crochet patterns – Page 8 – The Crochet Architect

September 23, 2014September 23, 2014

Contemporary Celtic Crochet

What do you like most about crochet? Are you someone who loves the textures that you can make in crochet with a solid color of yarn? I definitely do! One of the crochet techniques that uses a lot of crochet stitches with texture is Celtic crochet.

I’d like to share some information about a book that I recently got by Bonnie Barker, who I met at the CGOA Conference this year in July. Bonnie is a sweet person and has a lot of talent, both in crochet and in music. Bonnie wrote the lyrics for a song called “Ripping Out is Hard to Do” that she, Jennifer Ryan (another crochet designer) and Terri Mitchell (Bonnie’s neighbor) performed at the conference this year. Here’s a photo of the 3 of them performing this song:

From left to right: Terri, Jennifer and Bonnie

The song was a “riot”!!! Bonnie wrote the parody lyrics, which were sung to the tune of “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” by Neil Sedaka. As you can see in the photo, Bonnie played the guitar, Jennifer sang the song and Terri did the silly acting out of the words. What a hoot!!!

Now back to some crochet seriousness! Bonnie has a new crochet book this year called “Contemporary Celtic Crochet”, published by Fons & Porter Books (an imprint of F&W). Here’s a photo of the front cover of the book:

This 128 page book retails for $24.99 in the US and contains 24 designs, from scarves to sweaters, vests, baby blankets, sweater wraps and much more. I’ve never seen a sweater wrap before and perhaps you haven’t, either. I’ll explain what a sweater wrap is later on in this blog post. But for now, I’d like to tell you a little about this book and share photos of my favorite designs in it with you so you can decide if this book is something you’d like to add to your crochet library.

One of my favorite projects in this book is the Kells Cabled Sweater. It’s a V-neck sweater with a beautiful edging along the bottom of the sleeves and sweater. The sleeves are loose and comfortable looking in the photo. See for yourself:

Doesn’t this look like a comfortable sweater? It definitely does to me!

Here are a few photos of another one of my favorite projects in this book:

This is the Baby Feet Baby Blanket. Aren’t these baby feet adorable? I don’t think I’ve ever seen baby feet on a baby blanket like this before! This is a pattern that I’ll definitely be looking closer at when my grandchildren start arriving (hint, hint!).

Okay, so what is a sweater wrap? According to Bonnie’s book, she first saw this style of garment while visiting the west coast of Ireland. Bonnie says in the book, “A sweater wrap is a wrap that thinks and acts like a sweater. It is a practical choice when you don’t want to wear a sweater, yet a stole alone is just not quite warm enough. The added back panel attached to the stole keeps you just as warm as you want to be.” Here are some photos of one of the 4 sweater wraps in the book, modeled by one of Bonnie’s daughters:

I think the bottom edging on this sweater wrap is really nice! Each of the 4 sweater wraps is made with different Celtic Crochet stitches. They’re all very nice and don’t require any shaping, like sweaters do, so they’d be much easier to crochet.

Here’s the other baby blanket in this book:

This is the Hialeah Honey Baby Blanket. It sure has LOTS of texture!!!

And here is the backpack and purse, which I really like, too:

The backpack and purse have a basket weave pattern to them.

Bonnie even included a Celtic Cross Afghan in the book. Here is a photo of that afghan (and a coordinating pillow right above it) with a lot of texture, as well:

This is a really nice looking afghan and I love the edging on it, too! Since I’m a Christian, this afghan has a lot of meaning to me.

Unfortunately, I can’t show you photos of all the projects in this book. But I can tell you that there are 36 pages of instructions and step-by-step photos of how to crochet the special stitches and Celtic stitches in this book. These stitches include the arrow, baby feet toe popcorns, back post and front post double crochet, back post and front post treble crochet, basket weave, braided cable, buttonholes, cable, Celtic cross, Celtic weave, diamond, honeycomb, knotted fringe, knurl, low back ridge, low front ridge, popcorn, front post and back post ribbing, shadow box, shell with picot, single crochet ribbing, wheat, woven and more! These stitch instructions are fabulous!!!

Bonnie and her husband, Craig, traveled to Ireland on a business trip in 2012. The inspiration for Bonnie’s designs in this book came from that trip. Here is a photo of Bonnie and Craig in Ireland:

Bonnie also included some photos in her Celtic Crochet book of places in Ireland that she and Craig visited on their trip. It looks like a beautiful country!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at “Contemporary Celtic Crochet”. You can see and purchase the book on Amazon here or through Interweave here. To read about Bonnie and follow her designing career, check out her website here.

