HAPPY NEW YEAR ETC

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE,

Its been a really great year for me. The release of two new books, HOOKED FOR TODDLERS and PLUS SIZE CROCHET, and several designs appearing in other publications, one even made a cover, WOW! 

PLUS SIZE CROCHET, only released on November 1st, is already in a second printing.  As if this were not enough, I recently completed a knitting  book, and have already started another (contents of these 2 still under wraps).  The latest two will be number 7 and 8 for Creative Publishing International, and all in a little under 3 years. 





All of this has come about through the amazing tool in our life called The Internet.  Six or Seven years ago my son dragged me kicking and screaming into the new century (his words).  He bought me a computer as a Christmas Gift, made a web page for me, patiently walked me through the learning stage and soon I was off and running (well maybe not running, I still stumble a lot).

 An editor from CPI found me through my web page, a fact which I still find unbelievable. 

Having my work recognized is only a part of the Internet experience.  The network of friends that I have made all over the world is priceless.  Even more amazing is that I have had the privilege of meeting so many of them in person.  Not only in several different states but in Australia and England.  My knitting and crocheting have taken me on many amazing journeys.

Through the International Free Form Group, which is a group of the most talented fiber artists,  from at least 14 countries and maybe more, I have made so many friends.  One of my friends, Mayra Nieves-Bekele, is a most gifted free former and makes the most wonderful jewelry.  I met Mayra about 2 years ago on a trip to California, and I felt as if I had known her forever.  Last September, we met again while attending the Knit/Crochet conference in Oakland, and every night, Mayra was wearing a different one of her very unusual,  magnificent creations.

One of her pieces was just accepted into the Palos Verdes Art Center Show
and we received this e-mail from Mayra.  If you want to give yourself a treat visit Mayra's flickr page.  Mayra, we'll all join in that HAPPY DANCE, congratulations to you.

Hello everyone,
I am soooooooooo excited because one of my jewelry pieces was just accepted
into the Palos Verdes Art Center Show.

You can see a photo of the piece that was accepted (Caramel and
Butterscotch) on my flicker page:
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/15617834@N04/

*I hope you will join me in doing the HAPPY
DANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

Keep Safe  Everyone

Margaret

Happy Holidays etc

Good Morning Everyone,

I love Holidays and all the hustle and bustle that goes with them, but
I am tired this morning.  I spent Christmas day with half my family.  As
the family grows,  it does get harder and harder to get everyone
together under one roof, but it will happen on Thursday, all my children
and grandchildren will be here, and for me, that will be my best gift
of all.

When I went on line this morning, Eve, a member of the free form list
posted a link to a blog entry, that in turn posted two interesting links .
 I had such fun going through the doily  one, but they are both great links.   

Enjoy, and have a great day.

Margaret
 
http://whipup.net/2007/12/26/doily-fun/

Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS

TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE,

ENJOY THE DAY!

margaret

Nicky Epstein's New Book

Happy Hectic Holiday Week Everyone,

I am trying to wind up so many loose ends at the same time, that I am
becoming hopelessly entangled.  Yarn or partially finished garments
are covering every available space in my house. 

We have had so much snow, that my shopping time was seriously curtailed, so you would think that I had time to finish all this stuff.

I did make some inroads, I finished going over my latest manuscript with my eagle eyed editor (thank goodness, she catches so many little errors). I delivered the first projects for my newest book, even managed to wrap the few gifts that I bought already, but still so much to do. 

In the midst of all this activity, I got a wonderful surprise in the mail.  Nicky Epstein's newest book, CROCHETED FLOWERS.  Nicky and I found ourselves sitting right across the aisle from each other on a trip home from CA.  Nicky was trying out a new yarn making flowers for the new book.  She handed me some of the yarn and asked me to "play" with her.  She really liked what I did and asked if she could use it in
the book, so of course I said yes.  Nicky promised to send me a book.
When I opened the package, not only did I get the flower book, but Nicky also sent me a copy of COVER UP WITH NICKY EPSTEIN.  This is a collection of the most beautiful afghans that I have ever seen.  They are truly magnificent works of art. Thank you Nicky.

