Crochet Savvy Magazine Fall 2013

Volume II | Issue 3 | Fall 2013 | www.crochetsavvy.com

best of both worlds the

fall 2013

crochet savvy

1 8 darn good

ds r a h c i R n Harrisoaning to luxury crochet

yarn and cre8tion crochet

WEAR Crochet

yarn ove rhaul o

me Giv ing news with “Furls Crochet” hook

Fall 2013 Fashion

ur “all about yarn” guide

the fabulous wink aka

Marinke Slump To Copyright or not... that is the question...

Things designers should know before posting their work online

YouTube &

BOBWILSON123

How Clare Did it!

the

staff Editor-n-Chief

LaTonya “Keturah Ariel” Malinconico www.knitfabulous.org

Assistant Editor Akua Lezli Hope need website name

Blog/Social Editor

Turquioz Blue www.thisiscrochet.com

BE UNIQUE. DO SOMETHING FABULOUS. KNITFABULOUS.ORG

Design Team

Bohemian Design Solutions www.bohemiandesigns.info

Crochet Savvy Magazine 125 Neptune Drive #1604 Toronto, ON M6A 1X3 Canada www.crochetsavvy.com

FOLLOW ME AS I COOK, SEW, CREATE, CROCHET, KNIT, TORAH, PARENT, INSPIRE, MUSIC, LIFE, ART...EVERYTHING! www.knitfabulous.org

letter from the

EDITOR

The Fall Season has a lot to offer. We get to finally work on those chunky pieces that require the softness and warmness of yarns. Others start on holiday gifts and blankets. Personally, I have been working on shawls and socks. Maybe I will be finished by next magazine issue to show them off. :)

After we published our Summer magazine issue, I got a lot of emails and comments from our fabulous fans on how Crochet Savvy was on their top list for featuring a more normal sized figure on our cover. We where also praised for being diverse and for featuring our massive crochet hook overhaul. You all said that it was very helpful in picking hooks and beginners thought it was a great resource because all they often saw where your normal standard hooks in the craft stores.

Finally I would like to thank all of our fans and supporters because our email list and fan base socially has grown- not just by a little- it has almost tripled in the past 3 months. What we hope to see now is more shares on Facebook of your projects and a little bit more involvement between fans. We would also like to get recommendations of other crocheters that you like so that we can interview them or feature them on our social networks. We love promoting new designers! So get to posting and participating socially, you never know if we decide to do some freebies now and then (we have a few crochet books to get off of our hands).

Hope that you love this magazine issue, it has a lot of information about copyrights and we have seen so many complaints and discussions online lately on major companies and small companies stealing designers patterns or photos.

It is a shame really, and we want everyone to be prepared and knowledgable so that you do not fall victim. Our community should stick close, its a shame that some people are just out to see others harm. Share our free magazine with everyone you know and thanks again for your support.

LaTonya “Keturah Ariel� Malinconico Founder & Editor-n-Chief

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table of

contents

Letter from the Editor !!

Meet our Staff ! ! !

Our Media Kit ! ! !

3 6 8

Harrison Richards Giving new meaning to luxury crochet hooks with “Furls Crochet”

best of both worlds the

14

18

darn good yarn and cre8tion crochet

all about yarn 32 our “overhaul” guide

Fall Yarn Reviews

43

YouTube &

BOBWILSON123

How Clare Did it!

50

WEAR Crochet Fall 2013 Fashion Poetry Corner ! !

Charity crochet ! !

Book Reviews ! ! fav Yarn Spinners! !

60

70 73 79 83 the fabulous wink aka

Marinke Slump To Copyright or not... that is the question...

91

95

Things designers should know before posting their work online

Designer Profile! !

Fav Craft APPs! !

98 100

5

meet our

staff designer guru and networker. She loves to use her creativity through arts, music and crafting (crocheting & knitting) to encourage others. Keturah currently resides in Toronto, ON with her family.

For more about her, check out: www.knitfabulous.org and follow her on Twitter.com/iknitfabulous.

EDITOR-N-CHIEF/FOUNDER LaTonya Keturah Malinconico Keturah is a debut author on women’s studies in Judaism and has been in the hip-hop industry for more than 13 years. An advocate for charity and having joy through trials, she teaches through motivation and inspiration a message of hope and balance for people, especially stay-at-homemoms, who feel that they are completely lost tending to children, husbands and house duties.

She currently has a BA in Liberal Arts and MBA in Business Administration and is a self proclaimed graphics

ASSISTANT EDITOR Akua Lezli Hope Akua Lezli Hope was freeforming before she knew what it was, as a young crocheter creating wild hats for herself and friends in New York City. Her participation lapsed until she reconnected with dimensional crochet in the late 90s. Her crochet designs have been included the Crochet 2010 and 2011

Calendars, Interweave Crochet, Knit Picks IDP, Sanguine Gryphon and Tangled Magazine. Her crochet patterns are available on Ravelry, Etsy, Craftsy and DaWanda. An Associate Professional member of the Crochet Guild of America, and she has qualified for crochet instructor’s certification from the Crafts Yarn Council of America. Her crochet blog is www.zencrochet.blogspot.com. Her fiber love extends to hand papermaking. She also creates using glass, wire, words and sound. A NEA award-winning poet, her work is included in several groundbreaking collections including Dark Matter, the first anthology of Black science fiction, Erotique Noire, the first anthology of Black erotica and, most recently, The 100 Best African American Poems (2010). http://www.ravelry.com/designers/akua-lezli-hope http://www.akuadesigns.etsy.com FaceBook: Akua Lezli Hope | Twitter: akualezli

BLOG/SOCIAL EDITOR TURQUOIZ BLUE Turquoiz Blue is our newest member of our team. She is from Atlanta, GA and is a crochet, knitter, seamstress and graphics/ web designer. She loves to check out fashion trends, and looking at vintage fashions, fantasy costumes, and historical dress. She is an accomplished crafter who has had several designs featured in top craft magazines. She can be found on her blog at http://www.thisiscrochet.com/ blog as well as most social media sites under the name “TurquoizBlue”.

JOIN OUR TEAM!!!!!!!

Email us at: info@crochetsavvy.com.

for info about joining our volunteer staff. We are in need of freelance writers and crochet teachers, as well as those who would like to be on the advertising-marketing team.

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Crochet is dominating the internet, books and news-stands, however, it hasn’t been until recently that fashion, style and crochet are truly getting the shine and recognition they deserve. This spotlight is coming in the form of Crochet Savvy Magazine, solely dedicated to the vast community of crocheters and the dedicated, loyal fans of the art. Crochet Savvy is the brainchild of LaTonya “KeTurah Ariel” Malinconico and it is a free online magazine and blog dedicated to the work of fashion and crochet as well as the independent online retailers of the crochet world.

Focusing on crochet only, Crochet Savvy answers the needs of crochet and fashion bloggers as well as independent yarn suppliers who are starting their own businesses online. Crochet Savvy Magazine features up and coming crochet designers, bloggers, and yarn spinners as well as going behind-the-scenes of crochet with tutorials, book recommendations and how-to’s. With a free subscription, viewers subscribe to the blog and digital magazine thereby gaining access to resources, deals, coupons, recommendations and free patterns. For more information on

Crochet Savvy Magazine and how to contribute, visit http://www.crochetsavvy.com and follow us @ http://www.twitter.com/crochetsavvy.

Our staff is a close-knit staff of three persons in different locations within the USA and Canada, all of whom are avid crocheters themselves. We all have many years of crafting experience as well as other accomplishments. Two of our staff members have business degrees and are designers themselves. All of our staff members are also members of the CGOA. Two of our staff members have patterns featured in mainstream crochet books and magazines. And finally, betwenn us all we are great bloggers with many years experience in Internet blogging, website traffic, designing and are great with people.

Our Resume So far, we have featured novice and pro designers alike as well as interviewed some of the crochet world’s favorites such as Kathryn Vercillo from Crochet Concupiscence, the author of Crochet Saved my Life and Amy Shelton, former President of the Crochet Guild of America and co-founder of Crochetville. We have also featured articles highlighting designer TurquiozBlue from This is Crochet as well as interviewed the fabulous folks at the Crochet Guild of America, Stitchworks Crochet Charts Software and many others.

We also have sections that focus strictly on Charity Crochet and the organizations that support others. In our Fall 2012 Issue, we showed the story of a women who fought cervical cancer and survived, only to still battle obesity. She later lost over 100 pounds. We received so much love and support for her story alone, that it made us proud to do what we do. In the Summer 2013 Issue, our cover story featured a more averaged shaped model on the front- which also poured in many emails and love about our magazine showing diversity within our crochet community. In the Winter 2013 Issue, we plan on featuring our first male cover story to show the other side of crochet- the man’s world.

WE ARE SMALL AND NEW BUT HERE ARE A FEW FACTS TO INSPIRE YOU: Our fan base has a steady growth on all of our social networks to only be 1 1/2 years old, including close to 800 likes on Facebook, 114 fans on Google+, 339 followers on Twitter and 156 members in our Ravelry group. Our Facebook page is very active with many likes and views per day, including tons of comments per post. Our email subscribe list is close to 940 subscriberswhich tripled in size since our Summer magazine issue and finally the website sees close to 124 views a day, equalling 44,640 views this last year.