Happy crocheting,

Susan

September 5, 2014September 5, 2014

Design Inspiration behind Snowflake Afghan

Have you ever wondered where designers get the inspiration for their designs? Well, inspiration comes from many places. For me, it can come from seeing something in a store, on a website or in a book. It can also come from seeing a garment or accessory that someone is wearing. My newest design, “It Takes All Colors Snowflakes” afghan, was inspired by a knitted sweater in my own closet! I don’t always get inspired by my sweaters, but this sweater was truly inspiring to me! It’s an older sweater and has seen its better days, especially around the bottom of the sleeves. But I love the snowflake pattern on it and the bright colors that were used, so I knew I had to use this design in a crochet pattern someday. Here’s a photo of the sweater (and a close up photo of it) for you to see:

Here are photos of my snowflake afghan to compare to the sweater:

I used 8 colors (plus black) of Red Heart “With Love” yarn to make this afghan. It’s worked in the Fair Isle crochet technique in which each row is worked on the right side. The tails are all turned into fringe on the left and right edges afterward, so there are no tails/ends to weave in (yahoo!). Fair Isle crochet is a great technique that yields a fabulous finished design! And since the non-working color is worked over instead of being carried across the back, the afghan is reversible, too! Here is a close up photo of a section on the back of the afghan to see:

You can find this pattern on the Mainly Crochet website here. If you’re not familiar with Mainly Crochet, it’s an online magazine started by Michele Maks, the former editor for Crochet World magazine. I met Michele in person at a CGOA Conference (possibly in 2009, but I could be wrong about the year!). Michele purchased quite a few of my crochet patterns during the years that she was the editor of Crochet World! She started out as a designer several decades ago, before she was the editor for Crochet World magazine. She’s a fabulous designer and a great magazine editor with a keen eye! A few years after leaving Crochet World, Michele decided to start her own online magazine called “Mainly Crochet”. The Mainly Crochet website went live in the summer of 2013 and has been going strong ever since! It is a subscription magazine that costs $24 per year. There are over 190 patterns on the website now. They’re all accessible to paid subscribers to download as PDF files onto their computers or tablets. Mainly Crochet has a lot of fabulous patterns by many talented designers! There are patterns for all skill levels and for all types of projects: from afghans to accessories to doilies and lots more! Check it out!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at the inspiration behind my “It Takes All Colors Snowflakes” afghan design and will give this crochet technique a try.

Happy crocheting,

Susan Lowman

August 30, 2014March 16, 2015

New Easy Scarf Pattern is Available

I’ve been busy designing lots of scarves this past 6 months and I’ve had a blast with them! I have one of the patterns ready for your crocheting pleasure. This scarf is called “Easy Rainbow Scarf” because it’s an “easy” pattern and because of the rainbow colors I used to crochet it! I just love rainbows, don’t you? Here’s a photo of the scarf:

As you can see, the scarf is completely reversible, thanks to the special stitch worked in the black rows. This scarf, as shown, measures 4 ½” wide x 54” long, plus the fringe. However, the size is adjustable in width by working more or less rows and in length by working more or less repeats across the rows. So you can make your scarf whatever size you desire!

I used 6 colors (plus black) of Caron Simply Soft yarn to make this scarf, but you can use as few as 2 colors to make your scarf, if you wish. I used worsted weight yarn for this scarf, but feel free to use a heavier or lighter weight yarn instead to make your scarves. This is a great pattern for using up scraps of yarn, since only 25 yards of each color are required (for each colored strip in the scarf), plus 175 yards of black, to make the scarf the size shown. You can use whatever colors you like to coordinate with your outfits, coats or jackets.

This scarf is quick and easy to make. The skill level is “easy”, so if you haven’t been crocheting for very long or simply want an easy pattern to make, this scarf fits the bill!

If you’re new to working more than one crochet stitch in a pattern, have no fear! The pattern is easy to follow and includes full instructions for making the scarf with the fringe. It also includes close-up photos of the scarf and fringe, instructions and step-by-step photos for working in the back bump of the foundation chain, making a Long double crochet (Ldc), starting a row (joining) with a sc or a hdc and making the fringe. And there are no yarn tails to weave in, since the tails are included into the fringe!

If you already know how to make a chain, single crochet, half double crochet and double crochet, as well as how to read and follow a crochet pattern, you’re ready to make this scarf. If you’re eager to learn something new and enjoy making new, unique projects, it’s time to get started on this fun scarf today! And Christmas is coming, so this is the perfect time to get started on those Christmas gifts for the loved ones on your list!

