Getting Hooked on Granny

Adele grabbed a hook and a ball of green yarn.  She quickly made a small foundation chain, then joined it into a loop.  Her hook was really flying, and it was hard to make out what she was doing, but the end result was evident.  She had made the center and two rounds of a granny square before I could blink.  The stitches were even, and the combination of spaces and double-crochet groups perfect.  She held it up proudly.  "Do that with your needles."  ~ excerpt from the new novel, "Hooked on Murder: A Crochet Mystery," by Betty Hechtman.

“Nobody knows whose grandmother first thriftily crocheted her leftover bits of yarn into squares from which to fashion a colorful, warm afghan. But the design of the now classic “granny square” afghan follows the tradition set by the American pioneer women, who made use of every available scrap of fabric to create useful and beautiful patchwork quilts. In fact, in Europe the technique of making granny squares is called “American crochet.” ~ Written by Jean Leinhauser, 1979, in the book, “The Great Granny Crochet Book”

Want to learn how to do the basic granny square?  Check out Sandra's tutorial here.  Please note that the granny square pictured in this blog entry is from the pattern featured in the "Hooked on Murder" novel.

Hooked ... on Murder Mysteries

I put my crochet hooks and projects down last night and found myself engrossed in reading the hot-off-the-press new book, Hooked on Murder: A Crochet Mystery, by Betty Hechtman.   I finished the book about two hours ago.  Now I'm thinking we need some sort of Crochet Book Club where we can all gather to discuss the book -- the plot, the characters, the setting, the tone, etc.  I think Jane is on board with this.  So, at the moment, I've opened a thread on the Ravelry group called "The Crochet Liberation Front Headquarters."  (you will need to be a member of Ravelry.com in order to access the thread) 

As I think more about this, I'm thinking perhaps this should be it's own group on Ravelry?  Why?  Because on the cover of this book, it states it's first in a series.  This means there are more books of crochet drama headed our way.  And not only by this author, but also by crochet designer, Belinda Carter!  She has book coming out in a few months set with a murder taking place at a crochet conference!  Lucky us!

So, what do you think?    Are you interested in getting hooked too?

Oh, and if you want to know who-dun-it, I can safely say it wasn't the butler.  :}

Kid Tested, Mother Approved

Last night I was working on some class materials for one of the classes I'll be teaching in Manchester, NH, come this July, when Mini~Dee decided to come and hang out with me a little bit.

"Is that for the Conference?" she inquired, pointing to the computer screen.

"Yes, and writing out the instructions for this part was sort of tricky.  I'm hoping I am able to explain it so my students who may have never tried this will be able to figure it out long after the class," I replied.

"You mean you're not going to show them how to do that?" she asked.

"Yes, sweetie, I will be showing them.  But sometimes, after you've taken many classes back to back, the information in your head gets a little cramped until you've had more time to tinker with what you've learned.  I want to ensure they'll be able to do this on their own, once they return home."

"Oh.  So, can I try it?"

I smiled.  This is the first time she's offered to test any of my crochet directions.  "Sure!"

She ran off, grabbed some hot pink yarn and her crochet hook and set to work.  She struggled just for a moment, but was soon sailing along.  "This is way cool, Mom!"

So there you go.  My instructions will be kid tested, mother approved.  {VBG}

Cinco dee Crocheto!

I feel as though I was on a crochet whirl-wind of fun yesterday!  It started in the morning by attending the Crochet Friends of Stamford, CGOA Connecticut Chapter, monthly meeting.  To get there I had to commute for an hour.  As I did so, I sadly realized how greatly I miss the drive since the closing of the Knit Together store early last year.  The scenery is so stunning no matter what the season! 

What was wonderful was catching up with Lori, Haley, Olga and Rose; they are just delightful people!  It's been months since I've last seen them. They've been busy crocheting for the "Kids in Crisis" center and soon caught me up on all their projects.  I, in turn, showed them my new "interchangeable" crochet hook (you can change the size of the hook's head), and a new book by Bendy Carter called, "Single Crochet from A to Z, " and gave out some "goodies."   As they enjoyed leafing through Bendy's new book, we also talked about the upcoming conference.  Lori, Haley and Rose will be going, and they are just as excited as I am!!  BTW: Check out the blanket pictured on the left that Haley is working on, a future donation, using some donated yarn! 

After the commute back home, it was time to join the Hook'n Needles after-school club.  I had Mini~Lois explain her connection to Laura Ingalls & crochet, which she was happy to do.  The club members were amazed!  We also had a little show & tell where one of the girls showed everyone a necklace she designed using single crochets and chain stitches!  (see picture on the right).  Everyone is progressing nicely!

After the meeting I had a lot of errands, but I did manage to find an hour of quiet time to work up one of the squares in Bendy's book, "Single Crochet from A to Z"  -- if you're looking for some new stitch patterns, then for sure you'll want to check out this book! :)

At the end of the day I was exhausted -- but I was happy.  It was, for sure, a Cinco dee Crocheto type of day for me!

