A Guest Post by Suzann Thompson.
At a textile art exhibit, an acquaintance said to me, “I have all these doilies from my grandmother, but I don’t really know what to do with them.”
That casual comment from a few years ago is largely responsible for Celebrate Doilies! which is a traveling exhibit of doily art, poetry, and heritage, debuting in July 2017 in Stephenville, Texas.
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A Guest Post by Molly Ferriter.
(Tips from a Crochet-Obsessed Mommy)
Okay, I’ll admit it… I used to be a yarn snob. I’m serious; I was a real Crochet Princess. I used to shun the Walmart yarn section like the black plague. I mean, who wants that scratchy acrylic yarn anyway? I’ll tell you who… I do! I am a former public school teacher turned SAHM (stay at home mom), obsessed with crocheting, and now that my family of five lives on one income, I can’t afford to be a yarn snob. And to be honest, I’ve come to love the abundance of colors and the wash-ability in acrylic yarn. I very rarely use anything else anymore. I can toss my hand-made hats, mittens, sweaters, afghans, and amigurumi Elsa dolls right into the washer without worry, because honestly, I don’t have time to hand-wash my crocheted items. I need a durable, washable, dryer-safe, colorful, kid-friendly yarn. Red Heart Super Saver to the rescue!
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A Guest Post by Tara Cousins.
I’ve been crocheting a long time, but just recently started making crochet doll clothes for 18″ dolls. Since my little girl just turned 3, she’s finally interested in playing with my old American Girl doll and dressing her up, which prompted me to design my own patterns. The first item I started playing around with making is the doll’s shoes. In fact, they are pretty easy to make and to customize (with a strap, or make into boots). You can also use this basic idea to make baby shoes! |
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A Guest Post by Claire G.
This versatile square can be used for anything you like – pillows, bags, scarves, afghans, and more! It can be made any size and with any yarn and hook size, and offers lots of possible color arrangements as well.
Finished Size: 5″ (12 cm) wide |
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A Guest Post by Jolanta Gustafsson.
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This pattern for a granny square with a flower is easy to crochet and easy to adjust to your own style. Just choose the colors that you like and combine them as you want. If you want to get a stylish look, choose one color – natural white or some other light shade. To get a more cheerful look, use contrasting colors but keep them in order. For example, red shades in the center of the granny and blue-green shades up to the edges. And if you choose colors randomly, you can get quite a cheeky look! |
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Note: Squares in the photo are joined with single crochet stitches.
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A Guest Post by Jolanta Gustafsson.
Finland is a northern land and it was always important to have warm clothing here. But in contrast to other northern countries, where the main technique to make clothes from wool was knitting, Finland is distinguished for its beautiful multicolored crocheted handicrafts.
The mittens that I made are inspired by the old mittens from the Ostrobothnian Museum’s collection, which are at least one hundred years old. I adapted the original pattern to a thicker yarn, shaped the mittens in my own way and added a chain-loop fringe edging. It may be interesting to know that the original mittens have 128 stitches in one round! There is also a more modern version of the same mittens – these have 64 stitches in one round. I reduced that number to 48.
The colors in the original mittens are red, green and white – red leaves and green border on a white background. The color combination that I have used is naturally white leaves and dark green border on a gray-green background. Feel free to use the colors that you like!
The most difficult part in this project is, in my opinion, to obtain the same gauge all the way through. So try to be aware of that from the beginning.
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| A Guest Post by Carol Cox.
I made these bags for my grandchild’s kindergarten class, filled with a little candy and a small toy or two. They make quick, cute favors. I also enjoy making and using plarn, after I found out about it on the internet. So uniting one of my favorite holidays with a favorite craft resulted in these small bags. Hope you enjoy making them as I did. |
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A Guest Post by Jolanta Gustafsson.
Traditionally we knit or crochet things for our everyday use. It can be things to wear, or it can be something for our home. However, there is a new trend in knitting/crochet that has a totally different aim. And that is to cheer up public places by displaying knitted/crocheted fabrics or motifs usually around trees or lamp-posts.
The trend has many names: yarnbombing, yarnstorming, graffiti knitting, or knit graffiti, to mention a few. As some of the names indicate, this trend is a combination of knitting/crochet and graffiti. But since knitted/crocheted displays do not harm or destroy the environment, knit graffiti is usually more welcome.
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A Guest Post by Lillian Hoover.
For rainy days, what better way to dress up a baby’s feet than with rain boots? Easy and quick to make, these booties are something every mom would enjoy! The booties are crocheted in the round from the bottom up, with no sewing required.
A Guest Post by Patricia Shuler.
I was talking with my mom a few days ago. She sits on the couch at night while my dad watches whatever sporting event is on. She knits, crochets, needlepoints… she does it all. I asked her what kind of mobile apps she used to help her keep track of her projects, and she gave me a whole list, but then she sighed and gave me an exasperated look – “Pattie, sitting here can be kind of like being on an island.†I immediately abandoned the idea of re-hashing another “apps list†and probed her for more.
She went on to tell me that technology has actually helped her in more ways than just the ability to manage her projects with apps, that it actually gives her a sense of community when she’s not with her knitting or crocheting group.
I know what she means. As a writer, I understand the solitude of a hobby or profession that is solo in nature. So, here are a few of the ways she connects with her hobby using technology.
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Hi! I'm Rachel the crocheter behind Crochet Spot. Read more... |