This pattern is available right here at The Crochet Architect as an instant PDF download for $4.95. And, as always, I’m available to answer any questions you may have about any of our patterns while you’re making the items. If you find a mistake, please let me know right away so I can correct it. I strive to create fun, error-free patterns for your enjoyment!

Happy crocheting!

Susan

May 16, 2014

Crocheted Cowls and Rugs Patterns

A few months ago, I got 2 new crochet leaflets: “Quick & Easy Crochet Cowls” by Stitches ‘n Stuff (Sue Childress & Frances Hughes) and “Cute Crochet Rugs for Kids” by Tara Cousins, both by Annie’s. I’ve made some crocheted rugs before, but I’d never made a crocheted cowl before, until recently (I know, I’m a little behind the times!).

What is it about cowls that appeals to so many fiber lovers these days? And why are there so many different sizes that can be made? There are short, narrow cowls that just drape around your neck like a wide necklace all the way up to long, wide cowls that can go around your neck several times and also fit over your head. They can even be made much like triangular scarves, but worn backwards with the wide edge at the front and tied or buttoned in the back! Cowls can be made from many different fibers and weights of yarn, from super fine to chunky, too!

There are 6 projects in this Annie’s cowl book (4 easy and 2 intermediate skill levels). The cowls range from being made in many narrow rows, to less rows with more width in the rows, to a triangular shape. Some are made in solid yarns and others are made in multi-colored yarns. Some have popcorns, shells, V-stitches or clusters for lots of choices. And there are lots of different sizes to choose from, as well. Here are photos of the front cover and a few of my favorite cowls in the book:

This is a really nice leaflet and I look forward to making some of the cowls in it. In fact, I’ve already taken the plunge and designed a hooded cowl for a major crochet magazine (I’m sorry, but I have to keep the name of the magazine and month of the issue a secret for now). It was really fun to design and I love the colors in the yarn! It’s very soft and fluffy, which I think will be great for the winter! You can find this cowl book for sale at Annie’s here.

The rug book for kids that I got has 7 different rugs: a dinosaur, elephant, turtle, monkey, ladybug, butterfly and an owl. All of the rugs in the book were made with Deborah Norville Everyday Soft Worsted Solids, which is a medium weight acrylic yarn. I’m sure you could substitute any worsted weight acrylic yarn if you have lots of another brand in your stash! Here are photos of the front cover and some of my favorite rugs in the book:

These are really cute and I bet kids will just love them! Of course, my kids are too old for rugs like these (my 3 sons are all in their 20’s). But perhaps when I have grandkids (hint, hint!), I can crochet them some fun rugs like these! You can see all of the rugs in the book on the Annie’s website here.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at 2 new crochet leaflets with lots of new crochet patterns in them.

Until next time! Happy crocheting,

Susan

April 11, 2014April 9, 2014

Interview with Kristi Simpson: her new book, “Mommy & Me Crocheted Hats”

I recently met a crochet designer through the internet. Her name is Kristi Simpson and she’s a very talented crochet designer. She has a website and an Etsy shop. To celebrate the release of her new book, “Mommy & Me Crocheted Hats”, published by Stackpole Books, I’d like to do my first “blog interview” with Kristi today. You can see and order this book on Amazon here. I’ll share a few photos of my favorite hats in her book toward the bottom of this blog post, too.

S: How long have you been crocheting?

K: I have been crocheting for 6-7 years! Wow! Time flies!

S: How long have you been designing?

K: I have been designing for 5 years…but I have only been selling designs since 2010. I knew shortly after I learned to crochet that I wasn’t happy with a lot of just plain designs. I wanted to make functional things cute and so I was determined to design things that were fun and cute to crochet. I now have over 350 designs.

S: What are your favorite things to crochet or design?

K: Obviously I have a soft spot for babies and small children. My husband and I have 5 inspirational children: Jacob, Kimberly, Allison, James and Ryan that keep us on our toes! They inspire me to keep my designs fresh, and kid friendly. I understand what it means to be on a budget, but still want all of the ‘cute’ designs for my little ones….and now I make them!…but when it comes down to patterns, I know there’s a demand for all ages. My new book is about giving everyone a chance to jump in on the fun and having cute hats to wear!!

S: Where/when/how do you get your design inspiration?

K: I honestly LOVE to go yarn shopping. I might walk out with 1 skein…and on the fun days my husband is with me, I might walk out with 10 (I love it when he goes!). He is my biggest support and encourages me to try new designs and yarns! The colors, textures and different weights of yarn will jump out at me and even though I might have an idea in my head, it becomes more real when I can see the yarns. Now, I will never ever say I have enough yarn– and my husband knows that. Ha!

