Fiber Friends Are The Best!

I looooove my fiber groups. It is such a joy to create alongside fun, friendly, and talented people. If you aren't a member of any fiber groups yet, you should totally check them out! There are many opportunities through local yarn stores, Crochet Guild of America, and Meetup.

I attend two weekly fiber groups. On Tuesday nights a bunch of folks who live in my apartment complex get together to crochet and knit. Most of them do both. I have made some good friends in that group! We have so much fun chatting and sharing our projects. It's a fabulous beginning to my week. Then on Sunday afternoons I chill at Uptown Espresso in South Lake Union with the Rainy Sunday Knitters. I am the most avid crocheter there, though a few of them crochet now and again. These ladies are so talented and have many years of experience. They've totally adopted me into their circle and I'm so pleased about it!

My fiber friends are everything awesome I mentioned above -- and generous, too! Take a look at the things they've given me. I promise I'm not bragging, it's just important for me to recognize others when they give me gifts. My yarn drawers are certainly satisfied...

Katie from my Tuesday night group recently spent a few weeks traveling Europe with her husband. I watched her kitty while they were gone. To thank me they brought me some Lettlopi! I'm really excited to use it on Sonja van der Wijk's patterns. They also gave me some soap and a fun kitchen towel.

My friend Toni from the Rainy Sunday Knitters gave me some luxury yarn that she acquired at Vogue Knitting Live. As you can see, I've already been playing with the Rowan. She also got a gift certificate for books that she shared with the whole group. Isn't that kind of her? I can't wait to get my two books, one on scarves and another on Noro yarn.

Vicki, also from Rainy Sunday Knitters, came in the other day and set this huge bag of bulky weight yarns next to me. Whoa! That's a lot of yarn. She wasn't using it and wanted to share the love. I'm still trying to pick a pattern or two for it. Have any suggestions?

Thank you so much Katie, Toni, and Vicki!

It's Official! Crochet is Good for Your Health

Need another excuse for hooking your hours away? Crochet is good for you. Science says so!

Awesome article. Also, it's totally adorable how all of my friends who knit and crochet have been squeeing about these findings all over my email inbox and Facebook feed. Fiber folks unite!

Friday Focus: Carol Wolf

I love how crochet unites people from many different places. I'm not just talking about geographic locations. Crochet unites people of all different ages and backgrounds, too. I've met and connected with so many amazing people through crochet who I never would have known otherwise. There are so many talented people out there! It's incredible. I love seeing what others are creating. It's like a positive escalator of mutual passion that lifts all of us up.

Carol Wolf is a very talented woman. She has 50 patterns available on Ravelry of all different types, from clothes to accessories to home decor. Her crochet work is classy and classic. And guess what? She does it all just for the fun of it. All of her patterns are available for free. It takes a special person to put in all of those hours of work for the benefit of others without asking anything in return. Let's show Carol how much we appreciate her generosity by taking some time to get to know her today.

Who taught you to crochet? How long have you been doing it?
My mother taught me to crochet when I was about 14 years old.  I was immediately intrigued and started making my own patterns for sleeveless tops.

I have been crocheting now for 48 years!  Of course, there were times when my enthusiasm waned a little.  After the big crochet frenzy in the 1960's,  the look simply went out of style.  But when my two girls were small, I enjoyed making little skirt and jacket ensembles for them.  I really resumed my crochet in earnest when my husband and I traveled the country in our RV for seven years.  Crochet is imminently portable and it provided me with a wonderful hobby while traveling.

Why do you crochet?
What can I say?  I am simply a fiber-aholic!  When I was in high school I loved anything that that had to do with fabric and sewing.  I made most of my own clothing.   Once I discovered crochet however, I realized that it was much easier to design in yarn.  It is also much more affordable and satisfies my need to make something with my own two hands.

Crochet Favorites
When it comes to crochet hooks, I have always preferred the Susan Bates metal hooks.  Not only do they come in the yummiest colors, but the in-line construction avoids the snagging that I get with the Boye hooks.  Of course, I've tried many other types but consistently find myself back with Susan!  For Tunisian Crochet, I really love the Denise Interchangeable Crochet Hooks.  These hooks also have the in-line construction that I prefer.

