Christmas gifts etc

Good Morning Everyone,

Its the day after Christmas, but today the rest of the family, that could not be here yesterday, will be here today.  So we are still celebrating.  Hurrah for Christmas and still no snow, because I have people traveling and worry about them driving in snow . 

I thought by now that my family  should have just about run out of crochet and knitting related gifts for me.  I was wrong.  I don't know where they find them, but they still manage to get little clever ornaments and gifts that I have not seen before.  My son promised me a new digital camera for Christmas, so I will be able to take pictures again soon (I hope). 

I have a book deadline looming, and on Jan 10th I leave for San Diego to attend the National Needlework Association trade show, so I will still be very busy for a little while.  I will be doing a book signing while at TNNA, so if any of you will be there, stop by and say hello.  I will be at the Creative Publishing Booth, but I do not know the booth number.

Have a great day

Margaret

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Merry Christmas one and all, and a very Happy, Healthy New Year. 

Crocheters Gotta Have Fun

Good Morning Everyone,

Sunday, The Happily Hooked on Crochet Chapter of CGOA, had their regular monthly meeting in Danbury, CT.  What a great meeting it was.  It started out with a lovely brunch, I did a workshop on Adjusting Patterns to Fit, we had lots of raffles and prizes and surprises.  After the workshop, designer and author, Doris Chan showed us garments from her great new book AMAZING LACE.  Using larger hooks and traditional patterns, Doris truly has turned out some amazing garments. 

So many people worked to make the meeting such a success, from providing the brunch, baking the luscious cake for dessert,  donating prizes for the raffle, etc, etc.  We all had a ball.

We are truly happily hooked on crochet!

Enjoy the day

Margaret

 

Teaching Knitting and Crocheting

Good Morning Everyone,

I spent the Thanksgiving weekend with my family and had an interesting thing happen.  I have been trying to teach my 5 year old grand daughter how to crochet, and she is picking it up very well.  She brought her crocheting with her over the visit, and was busily working away, when her two older brothers, and 1 older cousin, also male, decided that they wanted to do something too, but they would rather knit.

At some point, several years ago, I had taught all of them to knit, but they had not done it since.  Luckily, I had needles and yarn with me (surprise, surprise), so I started all 3 of them knitting.  They picked it up so quickly, and in an hour or two,  all were happily knitting away.  There is a wonderful yarn shop literally in walking distance of my son's home.  Believe it or not, it is just about the only business in his small MA town, so naturally on Friday morning we visited the shop and bought some more yarn.  

My son took some pictures, but the boys did not want their pictures on my blog, but said it was okay if I wrote about it. 

I have always thought that it was easier to crochet than knit, maybe that is because I can crochet faster than I knit.  Watching the boys, and seeing just how easily they picked up the knitting, and struggled with crochet made me wonder.  Is it easier to teach someone to knit rather than crochet?  I would be interested to hear some of your thoughts on this.

Have a great day

Margaret

Tunisian Crochet

Good Morning Everyone,

I was recently asked to join a Tunisian Crochet on line group, and I hesitated,   I thought that I really do not have time to participate in another group.  But - join I did.   I do have a fascination with the method, and especially Tunisian Entrelac.

Over the past few years, I have included this method in my work,  self published patterns, workshops, and my books. 

The pictures above are some samples of my work in Tunisian Crochet. The floral afghans are not original designs.  I made them as gifts for my daughter and daughter-in-law, when I first started working in Tunisian.  I was so fascinated by the method.  I loved to embroider, and I found I was enjoying the Tunisian Stitch.  When I discovered so many wonderful patterns combining Tunisian and  embroidery, in beautiful pieces, I just had to give it a try.  It is time consuming, but the results so rewarding.    I now do workshops in both Tunisian Embroidery and Tunisian Entrelac.  One of the throws above was made by one of my students.  She was so enthusiastic, she has gone on to make 8 of the most beautiful throws.  Lauren has given me permission to use her picture, and I did an entry about her some time ago.

Thats about all the time that I have today.  I am leaving to spend Thanksgiving with my family, and will be gone for a few days.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Margaret

This and That

Happy Saturday Everyone,

Sorry that I have not posted in awhile, but life happens occasionally. 

I have not been able to do my work as usual this past week because of some eye problems, but I did want to keep you posted on some things.

I found out yesterday, that The Craft Yarn Council will be holding one of their wonderful Knit/Crochet events at the Mall of America in February.  This is the first time that an event like this will be held indoors, and will be for two days.  I think that  this is so fabulous.  I don't have all the details as yet, but will let you know more soon.

I have only attended and demonstrated at the NYC event, and that draws huge crowds of people and is such fun. 

One of the nicest things about attending these events is meeting people from all over this wonderful land.  As an author, teacher and designer of both knitting and crochet, I often wonder if people are really making the things that I design.  When someone comes up to me actually wearing a garment that they made from one of my books, I cannot tell you what a great feeling that is.  It has happened to me several times, and just again this past weekend at the Happily Hooked on Crochet Guild meeting.  Karen, one of the members, was wearing a jacket from HOW TO FREE FORM CROCHET, that she had made.  It was stunning!  Karen won the book while attending my demo at the NYC Knit/Crochet Out.  The  best part is actually seeing how creative people add their own touches, this is especially important when learning to free form.  I do write instructions, and when I am told that they are easy to follow, thats icing on the cake.  I do, however, encourage people to use the methods as a starting point, a way to get their own creative juices flowing.  I love  seeing it happen.

Have a great day

Margaret

Happily Hooked on Crochet

Hi Everyone,

Today was the regular monthly meeting of the Happily Hooked on Crochet Guild in Ct.  All the members arrived with bags and bags of crocheted items for charity and for their yearly fund raising sale.  I am always overwhelmed with the amount items that this group produces.  The hats, gloves scarves etc filled two tables.  One of the members, Hilda, pulled a huge amount of  things out of her bag, and informed me that what she had was only part of her stuff,  because she could not carry it all.   Of course I forgot my camera again, but Dee www.crochetingwithdee.com always at the ready for a good photo op, had hers.  I am sure that she will post them soon, and maybe share a few with me. 

Dee had the Official Statement issued by  Governor, M. Jodi Rell, on behalf of the state of Connecticut, stating that our  guild has served the state with great distinction and also  for their significant contributions made to local and national charities.  The statement also goes on to officially proclaim November 11, 2006, as THE HAPPILY HOOKED ON CROCHETING CLUB DAY in the State of Connecticut.  Dee had lovely copies of the original made for all of us. 

We had a great meeting, and I told all the members about my trip to Texas and all about Camp Crochet Texas.  The were very enthusiastic, and will consider hosting a like event in the future, in our area.  Wouldn't that be great!

Margaret

More Photos Camp Crochet Texas

Hi Again Everyone,

It is Sat night, and I am still adding more pictures from Crochet Texas.  I am having fun thinking of captions, but I must try to get names with faces.  I was so sure that I would remember everyone, but a week later my brain is mush.  Guild members, help please!

Margaret

More Pics from Camp Crochet Texas

Hi Everyone,

I am about half way done getting the photos posted.  As I said, Molly sent a lot.  I would love to add names to the photos, help me if you can.

Enjoy

Margaret

More Pictures from Camp Crochet Texas

Good Morning Everyone,

Molly Andries from Crochet Texas, sent me a disc with some great photos that she took at Camp Crochet Texas. 

They were worth waiting for!    The days are flying by so quickly, and soon Camp Crochet Texas will  be a happy memory, which I will not soon forget.  Like lots of special events, the planning takes forever, and then in a blink, its over.  Having all the photos keeps the memory alive.  The disc has lots more photos, I will put more up later.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Margaret

More Camp Crochet Texas

Good Morning Everyone,

I am feeling a little better about my computer skills this morning, as I have discovered that aol is changing some of their stuff, so it was not my lack of skill that prompted one frustrating afternoon.

I managed to get a few more pictures done, then Molly is going to send me a disc.  I think that will totally solve the problem.

The first picture is more at the Meet and Greet Friday night.
The second picture is Sharon and I getting ready to have breakfast Sat morning, before the workshops start. 