Also, my family inspires me. They know my passion for crocheting and even when we shop in the mall, they’ll bring a jacket or a fabric headband and say– look at this! I am a huge fan of magazine clipping! I have a 3 ring binder with taped down ideas from sales papers, store ads and what others would call ‘junk mail’. I love to see what’s in season and what’s in store for the next! I also have a separate notebook that I jot down my ideas and sketch them out so that I can return to them when specific inspiration hits!

S: Do you use your children as models for your crochet patterns?

K: Yes, all the time! My kids’ ages range from 5 year old twins to 14 and 16 year old daughters…. I never miss that opportunity to use them. Plus, they love seeing their photo online!

S: Do you have a favorite color, yarn brand or yarn weight to use in your designs?

K: One? I have to pick JUST one? Right now I would say it is Yarn Bee, “Hint of Silk” in Oriental Teal. It’s so luxurious! It is 85% Bamboo and 15% silk. It is classified as a weight 4 yarn, but to me it is on the thinner side of the scale. However, it’s perfect for clothing, hats and the new baby–it’s SO SOFT! If you were to ask me last week, I would have said Red Heart Soft in purple…. I can never pick JUST ONE!

S: What does RAKJ stand for?

K: Have you ever tried to pronounce RAKJ? Well, I’m sure you had a tongue twisting try and made some sneeze-like sounds….but it’s actually pretty simple: R-A-K-J. It is our family initials! Ryan, Allison, Kristi, Kim, Jason, James and Jacob!

S: What else can you tell us about your Mommy & Me Crocheted Hats book?

K: The book was a blast to design. I not only managed the patterns in this book but also the photography. It was amazing to have every day people model the hats. I mean, not only models wear them! I enjoyed the ‘almost candid’ theme, and it was so much fun! Not only photographing the hats, but seeing the mom and child (or sometimes grandma or dad!) playing together and being sweet! It is something that I will always remember. I hope the photos make you smile and giggle… and inspire you to make a few sets for you AND your friends and family!

Well, that’s it for the interview with Kristi. I hope you enjoyed getting to know Kristi a little bit. I definitely enjoyed interviewing her! I look forward to many more wonderful designs from Kristi in the future.

I can’t imagine having a career AND raising 5 kids! My 3 sons are grown and out on their own now. My life was very busy while my husband and I were raising them, with all of the things they did in school, sports, Boy/Cub Scouts, church and more! It makes me dizzy just to think about my crazy, busy schedule back then!

As promised, here are photos of some of my favorite hats in Kristi’s new book (and a photo of the cover of the book, too):

Wouldn’t the pirate hat be great to wear on National “Talk Like a Pirate Day”? And what little boy doesn’t want to have a beard? I think the Elf hat is really cute. It could be made with red and white for a Santa hat without the added chain spaces in the last round of the hat. If your little girl (or a little girl you know) likes to wear her hair in pigtails, then the pigtail hat is perfect (with holes to poke the pigtails through)! Since I LOVE snowmen, the snowman hat is great, especially with the ear muffs! And if I had a baby girl, I’d definitely want matching heart beanies for us!

These hat patterns come in multiple sizes and different skill levels, so there’s something for everyone. And with 30 hats to choose from, you’re sure to find some hats that you’d like to make. The book retails for $19.95 in the US and $22.95 in Canada.

You can see all of the hats/projects in this book on the Stackpole website here.

Happy crocheting,

Susan

March 27, 2014March 27, 2014

New Doily Book Review

You may ask: What is a doily? And how do you pronounce it? Well, it’s pronounced “doy lee” or “doi´lē” (definitely NOT dolly!). Think of it this way: “doy” rhymes with “toy” and “Lee” is a man’s name. According to Webster’s dictionary, a doily is “any small, ornamental mat, especially one of embroidery or lace”. Of course, many forms of crochet are lacy, so it stands to reason that many doilies are made in crochet! Doilies are used most often to protect wooden surfaces from scratches and moisture.

I LOVE doilies! I have hundreds, if not thousands, of doily patterns and I still enjoy purchasing new doily patterns to add to my collection. I love to crochet doilies and they make wonderful gifts, too! I have a box of finished, blocked doilies that I can turn to when I need a gift for someone, especially if they love doilies, too. I’ve learned a lot about crocheting and designing through making crochet doilies. I’m a “threadie” at heart, so I love crocheting almost anything with crochet thread (especially cotton crochet thread because it blocks so nicely).

