Dangling Doily

Short post today. I was out at a shop recently when I saw this interesting example of crochet. It was a tiny motif inside a glass case on a chain.

I love the interesting ways that crochet has been incorporated into fashion lately. What examples have you seen?

Hook to Heal by Kathryn Vercillo

Kathryn Vercillo, one of the most supportive and active voices in the crochet community, has just released her new book, Hook to Heal.

This is her second book on the health benefits of crochet, which she is an expert on. What makes this book unique is its goal of providing you with the most health benefits possible by guiding you through activities. If you've struggled with anything lately, big or small, Kathryn's new book can help you use your crochet time to its best stress-relieving advantage. Thank you for putting more good things out into the world, Kathryn!

Flower Your City with CausticWear

So, today is my birthday. Yay! I am older (*gasp* 29), hopefully wiser? Definitely no less likely to wear my hair in pigtail braids or pick up jeans off of the floor to wear them again. Wanna know what I love? Flowers! I am a girly girl, indeed. Today for my birthday I want to tell you about the flowers of a friend of mine, Lauren.

Lauren is something of a VIT, or Very Important Tester. She's one of a few who have been with me since the beginning and whose support and help I value very much. She is something of a crochet flower expert.

Guess what? She's got a new project going that you can get in on. It's a collaborative paperwhite flower project. Make sure to get in on it by the due date of December 12th!

Join in on my latest yarnbomb collaboration! Check @naomirag's feed for the pattern. Repost from @naomirag "Don't you just love a hashtag! Production across the world is charging ahead. There still time to join in. Deadline Dec 12th #paperwhiteyarnbomb Even if you can only manage one! Thanks to @causticwear for this pattern 💛💛💛💛💛💛"

A photo posted by Lauren Schoener (@causticwear) on Nov 17, 2015 at 1:45pm PST

Knit Fit 2015

How was your weekend? Mine was great! I had a chance to go to a special annual Seattle fiber event called Knit Fit with some good friends. I am so very lucky to live in an area where fiber culture is alive and strong. Sooz, Lindley, Hilary, and I met for a delicious lunch and a visit to the fiber market at Knit Fit.
There were also knitting classes available, but I didn't catch any this time around. Sooz enjoyed her classes on knitting for health and Portuguese knitting. There weren't any crochet classes offered. Maybe I should change that? :p It's sometimes hard to go to events that exclude crochet, even now that I know how to knit. However, nothing will change unless folks like you and me get out there and change it. We love fiber, too!

Wow, I have digressed... Here's a bit about my time at the market. I met some super awesome people!

One of the first booths I stopped at belonged to Three Fates Yarns, who I've interviewed here on the blog. 

 Just look at those gorgeous colors!

I also met and chatted with Dave of Dave Yocom's Wood Creations. His yarn bowls are absolutely lovely and he makes them all himself. Such a friendly and talented guy!

Look at this intensely creative interactive wall put up by Hazel Knits. They had each yarn color on a magnet so that you could make your own color scheme easily. So neat!

I was so happy to finally meet Cory Ellen Boberg of Indie Knits. She's simultaneously a local legend and a friend of those in my fiber circles, and she was every bit as wonderful as I had heard. 

Cory had many inspiring knitting patterns available for purchase at the market.

After looking for evidence of crochet all day and wondering if I'd have to leave disappointed, Meg ran in from the rain wearing one of her personally designed dresses.

Look how lovely the crochet elements are!

It was a terrific time all around. I am thinking about how I might want to get involved next year. Hmmm... In the meantime, here's one last picture. It's a weird one that I took after coming in from the cold. My camera lens was all foggy! 

Ultimate Crochet Gift List: Ideas for Moms, Boyfriends, Best Friends, and more!

As crafters we know that the holiday season is almost upon us. You've probably already started making gifts (if that's something you're into), but you may still be stumped as to what you'd like to make for a certain person. Maybe you feel like you've already made them everything possible for past holidays. Fear not! Finding gift ideas for the holidays and beyond should now be a cinch! I have just put my blood, sweat, and tears into what I hope is the Ultimate Crochet Gift List.

