Sunday, December 19, 2010

A Classic from the Archives: CROCHETERS CHRISTMAS EVE Poem

Originally posted on Friday, December 22. 2006, slightly updated in 2010:

CROCHETERS CHRISTMAS EVE Poem
adapted by me, Dee Stanziano

'Twas the night before Christmas and all around me
The Night Before ChristmasWas unfinished crocheting not under the tree.
The stockings weren't hung by the chimney with care
'Cause the heels and toes had not a stitch there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
But I had not finished the caps for their heads.
Dad was asleep; he was no help at all,
And the sweater for him was six inches too small,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter
I put down my hooks to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tripped over my yarn and fell down with a crash.
The tangle of yarn that lay deep as the snow
Reminded me how much I still had to go.
Out on my lawn I heard such a noise,
I thought it would wake both Dad and the boys.
And though I was tired, my brain a bit thick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.

But what I heard then left me perplex-ed,
For not a name I heard was what I expected,
"Move, DyakCraft! Move, Lacis! Move, NaturallyCaron and Clover!
Move, Boye! Move Woolease! Move Ravelry --move over
Paton, don't circle 'round; stand in the line.
Come now, you sheep will work out just fine!
I know this is hard; it's just your first year,
I'd hate to go back to eight tiny reindeer."

I peered over the sill; what I saw was amazing,
Eight wooly sheep on my lawn all a-grazing.
And then, in a twinkle, I heard at the door
Santa's feet coming across my porch floor.
I rose from my knees and got back on my feet,
And as I turned 'round St. Nick I did meet.

He was dressed all in wool from his head to his toe,
And his clothes were hand-crocheted from above to below.
A bright Tunisian sweater he wore on his back,
And his toys were all stuffed in an cool cro-knit sack.
His cap was a wonder of bobbles and lace
A beautiful frame for his rosy red face.
Interchangeable Crochet Hook SetThe scarf 'round his neck could have stretched for a mile,
And the socks peeking over his boots were Argyle.
The back of his mittens bore an intricate cable.
And suddenly on one I espied a small label,
"S.C." was duplicate stitched on the cuff,
And I asked, "Hey, Nick, did you crochet all this stuff?"
He proudly replied, "Ho, ho, ho, yes I did.
I learned how to crochet when I was a kid."

He was chubby and plump, a quite well-dressed old man,
And I laughed to myself, for I'd thought up a plan.
I flashed him a grin and jumped up in the air,
And the next thing he knew, he was tied to a chair,
He spoke not a word, but looked in his lap
Where I'd laid my hook and yarn for a cap.
He quickly began crocheting, first one cap then two,
For the first time I thought I might really get through.
He put heels in the stockings and toes in some socks.
While I sat back drinking scotch on the rocks.
So quickly like magic his stitches they flew
That he was all finished by quarter to two.
He sprang for his sleigh when I let him go free,
And over his shoulder he looked back at me,
And I heard him exclaim as he sailed past the moon,
"Next year start your crocheting sometime around June!"

Want to share this with your online friends? Please give them this link: http://crochetwithdee.blogspot.com/2010/12/classic-from-archives-crocheters.html


*** note: this was a *knitters* poem, based on Clement Moore's "The Night Before Christmas," that I changed in 2005 to reflect crochet. I do not know who the original author of the knit version is/was.  If you know, please let me know so I can give proper credit; thanks.  :)

Friday, December 17, 2010

The Happy-nings

On this cold, pre-winter day, I have that tune, "See You in September," sung by the group, The Happenings, running around in my head.  (The Tempos sang it first, I'm just more familiar with The Happenings' version.)

I am thrilled to announce I have been invited back to teach for the CGOA at the Knit & Crochet Fall Show that will take place in Greensboro, North Carolina from September 23-25, 2011.

So the question is:  Will I See You in September?

Friday, December 10, 2010

Roving at the Library

It has been a flurry of activity here at the CrochetWithDee homestead.  So when our local library announced they were going to offer a Felting Workshop I decided it would be a good distraction for my kids -- and a great way for them to play with roving.


Sadly, the class booked up so we were wait listed.  Being in the middle of Hanukkah and nearing the shopping craze for Christmas, I didn't think they'd be able to squeeze in another class -- but they did!  (Yes!!)