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Synchronicity Just Called ...

My phone rang just 30 minutes ago.  It was Belinda Carter calling to let me know that the pattern Laura Ingalls Wilder used to create her doily was designed by Mary Card.  Mary Card wrote in her 1936 book, New Book of Filet Crochet.

Having Belinda call me was a complete surprise, a wonderful surprise!  

In addition to discussing the need for correcting information in my blog here, I learned:
A.  Belinda lives not too far from where Laura once resided.
B.  Belinda currently lives in Missouri.  Synchronicity?  ... my father has a farmhouse just a few towns away.  And one day, when I get the opportunity to go out there, Belinda and I have plans to hang out with each other.  I can't wait!

Thank you, Belinda, for the lovely chat this afternoon, and bringing this "synchronicity"  to a total, full circle!  :)

The Synchronicity Thread ...

Have you ever wondered how the Universe works?  You'll be talking about a certain subject and within days the stars and planets in the sky will align just right so that a chain reaction happens ... some call this fate, or luck, or in this case synchronicity...

Definition of synchronicity by Merriam-Webster:
"The coincidental occurrence of events and especially psychic events (as similar thoughts in widely separated persons or a mental image of an unexpected event before it happens) that seem related but are not explained by conventional mechanisms of causality."

On Tuesday I enjoyed being Mary Beth's guest on her Internet radio show called "Getting Loopy."  One of the topics we discussed was Rose Wilder Lane.  Rose wrote the book,  The Women's Day Book of American Needlework, in which she wrote, "Long before recorded history, Pima Indian women in America did the first crocheting we know."

In leaving the topic of crochet history behind for now, following the thread of synchronicity, let's look at who Rose was ... she was a former resident of Danbury, Connecticut, and the daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the famed children's book author of the Little House on the Prairie series. Aside from both mother & daughter being well established authors, they were both crocheters.

On Wednesday evening I enjoyed chatting Grace.  Grace is my good friend and thread-crochet champion.  She creates beautiful pieces, including the recreation of one of Laura's doilies, pictured here on the left.  In fact, we used Grace's doily recreation for one of our library displays last year that received much attention locally as well as online.  One of the online conversations that took place is that the free chart that was once available here is now gone. 

On Thursday afternoon I found in my mailbox the latest issue of PieceWork magazine (May/June 2008).  PieceWork is one of my most favorite magazines that I enjoy reading cover to cover.  In flipping through it, on page 17, I found an article by Belinda Carter entitled "Laura Ingalls Wilder's Doily to Filet Crochet."  Consequentially cool?

Now stay with me on this ... you'll see the wonderment of synchronicity in just a moment ...

Yesterday I decided to give the magazine to Mini~Lois.  Mini~Lois is one of the girls in my daughter's after-school "Hooks'n Needles Club" who is skyrocketing in her crochet abilities.  Knowing she is a fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and wanting to fuel her thirst to learn more about crochet, I thought Mini~Lois would think it cool to learn that Laura was also a crocheter.

Only the lesson was on me.  It turns out that yes, Mini~Lois was very tickled to learn that Laura was a crocheter.  And it was at this moment that Mini~Lois informed me that she is in the Ingalls family tree.  In their family tree Mini~Lois and Laura are cousins!  Synchronicity.  

Stretching Crochet Skill

I love teaching crochet. I love when my students push past their comfort zones and venture into something new that excites them. To the left is Lauren's granny square motif. She is in the process of making a garment for the first time. She chose a Lion Brand pattern which requires she create a square that measures 11 1/2" square. Unfortunately, her gauge is off by an inch and a half. Not wanting to rip her work out she's decided that she'll make another small motif, join the two, and create a beautiful handbag. At the end of her class she was off to visit a fabric store to find the perfect lining ...

Bonnie has been busy crocheting a baby blanket for an upcoming baby shower. The pattern she had initially picked out was confusing -- not just in the writing, but also for the yarn that she was using. I took the split-shell pattern that she liked and created a pattern she found easy to follow. All that is left is to add on a simple 3-shell border and she's done.

Bonnie said she learned a very important lesson from me ... that in the future before "marrying" a pattern, she should "date" it first.  What this means is that I taught her that crocheters should read a pattern, line by line, prior to starting a project. When we read the pattern first, we may find areas that could give us trouble -- perhaps because it's a new stitch combination, or it's a complex repeat.  In pre-reading a pattern, we'll be able to decide if we can take the pattern on ourselves, or if we'll need to consult a more experience crocheter, or in some cases, if we should move on to another pattern.  Pre-reading patterns, regardless of how complex or easy, will help the crocheter increase their pattern reading abilities, and that alone is worth investing time in. 

In both cases, Lauren and Bonnie are stretching their crochet skills.  How about you?  Do you ever feel stuck, or wish you could learn something new?  If you answered yes, then consider contacting your local yarn shop and sign up for a crochet class.  Or join a local crochet group in your area!  :)

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