens of photos of her that I’ve shared on social media already:
Rubekah on the Baby Blanket that my Mom started and I finished
Because of the extensive step-by-step tutorial photos in this pattern, I’m charging a little bit more than my usual patterns. I think you’ll find this small increase is well worth it in terms of you being successful in crocheting this baby blanket for your favorite little one! This pattern would also work equally as well for a full-size afghan! Just follow the instructions for changing the size of the blanket and use whatever weight yarn and an appropriate size crochet hook you desire!
The pattern with the 2 pdfs, including 2 symbol crochet charts, complete written instructions and over 90 step-by-step photos, is available for purchase for just $6.95 here.
If you’re ever stuck on something in the pattern for any reason, please send me a message on my website, on Ravelry (I’m “crochetarchitect” on Ravelry) or through Facebook and ask for help. I’m happy to help anyone with questions about my patterns!
If you purchase this pattern and make the baby blanket, I’d love to know what you think about the additional photos! And I’d love to see photos of your finished baby blankets from this pattern, as well!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at my “Mom’s Favorite Baby Blanket” pattern.
Disclaimer: This blog post is longer than usual (but there are NO affiliate links in it)!!!
I can’t believe a month has gone by since my last blog post! Where does the time go? I thought I was supposed to have more time now that my kids are grown and out of the house!!!
It’s been a very busy 12 months since National Crochet Month last year. I went to China to visit my son, daughter-in-law and new granddaughter twice last year! Now I don’t have to go to China to see them. Yeah! They moved back to Arizona in January and I’m thrilled to have them back!!! Here’s a recent photo of Ruru (Rubekah) for you to see:
I’m in LOVE with her!!! And the crochet dress that I made her actually fit!!! This pattern was from a booklet called “Frilly Frocks” by Lucille LaFlamme. All of the dresses in that booklet are really cute! It was too cold the day we tried the dress on Ruru, so she’s got warmer clothes on underneath!
I also did something I’ve never done before in the past 12 months. I was the executor and trustee for my mom’s estate. My mom passed away in Feb. 2016 and left me to take care of her estate. I didn’t have a clue about what to do, but I learned a lot along the way. I think I’m all done with her estate because I got her trust tax return done and the K-1’s are in the mail to all of her beneficiaries. Whew! That’s a huge relief to have that behind me! I miss my mom very often, but I’m so glad to have the faith that she’s in heaven with my brother and daughter. I love you, mom! Thank you for all of your love and encouragement throughout my lifetime!
Okay, now on to National Crochet Month. In the past, I’ve taken part in the Crochetville National Crochet Month blog tour. But I decided to take a break from that this year for various reasons. You can follow the Crochetville National Crochet Month blog tour, read about the participating designers, receive some free crochet patterns and maybe win a prize by checking it out here.
Since I’m not taking part in the NatCroMo blog tour this year, I thought I’d talk about crochet and my designing career instead. I first learned to crochet as a teenager. My best friend taught me to crochet (thank you SOOOO much, Cheryl!). That was over 40 years ago and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed learning new crochet techniques and sharing what I’ve learned with others. In fact, I’ll be teaching 5 crochet classes at the CGOA Conference this July in Chicago (well, it’s actually in Itasca, just outside of Chicago)! Yeah! I LOVE teaching crochet classes at the conference!!! I meet so many fun, friendly crocheters there! You can read about all the classes that are being taught at the conference this year here. Registration will go live in 2 days (on March 8th), so you still have a little time to pick out your favorite classes and get your registration done right away so your favorite classes don’t sell out! The 5 classes that I’m teaching this year are Beginning Bruges Lace, Intermediate Bruges Lace, Beginning Filet Crochet, Intermediate Filet Crochet and Invisible Repairs (this is a brand new class on how to invisibly repair crochet projects and how to crochet an invisible seam in a crochet project).
Anyway, back to my story about crochet. I can’t remember the first thing I crocheted, but I know that soon after learning to crochet, I started crocheting doilies and anything with crochet thread. As I remember it, I think there were several reasons for this. One reason was that doilies usually change instructions in each round or two, which helps to keep my interest in the pattern (plus I think doilies are beautiful!). Another reason is that I’m somewhat of a “frugal” person and crochet thread isn’t that expensive! I could crochet several doilies for just a few dollars and that beat the price of many skeins of yarn to crochet an afghan! Don’t get me wrong, though. I also love to crochet afghans because they’re so useful and make excellent gifts! Speaking of gifts, I just finished crocheting 3 pairs of baby booties to be given as gifts for 2 people’s babies this month. Here they are:
As you can tell by the colors, these booties are for baby boys! I really enjoy crocheting baby booties because they don’t take long to make and not everyone can crochet them, so they’re more unique gifts at a baby shower (instead of the baby receiving dozens of baby blankets)!