The third is of a group of us that went out for dinner Sat night.  A great time was had by all.  Our waiter and waitress must be candidates for sainthood.

The fourth is Tim Klein and his art  car.  Some of you may remember that I originally met Tim on line, when members of an online group were raving about his car.  I wrote to Tim asking about the car, and found out that he would be visiting NY, very nearby to where I live.  He invited me to see the car,  so a friend and I took him up on the offer.  That meeting started a chain of events and Tim and I have kind of kept track of each other since then. 

When he wrote that he was going to be in Austin TX on Oct 20, to participate in the Art Car Parade, well the coincidence was just too much.  When I told him that I was also going to be in Austin to teach at Camp Crochet Texas, he offered to come visit after the parade. 

It was such fun to see him and his fabulous car again.  I think everyone enjoyed seeing the amazing job that he did. 

Have a great day everyone

Margaret

Camp Crochet Texas

Hi Everyone,

Its a good thing that I crochet and knit better than I can manage a computer.    I finally got some great pictures from Camp Crochet Texas, and I am having one frustrating time getting them to appear on my blog.  Molly and Cher have been sending me the pics, but even after I managed to open them, I cannot find them.  aol has this new thing (well new to me anyway).  I never saw it before today, its called aol shoebox.  I am told that my pictures will be saved here till I decide where I want them to go. That would be great, except for the fact that I cannot find them.

Well after about 2 very frustrating hours, I called Dee wwwcrochetingwithdee.com  and luckily Dee was able to help me.  I managed to get 7 of the about 34 pictures that were sent to me,  to appear, and then everything just stopped.  Unfortunately I cannot spend any more time on this today, so more tomorrow or the next day, when I can figure out whats wrong.

The first group of pictures were taken at the Friday night "Meet and Greet".  Every one was tired from traveling, and feeling a bit goofy.  I even decided to have a strawberry daiquiri, and those who know me, know that that is a rare thing indeed.   Sorry that I have not identified everyone as yet, but I will try to place the names with the right faces soon.

There is more to come on this great event.

Have a great evening.

Margaret

Crochet Class

Good Morning Everyone,

Yesterday was my regular Monday morning class at the Yarn and Craft Box in Pawling, New York.  One of my students, Sheryl, surprised me by coming in wearing her completed patchwork sweater.  I did not have the class last week, because I was still in Texas, so I was happy that Sheryl was able to finish the project on her own.

It was a cool, sunny day, and luckily I did have my camera with me, so I was able to take a picture.  The wind was blowing, and the sun was really bright, but I think we managed to get an okay picture.

 Enjoy your day

Margaret

Autumn in New York

Hi Everyone,

October is a beautiful time of year to be in New York.  I arrived home from Texas to the glorious fall foliage all around me.

About two years ago, I returned home from a trip at about this same time of year, and my yard was glowing with oranges and greens and golds.  It inspired me to make the Free Form Crochet/Knit shawl that I call Autumn in NY.  For many years, I always did my free form work in shades of natural/beiges, which I still love.  Since then, I  have branched out in color, and  I get inspiration from many sources, nature being one of the best . 

I have not forgotton about Camp Crochet Texas, still waiting for the pictures to share with you.

Have a great evening

Margaret

CAMP CROCHET TEXAS

Hi Everyone,

I'm back home again after teaching at Camp Crochet Texas, tired but happy. 

For those of you who do not know, this was a first effort at starting small regional crochet gatherings around the country.  The smaller gatherings, held in lots of different areas, would hopefully make it easier for more people to attend and  experience the fun of meeting like minded people, exchange ideas and attend workshops to expand their crochet knowledge. 

Crochet Texas, a chapter of CGOA, was the first group to try their hand at organizing such an event.  They worked long and hard, almost a year, to organize this, but it showed.  The event was well organized, well attended, and we had so much fun.  Nancy Brown, president of CGOA, also attended and taught workshops. 

My students were so enthusiastic, it made my job easy.  The after class gatherings, the meet and greet, the luncheon and show and tell fashion show, were all great. 

I stayed for an extra two days, and was treated to a guided tour of Austin, by Sharon Dyke, and her daughter Ashley.  I think that I wore both of them out. 

One of the attendees is sending me lots pictures to post, and I will put them up as soon as I receive them.  Of course, I will still have lots to say about the trip, but now I have to unpack, and get back to "normal" .

Have a great evening

Margaret

Another New Book etc

Good Morning Everyone,

Yesterday I received the mock up of my latest book for Creative Publishing International.  This is the fifth in the "HOOKED" series, and will be in the stores sometime after the first of the year.  amazon is already taking pre-orders.

It is incredible to me, that so much of the work that I have done over the past 2 years, is all coming out at the same time.  I love it!  I still get a charge out of seeing the designs in print, and receiving that first copy of a new book is special.

The second photo is a picture of my totally finished, modular doll sweater, crystal buttons and all.  If you remember, I made this sweater in Barbara Hillary Van Elson's (www.PlayingwithString.com) workshop a few weeks ago.  Just got around to putting finishing touches on it.  The first of 4 Christmas doll sweaters I will be making for darling grand daughter's doll family. 

Almost time to leave for Crochet Texas, cannot wait to meet the group.

Have a great day,

Margaret

Another New Book and other stuff

Happy Saturday Everyone,

I cannot believe how my days are flying by like clouds being blown by the wind.  Less than one week and I will be flying to Texas to meet everyone from the Crochet Texas Chapter of CGOA.  I am almost ready!!  Workshop handouts ready, one bag of samples packed, books already shipped, so now its just getting myself together. 

Yesterday I received another new book that has some of my things in the Gallery Section.  The book is called THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CROCHET TECHNIQUES by Jan Eaton.  I have not had a chance to really look it over yet, but it looks terrific.  I noticed very familiar names have also contributed, Carol Ventura, Jennifer Hansen, Drew Emborsky, and Jennie Dowd, that I know personally, and lots of others. 

Last Sunday, our Happily Hooked on Crochet Chapter in CT, had their 5th anniversary meeting, and it was such fun.  Barbara Hillary Van Elsen of www.PlayingwithString.com, gave a workshop on modular crochet.  We all learned the method by making a sweater for a doll or a bear.  I made a Christmas Red Sweater for my little grand daughter's American Girl Doll. 

We had pizza and other goodies, which included  a huge anniversary cake.  Needless to say a good time was had by all.

Have a great weekend
Margaret

Another Great New Book etc

Good Morning Everyone,

I just received my copy of NEW IDEAS FOR TODAY'S CROCHET by Jean Leinhauser & Rita Weiss.  The book  lives up to its title, there are lots of fabulous designs packed into it.  Everything from bikinis, vests, dresses, wire and bead necklaces,  to a bridal tunic.  The photos are great, several views are shown of each item. 

I guess I should tell you that I have several designs in the book, and the bridal tunic was designed by me, (bottom left corner) so I may be just a little prejudiced, but it really is a great book.

Sorry my photo of the book is not good at all.  I cannot get a good picture without the flash ruining it.

I managed to get in a few more of the photos that Dee sent from the NYC, Knit and Crochet event.  Dee, www.crochetingwithdee.com  took all of them while I was doing my demo.

I am busy working on my new book and getting ready to attend Camp Crochet in Austin, Texas.   I am looking forward to this teaching adventure as I have never been to Texas before.  I have met several of the members of the CGOA chapter,  that is sponsoring the event, and they are all so enthusiastic.  Sharon Dyke, one of the organizers and her daughter, are going to take me sight seeing afterwards.

When I first started teaching at conferences and events, I was a very timid traveler.  I went from the airport to the hotel, back to the airport and home.  In the past two years, I have started adding a few days to my stay, in order to see some of the surrounding area.  I have had so much fun doing this, and I am sure that I will love seeing the sights in Austin. 

Have a great day

Margaret

This and That

Good Morning Everyone,

Sorry that it has been a while since I posted, but the past week has been a little hectic.  I finally joined the new century and signed up for High Speed Internet.  Giving up my old dial up, was a wrenching experience for me, and I did not do it lightly.  I had so many fears about losing all my stored data, my precious instructions and photos of all my projects,  both finished and in the works, that I put off doing this for a long time. 