“WE TAKE CARE OF THE INDEPENDENT DESIGNER, THE NEW ARTIST, AND THAT SPECIAL CROCHETER WHO HAS NOT MADE IT INTO THOSE BIG NAME BOOKS & MAGAZINES YET... I LOVE

TO SEARCH FOR NEW TALENT, I USED TO DO IT WHEN I WORKED IN HIP HOP & IT IS A GIFT THAT SUITS ME. OUR MAGAZINE BRINGS THE SPOTLIGHT TO HIDDEN TALENT ALL OVER THE WORLD. I SEE CROCHET SAVVY AS OUR OWN SPECIAL PLACE, A SAFE HAVEN TO DISCUSS AND TALK AS WE SEE FIT- INDEPENDENTLY, DOING AS WE PLEASE AND GOING AGAINST THE MOLD, ALL WHILE SUPPORTING OTHER CROCHETERS IN THIS BUSINESS WHO ARE ALSO LIKE-MINDED. THAT IS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE FABULOUS & SAVVY- DOING YOU AND DOING IT BIG.” -Keturah, Founder, Editor-n-Chief Our history Crochet Savvy began in the Spring of 2012 and has produced 7 magazines thus far, including this one- one magazine for each season. Gaining followers and supporters, the free magazine and blog also incorporates many charity projects that its viewers can participate in and share with friends via social networking around the world.

This online magazine “ezine” is all about fashion and how we as crocheters have the freedom to create and make anything work! Traditional features include video tutorials and podcast broadcasting from some of your favorite teachers in the crochet world and monthly charity crochet projects. While also featuring a blog style dialogue, photos and outfits of the day to help foster your creative side and tips and secrets for helping you “crochet savvy” in the home, at work, or wherever you are.

Crochet Savvy Magazine is about fun, fashion and crochet! Join us online via our favorite social networks, subscribe to our blog RSS feed to get the latest updates in the world of fashion and crochet.

CrochetSavvy in the Media • Crochetville mentions us on their website and gives us a great big shout out! Thanks to Amy for allowing us to interview her about Crochetville. See it here • We are featured on Kathryn Vercillo’s article on “5 Mags that Celebrated Crochet Saved my Life”. It was a great honor to interview Kathryn. Her book was soo profound and many crocheters have the same story. See it here

• Malinconico, Crochet Savvy’s Founder & Editor-n-Chief is honored to become a Guest Blogger on Cre8tioncrochet.com, thereby uniting our cause with theirs and gaining a great network of other crocheters in the process. See it here

INTERVIEW REQUESTS AND MORE...

TO CONTACT CROCHET SAVVY MAGAZINE FOR INTERVIEWS AND MORE... EMAIL US AT: INFO@CROCHETSAVVY.COM WE CONDUCT ONLINE INTERVIEWS VIA GOOGLE+ HANGOUT AND SKYPE. WE ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FOR EMAIL AND TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS.

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harrison Richards

of Furls Crochet

Harrison Richards is the founder and President of Furls Fiberarts. He is a great person who gives back to the crochet community and loves to produce the finest handmade products that you can touch. In many of our conversations, he describes his products as the Laburgeni of crochet hooks. And to that, I must say is a bold statement.

But it is one that Harrison backs with full confidence, a gorgeous smile and a great warranty. So far, he has tons of positive reviews on his products and is the buzz around town as the “luxury hook” maker.

Q) Har rison, what is the story/history of your company?

A) This is one of my favorite stories. All throughout middle and high school, I was a crocheter and knitter and in my freshman year of high school I started dating a girl who would later become my high school sweetheart. I fell absolutely headover-heels in love with this girl and thought she was the most perfect thing ever.

She also loved to crochet, but often suffered from sore hands after using such small conventional hooks. Being the Romeo I was back then, I hated to see her suffer just because she was doing something she loved ‘too much’- there should never be such a thing as ‘crocheting too much’. So I went home and, with no woodworking experience and a blunt Swiss Army knife, I chipped away at a little Oak twig until I had something that vaguely- squint your eyes- might have passed as a crochet hook.

Of course, she loved it just because it was a gift given in the spirit of adolescent romance but I kept making more and more hooks until they really started to fit her hand well. She loved them so much that she started sharing them with her friends and I started to rack up orders for these funny custom crochet hooks in high school.

To keep a long story short, we ended up going separate ways when I left for college in the UK- where I’m originally from- but when I returned to the sates I

really felt like there had been something to those hooks. The love that crocheters had for hooks that loved their hands was immense, and I knew I would never stop thinking about it unless I started Furls as a proper company and tested the potential.

So the summer I got back from college, I started Furls with all of my savings. It was a bumpy ride at first and I kept testing and testing until I had the right design for all sizes and grip styles of crocheters’ hands, but after months of tinkering I found something that fit beautifully. Since then, we’ve added new lines of hooks, reached crocheters in every state and 15 countries around the globe. It’s been a wild journey. Lion Brand also shared our start-up story on their blog: http://www.lionbrandyarnstudio.com/index.php/furls-crochet-hooks-theperfect-gift-for- crocheters/ which is a really wonderful take on Furls.

Q) Making a hook for your sweetheart....that’s very nice and soo sweet.

How long have you been in business?

A) The company is a few years old now and we are continuously looking for ways to improve the hooks’ shape and make them the most comfortable hooks on earth.

Q) What is your favorite hook that you have ever made?

I really love every single hook that leaves our studios, especially our wooden hooks since I’m such a wood-geek. We did have a particularly gorgeous Cocobolo hook- the wood on this hook was both burled and curly, which is extremely rare, especially for Cocobolo, and made the value of the hook increase by 5 or 6 times- and I was so enamored by this hook I’d decided not to sell it and just use it as a display piece and model hooks for our photoshoots.

A couple weeks after I had made it, we shot a really big photoshoot when one of our models dropped about 7 of our hooks from her hand onto the wood floor of the studio. I ran over, pushed passed the photographer and model to

see if the hooks were alright, and saw that everything was fine, except this $400-500 Cocobolo hook which had snapped in half. I was so devastated, and I’m still a little sour when I look back on the incident.

Q)I would have been upset as well, OMG! What selection of hooks do you have for sale and why did you end production of the wooden hooks?

A) Currently we have the Candy Shop, Alpha Series, and new hooks on the way.

We currently sell our wonderful line of Candy Shop hooks that come in four flavors and coordinating size: Blue Raspberry (Size F- 3.75mm), Grape (Size G- 4mm), Strawberry (Size H- 5mm), and Blackberry (Size I- 5.5mm). These are all handmade in our studio in California out of the highest quality casting material on earth and finished with the same paints and coats they use on sports cards.

Our Alpha Series- those are the wood hooks- come in seven different woodsTulipwood, Rosewood, Blackwood, Cocobolo, Purpleheart, Olivewood, and Bloodwood- and sizes C+ through Q! We had to discontinue these earlier in the year due to manufacturing issues, but were thrilled to bring them back under a new partnership late August.

We have also just released a new line of Knit and Crochet jewelry, with both pure pewter pendants and brooches. They’re probably the cutest thing Furls has ever produced and really we want knitters and crocheters to show how proud they are of their craft by sporting fiberarts jewelry that also looks great.

Furls has a lot of great other products in development right now, but I’m honor bound not to reveal them right now. All I can say is that we’re making every effort to bring the luxurious products that knitters, crocheters, and spinners want and deserve to them as fast as possible.

Q) Harrison, where can people find you online? www.furlscrochet.com www.facebook.com/furlscrochet www.vimeo.com/furlscrochet www.pinterest.com/furlscrochet

I wrote a testimony on my hooks and it was featured on Furl’s website as seen above. For my full review, visit Crochet Savvy’s blog at: http://crochetsavvymagazine.blogspot.ca/2013/09/furls-luxury-crochet-hooks-review.html

Q) Finally, do you have any special promotions or anything cooking that you would like to announce or let our viewers know about? New hooks, Furls Knit, Furls Spin etc.

A) Currently, on our Facebook page, we are giving one of our luxury wooden hooks away per month. There is a different hook every month and anyone who subscribes to our newsletter has a chance to win! We announce the winner at the end of each month.

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coverstory

darn good yarn and cre8tion crochet

best of both worlds the

Sometimes it just makes sense to collaborate & in this case, it was genius! You have a top yarn company who focuses on improving women’s way of life and a very spunky, creative designer who can then take that yarn & create a magnificent display with it. We love these Jersey Girls!

Nicole and Lorene offers the crochet world the best of both worlds by giving us a unique and savvy blend of what women can do with they work together, support each other and help foster the creative minds that links us all. No bickering, no fighting, no gossip among each other or about each other- just two women doing “big girl” work and proving to a world that is full of negative images of women fighting all of the time, that we can work together and support our own. This cover story is about how they came together and how each of them are creative waves in the atmosphere in their businesses now that they have teamed up. Enjoy!

MEET LORENE EPPOLITE from Cre8tion Crochet Cre8tion Crochet started off as a way for Lorene to showcase her crochet designs for sale, it quickly grew into so much more. Cre8tion Crochet offers fun, easy and FREE crochet patterns as well as business information to help you get started with your own crochet business. Lorene is always available to answer any questions her followers may have about their own crochet businesses or patterns.

Cre8tion Crochet also offers a LIVE online tv show, Wednesdays 9pm ES, and live online consultations. It is Lorene’s goal to help

hobbyist and business owners alike to find success with their crochet ventures. http://cre8tioncrochet.com/cre8tion-crochet-live-tv/ http://cre8tioncrochet.com/live-online-consultations/ Lorene recently attended the Crochet Guild of America’s Fall Conference in Concord NC to help her improve her crochet skills even further. She will soon be venturing into the world of publishing her crochet patterns. Lorene and Cre8tion Crochet recently became the official crochet designer for Darn Good Yarn.