I’ve spent hundreds of hours practicing my crochet skills and improving over the past 40 years. When my children were born, I wasn’t able to crochet as much. But after they got a little older and could do more for themselves, I soon got back into crocheting almost every day. When I was in my 30’s, I started designing a little, but never seriously. Then when we moved from Southern California to Arizona in 1995, I met 2 crochet designers in our small town who shared their designing knowledge with me and helped me get my designing career going! I am so thankful to Nanette Seale and Lucille LaFlamme for encouraging me and being so supportive! Thank you so much! You ladies rock!!!
My designing career officially got off the ground when I sold my first crochet pattern to Annie’s in 1999. It was my Snowflake Doily and Coasters Set. I’ve designed several hundred crochet patterns since then and I enjoy designing each and every one of them (some a little more than others, though). You can see all of my published crochet (and now knitting) designs on my Ravelry designer page here.
The first conference I ever attended was for the Society of Craft Designers (no longer in existence) in Sept., 2001 in Phoenix, AZ. It was close enough for me to attend without too much cost and I met a lot of crocheters there (I remember Carolyn Christmas and Darla Fanton from that conference). Darla Fanton told me about CGOA (the Crochet Guild of America) and invited me to join. I joined the next year (in 2002) and I haven’t looked back since! Through CGOA I have met so many other crochet professionals, including designers, magazine editors, publishers, etc. It’s a fantastic group of crocheters who are in love with crochet! We support each other, encourage each other, teach each other and have lots of fun at the annual crochet conference! There are local CGOA chapters throughout the US, too. Unfortunately, there is no CGOA chapter near me, but I attend 2 other groups of crochet enthusiasts during the year (monthly and/or weekly) to stay in touch with other crocheters and encourage each other regularly.
In Jan., 2002, I attended the HIA (Hobby Industry of America) trade show in Anaheim, CA. It was there that I met Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss, who owned American School of Needlework at that time. If you haven’t heard of Jean and Rita, just do a Google search and you’ll be in awe of the number of books that they’ve published/produced in their lifetimes! In fact, Jean Leinhauser started Leisure Arts way back when! Two years after meeting Rita and Jean, they were looking for technical editors for their new company, Creative Partners, LLC. I applied for the position and passed their editing test (much to their surprise)! So I was on my way to being a technical crochet editor! Less than 2 years later, I started technical editing for Crochet Today magazine, too. I was kept quite busy editing for both companies and I learned so much about writing a good crochet pattern when I was tech editing a lot. Looking back on those times, I’m not sure how I kept my sanity with so much work to do (I must be getting older)!
Anyway, the next addition to my crochet career came when some of my class proposals were accepted for me to teach at the CGOA Conference in 2009. I remember that like it was yesterday! My middle son got married in June, 2009 and the conference was at the end of July. A few weeks before the conference, my husband and I were taking a nature walk nearby and he was taking photos. I had my camera in my hand and before I knew it, I slipped on loose gravel, fell down and broke my left wrist! I couldn’t believe it! How could this happen before I was scheduled to teach at the conference? Would I still be able to teach my classes? Well, the following week, I had surgery to repair my broken wrist. My husband printed and bound the rest of my class handouts and was a HUGE help! So my classes didn’t have to be cancelled after all! With my left arm in a sling, my bags were all packed and I headed to the airport, where I got lots of help with my luggage! Once inside the terminal, I took one look at the escalator (with my arm in the sling) and turned around to find the elevator instead (I couldn’t hold onto the handrail and my carry-on bag with the same hand!). I taught 4 classes at the 2009 conference in Buffalo, NY with lots of help from some wonderful crocheters in my classes (and from Jean Leinhauser, too)! I even did my best to teach my shuttle tatting class to my students “one-handed”!!! I have many fond memories from that conference. My roommate even helped me with some of the “logistics” of getting dressed with one good hand, including how to put on jewelry one-handed! I even modeled the top and skirt that I crocheted to wear at my son’s wedding in the fashion show at the conference that year! I have a few photos that I’d like to share from that conference.