Trying to identify a favorite yarn is impossible!  The market is constantly changing and some of my favorites have long been discontinued.  However, I might state that I prefer a sport or fingering weight yarn.  Crochet has a somewhat bad rap for producing garments that are awkward and bulky.  I find that the thinner weight yarns result in a more attractive fabric for clothing.

My favorite crochet book of all time is Glorious Crochet Sweaters by Nola Theiss.  The patterns and color-work in this book are simply amazing.  While the book was published in 1989 and features the over-sized  sweaters that were in style during that decade,  the designs are truly timeless.  There is a lot of inspiration in that book.

What are you working on right now?
I saw a knitted sweater pattern recently that had a knotted short sleeve.  I thought that this was a beautiful detail so I am trying to recreate this pattern in crochet.  Of course, I will have to use lace-weight yarn since knotting the sleeve will cause extra bulk.  Not long ago I took a Pattern Grading Class from Kim Guzman.  This class teaches you how to make garments in different sizes.  I thought I might try to apply some of what I've learned to this new project.

A few finished objects...
Heart Throb Tote: I had been working on a scrap yarn pillow that used the spike stitch and got the idea that this stitch looked like an EKG.  One idea led to another and the Heart Throb Tote pattern was born.  This pattern is worked in tapestry crochet.

Pietra Shrug: This pattern is free on my blog, Wolf Crochet.  It is much easier than it looks and keeps you interested while you are working.  One size fits all.

Mien Hut: This little hat ( Mein Hut means “my hat” in German ) was so much fun to make!  It works up quickly but the key is to use a nice stiff cotton worsted.  The buckle is simply 2 plastic rings covered in crochet.

To check out the rest of Carol's pattern selection, visit her Ravelry page. In addition to her blog mentioned above, you can also catch up with her on her Facebook page. Thank you so much for visiting with us today, Carol!

'Apelila Headpiece

In addition to the two crochet/knitting groups I attend each week in real life, I am also a member of several online crochet communities. The one I'm most active in, r/crochet, is having an Aloha April Contest this month. Since Alex grew up in Hawaii and some of our fondest memories are those we made during our 2013 visit to Oahu and the Big Island, I knew I had to participate. One of the users there, SassySSS, is an amazing crocheter who is super generous. She's offering delightful prizes to the contest winners. The only rule is that the project must be made with 200 grams of yarn or less. My project ended up being an amalgamation of two different patterns plus a good deal of my own imagining. I call it my 'Apelila Headpiece, or "April Headpiece".

 

The plumeria pattern is available for free on June Gilbank's website. The idea for the headpiece came from this pattern, but I didn't end up using any of the instructions. Instead, I made up my own leaves and white flowers. The white flowers are meant to be stephanotis, the dark leaves are maile and the light leaves are 'olapa.

Is it weird that I don't really care whether or not I place in the contest? I had fun crocheting and that's all that matters. Normally I'm a freestyle girl in both crochet and poetry and like choose my projects based on things that inspire me, but sometimes it's nice to be constrained as I would when writing a haiku or similar. It was a fun change to fit someone else's theme.

This contest has been so fun that I really want to pay it forward and host my own contest on r/crochet sometime soon. I'll let you know when and if I do that. :)

Unexpected Crochet Find

Adult life is full of so many boring must-dos. You must do the dishes. You must make a dentist appointment. You must take care of paperwork. Recently Alex and I were taking care of a must-do -- signing a lease renewal in our apartment complex office. While signing papers about money, cleaning mold, and not letting our cat ruin everything, I spied a bit of color in the corner of the desk. It was a crochet chevron blanket!

Our complex is super pet friendly. Apparently these cards are available for pet owners to fill out about their animals. That Russian Blue looks super pleased to be perched on that blanket. This little bit of unexpected crochet brightened my day and made our must-do a little less boring. Huzzah!

Friday Focus: Twinkie Chan

The Seattle sky has been taunting us lately. We recently had a few of the loveliest, brightest, clearest days ever. Alex and I took walks in the sun, admired the flowers, and smiled at the children playing in the fountain... and then the rain came back and took away everything we love. Okay, so maybe I'm being a bit dramatic, but the clouds are back and it's been cold and sad again. Boo.