Q) What is your crochet history?

A) I was taught how to crochet by my grandmother as a young child. Over the years I fooled around here and there but it wasn’t until my best friend was expecting her first baby in 2010 that I really began to explore crochet.

I taught myself how to create crochet designs without the use of patterns or tutorials. That made for a lot of frogging but taught me very valuable lessons.

I began to sell my work in 2011 and then turned my passion for design into writing free crochet patterns.

As time goes by and my abilities improve I have continued to grow my business in so many ways. My focus has gone from selling my work to writing free patterns to now branching out into publishing patterns for yarn companies, books and magazines. I learn new skills every day and strive to perfect my work as much as humanly possible. I am so excited to see what the future brings for Cre8tion Crochet.

Q)What are some of your accomplishments thus far in your craft?

A) A am currently the Official Crochet Designer for Darn Good Yarn. I was also named one of the 7 Best Crochet Blogs by AllFreeCrochet , named one of the Top Ten Crochet Designers by TheYarnBox and I am a Professional Member of the Crochet Guild of America and The Crochet Liberation Front/Hookey.org.

My patterns have been published in Inspired Crochet and the Stitch and Unwind Blog by AllFreeCrochet, as well as numerous ebooks and blogs.

Q) Tell us more about your collaboration with Darn Good Yarn. How did you begin collaborating with each other, how did you meet?

A) Nicole and I met when I was asked to review Darn Good Yarn’s Silk Cloud through AllFreeCrochet, a subdivision of Prime Publishing, LLC. Silk Cloud was the first fingering weight yarn that DGY put on the market. After I designed two patterns for AllFreeCrochet (AFC) and a couple more for myself, Nicole and I began discussing future collaboration efforts. Nicole and I set up a time to speak on the phone and she asked me to be the official crochet designer for Darn Good Yarn.

Q) Why did you choose to work together, what brought you together?

A) Nicole and I share many of the same philosophies when it comes to both business and life in general. We are both concerned with the health of our environment and feel it is important to do our part to help change the world.

Nicole and I are both entrepreneurs, we had a dream and we worked hard to get to where we are. Nicole and I are both extremely driven and we both realize that collaboration can be the key to our success. Darn Good Yarn supports many fiber artists as well as the women of Nepal and India. Nicole is an extremely caring and generous person, I am happy to call her a friend and colleague.

Q) What do both businesses have in common and what differences do you have that sets you apart but are workable within each other?

A) The thing that we have the most in common is that we both see huge possibilities for crafting and fiber arts. There are so many avenues that have not been explored yet. We both love texture and color and playing around with both. On a personal level, Nicole and I are both very much about helping other

people succeed. We are not in this industry just for ourselves. We each take great pride in collaborating with other artists to help them as we grow within ourselves.

The thing that sets us apart as that we are both in different modalities of the industry.

Nicole designs the yarn and I turn it into something functional. Nicole is also a knitter, but since she does not crochet I am able to take her knit designs and translate them into crochet patterns for all the crocheting fans of DGY. Together there is nothing we can’t do.

Q) What do you want people to do, what call of action do you want from the public and my viewers?

A) I would implore fiber enthusiasts and artists to step outside of their comfort zone. Explore new designs and fibers. Don’t be afraid to play with colors and textures. Some of the most beautiful designs are simple patterns that scream visual interest because of the fibers they are created with.

Remember when you purchase Darn Good Yarn you are helping impoverished women on of Nepal and India to provide for their families, you are supporting American workers whom Nicole employs in her small business. Most importantly, you are helping save the environment by keeping fiber waste out of landfills.

I would encourage crocheters to try some of the simple designs currently available through Cre8tion Crochet that feature Darn Good Yarn. Better yet, come up with your own… play around, I’m sure you will be very happy with the results.

5. What is the greatest impact that both of you have to get, charity causes, talk about the source of the yarn and the women in India and how do your patterns relate to this cause?

Many fiber artists are afraid to play with new fibers, especially higher end fibers, for fear of messing them up or not knowing what to create with them, and this is where Cre8tion Crochet comes into play. Nicole designs and manufactures the yarn that has such a great environmental impact and I help crocheters to turn that yarn into a masterpiece they can call their own.

I hope that with providing free patterns to fiber artists and designers that they will become more comfortable with the types of yarn DGY produces and find the confidence they need to create beautiful crochet designs.

MEET NICOLE SNOW OF DARN GOOD YARN In 2008, Nicole Snow created “Darn Good Yarn” by combining her two passions in life—art and helping others. The idea was simple: created high-quality, beautiful yarn without using child labor… all while helping the women of India and Nepal support their families.

Within a short period of time, Snow and Darn Good Yarn had a passionate following. “To our customers, it isn’t just about high quality fibers,” Snow explains. “It really is about helping people. That’s what separates Darn Good Yarn from the other companies.”

As it turns out, however, helping the women of India and Nepal and their families isn’t the only thing Darn Good Yarn has put its sights. Mother Nature is getting support as well.

Q) What are some of your craft accomplishments?

A) I became the 1st ever winner of FedEx Small Business Grant Contest (~4,000 businesses nationwide entered!). In addition to this, I was the United States Chamber of Commerce Free Enterprise Dreamers and Doers Feature in August 2013 and for the US Chamber of Commerce Small Business Policy Council. I actively work with Maine’s Governor LePage and his staff to bring awareness to micro-enterprise development. Lastly, I was featured in Yarn Market News February 2013 Q) We asked Lorene the same

question, what is your version of how you two begin collaborating with each other?

A) We met through a joint collaboration with Prime Publishing LLC. I just launched my Silk Cloud yarn line which was my first-ever fingering weight reclaimed silk yarn to ever hit the market. Prime Publishing loved it so much that they wanted to get it in to the hands of one of their favorite designers.

Q)Why did you choose to work together, what brought you together?

A) Lorene gets what modern crochet is all about. She combines and isn’t afraid of color, design and unique fibers and steps away from the normal ho-hum.

Lorene is also an entrepreneur like me. So she shares the same drive as my business which makes us a perfect pairing to work together.

Q)What do both businesses have in common and what differences do you have that sets you apart but are workable within each other?

A) Well the most basic difference is I’m a supplier and she’s a designer. But what makes us work so great together is that we don’t have many differences. When two companies decide to work with each other they need to act like a business

family. If Lorene and Cre8tion Crochet didn’t fit my ethos and style we wouldn’t be working together!

Q)What do you want people to do, what call of action do you want from the public and my viewers?

A) If I could ask something simple of people who are looking to start using Darn Good Yarn, it would be to take a moment and think about what real poverty looks like ..I’m talking about living-on-less-than-$2-a-day-poverty. Darn Good Yarn is helping people get out of that through crafting supplies. Yes, the yarn isn’t machine spun and “standard” to the market. But that’s what makes it magical.

Darn Good Yarn could be the next big thing in crafting supplies. Every time you choose to create with Darn Good Yarn you’re making a difference in lives overseas but you are also supporting artists all over the country like Lorene as well. It’s a web that I’ve been working on to bring even more meaning to our crafts and microenterprises.

5. What is the greatest impact that both of you have to get, charity causes, talk about the source of the yarn and the women in India and how do your patterns relate to this cause?

The most recent example of the way Darn Good Yarn helps in the global community is last month. One of our spinners needed surgery. She is a mother of 6 and one of her children is disabled. So making ends meet is tough enough. She was in a lot of pain. With the help of Cre8tion Crochet we were able to raise awareness. I sponsored a particular yarn on my site and 50% of the sale went to paying for her surgery. Guess what? The surgery was paid for in 3 days! That’s the power of complementary collaboration.

I personally love these ladies and support their great cause of helping other women. Support Darn Good Yarn and show your support by purchasing some of the yummy yarns!!!! Tell them that Crochet Savvy sent you! To find either of the ladies online click the following links: Cre8tion Crochet Darn Good Yarn http://www.darngoodyarn.com http://www.instagram.com/darngoodyarn http://www.twitter.com/darngoodyarn http://www.youtube.com/snowbigdeal08 http://www.facebook.com/dgyarn Nicole@darngoodyarn.com 207-564-2822 www.darngoodyarn.com

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http://cre8tioncrochet.com/ https://www.facebook.com/ CrochetedCre8tions https://twitter.com/Cre8tionCrochet http://www.ravelry.com/designers/lorenehaythorn-eppolite--cre8tion-crochet http://www.pinterest.com/crochetcre8tion/ boards/ cre8tion@ymail.com

all about yarn

our overhaul guide

by Akua Lezli Hope Yarn or something like it, is the basis of our craft. Yarn is the long line of fiber that we manipulate with our hooks to make things. To understand yarn, we need to understand the fibers used for it, the characteristics of these fibers, and the sizes/sizing systems for yarn.

There is an ever-growing list of fibers used to create yarn. The natural fibers include animal/protein fibers and plant/cellulose fibers. There are three categories of manufactured fibers: synthetics – mostly polymers; bio-synthetics – where natural products are subject to chemical processing; and most recently, minerals.

Yarns are often a combination of fibers. Manufacturers do this to take advantage of the unique strengths and attributes of different fibers. Some may have superior insulation or warmth properties, but may not be as soft or as strong as others. Understanding the different characteristics of fibers will enable you to select the right yarn for your particular use and project.