This list is divided into two sections. First you'll see the complete list of all items divided by category. Please note that the list items are broad. For example, "scarf" may be a single list item. However, there are a lot of different types of scarves that include infinity scarves, scarflettes, traditional scarves, etc. I kept the list broad so that it wouldn't get too long.

Next you'll find a series of targeted lists made to help you find a gift for a specific person. Please note that some lists are gendered. This doesn't mean that I believe everyone of a certain gender would like certain things, and I would never endorse judging others for their personal tastes. I simply put together some lists in the hopes that they would be helpful for some folks.

Ultimate Crochet Gift List

Accessories: Head
hat, ear warmer, headband, scoodie, hooded cowl, hair bow, snood, bonnet, collar, earrings

Accessories: Neck
scarf, tie, bow tie, cowl, cape, wrap, shawl, necklace

Accessories: Hands
gloves, mittens, wristbands, wrist warmers, fingerless gloves, arm warmers, bracelet

Accessories: Feet
socks, slippers, boot toppers, leg warmers, barefoot sandals, stockings, anklet

Accessories: To Carry
purse, tote bag, device case, messenger bag, market bag, coin purse, backpack 

Accessories: Other
belt, pin, willy warmer (NSFW)

Clothing
sweater, cardigan, bolero, jacket, vest, dress, skirt, shorts, top

Home Goods
throw blanket, full-sized blanket, baby blanket, throw pillow, basket, bowl, pocket organizer, ottoman/pouf, tissue box holder, cushion, rug, doormat, valance, pin cushion, stool/chair cover, doorstop, paperweight

Kitchen and Dining
tea cosy, dish scrubbies, hanging towles, dish cloths, place mats, centerpiece, table runner, napkin ring, pot holder, edged towels, edged napkins

Bath
wash cloths, bath mat, hot water bottle cover, makeup remover pads, toilet lid cover, soap cover, loofah, drawer caddie

Toys
crown, superhero cape, mask, stuffed animal, amigurumi, tent, play food, crinkle toy, game set, ball, stuffed animal net, themed play set

Decorations
doily, ornament, stocking, garland, wreath, framed art, freeform art, vase/jar cover, candle holder, hanging plant holder, faux flowers/potted plant, covered rocks

Other
bookmark, parasol, hand fan, collar, leash, pet bed, cat cave, lidded box

knitPro

I know I've been on a tool kick lately, but I have one more that I'd like to share with you. knitPro is a cool graphing program for colorwork that lets you upload your own photos and turn them into a graph pattern. To give you an example of how well it works, I uploaded this picture that I took in college:

Here's the resulting graph on the "Regular" size setting:

Not too shabby! Let's try another.

Here's the graph.

Good attention to detail in this program! This is definitely a program I would recommend if you wanted to do highly detailed colorwork. Why not try it out? I think the biggest challenge would be selecting the colors necessary for the design. What do you think?

Crochet Coloring Page

Coloring pages have become really popular lately. I've always enjoyed coloring for fun, perhaps as a side effect of having a Master's in Teaching :) When I was a substitute teacher I always brought coloring sheets along for unexpected moments, even for high schoolers. Some of my favorite coloring books are authored by Ruth Heller. I have cats, flowers, and geometric designs. In fact, I once did an impromptu first grade math lesson with a cat coloring page when I didn't get any sub plans!

About a month ago I decided to draw up my own coloring page to give to you and I've finally gotten around to it! I'm not an expert at drawing, but I think it turned out pretty cute anyway :) Also, I'm allllllmost ready to tell you about all of the secret crocheting that has been taking up my time. Almost! In the meantime, here is a cool crochet coloring page for you! To print the picture, right click it and select "View Image." The image should pop up all on its own for you to zoom in on and print. For an even larger file size, visit this imgur link.

Qualities of Yarn and Fibers: Part Two

Hey there! This is Part Two of my yarn qualities chat. In the first part I shared a chart on fiber-specific qualities. Here's the accompanying chart about yarn-specific qualities. If you have any questions, be sure to ask them in the comments!