Jean and Rita
This is Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss. Sadly, Jean passed away in 2010, but Rita is still producing knit and crochet books.
Waiting for editors
This is my roommate, Shari White, me, Andee Graves and Joyce Bragg waiting to show our crochet designs to the magazine and book editors who were there to talk with the crochet designers.
Modeling at CGOA Conference in 2009
This was me modeling the outfit that I crocheted for my son’s wedding at the CGOA Conference. If you look closely, you’ll see the wrist brace on my left wrist! I didn’t care! It was tons of fun to model the outfit, even if it didn’t come out exactly how I wanted it! Oh, I was modeling the shawl that my roommate, Shari, crocheted from my pattern in Crochet Today magazine, too!
Well, that’s the story behind my crochet career. It’s probably more than you wanted to know, but I think it’s fun to find out how some people got their start as professionals in the crochet industry. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about my beginnings in the crochet industry.
What are you planning to do for National Crochet Month? Have you already gotten a start on learning a new crochet technique, starting a project that you’ve always wanted to crochet or buying some new yarn? Please share how you celebrate National Crochet Month in the comments below.
Do you love to decorate for Valentine’s Day? Then I have some crochet patterns for you! One of them is free and the other 2 are reasonably priced. They all contain the “heart” theme, which is what I think of most in decorating for Valentine’s Day!
Heart Coaster
This is my Heart Coaster design. This pattern is FREE and can be found here. This coaster is made with worsted weight cotton yarn for a quick project.
Filet Heart Coaster
This is my Filet Heart Coaster pattern. This pattern is made with size 10 cotton crochet thread and a size 7 (1.65 mm) steel crochet hook. There are 2 layers of crochet to absorb more moisture. This pattern is available for $4.95 and can be found here.
Wiggly Valentine Hot Pad & Coaster Set
This is my Wiggly Valentine Hot Pad and Coaster Set. It’s made with size 10 cotton crochet thread and a size 7 (1.65 mm) steel crochet hook. The pattern is available for $4.95 and can be found here. It’s also available as part of a set of Wiggly Hot Pads and Coasters to decorate for 6 holidays throughout the year! You can find the pattern for the set of 6 hot pads and coasters here for $11.95.
I hope you’re getting ready for Valentine’s Day and planning to do something fun with your honey!
Have you tried any textured crochet stitches before? You know, like a front post double crochet (FPdc), back post double crochet (BPdc) and similar stitches? I love the texture that can be created using these textural stitches! I’ve been using them for years. I used FPdc and BPdc in my Pediwick Scarf and Swanky Cowl designs.
Pediwick Scarf
Swanky Cowl
Just a few months ago, I came across a new book that uses a lot of textural stitches in it. It’s called “Celtic Cable Crochet” by Bonnie Barker, published by Interweave. I met Bonnie at a CGOA Conference many years ago. She’s a very talented designer and a super sweet person, too! Bonnie came out with her first book using textured stitches called “Contemporary Celtic Crochet” that was published in 2014 by Fons & Porter Books. To read my book review of that book, check out this blog post. Both of these books are fabulous for crocheters who love texture in their crochet projects!
Anyway, here is Bonnie’s newest book, published in October, 2016:
Celtic Cable Crochet book front cover
As you can see by the cover, there are 18 projects in this book for garments and accessories. There are cardigans, sweaters, ponchos, cowls, wraps, scarves, wristers, boot cuffs, hats, bags and more in this book. Here are my favorites:
Cabled Boot Cuffs
These are the Cabled Boot Cuffs. They are made with DK weight yarn and come in 2 sizes: x-small/small and medium/large. They look like a lot of fun to make and wear! I haven’t crocheted or knit any boot cuffs, so I think this one may be put on my list of projects for 2017!
Emerald Celtic Weave Infinity Scarf
This is the Emerald Celtic Weave Infinity Scarf. This infinity scarf can be worn over your shoulders with a brooch or shawl pin. Or it can be doubled and worn as a cowl. I love cowls, don’t you? They’re so easy to wear and they never fall off like scarves!
Lavena Poncho
This is the Lavena Poncho that is shown on the front cover of the book. It is made with worsted weight yarn. It looks so stylish to me! If you’re a poncho person, this one looks scrumptious!!!