If only there was some way to bring color and excitement into this cloudy Friday. Something bright, fun, and sweet. A ray of sunshine and happiness. Oh, hey! Guess what? The day has been saved. Not by something but by someone. This person needs no introduction because I can't possible do them justice, but I'll try my best all the same. Today on Illuminate Crochet we have none other than the amazing Twinkie Chan here to visit us! Twinkie is a super accomplished lady. She's written some of the sweetest (pun intended!) patterns available. She's a published crochet author, a designer, an online shopkeeper, a blogger, and more. Her style is unique and imminently enviable. Here she is to tell us all about what it's like to be a crochet maven.

Who taught you to crochet? How long have you been doing it?
My best friend's grandmother taught us both to crochet when I was about ten years old, so I have been crocheting on and off for about 28 years. I started to crochet more purposefully and prolifically in 2005, and that's when I first launched twinkiechan.com.

Why do you crochet?
I crochet because I love yarn! Yarn is so beautiful and squishy and colorful and comforting. Crocheting is portable, and I can take my work wherever I go. It's how I can turn the crazy ideas in my head into a cute reality.

Crochet Favorites
My favorite weight for yarn is worsted weight, and I work with Lion Brand Vanna's Choice a lot for items in my Etsy shop. Deborah Norville's Everyday Worsted also has an incredible and vivid color palette. I tend to shy away from fancy/luxury yarn, because it would make the cost of my shop items too high, but I still love to admire everything in my local yarn shop! My favorite hook is the Susan Bates with a bamboo handle. 

What are you working on right now?
I'm usually working on more than one project at once, because I have terrible project-ADD! I'm currently finishing up a top secret scarf sample for my mass brand, "Yummy You! by Twinkie Chan," and I also just finished up my pattern for Kitty Donut hair pieces. I think my next move is going to be finally finishing the pattern for a Circus Animal Cookie scarf! That's been on my to-do list for 2 years! 

A few finished objects...
Cupcake Scarf - My crocheted cupcake scarf was probably my most popular item when I first got started. This piece went through several incarnations before looking like it does now, which is the pattern that's in my first crochet book that came out in 2010. These days, lots of other people are making them, but I always have a soft spot for it! 

Kitty Donuts: These kitty donuts are a brand new item for me, and I just finished the pattern to use as whimsical hair pieces. They are based on donuts from Japan that come in all sorts of animal decorations, like frogs, pandas, piggies, anything you can think of!

Mini Chocolate Bunny: I just finished the pattern for mini chocolate bunnies, and the pattern is currently available for free on my blog. They are really versatile and great for pins, hair clips, Easter basket-stuffers, necklace pendants, ornaments, etc!

So presh! How kind of Twinkie to share her bunny pattern for free on her blog. These adorable examples barely scratch the surface of her pattern catalog. You really need to check out all of the sweet and savory goodness yourself! Twinkie Chan and her designs can be found on her website, her blog, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. If you are looking for finished objects and other goodies, Yummy You is the place to be to score some fabulous stuff. Thank you so much for joining us today, Twinkie! You chased the rainy blues away.

Edit: Oh my gosh! Twinkie really did chase the rain away! It was supposed to be yucky today but it's actually pretty nice out right now. Yay!

More Media Crochet Sightings

How I do love Netflix. Know what I love even more? Finding crochet gems hidden in shows and movies! Have a gander at what I've spotted lately.

Here's a double sighting in COG, a movie based on some David Sedaris stories. It was a difficult movie, but interesting too. Notice the granny square blanket on the couch as well as the doily on the back of the chair.

Here's another granny square blanket on the back of a couch in an episode of Parks and Recreation. 

And what is this? Yet another granny square blanket draped over a chair in Take This Waltz. I just keep finding granny squares everywhere.

Here's a black and red chevron blanket I noticed while watching The Shipping News. 

Here's another The Shipping News sighting. This blanket was absolutely gorgeous. I couldn't capture its beauty with a screenie though I tried several times. It made me wish I had a pattern for it!

That's all for now. If you find any exciting crochet in your favorite shows and movies, feel free to send along a screen cap!