A Guest Post by Dionne.

Yarn Projects from the Heart, located in Pasadena, California, is a group of crocheters and knitters who love making things for others who are in need. We work on a handful of projects throughout the year, but mainly we make hats, scarves and kitty blankets. The hats and scarves go to a local cancer center, City of Hope, and the blankets go to the Pasadena Humane Society. We have also worked on the Red Scarf Project and scarves for the Special Olympics– Miles of Smiles. Recently, we added making prosthetic breasts for women who have had mastectomies. We have 2 scheduled meetings each month and welcome anyone who wants to join us.

If you would like to see more about what we do or get in contact with us check out the Yarn Projects from the Heart website.

A Guest Post by Dannee Wood.

Wow, you’ve just finished your latest or even your first crochet project and you’re anxious to start something else…but what? If you’re like most crafters you might have an ever-growing list of “to-do” projects or projects saved to your Ravelry account. Maybe you have a binder or two full of projects, organized by categories/colors/yarn weights, etc. Perhaps you have them downloaded to your computer or a thumb drive. Or maybe you only work on one project at a time not concerned about the next project…not! Sometimes, you may want a simple or small project after tackling a large or complex project. How do you go about choosing your next project? It may seem over-whelming to select a new project; there are a lot of good resources out there. read more »

A Guest Post by Audrey Miller.

According to Rachel, this blog has readers from all over the world, ranging in all different ages. For someone like me who has been around since the dinosaurs (as my grand babies like to say), it is heartwarming to know that the art of crocheting will not be forgotten. Rachel is a young, true sweetheart, but I don’t think she can tell you the secret to being a lifelong crocheter until she’s lived to be as wrinkly as I am.
read more »

A Guest Post by Rachee.

When I first started crocheting, I never thought the balls of yarn garnered from my local Salvation Army and the hook liberated from my sister would amount to anything more than another passing fancy of Rachee.  I tend to jump feet first into things, totally immerse myself in the thing and then my enthusiasm for said thing quickly peters out until the next big thing.

Proudly I have been chugging along with my hooking; churning out items at a respectable clip and able to present completed items, even if quite a few have been claimed by my daughter for use in her Barbie house or because she has misplaced yet another hat. Thinking back, the smallish basket of yarn things that I started with has morphed into a huge hobby and when my daughter and I set out to move, I was excited about having a space of my own dedicated to crafting.
read more »

A Guest Post by Caren Wilson.

Have you noticed that you or your crochet friends have more yarn than you can possibly use? Do you have closets, shelves, bins, or even rooms of yarn? Do people’s mouths drop when they see your yarn collection?

If you said yes to any of the above questions, then you are a yarn-a-holic! But don’t worry, I’m a yarn-a-holic too. Welcome to the club!

Obviously crocheters need yarn to crochet. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I tend to see serious crocheters (including me) go a bit overboard when it comes to collecting yarn. We get more than we need and we hoard it like hamsters. I remember when I first started crocheting, I only had one grocery bag of yarn at a time. But as time went on and I got more and more skilled at crocheting I collected shelves of yarn. Now, I bet my yarn collect could pass as a yarn store!

Does this happen to all crocheters over time? Are all crocheters yarn-a-holics??

Caren is a life long crocheter and self proclaimed yarn junkie. In her free time she enjoys crocheting items for charity and playing with her two children. Caren wishes to inspire others to crochet more, learn more, and live more.

A Guest Post by Caren Wilson.

We all make mistakes, whether we admit it or not. Below are some of the mistakes that I’ve made when I was new to crocheting and also some mistakes that I’ve noticed from others. If you are a crochet newbie, hopefully this list will help you learn from my mistakes and the mistakes of others. If you have a mistake that you would like to share, feel free to leave it as a comment for others to read!
read more »

A Guest Post by Ivory Herman.

So you’ve found these super cute crocheted stuffed creations called “amigurumi”, fell in love with them, and have stuffed your house full of them with intentions of finding “homes” for all of them? Has this obsession lead you to the internet to search for tips and tricks to make your creation look nice and spiffy? Perhaps this is just something that I do; however, I would like to share a little of what I have learned when making these super cute creations.

Sewing limbs and pieces onto an amigurumi can make for much frustration. This was a very frustrating thing to me, especially when I sew a leg on and it can be mistaken for a tail because of where I sewed it. Or when you have several individual pieces, like in the picture of the dinosaur that I made for my son! As you can see, none of the scales are evenly spaced.

Then one day, I discovered straight pins, and wondered why in the world I hadn’t thought of this earlier! You can get these from any store, even grocery stores. Before you sew a piece onto your creation, pin it up, look at it, and if it’s awkward, just move it around and then sew it on. While you’re sewing, remove the pins as you sew so that way they will keep your piece in place while you’re attaching it to the body of your work.
read more »

A Guest Post by Barbara Davis. Anyone who had completed thirty years as a public school teacher deserved a memorable keepsake, I thought when learning that Ann, a dedicated 8th grade Algebra teacher, had announced her pending retirement. Scrapbooking doesn’t appeal to me, so I decided to create something in the medium I love best: crochet.

My plan was to make colorful eight-inch squares in single crochet, and give one to each of her friends and colleagues to embellish as desired. These completed, decorative squares would be stitched together forming a patchwork type afghan. Good idea, I thought, and easily accomplished. I am still bemused at my naïveté.
read more »

A Guest Post by Sue M.

SIBOL is an online knitting and crocheting group with members all across the world. We make ‘Sunshine Blankets’ out of knitted and crocheted squares for the elderly in the UK.

The elderly are sometimes forgotten about often sitting lonely in nursing homes and hospitals as families tend to have very busy lives with limited time to visit. We are hoping that a gift of a handmade blanket will be like ‘a ray of sunshine’ when an elderly person receives one. Sending love and warmth knowing that someone cares about them and that the blanket will bring a smile to their face!

‘Sunshine Blankets’ are to be donated to nursing homes, hospitals and charities in the UK.

If you would like to learn more, or get involved in making squares please visit the SIBOL blog .

‘Lets send some sunshine!’.