Winter organizing, interior design, and the July CGOA Chain Link Conference

Have you been caught up in the purging/organizing mania that’s sweeping (so to speak) the country? I’m all for it! Many of us have too much stuff, which makes it hard to know exactly what we do have and where to find it when we need it. I’m pretty tidy, and I like my environment uncluttered, but there is always room for improvement. Usually I’m motivated to reorganize a category or area when something frustrates me. For example, I have a few similar tablecloths and couldn’t tell what the dimensions were, which cloth would fit which table, and how many table leaves they would cover without unfolding them and trying them in place. Not very efficient. Recently I measured them all and pinned tags on with that information. Now I can find the right one easily. I don’t know why it took me so long to figure out such a simple solution, but better late than never. I did the semi-annual yarn purge recently (my stash goes to the Kennett Area Senior Center) and am very happy to have a few empty bins!

Yesterday I was at Longwood Gardens. It’s their orchid festival, and the Conservatory is filled with orchids of every shape, size, and color. I particularly liked the display that looks like pansies at first but turned out to be mass quantities of orchids. The hanging baskets are also stunning.

The photo doesn’t do justice to these hanging baskets of orchids

It was a chilly day but nice to walk around outside as well as in the warm Conservatory. When the weekend crowds are oohing and aahing indoors, the rest of Longwood is delightfully empty.

I’m not currently working on a crochet pattern book, which gives me the opportunity to branch out a bit with my crafting. I hope to partner with some interior designers to create custom pieces for their clients. I’m starting by getting in touch with top local decorators, but I would certainly consider commissions from designers at other locations. I made a short (1:30) video to acquaint them with my work. All inquiries welcome!

Big news: three of my classes were accepted by the Crochet Guild of America for the July Chain Link Conference in Manchester, NH. I’m thrilled! I’ll be teaching “Designing Crochet Patterns for Fun and Publication,” “Mosaic Crochet Magic, Including Cowl Pattern,” and “Lilytopia Shawl: Lightweight, Round, and Fabulous!” If things work out, I’ll also have the opportunity for a Delicate Crochet book-signing sometime during the conference. I’ll share the details with you as soon as I know them.

Conference registration starts soon. You can find the details on the CGOA website. It’s the 25th anniversary celebration, which should be very special. I’m most excited about connecting with other designers and crocheters. I would love to meet you—let me know if you plan to attend.

We are getting ready for some colder weather here in Pennsylvania, but nothing like the polar vortex descending up north. The forecast isn’t just for character-building cold but for dangerous, seriously frigid temperatures, the kind of cold that makes you feel like your eyelids are going to freeze shut and your teeth might crack. I hope all of who are affected by that stay safe and warm. If there were ever a time to have plenty of yarn on hand, this is it.

Travel, inspiration, classes, and book-signings

I hope all of you had a good Thanksgiving! The holiday season begins for us when Longwood Gardens’ Christmas display opens. This year the theme in the Music Room is “books.” There are some incredible books with the ends of the pages folded in such a way to make words and pictures. What artistry! Truly inspiring. The wreaths and some of the poinsettias are also made of paper.

Backing up a bit, our family was fortunate to spend two weeks in Italy in October. We stayed one week in Rome, with excursions to Pompeii and Monte Cassino, and one week in the Tuscan countryside from where we also explored Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Montepulciano, and Lago Trasimeno. (I did pop into a yarn shop in Siena and of course forgot to take a picture!) It was the perfect balance of city and countryside, and museums and more active pursuits. We ate very well—it’s impossible not to in Italy!—and walked miles and miles every day.

St. Peter’s at sunset

A couple of weeks after getting home, I was on the road again, this time to the Crochet Guild of Prince William County, VA. I taught four classes over the weekend (beaded crochet, tapestry crochet, more techniques in Tunisian crochet, and crochet patterns demystified). Guild chair Rhonda Reese deserves a huge thank-you for arranging everything. We had the perfect size room and table space, plenty of snacks and lunch foods, etc. I really enjoyed meeting the group and seeing their progress. A couple of people who took classes the first day worked on their projects in the evening and brought them in the next day! Since then, I’ve received several photos of completed items. It was a great experience! (If your guild or group is interested in having me come teach, please send me a message and we’ll see what we can work out.)

Speaking of teaching, I submitted some class proposals to be considered for the Crochet Guild of America conference next summer. They are supposed to report back the first week in January. I hope they say yes!

Meanwhile, the exciting news is that DELICATE CROCHET HAS BEEN PUBLISHED! I wish this blog had smell-o-vision so you could inhale that sweet “new book” smell that greeted me when I opened the box of my author copies. The photos, the way the symbol diagrams and schematics look, the projects from the other contributors…I’m thrilled to see how the book came out!

Upcoming signings:

12/4/18, 7-8 p.m., West Chester Public Library, West Chester, PA

12/6/18, 6-7 p.m., Lion Brand Yarn Studio, NYC

12/9/18, 1:30-3 p.m., Luv2Knit&More, Jenkintown, PA.

More information is on the “Classes and Events” blog page. There is no snow in the forecast—with the blast we got the week before Thanksgiving, that’s a relief. Hope to see some of you at the events! (Mrs. Costco will be providing snacks for the Pennsylvania signings.)

My Etsy shop here has been up for a couple of months. If you’re looking for any holiday gifts, take a look. (And if you want to say you made them yourself, my lips are sealed!)