Fibers for Yarn Natural Animal Alpaca Bison Camel Goat

Llama Musk Ox Rabbit Sheep

Silk Worm Vicuna

Yak

Name of Fiber Alpaca Bison Down Camel Down Mohair, Cashmere,

Pashmina Llama Qiviut Angora Wool

Blue Faced

Leicester

Corriedale

Cotswold Lambs wool Lincoln Merino Perendale Polwarth Romney Shetland Silk Vicuna Yak Down

Natural Plant Cotton Flax Ramie Hemp

Name of Fiber

Cotton

Linen

Ramie

Hemp

The finer fibers have smaller diameters and finer and more scales.

images from Lion Brand Yarn Free Desktop Wallpaper, Left and KnitPicks Freebies right photo.

Animal Silk Worm Vicuña Alpaca (Suri) Muskox (Qiviut) Merino Sheep Alpaca Angora Rabbit Pashmina Goat Qivuit Cashmere Goat Yak Down Camel Down Guanaco Bison Down Icelandic Sheep Rambouillet Sheep Shetland Sheep Llama Chinchilla Targhee Sheep Columbia Sheep Blue Faced Leicester Southdown Sheep Polypay Sheep Corriedale Sheep Mohair Goat

Fiber diameter (micrometers) 5 -10 6 –10 10 – 15 11 –13 11.5 –24.5 12 -29 13 14 -19 15 - 20 15 –19 15 –19 16 – 25 16 –18 18.5 19 -22, 27-30 19 -24 19 -29 20 – 30 21 21 -25 23 -29 24 -28 24 -29 24 -31 25 -32 25 – 45

yarn overhaul guide Suffolk Sheep Perendale Sheep Llama Border Leicester Sheep English Leicester Longwool Romney Sheep Lincoln Sheep Plant Cotton Flax

26 -33 28 -32 30 – 40 32 -34 32 -35 32 -39 34 -41 Fiber diameter 15-20 12-16

Ramie

19-34

Hemp

16-50

Animal Fibers Alpaca is warmer than sheep's wool and lighter in weight. It is soft, fine, glossy, and luxurious.

Angora wool or Angora fiber refers to the down coat produced by the Angora rabbit. There are many types of Angora rabbits - English, French, German and Giant. Angora is prized for its softness and halo or fluffiness. The fiber felts very easily. Angora weighs next to nothing and is said to be 8 times warmer than wool, but is considered to have little elasticity.

Bison Down, the soft undercoat of the American Bison, is shed annually and consists of fine, soft, very warm fibers.

Camel Hair from the undercoat of a camel is also soft and fine and provides great insulation.

Cashgora comes from a crossbreed of a Cashmere male goat and an Angora (mohair) female goat, finer than mohair but not as fine as cashmere.

Cashmere comes from the hair of a goat, the Kashmir goat. Cashmere is finer, softer and six times warmer than sheep’s wool.

Llama produces a fiber that is naturally glistening. Although related to alpacas, llamas have fibers that are coarser and weaker.

Mohair is a silk-like yarn made from the hair of the Angora goat. Durable and resilient, it is noted for its high luster and sheen. Like merino (wool), mohair fibers are moisture wicking and good insulators, but have more sheen than sheep's wool.

Pashmina, like Cashmere, is derived from mountain goats. Pashmina fibers are finer and thinner than cashmere fiber. High Himalayan mountain goats have developed exceptionally warm and light fiber to survive the freezing, 14,000foot environment — unique, incredibly soft pashm (inner coat) six times finer than human hair.

Qiviut is a taupe-grey colored fiber from the Alaskan domesticated musk ox and is said to be as soft as cashmere. It is eight times warmer than wool and does not felt or shrink.

Silk, one of the strongest natural fibers, is a protein fiber, from cocoons made by the larvae of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, reared in captivity. Silk’s shimmering appearance comes from the fibers' triangular structure, which allows silk cloth to refract incoming light at different angles. Since the cocoon is made of one strand, if unwound carefully, the fibers can be very long.

Spider Silk from the golden orb-weaving spider has been used to create garments and is stronger than silkworm silk.

Vicuna is among most expensive of all specialty animal fibers, selling from $1,300 to $3,000 per yard. The Peruvian government has strict guidelines on harvesting and exporting vicuna, making this one of the rarest fibers available.

Sheep’s wool is the most familiar and prevalent animal fiber used for yarn.

Unlike hair or fur, it has scales that overlap like shingles on a roof and it is crimped/bent/wavy. The finer the wool, the smaller the diameter), the softer it will be. Wool may absorb up to 35% of its own weight in moisture without feeling wet, and while it is absorbing moisture it generates heat. Strong, durable and resilient, wool is also an excellent insulator. Wool is described according to the length of fiber when sheared from sheep, called staple length, the diameter, the fineness or thickness of fiber measured in microns the hand — how the fiber feels, e.g. soft, harsh, springy , and the waviness along the length of the fiber called the crimp. As wool alone could be several books, we’ll just mention some types. These include Blue-faced Leicester, Bond, Border Leicester, Corriedale, English Leicester, Lambs wool, Lincoln, Merino, Perendale, Polwarth and Romney. Merino is noted for its superior shine, softness resembling cashmere, great breathability, easily dye-able pure white color, and warmth for minimal weight. There are more than ten varieties of merino sheep worldwide. Wellknown merino breeds include the Australian, Peppin, Saxony, Rambouillet, and Vermont.

Left photo from: http://www.hanasaurusrex.com, Free yarn wallpaper

Wool is naturally flame retardant.

Superwash wool has an altered surface to make wool machine washable.

Plant Fibers Cotton comes from the seedpod and linen/flax and hemp are from the stalk of the plant, the bast fibers.

Bio Synthetic Name Bamboo Banana Chitin Corn Cupro Milk Rayon, tencel and viscose Sugarcane SeaCellÂŽ Soy

wood cellulose

Source bamboo plants banana trees crab and shrimp shells corn plant sugars cotton plant linter milk proteins, casein bagasse seaweed soy protein

Bamboo yarn may be the spun extracted fibers of bamboo or made from the pulp of bamboo plants. The Bamboo plant is a fast growing grass.

Banana silk is made from the aged bark (outer layers) of banana palm trees using a process similar to rayon. The stem of the banana plant has 15 layers.

The fiber is said to equal silkworm silk, in luster and tension strength.

Chitin and Chitosan are derived primarily from shrimp and crab shells. Corn yarn is made by fermenting the simple sugar from the corn plant. This fermentation process transforms the sugar into a polymer called polyactide / polylactic acid, which is then extruded at high force like other polymers into a fiber that is spun into yarn.

Cupro is produced from the linter, the short downy fiber surrounding the seed of cotton plants.

Milk fiber was invented in 1930’s in Italy and America to compete with wool. A combination of milk protein, casein, and acrylonitrile, it is a regenerated protein fiber.

Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulose fiber created by a process originating in1894.

Soy fiber is made as a by-product of the soybean industry out of soy proteins.

Sugar cane yarn is created after sugar is extracted. Crushed sugar cane plant waste called bagasse is shredded, broken down with chemicals, then, while in a liquid form, pumped at very high pressure thru very small holes (extrusion).

This long strand of fiber is then solidified in an acid or other chemical bath and spun into yarn.

Synthetic Fibers Name Nylon Modacrylic Olefin Acrylic Polyester

Date

(1931) (1949) (1949)

(1950) (1953

How Yarn is Sold Yarn is sold in hanks, skeins and occasionally, balls.

Hanks are big coils of yarn twisted around itself.

You have to make a ball from it – otherwise you’ll end up with a mess. You’ll need something or someone to hold the hank while you make a ball such as have a ladder-back chair or willing friend. But as you acquire more yarn, you’ll find investing in a couple of yarn management tools to be useful and time saving.

These tools are a yarn swift and a ball winder. The yarn swift holds the hank of yarn and enables you to easily hand wind it or use a ball winder. The ball winder enables you to wind the yarn into a center-pull ball.

Yarn ply and weight The Craft Yarn Council of America CYCA has been developing standards for categories of yarn by weight, gauge ranges and recommended needle and hook sizes. Yarn weight goes from 0 to 6: 0 is lace, 1 is superfine, 2 is fine, 3 is light, 4 is medium, 5 is bulky and 6 is super bulky. You can find this here: http:// www.craftyarncouncil.com/weight.html.

The challenge is that manufacturers use many other words to describe their yarns.

WPI Wraps Per Inch Every company marks their yarn differently and there seems to be a wide range within the CYCA (Craft Yarn Council of America) parameters. The best thing to do is check the “wraps per inch” (wpi) yourself by wrapping the yarn around an inch of a ruler or piece of cardboard and counting the approximate number of wraps. This will give you a truer gauge to within one or two wpi.

Wraps per inch (wpi) is an extremely accurate way to check your yarn weight and holds true regardless of the company labeling of the yarn on the ball bands and tags. Swatching for gauge ( to match pattern recommendations) is also extremely important and will help you see if the hook you are using and your individual tension needs adjusting. Adjust your hook size before adjusting your tension — you can let the hook do the work and not worry about tension during the entire piece.

So‌ FIRST: check the wpi, THEN: swatch, FINALLY: adjust hook size to obtain correct gauge.

Fiber Identification What kind of yarn do I have? How much do I have?

You might be able to tell by feel. To determine its weight classification you can use wrap per inch.

Using Wraps per inch: Lace

Superfine/Fingering Fine/Sport

Light/DK

Medium/Worsted Bulky

Super Bulky

0.055 inch 0.071 inch 0.083 inch 0.09 inch 0.11 inch 0.14 inch 0.20 inch

1.41 mm 1.81mm 2.12mm 2.31mm 2.82 mm 3.63mm 5 mm

(18 wpi) (14 wpi) (12 wpi) (11 wpi) (9 wpi) (7 wpi) (5 wpi)

If you know the name and manufacturer, most new yarn labels tell you the yardage and the weight. The rest is math. Once you know the weight of one yard

of that particular fiber, weighing your balls or ends will then tell you how many yards you have.

