"inner warmth of goodness"

I love to take brief moments now & then to stand completely still while raising my face towards the sun to feel it's warmth upon my skin.  There's just something about those few moments that I find refreshing -- like a way to recharge my batteries with positive energy -- I'm ready to continue on with whatever I was doing, but now with an inner warmth.  (If you'd like to hum the John Denver tune, "Sunshine on my Shoulders makes me happy," while reading on, I wouldn't mind.  But be careful, the tune has a way of getting stuck in your head!)

I received one of those warming moments in the mail Friday.  At the beginning of the year I had signed up for the "Yarn of the Month" Club and although delighted in the samples I have been receiving, I did not find inspiration, that moment in the sun if you will, with the knit patterns they included. What about crochet, I'd wonder. Should I cancel my subscription, or write to them and request they include us crocheters who also subscribe? Would writing them and requesting so be too soon, after all, I am a newbie to their Club. I decided to take the wait and see approach for a few more months. I'm glad I did!

Imagine my delight when I opened the envelope for my April subscription to discover a pattern using the Tunisian Crochet technique! (Plus the delicious samples are so "Spring-y"!)  Whoohoo!  

My excitement doesn't abound so much from the fact that it is a crochet pattern but more from the feeling of having crochet included as a fiber art form! I definitely have plans of writing them now and thanking them for this; this really brighten up my experience with their Yarn of the Month Club!**

Something else gave me that "inner warmth of goodness" feeling today; it was brought to my attention that my blog is featured on Sandi Marshall's April 3rd Newsletter entitled, What's Going On In The Crochet Blog World over at www.crochet.about.com -- I'm honored; thanks Sandi!  :)


**If you're interested in joining the Yarn of the Month Club, visit www.yarnofthemonth.com and sign up.  It costs $7.75 a month to join. It's a great way to play with designer fibers without a huge financial commitment -- and sometimes you get a crochet pattern with it too!

In the Celebrity Spot Light

I always enjoy teaching, and yesterday was an echo of that sentiment. It was a rainy day -- weather which I think of as a perfect time to curl up with a good hook and ball of yarn -- and my students thought the same thing. As we were going over their projects, reading the patterns, figuring out the stitch rhythms, it was then when a pretty young woman approached us and looked right at me. I looked up and smiled at her, eyeing the fact that she had the new Interweave Knits 2006 Crochet edition tucked under her arm. "Oh," she exclaimed, "You're that woman from the Internet, aren't you?"

At this point all my students looked up.  "Yes, yes," she continued, "you are!"

Oh my!  I felt like an instant celebrity!  "Are you a crocheter," I inquired.  "Yes, and a knitter too, but crochet is my first love," she replied. 

"Sadly, as a college student I don't have enough time to do all that I would like," she said.  I smiled.  Don't we all know the truth to that!  She pointed to her magazine and told us how happy she is that crochet fashions are becoming so hot!  "For the longest time," she said, "there was nothing!  Now I want to make everything!"  We laughed.  She asked about the Happy Hooker book, if I've seen it.  I asked her if she's seen the promotional video.  She hadn't.  So I told her to visit my blog/journal this week to get the link.  (Don't forget to listen to Debbie Stoller's interview broadcast on NPR!)

Soon after I returned to teaching my class.  I never caught the woman's name, but talking with her sure was fun!  I felt famous -- like a celebrity.  I wonder if this is how Madonna feels when she's spotted; maybe I should have asked her that in my interview with her.  LOL

Now anyone deserving to be in the celebrity spot light right now is my awesome roommate from the 2003 CGOA Conference who also happens to be the President of the New York City Crochet Guild:  Willena Nanton!  She's featured in the latest issue of Black Purl Magazine ... go and check out the article on her and be inspired by her crochet work!  You so rock, Willena!  Congratulations!

Automatic Spooling with a Great Source of Inspiration

At JoAnn's last big online sale I purchased an Embellish-Knit which is an automatic spool knitter (click onto the image to the right for product details).  It' not like the type pictured below (on the left) where you must use a crochet hook to lift the loops up & over the individual pegs, although the one pictured is fun to use.  No, this new toy, er tool, promises to be automatic. I'm thinking of playing around with my new tool later today since I'm still a bit "under the weather."  You know how it is, an idea pops in your head and you just have to try it out!  ((grins))  If the idea works, then I'll have even bigger grins!  (UPDATE:  If you want to order one from Joann's too, for FREE shipping on any order, use code THANKSEC46; I don't know if it the code has an expiration date.)


