I'm Stalling and a Sneak Peek

I know I shouldn't do it, and it's really not like me... but I'm stalling. I have everything I need to do a project, I have put a self-imposed deadline of March 30 for myself. I just keep finding other things I'd rather do.... like designing 3 (yes 3) garments for me to wear to Chain Link in July. also known as the Knit and Crochet Show.

The cool thing about this garment, is that I have designed it with my very long arms in mind! Most of my clothes leave my poor wrists bare and neglected. This design treats my wrists to the comfort and attention they deserve! haha, If I end up selling this design, I'll write the pattern for the rest of the world, not for the arm-endowed!

Tunisian Lace Ascot Revealed!

The Preview of Interweave Crochet's Spring issue is up!

Made of Louet MerLin (a merino, linen blend) this gorgeous yarn softens dramatically under a little steam blocking. Light and lustrous, this scarf is fun. It's Tunisian! and I have photos of the process if you want to see them!

also, see gorgeous designs by Lisa Naskrent of Crochet Garden , Tammy Hildebrand, Jill Hanratty, Doris Chan, Lily Chin, Kathy Merrick and many more! Wow, to be included with such company is truly humbling!

Bellaonline interviews Mary Jane Hall

Find the article here with author, designer, Mary Jane Hall. She talks about motivation, advice for aspiring designers and other aspects of the crochet world.

Some of her designs will be available for viewing at the Chain Link event in July in Manchester, NH. Also, hopefully Mary Jane will be available to sign her book!

"Blizzard" of 2008

Well, here it wasn't really a "blizzard", but we did have a "blizzard warning". It's time for the annual snow creature! Every year, Captain sculpts a creature for the kids. This year was "Alvin" from "Alvin and the Chipmunks". In years past, it has been bunnies, cows, Swiper the Fox (from Dora), the Big Bad Wolf and the three pigs, a dragon.... of course the traditional snowman.

Note: Chickee is wearing a crocheted dress, please don't note: Chickee is bare-legged. (ya gotta pick your battles). It's actually pretty warm, so that is why they didn't have hats.

Turn to the RS, Luke...

Haha! I was writing my initial notes on a pattern and I found myself typing:

"Make sure you are on the right side, I don’t know if you need to turn initially or not, but once you are on the right side, stay on the right side"

and I started to chuckle that these are true words of wisdom! If you are not on the "right" (correct) side, then get there!

Hee, hee. Wishing you a day where you are where you should be! (Can you get any more existential than that?)

To switch topics, the other day I told you about reading stuff for my counseling continuing education...anyway, I just got home from another seminar.... this time on Addiction and the Family... the funny thing is that when we arrived, they split us into 2 groups, to let you know which group you were in, they gave us wristbands...ya know, like the ones you get at a bar that show you are of age and intending to drink.... yeah, the irony was not lost on me either.... Haha.

Here's a sneak peek for you! Enjoy!

Save Knitty Gritty

Here's an online petition to save the "Knitty Gritty" show that airs on the DIY network. I view it on HGTV at 7am in the morning....yawn. It used to be every M-W-F with "Uncommon Threads" on T-TH, now, there is NO "Uncommon Threads" and "Knitty Gritty" is only on FRIDAY. That's all! We have a serious deficit of needlework related tv! You can always find a painting, quilting, or scrapbooking show, but finding a needlecraft show is hard! Don't forget some areas carry "Knit and Crochet Today" on PBS. Also, I'm not sure where "NeedleArts Studio with Shay Pendray" is anymore, I have never seen it in my area. Sign the online Petition here. I did it, it's easy. You do have to give an e-mail address, but you can choose whether it is to stay private or if you give permission for it to be seen by others.

Knit and Crochet Show

BE AWARE! This poster advertises the Market, which is the dates of 25-27. BUT, you can take classes also on Thursday, the 24th, and the CGOA professional Development day is on Wednesday 23rd. The Knit and Crochet Show (yarn market) is only one part of the event, the Crochet Guild of America National annual "Chain Link" Conference is going on simultaneously Wed-Sunday in partnership with the TKGA The Knitting Guild of America's Regional conference. You got all that? There will be a quiz! Go Here for more information! I'll be there!

Crochet at Victoria's Secret

Hi All, did you know that Victoria's Secret has many crocheted items? If you go here you can see the whole selection!

For your amusement, here's Chief and a selection of his preschool artwork. I take a photo of the big stuff and then keep as much as I can....and keep a photo of the rest!

Sneak Peek

It's sneak peek time! Oh, it's slightly different, I changed a few things, but you'll recognize it when it's published...in a few months! Oh, it's so hard to wait! Why do magazines have such a long lead time????? (Because it takes alot of work and alot of people to put out a magazine!). I love magazines, they are like relatively inexpensive gifts to me that show up unexpectedly... well, except I always am waiting for them with bated breath! Really, how inexpensive are magazines! Depending on the magazine, you can get an issue full of awesome designs and inspiration and pure fun, for the price of a fast food meal for one! And you don't get the grease and guilt! I love the internet, but there is nothing like thumbing through the glossy pages of a new magazine to make you feel like you are totally luxuriating in free time. Have I told you that I love magazines? But only the fun ones, I don't get the same joy out of news magazines. I'm just saying.