Earlier this evening I packed up the kids, taking note that there were fine white crystals falling from the sky.  I love snow.  And I love playing with fiber.  I had hopes my kids would take to needle felting as a fun activity.

Upon arrival we met our instructor, Katie Stevenson, and many lovely ladies in attendance.  Since I already had felting experience I decided to leave instructing the kids in her hands (as a crochet teacher, I fully understand that sometimes kids learn better if it is someone else other than their parent(s) offering the lesson).

We set to work.  I had originally planned on making a sheep, and Dee Jr. planned on making a pig.  Only it did not turn out that way.  Sometimes it is the project that will dictate what it wants to be -- much like the skeins of yarn that sit in our stashes until they reveal what they want to be shaped into!  So Dee Jr.'s pig became an alligator, and my sheep became a gerbil. ... Or maybe it's a guinea pig... I'm not really sure... lol

Only Mini~Dee's project came out as she had planned -- a cute snowman.  (There's a really cute picture of it on her blog.)

The good news is, the kids really loved needle felting, and they're pretty excited I "happen" to have all the supplies (needles & raw roving) in my stash.  With it snowing tonight, I'm envisioning the kids making more items tomorrow.  Wouldn't it be fun if they created a little mug of hot chocolate, complete with marshmallows?   :)

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Book Tour Stop: Baby Blueprint Crochet by Robyn Chachula

Baby Blueprint Crochet: Irresistible Projects for Little OnesRobyn and I met on the internet several years ago.  In fact, she was a participant in my "60 Scarves in 60 Days Challenge" back when it first started!  We met in person a few years later at a CGOA Conference during what is known as Professional Development Day where she was doing a "breakout session;" it felt like we had known each other forever!  :)

I believe there must be something in our DNA that drives us to create items from the hand, and the heart, for the babies in our lives.  When Robyn announced she was expecting, I knew it was a matter of time before her new bundle of joy would bring her a new bundle of design inspirations!  In fact, Robyn acknowledges her muse by dedicating her newest  hot-off-the-press book, Baby Blueprint Crochet, to her baby daughter ....  the book is beautifully packaged with a variety of designs to inspire crocheters to feed that drive, complete with crochet symbols!

My children are well past the infant/toddler stage; however, since my son, Dee Jr. still loves dinosaurs, I decided to quickly whip up the motif from Robyn's "Callum Pullover" pattern.  My plan is to give this cute dinosaur to my son to use as a bookmark.  --  In the meantime, if I can carve out a niche of time before Christmas, this cute pullover might end up on my hook for my new nephew.  And maybe a pair of socks (also featured in the book) too. 

... or maybe the slippers ... there is so much to choose from!  From dresses to flying elephants, Robyn has created a book full of irresistible projects to crochet for the little ones in our lives.  You can see the adorable projects here in Robyn's Flicker Album.  :)




Side notes: I did not use the yarn called for in the pattern, or stop to check my gauge; this means my dinosaur came out chunkier than the one pictured in Robyn's book.  If you plan on making the pullover, please check your gauge first!!!   I also changed the stitches for the dinosaur's scales since I do not intend to sew him onto a garment.

About the crochet hook in the picture:  It is a custom Graydog crochet hook; a gift from my husband from several years ago.  If you are here searching for information on Graydog, I have none to offer at this time.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Crochet History Up for Auction

My son approached me holding out his two bags from the Guinness World Record Attempt we participated in back in June. "Mom, can you sell these for me?" he asked.

I looked at him for a few moments to judge how serious he was. "I'm a Yankee fan, Mom. These items are 'Mets' ... "

"But," I replied, "You were a witness to history in the making. We actually set the record for the Most People Crocheting in One Place! These are your souvenirs from that day!"

"I know." He added, "There is nothing wrong with the Mets, but I'm a Yankee fan, Mom. My heart belongs to the Yankees like your heart belongs to Crochet."

OK, so the boy has a point, and a darn good one at that. How can I argue with that line of reasoning?

And now he has an eBay auction going on where you can bid on his New/Mint MET bags ... http://tinyurl.com/NYMetsCrochetWorldRecordBags