If you haven't already checked it out, Noreen Crone-Findlay has an awesome blog on the Lion Brand website called, Spool Speak: Spool Knitting Confessions and Confections, about ways you can use your spool knitters to enhance various projects.  She's just amazing!

Noreen has several books out, one of which is called "Creative Crocheted Dolls."   I took a class with her at the 2004 CGOA Conference & got her to do a little voice entry here -- take a listen for yourself: Click here. (It was during that time that she was randomly drawing names and giving out the dolls featured in the book.  I was one lucky duck at the time & won the pretty angel featured on page 50!)  She's a great source of inspiration!  Check her out!  (Update:  For those wanting to see Noreen's Angel Doll I scanned it this afternoon and am adding it to my journal entry here on the left.  To see it up close, click onto it.  It's such a beautiful angel! ... and what's cool about the image, the angel appears to be floating!  Doesn't it look that way to you??)

If you're interested in getting one of these gadgets too then you'll be happy to know that JoAnn's is offering 40% off one online item ... use code APRE6402 -- the code is now good until 4/12!

8:07 PM UPDATE:  I am loving my new Embellish-Knit!  The best thing I can say about it usingjust one word requires me to quote one of Noreen's favorite sayings, "Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"   LOL

... my absence ...

Many have either written me, or told me in person of how much reading my blog/journal here has become a part of their daily routine.  "Dee, you have no idea," said Lori at our last crochet class, "of how much I look forward to reading your blog!  I grab a cup of coffee, go online and then read about your latest crochet adventures."  I appreciate feedback like that!  Thank you!! 

While I am delighted that my blog has become a routine visit for many, there will be times I will be absent.  Such as for the past couple of days where I've pretty much slept for the past 36 hours; this cold I've had since last week is seriously cutting into my crochet time.  (And thus  explains my delay in responding to emails and the absence of new blog/journal entries.) 

While I work on getting better, I'd like for you all to read this article called, "Confessions of a Reformed Pattern-Slave" written by Claudia Dunitz for the new online magazine, "for the love of yarn."  Even if you're not ready to toss your patterns aside and just "go with it," I think you'll enjoy the article as it also relates to the growth of yarn stash.  Enjoy!

... A big thanks goes to Jean Leinhauser for pointing it out. J

Dee's (Knitting) Anatomy

On Sunday night, after much blogging about me mentioning that I should try again to "be one with the knit," to give it another yarn over (so to speak), I picked up a pair of knitting needles and tried again.

Going on memory, which I think should never happen on a "daylight savings" day, I opted to cast on a simple number of loops.  Do knitters call them loops or stitches?  I'm going to call them loops as that's what they look like to me should I have been doing the crochet Tunisian technique.  In thinking back, I should have grabbed one of my knitting books for reference.

Instead I opted to go it alone, and select an easy number of loops to start.  Fifteen; I can handle fifteen just to fiddle around in becoming "one" with the knitting needles, right?  As I cast on my loops, the television program Grey's Anatomy comes on.  The episode, called The Name of the Game, is about the main character, Meredith, giving up on men and using her knitting as a substitute.  Her plan?  She's going to knit a sweater.  I think she was doomed though as throughout the entire program there were constant remarks made by the other characters saying she can't knit.

I'm sitting there on my couch, watching the program a bit while trying to get those negative thoughts of "Dee can't knit" out of my mind.  As I stick the point of my needles into various loops, I twist the yarn around this way and that --praying kinda -- that I can pick up another loop without dropping it.  Many times I found myself stopped, intently watching Meredith throwing the yarn over her needles.  I found myself wondering, "Why does she throw her yarn over like that?  Is that the way I should have been doing it too?"

Meanwhile, in another scene on the show, they show Meredith's knit work growing.  And then in another scene there's another character knitting too, Izzie, as part of Meredith's support system.  I'm gathering that the entire show takes place within a single day -- so I was quite surprised when Izzie was able to present a patient with an entirely knitted sweater.  Come on!  I think we all know that knitting is way slower than crocheting!  After all, within the hour of watching the program I only had four rows done of fifteen loops/stitches, and just where did that scallop edging come from?  That wasn't in the plan!  Talking about a crushing feeling!