Even though I had my son back up most of my data on a disc, there were some scary moments.  After several calls to aol, and several very frantic phone calls to my son, I think that I am all set. 

Having my blog totally disappear was another worry, so if one day you visit and find me gone, at least you will know what happened.  Dee www.crochetingwithdee.com sent me quite a few great photos to share with you, but I still have not quite figured out how to get them from her e-mail to here.  I am so afraid of losing them in cyber space, that I am awaiting help before attempting it.

Back to crochet - At my Monday class, Marlene arrived with another bag of preemie hats for the Caps for the Capitol project.  Her total has exceeded fifty now.  Who says one person cannot make a difference.  Marlene apologized for having done so few this week, she commented that she had a few other things to do also  :-)

I forgot my camera, so the promised pictures of finished items will have to wait till next time. 

Have a great day

Margaret

New York City Knit Out/Crochet Too

Happy Tuesday Everyone,

Sunday in New York City at Union Square Park, was all blue skies, sun, and thousands of people taking part in another wonderful knit/crochet event.  I finally found a little time to get the pictures into my computer (no easy job for me).

The day was filled with activities.  In addition to the fashion shows, there were tables of Kid's Crafts, Retail exhibits, demos and displays, yarn "Doctors", charity projects, contests, and technique workshops.  I did a mini workshop on Free Form Crochet.  It was well attended and all were enthusiastic, but the sun was hot.  We were not under one of the tents, and just modeling my garments became a challenge.

The fashion show included a Doggie Idol segment, a children's segment and adult fashions.  There were a few brave men who participated, but mostly gorgeous models, showing off the fashions in a very elegant way.  Two of my little black dresses were shown, but unfortunately my pictures did not turn out.  Maybe someone out there has a picture to share with me.  I did not even know that they were being featured, and when Rita Weiss found me, told me to get my camera ready, I was so surprised.  I was so happy to see the dresses up on the stage.  My camera is not that great, and I was so far away and to the side, that the black dresses became a little dot in the photo.  They did look spectacular on the models though. 

Danielle, who is a student of Marie Stewart's, Yarn and Craft Box, Pawling, NY, won third place in the scarf contest.  Danielle was thrilled, and we were thrilled for her.  Later, I found out that Ruth Y, from The Happily Hooked on Crochet group in Danbury CT, won an honorable mention in the contest.  Two people that I know won honors, how cool is that.  By the time I found out about Ruth, my camera was out of space for more pictures, but I am sure that you can see lots more at www.crochetingwithdee.com .  Chris, another knitter from The Yarn and Craft Box, participated in the "Fastest Knitter" contest.  Chris makes the most intricate Fair Isle designs, his work is fabulous.

I met so many people that I knew, some that I knew only from the Internet, and made many new "friends".  

There is no selling at this event, so yarnaholics just get to see all the new yarns, books and gadgets being offered for the avid needleworker.  The  companies that were present, had lots of give-aways, so attendees left with bags full of magazines, free patterns, accessories etc, and in some cases, sample balls of yarn and knitting needles.  Some area yarn shops had booths, I saw Andrea from Seaport Yarns www.seaportyarn.com there showing some really nice new yarns in great colors. 

I am sure that I am forgetting something, but thats it for now.

Have a great day

Margaret

Caps for the Capitol

Happy Monday Everyone,

I returned home from my usual Monday morning class feeling very happy. 

 Last week I was telling my students about Caps for the Capital, and the project that many knitters and crocheters were working on.  Millions of premature infants die each year, world wide, because they cannot be kept warm in the crucial first hours of life.  The simple act of covering their tiny heads with a warm hat helps save lives. 

The New York City crochet Guild had promised the organizers 1000 premie hats to be delivered at the Knit/Crochet Event, that was held yesterday in New York City.  When they thought that they might not reach their goal, they put out a call for help from some other chapters.  Well, yesterday, they presented over 2000 hats, with a promise of more to come.  Our chapter in Ct, The Happily Hooked on Crochet Club, also did our part. Everyone was overwhelmed with this outpouring. 

When I went into my class this morning, at the Yarn and Craft Box in Pawling, NY, I had a very happy surprise.  One of my student's, Marlene Stone, presented me with 32 little hats that she had made from last week.  This project has touched the hearts of so many people around the country, and I am sure that in the next few months, we will be getting many more donated.  Thanks so much Marlene, for your help. 

Tomorrow, I will try to post about my day in the city, along with pictures.  The Knit/Crochet Out, was a fabulous event.

Enjoy the rest of the day

Margaret

Getting ready for a demo at the NYC event etc.

Good Morning Everyone,

Along with all the exciting Crochet and Knit events that I get to attend, and with all the books and magazine designs, and the workshops, comes the knitty gritty work.  That is where I am right now.  I am literally up to my neck in boxes of yarn, busily crocheting, knitting and writing instructions for all the projects.  In the midst of all this, I am trying to get ready for the big New York City Knit Out/Crochet Too, being held this coming Sunday,  from noon to five in Union Square Park in NYC.   I am scheduled to do a demo on Free Form Crochet,  around 3 in the afternoon, so if you are there, come by and say hello.

When I first started doing Free Form work, I always worked in nuetral colors only.  About 5 years ago I started experimenting with more and more color.  Now anything goes, I love it all.

I recently signed contracts to do another book for Creative Publishing International, the sixth (more on this much later), and my fifth for them, is in the final stages of printing.  You will be hearing a lot more about these 2 new books when it is closer to a release date.  All I can tell you about them at this time, is that they are really at different ends of the spectrum. 

You probably all know  that the first four books, HOOKED BAGS, HOOKED HATS, HOOKED THROWS and HOOKED SCARVES are available right now and can be purchased on www.amazon.com or in bookstores or yarn shops.

In addition to this, I am still working on other projects that are very much in the works and slowly progressing toward the finish line.   I was thinking this very morning that it is a good thing that I love doing all this, otherwise I might feel a little overwhelmed at the moment :-)!

Have a great day

Margaret

 

 

Happily Hooked on Crochet

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I have not posted for several days due to problems with aol and my computer access.  Its been very frustrating. 

Yesterday we had our regular monthly meeting of the Happily Hooked on Crochet Group in Danbury, CT.  I walked into a room, with everyone busily working and mounds of yarn piled high on the huge table.  Several of the women were working on starter kits, in preparation of teaching crochet at the NYC Knit Out/Crochet Too.   Others of us were working on making preemie caps for the Caps for the Capitol project.  These little hats are a really quick project, and I worked up 10 just the night before the meeting.  You can visit www.crochetingwithdee.com for more information on this very worthwhile project.

We had two more new member join us and that is always such fun.  Karen had previously e-mailed me, so it was extra special finally meeting face to face.  Karen also had lots of wonderful projects for show and tell.  One really intriguing one was her study in black shawl/shrug, pictured above.

My camera is not the best, and the room lighting is not terrific, but at least you can see some of the doings.

Today, I did my weekly crochet class at The Yarn and Craft Box in Pawling NY. My students are doing so well.  I think that by next week, I might have a picture or two to share. 

Today has been a sad day of rembrance for all that happened 5 years ago , and we shall never forget it.   Somehow, going about the ordinary things that we do every day helps us cope with the memories. 

Have a good evening.

Margaret

Charity Knitting/Crochet and Connections

HAPPY LABOR DAY WEEKEND,

Since starting this blog, last February, I have become aware that it is difficult to post every day and keep the content strictly knitting and crochet related. Granted not a day goes by without me picking up a knitting or  crochet project, but lets face it, each and every one is not an exciting, reportable event. 

Quite some time ago, I created the little crochet sculpture in the photo, for a museum exhibit in Haifa, Israel.  About 14 US fiber artists were invited to submit pieces for the exhibit.  When I heard that the subject was to be figures, any interpretation, I almost declined.  This was clearly not my cup of tea.  Because of a series of events, I came up with the idea of women of the world being connected in a very special way through the needle arts.  I felt at the time, and still do, that my entry was very child-like, but I sent it in anyway.  It was in the exhibit, and it was a wonderful experience for me to participate. 

