Paris Baby Set

I'm really excited about my new pattern, the Paris Baby Set. While it did take a lot of hark work, I am happy to have written this pattern in such a way that confident beginners can successfully follow it. I've sometimes seen really fun and interesting color work patterns that lack any color changing instructions and/or only show a chart. If you don't know how to read a chart, you won't be able to complete the pattern! That just wouldn't do for me. I endeavored to write a pattern with clear color change and row by row instructions so it could be accessible to everyone. This meant a lot more work on my part but less work for those who follow my pattern.

Don't you just love the little beret? It took shape exactly as I had hoped. I had a lot of fun writing this pattern, which is good because I am just about to start writing another tapestry pattern! The Paris Set can be found on Craftsy and Ravelry. Je suis très heureuse! 

Friday Focus: Ann D. Angelo

Fall has come to Seattle quite suddenly. There's been lots of rain, lots of wind, and lots of leaves on the ground. It really is true that time passes subjectively faster as you age. I can't believe summer is gone! However, I am excited about all of my autumn favorites. Pumpkin spice lattes, my cat sleeping in her basket by the fireplace, warm cuddles on the couch, baking, and fall tree gazing are all in my future. I even kicked things off by baking banana bread yesterday. Of course, some of the best things about fall are the holidays. Thanksgiving, my birthday (that's a holiday, right?), and *drumroll* Halloween! That night of frights is just around the corner.

Have you thought about crocheting some Halloween decorations? There's still time! If you're looking for a great project, look no further than the splendid creations of Ann D. Angelo. Ann's special stuffies are sure to send a shiver down your spine. Her creepy patterns are detailed and often historical. I find her style to be especially interesting since Ann herself is totally bright, sweet, and peppy. She'll soon have you as charmed as I am!

Who taught you to crochet? How long have you been doing it?
Well, let’s see. At the age of five, while playing dentist with the neighbor boy, I used a crochet hook to remove his filling, which I mistook for a particularly stubborn hunk of food. Although I didn’t technically make anything that day, I think this episode clearly shows that I knew how to use a crochet hook for my own dark and stubborn purposes from very early on.

Meanwhile, to answer the question you actually asked, when I was nine, my best friend and I were summarily informed that we were going to learn crocheting from a woman who had a basement shop in our very tiny downtown. The whole dental work disaster aside, I don’t remember expressing any interest in crocheting before that point, so one of our mothers must have decided that we needed to sit still and stop giggling for a change.

Why do you crochet?
I have a very panicky, nervous, and imaginative brain. I can scarcely even watch TV without thinking about 17 other things at once, 15 of which are going to end with an explosion, a car crash, a failed root canal - something. Crocheting is meditative for me. If I turn on a program and pick up a project, ahh! Peace!

Crochet Favorites
My favorite yarn? Oh boy. This is the part where people say proper things like “Mad Tosh” or “Noro,” right? I am going to horrify fiber enthusiasts everywhere when I say that I actually like working with acrylics. Not kidding. The vast majority of the things I make are amis, so I use acrylics and (occasionally) cotton blends.

As for hooks, I’m a Clover girl, all the way.

What are you working on right now?
At the moment, I am all about Christmas ornaments, not because I am in any particular hurry to get to Christmas, but because I have to be out in front of the holidays with my designs. (Apparently, some people like to start making Christmas ornaments and presents before December 20, which is wonderful and admirable and strange. I usually decide on December 20 that I need to make someone a sweater coat - and then I trick myself into thinking I might actually succeed! One of these years, I am going to turn myself over to Christmas Anonymous so I can get the help I so clearly need!) 

A few finished objects...
I’m a HUGE horror fan, and this is my Nosferatu ami. I am still in love with his enormous hands, because seriously, have you looked at Nosferatu’s hands lately? They’re not even gorilla hands; they’re King Kong hands!

I have been fascinated with the Lizzie Borden case since sixth grade. I have visited her house. I have read books. And now, I have rendered her in yarn. Yar!

I made Merlin & Arthur for a friend’s daughter last Christmas. Every once in awhile, I like to make things that aren’t dark, just to prove I can.

These dolls are so cute and they barely scratch the surface of Ann's amazing collection. My personal favorite is Edgar Allen Poe. She also co-writes a really fun blog. Ann, I dig your "sudden affection for purple"! Purple is THE BEST. Many thanks to our featured crocheter for sharing her work with us today. Happy October!