A yarn I use with some frequency calls itself worsted and is 110 yds/50g. I think of it as alight worsted (by feel). And so when I see yarns that are 100yds/50 g — I think of those as heavy worsted and yarns that are 130yds/50g as dk.

Of course if you can feel and touch the yarns, this may not be needed, but it offers a very accurate way to know what you’re getting when ordering online or from a catalog.

Fiber Content by Burn Chart -PROCEED WITH CAUTION and CARE! All fibers either burn and must be put out or burn until there is nothing to burn, or they burn and go out on their own after a few seconds leaving remaining unburned fiber and are therefore self-extinguishing, or the fiber does not burn even with a flame held directly to it.

To identify unknown fibers, cut off about 6”. Hold the strand of fiber in a pair of tweezers over something that won't burn or melt (a tuna can or glass ashtray is ideal) and with either a match or cigarette lighter put the strand directly into the flame long enough for it to catch on fire.

Watch the as it burns. Does it go out on its own? Then it's self-extinguishing — go to the lavender area of the chart. Do you have to put it out or does it burn to nothing? Then it's not self-extinguishing — go to the aqua area of the chart.

Does it defy all attempts to burn it? Then it does not burn; check small yellow section of the chart.

The further breakdown of the chart helps identify the fibers by the smell of the smoke it gives off in burning, and the ash or melted bead that remains after it has burned.

Remember that some fibers are blends, and the blend of fibers may make the burn test an unreliable test for fiber content. Also, some fibers have chemical finishes and sizings applied to them that will alter the way that they burn, making them unidentifiable by this chart.

You can find a burn chart on the next page, used with permission from the fabulous people at: http://www.ditzyprints.com/dpburnchart.html.

Inexpensive Yarn on the Web Bargain Yarns http://www.bargainyarns.com/

KnitPicks http://www.knitpicks.com

Elann http://www.elann.com

Smileys Yarns http://www.smileysyarns.com/

Knitting-Warehouse http://store.knitting-warehouse.com (great commercial hook prices)

Webs http://www.yarn.com

41

my yarn STORY and Review

by: Keturah Ariel I love yarn and just like most of you, we probably have more than we needif that can ever be said in the same sentence.... Nevertheless, each type of yarn, color and feel has its best qualities at different stages of our craft lives with some yarns lasting longer than in this cycle than others.

For me, when I started crafting, I went with the cheapest that I could find and since it was everywhere and only $2.50 a skein, I picked up lots of colors.

Did I use them all? No. But they sat happily on my shelf until I figured out the granny square- which came two or three years later. By then I had tons of yarn sort of piled without any form of arrangement. When I moved, I decided it was time to look through the yarn and arrange it somehow.

That’s when I discovered that if you paid a little bit more, you can get different types of yarns and experiment with all kinds of fibers.

That’s when I took a wool class. Having a class on fibers really opened my eyes.

I know of people today who will never buy the cheaper yarns that are synethic fibers as well as people who are allergic to wool. I didn’t even understand a difference in the beginning other than color and price.

Today I own all sorts of yarns and one thing is for sure- I learned first hand to “not buy” that fancy looking-fun novelty stuff when learning to knit.

That ended up going away in my trash can as fast as I bought it.....lol. Now most of my cheap yarn is on reserve for my five year old who loves to do arts and crafts and always asks me to make doll clothes.

The below yarns are based on my personal experience and all but one that I can say received a pretty postive review by me. My review is here to help you think about 1. why you want this type of yarn 2. what is it good for 3. what are the cons. Enjoy my review.

Great Yarn for beginners: THE WINNER: Red Heart Super Savers 100% Acrylic Yarn Great on price, comes in many standard colors, great for projects, pet crafts, crafts for kids and for learning to knit and crochet. Washable and easy to work with.

Great for beginners because of the easy and many color combos, but because the price is very low on Super Savers, a beginner can feel confident about taking the steps into learning a craft, messing up and not having to worry about messing up expensive yarns. You can learn, rip outstart again and continue. The other great thing about Red Heart Super Savers is that they do not slide off of the needle or hook as easy. This is especially great for a beginner struggling with making stitches.

THE WINNER: Lion’s Brand Yarn Homespun and Hometown USA 100% Acrylic Yarn- chunky/bulky weights These two yarns are very easy to work with. Great for a beginner, knits and crochets very fast and comes in fantastic colors. Easy to find earth tones in the Hometown USA and the Homespun has multi-colored strands that make it very easy for afghans and other big pieces that require color matching and coordination.

The yarn does not slide and stays on the hook well. The Homespun feels like wool and can give a wooly appearance for cheaper than real wool and last for a long time because it is acrylic fibers. The Hometown USA yarn looks like rope but with a softer touch. It makes for great bags and rugs.

My Favorite All Around Yarns THE WINNER: Red Heart Shimmer 97% Acrylic, 3% Metallic Polyester This yarn is super soft, easy to handle and great on a hook! It doesn’t look or feel like your normal Red Heart Super Saver which is a more standard and cheaper yarn, The Shimmer yarn gives the appearance of shine and feels more like a higher quality yarn found at a local yarn shop. It is a great step up for a beginner/ intermediate who wants to begin to explore with different feels, textures and looks that yarn has to offer. I highly recommend the Red Heart Shimmer yarn to anyone wanting to move up in quality of yarn and craftsmanship.

This yarn gets my 3rd place favorite spot for favorite Fall yarns.

THE WINNER: Cascade Yarns http://www.cascadeyarns.com 100% Prima Cotton This yarn is so fun and colorful. Cascade made a vast pick of colors and I only walked away with two colors (after a hard time picking my favorites). My daughter wanted socks so we did wacky socks and thought out the entire knitting session, the yarn never slipped of the needles and in fact, at the end when binding off, I accidentally dropped a stitch or two- they stayed in the same exact place without unraveling. I would go back and buy this yarn any day. The price was pretty average, not to high and not too cheap. We got it at a local yarn shop but you can also order online. The shop had many colors and the prima cotton is so soft.

It is a strong yarn so you can definitely make hobo bags or shoppers with it. I like to combine thin yarns with chunky yarns for added texture, but hey, do whatever you feel like it with this yarn. I guarantee it will last.

Luxury Feel Yarns THE WINNER: Ice Yarns www.iceyarns.com 55% Linen 13% Viscose 12% Nylon 20% Acrylic This yarn is great for making jewelry. Its thin but very strong. The neutral tan color that I received was the same color as twine and very lovely. The yarn did not slip or snag on my hook and was very easy to crochet with. Glides perfectly and easy to work with tight tension.

Not the type of yarn for making Granny squares or large items but was great for small projects involving jewelry or other tightly crochet pieces. It would also be great for a brimmed hat due to the fact that the yarn strands are tightly held together. A very strong yarn.

THE WINNER: Jenny Watson 100% pure merino double knitting wool This wool is so soft and so easy to work with.

Best worked with nickel platted needles and crochet hooks that are not made with wood.

Comes in a nice palette of colors to coordinate with, does not snag on the hook and doesn’t slide of knitting needles. It has a sort of stretch to it so making ribbed items is ideal. Great for shawls and other flat pieces. This yarn gets my 2nd place favorite of the Fall season.

WOOL LIKE YARNS THE WINNER: Lopi lettlopi 100% Icelandic wool This wool is perfect for double knitting and doing color work. If sleeking, the stitches do not unravel. The line of wool comes in many colors and offers a lot of natural earthy tones as well as funky wild colors like pink and purple that would stand out in color work. The wool is very warm and stays dry. The outer layer of yarn seems at first very stiff and stratchy but after you warm it up so to speak, that stratchness goes a way, revealing a soft inner layer that is very warm and relaxing.

THE WINNER: Red Heart Boutique “Unforgettable” Yarn 100% Acrylic While Red Heart is know for its cheaper yarns for crafting, the company also has a few high end yarns as well. One is the Boutique “Unforgettable” yarn that has a wool feel to it even though it is 100% acrylic. For those of you who say no to acrylic and only go with the real stuff or the local yarn shop yarns, you would be very surprised and pleased with this yarn. I was able to break it like wool, split slice it and rub it back to normal as if it never was broken. I knitted across the row and it never broke again.

Normally with acrylic yarns, you would have to join new yarn by tightly knotting them together and then hiding them in spots where you can not see them. Not this yarn, I was very pleased with it. I had to join 3 skeins of it and not once did it break on me. I am very impressed with this yarn and it gets my first place with my favorite yarns of the fall.

NOT SO-SURE ABOUT....?

THE WINNER: Bernat Vickie Howell Cotton-ish 55% Cotton, 45% Acrylic Cotton-ish is very soft and comes in a flavorful array of colors. However, after handling the yarn, I must admit sadly that I personally do not enjoy the feel of the yarn. It is hard to work with on wooden knitting needles and trying to crochet with it was hell. It would get caught and split or unravel. Sadly, I stopped what I was doing and picked up my trusty Bernat Handicrafter Cotton.

Cotton-ish would be a great yarn for people who knit or crochet with smaller size hooks and needles. It seems to be the type of yarn that would be great for small projects or for someone who has tight tension. Beautiful yarn and colors but the handling was not for me. Maybe you would like it? If you do, please write us and let us know.