As if this were not enough, Nicky named one of the flowers
St. Margaret's Flower and mentioned me in the acknowledgments.
What a day brightener.



Have a very Merry,

Margaret

Meeting of HHCC Dec 7th 2007

Good Morning Everyone,

Its been so long since I posted because aol has been giving me
problems about adding an entry to my journal.  In fact aol has
been giving me lots of problem with e-mail, their changes, etc.

At the last meeting of the Happily Hooked on Crochet Club, we
had the pleasure of hosting Lily Chin.  Lily is always fun and
very informative.  We got to see and model some fashions from
her newest book, Couture Crochet Workshop and it was wonderful. 

We had tasty refreshments, goody bags and door prizes for
all.  What a great meeting!



Here's Lily describing her work to a rapt audience.




Our youngest member busy at work.






Lily modeling her creations.





Wow, one size really does fit all!



Lily explaining the fine points of design.




Mini Dee, Dee, Lily and Me.





 Lily and Me.

Have a great day!

Margaret

NEW BOOK BY JEAN LEINHAUSER

Good Evening Everyone,

It is icy and cold here tonight and a freezing rain is falling, the surrounding woods look like a fairy land.  Every tree branch is coated with ice.  It is beautiful to look at, but treacherous for walking or driving.  Its the kind of night to light the fire and stay indoors, at least until the ice melts, if you can. 

On Friday, I received a copy of a new book by Jean Leinhauser, which I think will become a classic for every needleworker's library.  I did not get a chance to look at it till last night but the book is a complete collection of crocheted embellishments that are sure to add a special touch to crocheted or knitted projects.  There is a wide variety of colorful borders and decorative bands, dimensional flowers, from life-like roses to dainty daisies, elegant tassels, all types of fringes, versatile cords and braids, ruffles and curls, and more.  The life size photos of each piece are terrific. 

I love embellishing crochet and knit, and I have done several workshops and designs using this method.  Any one who likes to add special touches to their work will love this book.  It is available in local yarn shops, leisurearts.com or amazon.com



I'm not terrific at photographing books, but I wanted to show you the beautiful cover.  I love flowers, and any one who knows my work, already knows this.  Just looking at the cover makes me happy. 

Have a good evening

Margaret

ps, I wrote this entry last night and for some reason, it did not appear till this morning, I don't know what I did wrong and I don't want to do it all over again, so I am adding this ps.

Felted Bags

Good Morning Everyone,

Remember a few weeks ago, THE HAPPILY HOOKED ON CROCHET CHAPTER of CGOA, celebrated our 6th anniversary, with a party and a mini workshop on felted bags.

Dee http://crochetwithdee.com sent me some photos of finished bags that members brought to the next meeting.  I put those photos on hold and totally forgot about them, so I would like to share them with you now.

The purple one was done by Ann, the multi pink by Karen, and the single rose by Dee.  Don't they look great?



I missed the meeting, so I really appreciated Dee sending me the photos.  I did get to attend the Christmas luncheon, and hope to attend the meeting this coming Sunday.

Have a great day!

Margaret

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_4

PLUS SIZE CROCHET/Entrelac crochet

Good Morning Everyone,

I heard from my editor yesterday, that PLUS SIZE CROCHET is already going into a second printing.  Since this book was just released on Nov 1st, I think that is so great - thank you all.



On another note, all of a sudden there has been quite a few orders for my Entrelac Crochet baby afghan and cardigan.  When this happens, it is usually because someone mentions them in their blog, as was the case when Dee http://crochetwithdee.com
mentioned them.  If that is the case, thank you whoever you are.  I love it. 

I often forget to mention them myself, and also mention that there is a men's pullover in the group too.  They can be ordered from http://margarethubertoriginals.com






This sweater has knitted sleeves.
I thought that the Tunisian Stitch, in this
weight yarn, was a little too heavy for
sleeves.


Have a great day and a wonderful weekend.