I love the different shapes and stitches that are in doilies. Each one is unique, almost like snowflakes. Doilies come in circles, squares, rectangles, ovals, hexagons, triangles, octagons, or just about any shape. Some doilies are done in Filet crochet, while others are done in Bruges Lace, Irish crochet or regular crochet. Some doilies have lots of textural stitches or aremade in multiple layers. Some are one solid color, while others are made with many colors (and I definitely LOVE colors!). I love anything crocheted that has pineapples in it, too! Two of my favorite doily designers are Patricia Kristoffersen, who designs doilies with textural stitches, and Kathryn White, who designs doilies in Irish crochet. You can see a lot of Patricia’s work on her Ravelry page. Kathryn White has a Raverly page and a website where you can see her designs. I won several books from each of these talented designers!

A few weeks ago, I got a new doily book. It’s called “A Baker’s Dozen Easy Crochet Doilies”. As everyone knows, a Baker’s Dozen is 13. This book has 13 different doilies in it (and one of them is mine; from the October 2013 issue of Crochet World magazine). There are round, octagonal and rectangular doilies in this book. Four of them are filet doilies, one is Irish crochet, one has an added layer in the center, 6 are regular crochet (3 with pineapples) and mine is worked over bone rings (it’s actually a table mat, but it’s in the shape of a doily!). All of these designs are beginner or easy skill levels, so there’s nothing too difficult to make in this book. Here’s the front cover and a few of my favorite doilies in the book:

A Baker's Dozen Easy Crochet Doilies book cover — A Baker’s Dozen Easy Crochet Doilies book cover

Aren’t these doilies pretty? To see all the doilies in this book, visit Annie’s website. This book retails for $9.95 in both print and digital formats. With 13 doilies in the book, that makes each doily pattern less than a dollar!

Happy crocheting (and crocheting doilies!),

Susan

March 19, 2014April 16, 2014

2014 National Crochet Month Designer Blog Tour

I’m thrilled to be taking part in Crochetville’s National Crochet Month (NatCroMo) Blog Tour again this year. Thank you very much, Amy Shelton and Donna Hulka, for putting together this year’s blog tour. I hope you’re enjoying each stop along the blog tour, learning more about crochet and getting your creative crochet juices flowing! Please check out the other stops along the blog tour on the Crochetville blog.

All of the designers and participants in this blog tour are members of CGOA (Crochet Guild of America). I’ve been a member of CGOA for over 10 years. It’s a fantastic organization with giving, caring, sharing, encouraging members. I’m also the secretary on the CGOA Board of Directors, as well as Co-Chair on the Masters Committee and a senior portfolio reviewer in the Masters program. For more information about CGOA and all we have to offer, including the Masters program, visit the CGOA website and the CGOA blog.

As you may already know, we’re supporting the charity, Halos of Hope, during the blog tour. If you’re not familiar with Halos of Hope, they’re a non-profit organization that collects and distributes donated hats for cancer patients who have gone through chemo and lost their hair. Please check out their website for more information about them. You can find out where to donate handmade hats on their website, as well. If you don’t knit or crochet, you can also get involved by donating monetarily to help pay for shipping the finished hats to cancer centers across the US.

To celebrate National Crochet Month, I have a free crochet pattern for you: my “Button Flower Pin”:

Click here to get the free PDF pattern download, available for free only until April 15, 2014. After that date, the pattern will be available for purchase for $2.95.

I hope you enjoy making this flower pin with your favorite button in the center! You can use crochet thread or yarn, it’s your choice! So get creative and whip up some quick Button Flower Pins to adorn your wardrobe or to give as gifts! What woman or girl doesn’t love a pretty pin to wear? And what crocheter doesn’t love a quick project? It’s a great way to use up some scraps of yarn or thread, too.

You can even use this pin as a shawl pin to help hold your shawl in place, like I’ve done here with my knit shawl and crocheted shawl pin (You can see a close up photo of this pin in the following photo with multiple pins):

The shawl and button flower pin were made with Patons Lace (the free knit shawl pattern is available on the Patons website here). This button flower pin was made with only the bottom layer of petals, since I didn’t have enough yarn to make both layers. I stacked some buttons in the center and added some beads around the buttons. I also used some size 10 crochet thread for working the edging around the petals. So mixing and matching colors, yarns, threads, buttons, beads and fibers is definitely allowed (and encouraged) for these pins!

I really enjoyed making these pins and found it hard to stop! Here are the button flower pins I’ve made so far:

I’m sure you’ll come up with ideas of how you can make some of these pins and customize them to your wardrobe, or give them as gifts throughout the year.

