I came across this georgeous flower on a flickr wandering tonight. I just love it! I would love to find out more about the artist who created it… Who are you Agent Gray? Do you have a blog? Please show us some more of your beautiful work!
"The Cult of Knit" Is Intervention Required?
I have to believe it when Eat Your Heart out Martha (a great site!) talks about The Cult of Knit after my trip to the bookstore today. While browsing for anything interesting on the crochet shelf (nada), I stumbled upon no less than FIVE books about the “spirituality” of knitting. Wow. The Knitting Sutra? Are you joking? What’s next? Tantric Knitting? (someone’s gonna run with that one, I know it!) Then there’s The Knitting Goddess and Mindfull Knitting, not to mention Soulfull Knitting, Zen and the Art of Knitting and of course, the bestseller: At Knit’s End.
I haven’t read a word of any of these books, so for all I know, they are life-changing. However, I am a little shocked to find them in my favorite HOW-TO section of the bookstore. It makes me wonder what I’d find in the woodworking or home-repair shelf. Maybe something like “Unclogging your Qi: Your drainflow and your inner energyflow.”
And then there are all the articles proclaiming that “knitting is the new yoga.” “The new yoga?” Is that like “the new black?”
So, are knitters really uptight folks who need a special class of self-help books to relax? I don’t think so. I know a lot of committed knitters–they don’t look like seem like they’re in a cult–only as addicted to or obsessed with their craft as any of my crocheting compatriots. Hmm…
But in case you’re feeling left out of the cult–Our Dear Lady Linoleum has discoverd a new moniker for crocheters who want to OWN the 2nd-class status crochet sometimes receives in the eyes of Knitters. In a discussion that occurred surrounding one of her blog posts, a reader let on that she and her husband refer to crochet as Hillbilly Knitting. I love it. Now Mme L. is going to create a webring for Hillbilly Knitting. Stay tuned!
Off the wagon…
I was on a yarn diet until… someone on an e-mail list I subscribed to mentioned that Elann was going to be selling ORGANIC cotton yarn for under $3.00 per ball. The yarn is made by Pakucho, comes from Peru, and is this amazingly beautiful color-grown cotton.
What’s that, you ask? Color-grown cotton uses ancient heirloom seeds that actually grow in the colors you buy them in–earthy browns, beiges and greens. Of course because it’s organic, there are no pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and the farmers use environmentally friendly growing practices. You may have thought conventional cotton was pure and natural, think again.
Anyway, I orderd (gasp!) 20 balls, and it arrived only 3 days after I ordered it. The colors are even more vibrant and amazing in real life. Talk about instant gratification! I haven’t figured out what I will make from it, but I was thinking maybe a tank/shrug combo. Any other ideas?
There is a part of me that thinks I should never buy a new ball of yarn again–that with all the amazing ways to create and recycle fibers out there, I don’t need to. Then I cave. Hmm… maybe I need some of the other colors.
Well I’ve been a little obsessed with all this shrug-making business, so much so that I forgot to mention that I had an article come out in the summer issue of CrochetMe. It’s on bowls and baskets–if you read the article and give a bowl a try, let me know! Better yet, send me a picture of yours and I’ll post it on the blog.
In other news, my mother is crocheting again after a 30-year hiatus. Believe it or not, it was the shrug that did it! She came with me to a class on baby hats, and she didn’t want to make a baby hat, but she said, “show me how to make that shrug!” So I did, and she is hooked again, so to speak. (sorry.)
Crochet Library: The Portable Crafter, Crochet
This week’s book was designed for those of us who do not like to have idle hands. The Portable Crafter: Crochet
The book has project that are enticingly photographed, but no specific yarn information is given in the book, so a crocheter who wanted to reproduce a pattern exactly might have a hard time (though a clever “stashaholic” could probably make accurate guesses).
There’s a short introductory section with the basics of crochet, and over twenty-five patterns stuffed into the small volume. The patterns range from run-of-the-mill baby blankets and booties to a couple of furry purses. There’s a very easy flip-flop pattern and a pretty pair of socks crocheted in the round. The book has only one actual garment–a boxy sleeveless top that might make a nice beginner project. The patterns that really stand out are the hats and scarves. The Tasseled Beret & Scarf is stunning with its red fur mixed with tweedy wool–the hat has great finishing details and the scarf has novel bell-shaped edges. The Chelsea Hat & Scarf set is also beautiful with a complex but approachable stitch pattern and appealing colors. Perhaps my favorite hat is the Baby Cupcake Hat featured on the cover of the book. I love the ribbing and the color choices.
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Alpaca Silk Shrug
Froggin’ on TV
By now, you may know I’m a fan of DIY’s Knitty Gritty. I like the show because I actually can learn techniques from it that I’ll use both in crochet and knitting.
Tonight, the topic was recycling garments either by frogging (they didn’t use the term on the show, I was disappointed), or just embellishing old knitted garments. There were techniques for adding knitting to fabric garments too which could work easily for crochet (i.e. use embroidery thread to put a blanket stitch edge around a hem, then pick up stitches and knit or crochet a decorative edge). So you could, for example, take a fabric t-shirt and add a crocheted skirt, turning it into a funky dress.
By the way, the guest on the show was Knitty’s Kristi Porter, it was the first time I’d seen someone from the world of online knitting on the show.
They also had Erika Knight talking up a new (?) yarn line from Rowan called R2. What do you know about it? Let me know.
Blossom Baby Hat–Pattern
Please click on the Lulu link to purchase the pattern. It’s $4.00 and you’ll be able to download it immediately after purchase.
Thank you to my testers for their input and suggestions with this pattern. I would appreciate any comments from anyone else who tries it–and if you send me a picture, I’ll post it here on the blog.
This was also my submission for the loobylu.com Month of Softies May Flowers Challenge!
Crochet Library: Kid’s Crochet
I’ve just finished reading Kids Crochet : Projects for Kids of All Ages
The organization is simple and straightforward. Ms. Ronci discusses materials and tools before moving on to skills. Each skill explained (including the chain stitch) has an attractive product to go with it. (Glue chains around a vessel to decorate it, wrap a present or wear chains as bracelets.) Other projects include a neck cozy, crochet tool pouch (a historic first project from the early days of crochet) accessories like bags, scarves, and headbands. My favorite projects in the book are the round pillows embellished with cheerful snails and butterflies. The only project I’m not fond of is the sweater. It’s bulky and shapeless (I assume to make it fast and easy to make), but if a child is going to spend a lot of time on a project, I would want her to love the result and want to wear it.
The yarns used are mid-priced and readily available online and from many local yarn stores. They include Brown Sheep, Tahki Cotton Classic and Cascade 220.
The illustrations are clear and attractive and the photographs have a boy and girl-next-door appeal. (I love the pictures of boys crocheting, I was pleasantly surprised this year how many young boys came to learn knitting and crochet at our local library.)
What I like most about this new book is that as the cover says, there are “projects for kids of all ages,” –stylish patterns any new or more experienced crocheter might want to make.
Have you read or used this book? Let me know what you think by using the comments link below.
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The joy of mistakes
A student of mine told me yesterday, if she takes a class and doesn’t make any mistakes, she’s almost disappointed. She has a great additude about the learning process: she sees mistakes as a way to learn a new technique or method. If she gets it just right the first time and never has to rip anything out to redo, she figures, at home, she’ll encounter a problem and not know how to fix it.
I think with a medium like crochet, ripping out is just part of the process. You rip for mistakes, for miscounts, or if you just want to make a row or round look better. If you have this additude, it shouldn’t frustrate you or feel like your being stalled or slowed down by doing things over–you work it in to the time it takes to make an object.