Right now though, exciting events are happening all over the country, bringing people together in a common goal.  Knit and crochet groups are pulling together and creating huge amounts of sweaters, hats, scarves and afghans to literally warm up the world.  Suddenly, my little sculpture, which I titled Connections, has even more meaning for me.  

The New York City Crochet Group has pledged 1000 hats for Caps for the Capital, The Happily Hooked on Crochet chapter in Ct, are constantly working on charity projects for several worthy organizations.  They have given hundreds of items to Danbury Hospital, The Salvation Army and other worthy organizations.  You can read more about them at www.crochetingwithDee .Groups like this are just about in every state in our wonderful country.

Last night I received a phone call from a fairly new knitter, Suellen, who belongs to a knitting group in northern CA.  They were all busily working on sweaters for charity, and were using one of the free patterns on my site.  They were having trouble with part of the instructions, and because of Suellen's phone call, the error was brought to my attention.  This little sweater has been made lots of times, and no one ever told me about this before now.  It was coincidental, because I just talked about this sweater a few days ago (scroll down if you want to see), so I shall correct it as soon as possible.

Once again, I was pleasantly surprised by the connections that the Internet allows us to make.  Suellen and I were chatting as if we were old friends, brought together by the love of our craft.    She promised to send me a picture of her finished sweater, and will try to send some of her group along with their projects, so I can share them with you. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Margaret

Purple, The New Black ?

Happy Wednesday Everyone,

Commentators, during and after The Emmy awards show, told us  that purple is the new, hot color.  Several of the gorgeous stars wore different shades of purple gowns, so now we are told "purple is the new black".   I get a chuckle out of this because, well every year we are told that some color or other is the "new black".  I guess every year we need something to shake up the fashion world.   Do "the powers that be" hope that everyone will run right out and follow the trend, replace their little black dress, their classic black pants or skirt, with a purple one?  I am not sure why this happens, I just find it interesting.  I personally love my black basics, because they make a great palette for showing off my colorful free form pieces. 

Just for fun, I looked through my gallery of photos just to see how many times that I have used purple in the past few years.  I did use it quite often, in varying shades, for jackets, bags and hats.  I found that I used more of the lavender shades than the deep purples.  I did remember that one of the reasons I do not use it more often, is that it is very difficult for me to get a good photograph of anything purple.  What it all amounts to, as far as I am concerned, is you should wear what looks terrific on you, and what you love.

Have a great day

Margaret

FREE FORM KNITTING AND CROCHET and something silly

Good Morning all,

It occurred to me last night, that I have not mentioned my Free Form Knitting and Free Form Crochet Videos in a long while.  Since there has been a huge renewal of interest in Free Form, and it is one of my most popular workshops, I thought I would remind you about them.  In fact, I am doing a workshop in FINISHING YOUR FREE FORM PIECES at Knitting Central in Wesport CT on Sept 10.  For information  contact sallypequot@yahoo.com   . 

The videos are  now available in DVD format.  They can be ordered at www.margarethuberoriginals.com , but the DVD's are not listed as yet, so you will have to write a note requesting that format.  Same content, same price.  They both come with a booklet that has all the stitches shown on the video, plus a few other items.

I also have two booklets on Free Form Crochet, published by Annie's Attic and available at www.anniesattic.com, www.amazon.com ,  or you can get them directly from me. 

Now the silly stuff.   I live in a very wooded area.  I love it here most of the time.  Lately we have been plagued with deer eating every single flower and plant around.  A family, mother and two fawns, have moved into my yard, and they are not even one bit afraid of me.  I can walk right up to them, shout "go away" and they laugh (If you could see their faces you would agree).  Finally, I am the one to leave. 

As if the deer were not enough, we also have a bear family.  Because of the bears, (and I am afraid of them), we are not allowed to put out bird feeders any more.  Watching the birds feed in the morning is a great pleasure for me.  With my flowers all eaten and my birds gone, it seemed that my tranquil little piece of heaven was taken away from me.  I am not even mentioning the little chipmunks,rabbits, squirrels and all other little critters that eat what the deer leave behind.

If you remember, yesterday when I could not get home because of the fallen tree, I went back to The Yarn and Craft Box in Pawling.  Several women were gathering for the Monday afternoon knitting class, that Marie Stewart conducts.  I cannot remember what brought the subject up, but soon I was voicing my displeasure with the animals for "invading my space and making living in the woods no fun any more".  Well Marie, really burst out laughing, reminding me that I was the one invading their space, not the other way around.  Well, she is right of course, and I guess I never gave it a lot of thought.  We could get into really deep discussions here about invading other's spaces, but I won't go there.  So I have decided that if I want to live here, with all the trees and the lake and the quiet, and not in a city, I will try to find plants that the deer do not like to eat (although no one bothers to ask the deer), and wait till the bears hibernate or leave for other parts before feeding the birds. 

Have a lovely day

Margaret

Best laid plans/knitting crocheting for charity

Happy Monday Everyone,

The day started out gloomy and drizzly , but cleared up nicely by noon.  I was on my way home from my usual Monday morning class at The Yarn and Craft Box in Pawling, determined to use the afternoon to get a lot of work done.  I was not far from home and was abruptly stopped by a huge tree which had fallen across the only access road to my house.  Two other cars, one on each side of the fallen tree,  were there minutes before me and were trying to figure out what we should do.  The tree was huge, there was no way we could move it or go around it , and I was not about to leave my car on the side of the hill and walk uphill all the way home.  After notifying the proper authorities and finding out that it was going to take several hours to remove it - well whats a girl to do, I turned around and went back to the yarn shop :-).  There went my resolve to get home early and get tons of stuff accomplished. 

On another note, there has been so much talk about knitting and crocheting for charity, that I wanted to remind everyone, that I have 2 easy, free patterns on my site, that are great for charity knitting www.margarethubertoriginals.com

One of the sweaters, the little blue one, I made for my grand daughter when she was 2.  She really loved that little sweater and did not want to give it up, so this year, I added several rows of crochet to the bottom of the body and sleeves.  Gave her at least another year or 2 of wear.

Have a great day

Margaret

Workshops Etc

Hi Everyone,

It is a rainy, gloomy morning here, but the grass and trees are loving it, everything looks so green and lush. 

I was telling a friend about my Chicago area trip, and how Rosalie Johnston, President of the Northern ILL Chapter of CGOA, escorted me all over the place for two days.  I never would have seen and experienced all the sights if not for her.  My friend commented that this was about the 4th time that I had had the good fortune to be escorted around by someone who knew the area.  It started me thinking about how wonderful this has been, and how the Internet has stretched my world. 

When I first began teaching in venues that were quite a distance from my home, I rarely left the hotel.  I went from the airport, to the hotel, then back again.

Prudence Mapstone started it all, by volunteering her help on my trip to Australia, and what a great trip that was.  Besides attending the Fiber Forum in Geelong,  I visited Prudence in Brisbane,  and then we went to Melbourne and Sydney.  A trip of a lifetime.!  Just this past May, I went to London, and again, relied on Prudence to plan our days of sight seeing. 

 Next I went to CA, and Myra, gave me a tour of the Hollywood area.  Such fun, we did all the touristy things, and even got to visit several of the many yarn shops in the area.  On my next trip, this time  to the northern end of CA, Jorel, was my "tour guide", another fabulous trip.  We got to see the fabulous Artwear - Fashion and Anti Fashion exhibit at the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco Legion of Honor.  WOW, is all I can say about that.

In October, I am going to Austin, Texas to teach a workshop at Camp Crochet Texas, and Sharon Dyke, who has helped organize this event, has promised to show me some of that beautiful city. 

I am not only getting to teach in a lot of different venues, but I am really getting to see a little bit of the beautiful country that we live in, and a little bit of some other countries too.  For someone who never used to travel much, I seem to be getting around - what fun.

Have a great day

Margaret

 

Fun E-mails

Good Morning Everyone,

I received the nicest e-mail from a crochet friend that I met at the King of Prussia knit and crochet event.  Lucy Purchased my book, HOOKED BAGS, www.amazon.com, and she is already having fun making some of the projects.  Lucy gave me permission to share her letter and photo with all of you.   

