Notes from last night's CGOA meeting

I think that I mentioned that I started a Yahoo group for our local Crochet Guild (CGOA). I think it's a great way to connect to people who may not be able to make the meeting, or who are looking for a meeting. Here is what I wrote and posted to our Chapter about last night's meeting:
Last night's meeting was a lot of fun. I went no "business", and no presentation.
We were making flowers, and I had posted links to a lot of patterns, and suggested making some ahead of the meeting so we had things for "show and tell". We had roses and Irish roses made in worsted weight acrylic, #3 fashion thread, and #10 thread; we had daffodils in worsted weight cotton, and #3 thread; and we had forget-me-nots, star flowers, and picot flowers, mostly in #10 thread. There was a lot of discussion about where we found patterns, what yarns we used, and what variation we liked the best. Several members worked together to make roses, while others worked individually on different flowers. I hope some of you take pictures and post to the group.

June's meeting will be Thursday, June 26th; 7 pm at East Shore Library.
Shelby is going to share some designs that involving braiding or weaving chains.

July's meeting is presently scheduled for July 24th (my bad). I did check at the information desk last night about changing the scheduled meeting room to July 31st (the correct meeting night.)
I will possibly talk endlessly about the Chain Link Conference!

Check the Calendar for scheduled meeting days, times, locations.

If you don't belong to the Crochet Guild of America, I highly recommend it. Check out the website and locate a chapter near you. You can crochet with friends and share your love of crochet, you can learn new techniques, learn about new yarns, or help a new crocheter learn new skills.
If you'd like to check out our chapter group site, click on the title to this entry. Maybe your group can set up a chapter group site, it's easier to start and maintain than a full website, and it's free. It is one resource that has helped out little group to grow.

Now I need to go back to working on my Ring around the Posie.

This week in crochet

I'm not writing much this week, my head seems to be in an allergy fog. No, I'm not Claritin clear, Claritin does nothing for me. So, I seem to be spending a lot of time doing a lot of not much. I have been busy with some crocheting, and doing some reading on the Internet especially Ravelry, but not clear headed enough for writing. Today I learned all about the Kitchner stitch for joining two pieces of knitting, as it was suggested it would be a good way to join Tunisian pieces. When I get more clear-headed, I'll get hands on and see how it works.

I've been working on some flowers for our CGOA Chapter meeting Thursday evening, and a little bit on the motifs for the Ring around the Posie top. I've also started on a new Tunisian project which I'm not saying much about at this time, but it is "All About the Purple".

Illusion stitches in Tunisian

Tuesday evening at Borders the group was talking about illusion knitting, and someone asked if you could do similar stitching in crochet. I remember reading an article in either Crochet! or Crochet Fantasy on this, I'll have to search for the magazine and take it in on Tuesday. I found it, it's Crochet Fantasy, Winter 2005.
In the meantime, he's a link to an "illusion scarf with alien heads"! It's done in Tunisian crochet.

Crochet Books discussion group

Dee left a comment below about the book "Hooked on Murder", suggesting a crochet book discussion group. Well, it never takes Dee long to jump in, so she started a crochet book discussion group on Ravelry.
If you're on Ravelry, please join us. We're discussing plot, characters, style of writing, crochet accuracy, the pattern and recipes in the book, the author and upcoming books, and what we might read next!
Hope you join us.

PieceWork Looks at Lace

Just received my Knitting Daily, and it's an advertisement for "PieceWork Magazine's May/June issue". This issue is all about lace, and includes pictures, article, (possibly pattern?) on the filet doily of Laura Ingalls Wilder. You can read a little more about this in "Dee's blog". It seems that the doily was made by Laura, but the design was by Mary Card, a crochet designer from Australia. Will have to look for the PieceWork magazine at Borders.

What's getting accomplished

I haven't posted since Saturday, that makes it look like I might not be accomplishing much, either in crocheting, or in blogging about the crocheting. Unbeknownst to you readers, I have been doing a lot of both, you just haven't seen the results, yet.
Over the weekend and last night I finished up the ripple afghan. I need to sew on a tag with the Shawl Ministry information, and then get it all folded nicely, wrapped in tissue, and popped into the bag, and then drop it off at the church.
I finished the CAL motif, worked in the ends, blocked it, and only need to get some photos.
I've also started several blog posts with some links to interesting reading. I do want to write a little more to go with the links, and haven't found time for that.
Tonight was Crochet in Public, and for some reason this is the first I've really looked at the sign they put up on our table. I'd read the "Reserved for Hooks and Needles", but tonight's the first I really noticed the small print underneath that says "weekly knitting group". What? A group of crocheters started getting together at Borders on the Tuesdays that we didn't meet at Michaels. Then we started meeting there every Tuesday, then a group of knitters started meeting there once a month. We all sat together & had a great time. Then one evening the events coordinator approached the group on a night that only crocheters were there and asked if we'd like to have a reserved space, a mention in the newsletter, and if we were open to new members. We heartily agreed and I chose the name - inclusive of crocheters, knitters, needlepointers, cross-stitchers, etc. Why did they write knitting group?
Well, I crossed off knitting and wrote needlework!
I made three more motifs for my top, but we were chatting and laughing so much it took me a while to remember how to join the motifs on the last round! I had to talk to myself for a while and ignore the rest of the conversations, even though we all heard "...then they stick this swab up your nose and put it in a tube..." I've been informed that if I go to the hospital they'll do it to me, too.
After crocheting for several hours a group of us went to Applebees for dessert and coffee. Although by the time we got there and looked at menu's we decided that we needed food first. 10% of the total was going to a local church's mission in New Orleans, so we did what we could. We had a really great time!

A ripple afghan in single crochet doesn't take forever

...it only feels that way!

