Christmas Gift Designs in Crochet Today!

When it comes to making Christmas gifts for friends and family, are you like me? You become inspired late in the fall to crochet something for everyone only to realize that time is short, you need to change your plans and find smaller projects to make?  (And then, of course, you vow that you'll start earlier next year?)

Well, here I am late in posting about my 3 designs in Crochet Today's Nov/Dec 2013 Issue but realizing that they are great small projects to make.  (Good news is that even though this issue may not be in the newsstands, you can find it here in hard copy or digital form.)

Here are the projects:

Comet Cat Collars
 

These would be great for a small dog, too or even as bracelets for friends or children.

Prancer Sweater

This was fun to make and I used my own little dog as a model. Here she is:

 

 

And lastly there are the Dasher Gloves that can be made in your guy's favorite team colors.

"Cro-Shayley" recently posted a great photo tutorial on how she made these gloves and you can see that here via Red Heart's website.

 

 

 

BOSTON STRONG and the BOSTON RED SOX !

Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox for winning the World Series at home in Fenway Park!

 

Baseball is a great American sport.  I have wonderful memories of watching games on TV with my dad and going to several Yankees and Mets games in NY with him.  When I moved to New England, I started to root for the Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics along with my husband who has been a lifelong New England fan.  It has been fun to watch our New England teams win so many championships in the past 12 years including the Bruins.  This one this year is especially triumphant after the tragedies that occurred at the Boston Marathon in April.

 

It is inspiring to hear the players talk about their teammates and how much they care for each other.  Their teamwork, hard work, character and heart are what earned them the great win.

 

About this piece:

I created this piece as another entry in this past summer's National Arts Program.  It hung in City Hall for two months as a reminder of the victims of the Boston marathon bombing and the great efforts of so many quick-acting and selfless people who helped those hurt that day.

 

There are 3 knot sections to this piece - an intricate star knot made of Aunt Lydia's silver metallic crochet thread, a larger circular knot made of Red Heart's With Love yarn in red and a thick braid made in Red Heart's With Love in white.

 

 

I Love Yarn Day!

I love yarn so I decided to celebrate by installing some new yarn graffiti overlooking a beautiful river over which I often ride my bike. (see photo to the right)

I made it in these colors as a tribute to the military men and women who serve, sacrifice and give their lives to protect our freedom.

How are you going to celebrate?

Connemara Beauty - CGOA Design Competition

CONNEMARA BEAUTY

Photo by Doris Chan -
www.dorischancrochet.com
 

Here is my newest Celtic Knot design.  I entered it in the annual CGOA (Crochet Guild of America)'s Design Competition in the Fashion Category.  It won second place!  I was thrilled to hear this news from my crochet designer friends who were attending the Knit and Crochet Show in NC last weekend. 

A list of all the winners and photos of all of the entries can be found on Doris Chan's website:  www.dorischancrochet.com.  There are some wonderful designs showcased there and a great deal of talent represented.  A big THANK YOU goes out to Doris for all she did to make the Design Competition a success.

I named this design after the Connemara region in Ireland that is filled with beautiful sparkling lakes.  This is one of my favorite colors of blue.  I crocheted with the Marina Blue colorway from the Key West Karibbean Kotton found at The Sassy Skein - www.sassyskein.com. (This is the same yarn I used for the Kerry Shrug - see published designs list on page to the left for where to find its pattern and photos)  This yarn has a lovely sheen and being cotton, can be appropriate for summer wear.  Another big THANK  YOU goes out to Mary Bonnette (owner of The Sassy Skein) for quickly sending me more yarn even while she was on vacation.

This sweater has 9 Celtic Knots - Long twists (on the sleeves and lower half), one large flower-like knot and one smaller version of the flower knot (on the front).  Here is a view of the front taken beside a pretty lake near my home:

Someday it would be great to wear my Connemara Beauty in Connemara, Ireland!

Blue Ribbons at the Fair for Crochet Coral Reef!

