This Is Crochet » home décor

Happy New Year: Is It Your Time?

turquoizblue — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:37:55 +0000

Happy New Year!

Did you complete all your crochet holiday gifts? I did, but I have to confess that my gift was a blanket which I didn’t finish last year. It was huge, but it’s done and delivered.

Now that the holidays are over, I hope you have time to make some things for yourselves. For me, 2011 was a year of sacrifice. My time and energy was devoted to helping my family. With work and school, there was very little time for crochet. This summer I became a stay-at-home grandmother, and all I can say is I tip my hat to all SAHMs! This is a full-time job.

It’s been a while since I blogged or emailed, and I am happy to be able to get back to designing crochet. I’m sure you all know how frustrating it is to have all sorts of creative ideas and not be able to get them out. I’ve had lots of time to rethink this crochet thing, and I’m excited to see what 2012 brings.

January is National Hot Tea Month. There are lots of fun tea-related projects on Ravelry like cozies, doilies and coasters. I think I will start with a mug cozy.

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New Pattern: Megastar, a Six-Pointed Star Tunisian Crochet Blanket

turquoizblue — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 02:12:43 +0000

Six-pointed star blanket uses the Tunisian crochet Slant Stitch and color changes to create wide stripes which meet to form a burst of color that radiates from the center. The stripes are continued in the surrounding border.

A few years ago, I was exploring how to create different star and pinwheel shapes using Tunisian Crochet. One of the first motifs I came up with was a five-pointed star shape, which I went on to use in my Seaside Throw Afghan which was published in the Interweave Crochet Summer 2009 issue. The six-pointed star was one of the next incarnations of the Tunisian crochet star motif. I enlarged the small motif into a large star, and sketching and playing with color options brought about the stripes and burst of color from the center of the star.

This afghan is shown on a king-sized bed, but the pattern can easily be adapted to any size just be decreasing the stitch and row count.

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Through The Looking Glass . . . Curtains

turquoizblue — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:19:53 +0000

I received my copy of the Interweave Crochet Spring 2010 issue. This is a very nice issue. Lots of wearable garments for Spring.

A few items I would love to make if I can find time. One of them is the Devon Cardigan by Margaret Hubert. I think this would be cute with a little skirt. I’d like it to have some navy blue in it.

The other two items are the Kiki Dress by Annette Petavy and Bella Dress by April Garwood. I want to make both of these for my granddaughter.

(c) Interweave Press

Also in this issue are my Looking Glass Curtains. The curtains are made of one large motif and one small motif that contains two small mirrors enclosed in crochet cotton. To me, the curtains I made for Interweave Crochet look more antique, but these curtains are actually very adaptable to lots of different types of styles.

I think they would be beautiful done in a neutral, sandy color. Great for a beachy/cottage look. Also, dark red, burgundy, eggplant or even black for something more dramatic. Pastels would be pretty for a girls room, too.

I want to make a pair for myself, but I have to decide where I’m going to use them. It will be for curtains in my bedroom or either curtains for the windows or for french doors for my office/studio.

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Interweave Crochet Spring 2010 Issue Available for Pre-Order

turquoizblue — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:30:43 +0000

Spring!

It’s almost here, and so is the next issue of Interweave Crochet magazine. It’s now available for preorder.

I have a design in this issue. It’s the Looking Glass Curtains. The description says: Tiny mirrors punctuate floral thread motifs. The preview should be up in a few weeks. Please let me know what you think of them.

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CGOA Design Contest Winner!

turquoizblue — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:22:00 +0000

Guess what? I won 3rd place in the Home Décor category. Here is the list of winners:
http://www.crochet.org/pdfs/2009CGOADesignContestWinners.pdf

My entry was called “VictoriAfricana Footstool.” I chose this name because the footstool combines a traditionally-styled stool and fringe with an African-inspired motif and color scheme. I also chose to name it VictoriAfricana because it made me think of Queen Victoria, the style of the Victorian period, and the stories about her alleged African ancestry through her grandmother Queen Charlotte. I think the two different types of elements cause a pleasant friction.

I was so happy when I heard I had won. Thank you to all the judges.

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Yarn Market Creates a Bundled Kit for the Mulled Spices Afghan

turquoizblue — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 03:11:17 +0000

Yarn Market has put together everything you need to make my Mulled Spices Afghan, from a copy of Interweave Crochet Magazine to the Berroco Comfort DK (great price!) yarn to the Tunisian hooks and needles for finishing.

Check out the Mulled Spices Afghan Bundle.

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Seaside Throw – Interweave Crochet Magazine Spring 2009

turquoizblue — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 16:00:00 +0000

I have a design in the Spring 09 issue of Interweave Crochet. It is the Seaside Throw.

I imagined this crochet throw as perfect for chilly days at the beach house. It reminds me of sand, ocean, starfish, netting and rope. Six separate pentagon-shaped motifs are joined together with wedge-shaped inserts to form a pentagon-shaped throw. The throw is edged with a crochet edging that resembles rope.

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Interweave Crochet Spring 2009

turquoizblue — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:25:57 +0000

If you are like me, you are waiting for the preview of the Spring 09 issue of Interweave Crochet to appear soon. In the meantime, I can show you the cover of the new issue.

Interweave Crochet Spring 2009

You can preorder your copy now here. Also, check out this important announcement on the preorder page under the “Projects” section:

Seaside Throw (Rhonda Davis) – Tunisian crochet lap blanket evokes starfish, sand, and sea.

Yes, I’m in this issue and I’m excited for you all to see my project!

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Gardener’s Apron

turquoizblue — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:20:56 +0000

Gardener's Apron

Here’s my newest published design — the Gardener’s Apron –from the April 2009 issue of Crochet World Magazine. It is an easy-to-make apron that is made with Lily’s Sugar n’ Cream yarn.

Change the color of yarn or combine several colors and the apron would be cute for the kitchen too. Keep this one in mind for gifts too because it is a fast project.

If anyone is interested in doing this as a CAL, send me a note on Ravelry, and we can put one together. I hope you all enjoy making this.

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Mulled Spices Afghan – Interweave Winter ’08

turquoizblue — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 15:48:45 +0000

For once I finally have a moment to myself! Time to stay in bed and surf the net. So it was an added joy to see the preview for Interweave’s Winter 2008 issue are finally posted. Love the cover sweater.

This means I can show you my design!!! I present the Mulled Spices Afghan. It’s published under my government name. I am hyped.

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