Margaret

Crocheted Teddy Bears

Hi Everyone,

I hope that Thanksgiving was great for
everyone who celebrates the day.
 I had a wonderful time with my whole family.

Several years ago, I made my granddaughter,
 who is now 6 and quite a young lady,
two crocheted Teddy Bears.  One was a
conventional Teddy and one is Free Form.
 When I visited her she reminded me of the
Teddies and I took a picture of them to add
to my photos.  I thought that maybe you might
like to see them and perhaps try playing yourself.
 Every once in awhile, I like to take a trip of fancy
and play with crochet and knitting, rather than
to always be working on fashion, meeting deadlines,
writing instructions etc. 


I  used Lion Brand Homespun
for this Teddy, and leather patches for
his feet and ears and nose. The stitch
that I used is a crocheted mock popcorn.


For this bear I used the homespun a lot, but added
lots of other textures and yarns such as angora and
fun fur.   I used bullion stitch, shrimp stitch
popcorn stitches along with single and double crochet.
 Both bears are all crocheted, stuffed with polyfill.  They are
quite large and measure about 13 inches high and at least
twice that around the tummy.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone,

Margaret

Lacis Museum in Berkely CA

Good Morning all,

On my recent trip to California, I visited the Lacis Museum
of Lace and Textiles in Berkely, http://lacis.com

If you have never visited, be sure to visit them on line.  It is
a fabulous collection of Irish Crochet, Needle lace and all
things wonderful.

While we were there, Jules Kliot and his staff were putting
the final touches on the current exhibit of needle lace.

It is so mind boggling.  The stitches are so tiny, many thousands
per inch.  You have to look through a microscope to see them.

Below are several examples from the current needle
lace exhibit, and some other things that are a pure joy
to see.  Unbelievable!



Views of the shop


Too much to see
Everywhere you look, tucked in every nook and cranny, there
are wonderful exhibits of needlework.  This is only the shop
part, the actual museum is housed in another huge building,
crammed with most precious antique pieces of hand made
wonders.



The greeters to the new exhibit



Just a few of the pieces and their history



This is one of the most fabulous pieces to be seen!






Have a Great Thanksgiving Everyone!

Margaret

PLUS SIZE CROCHET

Good Morning Everyone,

It has been a really busy time for me, so posts to my blog have been few and far between.  I had a deadline to get some projects ready for my new book, and at the same time, I received the manuscript from the one recently finished for proofreading.  Late Saturday afternoon, I finished it all.

In between all the book activity, I did 4 workshops in NH and NY.

I received an e-mail from a reader about PLUS SIZE CROCHET.  She was disappointed that I used such heavy yarn for projects for large sizes.  This gave me a moments pause, so I had to get out the book and check.   I did try to choose yarns that would not be too heavy.  On the other hand, I did not want to do a whole thread book, because lots of people do not like to work in such fine yarns.  I tried to strike a happy medium, including some very fine, medium and a little heavier weights of yarn.  When I actually counted up the yarns that I used, there are far more light weight and medium weight than heavy weight.  I also tried for a wide price range in the yarns used. 

The yarns that I used are;

Paton's Grace, a light weight cotton
Tahki Select Metallic - light weight
Plymouth baby Alpaca - light weight Alpaca
Silk Purse by Alchemy - light weight Silk
Extra Fine Mondial light weight wool
Senso DMC - Light weight cotton
Lily Chin light weight wool
Astra by Patons - lightweight


Blue Heron Ribbon -  medium weight
Blue Heron Beaded Rayon - medium weight
Cancun by Tahki/Stacy charles - med weight
Plymouth Medium weight bamboo
Cotton Classic by Tahki - med weight
Wagtail med weight mohair

There are 3  coats or jackets, made in heavier weight yarns -

Plymouth Mohair
Lion Brand 5 yarn jacket
Aussie Yarn Jacket

I have to add that this was the only negative (so far) letter that I have received.  Most have been really positive :-).



Have a great day everyone.