Fall is in full swing here in New England and it's time for the traditional and fun state fairs.

My daughters and I created a crocheted coral reef for a school project last spring after studying coral reefs and the creatures in them.  We had a great time experimenting with various yarns and stitches.  For this year's Deerfield Fair we added some new projects made out of paper and fabric.

 

We were thrilled to see a blue ribbon hanging from our project while it was on display in the School Building.  Please see the page on the left titled, "Our Coral Reef" to see more photos of each creature we included.

 

Here is the coral reef we completed in March - 100% crocheted.

Bridal Shrug

I love wearing and making shrugs - They are simple to crochet and stay put when you wear them!

This is the Bridal Shrug that I found as a free pattern on the Lion Brand website.  You can download it here.   The pattern calls for Vanna's Glamour Yarn (which is a beautiful yarn) but I was looking for a project to use some yarn that I had bought at last year's CGOA conference.

This shrug worked up very quickly and turned out great in the variegated yarn I used.  The shell pattern looks pretty on the back and I loved the shell edging all around.

 

 

A Rock is Found!

 

While vacationing in the mountains recently I hid 2 more rocks near a beautiful river.

Susan, from Virginia, quickly found this rock I like to call, "Heart Rock Wrap".

It is a new rock covering design that I enjoyed working on while sitting by the river where it was hid.

I was so pleased to receive an email from Susan who also crochets and crafts (she knits, too)!  She appreciates it as the treasure and art it was meant to be.  I hope it will be a remembrance of the time she spent with her family as well.

 

There are 4 more rocks to be found - see page on the left for more details and let us know if you found one of them.

 

 

Such a pretty spot!

 

Isolde Shawlette

This is one of my summer crochet projects that I enjoyed working on in between my design deadlines. It is the Isolde Shawlette by Wendy Lewis.  It appeared in Crochet! magazine - Summer 2013 issue.

In the magazine Wendy's design is actually for 2 shawls - one smaller version that I completed above and an extended version that adds more rows to make a large shawl.  I chose the smaller one since I wanted something very lightweight for summer wear.

I used Omega's Sinfonia cotton yarn in the color Coral. (I loved the Lapis Blue the pattern called for but I already have many projects in blue.) I also added beads all along the edge in each picot.  The beads add a fun touch of sparkle and help weight the edge of the shawl down to show-off its pretty shape.  I also found that it needed a pin to close it up in the front to prevent it from falling off my shoulders.

                                    

Sparkle Knot Necklace - Crochet! Special Issue

Sparkle Knot Necklace - Crochet for a Quiet Evening - Crochet! Special Issue -

Available TODAY! (8/20) at www.crochetmagazine.com

 

 

Photo courtesy of Annie's

 

For the Professional Development Day at last year's CGOA conference, I wore a necklace similar to this one.  I received many compliments and Carol Alexander liked it so much she asked me to design this simpler version for Crochet! magazine.

 

I enjoy creating my own jewelry.  Artwork like this is one-of-a-kind and quickly adds interest to any outfit.

 

I will be posting tips and photos on how to weave this knot (on a page to the LEFT).

Please send me photos of your finished projects - I would love to see it made in other colors!

Bleeding Heart Bookmark - Crochet! Special Issue

Bleeding Heart Bookmark - Crochet for a Quiet Evening - Crochet! Special Issue -

Available 8/20 - www.crochetmagazine.com

 

 

(Photo courtesy of Annie's)

 

One of my favorite spring flowers is the Bleeding Heart.  It is amazing how the flowers look like hearts and hang delicately  from biggest to smallest.

I thought this unique bookmark would make a great gift for any gardener who also loves to read.

This project is crocheted with Aunt Lydia's Fashion 3 Crochet Thread which has a beautiful sheen and is a little thicker than the usual crochet thread (Size 10) making it easier to work with for some.

Maple Leaf Scarf - Crochet Today!

This Maple Leaf Scarf is another one of my designs in the Sept./Oct. issue of Crochet Today!