Satinees Wine Wristers
This is the Satinées Wine Wristers. They are made with superfine weight yarn. I love the color of this yarn and the texture of these mitts/wristers! They’d be a great addition to any outfit to keep your wrists warm in the winter! And mitts/wristers are quick projects to make!
Tic-Tac-Toe Messenger Bag
This is the Tic-Tac-Toe Messenger Bag. It is made with worsted weight yarn. The bag and strap are lined with fabric, which helps them keep their shape. If you’re not afraid of sewing machines, this bag would be quite stylish to wear!
This fabulous book has step-by-step instructions & photos for the textural stitches at the back of the book. Also, Bonnie has a Youtube channel with lots of videos for her designs and many of her textural stitches here. So, if you’ve never crocheted any textural stitches before, you’ll be quickly learning how to work them and will soon come to love textural stitches, as I and many crocheters already have!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at Celtic Cable Crochet. You can purchase this book on Amazon here or on the Interweave website here. To read about Bonnie and follow her designing career, check out her website here.
Who doesn’t like a new crochet book? Certainly not me, since I’m a pattern junkie (aka: lover)!!!
I’d like to tell you about a fabulous crochet book that I got at the end of September, just before taking a trip to China to visit my middle son, DIL and granddaughter. Since I got the book before the trip, it gave me some wonderful reading material for my trip!
The book is called “Top-Down Crochet Sweaters” by Dora Ohrenstein, published by Storey Publishing. This book is a “gem” for any crocheter who would like to crochet top-down garments that will fit the intended wearer! Let’s face it, many of us can do a fabulous job of crocheting, but when it comes to making something that fits, that’s another story!
I first met Dora at a CGOA conference (I can’t remember which year, but it was probably close to 10 years ago). For over 10 years, Dora has been one of the leading forces in the crochet world with lots of cutting-edge garments and designs! In the past, I tech edited some of her patterns for Rita Weiss and Jean Leinhauser, as well as for Crochet Today magazine. Dora is very ingenious with her designs!
In 2011, I took 2 online classes with Dora on sizing garments. Then in 2013, I took Dora’s class (in person) at the CGOA Conference in Charlotte, NC on the same subject (for more practice and information). Dora is a wonderful teacher and a wealth of information! She is a lifelong New Yorker with a former life as a performing artist (soprano).
In Dora’s new book, she has compiled all of her knowledge about crocheting top-down sweaters. This book includes 14 original designs using the top-down technique, which allows crocheters to try the sweater on as they work, adjusting the fit along the way. The top-down sweater technique has been a favorite among knitters for a long time. Now crocheters can enjoy this fabulous technique, as well! I definitely prefer to crochet top-down sweaters, which end up fitting me so much better than bottom-up sweaters!
This book includes lots of information about choosing yarns and stitches to guarantee a great drape. It also includes instructions on why and how to adjust the patterns to ensure an exquisite customized fit.
In this book, there are patterns for pullovers, cardigans, jackets, tunics and vests. Many of the patterns use only basic stitches. If you know me at all, I like the more advanced crochet stitches and a good challenge! There are patterns for me (and anyone like me) in this book, also! My personal favorites in Dora’s book are Luna and Nanette.
Luna
Luna uses linked double treble stitches. If you’ve never done linked stitches, you should check them out soon! They’re amazing!!! The yarn that Dora used for this sweater is Knitpicks Stroll Tonal Sock yarn. I’ve been wanting to try this yarn for a while and I think this sweater would be a great project to make with it (plus I love the color)! Dora used a size I crochet hook, so the sweater has lots of drape! This looks like a very comfortable sweater!
Nanette (front view)
Nanette (back view)
Nanette uses crossed treble stitches. I love the yarn that Dora used in this sweater (Queensland Collection Uluru), as well! I’m not sure I’d wear it with the buttons in the back, but I think it would be just fine to wear it with the buttons in the front, since the front and back have the same neckline.
If I’ve whet your appetite to look closer at this book, you can check it out on Amazon here. The book has 176 pages and retails for $18.95 (in the US). If you’d like to see all 14 garment patterns in this book, check out the Raverly page for this book here.
I hope you’ll take a look at this book and consider adding it to your crochet library (or purchasing it as a gift for a crochet-lover that you know)!
What are your favorite projects in this book? Do you enjoy crocheting top-down sweaters, too?
