Lately I’ve been swatching like a crazy person.  Crocheting peacefully in my favorite spot is a great antidote for all the snow days we have had the past month.

I am attempting to get lots of new proposals created, as well as working out more designs for some self-publishing projects. Unfortunately, I can’t really show you what I’ve been working on. It’s the super secret aspect of this designing journey.  So strange, I’ve got loads of crochet stuff happening, but rarely can share about that on my blog…which is supposed to be primarily about crochet design.

I can share with all my lovely readers about my latest new designs that are in the June 2013 issue of Crochet World.

Photo courtesy of Crochet World / Annie’s Publishing

The Butterfly Days Baby Set, which is a snuggly blanket and cardigan for your favorite little one. This is an easy stitch pattern worked with a lively yarn to create a very cushiony but breathable fabric to keep the chill of air-conditioning off baby.

Photo courtesy of Crochet World / Annie’s Publishing

And the Sea & Sand Necklace, a fun simple-to-make beaded crochet project that will look great with summer necklines. I designed this using Paton’s Silk Bamboo blend thread. I like silk and silk blends for jewelry as it is a very strong fiber and tends to hold up better to wear. Plus there is the gleam of the fiber and the way it holds color.

This issue of Crochet World is available in electronic version already and will be on newsstands very soon.

Sometimes staying up late is hard to resist. It is one of the few times my household is actually quiet.

Everyone besides me is asleep, including the dogs. The only sound is the humming of my computer and the refrigerator and an occassional pop from the wood in the fire. The quiet is so peaceful it is like the world is just breathing.

It’s a great time to get lots of work done. I can write or crochet without any interruptions. Often times I experience a flood of creativity and may spend 2-3 hours madly sketching and noting down design ideas.

It’s been snowing the past 3 days and we have gotten over 2 feet of the cold fluffy stuff. The snow makes the world even quieter. I took these pictures last night because everything looked so calm out the window.

Almost looks like a Christmas scene, which is appropriate, since I spent yesterday working on proposals for Winter magazine issues. Maybe that is why I have a much easier time designing cold season items. It is a bit difficult to be in the mind-set for warm or hot weather living at this altitude.

Most of my readers here in the US are currently experiencing above freezing temperatures or warmer, while my backyard was a balmy 19F at the time of my little photo session last night.

I took another photo this morning before the icicles could get broken. You may not be able to tell, but it was still snowing. As I write this it continues to snow and the temperature has gotten all the way up to 20F.

All this snow is great inspiration for warm and cozy crochet projects like hats, wraps and mittens.  Who knows, by the time the rest of the country is back in wintery weather, I may have a few of these inspirations in magazines for the season.

Sorry for going a bit quiet on all my lovely readers. The last bit of March went flying by as it was Spring Break for my boys and since then it’s been madness.

For one thing, the weather up here on my mountain doesn’t seem able to make up it’s mind. First it’s 60+ temperatures (farenheit for those of my non-US readers) with loads of mud everywhere, then it’s 6-10 inches of snow and below freezing temps.

A few weekends back was Easter, which my family tends to celebrate as the beginning of spring. For the first time, in a long while, we actually had a warm weather day here on the mountain to celebrate my favorite Spring holiday. Generally we are still contending with just above freezing. Our egg hunts are either conducted indoors or wearing full winter gear.

I’ve been working away on much of the book-keeping tasks that seem to be neglected until tax time rolls around again. Every year I promise myself that I will do a better job of keeping up with that job. So far I’ve not done a stellar job with meeting that promise.

Of course, the good news is, each year the amount of book-keeping work increases as my design, writing and teaching work load increases. As my darling friend Pam says, it is a “quality problem”. Who knows, 2013 may well be the year I finally hire someone to do the book-keeping for me. That might whip me into shape.

Speaking of getting into shape. My birthday resolution of improving my health is coming closer to my grasp. I’ve been working on developing the habit of going to bed before midnight. Amazing what getting decent sleep does for one’s attitude overall, not to mention the improvement in energy during the day.

I’m also exercising more each day. Some days it is just 1/2 an hour of dancing in my living room to my favorite disco tunes. This is really entertaining to do when my children are home after school. Who knew one could embarrass their children when no one is around? Wait til I dance in the grocery store aisle when shopping with them.

I’ve been reading a rather inspiring book that one of my PJ Jam friends recommended. “Younger Next Year for Women; Live Strong, Fit and Sexy – Until You’re 80 and Beyond ” by Chris Crowley & Henry S. Lodge, M.D.

The book is really reiterating some of the info I already knew about keeping active and involved in life to stay healthy. Written with a rather humorous voice at times I have been finding it entertaining, as well as motivating me to get off my duff and get active again.