Dear Margaret:

I hope you will enjoy seeing the two bags I made from your book Hooked Bags.
You will recognize them as "Shopper's Net Tote" and "Not Net Tote Tagalong".
I made them for my son as a house-warming gift for his first house. I filled
them with treats that he can serve when his friends come to visit. Phil is
an avid environmentalist. I previously made him a plastic bag tote from
recycled bags, but I think your shopping bag has much more style. I know he
will use it often.

I had you sign my copy of your book at convention...it's fun to use. Thank
you!

Lucy

Thank you Lucy,

Have a great day

Margaret

Chicago

Good Morning Everyone,

I just wanted to share a few of the highlights of my  tour of the Chicago area. 

Rosalie Johnston, president of the Northern Ill chapter of CGOA, organizer of the workshop, and tour guide extraordinaire, took me on a whirlwind, two day tour of the area.  We had the greatest weather, blue skies, lots of sunshine, but not too hot, perfect for sight seeing. 

The first day we visited the Botanical Gardens, magnificent flowers, waterfalls, a Japanese Garden, so serene and lovely, a feast for the eyes and the wonderfull scent of blooming flowers, especially in the rose garden.  Talk about inspiration, explosions of color everywhere. 

After the Botanical Gardens we visited the Bahai House of Worship in Wilmette, Ill., one of only seven Bahai temples in the world at present.  I was so pleased to have visited this unique structure.  We were not allowed to take pictures inside, but it is an amazing temple.

The second day we headed for Chicago.  We saw and did so much that my head is still spinning.  We walked the golden mile, and oohed and aahed over the magnificent fashions all around us (more inspiration), we visited Navy Pier, We took the Architectural Boat Tour on the Chicago River, We took the fastest elevator in the US (their claim, but it really is fast) to the top of the Hancock Building and saw the most breathtaking views of the city.  We visited the American Girl Store, and Grandma that I am, could not resist buying the Bitty Twin dolls for my Grand daughter.  I hope that I can hold off giving them to her, they are supposed to be a Christmas gift. 

We even managed to eat in between all this activity.  I know that I am forgetting something, we did fill the day.   Rosalie said that I probably saw more in two days than many people who live there get to see.  I had a ball.

Have a great day

Margaret

 

Northern Ill Chapter of CGOA Workshop

Hi Everyone,

I arrived home this afternoon from a wonderful trip to the Chicago Area.  I went to do a "Spectacular Squares" workshop for the Northern Illinois Chapter of the CGOA. 

My "Squares" workshop consists of learning to make a lot of different items by combining different square shapes.  The trick is to use lots of different yarns and stitches, thereby making your squares truly unique.  We start out by learning to make a bag, using a lining as a base. and hopefully build from there.  This group wanted to combine a little free form crochet with their squares, and the combination made for some interesting results.  By the end of the workshop we had some great  bags in the making.

I hope all will send me pictures of their finished projects so I can share them with you.

Have a good night,

Margaret

Fourth in the Series of Hooked Books

Hi Everyone,

The arrival, just minutes ago, of the advance copy of Hooked Scarves, prompted me to write twice in the same day.  The book looks great.  Just like the others, beautiful pictures, clear, lots of white space pages, easy to read and the spiral binding allows it to lie flat while working.  You can order this book at www.amazon.com.  The cover scarf is made in Rayon Metallic by Blue Heron Yarns, in a wonderful color called Sunset.

I am really happy with the way these books have turned out.  Still 2 more to come in the series, but they will be awhile yet.

Have a great evening

Margaret

Busy, busy time

Good Morning Everyone,

So much going on all at once.  I am leaving very soon to teach a workshop for the Northern Ill, Chapter of CGOA, at the Rolling Meadows Library in Rolling Meadows, Ill.  This workshop was the "baby" of Rosalie Johnston, who convinced me that her group would love me to come do a workshop for them.  I won't forget my camera this time, so watch for pictures soon. 

Previously I told you that my pal Tim Klein, www.yarncar.com would be in Austin , Texas, in October, at the same time that I will be doing workshops for Texas Camp Crochet.  Tim and I are trying to plan the possibility of meeting at the workshop so that all the attendees can get to meet Tim and see his fabulous car.  Wouldn't that be a hoot if we can pull it off. 

In the midst of all this preparation for the upcoming workshops, several of my design proposals have been accepted, and the possibility of a new book is becoming very real.  More on all this activity later.

Have a great day

Margaret

This and That

Hi Everyone,

I've had a very busy few days.  Yesterday was the monthly meeting of the Happily Hooked on Crochet Guild in Danbury Ct.   Our group is growing, we had such a nice gathering, plus 3 or 4 visitors.  I think two of them decided to join our group.  Unfortunately I forgot my camera, but several of the women said that they would send me some photos to share.  We had fun with show and tell, and seeing what everyone is up to.

This morning I had my regular Monday morning class at the Yarn and Craft Box in Pawling, NY.  One of my regular students was just about finishing a project that was giving her a little grief, but it turned out really nice.  Another students, who embarked on a pretty ambitious project, was also moving along.  We had a pinned together fitting, and its looking great.  Perhaps when they are done, I can get them to share a photo.  If any of you live in the area be sure to visit the shop, Marie Stewart the owner, gives discounts to guild members.  You can almost always find me there on a Monday morning (except when I am off traveling ).

In this morning's mail, I had a note from Tim of the art car, telling me that he was going to be part of an exciting event happening in Austin, Texas on Oct 21st.  Well it just so happens that I will be in Austin on Oct 21, but I will be teaching all day.  I will be doing workshops for Crochet Texas and I am looking forward to doing the workshops and seeing some of the area.  Sure would be nice to get to see Tim and the car again.  Here is a copy of Tim"s e-mail,  check it out.

 

Greetings, my sure-footed and vitamin-enriched mailing list members!
I've finally gotten around to writing up my appearance with the Yarn
Car in Reader's Digest and (for about 2 seconds) on Good Morning
America.  I even have a short video clip of the latter, for your
viewing enjoyment...

http://www.yarncar.com/Story/RDandGMA/

Still got scads of stories and photos from past adventures that I'm
dying to share with you all, but for now that's all that's new.  I
hope all's right in your far-flung corners of the world!

And for those of you within striking distance of Austin, Texas, come
say hello at the viewing area on Congress Ave. at the end of the
Austin Art Car Parade on October 21...
http://www.austinartcar.com
(The web site doesn't do it justice -- it's one of the country's
biggest art car gatherings.)

Take care!

Your pal,
Tim
Dallas, Texas, USA
http://www.yarncar.com
http://www.ArtCarCalendar.com

Knit-N-Cruise

Happy Saturday Morning Everyone,

If you would like to plan a really great vacation for next year, I will be teaching on a Knitting Cruise, which is sponsored by Creative Knitting Magazine.  The cruise will take place April 22 - 29, 2007, sailing from Miami to Belize, Costa Maya, Cosumel, Grand Cayman. 

Other instructors are Kathy Wesley and Lorna Miser.  You can find out more about the cruise by calling 1-800-765-1191or visiting the web site at www.cruise-center.com (click on activity cruises).

Of course I will be discussing this more as the time draws closer.  I only mention it this early on, so plans can be made well in advance. 

Enjoy the wonderful weekend

Margaret

Workshops Pending

Hi Everyone,

Workshop season is fast approaching.  My first workshop will be at Knitting Central, 582 Post Road East, Westport, CT 06880.  If you have never visited Knitting Central, and you are anywhere nearby, it is truly worth a trip.  A wonderful shop, full of the most beautiful yarns imaginable.  The workshop will be held on September 10th from 12 noon till 5 pm. 

Last season we had a fun workshop learning about Free Form Knitting, and our next workshop will be all about Finishing Your Free Form items.  Most students started a small evening bag, and hopefully will get it done this session.  If you would like any information about the workshop you can contact Sally at Knitting Central sallypeqot@yahoo.com.  Even if you have not taken a free form workshop with me before, you can still learn a lot at this workshop.  Hope to see you there.

I will be posting my schedule soon.  I am a little behind getting my workshops organized.  I did not book too many workshops because of all the book deadlines and traveling that I have been doing, but I will post the upcoming ones soon.

