DFW Fiber Fest 2008-2
Now look what you missed, if you forgot to come to the DFW Fiber Fest! Tim Klein and his yarn car made an appearance at lunchtime on Sunday. “What happens when it rains?” asked one admirer.
“It’s all washable yarn, so the rain doesn’t hurt it,” said Mr. Klein. “I dry it by driving fast.”
Here’s Mr. Klein, holding the door for the fabulous Margaret Hubert. He whisked her off to lunch with a few other fiber fanatics.
Mrs. Hubert is the author of several books on crochet, including the one below, which I bought. I asked her to sign it for me, and she said she was always glad to sign books for people. Margaret is a lovely person.
The book gives patterns for twenty garments, mostly tops and jackets plus a poncho and a wrap. Margaret also gives tips on customizing the fit of garments. When the teachers got together at lunch one day, she was talking about teaching classes on how to fit garments correctly. Designers must use standard measurements when writing patterns. Unfortunately, she said, “not many women are standard sizes.” So we have to learn how to adjust patterns to fit us better.
I have made my own patterns and adjusted patterns for years, but I would love to take a fitting workshop from her, and get the benefit of her experience. I couldn’t, because I was teaching, too, but I know other people enjoyed her workshops, because they were singing her praises on Ravelry.
The Fiber Fest organizers make it a point to have nationally known teachers at the Fest. I think it offers knitters and crocheters the best of all worlds–great teachers with smaller classes and a relaxed atmosphere that is much more relaxing than the huge knitting conventions elsewhere in the country. So mark it on your calendars for April 2009!
I’m Back!
Okay, so I never upgraded my WordPress blogging software, since this blog started in March 2005. I know better now–and I’ve discovered a fabulous new plug-in that makes it easy to upgrade. Yay!
Last month I started a new blog for my book. It’s in a different file and everything, so I thought I could run both blogs just fine. Until…..
A few days after the new blog started, Suzann’s TextileFusion just disappeared! The error screen said it might be under maintenance, or it might have a programming error. Oh NO!
It took me ages to figure out how to back up my databases, etc. I dreaded uploading the new WordPress, because it takes forever when you have to do it by hand.
But finally, I’m back. And I’m glad. I missed my old blog.
It will take me a while to get it customized again–pink and gray with the knitted header–but I’ll get there. In the meantime–I’m so glad to see you all again!
Mothers Day 2008
My sweet daughters picked me a bouquet of Texas wildflowers for Mother’s Day. My usual reaction to our wildflowers is “Pink Evening Primroses are my favorite! …except for Gaillardia…and Wine Cups are my favorite, too…and I really like Horsemint…and I love the Indian Paintbrush!” Really, they’re all my favorites.
Gaillardia is also known as Indian Blanket and Fire Wheel, and it’s the inspiration for the “Fire Wheel” in Crochet Bouquet (page 83). The Fire Wheels in the book are acidly bright. The real flower has two-tone petals of orangey-red with yellow on the outside edges.
Here’s my Fire Wheel with fairly life-like colors among the real thing. Next time I’m going to use a more saturated yellow.
The “O” in “Crochet”
Thank you to Susie for asking the first question on “Curious and Crafty Readers” about Crochet Bouquet. She wanted to make the red flower that takes the place of the ‘O’ in ‘Crochet’ on the book cover (it also appears on page 11).
I used red Cascade’s Lana Grande, a very bulky yarn, for the flower. The pattern is the Five-Petal Traditional Rose (page 97), worked through Round 5.
The sepals are made with Lion Brand Incredible. The sepal pattern is part of the Fire Wheel (page 84). The yellow Simple Center (page 34) is Lion Brand Fun Fur.
Let me tell you about the other yarns that appear in “Crocheted Flower Basics.”
- Page 8, top flower. Merino Tape from Colinette. Here are a couple of Primrose Layers flowers done in Merino Tape. It’s such fun yarn! The flowers are pretty big, though.