Best Friend Weekend

I have had so much fun these past few days! My very close friend Amber came up from Boise to visit us from Thursday through Tuesday. Amber and I have been friends since I was in fourth grade and she was in fifth grade. That's almost seventeen years!

Amber and I did many fun things during her visit, not letting the pouring rain prevent us from having a great time. We drank lots of coffee, ate tasty food (if you haven't tried pho you need to), explored the city, and chatted up a storm. Guess what else we did? Crocheted! When Amber asked me to teach her to crochet, I thought I would die of happiness and joyfully obliged her. We even took a trip to the yarn store to pick out some yarn for her first official project. She knows how to knit and loom knit but had never tried crochet before her visit. She is some kind of crochet genius. In just a few days she has learned single crochet, half-double crochet, double crochet, triple crochet, and magic circle/crochet in the round. She practically finished a hat while she was here. Sheesh! When I asked her what she wanted to do during the rainy evenings, she said she wanted to keep crocheting! You know your friend is awesome when she'd rather stay in on a Friday night and crochet with you than go out on the town.

Another awesome thing we did together was go to a concert... a HANSON concert! When we were young we were both obsessed with Hanson. We had the albums. We had the posters. We had the fever. Strangely, neither of us ever went to see them in concert. It might have happened over a decade after the fact, but that concert was totally awesome! They are really great live and the excited nostalgia in the room had me jumping and screaming. I can now check "go to Hanson concert" off of my bucket list!

Their new music is actually pretty good, and they are obviously talented musicians. They all play multiple instruments and sing wonderfully. Check them out! In the meantime, here's a throwback.

 
Happy hooking!

Ribbed Cap

I love Crochet Geek! The videos on her YouTube channel are clear, well-narrated, and she always includes a written pattern along with the video. If you haven't checked her out yet, now is your chance. Today I want to talk about the ribbed cap that I made following this video and pattern. She calls it a "cable cap", but it is really more of a ribbed cap because it does not have true cabling on it. You can do cabling with crochet, it just wasn't done this time.

I loved this pattern because once I got started it moved very quickly. Gotta love a finished object that looks more complex than it really is! Don't spill the beans to people who don't crochet *wink*. If you haven't tried around the post crochet yet, this would be an excellent pattern to start with.

The hat turned out totally yummy and cushion-y. It is also more flexible that other hats patterns I have tried which makes it the perfect gift for someone whose head size is somewhat of a mystery to you. As you can see, I elected to leave off the cuff. I liked the look of the hat so much already that I didn't want to change it! However, this pattern was so enjoyable that I will most likely make it again in the future, perhaps including the cuff. Once you are confident that you have your basics down, don't be afraid to alter patterns. It may not always work out right the first time, but it is important to develop your own personal preferences and style if you are making crochet a lifetime hobby. As you read this blog you will notice that I often alter at least one part of most patterns I follow, even if it is something as small as using a magic circle instead of a chain.

Crochet Sighting

I was at the grocery store when I caught this card in the corner of my eye. I was surprised to see that it was crocheted. It's very pretty.

It seems to be a card and necklace combo, with the crochet being a detachable accessory. At first I was tempted to purchase it for later use. It certainly is cute. Plus c'mon, it's crochet! But before I could snag it I began to question the card's origin. I've mentioned before that crochet isn't as easy to do by machine as knitting, and these rounds and flowers look even and balanced. Perhaps they were done by hand. Can it possibly be cost effective for a company to pay a fair wage for workers to crochet these by hand when the card costs about $7? I didn't think to check the back of the card for a country of origin until I had left the store.

I searched for the card online but couldn't find any information. It very well could have been machine made or made by workers paid a fair wage. I just didn't want to take any chances. This situation has spurred reflection on the cost of goods today. My husband and I have been watching a lot of late 19th century period pieces lately. I mentioned that, though I dislike the emphasis on beauty and purity for women during that time, I do wish that people today did more of the meditative handicrafts that women of that era were accomplished in. He remarked that things cost much more in general back then and it may well have been a better idea to make something yourself rather than purchase it. I feel that this card illustrates this point. Many goods are cheaply made and sold at low prices. This cheapens our enjoyment of them as well. If someone can buy this card for $7, what will they expect to pay for my handmade baby set that required hours of work? Not as much as it's worth I'll bet. 