Have a great evening

Margaret

Knitting/Crocheting for Men

Happy Wednesday Everyone,

I have been very lax about adding to my blog.  I have been away too much, summer heat etc are all good excuses.  Truth is I have been so busy trying to come up with new designs and class proposals, that my days are just flying by. 

I have been trying very hard to come up with some men's patterns in crochet.  I have been asked over and again "why no great men's patterns in crochet".   One of the reasons, is that many crochet patterns look very lacy and feminine, the more textured patterns tend to be very heavy. 

A while ago, I did design a man's sweater, combining knit with entrelac crochet, which is a form of Tunisian Crochet.  No one was interested in it because of the combination, reasoning that all crocheters do not knit, and all knitters do not crochet.  I liked the sweater, so I self published it, adding it to my  2 other self published patterns (my only adventure into self publishing).  I must admit, that it is not selling very well, so the publishers were right.  I got the idea of adding the knitted sleeves to the crocheted body of the sweater hoping to make a less bulky, easier to wear garment. 

I had previously made a child's cardigan, with the sleeves all in Tunisian Stitch, and that pattern sells very well www.margarethubertoriginals.com .  There must be an answer here.  Crocheters want to make sweaters for the men in their life, so I will keep trying to come up with something.

We have a gorgeous day today (two in a row), so hopefully I will get a lot done.

Enjoy your day,

Margaret

Knitting and Crocheting in the summer Heat

Hi Everyone,

I am visiting my son and family in MA, and just discovered that I can post to my blog.  For some reason, I thought that I had to be at my home computer in order to add entries.  Oh well, good thing that I can knit and crochet more efficiently that I can work a computer :-).

I managed to finish all my projects and meet my latest deadlines before leaving, so I am now concentrating on some new designs.  While attending TNNA and CGOA I made lots of contacts with yarn companies, publishers, magazine editors etc, and came home with new yarns to try out.  The heat in the Boston area has reached record breaking numbers, but thankfully we are air conditioned and pretty comfortable, so this afternoon, I started playing with yarn, hooks and needles.

Keep cool

Margaret

My Newest Book

Good Morning Everyone,

I had a really nice surprise yesterday.  I received an advance copy of my newest book - HOOKED THROWS.  This is the third in a series of books that I am doing for Creative Publishing International and is available to order on www.amazon.com .  I am so happy with the book.  Like the others, the photography is amazing, the instructions are not crowded on a page, lots of space, easy to read, and a basics section with close-up photos of details.  Another great advantage is  the ring binding that allows the book to lie flat while you are working. 

Most of the designs are easy and fast to complete, some are a little more challenging.  I wanted the book to appeal to beginners as well as more experienced crocheters, something for everyone, and I think that I have achieved that. 

HOOKED BAGS was the first in this series, HOOKED HATS came next and they are both available on amazon or in several book stores and local yarn shops.  Still to come HOOKED SCARVES, available in the fall,  and a fifth which  I just finished (and which will have to remain a little secret for now) will follow soon after.

Very exciting time for me.

Have a great day

Margaret

Fashion Show at Chain Link

Hi Everyone,

This morning I received an e-mail from Lucy, with an attachement of some photos of my sweater in the fashion show.  Lucy read my blog and saw that I had none.  Thanks so much Lucy, I really enjoyed seeing them.

Vashti Braha is the model, and she is carrying a bag that was submitted by the Crochet Dude, Drew Emborsky http://thecrochetdude.blogspot.com .  I told Drew that our items looked really good together. Thanks Vashti, the sweater looked lovely on you.

I was rushing off to my usual Monday morning class when the e-mail came in, so could not post the photos till now.

Have a great evening everyone

Margaret

More on Chain Link

Happy Sunday morning Everone,

I have just spent the last half hour looking through photos, on other blogs, from the fashion show.  Two of the best ones that I have seen are www.crochetingwithdee.com and Yarn Over Pull Through . Thanks Dee and Patrice for posting them.

In all of the photos that I have looked at, I have not seen any of my entry into the fashion show.  Not surprising, since there were over 100 entries, so I have posted one myself.  Like so many others attending the conference, I too was putting the finishing touches on it at the last minute. 

Have a great day!

Margaret

 

Wonderful Nature

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I have not fully recovered from my wonderful trip to The CGOA/TKGA conference, and I am sure that I forgot to mention someone or something.  I want to blame it on the fact that I no sooner arrived home, then I had to leave again.    

When I arrived home a few minutes ago, I was greeted by a show of nature right at my front door.  I could not believe it, so I had to take a picture and post it.  It might not be knit or crochet, but it certainly is free form.  I just love it, reminds me of one of my bags.  This mushroomy thing measures 19 X 24 inches and the smaller one is 8 X 14 inches.  Truly amazing to me.  Maybe someone can tell me if this "thing" has a name?

Have a great day!

Margaret

More on the King of Prussia Conference

Hi Every One,

I added some more pictures from the conference.  The first is a picture of Myra Wood setting up the exhibit at the Free Form Booth.  You can see more about it at www.60odd.com 

The next 2 pictures are of Myra modeling the Coat of Many Scrumbles.  The coat was assembled by Prudence Mapstone, from the many pieces that were sent to her by members of the Free Form List.  Prudence also fashioned a shawl and an umbrella, but unfortunately my pictures of these items did not turn out.  Prudence said that she  will send me some photos when she gets back home.

I enjoyed meeting Bethany, who  was wearing a sweater that she made using my instructions in the "How to Free Form" book.  While it is true, that once you write instructions, it is technically not free form any longer, but it is my hope that the book will be a starting place for a beginner.  Bethany's interpretation of my pattern proves my point.  She put her own take on it, and it was stunning. 

I had such fun meeting Mary Jane at Professional Development Day.    Her friend is a fan of mine, and Mary Jane told her, that the chances of meeting me in such a large gathering were slim, she was so surprised when she found out that we would be sitting side by side.  Her enthusiasm made my day.

When we arrived at Professional Development Day, there were huge heaps of yarn, needles and hooks on the tables.  Rita Weiss asked each of us to  make a 12 inch square or two, the squares would then be joined together to make afghans for  Warm up the World.  We all started to make squares, while listening to the guest speaker, and before the end of the day, a huge box of squares were made.  We got to see a finished afghan Saturday night.

Another highlight for me was seeing the ladies from Crochet Texas again.  I will be doing a workshop for them in October and I cannot wait.  I am sure that we will have a ball.  They are a fun, enthusiastic group.

I had to include a picture of me visiting the Liberty Bell.  I had never been to Philadelphia before so I was glad that I had the opportunity to sight see a little.

Have a good night all

 

Margaret

CGOA/TKGA Conference in Valley Forge, Pa

Good Morning Everyone,

I arrived home last night from my week in Valley Forge, PA, attending the CGOA/TKGA conference.  Wow, what a fabulous time was had by all.

I started my week of fun almost immediately upon arrival.  I arrived late Tuesday afternoon, opened the door to my room (and wow, what a room) and Prudence said "Glad you are here, we are going out".  We are being picked up by Nancy and taken to her shop in Philadelphia to attend her weekly knit/crochet group.  Nancy's shop www.nangellini.com is so very charming, and her building is surrounded by art work.  We had a great night exploring the shop, the surrounding area, and meeting Nancy's group.

I belong to a Free Form On Line List, and our exhibit of 60 Odd Free Form crochet was displayed in our very own booth.  The Founder of CGOA, Gwen Blakely Kinsler, www.crochetqueen.com , made this happen.  Myra Wood, another member, arranged to get the exhibit to PA, and planned the whole exhibit and got the display together (Thank you Myra).  With the help of Prudence Mapstone www.knotjustknitting.com  and Melanie Gill, Myra got all the pieces hung and labeled.  Our booth was visited by so many attendees, and Free Form made a big splash at the fashion show too.  Everything truly looked spectacular.

So much to tell, I know that I am forgetting something, but I will add as I remember.

I attended Professional Development Day, and that was very informative, and I got to sit in with some great professionals.  Jean Leinhauser, Rita Weiss, Kathleen Power Johnson, and Vashti Braha, just to name a few. 

One of the reasons the conferences are such fun, is getting to meet, face to face, all the people you read about and the  people you meet on line. 

