In the spirit of the new year I am going to make the best out of a situation that we haven’t really got any control over – hubby is as well.

My now 14 year old daughter has normal intelligence but what amounts to a processing problem (Severe Mixed Orthophonological Literacy Disability). This means that we have spent many years with assessments and help. All of these have been away from home and given our location always 1 – 2 hours from home, and we’ve been doing it 1 to 3 times a week for years.

What has this got to do with crochet? Well as it turns out it has lots to do with it this year. She has progressed and needs a new type of help and the help will be coming to us. That’s right, coming to our home, NO traveling any more. This will make it so much easier on everybody including my daughter who wont have to be extra stressed and tired from traveling. Back to crochet. The nice new specialist will be here Sunday’s for 3.5 hours. This means her and my daughter will need quiet for that time. This in turns means that my eldest, my hubby and I all need to be out of the way.
read more »

A Guest Post by Linda Cee.

I first heard about freeform crochet when I was exclaiming over a beautiful white shawl, I knew it looked complicated and like nothing I had previously seen, so I asked the lady who made it, what sort of pattern she used and she laughed and told me that she just made it up as she went, then she said she would be happy to show me how to make a scrumble. Well my first reaction was, huh? But then she explained that a scrumble usually starts with one piece, a circle, a square or anything else you would want and then you just start crocheting! You could make up stitches, add different colors and textures and use a variety of hooks to achieve whatever you can possibly imagine, I got incredibly excited when I saw a blue and purple scarf she had made that had beads, feathers, and thin gold ribbons crocheted right into it. Some people compare freeform with sculpting because many freeformers make objects that are 2 or 3 dimensional and while some are very abstract, others are more realistic and recognizable, like a barn scene on a blanket for instance. Thanks to my current obsession with the craft, I found Renate Kirkpatrick’s Freeform Crochet~Knit~Fibre Designs which is a blog that is delightful to read and has a great introduction to freeform (with pictures!) I was very lucky to be able to interview Renate Kirkpatrick, who besides being a very gracious lady is also a teacher, fibre artist, and the author of three crochet books (with a fourth coming soon) and so without further ado here it is:

How did you get started crocheting and when did you get interested in freeform?

I made my first granny square in my mid-teens from an old tattered ‘How to crochet’ pamphlet that I found in an opportunity shop.

In my late twenties when the children were in bed asleep I crocheted granny square rugs (afghans) for fun, relaxation and gifts but I soon became bored with the repetition and began searching for more interesting, challenging patterns. I had never read a pattern before, let alone decipher what the heck all those odd abbreviations meant but, I persevered and, over the years, through trial and error, gained confidence and experience.

Freeform was introduced to me by a student while teaching at a local craft shop and has become my passion and creative joy.
read more »

A Guest Post by Eve Tallafer-Sison.

“There’s a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.” I realized the truth in this saying while working on the pattern of the Rainbow Coaster by Rachel at Crochet Spot. At first glance, the attraction has been irresistibly strong because of the design. The color combination allows pairing the coaster with any placemat or tablecloth. Aside from the fact that the instructions are reader-friendly, making it is very easy to follow, crocheting a whole set of it added these precious gems into my treasury:

1. A stitch in time saves nine. Making a single mistake in counting in Round 1 spoils the whole plan. Like for this coaster, the 2 sc in each sc around starting in Round 2 provides the foundation of the hexagonal pattern. Making a mistake in the previous row affects the intended formation. This goes to say that every stitch in a row has a purpose and each single stitch counts in the entire project.
2. Practice makes perfect. An old saying, yes, but while working on each piece of the coaster set, I was able to prove it in the area of changing the color of yarn. While it is true that I learned to crochet at an early age, I worked on all my projects using only one color. I came to practice the art of changing threads recently from online literature and tutorials from YouTube. This coaster was a perfect exercise indeed for me to master the craft as the pattern required changing the color of yarn five times.
3. Rhythmic numeric chants lead to mastery. People usually repeat what they say in order to strike a point. Familiar with the idiom that states, “The key to mastery is frequent repetition?” I realized the same is true in crochet. Using repetitive numeric chants that create a rhythm helps one memorize instructions and master patterns more quickly. Let me show you how.

read more »

It’s hot here in sunny Queensland Australia. The travel agents do advertise Queensland as the “Sunshine State”. More Specifically I am in Jimboomba – South East Queensland for any of you with some strange interest and a map.

