Desk! I has one

Most of my Friday was spent cleaning & organizing my studio. I didn't take a before pic, but trust me, it was b.a.d. Though its come a long way, there is still much to do, so for now, I offer a peek at my clean desk (look carefully, you just might spot a sneaky peeky or two).

Stash Bash, joining in

My friend and fellow designer, Kristin Omdahl, posted her "stash" today. Following her lead, thought I'd show you mine, too.  But first, here's why:  Interweave is having a StashBuster Sale, a new, annual post-Labor Day event. Now through Sept 16th. Not just a sale, but a contest, too! There is also Stash Bash Flickr Group. Check out everyone else's stash and upload your own photos (this is how to enter for prizes!!). One lucky winner will be selected at random from all the Flickr group entries winning their choice of 5 NEW BOOKS from Interweave Books' 2011 collections to add to their book stash. Five additional winners selected at random will win copies of the new book INSIDE THE CREATIVE STUDIO: Inspiration and Ideas for Your Art and Craft Space by Cate Coulacos Prato (available October 1, 2011). Winners will be chosen on September 17. So here it is, my stash of stuff:

One of my 2 bookshelves, the top shelf is loaded up with all of my laceweight yarn.  The bottom shelf is full of knitting & crochet books that I don't look at often, but am not quite ready to be rid of.

The second bookshelf.  This sits right behind my desk, all books within reach for easy referencing.  You can also see my long needles on the floor to the left with shorter needles and dpn's on the top, along with my treasure of crochet hooks.

My cube storage boxes.  They hold my magazines, yarn that is next up for contracted projects and yarn that I have set aside to swatch with.

This little section of real estate in my studio is dedicated to my spinning habit.  It holds my wheel, a Louet S15, drum carder & wool in various colors and stages of fluff to yarn.

So, join in, won't you!? Leave a link to your stash bash in comments so I can see yours :)

Go Crochet!

Welcome to the next stop on Ellen Gormley's blog tour!!



Not only is Ellen an amazingly talented designer, she is a wonderful person. But you don't need me to tell you that. When you read the descriptions and notes she has written on these pages, you feel her warmth and genuine love of crochet.

Go Crochet! Afghan Design Workbook is so much more than your typical afghan pattern book. It is, well, a workbook. A class.
It begins with the basics, tools you will need and why, how to read a stitch diagram, how to measure gauge and why. It has clearly drawn and written instructions of the various stitches you will need to know. And then (yes-more! I'm telling you, it's a great book!), the discussion on choosing colors. Then.... wait, we'll come back to this part.



Next, 50 original motifs. 5 different shapes, 10 of each: Square, Rectangle, Triangle, Hexagon, and Octagon. Grab a snack and a cup of coffee (I like mine with a little french vanilla creamer!), spend some time flipping through the 60 pages of possibilities. Big, beautiful pictures. Detailed, colorful stitch diagrams of each.

Now that you have made the decision of what motif you love the most, you can flip back to the beginning of that shape, where Ellen provides "puzzles", line drawings of how to arrange the shape you picked.



Now also, is the decision of motif joining. Of course, she schools you on this, too. Pictures and choices at the end of section 1 (I told you we'd get back to it!).

Want a no-brainer? An afghan that is expertly & beautifully chosen? You got it! The last section of the book has 10 amazing blankets. Again, amazing photography & charts! My personal favorite:




So, now that we've walked through the Afghan Design Workshop, let's talk about the "more" I mentioned about this book. Who says you must use the motifs for a blanket? Not me! While I LOVE to wrap in the comfort of the afghans my grandmothers crocheted for me, making an afghan is not high on my list of things to do. On my list, of course, but not anytime soon.
For me, the real fun in this book is the possibilities of motifs! Truly, you can make anything using them. Be picky and purposeful in the yarn you chose.
Cotton worsted: chose a solid octagon motif for a purse, or an open one for a market bag
Sport/DK weight wool: pick a lovely square for an easy cardigan
Lace weight bamboo: chose an open triangle for a dreamy spring shawl
Worsted wool: opt for greys & warm browns, make a manly scarf from a rectangle

Really, the possibilities are endless. I know what I'm going to do.



You can find it a on Amazon, ~OR~ you can get an autographed copy from Ellen's site. It is definitely one book on your shelf that will not gather dust!

The Hooks in My Life.... part 1

I have oodles of crochet hooks. Some work for me, some don't. Thought I'd take some time and share with you my thoughts.

This one was a gift. The information on the hook says "Accento Craft Inc, Handy Hook".

It's a size K, which is a size I don't use often. It does require a bit of getting used to, and I wouldn't necessarily say that it causes less 'tiring' of my hand. My guess is that it is probably very comfortable for a "pencil grip" person. But I'm a knifer. It's fun to look at though!

Several years ago, I went through a phase where I decided I needed to have cute, fun and fancy hooks.
Here are a few I ordered from eBay sellers. I don't remember who I bought them from, sorry. As you can see, 2 were customized with my EweDevil sheepie of the time. 2 of these hooks have a bit of a squish to them & are marked with "JY 305". The other is a harder, polymer clay (I think). Although, this little sheep has lost it's head & horns :( But it's quite comfortable to work with.