I designed this scarf to look like so many trees in New England do in the fall.  Rarely are they all one color - Some of the most breathtaking trees are the ones that are full of many colors - green, yellow, orange, rust, bright red, deep red, burgundy. 


My crochet designer friend, Amanda Saladin, designed this Dartmouth Pullover that makes a great backdrop for the scarf.  Amanda designs many beautiful sweaters for Crochet Today! and other magazines (even some knit magazines!).  You can see more of her work on her Ravelry page here and on her website: www.designingcrochet.com.

Kerry Shrug - Prize-winner!

One of our family members works for our city which enables our family to participate in the National Arts Program.  For July and August many wonderful works of art are hanging on the walls of City Hall.  There are paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, crocheted pieces, jewelry and more.

I was so pleased to find out at the Awards Ceremony last week that my Kerry Shrug (Pattern published in Crochet! magazine, Spring 2013, www.crochetmagazine.com) won 2nd Prize in the Professional category.

 

 

All prize-winners had their artwork shown on the screen and were presented the award by the Mayor, Ted Gatsas.

 

My daughters did a great job with their artwork as well - one won an Honorable Mention prize and another won a scholarship to the local Art Center.

Here is their artwork:

 

 

                                                 

Eloise Skirt - Crochet Today!

The Sept/Oct issue of Crochet Today! is available now on newsstands or at www.crochettoday.com.

One of my designs in this magazine is the Eloise Skirt.

 

I crocheted this with Red Heart With Love yarn (Candy Pink) and the Sashay Sparkle (Rhubarb) yarn.  The With Love yarn is very thick so it works up quickly. The Sashay Sparkle has a sparkly metallic thread that runs along the top of the ruffle yarn. The suspenders are removable and the pattern is written for sizes 2T, 3T, 4T and 5T.

Yarn Bomb Highlight #7

Lastly for our group pieces we have the "Little Guy Sweaters".  These pieces were wrapped around the small lights that encircle the large metal sculpture in the center of the courtyard.

The Elkins Public Library Knitters made wonderful projects with many colors and details on each square.  In fact, the pom-poms on this project were part of our scavenger hunt.

 

These projects fit perfectly around a column inside the museum's Community Gallery hallway.

 

 

 

Here are more Little Guy Sweaters with their creators, ages 8 and 11.

 

And a couple of 'sweaters' I made with a Celtic Knot touch. :)

 

Yarn Bomb Highlight #6

The great variety of "Lamp Wraps" were knitted and crocheted by many people.


(Photo: Currier Museum of Art)

This piece was crocheted by my Ladies Night Out Crochet Class at Hobby Lobby.  The students were great - each week they learned a new technique or stitch, worked up a swatch during class and then donated it to "the Bomb". :) Some even worked up more pieces at home during the week.  Once all of their swatches were sewn together, it made a great "sweater" for a lamp pole reaching almost 15 feet in length!

Here Maris and Marie are next to the Lamp Wrap they worked on.  They included pretty spring colors, flowers and even a very creative window with curtains.

 

 Here is another Lamp Wrap from two angles that overlooked the front of the museum.

 

And here they are inside the Museum.

 

                                

 

 

 

Yarn Bomb Highlight #5

The Fiber Studio of Henniker, NH owned by Melanie Connor and Pamela Michie (www.fiberstudio.com) worked up some great Pole Socks that became large stems for flowers just behind the sign project, "Art on Ash".  Shelbie Connor, Brenda Bailey and Norma Hurlbutt contributed greatly to this part of the project.

 

 

This beautiful piece was woven by the Thrums Up Weaving Guild.

Korrena knit this bright green Pole Sock in a wonderfully intricate leaf pattern.  She also works in the museum so we installed her piece in a prominent spot in the Community Gallery.

 

Here are more of the "Pole Socks" hanging inside the Museum.  (Piece on left with butterfly on it)

 

 

A crocheted and woven piece - fantastic!