May 3rd, 2011 § § permalink
Since the beginning of this year, I have been thinking long and hard about what direction I want to take with my crochet business, and I decided to pump the breaks on everything until I figure this out.
I haven’t submitted any designs to publications in a long time (sorry you won’t see anything from me in Interweave Crochet or any other magazine for a while). One of the reasons for this is that I am revamping how I create my patterns. Organic crochet design only truly works when I am designing one-of-a-kind items. Yes, I can document the entire creation process and turn my notes into a working pattern, but I think it leaves more room for errors and actually requires more work. It’s true that the initial creation process is faster for me because I have a creative flow happening. I can visualize what I want to make, pick up my hook and yarn, and usually create exactly what I envisioned, but when it time to explain technically how I achieved the design, some things are just difficult to explain in writing for me. Also, when drafting multiple sizes, some things just don’t work for all sizes, and there may be no work around solution.
This is just one of the thoughts I’m working through right now. I’ll come back later to add more on this.
Don’t worry, I am not giving up on crochet design. In fact, I am working on a design for an upcoming project, and as soon as I am free to discuss it, I will share the news.
Also, the AfroStitch Crochet Conference that was held in February was wonderful. I haven’t been back to blog about it so I owe a post or two about that one.
December 10th, 2010 § § permalink
Interweave Crochet Winter 2010 is available for preordering, and I just found out that my design is on the cover. Thank you, April.
It is the Crimson Cape shown on the cover shot below. I am so excited!
© Interweave Press
November 15th, 2010 § § permalink
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.
June 23rd, 2010 § § permalink
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.
June 19th, 2010 § § permalink
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.
June 18th, 2010 § § permalink
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!
April 13th, 2010 § § permalink
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.
(c) Interweave Press
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
(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.
(c) Interweave Press
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.
April 18th, 2009 § § permalink
How did I move from thinking about designing crochet to actually doing it?
Crafter and writer, L’Tanya Durante interviewed me for her blog, Craftnicity. She asked me, “How did you finally shift from being an information gatherer to submitting a design?”
Want to know what I said? Visit Craftnicity and read “Taking the Leap: A Designer’s Journey” – http://tinyurl.com/das6jy.
March 31st, 2009 § § permalink
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.
March 14th, 2009 § § permalink
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.