Margaret

SHEEP AND WOOL FESTIVAL AT RHINEBECK, NY/Workshop at the Elegant Ewe in NH

Good Morning Everyone,

It has been awhile since I posted because I have been so incredibly busy.  In the past few weeks, since returning from CA, I did book signings at the Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY, and a workshop at the Elegant Ewe in NH, in
addition to my weekly crochet classes.

It was so busy at the S & W, that I did not have time to visit many of the incredible booths at all, but I had fun meeting so many people.  One of the most happy meetings was a young pre-teen named Erin.  Erin is a very enthusiastic crocheter and she purchased two of my books.  I encouraged Erin to write to me and let me know how she progresses.

I received a lovely e-mail and photo from Erin, and with her
Mom's permission, I'm sharing it with you.

Dear Mrs. Hubert,
    I just wanted to send you a photograph of the first crocheted purse I made
with the directions from your book, Hooked Bags. Your directions were so
clear that the bag was easy to crochet. It was a pleasure to meet you, and I
am so glad that I purchased the books!
    Take care.
Sincerely,
Erin 

Every once in awhile I cannot figure out how to turn
the picture around, but I am sure that you can see
how lovely Erin's bag is.  Thanks for writing Erin, I cannot
wait to see what else you do.



Me at one of the author's tables at the S & W

Last weekend I did a Free Form Knitting and Crochet
Workshop at the Elegant Ewe in Concord, NH.  It is a
really beautiful shop and Marcie, the owner,
 is terrific.  If you are in the area, visit them
or visit on line -  http://elegantewe.com
 We had such a great time and I cannot
 believe how many students
almost finished their gorgeous bags.


The lovely shop is jam packed with goodies.



Marsha, Lisa, Janet and Judy

Marcie and I got in the act.
Aren't their bags beautiful?

Have a great day everyone!

Margaret

HAPPILY HOOKED ON CROCHET 6TH ANNIVERSARY MEETING

Happy Monday Morning Everyone,

Yesterday was a special day, the Happily Hooked on Crochet, CT chapter of CGOA, celebrated our 6th anniversary.  I joined the group shortly after they started, and it has been a fun time. 

The meeting was held at my home, and we had a mini workshop learning how to make cut felted flowers.  I learned the method from Nicky Epstein, who so graciously allows you to teach her method to others.  Nicky's books on trims, felted bags, and knitted and crochet embellishments, are such wonderful resources for every knitter and crocheter.

In addition to learning how to make the flowers, and lots food, Grace Gardiner, our president, arranged for a wonderful anniversary cake, and several door prizes.  We had a gift exchange and lots say fun and laughter.  What a wonderful way to spend a beautiful fall day.

Dee http://crochetwithdee.com
stayed after the meeting to help me with some computer stuff.  Dee is responsible for me becoming a blogger, sometimes I wonder if she is happy or sad to have created this monster :-)


Me and Ruth admiring the cake.





I have more photos, but no more time now,
more later, have a great day.

Margaret

Coat of Many Scrumbles Book

Good Morning Everyone,

A few weeks ago, I told you about the COAT OF MANY SCRUMBLES.  This is a book, put together and published by Prudence Mapstone of Australia http://knotjustknitting.com
Last year our International Free Form group answered a challenge and  about 60 of us made a small scrumble or two, sent them to Prudence, and she put them together, creating the wonderful coat, plus several other garments.

The garments were shown recently at the TKGA/CGOA conference in Oakland, Ca. and caused quite a stir.  The book
has been reviewed for the CGOA newsletter and this is what the reviewer wrote;

Book Review by Lyn Robinson
 
 Coat of Many Scrumbles (or just stop worrying and sew the dang
things together)
 By Prudence Mapstone and 64 members of the International Freeform
Crochet Guild
 Published by Prudence Mapstone, Australia, 2007
 Distributed by Unicorn Books and Crafts, Inc
98 pages, $29.95, ISBN # 978-0-9580443-49

 I have never been much of a freeform crocheter. I usually rely on
 having my crochet lined up in nice neat rows – a place for every
stitch and a stitch in every place. That does not mean, however,
 that I don't appreciate the unique beauty of freeform, a beauty
which
 shows forth in this delightful little volume.
 
