A Legend Lives On

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Though Jean Leinhauser passed away this week, I feel like she is still here.

Her name is one many of us that love crocheting and knitting know well. She and Rita Weiss have been a true force in the publishing of crochet books and patterns.  I can’t really recall the first time I saw Jean’s name, it’s been a constant since I started reading crochet publications.  Her work and name are everywhere you look.

These books from my library are the two I have been reading as I remember Jean this week. One of my favorites “Crochet  Embellishments” and the most recent one I purchased “Crochet Master Class”.

There are many stories, from designers that have been in the business far longer than I, about Jean’s encouragement and her dedication to precise work.  The foundation of excellence and encouragement that she and her partner Rita Weiss have laid over the years will continue to grow and prosper in ways that they may have never foreseen or imagined.  I think that is one of the very best memorials to honor Jean.

I was never fortunate enough to spend much time with Jean, but my brief meetings with her made me smile.  Last July after the CGOA dinner and fashion show she scolded me for not entering my Ocean Waves Ruana in the Design Contest.  I promised her I would do better in 2011.  The conversation continued on a lighter note and we shared a good laugh about my gray hair.

I’m a bit sad that she won’t be there in person to see what I’ve come up with  for the design contest this year, but I know her legacy will be with all of us.

Gathering my Wits

Categories Art Projects, Creativity, CrochetLeave a Comment on Gathering my Wits

Poor little bird house has been patiently waiting on the shelf in my studio for some attention.  So today I gathered up supplies to begin this project. Acrylic paints, various scrapbook and tissue papers, and some crochet thread.

I’m starting to feel very excited about the potential for this art project. I am also thinking there will be some wire work and beads incorporated into it. Still trying to decide if I should keep it simple enough that it could be used to house birds, or if I should go completely wild and artsy.

As most of you that know me are likely guessing….I’m leaning toward wild and artsy.

Summer Arrives

Categories Creativity, Crochet, Crochet Design, Pattern1 Comment on Summer Arrives

I am doing the “Snoopy Happy Dance” because it finally feels like summer up here on the mountain.  I’ve had all the windows in the house open to encourage a lovely breeze and the thermometer may have actually registered over 85F a few times.

With all this warm weather I’ve decided to do loads of house and yard tasks and a good scrubbing in the shower was a neccesity after all that sweating. While showering I was thinking about my on-going search for the ideal exfoliating bath scrubbie. 

I used to purchase a product call the “Buff Puff” at the local drugstore. It was gentle enough for my sometimes fragile skin and yet effective at helping remove the layers of “ick” that accumulate far too quickly. Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to find them anymore.

I have played on and off with crocheting my own scrubbies, but haven’t been all that happy with the results. Generally, the best have involved cutting up strips of Tulle type fabric to crochet with.  After my shower the other day though…inspiration struck.

I taught crochet to my youngest son’s pre-school class this spring and had taken some colorful balls of Lion Brand’s Thick and Quick Chunky yarn for them to use. 

This is a very fun 100% acrylic yarn that has some “tooth” to it, yet is quite thick and I theorized that it would be absorbent to lather up nicely without holding onto the moisture so long to become a mold farm.  The yarn is also very washable and can go thru the laundry.

It was time for an experiment.  I used a simple hyperbolic formula to stitch up a mid-sized scrubbie.  My quick little pattern is below.  Stitch up a few for yourself or as gifts for friends. If you want them bigger, just add rounds until you like the finished size, though remember with more rounds you get more ruffles.

Summer Shower Scrubbie – by Andee Graves

Materials:

Lion Brand Thick and Quick Chunky – Green Mountain (approximately 14 yards)

Susan Bates P/11.5mm hook

1 Large locking stitch marker

Pattern note:  All rounds are worked spirally. Use a stitch marker to mark the last st of each round, moving up as each round is completed.

Instructions:

Round 1: Starting with an adjustable slip knot, chain 2, 6 sc in second chain from hook. Place stitch marker in 6th sc.

