News article on Lace Crochet

This is a news article from May 2nd about how popular lace crochet is. It also seems to try to cover all bases, an ad for Interweave Press' Crochet magazine (it's being published more often than planned, because crochet is so popular), an ad for Berrocco yarns (check out their website for patterns for lace shawls), information on the Craft Yarn Council, information about seminars by Melissa Leapman, and information about local crochet and knitting groups. It's interesting that this was in the Anchorage newspaper, where my daughter was in Nov. 2005 and Jan. - March 2006. BTW, love the name of the local crochet guild, Ididachain!

Shell doilies

On the top is the large shell doily, before blocking. Look at the ripples! On the bottom left is a small doily that has been blocked, and on the right is the other small doily pinned and drying. It took a while to pin down the larger doily, but I kept spritzing with water, stretching, smoothing and moving pins until I got it flat. Then a light spritz with the spray starch and a short steaming. I left it to dry overnight, and it looks very nice. The set is ready to go to its new home.

Playing with Delta

While working on the Delta crochet lessons, I thought it would be pretty if I could make the flowers in one color and do the background mesh in green. So when I had a little time to play around I experimented. It started very easy, create the center flower in pink, change to green and work two grounds of mesh. The next rounds got more complicated, drop one color and pick up the other to finish a stitch. But, the flowers are worked over 2 rounds the bottom 3 or 4 petals and connecting stitches in one round, the last 2 or 3 petals and connecting stitches in the following rounds. So there were places where I had to drop the pink, pick up the green, make 2 treble stitches, drop the green, pick up the pink,... I think it has potential.
This piece was an experiment, working for concept, not necessarily perfection or neatness. The back is a mess of strings, I'd need to do some thinking about how to carry the back strands along neatly. I'll definitely be working on this, as I have a design idea!

Doilies

Finally! I've finished the set of shell doilies, see entries of Feb. 10th and April 15th. The last round of shells on the largest doily really ruffled. I took a picture before blocking, hope to post it soon. I feared that it wouldn't block flat, but I spritzed it lightly with water and started pinning. Had to dampen it and re-pin it often, but finally got it flat. I sprayed it lightly with spray starch and steamed it, and it looks very nice. The set is ready to be gifted.

I've now gone back to the last project in my Delta crochet lessons, see entry of April 29. Yesterday and today I worked diligently, almost finished through row 12, but then found an error midway through row 11, so I ripped back and I'm now up through row 11.

Book Review - Crocheted Lace

I've been buying new crochet books and magazines, and have been too busy to look at them! This week, with both girls gone again, I started sorting through the boxes, and exploring some of the books.
Here is the first review - hope to add more soon.

Crocheted Lace: Techniques, Patterns and Projects, by Pauline Turner; Martingale & Company, Woodinville, WA, 2003

I first looked at this book earlier this year when I was at the Farm Show & discovered the booth by the Keystone Lace Guild. From basics to advanced techniques, this book covers everything to get you started in making lace - history of crochet & crochet patterns, samples of early lace, charts of hook sizes, and thread sizes, how to make basic stitches, and different types of lace. Then there are chapters on filet, and Irish crochet, and imitations of other laces, such as Tenerif and Honiton, and a chapter on edgings. There is information on techniques, such as joining and finishing. There are a lot of photographs and diagrams, and plenty of patterns - motifs, doilies, baby blanket, gloves, and a vest made of motifs. I like the small "filler" motifs to join circles, octagons, etc into a blanket or garment. I want to experiment with making up some fillers. I made the Sunflower Lace motif, and have my eyes on that Old English Wheel. Wow!

Surprise box

Trying to catch up with digests from various groups, finishing projects, organizing patterns & yarns; writing e-mails, making posts, housework (what?), and children.
Have several ideas to post, but haven't done the actual writing.
The mailman just left a box for me, surprise! It has a return address of Lion Brand Yarn! Wait, I don't remember ordering any more yarn. What can it be? Hold on, I'm getting the scissors & opening the box.

This is a surprise! I've got a letter thanking me for teaching two people to crochet - it's part of the Each One Teach Two program through the Craft Yarn Coucil of America. (will add a link as soon as I've finished looking through the box). My name was drawn from a list of teachers & they sent me a gift. Wow, 6 skeins of Homespun in pretty red/pink/ purple shades - Boston Rose, Coral Gables, Antique, Gothic; and a pattern for a Granny Square Wrap. Now, I'm not a fan of Granny Squares, but I love the colors! I'll probably incorporate these in some Prayer Shawls.
Hope you had fun with my surprise box!
"Craft Yarn Council of America Each One Teach Two"

Back from vacation

Well, it's been quiet here because I've been on vacation for a week. I usually take a week in July or August to go to North Carolina and visit my Mom & Dad, 2 older brothers & their families. My older daughter was working in Anchorage for 5 months and is home for a short time, before heading to Denver for 3 months. She asked if we could visit the family while she was home. So, after finishing teaching for the year (last day April 25) we took off for warm spring weather! I took a tapestry bag full of crochet books, hooks, patterns, and 2 doilies that I'm working on. Had a chance to show off some of my work, including the baby sweater I made for my niece, but didn't make a single stitch. Too many other fun things to do with the family. My sister & her younger daughter flew in from Texas, so it was almost everyone. We did lots of visiting, played games, watched movies, listened to music, talked, joked,...
I had thought about checking out a CGOA group that meets in Greensboro, but we were busy with the visiting. Maybe next time?
I forgot to take a picture of the baby sweater before I wrapped it and put it in the gift bag. Maybe sometime I'll get a picture of my grand-nephew wearing the sweater. In the meantime, if you're interested, I got the pattern from Kay's, the information is in my post of April 29th.
I didn't get a chance to read my e-mail, and I get digests from about 7 crochet groups. I've been reading most of today, and still have 70-some digests to read.

Fantasy Blog Stock Market

Okay, I'm online trying to put together a new business card, checking to see if several of the names I'm contemplating have already been taken, when I come across this "Fantasy Stock Market". It treats your blog site as a stock market commodity and gives it a value, I think based on the number of incoming & outgoing postings. It's a full on-line game playing fantasy stock market.
"The Crochet Dude" has quite a valuable site, check it out - over $91,000!
Drew "The Dude" has claimed ownership of his blog site, I haven't, since I didn't know about this before. My site is valued at about $2,400. My value jumped in March, National Crochet Month, when I was attempting to publish one entry every day.
"Jane's Hooked on Crochet"