Aren’t buttons wonderful? If you’re like me, you have a stash of buttons that are just waiting to be used. I have some fabulous old buttons and some newer buttons. Some of them are quite interesting and unique! If you’ve bought or inherited some vintage buttons, what better way to use them than by wearing them as a pin on your favorite outfit! Crochet mixes well with many other mediums and buttons are one of those mediums.

One of my favorite things to design and crochet is jewelry, such as these button flower pins. Crocheted jewelry is a wonderful project that doesn’t have to “fit” like garments, so it’s right up my alley! And buttons are great to use in crochet jewelry, too. Check out the free crochet necklace pattern that I designed (with buttons) for Red Heart Yarn on their website here. I used simple, new buttons in that necklace, but the buttons add so much visual interest to my Mod Flower Necklace!

If you’re a button lover and a crochet lover, you may even want to use a bunch of buttons to make a unique “Faux Tatted Crochet Necklace” (the pattern is available here at The Crochet Architect.com). This fun-to-wear necklace is crocheted to look like tatting. Size 10 cotton crochet thread, a size 7 (1.65mm) steel crochet hook and 21 buttons are used to make this necklace. I’ve made many of these necklaces over the years with some vintage buttons from my stash! Here are photos of a few of my necklaces using those buttons:

If you look closely, you’ll see a black Navy peacoat button with an anchor on it at the bottom, center of the black necklace! My middle son was in the Navy a few years ago, so that’s a special button to me!

You don’t need to have vintage buttons to make a Faux Tatted Necklace, though. I’ve made some with an assortment of new buttons and they look great, too! The secret to these necklaces is the “assortment” of buttons you use. I try to use different sizes (the largest size should be at the bottom center and the smallest size should be at the top left and right of the necklace), as well as several coordinating colors in my necklaces. Here’s one that I gave away as a prize during National Crochet Month last year for you to see:

And don’t limit yourself to using buttons in these necklaces. You can use beads or charms just as easily instead of buttons. Here’s a Faux Tatted Necklace that I made with some beads from my stash:

Faux Tatting Crochet Necklace with beads

One of the nice things about this necklace is that it’s big enough to fit over your head without needing a clasp. If you’re like me, fastening a necklace clap can sometimes be very difficult! And this necklace is easy to clean, too. When the necklace gets dirty, simply soak it in water in the sink with some liquid laundry detergent added. If needed, use an old, clean toothbrush and dab the laundry detergent directly on the dirty spot to remove stubborn dirt. Then rinse and let dry. Voila! It’ll be clean again and ready to wear in no time! These necklaces take just a few hours to make, so they’re also great to make and give as gifts.

If you’d prefer a whole set of crocheted jewelry, why not make a Faux Tatted Necklace, Bracelet and Earrings (this pattern is available here, too)?

If you’ve never crocheted with crochet thread before and would like to learn, I would love to have you in either of my online classes with Annie’s: “Crocheting With Thread” or “Beginner’s First Doily”. You can find out more about these classes by clicking on the picture of me near the top right-hand corner of the screen. Once you learn to use thread in your crochet projects, you may become a “threadie” and not want to go back to using yarn!!!

If you’re new to my blog, I’d like to say “thank you” for visiting and I hope you’re enjoying this designer blog tour. I regularly post book reviews, crochet news and more. I have a few tutorials with plans to add many more tutorials (and crochet videos) in the coming years. If you’d like to receive updates, including when new patterns are available for purchase, please subscribe to my blog by inputting your e-mail address in the field to the right. As you can see, I don’t blog all the time, so you won’t be inundated with e-mails from me (I respect your privacy and your time)! And if you have a request for a crochet tutorial, I’d be happy to work on that for you (as time allows). I love teaching others more about crochet and learning more myself, too.

Another way I’d like to celebrate National Crochet Month is to give away a free crochet pattern (of your choice) to 2 lucky winners. I’ll pick and notify the winners on March 31st. To enter this contest, you’ll need to do 2 things: 1) leave a comment on this blog post, 2) subscribe to my blog. Because of “spam” comments sometimes being a problem, you’ll need to make an account before commenting, but that’s quick and painless. With an account, you can leave comments on any of my blog posts now and/or in the future! And if you ever want to unsubscribe, you’re free to do that, as well. There are no strings attached!

I wish everyone a very happy National Crochet Month and good luck in the giveaway!

Happy crocheting!