 The coat of many scrumbles is not a `how to' book for freeform
 crochet, nor is it a pattern book. Rather, the book chronicles the
 story of how an amazing freeform coat, shawl, scarf and umbrella
came
 to be -- from challenge to vision to construction process to final
 products. Created by freeformers from around the globe for Chain
Link
 2006, this project was a response from the International Freeform
 Crochet Guild to a challenge for local guilds to create something
 together as a group. Participants ranged from young children to
 retired school teachers, from sculptors and fiber artists and
freeform
 devotees to crocheters who had never tried freeform before.
 Photographs of the finished garments show off the richness of fiber,
 stitch, and color.
 
 As interesting as the story of the coat of many scrumbles is, there
 are two things which make this book truly special. First, the book
 highlights the contributions of those who participated in the
project
 with photographs of individual crocheter's scrumbles accompanied by
 their own words. Every crocheter has their own story to tell
about
 their crochet, how they learned it, what it means to them, their
 stumbling blocks, and their points of inspiration. I was given food
 for thought about my own crochet experiences through reading about
the
 meaning of this project, of crochet, and of freeform to the
 participants. I was struck by how poetic so many crocheters are –
 their words and art go hand in hand.
 
 Second, the theme of connection runs prominently throughout the
book
 -- the connection of crocheter to yarn, hook, and craft, of
 contributor to the project, of guild member to guild member, and
even
 of generation to generation. It is a testament to the creative
 process that we all share as part of the human family, well
 articulated and beautifully photographed.
 
 I found this book to be a gem. I have now read it five times.
Every
 page is a feast for the eye. Each time I read it, I find something
new and refreshing. It captivates me and inspires me to put my
neat
 little rows aside, to pick up hook and sumptuous yarn, and to allow
 spontaneity to take over.

I have the book available for sale, but I never got it listed on
my site, so if you are interested in buying it, you can contact me
at MHDesigner1@aol.com, for ordering instructions.

Have a great day

Margaret

Hooked for Toddlers

Happy Friday Everyone,

I still have some more photos from
 the conference, but its taking time
to get them all in, so I wanted to address
another subject today.

Someone asked me if I ever designed
toys or doll clothes or other things
beside fashion, and the answer is yes.
I will, from time to time, put up some
photos of things that I have done.

In my recent book - HOOKED FOR TODDLERS -
I have included a "me and my dolly" outfit for little girls.
 I have asked my publishers permission and they
said it was okay to show the photos on my blog.

My little granddaughter loves American Girl
dolls and I have made several outfits for her.


Here's the book and below are
some of the projects featured
inside.


Cool Stripes Toddler Sun Dress


Little waves jumper.

 The books can be
purchased on my web site
http://margarethubertoriginals.com

Have a great weekend!

Margaret

More Fun in Oakland

Good Morning Everyone,

I guess that I went a little crazy with the
camera this time because I still have lots
of photos to share. 



Jennifer and me, clowning at the Free Formers
party.  Jen loves to tease me, and I can give it
right back to her :-)



Jennifer using her Isabelt http://isabelt.com
in a very innovative way!  Look closely at
her neckline.  If you love to laugh, spend some
time with Jen and Myra, your sides will ache.
Jennifer is the force behind http://stitchdiva.com
For some really great patterns check out her site.



Mayra just had to try on this coat.



Lang Anh in her beautiful jacket.



Darla Fanton and Bobbie Matela joining us
at the Free Formers Party.  Darla is a designer
and teacher, Bobbie is editor of Creative Knitting
Magazine.



Vashti, Doris, Myra and Marty, following
tradition and exchanging clothing after
the fashion show.  Can you tell that we were
partying again?


Margaret Fisher, Bill, Bonnie, and Lang Anh
enjoying the lounge and having fun.



Marty, Marilyn and Margaret F.

Have a great day,

Margaret