Drudgery

In addition to being a warm, furry companion, Charlie also serves as a desk as he sits on my lap (though reluctantly). He must be the most photographed cat on the planet behind Morris, that is. Anyway, I'm stuck in between projects (sorta). I have plenty of projects that I am working on but nothing due soon, so I've been working on my other profession. I'm also a LPCC, (licensed clinical counselor) and I have to get CEU's to maintain my licensure. So, this week, I've put my yarn down to read some boring textbooks on subjects that I've read multiple times to stay current. But the good news is, that I made a significant leap toward the 30 hours I need by January. So, though it's not a thrill, I have been productive!

Sneak Peek

Sneak Peek! Hmmm????

Hooks Galore

I love my hooks the way a painter loves her brushes! The funny thing is that there is nothing particularly special about my hooks. I don't collect fancy hooks, but for some reason, a large quantity of functional hooks makes me happy. You can see the whole break down of hooks on my notebook on Ravelry my ID is EllenGo, come find me and look at my hook collection!

top tray

bottom tray

Here are photos of my big "Tool Box" I got it at Hobby Lobby in the needlework section, it is labeled as a "Cross-Stitch case" and has two levels. I also have this smaller one that I will take with me when I travel. I just wish it came in solid silver so that it looked like a Million dollar case from a gangster movie, or better yet, silver with a big number on the side like 'Deal or No Deal'. I think I would choose case number 6, for no logical reason.

Here is also my 'tool basket', this one is a little more decorative and can sit on the floor in the living room and I can put the lid on it and be a little more discreet with my crochet stuff EVERYWHERE! My stuff definitely has taken over the house, even worse than the kids toys. Boy, that is cathartic to admit. Oh yeah, I also keep hooks in the car, and here's a cup of hooks next to my computer.

Toddler Jacket REVEALED

I just found this on Caron's website as a free pattern! You can find it here It is in super-bulky yarn. My niece loved it, and she got the 3T size for her birthday. It is sized in 12 months, 2T and 3T. Shown is a 2T. If you are a Caron yarn fan, there are several new free patterns up, including some awesome things by Kim Guzman, Vashti Braha, Mary Beth Temple, Doris Chan, Tammy Hildebrand, Noreen Crone-Findlay....just to name a few!

Mom's Broomstick

Basic Broomstick Lace. I think I was 12 or so, when my Mom made this one for me. I chose the colors, and she put it together. I think it was her second broomstick lace attempt, but I can't be sure. I remember my Mom crocheting, but she was also a beginner knitter and she liked candlewicking. There were a few half made embroidery projects around at various times in our lives. Between her and my Tanta Margaret (aunt), who lived next door, they taught me to crochet probably around 9. Anyway, the point is, I got this afghan out the other day. My Mom died almost 11 years ago and I was thinking how cool it is that I still have this, knowing that it was made just for me. And every inch of that yarn pulled through her fingers as she made it, just as the yarns for my kids' afghans have passed through my fingers as I dream dreams for them.

Stitch markers

ee-nee, mean-ie, my-nee, Mo! Which is your favorite, I want to know! I just finished a project in which I used many stitch markers. By far, my favorite is the ones on the left, the locking stitch markers. They also make a larger size, but the little ones are fine with me. The split rings in the middle of the photo are fine, but have blunt ends that 'caught' on my yarn. The markers on the right also seemed to snag on my yarn....Yuck!

Sneak Peek

Now, this one will get you thinking, "Hmmm?"

Organizing

Here's one of my very favorite yarns... Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino, a chasmere, merino wool blend. Very, very soft.

'How do I organize my stuff' you say? Well, DH would say "you don't!" But there is a method to my madness!

Now, if I crocheted 'just for fun' I would probably organize my yarns by color or fiber content. I organize my yarn by Brand. Mostly as a designer, I rarely mix brands within a project because I have less opportunities to sell the item if it is mixed brands. (yarn company A doesn't want to buy an item that has yarn company B's yarn in it).

So I have big plastic bins with labels for each company, then I have an "other" drawer for all the odds and ends.

I keep a bin of "swatches", and a separate bin of "sold swatches"

I keep a bin of Notions.

I need more bins!

National Craft Month

March is National Craft Month, of course that means NATIONAL CROCHET MONTH to me and you!

What are you going to do this month to celebrate? Chickee likes to draw pictures and tape them to all our windows for every holiday, so maybe I can get her to tape some crochet related things to the windows???? I know she can make massively long chains and wrap them around our banisters like garland.

How about learning a new skill for National Crochet month, or a new stitch! Oh! There's an idea!

As you can see, Charlie is into it! Don't worry, I made sure that he didn't hurt himself. Always keep pets away from plastic bags, really :(

Stitch Markers

Do you ever wish you had an endless supply of stitch markers in a minimum of 8 colors? That's me right now. More later.

Crazy Busy!

Whew! Between President's Day (the kids off of school), and a snow day on Wednesday (kids off of school), snow yesterday afternoon at rush hour, oh yeah, school's off again today. Luckily, Chickee's school has a cool system where they send out a recorded phone message to the house when the decision is made. We actually knew at bed-time last night that there would be no school today. Now, to keep the kids from hurting each other while they are bored to tears and can't go outside for more than 10 minutes at a time (with a 15 minute get dressed prep-to-go-outside and a 20 minute get-wet-clothes-off-and-mop-up-the-wet-floor), that will take care of 45 minutes of our day. Now what?

Well, there's always, Yahtzee (with real dice). Maybe I'll teach Chickee how to do Solitaire with real cards.

I'm thrilled to say that my "Sunny Spread" afghan pattern (the yellow squares one) is now the 4th most active recently published design on Ravelry. There are currently about a dozen or so people making the pattern and several more who have put it in their 'que' to do when they can. What fun! By far, seeing people interested in my designs is the best part of Ravelry!