Round 2: 2 sc in each st of round 1. [12 sc]

Round 3: 2 sc in each st of round 2. [24 sc]

Round 4: 2 sc in next 23 sts, sc in next st, sl st in next st, ch 6, sl st in next st and fasten off. [47 sc, 6 chs]

Finish by weaving in the beginning and ending tails, and it’s bath time.

For the Birds

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This is a bird house, though I doubt it was ever intended for actual birds.

My mission is to turn this bird house into a work of art.  I and other local artists involved with the Jamestown Artists and Musicians are decorating bird houses for an auction. This is a fundraising auction to raise money for the re-building of the Band Stage at our big park.

I always love this stage of an art project. The beginning, dreaming, scheming bit.  I’m thinking first step of this project will be to do some judicious sanding. Then I’ll be having a good ramble thru my art supplies for the best bits for a mixed media masterpiece.

Right now my favorite part of this project is that I can blog about it without worries.  The hardest aspect of being a crochet designer is all the “top-secret” stuff that I’m excited about but can’t share.  Stay tuned for more photos of this art project as it progresses.

Friendship Shawls

Categories Book Reviews, Celebrating, Crochet Design3 Comments on Friendship Shawls

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

Categories Celebrating, Crochet, Crochet Design10 Comments on Right-Angle Wrap
DRG - Crochet! Magazine Photo

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.

In the Wilds of Designland

Categories Creativity, Crochet Design, HumorLeave a Comment on In the Wilds of Designland

Funny, when I first decided to pursue crochet design work I thought it would be a long while before I would be really busy. I was wrong.

I’m certainly not complaining about being wrong, in fact it has been a delightful discovery that I can be as busy as I would want to be.  But it does mean life is a bit of a juggling act.

I just finished up a very large project that will be coming out in Fall of 2012, and I am currently working feverishly on 3 more design projects that are all due within the next 3 weeks for Fall and Winter publication.

The bad part of this is the poor blog gets a bit lonely. Time to write is one part of the issue, but having projects that I can share progress reports and pictures of is the other part.  Everything is Top-Secret until publication. 

So the photo today shows some of the tools of my design work, minus the yarn and swatches.

The Dreaded Dratted Fuzzies

Categories Crochet, Tips and Tricks, Yarn2 Comments on The Dreaded Dratted Fuzzies

I love Novelty yarns.  Anything fuzzy or sparkly tends to draw my eye.  But knitting and crocheting with these yarns can be a challenge.  Particularly  if you have to frog your work when stitching with fuzzy yarns.

Shawl in Universal Yarns Swiss Mohair

A few of my favorite commercially available fuzzy yarns are Lion Brand’s Homespun, Premier Yarn’s Alpaca Dance, KnitPick’s Suri Dream, Caron Yarn’s Dazzleaire and Universal Yarn’s Swiss Mohair. 

Basically what I consider “fuzzy” yarns are any yarns that have a “halo” to them while you are working with them. Generally if there is Mohair or Suri Alpaca in the blend you are going to have some halo to contend with.

With crochet it is easy to twist the fibers of the halo together within a stitch.  Making undoing the stitches, or working into the top of a stitch extra challenging.

So here are some tips for working with and frogging fuzzy yarns without losing your mind:

1 – Don’t work tightly.  Using a small gauge needle or hook with these yarns is almost an engraved invitation to insanity. Most are marked as a bulky or super bulky yarn, and folks, they are not kidding.  When crocheting with most novelty yarns the smallest hook I use is a K (6.5mm).

2 – Working with a very pointed hook can help you get through the stitches without splitting the yarn.

3 – Avoid the grab and yank approach to frogging or even pulling your yarn out of a center pull skein.  Be prepared to be patient with these yarns and make your stitching (un-stitching) speed a bit slower.

4 – Have a small hook or needle on hand to tease apart the fibers if your stitches get stuck when  working.

