Celebrating – Page 15

Such a Pretty Hook

July 4, 2011July 4, 2011Celebrating, Crochet, Wood Crafting1 Comment

Here in the US, today is a national celebratory holiday: The 4th of July. So I thought I would have my own small celebration with some fun pictures to show off my finished hook.

I started this hook at the CLF Crochet at Cama Retreat (October, 2010) in Jimbo Price’s “Hook Whittling” class. But it wasn’t completely finished at the end of my class or my trip to Washington. I finally finished carving and sanding about it a month later, since then it has been waiting for the finishing oil.

There is something so soothing and peaceful to me about shaping wood. I love the silky feel of the surface of the wood as I sand away all the bumps and rough bits.

Since I have a habit of sticking my hooks in my mouth when I am crocheting I wanted to use a finishing product that wasn’t toxic. I was very pleased when I found this Howard Butcher Block Conditioner that is food grade mineral oil and natural waxes.

I warmed the oil a little by placing it in a container of hot water. Then rubbed it into the wood with the white cloth (just a rough cotton cloth sold in the painting department of my local DIY store) followed by polishing it with the yellow microfiber cloth.

I’m really happy with how the oil brought up the grain of the cherry wood. It is also a good finish because I can re-apply the oil as needed to keep the hook looking like new.

It fits my grip perfectly and is a size L (8mm) hook, which is my favorite size for working with slightly bulky yarns like Dazzleaire from Caron.

And for those of you that want to see some fireworks today, this is a picture I took at the Rockies Game Friday night. With the fire ban in effect for our county we enjoyed our fireworks a bit early down in Denver.

A Journey of a Thousand Miles

June 29, 2011June 29, 2011Celebrating, Creativity, Crochet1 Comment

There is an old proverb I’ve been thinking about lately – “A Journey of a Thousand Miles begins with One Step.” I’m probably mis-quoting it, but that is how I remember it at the moment.

I’ve been organizing old photos recently and just amazed at the distance I have traveled in my life the past 25 years.

I’ve been to the UK and France, something I had dreamed of since I was a little girl in Kansas.

I’m married to my very dearest friend and, even after being together for nearly 15 years, he still manages to surprise me and make me laugh at life.

I am mother to 2 beautiful little boys, though I do question my sanity at times about entering the parenting adventure a bit late in the game.

I live in the mountains in a simple and comfortable home, surrounded by pine trees and wildlife.

I’ve said good-bye to friends that have left this lifetime and said hello to the arrival of infants to other friends.

I’ve watched some of those children grow up and even graduate from high school and college.

I’ve worked in numerous careers and am now making a living thru work that draws from that lifetime of diversity.

Best of all, I’ve come to a place in my life where I appreciate the joys and grieve the sorrows when necessary. I know that this journey is not over and life will continue to unfold in ways that I have yet to imagine.

Maybe this calm moment is the product of being tired from working many hours, both as a mother and designer. Maybe it is my habit of overlaying the rhythm of my crocheting over my daily life. Either way, my hope is for all of you to have a similar moment.

Fun and Sparkly Throw

June 24, 2011Celebrating, Creativity, Crochet Design2 Comments

I’m so excited to share that my first throw design is available from Caron Yarns. The Teen Throw uses Caron’s Simply Soft and Party yarns to create an exciting and fun throw to add some bling to any teenager’s room.

The Spiral Hearts that decorate the corners were an embellishment that I came up with in 2008 as part of a challenge on Jenny Dowde’s Freeformations group on Ravelry. Jenny is always setting fun challenges to inspire stretching our creativity.

I’ve had many requests for a pattern for that project, so I’m very pleased that this pattern is available to the public via Caron’s website.

My Mission

June 20, 2011June 19, 2011Celebrating, Health and Self CareLeave a Comment

One day, about 15 years ago, I met a lady who admired the crocheted scarf I was wearing. She recognized it as crochet and commented sadly that she used to crochet too, but had to stop because it hurt her hands. This would not be the only time I would hear this from former crocheters.

While I was in massage school there were numerous times I met people who had to give up stitching hobbies due to hand injury or pain. I also learned that many massage therapists ended up leaving the field of massage work due to injuries to their hands and arms. This motivated me to learn as much as I could about ways to prevent injury to my own hands and to share that information with others.

In this modern age of technological devices our hands, fingers and arms are subjected to myriad opportunities to develop repetitive stress injuries. Add all our hobbies and driving in automobiles to this means having a strategy to prevent injury is important for everyone.

Which is why I am so pleased to be teaching at the 2011 Crochet at Cama CLF Retreat this October.

One of the classes I am teaching is “Getting a Grip on your Crochet” where I will be sharing numerous stretches, strengthening exercises, as well as methods of modifying hooks and different hook and yarn holds to prevent injury.

The other class is “Contemplative Crochet” where the focus of the class will be about using our crochet time as a way to balance out everyday stresses and connect to the expressive creativity that is inherent in all of us.

Friendship Shawls

May 22, 2011Book Reviews, Celebrating, Crochet Design3 Comments

I received some exciting mail recently. My designer copy of the new Go Crafty booklet from SoHo Publishing “Friendship Shawls”. The booklet will be available at JoAnn Fabric and Craft stores.