Susan

January 17, 2014April 1, 2014

Book Review: Crochet Wraps Every Which Way by Tammy Hildebrand

I’m honored to review the first crochet book done by my good friend, Tammy Hildebrand today. Tammy’s name and crochet designs have been gracing the pages of crochet magazines and books for many years, but this is Tammy’s first book with ALL of the projects designed by Tammy herself. You’ve probably seen some of Tammy’s designs in Crochet!, Interweave Crochet, Crochet 1-2-3 and Crochet World magazines. Many times, Tammy’s designs have graced the cover of these magazines, too! To see Tammy’s published designs, visit her Ravelry page. Tammy is a wonderful crochet garment designer who I’ve admired for years! She is also the Vice President on the CGOA Board of Directors and has served on the Professional Development Committee of CGOA for many years.

Crochet Wraps Every Which Way front cover

Anyway, back to Tammy’s new book, “Crochet Wraps Every Which Way”. This is a great book with 18 patterns for wraps, ponchos, shawls and stoles in 6 techniques: hairpin lace, broomstick lace, Tunisian crochet, double-ended crochet, motifs and traditional crochet. There are 3 designs/projects for each of these 6 techniques: 1 design for each of these skill levels: easy, intermediate and experienced. So you can pick a project based on your skill level, making the book relevant to almost all crocheters! And there is even a “how-to” section in the back of the book with step-by-step instructions and photos to help you learn the new techniques that appeal to you!

Tammy has pushed the envelope with many of these cutting-edge designs. She even works some of these techniques in the round that are traditionally worked in rows! How cool is that? I’m in awe of Tammy’s creativeness! Here are some of my favorite projects in the book:

The “Perfect Pineapples” shawl is essentially a big, round doily with the pineapple pattern throughout, made with yarn. I love the way you can fold it over wherever you want to make it the length you like (and the folded portion forms a collar!).

The “Purple Passion” wrap is also made with pineapples. This wrap is made with Lion Brand Silk Mohair yarn, which is one of my new favorite yarns! It’s a dream to work with and it’s light-as-a-feather!

The “Chica Mala” shawl looks like it’s made with regular motifs, but it’s made with broomstick lace motifs, worked in the round! I had to do a double-take on this shawl! I have to give this a try soon when I have some spare time.

I love the colors that Tammy has chosen for these wraps. Of course, you can choose different colors for the wraps you make from these patterns to coordinate with your wardrobe or the recipient’s wardrobe, if the project will be a gift for someone else!

I know how to do all of these crochet techniques, but I’m not very proficient with some of them! I’d like to learn more about them and practice my skills with them (like hairpin lace and broomstick lace). I took a hairpin lace class at last year’s CGOA Conference in Charlotte, NC from Jennifer Hansen, who is a genius with hairpin lace, broomstick lace and Tunisian! That was a lot of fun! I’ve enjoyed Tunisian crochet for many years and I love crocheted motifs! What are your favorite techniques out of the 6 techniques in this book? Which ones would you like to learn?

If you’d like to purchase this fabulous book and learn some new crochet techniques or expand on the ones you already know, the book is available at Amazon.com here. It is also available at many local craft stores and book stores nationwide. Tammy’s book has 104 pages and retails for $19.95 in the US ($22.95 in Canada). That’s just over $1 per pattern!

I hope you’ll take a look at Tammy’s new book and learn a new crochet technique in 2014!

Happy crocheting!

Susan

January 3, 2014January 3, 2014

Book Reviews: One Crochet Book and One Knitting Book

I recently got 2 new crochet/knitting books from Annie’s. I love getting new patterns for crochet and knitting projects! There’s nothing like a new project! If you called me a “pattern junkie”, I think you’d hit the nail right on the head!!!

Colorful Tunisian Afghans to Crochet book

The first book is “Colorful Tunisian Afghans to Crochet” by Glenda Winkleman. This book includes 6 patterns for Tunisian crochet afghans with cross-stitches worked on the surface to create the designs. These are really nice afghans! I love the construction of them. Five out of the six afghans are done in either strips or squares of Tunisian crochet. Each strip or square is edged before joining them together. The sixth afghan is done in a large center section that appears to be 2 separate sections, but it’s one big piece with bobbles separating the solid center from the edges where the cross-stitches are worked. Here’s that afghan:

Isn’t it pretty? And here are a few of the other afghans in this book:

The patterns in this book are rated as an “easy” skill level, but they may be closer to “intermediate”, in my opinion! Some of the special stitches used in various afghans in the book are: bobbles, popcorns, crossed sc and picots). Each pattern comes with written instructions and charts for the cross-stitch placement. If you’ve never done cross-stitch on Tunisan crochet before, it’s really easy! The Tunisian crochet makes a “grid” of squares that serve as the background for the cross-stitches. The book even includes a diagram in each pattern showing how to work cross-stitches.