Quite a few of our members attended the conference and most of us managed to get together for a dinner.  Melanie Gill, one of our members arranged the dinner plans, and believe me, this was no small feat (Thank you Mel).  After the dinner, we met at the After Hours session sponsored by Berroco Yarns.  Those that could not make the dinner met us there, and we continued the party. 

In picture 4, Brian and Anne from www.brainsbarn.com joined us.  Anne Crochets, Brian makes wonderful hooks, check them out.

More as I remember,

Have a great day

Margaret

 

 

 

Busy Days

Hi Everyone,

I am thinking purple today  - because - yesterday I hosted the Happily Hooked on Crochet Club's July meeting at my home and  Purple is "our" color.  It was a beautiful sun shiny day, and we had a great gathering.  Everyone was busy crocheting, munching and chatting (not necessarily in that order) and enjoying the company of other crocheters. 

Several of the members were working on charity items, several finishing up their latest projects, and I was trying to work on my bra for the Bra-vo auction at Chain Link, but flitting too much to get any thing done.  One of the members shared a beautiful sweater that she had made.  I will have to get a picture of it next time. 

Over the years I  have accumulated such a huge stash of all manner of items, from trims to beads etc, and I invited the group to "shop" in my workroom.  Boy did they have fun!  Lets not tell them, but I was so happy to see the stuff find happy homes, and give me some more room :-)

I was having such a good time, that I totally forgot that I wanted to take some pictures.  I thought of it very late.  Some members had already left.  I managed to catch others, just as they were leaving, for one group photo. 

The icing on the cake of a lovely day was our  youngest member presenting me with a gift.  She had been quietly working away, busily creating her own design.  When she was done she came up to me, and placed her lovely finished work around my neck.  it is the necklace shown above.  She is turning into quite a crocheter, and whips things up really fast.  Do we have the next contender for World's Fastest Crocheter right in our very own group?

It is really special to see our love of crochet being passed on to the young ones.

I am leaving for the TKGA/CGOA conference tomorrow morning, and I am all packed and ready to go.  Still have to put the finishing touches on my bra-vo entry and also on the sweater that I have entered in the fashion show, but there is the long car ride down and a few days before the fashion show, so it will get done.

  I will be gone all week, don't know if I will be able to post while away, but lots to tell when I return.

Have a great week.

Margaret

Sculptural Knitting and Crocheting

Hi Everyone,

On the Free Form Crochet List, the topic of sculptural needlework came up.  The writer asked if any of us had any experience with this medium and if so, to share our experiences.  The question brought to mind my experiences and I thought that it was a great topic to share with all of you. 

Many years ago, when I worked as the needlework instructior for Bloomingdales in NY, I met Mark Dittrick.  Mr. Dittrick had just written a book called HARD CROCHET.  He made very unusual articles, bowls, vases etc with a hook and all manner of cords, thread etc.  He was so enthusiastic, that I thought I would give it a try.  I discovered quite rapidly that this was definitely not "my thing".  My hands hurt so badly, that I could not knit or crochet for a week.  That was the end of "hard crochet" for me.

Years later, while vacationing in Florida, I saw the most enchanting dolls in a local yarn shop.  By now I was a grandmother, so I started on a journey of making 8 of them, and quite a journey it was.  They are from a series of leaflets, from designer Jean Greenhowes, whose wonderful, whimsical dolls are fabulous.  The dolls are all different, with the most incredible details.  Pictured above is the Golfer Clown.  After this project was completed, I vowed never to do anything sculptural or doll like again.  "stick to fashion" I told myself.

More years go by, and now I am on the Internet, I am incredibly busy, my days are flying by, I am designing again, teaching all over the place, writing books again etc, and --  one of our fellow listers, Mirjam Cohen of Haifa, tells us that she is putting together a crochet  exhibit in Israel.  She invites several of us to participate.  The theme was to be figures, any interpretation that we wanted.   At first I did not want to participate, but having my work in a museum in Israel was so tempting that I agreed to do it.  I had no clue as to what I would do.  I was fairly new to the Internet, and the fact that, through our list, I was literally meeting people all over the world was mind boggling to me.  It dawned on me that our common interest was crochet and I tried to come up with a concept promoting this idea.

Coincidentally, at the same time I was attending a series of lectures by Dr. Rock Brynner, on literature.  Dr. Brynner's special cause is making people aware of how we are eroding our natural resources, and so he started his lecture with a little speech about this.  He likened our world to a sweater, went on to say, how someone was snipping a stitch here, and another person snipping a stitch there, and soon the whole sweater would unravel.  Someone in the audience, knowing I was there, said "give it to Margaret, she can fix it".  Well it did get a laugh, and wouldn't it be great if it were that easy.  I left that night with the seed of CONNECTIONS planted in my brain. 

Thinking of the world as a giant sweater, with everyone, crochet hook in hand, working to restore their little corner of earth.  WOW, I liked it a lot.    My grandchildren helped me find  a picture of an oval world map (I needed a visual to copy and wanted it oval instead of round) and some costumes.  My son helped by cutting down very small crochet hooks to fit my doll's hands.  I was on a roll.  While I loved my idea, I personally think of my execution of it, as very child like.  In spite of this, people seemed to like it.  It was in the exhibit, along with some wonderful artists works, and I was thrilled to be part of it all.  Pictures of the exhibit may be seen at www.fibersiv.israel.net  

Once again, I am thinking, that I probably will never do this again, but I have learned one thing over the years, and that is - never say never.

Have a great day everyone

Margaret

 

 

 

More on the Mystery Book

Good Morning all,

Thanks to everyone who wrote with tips on locating THE book.  I have tried them all to no avail.  I still have not heard from anyone who actually owns this book.  This in itself is very strange.  One of my books was a book club selection over twenty years ago, and copies of that book are all around.  Thousands were sold, and I see it on ebay and amazon all the time (and not very expensive either :-).  I meet people, who tell me that they own my book, all the time.  It is definitely odd to me, that a book which was released in November 2004, is nowhere.   I wrote to the book club that supposedly had it as a selection, and their response was "Thank you for contacting us.  Unfortunately, the book is no longer available through the Club".  That was it, 2 sentences, with no other information, another dead end.  Sooooo, the mystery continues.  Today, I am going to try my local Library and see what happens.

Have a great day

Margaret

A Crochet Book Mystery

Happy Fourth Everyone,

Several months ago, at a Happily Hooked on Crochet guild meeting, one of the members, Celeste,  mentioned that she was trying to buy a book that she had seen a picture of.  The description of the book sounded very intriguing.  Among other things it said that it contained such crochet stitches as The Lilliput Stitch and the Pistachio Stitch.  It also included Fence motifs.  Celeste asked me if I had ever heard of these stitches, and I had not.  It really peaked my interest though.

Celeste really wanted that book and I was interested in seeing it myself.  After several tries on line she came up empty handed.  I tried a search and found the book on amazon.uk and I ordered it for Celeste.  After a few more months and several e-mails from amazon telling me it would be a little while longer, I just received a "sorry" we cannot deliver.  I put a call out on two crochet lists, asking if anyone heard of this book, or actually owned it.  I received lots of replies, but so far no one claiming that they own the book.  One nice person found a seller on ebay who claimed to have 117 copies, and you could buy it now.  I was over joyed, and I sent the information to Celeste.  Within the hour, I received another e-mail stating that the seller on ebay, actually did not have the copies, but would order them directly from the publisher.  We have a title, we have the proper ISBN number, we have the author, and the publisher.  Even on the publishers site, it comes up as no match.  I am wondering if this book was ever printed at all.  Does any one out there really own this mystery book??  I would love to hear from you, and I am sure that Celeste would too.

The Name of the book is Beautiful Crochet Stitch Patterns, by Adam Ward, published by Sterling, ISBN number 1402708327, released 11-01-2004.

The search was fun, took way too much time, and still no book.  Oh well, I had fun "talking" to lots of people joining in the hunt.   enjoy the rest of day everyone, the mystery still continues.