Let's face it, this was not a "learn to knit" program, but fortunately not all was lost.  In the last scene they show Meredith madly knitting away ... her sweater looked like it was scarf that would eventually fit King Kong.  Whew!  So maybe it's not just me being slow to pick up on knitting.  I tugged out my work.  I think I'll try again sometime in the future; maybe my luck/skill will improve.  Then again, maybe Meredith should try crocheting.

BTW: If you can't get enough of the televison show, then you'll be happy to know they have two blogs that focus on characters from the program:  Emerald City Bar and The Nurse's Station  Please note both links I'm providing here go directly to their entries about this knitting episode.  And I happen to like one line from Joe, the Bartender:  "I mean, seriously – knitting?  Meredith is my girl and all, but she was totally freaking the other customers out with the whole knitting thing.  Man, I’m telling you, people just aren’t used to seeing something like that..."  I wonder what he'd say should she have been crocheting ...  

The Ewephoric Experience

This past Saturday I awoke early.  At five.  An hour I haven't seen since ... well, I seemingly can't remember; maybe back in my "working corporate" days, but nothing of recent comes to mind.  Five.  In the morning!  Ugh!  (My hat is off to those of you who do awake at that hour on a regular basis!)  For this night owl it was difficult.  But I did it!  A major accomplishment!  ((thanks to LOTS of coffee!!))

I packed my felted crocheted bag (I'll have to see if I have a picture of it somewhere) with my various crochet supplies, skipped wearing a jacket and opted for my poncho and out the door I went.  It was now six in the morning.  Even though the weather forecast said rain, I could see that the sun was going to be out nice and bright.  I was glad I opted to wear the poncho.

I met up with Jen and Grace.  (For long-time readers, you already know that Grace is no stranger to my blog here -- she's usually with me, sometimes even kidnapping me -- as we travel the countryside enjoying various crochet adventures!)  Today was no different.  The three of us were on our way to Avon, Connecticut, to experience what the store, The Wool Connection, calls "The Ewephoric Weekend."  It would be our first time attending and we were quite excited!

We arrived in plenty of time; the event was being held at the Avon Old Farms Inn which is both a restaurant and conference center (I had previously wrote about this Inn the last time Grace and I went on an adventure; we went to hook up with freeformers Mel and Susie).  We checked in and parted ways.  Jen and Grace went to their knitting class and I started to make my way to my class on Crocheted Flowers.  It seemed to take forever to get to my class, but I didn't mind.  This is because I kept getting stopped with admirers for my poncho.  "How ever did you knit this," I'd be asked. 
     "It wasn't; it's crocheted," I'd reply. 
     They would reach out and pet the poncho.  (Note:  If you attend a fiber event and wear a crocheted or knitted item, expect to be petted!  This is a normal phenomenon!)  "Oh, I could never crochet something as beautiful as that, I only know the basic crochet stitches," they'd say. 
      I would smile and answer, "Well, that's all you need for this poncho.  It's crocheted with the basics -- the single crochet, the half-double, and the double.  The trick is to let the fibers do the talking."  
     "Really?!," they'd reply back, seemingly shocked at the simplicity in the design.  Regardless, they loved it and many said they'd like to try crocheting one for themselves.  I love when I can inspire others to pick up the hook!  :)

There were many crochet designers there from Melissa Leapman (pictured in yesterday's replacement blog entry), Margaret Hubert, and Lily Chin -- and knit designers too (although because I knit very little, I am not as exposed to them so their names are not as recognizable to me).  It was fun to watch their fans "celebrity spot" them for the first time! 

I made it to class and met some very lovely ladies who were fairly new to crochet.  We enjoyed a wonderful discussion on our experiences with the two fiber arts until it was time for class to begin.  The class was taught by Barbara Hillary, founder of the New York City Crochet Guild.  She took out some of the most beautiful flowers and began inspiring us to mix our fibers and our stitches.   I unpacked my bag, and using the fibers I've been crocheting freeform to cover a jean jacket with, I created four flowers using her patterns/techniques and opted to create my own for the fifth.  In looking around the tables at everyone's creations, it sure looked like spring! It was a very fun class.