47

Doshie Dior Photography www.doshiedior.com

clare Sullivan

of BOBWILSON123

I absolutely love love love Clare! She is an awesome teacher and designer that has made a name for herself on YouTube.

Q) Clare, tell us more about yourself.

A) My name is Clare and I have been crocheting for 12 years, I have been teaching on YouTube for 4 of these years. I learnt to crochet from my best friend Lisa and it started off as a dare, Lisa dared me to learn to crochet, I told her I was too stubborn and would lose interest. 12 years later I am teaching people around the world one video at a time Q) Tell us your story. What inspires you as an artist?

A)I uploaded my first video about 4 years ago. I learnt how to join granny square

from a ‘little old lady’ I searched YouTube to see if there was already a video and there was not. I filmed my first tutorial, the lighting was bad, I crocheted a little too fast for beginners to follow and I didn’t even own a tripod for my camera.

People wanted to learn more, I was receiving messages asking how to make different items, I would email them back telling them how to do it, but these people were visual learners and needed a video tutorial and as they say the rest is history! Over 550 video tutorials later I have over 86,000 YouTube fans and more than 23,000 Facebook likes I am inspired by so many people. I see other crochet designers and teachers and think, I want to be just like them and give it my best. Teach people so they too can share the passion of crochet and see how much fun it can be. It’s not all about what your grandmother made you and old fuddy duddy items, it’s about being fashionable and creative !

Q) What is your weekly schedule for posting videos and how do you manage your time between the videos, crocheting, designing, and teaching.

A) I try my best to upload 1 video tutorial each week, usually I put aside 3 days a week for filming, editing and crocheting. The other 4 days are dedicated to emails and message from Facebook, YouTube and various other sites. Most days I work 10 hours, but I do put time aside for me, occasionally.

Q)What is your favorite color, your favorite brand or type of yarn, favorite hook and why?

If you know me well enough you already know what I am about to say. My favourite colour is blue and grey. I love all brands of yarn and I prefer to work

with acrylic yarns. They are easy to get, cheap and wash well. I do however enjoy indulging in the occasional expensive purchase of hand spun, hand dyed yarn, but ssshhh don’t tell hubby !

Q) What advice could you give our viewers who also have or want to start building their business on Youtube.

A) Go for it ! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Do your research, make sure you know what you are talking about. You have to have thick skin, people can be very mean and say horrible things to you via the internet. Don’t let the comment get to you and delete and block them If you become popular on YouTube, be prepared to have no life other than being on the computer and working very hard and long hours. Oh I make it sound such a drag ! If you are passionate about what you do and I enjoy every minute of it. You will make great friends, speak to people in countries you didn’t even know existed. Your life will change forever and in the best possible way

Q)Have you ever been featured at any events, in books or magazines ?

A)Earlier this year I was featured in the Australian That’s Life magazine.

Talking about how people can make money out of their hobbies

A special thanks to: Vanessa Petri from Hourglass Photography www.hourglassphotography.com.au for Clare’s photos.

You know, Clare has now reached 100,000 subscribers on her channel and 25,345 likes on Facebook. She is a growing sensation!

You can find Clare online by visiting: Website – www.bobwilson123.org YouTube - www.youtube.com/user/bobwilson123 Facebook - www.facebook.com/bobwilson123YoutubeCrochetVideos Ravelry – bobwilson123 Twitter – bobwilson123

http://www.bobwilson123.org

cluster Stitch Bag/

Hat

pattern

Designed by Clare Sullivan Video tutorial - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO5kYGJ7tDg

Materials Yarn (see note below) Hook (see note below) Scissors and yarn needle Tape measure for hat only 4 stitch markers (bag only) Note: • The size of your bag will depend on the amount of yarn that you need. I used 200gm/7oz of yarn to make a small bag – I held 2 strands together • You can use any yarn that you like.

• My bag used 2 strands of 8ply/DK/Sports weight yarn held together and a 6mm/J hook, • You could use 1 strand of medium worsted weight yarn and a 5.5mm/I hook • 1 strand of 8ply/DK/Sports weight yarn will need a 4mm hook • I did 4 rows for base of bag and 7 rows of cluster stitch • Bag and hat are started the same way – the only difference is the handles

Mathematical formula to make your hat fit Head circumference measurement divided by 3.14 = the measurement from 1 edge to the other. Keep increasing until you have that measurement For example: • 58cm divided by 3.14 = 18 cm (The answer is 18.4cm, you need to round down your answer to nearest whole number) • Keep increasing the hat crown until it is 18cm • The formula will also work for inches

Base of bag/crown of hat Using 2 strand of 8ply/DK/Sports weight yarn or 1 strand of medium worsted weight yarn Note: you can stop increasing the base of your bag base when you have the width you want Chain 4, join with a slip stitch into the 1st chain to make a ring or make a magic ring 1. Chain 3 (chain 3 does not count as a stitch for the base of bag/crown of hat) 12 dc into ring, join with a slip stitch into the 1st double crochet 2. Chain 3, 2 double crochets into the same stitch, 2 double crochets in each stitch around, join with a slip stitch into the 1st double crochet 3. Chain 3, 1 double crochet into the same stitch, 2 double crochets into the next stitch, *1 double crochet into the next stitch, 2 double crochets into the next stitch* repeat from * to * around , join with a slip stitch into the 1st double crochet 4. Chain 3, 1 double crochet into the same stitch, 1 double crochet into the next stitch , 2 double crochets into the next stitch, *1 double crochet into the next 2 stitches, 2 double crochets into the next stitch* repeat from * to * around , join with a slip stitch into the 1st double crochet If you are making an infant hat check your measurements for your hat to make sure you have made enough increase rounds. If you have enough skip the next 3 rounds, go straight to the cluster stitch round 5. Chain 3, 1 double crochet into the same stitch, 1 double crochet into the 2 next stitch , 2 double crochets into the next stitch, *1 double crochet into the next 3 stitches, 2 double crochets into the next stitch* repeat from * to * around , join with a slip stitch into the 1st double crochet Stop here for a small bag and ignore the next 2 rounds, go straight to the cluster stitch round 6. Chain 3, 1 double crochet into the same stitch, 1 double crochet into the 3 next stitch , 2 double crochets into the next stitch, *1 double crochet into the next 4 stitches, 2 double

crochets into the next stitch* repeat from * to * around , join with a slip stitch into the 1st double crochet Check your measurements for your hat to make sure you have made enough increase rounds. If you have enough skip the next round, go straight to the cluster stitch round If you need another increase round follow next row if not ignore the next row 7. Chain 3, 1 double crochet into the same stitch, 1 double crochet into the 4 next stitch , 2 double crochets into the next stitch, *1 double crochet into the next 5 stitches, 2 double crochets into the next stitch* repeat from * to * around , join with a slip stitch into the 1st double crochet Cluster stitch rounds A cluster stitch is worked leaving the last 2 loops of the double crochet on the hook (The following is a lot of words for not a lot of work !) you already know how to make a double crochet so you find it really easy !

1.Chain 3, the chain 3 COUNTS as 1st stitch, Yarn over, insert the hook into the same stitch, yarn over, draw the yarn through the stitch, yarn over, draw the yarn through 2 loops on the hook, two loops remain on the hook, , Yarn over, insert the hook into the same stitch, yarn over, draw the yarn through the stitch, yarn over, draw the yarn through 2 loops on the hook, three loops remain on the hook, yarn over and pull through all loops on hook. *Skip a stitch, chain 1, Yarn over, insert the hook into the next stitch, yarn over, draw the yarn through the stitch, yarn over, draw the yarn through 2 loops on the hook, two loops remain on the hook, , Yarn over, insert the hook into the same stitch, yarn over, draw the yarn through the stitch, yarn over, draw the yarn through 2 loops on the hook, three loops remain on the hook, , Yarn over, insert the hook into the same stitch, yarn over, draw the yarn through the stitch, yarn over, draw the yarn through 2 loops on the hook, four loops remain on the hook, yarn over and pull though all loops * repeat from * to * slip stitch to join into the top of the cluster stitch 2.If using same colour for next row - Slip stitch across to chain space If using different color, finish off old colour and attach new colour in any chain space space Chain 3, the chain 3 COUNTS as 1st stitch, Yarn over, insert the hook into the same stitch, yarn over, draw the yarn through the stitch, yarn over, draw the yarn through 2 loops on the hook, two loops remain on the hook, , Yarn over, insert the hook into the same stitch, yarn over, draw the yarn through the stitch, yarn over, draw the yarn through 2 loops on the hook, three loops remain on the hook, yarn over and pull through all loops on hook. *Skip a stitch, chain 1, Yarn over, insert the hook into the next stitch, yarn over, draw the yarn through the stitch, yarn over, draw the yarn through 2 loops on the hook, two loops remain on the hook, , Yarn over, insert the hook into the same stitch, yarn over, draw the yarn through the stitch, yarn over, draw the yarn through 2 loops on the hook, three loops remain on the hook, , Yarn over, insert the hook into the same stitch, yarn over, draw the yarn through the

stitch, yarn over, draw the yarn through 2 loops on the hook, four loops remain on the hook, yarn over and pull though all loops * repeat from * to * slip stitch to join into the top of the cluster stitch 3.Repeat row 2 for as many rows as you need – I did 7 rows Bag and Hat 1.Chain 1, half double crochet into the same stitch, half double crochet into the chain 1 space *half double crochet into the top of the cluster stitch, half double crochet into the chain 1 space* repeat from * to * join with a slip stitch to 1st half double crochet For the hat you can work as many half double crochet rounds as you need, finish off and sew in ends. I did 2 rounds but as always you can do as many rows as you like !