When I am out in the heat, or anywhere in the house that is not air-conditioned then the whole idea of picking up hook and thread makes my skin prickle with anticipation of a heat rash. However, when I sneak into one of our air-conditioned areas then it’s back to my normal enthusiasm, possibly even more excited. Maybe because I am deprived in the rest of the environment that the air-conditioned hidey holes make crochet seem decadent.
read more »

Rachel has written a compelling piece called 2012 New Year’s Crochet Resolutions and many of you have responded with enthusiasm – I am jealous of you all being able to make New Years resolutions. I wish I could.

I don’t cope well with New Year’s resolutions. Many people I know do really well with them and they get all motivated and have great success during the year. Not me, they never seem to quite work for me and then I get all upset with myself – way to much pressure.
read more »

Who’s ready for 2012? Have you made any resolutions yet? If you haven’t it’s not too late to jot them down. The start of the new year is a great time to set some goals for your everyday life and for your crochet life. If you’ve been slacking on your crochet projects, maybe you can make a resolution to spend a few minutes each night to work on your projects. Or if you’re one of those folks who loves to start too many projects, make a resolution to only have 2 or 3 going at a time.

Whatever you’d like to work on this year, feel free to share it with everyone in the comments section below! This way we can cheer each other on. So, what are your crochet resolutions??

Okay, I have been going through Crochet Spot’s freebies and the store, AGAIN, and remembering the things I have made from them. What have I discovered? I have realized that some of the patterns are very addictive and you cannot stop at one. I mean who can resist those cute little chickens, or the scarves, beanies and doilies? They all make up really quickly and use different yarns and suddenly they are all different.

Now I don’t know about you but there are only a certain amount of toys and cat toys I can make. For starters my young nieces and nephews, and not so young daughters have about all they can take with crochet toys. And cat toys, well I don’t have a cat and don’t know anybody with one, but they’re oh so cute and in the cupboard. Made too many flowers? Then STICK A FLOWER ON IT and sell it.
read more »

A Guest Post by Linda Cee.

My goal for this year was to crochet enough ornaments to decorate an entire Christmas tree (even a small one would be good). I saw a picture online once of a white tree that had blue crocheted snowflakes in all different sizes and shades of blue then a silver garland crocheted from some really glittery yarn. The best part was the topper, it was a white thread angel that was incredibly lacy and must have taken forever to make. The whole thing was so gorgeous it literally took my breath away.
read more »

A Guest Post by Tameko.

Crochet came into my life in 2008. While I have always been around ladies who enjoyed the art of crochet throughout my entire life, I did not start working with crochet until much later in life. One of the things I realized while working on a pattern is that the activity itself is very calming and ushers in much needed meditation time.
read more »

A Guest Post by Eve Tallafer-Sison.
 
I learned to crochet at the age of nine. My mother, in her early 40s then used to crochet bedspreads, chair covers, doilies and table runners. She would do that in between writing her lesson plans as grade one teacher in my hometown’s Central School for more than 25 years. Watching her was so intriguing especially gazing at her hand movement. I liked it when she would yarn over once, twice or even thrice for a double, treble and double treble crochet.
 
Just like any other child, my curiosity had to be satisfied and so after undergoing my first crochet tutorial in learning the initial step, the rudiments of crochet, that is, doing a chain, it seemed like I had a taste of marijuana. That was fantastic! Practicing making a chain as Lesson No. 1. Just chain, chain, and chain, using my mother’s own crochet hook as she had only one at that time. From then on, I couldn’t wait till she would take some time out either to rest from her project or for some other chores, so I could use her crochet hook.
  read more »