Afterwards we headed to lunch.  Lunch was like a huge family reunion as Grace, Jen and myself were able to hook up with members from the NYCCG.  (I say *family* because we attend so many events together, such as the New York City "Knit Out &Crochet Too!" sponsored by the Craft Yarn Council of America, that it's always a pleasure to see them again!). At our table we had more of a confessional type of discussion going on -- talking about why we have unfinished projects and what prevents us from finishing them.  Overall, I think it was the emotional attachments that we feel to the work that won out over the time factor on why this seemingly happens to us all!  (Yes, I did hang my head in shame and confess that I still have not completed my daughter's freeform sweater!)

I was delighted when I got a chance to chat with Melissa Leapman briefly when she spotted us in the buffet line; I also got an opportunity to speak with Lily Chin too (she even sent a "hello" message to my children who are amazed at how quick she can crochet).  It was good to chat with them, even briefly!  :)

When lunch was over, Margaret Hubert scooped the three of us up and drove us over to The Wool Connection store.  We were not alone! The store was humming with activity as many of the other participants from the Ewephoric Weekend were enjoying an opportunity to purchase an assortment of yummy fibers.  Margaret took the time to personally introduce me to the store owners and event coordinators, Bob and Phyllis, who I found absolutely charming.  I found their store to be well organized, clean, and very well staffed!  (Considering that there were so many people in the store at one time -- it was amazing how well the store looked!) 

I treated myself to a pink nightshirt (it has a sleeping sheep on it dreaming of it's fleece becoming a cardigan), a ball of Trendsetter Yarns' Joy, and some matching buttons.  (I didn't see the nightshirt listed on their website.  If you're interested in it, please inquire with them as it's a product only offered by them.)

Soon it was time for our second class, and this time the three of us were together; make that four because Margaret joined our class too!  Again my instructor was Barbara Hillary, and the class was on Swirls, Twirls and Spirals.  Since I already knew how to create spirals, I focused on the Twirls and Swirls, again using the fibers I'm utilizing in the jean jacket project.  One of the things I love most about taking classes like this, besides learning new techniques, is because it's an opportunity to see everyone's work -- with the fibers and color selections being different the end results are amazing -- and inspiring -- to see!  To visit Barbara's website visit www.playingwithstring.com

It was time for us to go; we needed to return Grace to her family as it was her birthday and they had a family celebration planned for her.  (Happy Birthday, Grace!!)  We did not stay for the wine and cheese, but in reading Margaret's journal entry today, it sounds like it was fun.

Here's another blog entry about the Ewephoric Experience: Fiber Artists Unite!

I enjoyed my Ewephoric experience and now have thoughts about attending next year.  Bob, Phyllis:  thank you for putting this event together; it was a lot of fun!  :)

Booting leads to Organizing, which leads to ...

Darn aol!  I had an entry about my Ewephoric experience just moments away from posting when aol decided their software had a problem and just had to boot me off.  I was quite upset as it took me an hour to get the text, links and pictures the way I wanted to present them when "poof" ... my work ... gone.   (Arg!!) 

My husband suggested I recreate the entry while it was still fresh in my mind.  I wasn't interested; I was angry at aol.  So I opted to utilize that anger and reorganize my crochet book collection.  I decided to create a *knit* section (that's a very small section), one on *history,* one of *stitches,* an *other* section (non-crochet/knit related), an *I use these a lot* section, and then one more that I decided to call my *Inspiration to be like* section.  In that grouping I have my books by Margaret Hubert, Prudence Mapstone, Melissa Leapman, Lily Chin, and Noreen Crone-Findlay.  Next to their names, and books, I have "ME!!" in huge lettering.  While I do have the two books (Blue Ribbon Afghans from America's State Fairs: 40 Prize-Winning Crocheted Designs& Fabulous Crocheted Ponchos) that my crocheted patterns are in, I wanted something for me to look at every day as a constant reminder of where I see my future goal.  I want my name not just inside the books, but on the cover!  It's been a dream of mine since the third grade ...

I think the hours I spent reorganizing my crochet library was time well spent!  Readers, please note that I do plan on (re)writing about my Ewephoric experience --perhaps tomorrow.  For now, with my anger towards aol spent, I'm now content to just sit here and contemplate some more design proposals to submit to various publishers ... to put me a step closer to reaching my dreams.  :)