Someone donated a large garbage bag of yarn to the Shawl Ministry, including the beginning of a ripple afghan, very wide, in single crochet; and the yarn to complete the afghan. Everyone said that "someone" should take it and finish it, but they meant me. I thought that at first, then whenever the word "someone" was mentioned they looked at me, then they started using my name after "someone". I really don't like ripples, especially single crochet, back loop only, they take F o r e v e r !
I resisted as long as I could, but then realized someone was going to take all that beautiful blue yarn, and then there would be no way to finish the afghan...so I took it home.
After several long rows of single crochet, back loop only, I said to myself "There's no reason you have to do the whole thing in one color, add some stripes". So I decided that peach would go nicely with the blue, and with blue and orange being Hershey High School colors (who choose that combination, anyway?) I figured that I could make a light version of blue and orange and it could go to a girl graduate. Our Shawl Ministry has expanded from the shawls for sick, elderly, death in the family, to a white shawl for every baby baptized at the church, and then to a shawl/dorm blanket for every high school senior. Some happier crocheting.
Anyway, once I decide that I could change the color, I figured, "Hey, I can change the stitch on the second color". I'm working the peach in half doubles, so it's going a little faster. Now, I find that it needs to be finished before Monday's meeting so today was ripple day. Tomorrow will be also.
Looking forward to finish this and getting on with other projects.

Yesterday, for a change of pace I worked up the Antique Threadwork motif CAL. I chose the Rambler Rose doily on Celtwich, but only made one of the smaller circles. It's a very pretty motif, with an Irish rose in the center, some lace, then ruffles, more lace and picots. With #10 thread and a size 7 hook, it's large for a motif, makes a nice little doily, about 7" across. Tomorrow I hope to work in the ends, block it, and get pictures.

Ring around the Posie

The above link takes you to the Interweave Crochet site and photos of the summer top that I'm making. Here's a link to the yummy bamboo and acrylic yarn:
"Spa"
Everyone was ooohing and aahhing over the yarn on Tuesday evening.

"Hooked on Murder" and other stuff

I posted a new motif for the CAL in Antique Threadwork. I started working on it Tuesday evening at our Crochet in Public at Borders. I'm having some problem with a huge ruffle. The picture is not clear enough to tell, there may be a ruffle in the motif. I've been over the directions many times, I can't find any place where I'm mis-interpreting the instructions, and could try doing something different. So I've put it down for now.
I also worked on the summer top from Interweave Crochet in the beautiful bamboo yarn. I need to get time to work more on this, the yarn is just so yummy!
Then several of us spent time discussing and practicing continental knitting. It was something that I was playing around with over the weekend while swatching the knitting and Tunisian.
I have several projects that are coming up on due dates, so I need to pick them up and finish them.
I finished reading "Hooked on Murder". If you haven't picked it up yet, it's a nice light read. The crocheting is a major part of the story, and seemed very accurate. Along with the good story, there's a pattern in the back for a crocheted granny square dishcloth, and recipes for pound cake and buttercream icing. This says it's the first in the series, I'm looking forward to number two.

Okay, Dee; if we're starting a crochet book club what do you want to read next?

Always learning something new...

Over the last couple of days I've been very busy with swatches in knitting, Tunisian, and crochet. I've learned something very important: When I do Tunisian or crocheting for 5 or 6 hours I have a nice project, or a good start on a large project. When I knit for 5 or 6 hours, I have a nice ball of yarn!

Now, why is this? If I mess up a stitch in crochet, I re-do that stitch. If I've made a mistake a few stitches back, I rip back to that stitch and re-work. I'll admit that occasionally in a very difficult patterned project, I've had to rip back a row or several rows. But with knitting,... I can't figure out how to rip back to the mistake, I end up ripping the entire thing back to the slip knot!
Maybe I should go back to my LYS and take another knitting class.

In the meantime, I've used up a lot of valuable time that I could have used to actually crochet something. So, I went out and bought some worsted weight cotton and plan to crochet a quick project. Then back to the summer top that's working up so nicely on that J hook. Maybe I can be even happier, I'll switch over to one of my beautiful wooden hooks.

I also bought the new novel "Hooked on Murder" by Betty Hechtman. It's about a yarn shop, and crocheting, oh and the murder. I'm heading for a comfy bed, a stack of pillows and a new book.

May Day & tea cozies & crochet

This morning I was surfing Webshots to find some pictures of flowers in baskets to send for May Day. I found a lot of interesting crocheted items. I'll show you a few to spark your crochet imagination.

I'll start with a very traditional doily with Irish roses, beautifully crafted.
An exquisite doily with 3-D swans and waterlilies!
A heart & flowers sachet
An unusual shaped flowered purse
Irises and daffodils

These are beautiful, crocheted and beaded flower buttons.
A miniature rose pillow for a doll house.
This bed doll is cute, but just look at that exquisite pillow!
Don't overlook the beautiful lace runner on the top of the dresser...
This dollhouse is complete with a basket of yarn and a needlework project in process, and it's crochet!

An Easter wedding flower basket complete with crocheted doily liner and then crocheted flowers.

Then I came across some lovely flowered tea cozies...


Look at these beautiful tea cup cozies. I think I might have to make some of these, a great way to use up those little bits of left over yarn. Or this might be a way to try several colors together to see if you'd like them in an afghan.


Perhaps my favorite tea cozy, even if it's not crocheted, it's just too perfect.


I'm going to get a cup of hot tea, go back to crocheting my "Ring around the Posie" top, and wish everyone a Happy May Day.

Note: all these pictures were on Webshots, and I used the "Link to" feature. If you click on the picture, you will be redirected to the original Webshots picture with the photographer credit.