Handles Lay bag flat so your yarn is attached with the yarn on the right hand fold Using your 4 stitch markers, mark the ¼ and ¾ points on the front and back

1.Chain 1, half double crochet into the same stitch, half double crochet into each stitch until the next stitch marker, make a chain the length you want your handles (the amount of chains needed will have to be at least the same amount of stitches that are skipped, see image below)

Write down the amount of chains that you made so that you can make the same amount of chains for the next handle 2.Half double crochet into the next marked stitch, half double crochet into each stitch until the next marked stitch, make the same amount of chains that you did for the first handle, half double crochet into the next stitch marker and each remaining stitch. Slip stitch to the first half double crochet to join 3.Chain 1, half double crochet into each half double crochet and chain stitch, join to the 1st half double crochet 4.If you want to make the handles wider Chain 1, half double crochet into each half double crochet, join with a slip stitch to the first half double crochet Thank you for choosing my pattern !

Clare xx

58

http: //raghouseinternational.blogspot.ca

wearcrochet

fall 2013

wear crochet

fall 2013

Charlie s Fingerless gloves by: Keturah Ariel

BEGINNER: EASY MATERIALS:

unisex

one size fit some

1 SKEIN BERNAT MOSAIC YARN 1 HOOK SIZE H

ABBREVIATIONS: HDC- half double crochet

DC- double crochet

NOTES: sizing: this pattern fits some, if your arms are smaller/larger, then chain the amount of stitches required to fit around your arm and add stitches to make the number even. then you will have to determine on your own using math the number of shells and their spacing by dividing the stitches from this pattern into your chain number. That is how you find how many shells you will need.

THESE FINGERLESS GLOVES/MITTS CAN BE MADE EXACTLY AS SHOWN OR YOU MAY ADD LENGTH TO THE ARM BY HDC A FEW MORE ROWS AT HE BEGINNING BEFORE STARTING YOUR SHELL PATTERN DETAIL. THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW ARE FOR THE PATTERN VERSION AS SEEN ABOVE.

INSTRUCTIONS: Cast on 31 stitches, join the beginning and end stitch by chaining them together, leaving 30 stitches

Row 1: HDC all 30 stitches. When you reach the end of the round, chain into the last stitch on the previous row, closing the circle again. You will always chain at the end of each round to close the circle. (OR DC ENTIRE ROW FOR LOOSER FIT) BEGIN SHELL PATTERN: Row 2: In the first stitch {chain 3, wrap the yarn over and make 1 dc, chain 1, 2dc, chain 1} –creates the 2-1-2 dc shell stitch. Skip 5 stitches, wrap the yarn over and repeat shell stitch in the 6th stitch. Skip the next 5 stitches and repeat pattern until the end of row. Once you have come to the first shell, chain into the 1st dc to close the row.

TOTAL SHELLS per row: 5 shells. 30 chain stitches equals 5 shells exactly plus the spaces in- between to keep it even. See chart below for illustration: ROW 3-9: Working in the same shell as you closed the previous row, begin your shell pattern for entire row as stated above. Each row will have a shell made within the spaces between the shells from the previous row, creating alternative shell pattern each row. Refer to the chart below. It is the small example of a few rows of the pattern.

I had a total of 5 rows of shell detail.

Row$10:$HDC$into$each$of$the$30$stitches$and$chain$the$last$stitch$into$the$7irst$stitch$of$the$ previous$row$to$close$off$circle.$(as$shown$on$the$above$chart).

Row$11@$HDC$entire$row.

Row$12@$HDC$entire$row$until$you$get$to$the$area$that$contains$the$last$shell$column.$You$ will$now$chain$the$number$of$stitches$needed$to$7it$the$space$of$your$thumb$so$that$your$ thumb$has$enough$room$to$7it$through$the$7ingerless$gloves.$My$chain$amount$was$8$ stitches.$Once$you$chain$your$amount$of$stitches$to$7it$your$thumb$space,$connect$the$chain$ with$the$7irst$HDC$stitch$of$the$previous$row$by$simply$chaining$into$it.

Row$13:$HDC$entire$row,$now$including$your$“bridge”$chain$that$will$rest$above$your$ thumb.$My$count$was$38$since$I$began$with$30$stitches$in$the$round$and$added$8$more$ stitches$for$my$thumb$area.

Row$14@end$Continue$to$HDC$each$row$until$you$reach$the$length$needed$to$cover$your$ hands$until$it$reaches$the$place$where$your$7ingers$rest.$$You$are$now$7inished.$Leave$a$ medium$size$tail$and$cut$the$yarn,$weave$in$the$tail$neatly.

Now$repeat$entire$process$for$the$other$7ingerless$glove/mitt.

You$can$now$drive$warmly$or$sit$and$drink$your$favorite$warm$drink$while$looking$stylish$ for$this$fall.$This$pattern$featured$a$special$color$scheme$of$this$fall’s$fashion$colors$of:$ plum,$burnt$orange,$aqua$marine$blue,$yellow@sea@green$and$mahogany.$

Cre8tion

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offers many free crochet patterns.

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are pre tested for accuracy and ease of use.

You will also find helpful hints and crochet tips, information on blogging and owning your own crochet business.

www.cre8tioncrochet.com

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69

poetry corner by: Akua Lezli Hope

three crochet Limericks There was a young lady from Burma who never touched terra firma she preferred to suspend herself by the end of a rope she crocheted out of flora  ~~~~~

There was a mad woman from New York Who thought she’d crochet with a blue fork Which she twirled round and round Tangling yarn by the pound, Saying all that she needed was more torque ~~~~~

A creative young thing from Trafalgar Crocheted every inch of her boudoir A design magazine Called this fiber-rich scene A triumph of taking yarn too far ~~~~~

Sed! Stitch

This stitch is wind on wheat tall unfettered horsetail gold furred squirreltail, stroked, timothy, waving over by the river before public works has come to clear the multiplicities of grass away as the worked wool fabric grows beneath your hands, pleasure in the speed of its lengthening creation, small scent and heat memories hooked, those preambulations along the margins of town busy with urgent germination the many small lives unvisibly weaving world breathing wonder. Â

by: Akua Lezli Hope

charity crochet

the Pink Slipper Project

The Pink Slipper Project is an endeavor to warm the hearts and toes of women and children living in shelters with a pair of warm, handmade slippers. Not only will a pair of slippers help keep them warm, but remind them that they are not alone and someone cared enough to make something special just for them. A simple kindness goes a long way in the healing process.

Since The Pink Slipper Project was founded in 2009 by Joyce Lucas, thousands of pair of handmade slippers have been donated to domestic violence shelters across the country. This year alone over 900 pair of slippers were sent to 13 shelters across the United States. Our volunteers pledge to make slippers when a request is posted on Facebook. They send their slippers directly to the shelter. We also send handmade washcloths which the shelters love as much as the slippers.

We hope that you will join our wonderful group of volunteers. For more information please visit us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ThePinkSlipperProject and our blog at http://ThePinkSlipperProject.blog.spot.com.

The Pink Slipper Project unites women all over the world for the good of other women and children. The common thread is they all want to help make someone’s life a little better.

Thank you for taking time to help the victims of domestic violence.

Rachel Terrill Coordinator, The Pink Slipper Project It is such a wonderful project and cause that we chose to feature it here . The pattern is the Signature Crochet Slipper designed by Judy Warehime. It was designed especially for Pink Slipper.

Enjoy!

charity pattern

Medium Worsted Weight Cuffed Crochet Slippers Sizes: Small (Child); Medium (Teen); Large (Ladies) Above slipper pattern has been designed exclusively for The Pink Slipper Project by designer Judy Warehime.

3 oz. Red Heart Medium Worsted Weight Yarn Crochet Hook: Size H-8 (5.00 mm) - Tapestry or yarn needle Notes: Pattern is written for Small size, with changes for Medium and Large sizes in parentheses ( ). These slippers are sized in inches, not shoe sizes. If you would like a folded or higher cuff, add 10 stitches to your beginning chain.

Special Stitch: Double crochet decrease [dc dec]: [Yo, insert hook in next st and pull up loop, yo and pull through 2 lps on hk] twice, then yo and pull through remaining 3 lps on hk.

Chain-2 at end of rows and skipped chains in first row of heel are not included in the stitch count for each row.

Heel/Cuff Section: Leaving a 12� length of yarn at beginning, chain 38(42)(48).

Row 1(RS): Dc in 3rd ch from hook and in each remaining ch across. Turn, ch-2. (36)(40)(46) Row 2: Working in back loops only, now and throughout, dc in 1st dc and in each dc across. Turn, ch-2.

Repeat Row 2 until piece measures 4(41â „2)(5) inches, ending with turn, ch-1 at end of last row. Do not fasten off.

Instep Section: Row 1: Slip stitch in first 5 dcs [first 10 dcs for higher cuff], ch-2.

Dc in next dc and each dc across,

leaving last 5 dc [10 dc for higher cuff] unworked. Turn, ch-2. (26) (30)(36) Row 2: Dc in 1st dc and in each dc across. Turn, ch-2.

Repeat Row 2 until piece measures 61⁄2(8)(9) inches or approx. one inch less than desired slipper length.

Toe Shaping: Small Size only: Row 1: Dc in 1st dc, dc dec, [dc in next dc, dc dec] across to last 2 dc. Dc in each of last 2 dc. Turn, ch-2. (18)

All pattern rights belong to The Pink Slipper Project. Pattern is not to be sold or used in any collection for sale.