On a totally unrelated topic, we have a lot of wildlife in this area. However, even for us it was a treat to spot a beaver in a pond in a Wilmington, DE park. We saw one a couple of years ago in the Brandywine at Hagley Museum, but this one was a surprise. It had made a huge lodge at the other end of the pond. A good reminder that winter is coming. Wishing you wonderful days enjoying brisk weather outdoors, and a place to come inside that’s snug and warm.

A beaver at Talley-Day Park!

A busy spring with new classes, new projects, and a new book coming!

My February trip to Indiana to film two online classes for Annie's went great! The weather even cooperated and it was much warmer than when I was there two years ago. Both classes are live now, so I can reveal that they are "Tunisian Crochet: Beyond the Basics" and "Learn to Crochet Pineapples." Each class has two projects; here are some pictures.

The projects for the Tunisian class are a two-texture scarf and a lacy shawl. The ones for the Pineapples class are a fringed lap blanket and a lacy half-circle shawl. 

As usual, the crew was terrific. It's amazing how many people are in the studio, all working to make sure the class is professional and polished. Three camera operators, the producer, director, editors, stylists...no wonder Annie's classes are such high quality.

I was invited to one of my favorite yarn shops, The Knitter's Edge in Bethlehem, PA, to celebrate Local Yarn Store Day on April 21st. What a fun afternoon! The owners, JoAnne and her daughter Amanda, should be used as role models for any shop owner. Their store is spacious--with dedicated classrooms!--well-stocked with yarn for every budget, and staffed with knowledgeable, caring people. They set me up in their beautiful bay window to do a book-signing and some Tunisian crochet demos. I met all sorts of nice people who had come from nearby, and from as much as several hours away. (That goes to show you how valued The Knitter's Edge is.) One of the women I met that day has since invited me to teach two introductory Tunisian crochet classes at the Middletown Thrall Library in New York state in August. A lovely surprise to have that work out.

I'm looking forward to my trip up there. Not sure if I will have time to visit Manitoga: The Russell Wright Design Center then, but I certainly hope so. I have been on the travel/architecture beat recently for The Hunt Magazine. My article about the National September 11 Memorial & Museum just came out in the summer edition; in the fall, features about Ladew Topiary Gardens and the Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise will be published; for winter, I'm covering Hollyhock House (a restored Frank Lloyd Wright site in Los Angeles) and Grounds for Sculpture in New Jersey. Manitoga would fit right in. 

I'm excited to report that Delicate Crochet is listed for sale! Check out the "Books" page and the "Sneak Peek" to see photos of the 23 projects included in the book, and the names of the designers who contributed patterns. Amazon has the publication date as 12/1 but it should actually be ready to ship in late October/early November. If you are going to TNNA or CGOA this summer, look for Stackpole Books and some of the designers showing off some sample garments.

Book Review: Baby Afghans in a Weekend, by Karen McKenna

Karen McKenna certainly has been busy! I reviewed her gloves and mittens book recently, and now she has another book out. This one is from Annie's, in their "In a Weekend" series: Baby Afghans: 12 Adorable Quick-to-Finish Throws for Boys and Girls. (Note: I was given a copy of the book to review; that will not influence the content that follows.)

There is a very nice variety of afghans in this book, which retails for $8.99 in the US and $10.99 in Canada. I was not expecting to see so many different stitch patterns. Ten projects are rated easy, one intermediate, and one experienced. The experienced one is a hexagon that uses post stitches to create a cabled look. Some other techniques are spike stitches (or long stitches), chevrons, shells, ripples, and textured stitches. There is one version of a granny square.

Each pattern is written for baby afghan size, with directions for smaller blankets (car seat, small cradle, security) in parentheses. I'm used to seeing the smallest size first, but there's no reason it can't go the other way! The cradle sizes are long, like the afghans, but just a little bit skinnier. Make sure you check the measurements the pattern has for the blankets before you choose which one to crochet.

I made the "Wild Child" as my test blanket. The directions were easy to follow. I really appreciated the symbol chart; when I had a question about whether a skipped stitch was supposed to be the first stitch on a row or the next one, the chart cleared that up for me immediately. 

Here is my practice piece:

Ignore the eye-watering colors; I used yarn from my stash

I like the pattern

Moose for scale

It took me about 2.75 hours to make the smallest size blanket, which is 41 stitches wide x 25 rows, plus side edging and two rows of trim. You could definitely complete a full-size blanket in a weekend.

Here's what the "Wild Child" from the book looks like (the blanket, not the baby)

You folks know I am very particular...so it is a relief to find a well-written, beautifully photographed book that leaves me nothing to criticize! I do have two suggestions (more for the publisher than the author): 

• Why break the patterns into sections for boys, girls, and neutrals? Seems a bit arbitrary. Most crocheters know they can change colors or alter trim to suit their nursery decor.
• I'd like to see a few sentences at the beginning of each pattern to give an overview of what to expect. Something like, "This pattern uses alternating shells and V-stitches in three colors." 

More goodies, from the back cover

I recommend this book for anyone who wants to make something quick and fun. The patterns are complex enough to hold your interest, yet not so intricate as to drive you crazy. There is a nice variety of solids and stripes/blocks, with one pattern that uses variegated yarn. Blankets can be made in four different sizes. Instructions are clear, charts are a plus, photos are adorable. 

If you're lucky enough to be going to the CGOA conference, Karen McKenna will be be signing copies of Baby Afghans in the Crochetville booth Friday at 10:30 and 2 p.m. Saturday. She'll also be signing at Hooked for Life (booth #118) at 12:30 p.m. Friday.

You can also buy her book from Amazon here.