I will be going to see my medical doctor soon for an evaluation as part of my fitness program. Partly because I hope to repeat the appointment in a year and see an improvement.  My 50th birthday is only 6 months away now, so I’m thinking that will be my first milestone to shoot for.

It would be lovely to walk up my own driveway by then without feeling winded. And in case you are thinking I’m really a wuss for being winded going up my drive, it’s a very steep drive and I live at nearly 8500 feet above sea-level.

Photo courtesy of Red Heart

Meanwhile I have a few new designs out. Flowered Wedding Favor Box is worked in thread and is quick to stitch up. Work the flowers in your wedding colors, or make one trimmed box to hold a gift for Mom this Mother’s day.

Photo courtesy of Red Heart

And if you missed the issue of Crochet World that had my Button Showcase Bracelet in it, you can now find the pattern on the Red Heart Website.

I hope you are all enjoying your Spring and finding time for some outdoor play to balance your crochet time.

As part of  National Crochet Month I thought it would be very appropriate to talk about something very dear to my heart as an active member of the CGOA: The CGOA Design Competition.

Last year was the first year that I played a major role in the Design Competition. Shari White and I were asked by Doris Chan at the 2011  Greensboro, NC show to step in as Co-chairs for 2012 with an eye toward Doris reducing her involvement (or more rightly, maintaining her sanity, Shari and I are still scratching our heads about how much Doris had been doing on her own).

It has been a wonderful experience as well as very educational. One of the things that I have learnt is how hard we can all be on ourselves.  Lots of folks seem to be afraid to enter the Design Competition because they feel they can’t compete with professional designers.

Well, I’m here to set the record straight. You can do it! If you want to enter the Design Competition do it. Even if you don’t win your entry will be on display with all the other entries at the Charlotte, NC Knit & Crochet Show this October.

One thing to keep in mind, many of our winners are not professional designers.  In fact most of them just love crochet. And even the professionals enjoy entering the competition because it gives them a chance to design something without the limitations that are often in place when designing for publication.

The main point of the Design Competition is to show the public the incredible things that can be made with crochet. And that leaves room for non-professionals to shine right beside professionals.

In some ways the amateurs have an advantage. Most of us full-time professional designers have a pretty crowded schedule as far as crochet time goes. Amateurs can put all their attention on that stellar piece they plan to enter in the competition.

Time to Dance Evening Bag
My 2009 Entry

Speaking as a professional I can tell you that we are nothing extra special. I know I put my pants on one leg at a time like everyone else. I may have talent, but that isn’t because I’m a professional designer, that is just the luck of the draw.  But talent isn’t everything,  determination to see a project thru to completion is most important.

Some of our winners became professionals by entering the Design Competition. Before their first time in the competition they hadn’t sold any designs, maybe hadn’t even thought to try. But entering a piece that was their original work got the attention of an editor or creative director. Heck, some of the folks that became designers because of entering the competition didn’t even win a prize.

Alpaca Hug Neck Cozy
My 2010 Entry

Even if you aren’t interested in being a professional designer you still have a good chance of winning one of our many cash prizes.  You don’t need to write a pattern for your entry.  You just need to be a current member of the CGOA,  your entry must be your original design and primarily crocheted. The deadline for entries is September 6, 2013.

We have 6 judging categories this year:

1. Fashion: garments fitted to the body, including sweaters, tops, jackets, skirts, gowns and dresses.
2. Accessories: larger fashion accessories not fitted to the body, including wraps, shawls, and capes.
3. Small Accessories: anything small scale, socks, scarves, cowls, hats, bags, belts and jewelry.
4. Afghans and Home Decor: any and all afghans, throws, blankets and bed or sofa covers and any décor items not in thread.
5. Thread Crochet: anything made with crochet thread or lace/fine weight yarns, including doilies, baby items, garments and accessories.
6. Artistic Expressions: designs more artistic rather than functional in nature, including free-form and mixed media pieces, hangings, sculpture, wearable art, amigurumi and novelty items.

You can find out further information about the Design Competition online at the CGOA website (www.crochet.org), at the CGOA Now blog (http://cgoanow.blogspot.com/), or the CGOA Design Competition Facebook page. The Information Package can be reached thru links at the CGOA website.

Now it’s time to get out your yarn and hooks and create something spectacular to share with the rest of us. You can do it!

List of Stops Along the Tour

I am honored to be part of the “Tour thru Crochet Country” blog tour organized by Amy Shelton and Donna Hulke of Crochetville. I love that this is a great way to celebrate National Crochet Month and the CGOA (Crochet Guild of America).

I’ve been a CGOA member since the summer of 2008 and it has been the way I’ve met all sorts of crochet friends. Before CGOA I was crocheting and creating in a vacuum, now I get to share my love of crochet with thousands of folks. You can find out more about CGOA and join this wonderful organization at their website: Crochet.org.