5 – If you are making a toy or other project that needs tight stitchwork requiring a smaller hook or needle. Work slowly and be prepared with extra yarn in case you run into problems. Generally it is nearly impossible to frog your work when tightly stitching fuzzy yarns.

6 – If your fuzzy yarn gets it’s fuzziness from Mohair, sometimes sticking the project in the freezer for a bit can make it easier to unravel.

Good luck with your next fuzzy project. It’s well worth taking pains with these yarns to create luxurious wraps, scarves, garments and cuddly toys.

A Confusion of Seasons

Categories Creativity, Crochet Design, Humor2 Comments on A Confusion of Seasons

Yesterday, while in Boulder I took these pictures of some blossoming trees and shrubs.

This morning I woke up to this scene.

One of the challenges for a designer is that you are often required to design items for a season that is 6-8 months ahead of you.  So I guess I should be grateful for the snow, since I am currently coming up with design ideas for Winter.

Still, I really wouldn’t mind if we were getting rain instead of snow. I’m quite ready for some warm Spring like weather, instead of our typical Mountain Spring time weather.

Conductivity

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Conductivity is all about how well energy travels thru a material.  In the case of crochet hooks it’s about how well that material conducts heat.

One thing that can affect how comfortable a hook is in your hand is the material it is made from.  If your hook is sucking all the heat from your hands, it could increase your risk for repetitive stress injuries.

For some crocheters, there is no real worry about conductivity. They don’t spend hours on end stitching. Their time with the hook is interrupted and intermittent.  That is actually a good thing. Because it means breaks are sort of  “built in” to their stitching time.

But what about folks that spend a couple of hours at a time stitching or those who are plagued by arthritic pain in the hands? Then the material their hook is made of can make a world of difference.

Susan Bates and Boyes Hooks

Metal hooks are the big culprit when it comes to discomfort crocheting.  They are also the most commonly available and affordable hooks out there. In the US particularly, the aluminum hooks manufactured by Susan Bates and Boye are the most frequently sold hooks.

Any kind of metal though is a great conductor of heat.  And heat is something you need to keep in your hands to avoid repetitive stress injuries or arthritic pain.

Personally I love metal hooks. They tend to be smooth and fast with most yarn fibers. They are also durable, especially when it comes to working with non-traditional materials.  It works much better to crochet wire with a metal hook as opposed to using a wood or plastic one.

My Tulip Etimo and Clover Soft Touch Hooks

This is one of the reasons that I like my Clover Soft Touch and Tulip Etimo hooks so much. I get the best of both worlds. Metal hook with a warmer less conductive handle. But they can be daunting to some crafters as the individual cost per hook is about 3 times that of regular metal hooks.

Susan Bates Bamboo Handled Hooks

Susan Bates also has a hook series with Bamboo handles that I’ve heard good reports about.  My hook hold is such that they aren’t that ideal for me, though I need to  use them a bit more to decide if I would recommend them.

If you are only working with yarn, then wood or plastic hooks could be fine for you. 

ChiaoGoo Bamboo Hooks

A very affordable option for a wood hook are the bamboo hooks from ChiaoGoo, they come in a wide range of sizes and are often my choice for design projects that need a larger gauge hook. 

My Laurel Hill Ebony Hooks

The Laurel Hill hooks are lovely if you are willing to pay a bit more. They sit beautifully in the hand and are finished super smooth to glide thru any yarn fiber you want to work with.  They do have a very tapered throat, so that can make gauge a little trickier.

Clover Reflections Ergonomic Hooks

My favorite plastic hooks are from Clover. They currently are only available in sets of 3 hooks. Size N, L, & K and Sizes J, H, & G are packaged together in a handy and decorative tube. They are not as smooth as the other hooks I’ve mentioned, but they are quite serviceable and the shape is very hand friendly as well as the plastic will warm up to your touch without cooling off your hand.

Modified Hook Handles

If you are more of a DIY kind of crafter you can always modify your hook. I have an article at the Crochet Uncut website on using shelf liner to add width to your hook.  Making a Hook Friendly.