For the "Ooo, Fun!" factor, I bought this hook that lights up. Yes. There is a little led light in the handle that shines through the clear hook. It is another size K, so is rarely out. And honestly, I tried working with this once during a movie (we were at home, don't throw popcorn!). It was more annoying than helpful, for me. They are called "Crochet Lite" and are made by Clover, but aren't on the website.


And my purty hooks:

Ooops, looks like a plain one snuck into the picture... It is 10" long and has "Size 15" stamped in it. It is one of the hooks from my grandma's collection.
So the fancy hand-turned hooks are from Jimbo's Front Porch. They are a pleasure to behold and have a great hand. However, for me, not really useful. They have a bit of a Susan Bates hook, and I'm a Boye hook type. Unsure of what I mean by that? Tune in tomorrow for more on hooks!

Slipped Shawlette

I saw a post (sorry I don't remember where) a while back on a slipped stitch beanie. And thought to myself "wow, that's pretty cool". And moved on, leaving this concept to linger in the back of mind.

A few weeks ago I made this gorgeous shawlette, the Multnomah By Kate Flagg, the body is knit in garter stitch with a feather and fan edge. I love garter stitch. The look. The squish. The easy, rhythmic stitching.

I sat wishing I could make something similar in crochet.
And then, yep- you got it!, Aha! That slip stitch beanie!
I knew exactly the right yarn from my stash.
It was magical. I grabbed a hook, and started. Changed hooks. Changed hooks again.
Changed hooks again. Again. Closer, but changed again.
And finally - okay, so magical was a bit embellished, whatever, the process was still sparkly in my mind so I'm leaving it in.



My first independently published pattern is for sale.
Slipped Shawlette





It is $3.00 HERE

I'm very excited about it. I love love this little shawl and will be making another for myself in a bamboo for the spring & summer months.
I hope you enjoy it and please make sure to send me pictures if you make it!

Chainlink 2010

Ohmagosh, this is shameful. I really haven't posted in HOW long?

Here is a post that has been hanging out as a "draft"- shameful.

Where to even begin!?

Honestly, I just don't even know. What an absolutely amazing time!

It all began when I met Karen Ratto-Whooley at the airport in Baltimore, MD.

I'm certain I looked like a total stalker, 'cuz I kept looking at her across the gate area thinking, "that's Karen Whooley! I know it.." I was, of course, way too chicken to approach her, until she pulled out her yarn! That was the only invitation I needed :)

She was so wonderful. I sat next to her on the plane and we crocheted & chatted. Then she waited at the airport with me while I filled out all the paperwork that had to be done because my luggage did not come in on the plane with me. Yes, seriously. Luckily, my hubby (the seasoned traveler) told me to pack tomorrow's clothes in my carry-on.

At the hotel, Karen introduced me to many of her fiber friends.. and then, we met Robyn Chachula. Yes. Yes I did. (Didn't get a picture, I was a little awe-struck)

And Kristin Omdahl, I know, pinch me, right!?

Now, at my computer, I'm trying to remember who all was at the table I got to meet the first night. I should have kept a journal. It's all kinda run together into one gigantic, fabulous memory of friends & fits of laughter.

Professional Development Day was fabulous. I sat at a table with Shannon Mullett-Bowlsby, Tracie Barrett, Andee Graves (Mamas2Hands), Ellen Gormley, Kristin Omdahl... I know, I've just started name-dropping now.

And this is where I stopped when originally writing this. Why? Who knows. Maybe one of the kidlets needed me, or a dog, or a cat.... for those who know me, you know there are many many things that could have pulled me away.

Instead of blathering on about the whole thing, I will leave you with pictures and the knowledge that ChainLink is fabulous. If you're considering going, do it. DO IT!

www.Crochet.org

Stop, right now & go make your reservations.

Wait. Look at my fun pics, THEN go make your reservations.

Oh, word of advice, don't be all shy about getting out your camera the way I was... I should have had SO many more pictures!

drawing the line

sometimes making the decision to knit/crochet for fun or design isn't an easy one.

while i love love love designing, it's nice to pull out the fibery goodness to do what brought me to designing in the first place. just to sit and knit or crochet.

with my niece's arrival a mere 2.5 months away, my urge to create itty bitty sweaters and cardigans is out of control!

then the questioning sets in...
do i find a really cute pattern & just enjoy the process?
or should i turn this into a possible pattern for others to enjoy, and perhaps make a little $ from too (just keepin' it real!)?

so, i answer that question by doing both. what can i say? i'm hopeless.

on my knitting needles: Autumn Leaves by Nikki Van De Car (of What to Knit When You're Expecting). for this size 9-12mos cardi, i am using redheart designer sport in a sour appley green. cashmere is beautiful and soft and fabulous and all, but as a mom of 4, washable is the way to go.

my crochet projects of choice are; another cardigan that is oh-so-super-sweet and a jacket in size 2t. i have sent the sweet cardi off for submission, so i can't show it to you just yet, and the jacket is still just a square... not much to show

so, i thought i'd give an attempt at the 365. telling you right now, i will not be posting a picture every day. while it is a really neat project, i know me. so, i'm going to do what i can.

my picture for the day: matchsticks

pretzels dipped in a bit of melted chocolate.

mmmmm