Each of the afghan squares or panels is crocheted with one color of yarn, making the pieces work up quickly. Then you cross-stitch the design onto the squares or panels per the charts. If you’ve ever done stamped or counted cross-stitch on fabric, you already know how to do the cross-stitch portion of these afghans. And if you’ve done Tunisian crochet before, you already know how to do the background of the afghans! If you don’t know how to do Tunisian crochet and you want to learn, Annie’s has a lot of books, videos and materials for doing Tunisian crochet. You can see their assortment of Tunisian items here. Kim Guzman has designed a lot of projects in Tunisian crochet. She has several online classes with Annie’s, too. To read about her class called “Learn to Tunisian Crochet”, click here.

You can see all of the afghans in this book at the Annie’s website here. The book retails for $9.95 in the US and $11.95 in Canada. So with 6 patterns in this book, that comes out to be $1.67 for each pattern in the US ($2.00 each in Canada)!

If you enjoy doing Tunisian crochet (or want to learn), why not add this book to your crochet library?

A Playful Palette of 10 Knitted Accessories book

The second book I got is “A Playful Palette of 10 Knitted Accessories” by Tabetha Hedrick. As the name implies, this is a knitting book. For those of you who are bi-stitchual (you can crochet AND knit), this is a great book. There are 10 projects, ranging from small, quick projects to larger, longer projects. There’s a headband, bracelet, scarf, cowl, hat (in 2 versions), fingerless mitts, scarflette, cape and socks in 2 lengths in this book. All of the projects are made with 1-4 skeins of Koigu Yarn: either Koigu Premium Merino (KPM) or Koigu Painter’s Palette Premium Merino (KPPPM). These are both fingering/sock-weight yarns in 100% merino wool. I’ve never tried this yarn, but it looks really pretty in the book, so I’ll have to give it a try sometime very soon!

Here are a few photos from this book:

You can see all of the projects in this knitting book here.

The skill levels for the projects in this book range from beginner to intermediate. I like having this range of skill levels, since I’m a fairly new knitter with lots to learn! I really like the looks of the lacy socks in this book. I never thought I’d knit or crochet socks before, but I might have to take the plunge sometime soon!!!

This knitting book has 48 pages and retails for $14.95 in the US ($17.95 in Canada). With 10 patterns in the book, each pattern costs just $1.50 in the US ($1.80 each in Canada)!

If you enjoy knitting accessories, you may want to add this book to your knitting library!

Happy crocheting (and knitting),

Susan

December 20, 2013December 20, 2013

New CGOA Website and Banner

Are you a CGOA (Crochet Guild of America) member? If so, fantastic! If not, why not? If you love crochet and you’d like to be part of a national organization that is dedicated to crochet, then CGOA is for you! We have local chapters that hold monthly meetings for members to share with each other and learn from each other, yearly crochet conferences with lots of classes and fun activities, free crochet patterns “for members only” and many more benefits of CGOA membership! Check out all the member benefits on the CGOA website here. To find a local chapter near you, please visit this webpage.

Do you know about the CGOA website? You can find CGOA at www.crochet.org. The CGOA website has a new look and added features this year. We have some crochet lessons and fabulous new crochet videos (done by Kim Guzman) on the new CGOA website, as well! And there will be more additions to the website in the near future, too.

Many of you already know that I am the current secretary on the CGOA Board of Directors. I’m also one of the co-chairs on the CGOA Masters Committee and I’ve taught classes at many of the CGOA Conferences in the last 5 years. As a Board member, I was honored to design and crochet the website banner for the CGOA website this year. If you’re a CGOA member, you can read all about the banner and download the free website banner motif pattern (for members only) here. This is the motif for the CGOA website banner:

It’s made with popcorns and post stitches, as well as many regular crochet stitches. Here’s a photo of part of the CGOA website banner with many joined motifs:

I made this banner with 12 colors of Cascade 220 Superwash yarn. This yarn was a dream to work with! You can see the huge range of Cascade 220 Superwash colors here. There are 220 yards of worsted weight 100% wool yarn in each ball. I know the CGOA banner will last for a long time, since this yarn is completely washable!

Happy crocheting everyone! And remember the CGOA motto:

“When you think CROCHET, think CGOA”!!!

Susan

P.S. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year filled with lots of time to crochet! And I hope you learn a new crochet technique in 2014, too!