As my gift to all you wonderful folks stopping by for the tour I wanted to offer a new heart pattern. I’ve been posting a heart pattern the last couple of years for Valentine’s Day, but this February got away from me.  Seems quite appropriate to celebrate NatCroMo with a heart pattern though, since we all love crochet.

____________________________________

Crocheted Love

designed by Andee Graves

Pattern is in US terminology.

Finished size will depend on the size of yarn and hook you use. The heart in the photo was made with Cascade 220 Superwash and a Size G-6/4mm hook.

Start with an adjustable slip knot

Round 1: Ch 4, 12 dc in 4th ch from hook, sl st in top of ch-4.

Round 2: Sk 2 sts, 7 Tr in next st, dc next st, 2 dc next 2 sts, (2 dc, ch 1, sl st in top of previous dc, 2 dc) in next st, 2 dc next 2 sts, dc next st, 7 Tr next st, sl st between last dc and join of Round 1. Fasten off, pull beginning tail to close center snugly, weave in ends.

_________________________

Now that you are making quick little hearts, how about using some to embellish simple crocheted blankets for Project Night Night.

Project Night Night is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides over 25,000 Night Night Packages each year to homeless children. Each package consists of a new sturdy tote bag with a new security blanket, an age-appropriate children’s book, and a stuffed animal. These comfort objects help to reduce the trauma of homelessness for the children served by Project Night Night. Both the handmade blankets and stuffed animals provide the children with objects of love and security.

You can help all of us on this tour help Project Night Night by making and sending in new crocheted blankets (50” x 60” or smaller) and/or making financial donations. A group effort will help us do more for Project Night Night than any of us could possibly do on our own.

For more information about Donating a Blanket to Project Night Night visit this webpage.

For more information about Donating Money to Project Night Night visit this webpage.

And please stop by here to add your donations to our group tally.

Thanks for stopping by today. Remember to visit the other stops (listed below) on the Tour through Crochet Country all during March.

Click on any designer’s name to go directly to their blog.

While you are invited to visit any site at any time, a designer’s post created specifically for A Tour through Crochet Country will not be posted until his or her scheduled date.

March 1	Jenny King	Shelby Allaho
March 2	Ellen Gormley	Nancy Nehring
March 3	Phyllis Serbes	Mona Muhammad
March 4	Amy O’Neill Houck	Akua Hope
March 5	Mary Jane Hall	Lindsey Stephens
March 6	Edie Eckman	Shannon Mullett-Bowlsby
March 7	Jennifer Cirka	Annette Stewart
March 8	Andrea Graciarena	LeAnna Lyons
March 9	Dawn Cogger	Angela Whisnant
March 10	Andrea Lyn Van Benschoten	Renee Rodgers
March 11	Joy Prescott	Donna Childs
March 12	Pam Daley	Deb Burger
March 13	Tammy Hildebrand	Marty Miller
March 14	Jocelyn Sass	Jennifer E Ryan
March 15	Andee Graves	Kimberly McAlindin
March 16	Laurinda Reddig
March 17	Brenda Bourg
March 18	Rhonda Davis
March 19	Julie Oparka
March 20	April Garwood
March 21	Alaina Klug
March 22	Erin Boland
March 23	Margaret Hubert
March 24	Bonnie Barker
March 25	Kim Guzman	Susan Huxley
March 26	Susan Lowman	Michele Maks
March 27	Marie Segares	Brenda Stratton
March 28	Kathy White	Lori Carlson
March 29	Amy Shelton	Donna Hulka
March 30	Linda Dean	Kristin Dragos
March 31	Karen C K Ballard	Gwen Blakley-Kinsler

Today is March 14 or 3.14, the short version of Pi. I’m not sure when folks starting celebrating Pi day. I am sure it was some geeky types that got it going.

Pi is actually much longer than 3.14. Figuring the decimal digits of Pi is a math problem without a final solution. Mathematically Pi is referred to by the number of decimal digits, ie… 3.14159 is referred to as “Pi to the 5th degree.

A couple of years ago I posted my “Pi recipe”.  Where I showed you step-by-step how to make crown down hats that fit using Pi.

So if you want, today you can crochet a hat as part of celebrating Pi Day. Have fun.

I always enjoy creating designs that beginning crocheters can tackle and my latest published designs are examples of this.

Photo courtesy of Crochet 1-2-3

You can find my  ”Seasonless Wrap”  in Issue #4 of Crochet 1-2-3 Magazine. This simple wrap is worked with Lion Brand Homespun in rows of V-stitches off a central/neck foundation. I love V-stitches for working with fuzzy or fluffy yarns like Homespun.

