Question from Reader: Overlay Crochet

I am not a "summer" person.  Never was, doubt I will ever be.  I think, and I base this on my own personal nonscientific data gathering, that it has something to do with the season that you're born in.  I was born in the winter; I love the winter!  I love the way your breath freezes when you exhale; I love the way freshly fallen snow looks perched on tree branches.  I love the sound of laughter coming from my children as they whisk jubilee down the hillside on their sleds; I love the multiple ongoing crochet projects around me with hot chocolate steaming sweetly nearby.  I am a winter baby; I love winter.

With this in mind, I broke down today.  I finally, after three years, turned on my air conditioner.  I had to.  I canceled my crochet classes for today and tomorrow because I'm playing the roll of Nurse to my sweet daughter who is suffering from a horrible ear infection. (She's to see a "ENT specialist" in the morning.) We were melting; I had to cool our house down! Our indoor thermometer read that it was over 100 degrees in here; now, thanks to the AC,  it's a brisk 86 and I'm back to having my hook flying. Yes, I'm tinkering with more Overlay -- I'm really enjoying this technique! Which reminds me!  ...

Asteryth asks: "I haven't tried Overlay Crochet... is it difficult? Is there a good book/internet site that shows how to do it? "

Great question!  J

Based upon my own crochet experience, my first initial answer would have been an immediate "No! It's not hard!" ...but since I've been crocheting since I was knee high to a grasshopper, and know there are many newbie crocheters who read my journal, this type of answer would not be correct.  So, my answer of "No, it's not hard!"  would only be fitting if I were replying only to experienced crocheters.

There is no book or website, that I know of, that shows this technique -- BUT if you know how to do crochet cables, and/or drop stitches, then this will be a semi-breeze for you.  Virtually any stitch book that has various types of stitch patterns will have cables in it -- like the Crochet Stitch Bible.  Practice making your cables with double crochet stitches, and trebles too -- your practice will all pay off in the long run!  Trust me!!  You'll be happy you put the practice in!!

Then, go on over to the CGOA's website and take their Correspondence Course with Melody MacDuffy ... or try to see where she may be teaching the class locally.  You might get lucky as I did!  :)