- Page 8, second from the top, is Lion Brand’s Incredible ribbon. The third flower is a very old yarn from my stash, and the orange flower is a synthetic raffia.
- Page 9, orange flower is Caron International’s Simply Soft Boucle, and the other is Caron’s Pizazz. Both are very bulky.
- Page 10, the turquoise flower at the top is Merino Style from Knit Picks.
- Pages 11 and 12. The flowers that illustrate different kinds of stamens are Magallones from Araucania Yarns.
Sunflowers, Workshop, Signings
I met a lady on Ravelry who has already crocheted several flowers from Crochet Bouquet, including the “Sunflower on a Grid.” (Her Ravelry tag is iCrochetiCreate.)
I worked out the pattern for that flower on the long drive from our house to Alpine, Texas. My husband went to a conference there, and I got to tag along. * I crocheted and ripped and crocheted some more and took notes. * Rep bet *s several times.
Finally the proportions were just right, and I crocheted it all in black Euroflax Sport. Why black? Because the inspiration for this flower was all black.
The Grammar of Ornament, by Owen Jones (Dover Publications), is one of my favorite design books. Right there on the bottom right corner of “Plate 1: Ornament from Oceania,” is this design, which looks like it might have been from a piece of bark cloth. I have admired those flowers and the colors for years. “Sunflower on a Grid” is my interpretation of that design.
The black flower didn’t make it into the book, because black is very difficult to photograph. Sometime in the summer, I’ll post a project that uses the black “Sunflower on a Grid” and takes advantage of the grid for a special effect.
Workshop and Book Signings: Hope to See You There!
I’m teaching a crochet flower class at the Estes Park Wool Market, June 13, 2008, in Colorado. We’ll practice several unusual crochet techniques from Crochet Bouquet, including how to use padding threads. By the time we’re done, you’ll have a bunch of pretty crocheted flowers. Check the sidebar for more information.
Crochet Bouquet book signings:
- Dublin Public Library, May 10, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Dublin, Texas.
- Hastings Books, May 24, 1 to 4 p.m., Stephenville, Texas.
- Showers of Flowers yarn shop, June 10, Denver, Colorado.
Inspired by Irish Crochet
I can’t remember now exactly when and how I found out about Irish Crochet Lace, but it was love at first sight. The detailed, imaginative crocheted flowers and leaves amazed me, and they are the original inspiration for Crochet Bouquet.
This piece used to be a jacket. At least I think it was, because the armholes are so ragged. It looks like someone cut away the sleeves. It’s still a great piece. The heavily textured flowers contrast so nicely with the lacy background.
Here’s a photo with a tape measure, to give you an idea of the scale of these flowers. The main flower in the photo is about 2-1/2 inches across, and it has hundreds of tiny stitches in it. And to make it even more impressive, the people who made the Irish Crochet that was sold were often children. They probably copied the motifs from a sample—no written patterns!
You can download old Irish Crochet patterns from the Antique Pattern Library. There’s also a Yahoo group by the same name: Antique Pattern Library on Yahoo. If you prefer to have a book, some publishers, including Dover Publications, have reprinted some of the old books. You can find Irish Crochet Lovers groups on Yahoo and Ravelry.
Ray Flower Placemats and Napkins
The Ray Flower is sweet when you work it up in a tiny thread like DMC’s Cebelia No. 20. I used dark and light shades of blue and a contrasting golden. Feel free to use colors that match your china or kitchen decor.
I sewed the flowers on my placemats. Using fabric glue is another option. With a stiff paintbrush, spread a thin layer of adhesive on the back of the flower, making sure to coat each petal to the edge. Then press in place. I really like GemTac fabric glue, but there are many other good glues on the market.