The book contains patterns for 10 different wraps to crochet. I designed the “Spice Island Lace Drop Shawl” on page 18. It is always so fun to see how one of my finished pieces will be styled for professional photography.

These are photographs I took of the shawl on my dress form before sending it off to Caron Yarns. It is worked in their “Spa” yarn, which is a favorite of mine for shawls and transitional weather scarves.

Right-Angle Wrap

May 10, 2011May 22, 2011Celebrating, Crochet, Crochet Design10 Comments

Hurray! My latest published design is available on newsstands soon. You can find the pattern for the “Right-Angle Wrap” in the July 2011 Issue of Crochet! Magazine.

I love how this design came out. It is made in a silky Bamboo blend sock yarn – Panda Silk from Crystal Palace Yarns. So it provides a touch of warmth when you are dealing with air-conditioning everywhere, yet it is lightweight enough to fit in a pocket when you are back outside in the heat of summer.

It was super quick to stitch up with a larger than usual hook for the yarn weight and a simple 2 row lace repeat. It could be a great gift project, prayer shawl or special treat for yourself.

Time to Vote

March 15, 2011Celebrating, Crochet, Crochet DesignLeave a Comment

Recently I was asked to pick my favorite 3 designs that were published in 2010 for the Crochet Awards ballot. The 3 I picked are all lace designs. Guess that takes me back to my Tomboy Lace roots.

Lace with a Twist Wrap published in the March/April 2010 issue of Crochet! magazine. This was my first design I ever sold, though a later sell was my first published design.

Lace Embrace Shawl published in Book 1 of the Debbie Macomber Blossom Street Collection. This was at the time one of the largest pieces I had sold and had a very tight turn-around between the time the yarn arrived and when the publisher needed the sample in-house.

Little Wing Shawlette published in the Fall 2010 Issue of the E-zine “Crochet Uncut”. This was maybe the most fun of the 3 designs. I had such a great time stitching up the design. Everything from having the ideal yarn on hand and swatching to find a stitch pattern I adored, to having beautiful colored leaves in my front yard during the photography.

Voting for the 3rd Annual Crochet Awards is now open until March 30th, winners will be announced on the Getting Loopy Podcast , April 18th. You can find the ballot here on the CLF website. I would love your vote for me as Best New Crochet Designer, but either way, please do vote.

Just in Time for Spring

March 3, 2011Celebrating, Crochet Design3 Comments

Meet my Little Lamb Field. I’m so happy with how he came out. Not only has he passed the major cuteness test with my children, he is an ideal size for an Easter Basket cuddly.

He was also chosen for the front cover of the April 2011 Issue of Crochet Magazine. This is my first full cover as a designer and I’m so pleased.

The original Field was a crazy little creation that I stitched from scraps in my odds-and-ends bin. He was part of a fun springtime challenge on Ravelry in the Oddballs group. When I went to Chain Link 2009 in Buffalo, I showed him to Michele Maks (the editor of Crochet World at that time). She thought he could be a good fit for the magazine.

Life being what it is, things didn’t align for him to make it into the magazine at that time. Then a year later at Chain Link 2010 in Manchester, Michele and I discussed him again.

Finally Field got his star moment. So it seems quite fitting after all his patience that he is now a Cover Boy. I hope everyone enjoys making their own versions of this snuggly little Lamb.

Happy National Crochet Month

March 2, 2011Celebrating, CrochetLeave a Comment

March is here again and the hooks are being held high. I am a day behind in blogging about it though, as I was away from the computer most of the day yesterday. When I did get online later in the evening, I discovered that I am one of the Nominees for Best New Crochet Designer in the 3rd Annual Crochet Awards. Yay!

Of course, most of my current crochet projects are super secret as they are designs awaiting publication, so I’ve been blogging about knitting. For those that have been following my knitting adventures, you well understand why it’s going to be a very long time (if ever) that I will have to be super secret about knitting designs.

Today I decided I would treat myself to a bit of my favorite type of crocheting. Free Form. The “Knitting Love” got to meet my “Crochet Passion” in this lovely fragment.

Thing 2’s Valentines

February 11, 2011February 11, 2011Celebrating, Creativity, Kid ProjectsLeave a Comment

My youngest son is in Pre-school and needed Valentines for a party at school. So what is a crafty mom to do?

I did think about crocheting a bunch of little hearts, but they are a bit hard to sign. I’m always looking for opportunities for my littlest to practice writing his name. He is still at that stage where the order of the letters can be a bit tricky, so practice is good.

One of my crafting hobbies is Origami, though of late I haven’t had much time for it. I gathered up supplies for some Origami Valentines.

I drew hearts with the red pen on the index cards using the cookie cutter as a guide. Then printed “From” in each heart. I sat my little guy down with the pen and an example of a heart with his name in it and let him sign his name in each heart.

Meanwhile I folded up the “Love Tokens” from my “Origami Love Notes” book (one of my very favorite books for quick fun Origami written by Nick Robinson). The tokens create a little envelope or pouch, depending on how you wish to seal it. I used the glitter heart stickers on the outside of the pouches and wrote “Happy Valentines Day” on the other side.

Then, after making rough cut-outs of the index card hearts, I stuck some other heart stickers on the backs of the resulting little cards and popped them into the pouches. With better planning and more time this could be a fun project to do with your child. My son is almost 5 and he loves to use scissors and put stickers on stuff.