I wanted to quickly introduce my new crochet hat pattern  – Belle Cloche.

The previews for Interweave Crochet’s Accessories 2010 issue is available, and well, it turns out that Eliza is a little girl who carries a felted crochet bag. Maybe even two little girls.

They are too cute!

Eliza’s Felted Bag is a small, felted Tunisian crochet handbag. Honestly, when I designed this crochet bag, I did not envision it for a little girl, at all. I conceived it to be a small, crocheted wrist bag that could hold essentials. It was only after I had mailed the samples for Interweave and made two more bags that I thought it would also be cute for a girl. Looks like that’s what the Interweave Crochet stylist thought, also.

Either way, Eliza’s Felted Bag is perfect for the grownup and also the grown-up little girl.

I have noticed quite a few retro-inspired crochet designs lately, and I have to admit that I’m loving them — puffed sleeved tops and even granny square garments.  A few days ago, I mentioned Tangled magazine, whose current issue is themed “Modern Vintage.”  Tangled states, “Tangled May be New, but Our Fall Patterns are Inspired by the Fashions of Times Past.”

Then there is the recently-released Knitting it Old School: 43 Vintage-Inspired Patterns* by Stitchy McYarnpants and Caro Sheridan which features modern interpretations of vintage crochet styles of the 1940s through the 1970s.  This is not just a book of retro knitting patterns.  There are also sewing and crochet patterns such as the Go-Go Granny dress by Maryse Roudier, which is reminds me of the granny square crochet dress which was worn by Cate Blanchett on the red carpet at the Screen Worlds event in Australia.

Although the designs in this book are vintage-inspired, they manage to look both retro and modern at the same time.

As I said before, I’m loving the resurgence, but some people don’t seem to be feeling the retro trend, especially the return of the granny square crochet garment. There is a long discussion on Ravelry about the Go-Go Granny dress called Granny Dress or “My Eyes!” where many people pulled no punches when it came to their opinions.

I don’t know if retro design is a passing trend, but I hope it sticks around for a while because I’m digging it.

*Amazon affiliate link

You can now preorder the upcoming issue of Interweave Crochet Accessories 2010.  43 designs!  Over 100 pages!

I have a design in there. It is called Eliza’s Felted Bag. I cannot wait for the preview to see the photos. I hope the bag photographed well. As you can tell from the name, it is a felted crochet bag.  Felted crochet bags are very trendy right now. That’s all I can share about it, but I’ll say that it is really cute. I don’t know who Eliza is, though, but I hope she’s a stylish, swanky-type chick who loves a cute, felted crochet purse.

As soon as I saw the preview for the Fall issue of Interweave Crochet magazine, I knew there was going to be talk about the amount of knitting featured. People are weighing in to give their opinions about the knitting being combined with crochet on both Ravelry and CrochetMe, and a lot of crochet-only folks are not happy because they believe the combo patterns mean there are seven less patterns they can use. The love on Ravelry for the patterns in the Fall issue seems a little low. Are you going to buy this issue? I predominately crochet, but I do know how to knit. I have yet to try a pattern that combines knit and crochet. Maybe now is the time for me to give crochet and knit together a try.

On the flip side, the latest issue of Tangled magazine is up, and it is getting rave reviews.   Tangled Online Magazine’s tagline is “Proud to be Bicraftual,” and it gives equal love to knit and crochet.  The theme for this issue is Modern Vintage.    My favorites are the Cross-Threaded skirts “Zan” and “Jayna.”  I love the colorful yarns used in this issue.

On June 7, Claire Montgomerie officially became the new editor of Inside Crochet Magazine. Claire is a trained textile designer, and her designs have also been published for the past six years. It’s always exciting to see what new editors bring to a publication so I look forward to what Claire will bring to Inside Crochet.

I saw an issue of this magazine once in Barnes & Noble. It isn’t easy to find near me, but I always look at all the designs on Ravelry when they are uploaded.

If you would like to get a sense of Claire’s style and see some of her designs , you can visit her website at www.clairemontgomerie.com.

It’s time again for the Interweave Hurt Book sale. This is a great way to get books if you’ve been wanting and saving up to get them. The books I’ve gotten were always in great shape. The sale ends on June 22nd.

The preview is up for the Summer 2010 Issue of Interweave Crochet magazine. I really love the cover of this issue. The blue and yellow is so crisp and bright!

Interweave Reorganizes Into Two Divisions
CEO: New structure evenly distributes value of crafts publisher’s properties.
Jason Fell FolioMag.com
05/31/2010

Interweave Media has reorganized into two units: the Fiber Division and the Art & Jewelry Division. As a result, the publisher’s Quilt + Paper group, Specialty Fiber group and Yarn group will merge to create the Fiber group, which will be led by vice president and publisher John Bolton. The division will include Interweave Knits, Interweave Crochet, Quilting Arts, Cloth Paper Scissors, Spin-Off, Handwoven, Fiberarts and PieceWork magazines, as well as online communities KnittingDaily.com, QuiltingArts.com and CrochetMe.com, and related video products.

click here for remainder of article

Back in February attended the Afro Stitch Conference here in Atlanta. I was invited by the Awesome Gina-Renay. I’m glad I attended. I met crocheters and wannabee crocheters of all ages. There was even one family that had three generations.

The panelist were Afya Ibomu, Tara Baker, Wendy Jones, and Todd Pasquale. They freely and graciously shared the hows and whys of starting their crochet businesses, and answered questions. Lot’s of good info.

Gina-Renay also spoke on her experiences as a crochet fashion designer, and she presented a mini-fashion show featuring a few of her designs.

I was able to help three little girls (sisters) learn how to begin crocheting. By the end of the day, they all had long chains.

I hope there will be another conference.