Have you ever taken part in a crochet-a-long (CAL), a knit-a-long (KAL) or a gift-a-long (GAL)? I have a few times and they’re a lot of fun!
I wanted to tell you about a Gift-A-Long that’s taking place on Ravelry right now. It’s a group where hundreds of knit and crochet designers from around the world are taking part, discounting between 5 and 20 of their self-published patterns 25% for the GAL that officially starts tonight! The pattern discount runs from 8:00 pm EST tonight through 11:59 pm EST on Nov. 30. That’s over 8 days to purchase some of your favorite crochet and/or knit patterns by some fabulous designers at a sale price! There are thousands of patterns discounted and 335 designers participating this year! There are lots of games, prizes and KALs/CALs going on! You can read more in the Ravelry Indie Design Gift-A-Long group here.
This is the first year that I’m taking part in the GAL, both as a participating designer and a KAL/CAL participant. I’ve picked out 2 knitting patterns that I’m going to knit during the GAL, along with the yarn for each pattern. I’m very excited to take part in the GAL and I’m hopeful to win a prize or two! These are the 2 patterns/projects that I’m going to knit in the GAL:
No-Brainer One-Skeiner by Stitchnerd Designs
Schaumkronen by Owl Cat Designs
You can find the No-Brainer One-Skeiner pattern here and the Schaumkronen pattern here.
These are the 10 patterns that I have discounted for the GAL (the discount is only available on Ravelry during the discount dates/times):
If you’re interested in purchasing any of these 10 scarf and cowl patterns at 25% off, you can go straight to my “bundle” page here.
Here are some stats about the GAL:
As you can see, the KAL/CAL period runs from tonight through the end of the year. That’s plenty of time to knock out some of the crochet and/or knit gifts on your list!
I haven’t gotten totally organized on what I’m crocheting or knitting for who this year. I’m just concentrating on what I need to do for our Thanksgiving meal right now! But Christmas will be here before we know it! I may be ready and I may not be ready! Time will tell!!!
Have you taken part in the Indie Design Gift-A-Long on Ravelry before or are you participating this year? Do you enjoy taking part in CAL or KAL groups? It’s a lot of fun to crochet and/or knit with others, either in person or through the internet! There’s lots of cheering, encouraging, suggesting, etc that takes place and I’ve found that crocheters and knitters are a great group of people!
I’ve been quiet (on my website/blog) these past few months, but with good reason. At the end of September, my husband, youngest son and I flew to China to visit our middle son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter, Rubekah (Ruru for short). We were there for about 2 1/2 weeks and had a wonderful time! We didn’t do any big sightseeing this time. We spent most of the time with our family. We thoroughly enjoyed playing with Ruru! Since she was 3 1/2 – 4 months old during our visit (she’s now 5 months old), she’s a lot more “interactive” than she was as a newborn! We took lots of new photos of her and spent lots of time getting to know her. She’s got a great personality! Here are a few of my favorite photos from (or around the same time as) that visit :
After returning from China, it always takes me a while to get back to Arizona time, since China is 15 hours ahead of us! Since we’ve been back for 5 weeks now, I have no more “valid” excuses for not getting things done, like blogging!
One of the things we did while we were visiting in China was take place in a photo shoot at a photographer’s office. Unfortunately, not all of our family was there in China, but most of us where (my husband and I, 2 of our 3 sons, our daughter-in-law and our granddaughter). Ruru looked great in the photos and we really enjoyed joining in the photo shoot with our kids/granddaughter! Here are a few photos from the photo shoot:
I really enjoy being a grandma, but it’s hard to be so far away from Ruru! However, they’re going to be moving back to Arizona in just 2 months, and I can hardly wait! It’ll be great to see our kids and Ruru again. I expect that she’ll have changed more and will be doing a lot more at 7 months old! I’m so happy that I’ll be able to spend a lot more time with her!!!
One of the nice things about being a grandma is being able to knit and crochet for Ruru! She’s wearing one of the sweaters that I knit for her (and a headband that I crocheted for her) in the 2nd photo at the top of this blog post (the colorful one). She’s also wearing another sweater that I knit for her in the professional photographer’s photos above. I’ve knit and crocheted a LOT of things for her this year (and enjoyed every minute of making them, too!).