In my life I am going to strive to purchase fewer things and make those things that I do purchase special, useful, and durable. I think if I want to send someone a crochet necklace I should make it myself since I have the skills and materials to do so. 

What do you think? How do you feel about the cost of goods in general and how that affects the sale of skilled arts and crafts?

Design Seeds

A bad color combination can totally kill an otherwise awesome crochet project. I cringe when I see a finished object that was obviously made with love and skill but is hideous because it is chartreuse, neon pink, and burnt orange all together. Or electric blue with variegated camo-print and crimson.

Likewise, an awesome color combination can really make your hard work shine. If you need extra help picking out colors, read on. I'd like to introduce you to an awesome palette tool: Design Seeds. This website has page after page of delightful color combinations to inspire you and assist you with your next project, crochet or otherwise. You can even search for a particular color using the palette search feature. Here are a few palettes that I find pleasing. Please note that all palettes were created by Design Seeds. Links are provided.

ranunculus tones

purple mountain

macaron hues

flora deep

color stroll

You'll notice that matching any number of colors within the same palette creates a desirable combination. I love that many of the arrangements on the site are inspired by nature, the original color combiner. These palettes inspired me so much that I tooled around a bit and created my own from a picture I took. What do you think? I'll call it "dahlia design". Not as good as the professional palettes, but I had fun!

What are your favorite color combinations? Do you have special tips for color selection? Let us know in the comments.

Friday Focus: Aeron Aanstoos

Y'all know how much I love the ocean. There are plenty of sea-inspired amigurumi patterns out there, but many of them are just so... squidgy. As much as I like cute things, I have to say that I prefer sea creature amigurumi to be more realistic. There is such beauty in a finely made creature, bringing it out of the realm of mere toys and into the realm of art. Forming crochet stitches into the details and shapes that real animals are made up of can be difficult. Lucky for us, Aeron Aanstoos is up to the challenge! Her creatures have just the right balance of cuteness and realism, making them irresistible. Let's focus in on this talented designer.

Who taught you to crochet? How long have you been doing it?
I started crocheting about 7 or 8 years ago. I'm mostly self-taught. I come from a crafting family, but strangely enough I'm the only yarn crafter. Which is probably a good thing, because I don't think the house could hold another yarn stash!

Why do you crochet?
Amigurumi is what got me really hooked on crochet (no pun intended). I'd tried a couple of scarves and started an afghan, but lost interest pretty quickly, probably because they were really dull straight single crochet pieces that were more for practice than anything else. But I got really excited when I learned that I could make adorable stuffed animals, not just squares and rectangles. My first projects - a baby dragon and a chubby Totoro - are still two of my favorites. Once I had a little more experience and confidence, I ventured into designing. I love the challenge, and all the possibilities, of figuring out how to form something three dimensional out of a single length of yarn.

Crochet Favorites
For amigurumi, my new favorite yarn is KnitPicks Brava Bulky.  The colors are beautiful and the consistent lofty texture is perfect for making tight stitches.  Clover Soft Touch crochet hooks are great- I usually use a D or E hook for amigurumi with bulky yarn.  

What are you working on right now?
I'm designing some new whale patterns, but they're on hold while I do some other crafting for upcoming shows. I have a long list of sea creatures to do, and I'm always looking for new ideas. 

**We interrupt this interview for an important message from Sara... Squee! Whale patterns! Yay! Cough, cough, okay back to Aeron.**

A few finished objects... 
Dolphin - One of my favorite animals and so special to me, and I'm very happy with how this pattern turned out. I've had customers crochet this pattern in a variety of colors and they're always adorable. 

Humpback whale - Another one of my favorite animals. This one really comes to life when you add the little French knots on her nose.  

Chambered nautilus - This is my latest sea creature design, and one of the most complicated to design, although it's not too complicated to make. I went through about 8 different shells - on the last one, I colored in the stripes with a marker, then disassembled the whole thing one stitch at a time to write the stripe pattern. It was tedious and a little crazy, but I think the end result is worth it. 

I'll say it was worth it! That nautilus is gorgeous! Aeron is certainly a designer to follow. I can't wait to see those new whale patterns. All of her designs can be found on Ravelry and Etsy. Thanks for sharing your ocean wonders with us today, Aeron!