Ray Flower Placemats and Napkins
You Will Need
- the Ray Flower pattern from Crochet Bouquet
- 3 colors of size 20 crochet cotton (I used DMC’s Cebelia No. 20, 100% Cotton, 405yd/370.5m per ball)
- Hook: Size 7/1.65mm steel hook
- Purchased placemats and napkins
- Sewing needle and thread or fabric glue
- Pins
Instructions
- For each placemat, crochet one large and two small Ray Flowers (page 31 of Crochet Bouquet), changing colors as desired or using the photograph as a guide.
- For each napkin, crochet one small Ray Flower.
- Arrange flowers on placemat and napkin, and sew or glue in place.
Crochet Bouquet is Early!
Welcome Dear Readers! I am thrilled you found this blog, because it could mean you have started reading my new book, Crochet Bouquet. This is the site I mentioned in the book, where you can ask questions, make comments, and post photos of the projects you’ve made with my flower patterns.
The original release date of Crochet Bouquet was May 6, but the UPS Guy brought my copies yesterday. I’m guessing that Barnes & Noble, amazon.com, and other retailers will soon have the book in stock.
Oh no–I thought I had about three more weeks to get this blog up and running! Well, it probably will take me that long to smooth and polish all the rough edges. Then you’ll be able to register and post to this blog. In the meantime, please leave a comment if you have any questions or, well…comments!
I will post regularly, with more ideas on how to use crocheted flowers on clothing and home accessories and more. And I’ll let you know when and where I will be signing books or teaching workshops.
Come back on April 20th to see a pretty placemat and napkin set that uses the Ray Flower.
Until then, Happy Crocheting!
DFW Fiber Fest 2008-1
Our wisteria bloomed at the end of March. We loved going in and out of the house, so we could admire the abundant flowers and breathe their sweet scent. I wish I could attach that smell to this post, so you could enjoy it, too!
When the wisteria blooms, I know that the DFW Fiber Fest will be coming up soon. This year it was very, very soon–like last weekend. The market was bigger this year, with lots of hand-dyed yarns. It is big enough to give you lots of variety, but small enough to be pleasant and calm.
I taught two workshops: how to make polymer clay buttons on Friday, and seamless argyles on Sunday. Both classes were small, which I really like. It means everybody gets more attention, and it’s much calmer. I like calmness. Can you tell?
Sharon, Jane, and Doreen made these argyle sock in the round. It’s an advanced technique, and they did well. It’s normally a very quiet class (except for people whispering to themselves), because people have to concentrate hard. But we did manage to discuss some options for improving the class.
They wanted to finish a sock, and suggested expanding the class to 9 or 12 hours. Convention organizers don’t usually like this option, because participants don’t like to invest that much of their precious workshop time with one technique or teacher that they may end up not enjoying. I understand that completely.
Another option was to make a smaller sock. The one we make now will fit an average foot, and makes a good sock for around the house. A smaller sock might fit a kid. This may be the way to go for big conferences. Guilds, on the other hand, might go for a longer workshop, over a weekend, possibly.
Now, imagine a yarn-covered car and stay tuned for more DFW Fiber Fest.
Animal Kingdom Knitting
This is the last report from Disney World, and it’s a good thing, too. We’ve been back for two-and-a-half weeks already! And, I need to tell you about the DFW Fiber Fest. If you missed it–poor you!
Back to Animal Kingdom. By the time we got to the Mt. Everest Expedition ride, the wait time was already 45 minutes or so. We made the best of it, talking and admiring the authentic looking expedition station. Snowshoes, skis, and other snow equipment hung from walls and ceilings as if a group of explorers might come in at any moment.
Among the cold weather equipment, we saw these colorfully striped and patterned socks. After a few more bends in the long line, we walked under these crazy-color, knitted gloves. They looked handmade to me.
It was worth the wait. In addition to the lovely socks and gloves, the ride was thrilling.
Animal Kingdom and Epcot Center were the group’s favorite Disney parks, but I’m ending these spring break reports with a sight from the Magic Kingdom: flowers from a float that was in the night parade.