I wanted to buy some Chinese yarn while we were there, but I didn’t get a chance to go to a big yarn store. However, one day my husband and I took a walk nearby the university where our kids live and there was a little yarn shop along one of the streets. So I purchased 2 skeins of yarn, which I believe are 92% wool and 8% nylon. I’d say they’re about the weight of sock yarn. Since the labels are all in Chinese, I don’t know everything I should about them! But that’s OK. I enjoyed buying them and going into at least one yarn shop during our trip! The 2 skeins, which have 100 grams of yarn in each skein, cost me about $5 US dollars total! I can have a lot of fun with the amount of yarn in these skeins and $5 is a bargain for 200 grams of yarn! Here are the 2 skeins of yarn for you to see:
I used some of the pastels yarn (on the right) to make the headband in the 2nd photo at the top of this post, along with some leftover yarn from the sweater. I also made a headband with only the Chinese yarn. Here’s a photo of those 2 headbands:
This yarn has a lot of stretch, making it perfect for baby headbands! I made the stretchy headband pieces in Tunisian crochet (with the Tunisian knit stitch). They look like they’re knit, but they’re actually crocheted! There are lots of yards in each of these skeins, so I’ll be making more projects with them in the future.
I hope you’re enjoying the fall weather (if it’s fall where you live). I love the fall weather because I enjoy being able to wear my crochet and knit scarves and cowls again!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, for those of you who live in the US. I’m thankful for many things, especially for family, faith and fiber (the yarn type)! And I thank God for the gift of creativity almost every day!
I just love to crochet for babies, don’t you? I’m currently still crocheting (and knitting) for my granddaughter, who is already 3 months old! How can she already be 3 months old? How does that happen? It seems like yesterday that she was born!!! I’m almost done with a lacy dress for Rubekah that I’ll be taking with me on my next trip to China. And I finished a knit dress for her on Sunday by sewing on the buttons to finish it off. I’ll share photos of Ruru (that’s one of her nicknames) wearing these dresses as I get them from my son and daughter-in-law. Being a grandma is the best!
Babies are so much fun to crochet for, especially since many of the projects for them are quick projects with almost instant gratification! But even crocheting baby blankets is gratifying and lots of fun, even if they take longer! I haven’t found a crochet baby project that I don’t enjoy!
I’d like to share about a new book by Leisure Arts called “Nature’s Gifts for Baby”. This book has 7 sets of designs for babies, designed by Sara Leighton. Each set includes a baby blanket and a hat. So if you’re in the mood for a quick project, why not crochet the hat? If you have more time and would like to crochet for longer, the blanket is perfect! And if you like coordinating sets, make both the blanket and the hat! Each design reflects “gifts of Nature, such as a starry sky or lush flowers and trees”.
Here are photos of the front cover, and Sara Leighton, the designer:
Nature’s Gifts for Baby front cover
Sara Leighton
I haven’t met Sara in person, yet, but she’s as sweet as can be online! I absolutely LOVE the hat she’s wearing in this photo, too (here’s a link to her pattern for the hat on Ravelry)! I think Sara is going to have a long, successful crochet career ahead of her!
Here are photos of all the projects in this adorable book:
Coniferous Set
Starry Set
Fox Set
Seedling Set
Sunrise Set
Water Lilies Set
Raindrops Set
As you can see, each set is unique! Each blanket is made with different stitches, mostly in “quick to crochet” rows. Each of the hat patterns come in 2 sizes: 0-6 months and 6-12 months. The exact yarns (and colors) used in each set are listed at the back of the book. One of the newer features of Leisure Arts books is additional videos for stitches and techniques, like how to work a treble crochet, how to change colors, and lots more. Their books also include many diagrams for different stitches and/or techniques. All of this extra information helps crocheters of all skill levels to be successful in their crochet projects!
Each of the sets in this book, except the Fox Set, is made with medium, worsted weight yarn. The Fox Set is made with super bulky weight yarn. If you’re not familiar with yarn weights, check out this page on the Craft Yarn Council’s website here. The Craft Yarn Council has many pages of helpful information about crocheting, knitting, yarn, crochet hook sizes, knitting needle sizes, and more on their website. So if you’ve never gone to their website, you don’t know what you’re missing!
You can see and purchase “Nature’s Gifts for Baby” on the Leisure Arts website here or on Amazon here. This 32-page book retails for $9.99.
If you’re looking for some new crochet patterns to make for a favorite baby in your life, I hope you’ll consider this book with lots of creative designs!