Margaret

 

More from Crochet in Morcambe England

Good Monday Morning Everyone,

Because of the Holiday Weekend, I have no class this morning.  Finding myself with a few spare hours coincides nicely with my receiving a disc from Prudence,  www.knotjustknitting.com containing hundreds of photos from our recent trip to Morcambe.  Prudence has been traveling almost non stop since then, so it is amazing to me that she found the time to send it to me at all.  I thought that I would share some of them with you.

The photos show some of the goings on at the event.  Pauline www.paulineturner@crochet.co.uk  ,and James Walters www.crochet.nu , cutting the cake celebrating the 25th anniversary of crochet in Morcambe.  The cake cutting preceeded the fashion show.  Later I will post some more pictures of the fashion show, but I had to include Pauline's fabulous peacock cape. 

The most unbelievable work was the Bong Tree, by Helen Jordon of England.  Helen chose the poem THE OWL AND THE PUSSY CAT as her theme for her sculptural part of her Crochet Diploma.  Helen told us that the tree took her about 4 years to complete.  The picture does not do it justice at all.  The trunk alone is a textural marvel, and the tree is very tall.  The Tree took center stage at the Platform, where the craft event took place.

The last few  photos are of some the scrumbles made by the attendees as part of our workshop.  Sorry that I cannot identify each piece with the name of the crocheter.

Have a Happy and Safe Fourth Everyone!

Margaret

 

Embellished Vest

Hi Everyone,

The picture is the same vest, embellished with a few simple motif's added.  Below are the instructions for some flowers and leaves that can be used for the embellishment. 

You can also use the butterfly that was previously posted.

Small Flower Motif:  Ch 4, join with a sl st to form a ring.  Ch 1, make 10 sc in the ring, join with a sl st in the beg ch 1.  * Ch 2, make 3 dc in the next st, ch 2, sl st in the next st, rep from * 4 times more (5 petals made), join with a sl st, end off.

Leaf Motif:  Ch 16, sc in second ch from hook, sc in each of the next 13 ch, 3 sc in the last ch.  WORKING ON OTHER SIDE OF CH,  sc in each sc.  Do Not Turn, but continue working all around leaf and working in the back loop, work as follows:  [sc in the next st *ch 3, sc in the base of the ch 3 (picot made), sl st in the next st, sc in the next st, rep from * 6 times more] sc in the next st, picot, sl st in the next st (point of leaf made), repeat between the [ ] once, sl st, ch 12 (stem) make 1 sc in second ch from hook, 1 sc in each rem ch, sl st at base of leaf, end off.

I have not been able to get written text from my computer to the blog, so I had to type out the above instructions.  You will have to go to www.margarethubertoriginals.com  for the vest instructions.  Click on patterns, then click on free patterns.

Have fun.

Margaret

 

 

Simple Crochet Vest

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I thought that I might have a few extra minutes this week, since my deadlines were met, and everything was in the mail.  Not happening.

I had a happy week though.  My grandson's high school graduation being the highlight, it is always a thrill for me to see another one off to college.  My granddaughter's dance recital, was the day after the graduation party, so all in all a very busy few days.  The rain threatened, but did not dampen the high spirits of everyone.  

My Monday morning class students are making real progress, especially my beginner.  I am so proud of her, as learning to crochet was a real challenge for her.  My student, who was not a raw beginner, but knew some stitches,  felt it was time for her to begin a "real" project, so another plateau reached. 

The project that I am starting them on is a simple filet mesh vest.  I designed this vest a long time ago, and it is a free pattern on my web site, but I thought that I would offer it here also.  The basic vest can be embellished with free form .  It can be made fairly quickly, and is easy, so makes great gifts. 

I cannot seem to get the text here, so if you cannot wait till I figure it out, you can go to www.margarethubertoriginals.com and get it there.  I will try again tomorrow.  I will also post a picture of the vest embellished with some free form motifs.

Have a great day

Margaret

 

 

King of Prussia Event

Good Morning Everyone,

I am doing a happy dance this morning because I have finally finished and sent off the final two  projects for my latest book.  Instructions are all done too, so that is a big job done.  Just a few finishing up things and thats it. 

I am turning my attention this morning to getting ready for the CGOA and TKGA event in King of Prussia.  First order of business is to finish my contribution for the Bra-vo auction.  I started it weeks ago, but then put it aside, thinking that I still had plenty of time.  I am sure you all know how that is. 

The free form group will have a booth where we will be exhibiting the "60 odd " pieces, that were crocheted by 60 plus members of the group.  Quite an accomplishement, if you are not attending the conference you can visit the exhibit on line.   www.60-odd.com/pages/mainpage.html 

I am looking forward to seeing everyone there, please stop by the booth and say hello.

Margaret

Teaching Crochet

Good Morning Everyone,

We are in the middle of a hot, humid week in NY, and I thought that no one would show up for my regular Monday morning crochet class.  Well I was wrong.  I had a couple of regulars, one fairly newbie, but the biggest surprise was that I had two brand new crocheters show up. 

One student had learned to chain and hold the hook years ago, but never did anything with it, the other  had never even tried before.  The latter is a real challenge for a teacher, especially in a  class of different levels of expertise.  The student who had learned to chain and hold the hook, picked up the technique and stitches very quickly, the one who had never even held a hook had more difficulty.   Fortunately I have been blessed with a lot of patience, and when that "light bulb" moment came, the whole class cheered. 

What fun to see someone (who we shall say was not a teenager), learn something new, something that was a real challenge for her, something that she  thought was beyond her.   I guess that's what makes teaching fun, its what makes teachers continue to teach, I know that is why I do it. 

This class started me thinking about the learning process.  I learned to knit and crochet at a very young age, and have consistently done it, always wanting to improve my skills.  Many of us learned to knit /crochet as children, but for one reason or another,  went for years without picking up hook or needle.  In the past four or five years, with the renewed interest in the needlearts, I have noticed that the ones who learned as children have very little trouble picking up where they left off and sharpening their skills.  Those who never learned as children have it harder, the whole process is so foreign, their fingers do not want to work.  Young people are such marvelous creatures, like sponges soaking up all that is taught, and storing it for future use.  As we get older, learning new things become  so much more of a challenge, but the good news is that it CAN be done. 

Have a great day

Margaret

Butterfly picture (hopefully)

Hi all,

I decided that I was wasting so much time trying to transfer a picture from my computer, that I just made another butterfly, photographed it, and finally succeeded in getting a picture posted.  The instructions are in the previous entry.

Have fun. 

Margaret

BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE

  Happy Saturday everyone,  

 I decided to put my problems with aol behind me, and focus on happy thoughts.  Butterflies make me very happy, and I have a free pattern for a crocheted butterfly on my web site www.margarethubertoriginals.com.   I thought that I would share it with you here.  I managed to get the text here, but the picture would not "take".  In addition, I cannot get the underlining to stop.  Every time that I try, the whole message disappears, so the underlining stays!  I will try again to get the butterfly picture up.    There are days that I definitely feel that the Internet is not for sissies :-)!

 

 

Happy weekend everyone

 

          CROCHETED  BUTTERFLY:              

 

The size of your butterfly will depend on the yarn that you use and the size of  the hook that is used:

 

Chain 15, join with a slip st to the first ch (forming a large loop) Chain 15, join with a slip st in the same st as you joined the first loop, you now have 2 loops , chain 10, join with a slip st in the same st as other loops are joined, chain 10, join in the samest again.  You now have 2 chain 15 loops and 2 chain 10 loops.

 

 Work as follows:  working over the chain of the first chain 15 loop *work 5 sc, chain 4, 1 sc, ch 6, 1 sc, ch 8, 1 sc, ch 10, 1 sc, ch 8, 1 sc, ch 6, 1 sc, ch 4, 5 sc.  Working in 2nd  ch 15 loop, repeat from * once.  Now working over the ch of  the next ch 10 loop  *Work 2 sc, ch 4, 1 sc, ch 6, 1 sc ch 8, 1 sc, ch6, 1 sc ch 4, 2 sc, repeat from * in the 2nd chain 10 loop.  Join slip to beg ch, end off, leaving a 6” length of yarn, wrap this around center to form body of butterfly, tie a knot underneath body.

 

 

 

 

 

Margaret Hubert Originals  copyright 2002