Just recovering from my fabulous weekend at the New York Sheep and Wool Festival. So many happy people in one spot is surely a very uplifting sight. I saw many old friends and also made so many new ones. After talking to so many people (my hoarse voice the next day was proof of too much talking), I realized that people were curious and asking me many questions as to how I got started etc.
I did a blog post for another blogger quite some time ago, they acknowledged receiving it and told me that they would let me know when it appeared, and I have not had another word since.
The post took quite an effort on my part to put together, so I thought that I would post it here.
Margaret Hubert
My son likes to say, “My
mom is an overnight success after only 40 years in the business.” This is not
far from the truth. My life in the fiber world has been an odyssey—a long,
adventurous journey, woven throughout with beautiful textiles. The journey
began when I was about 5 years old and my mother taught me to knit. My mother,
who was born in Italy, also learned to knit as a very young child.
She told me that their
knitting was done strictly for utilitarian purposes and she was knitting her
own stockings when she was about 9 years old. The beautiful yarns of today and
the fabulous garments that are made from these yarns, always surprised her. My
mother and I made all the garments for my first book.
I have no memory of these early
lessons, but my sister recently told me that I would sit for hours making doll
clothes. As I grew older I learned to crochet, sew, and quilt. I loved it
all.
While I initially learned
all these crafts at a very young age, my successes in the world of knitting and
crochet came much later, with helping hands from lots of people. Through the
years I have owned a yarn shop, I was a needlework instructor for Bloomingdale’s,
and a partner in a hand knit sweater business.
At Bloomingdale’s, a yarn
representative from Brunswick Yarns, saw a sweater that I had designed. He was
impressed by my work and gave me the names of several editors and encouraged me
to show my work. The very first day that I met with editors, I sold 5 designs.
I was elated, and opened up new possibilities for my journey, which continues
today.
My work has been a great
source of pleasure in my life and I feel very fortunate that I love what I do,
and at my age, I can still do it. In 40 years in this business, I have
published over 30 books, countless designs in magazines, and contributions to
many other publications. As I write this, I am working on another new book. My
first book, One Piece Knits That Fit,
published in 1978, was a big hit, and I still get letters about that book to
this day. For the past 15 years I have worked with Quarto US, and editor Linda
Neubauer, who is the best ever. Linda, along with my family, has helped me navigate
the transition to doing everything digitally—years ago I did everything on a
typewriter and had to mail all entries into editors, or take a trip into the New
York City to have meetings in person. During this process, my brain was often overloaded,
but I am getting better at it every day.
I think part of my success
is the fact that I am very versatile in my designs. I have designed everything
from doggie sweaters to men’s extra large - but my main focus has always been
women’s fashions. I get genuine pleasure from the feel and texture of the
lovely materials available to us today.
One of my favorite things
to do is teaching workshops. About 16 years ago I was invited to speak at
Professional Development Day at the Crochet Guild of America Conference in
Chicago. This was a huge eye opener for me. I had no idea that these events
even existed. Seeing so many avid crochet fans, gathered in one spot, taking
classes, sharing stories, enjoying each other’s company, it was mind boggling.
The following year I proposed classes to teach at several venues and another whole
new world opened. Many students tell me that, while they love the idea of
making a uniquely handmade garment that fits and flatters, either for
themselves or as a gift, they find the process difficult. I love teaching them
how to achieve this. One of my most popular workshops is “Customize your
Knitting or Crocheting.” The response has been so great that I recently did two
books on the subject. I get emails from students all the time telling me of the
great satisfaction they feel when they can accomplish this. They always include
pictures of their work, which brings me joy. My other most popular workshop is
Free Form Knitting and Crochet. Students love this class and we have so much
fun creating fabulous items. In the Free Form workshop, I give students some
homework to complete before class, and something really unusual happens.
Fifteen people, working from the same set of written instructions, come into
class and every one of their pieces is totally different. I have actually been
criticized for writing instructions for “Free Form”, but I feel by giving
people a little jumpstart, their imagination takes over and amazing things
begin to happen.
There is something very
calming about working with your hands, and it has helped me immensely over the years.
It is very therapeutic and can be a great stress reliever. Many tell me that
their handwork helps them to cut down on various addictions. At the end of a
busy day, what could be better than picking up some knitting needles or a
crochet hook, some beautiful yarn, and creating something lovely.
My books, written since
1978 to present, include such titles as:
ONE PIECE KNITS THAT FIT
WEEKEND KNITTING
WEEKEND CROCHET
MORE WEEKEND CROCHET
HOOKED HATS
HOOKED BAGS
HOOKED THROWS
HOOKED SCARVES
HOOKED FOR TODDLERS
KNITS FOR MEN
KNIT OR CROCHET HAVE IT
YOUR WAY
PLUS SIZE CROCHET
RUNWAY CROCHET
THE COMPLETE PHOTO GUIDE
TO KNITTING
THE COMPLETE PHOTO GUIDE
TO CROCHET
THE COMPLETE PHOTO GUIDE
TO KNITTING SECOND EDITION
THE COMPLETE PHOTO GUIDE
TO CROCHET SECOND EDITION
THE GRANNY SQUARE BOOK
GRANNY SQUARE FLOWERS
QUICK CROCHET HATS
10 SQUARES 30 BLANKETS
10 SQUARES 30 BAGS
CUSTOMIZE YOUR KNITTING
CUSTOMIZE YOUR CROCHET
LACEWORK FOR ADVENTUROUS CROCHETERS
CROCHET BAGS, TOTES AND POUCHES
LOVELY LACE CROCHET
CROCHET SHAWLS
CROCHET BLANKETS
TODDLER SIZE CROCHET
FIRST TIME TUNISIAN CROCHET
CROCHET FASHION SCARVES
CROCHET ESSENTIALS
Some samples of my work:
My first Free Form Jacket, combining knitting and crochet.
Crochet Quilt done for Alchemy Yarns
Autumn in New York Shawl
Made the cover of CROCHET! magazine
My experiment Embellishing a mesh base, Using several different yarns, making a lighter weight free form garment.
My first Free Form Jacket, combining knitting and crochet.
Autumn in New York Shawl
Made the cover of CROCHET! magazine
My experiment Embellishing a mesh base, Using several different yarns, making a lighter weight free form garment.
I hope that you had fun taking my journey through the years.
Have a great day!
Margaret
Have a great day!
Margaret
2 comments:
I think you are Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge
And of course your Crochet Art with us! We are fortunate to have you as our teacher!
Keep on hooking it agrees with you!
Love your creativity!
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