Photo courtesy of Crochet! Magazine

You can find my “Big Beads Necklace” in the Spring 2013 issue of Crochet! Magazine. The hardest part of working this pattern are how tiny the stitches are. But if you are comfortable working with Size #10 crochet thread you’ll have no trouble at all. You don’t really need to count the number of rounds worked, just keep going til you reach the length you want.  I found making the sample to be very meditative.

Even if you are an experienced crocheter, these are both fun “mindless” crochet projects for those days you just want to play with the hooks.

In May of 2009 I went to my second Knit & Crochet Show. It was there that I first saw Laurel Hill Hooks in person and tried them out. I ended up purchasing 5 hooks in my favorite sizes.

One of the fun thing about purchasing the hooks there was looking through all the available hooks to find the ones I considered the most beautiful. There was a variety of color changes in the woods and I really liked the ebony hooks that had some lighter color mixed in with them. My first purchase was this L hook, the beauty of the wood drew me in, plus it is a size that was a bit more difficult to find at that time.

I have used my Laurel Hill hooks quite a bit since I obtained them. They are very pointed on the end, which means that they work nicely when doing tight stitch work as well as when working with fluffy yarns. The shape of the hook is very comfortable in my hand as well.

My dear friend Jan has often heard me bemoan the fact that I didn’t purchase a full set when I had the chance. I’ve been searching the market floors at every yarn enthusiast type event I’ve gone to since then.

Jan & I both have H.A.S. (Hook Acquisition Syndrome, for those of you outside the addiction).  This isn’t really an issue since neither of us have any desire to be cured, but it does mean I have a sympathetic shoulder to cry on about missed opportunities for hook purchases.

Recently a box arrived at my house, when I opened it this was inside (with a note about the number of birthdays this covered).

Thanks to my dear Jan, I now have a full set of Laurel Hill Hooks as well as 5 duplicates.

It is very interesting to note the difference between the hooks I purchased in 2009 and these newer Laurel Hill hooks. Can you spot all the differences in the photo?

Older hook on top

It seems a lot of hook manufacturers change their products over time. If you are a fan of Bates and Boye hooks for the past 30 years you will have seen this too. The changes are not necessarily bad, but they do tend to be a bit disconcerting if you are in love with the original design.

I still like the Laurel Hill hooks even with the changes, though I think they have lost a bit of their ”beauty” with some of the changes.  Now if Laurel Hill would just make their hooks in a size “P” life would be very good.

My newest technology acquisition is my Samsung Galaxy Note II phone. This phone is a bit larger than my old phone, but it is lighter in weight. It is very useful.

This lovely new phone has a “pen” that is housed in the phone itself, so it is readily available when needed. Best of all, when I pull the pen out the phone automaticially opens up the SNote app that allows me to choose a page type to write on. I’m still working on the learning curve with this. But am already having lots of fun with it.

There is a little app that I’ve been using for some doodling, Paper Artist. Using it and the SNote app I made a series of Angel drawings.

I started out with a photograph of this little Angel ornament.

Then I pulled it into Paper Artist to make some changes.

After that I brought it over to the SNote app to add color and further refine the image.

Then it was time for the real fun to begin. I pulled the colored image back into Paper Artist and had all sorts of fun with the various effects.

It is going to be great having a handy little art studio with me that fits in my coat pocket. I don’t think it will completely replace my beloved sketch pads, but it will be very convenient for quickly jotting down ideas and inspiration when I am on the go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And one last photo for you. The hard shell case I purchased to protect my new investment is of course…Hot Pink (like anyone is surprised about that).

It took me awhile to get to Longmont to check it out, but I am very excited that there is a new yarn store there.  The store opened back in September 2012, but things have been so busy I only recently got to visit it.

My fellow designer and CGOA pal, Brenda Bourg, joined me for this outing.  Longmont is somewhat a mid-point between where the 2 of us live in Colorado, so it was ideal to find a place to meet there. Being we are both yarn nuts a yarn shop is perfect.

The name of the shop makes me smile, Longmont Yarn Shoppe. LYS is the acronym used in the online yarn communities for “Local Yarn Store”, so it is very fitting.

The store owner, Gail, welcomed us in warmly as she was just opening her doors for the day’s business. Brenda and I both thought the shop was really beautiful. It has a very open feeling with tall ceilings and skylights that provide lots of natural lighting.  There is a nice big work table where stitchers can gather to visit while playing with yarn.  And the store even has a sweet friendly “shop dog”, who adds to the overall homey welcoming feel.

This shop does more than give lip-service to the idea of “crochet-friendly”. Everything from the wonderful big sign on the wall that says “Crochet”, to offering a variety of interesting crochet classes with a CYCA certified instructor.

Brenda and I both purchased some yarn and visited with other shoppers while sitting at the work table getting some stitching in. We’ll definitely be visiting this store more in the future. If you are in the Longmont area you should stop by to play with some yarn there too.