Toe Shaping: Medium/Large Sizes: Row 1: Dc in 1st dc, dc dec, [dc in next dc, dc dec] across. Turn, ch-2. (20) (24) Row 2 (all sizes): Dc in each dc across. Turn, ch-2. (18)(20)(24) Row 3 (all sizes): Dc dec in each dc across. Fasten off, leaving an 18” tail. (9)(10)(12) Finishing: Fold the slipper lengthwise, right sides together. Using the18” length of yarn and yarn needle, weave yarn through stitches of last row of toe shaping and pull to close. Continue sewing instep and cuff seam closed. Fasten off and weave in remaining yarn. Using the beginning 12” length of yarn, sew heel seam closed. Fasten off, leaving a 4-5” length to weave in. Turn slipper right side out.

Add bow to each slipper or decorate as desired.

Variation: This slipper can easily be made using single crochet stitches (sc) in place of the dc; however, beginning chain is one

less (37)(41)(47) and make 1st sc of Row 1 in 2nd chain from hook.

Substitute a ch-1 at end of rows for the ch-2. Number of rows in heel and instep sections will approximately double; however, there will still only be three rows in the toe shaping. Substitute a sc decrease for the dc dec in the toe shaping.

Sc Decrease: Draw up a loop in each of next two stitches, yo and draw through all loops on hook.

This slipper pattern is based on the Signature Worsted Weight Slipper pattern written by designer Rachel Terrill for the Pink Slipper Project. My thanks go out to Rachel for her help in testing my pattern! ~~~~ Judy Warehime, Hampstead, MD “ I'm a 66-year-old mother of three, grandmother of four, and I've been crocheting for over 45 years. I actually learned when I was young, but really didn't start crocheting a lot until I was married. My dear late mother-in-law almost always had either a crochet hook or quilting needle in her hand and was definitely an inspiration to me!

I love to crochet with both yarn and thread....everything from baby afghans, baby clothes, toys, clothing, doilies, wallhangings......to PSP slippers! My most cherished projects have been the thread crochet Christening sets I made for my granddaughters. I loved the simplicity of Rachel's one-piece slipper pattern, but since I'm not the greatest knitter in the world, I sat down to try my hand at converting it to a crochet version. I hope you enjoy it and make lots of slippers for the PSP! ~~ Judy�

Above slipper pattern has been designed exclusively for The Pink Slipper Project by designer Judy Warehime.

All pattern rights belong to The Pink Slipper Project. Pattern is not to be sold or used in any collection for sale.

Subscribe here!

www.bohemiandesigns.info

book REVIEWS The New Crochet: A Beginner's Guide, with 38 Modern Projects by Marion Madel Paperback: 224 pages Publisher: Potter Craft (September 17, 2013) ΙSBN-10: 0385346131 • ISBN-13: 978-0385346139 Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.2 x 0.8 inches

by: Akua Lezli Hope

now out-of-print books, and collected through dozens of Leisure Arts leaflets purchased over time. It shouldn’t have to be hard.

Now, with the internet and several communities of crocheters to share, discuss and explain various techniques, as well as YouTube videos, enabling one to watch someone’s hands, the long steep climb to gaining skill is now a meadow full of flowers.

This meadow blooms in this lovely book projects that include oversized scarves, cozy cowls, lacy shawls, decorative embellishments, bags.

The New Crochet: A Beginner's Guide by French designer and crochet teacher Marion Madel, is bouquet of a book for beginners. It explains everything in detail, and step by step, with lovely, lucid layouts, pretty pictures, and delicious diagrams.

The tone is very inviting, relaxed and reassuring. It offers a fresh and engaging approach to crochet, with 38 easy projects presented in 25 comprehensive lessons.

I began crocheting in the past century and while I would often say that I’m well past being a beginner, having begun doesn’t mean one has progressed. As someone once told me, 20 years at a task could be 20 times one year. There are approaches and insights, tips and tricks that were hard won, found in

The lessons are grouped into four chapters: Master the Essential Stiches, Increase and Decrease, Starting Lace Patterns, and Working in Rounds. For each lesson, the accompanying patterns offer beginners a way to try out new stitch patterns and techniques while creating beautiful garments and accessories.

The very first project — a savvy exercise in using new skills — is to make a necklace is a smart way to get beginners going. The last project, using the last lesson’s skills, working in the round with a new stitch, is crocheting a tufted beanie.

In between you can learn to make: a pouch, a buttoned cowl, a scarf, a flat bag, a poncho, tote bag, legwarmers, 4 “chevrons-based hats ( maybe a loss in translation – they’re ripples), mittens, slippers, a cardigan, a sleeveless pullover, filet mesh bag,

filet mesh scarf, fingerless mittens, oversized scarf, hazel nut stitch beret, hazel nut stitch (bobbles) scarf, lace trim, shawl, charm flower), brooch (flower) bracelet (flowers), capelet (flower motif), floral wrap, floral scarf, and granny square vest.

While along the way you'll learn about felting, cord making, and pompons, as well as acquire many tips and insights.

The excellent index is organized by subject, e.g. crochet techniques, yarns, projects, and stitches, making it easy to return to or find particular areas of interest.

It is wonderful that there are stitch diagrams that accompany the projects, so beginners are immediately introduced to the universal language of crochet. This will serve them well in the future because while the words differ around the world, the symbols are the same. It’s exhilarating to see beginners guided through garment making — something that may seem daunting and that many put off doing for years, this demonstrates that as a beginner, you can make wearables.

Physically, it feels good, a sturdy, large paperback with fold overs on the front and back covers that can serve as handy place markers. The book is also available as an eBook.

This lovely book is an excellent, beautiful, thoughtful, accessible, and fun introduction to crochet, and well recommended.

Blueprint Crochet Sweaters: Techniques for Custom Construction Paperback by Robyn Chachula

Paperback: 168 pages Publisher: Interweave (April 9, 2013) ISBN-10: 1596688289 ISBN-13: 978-1596688285 Product Dimensions: 0.5 x 8.5 x 10.2 inches

Blueprint Crochet Sweaters, Techniques for Custom Construction delivers many delicious designs and insights on building a garment.

The cover sweater, while attractive, is possibly the least exciting in this fabulous array of sweaters and other clothing. The patterns include a dress, coat, vest, cropped top, shrugs, tunic, and tank – 16 designs in all.

Four basic garment types and their variations are represented including: raglan, drop sleeve and side-saddle construction; side to side, bottom up and back down construction; motifbased construction and top down construction. If this sounds alien or daunting to you, have no fear, all is explored in careful detail, in easy-tounderstand and familiar terms.

As one would expect from a former structural engineer, each project is richly described, with symbol charts,

words, and schematics, in the way one wishes every pattern would be. If you are a visual learner, you are richly rewarded; if you are not, there are overviews and stitch-bystitch instruction. You are well led through customization, ensuring a good fit, and ways to make each design your own.

Among my favorites is the Foliage Shrug, a textured short cardigan with a cable pattern around the front and back neck edge and post stitch ribbing at the cuffs, designed by Simona Merchant-Denst. It has a great sidebar on sleeve cap construction. My other favorite is the trefoil and Margairlin Snowflakefigured Shiitake Tunic, (to which I would add sleeves). It’s deliciously textured and graphic, reminding me of ancient tiles.

All the patterns are benefitted by notes, overviews and sidebars as well as close-ups of details and pattern stitches and the overall garment — making everything clear, accessible, lucid and instructive. This is a standard setter. The schematics display the garment shape clearly and the measurements for each component, enabling crocheters to adjust, compare and anticipate what their own shapes require.

Two caveats – I think this is beyond the scope of beginners, it is best for intermediate or experienced crocheters. Also the focus on fit is on the designs presented, not on designing from scratch. That said, this insightful, delight-filled book will be a great addition to many a crocheter’s bookshelf.

30-Minute Crochet: What Can You Crochet in 30 Minutes or Less?

Paperback by Carol Meldrum Paperback: 128 pages Publisher: Quintet publishing limited Barron's Educational Series (October 1, 2013) ISBN-10: 1438003315 ISBN-13: 978-1438003313 Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.4 x 0.5 inches

This is a delightfully surprising book.

Beginning crocheters will find a treasure trove of possibilities, and thorough advice on equipment and supplies, yarn weights, stitch abbreviations, symbols, how to work in rounds, increase and decrease, measure gauge, block, seam and finish a project.

Thirty of the 128 pages are spent on instruction—which is a bit heavy for only 15 (designated) beginner projects out of the 63 (the other 48 for intermediate and experienced).

Many, though not all projects have charts, which I prefer. Each project has a materials list clearly demarcated.

The categories: Wild things in Nature, Fancy and Functional, and Wearables include these projects: strawberry, toadstool, acorn, leaf motifs, tree decorations, butterfly, finger puppets, birdie, owl, hedgehog, mouse, owl mask, animal ears, snowflake, cup cozy, container with handle, glass stem marker, coaster, plant pots, bottle holder, napkin rings, jar cover, place mat, coaster, table runner, stacking pots, bunny egg cozy, owl egg cozy, trivet, heart motif bag, heart neck purse, wrist band, lipstick case, flower key chain, purse, necklace, cushion, slip cover, flower cushion motif, picture frame, covered coat hanger, card pouch luggage tag, chalk bag, phone case, earrings, buttons, zombie pin badge, glasses chain, bow tie, hair bow, flower headband, bracelet, peter pan collar, layered brooch, scarf, cloche hat, belt and ring.

Each project is color coded for beginner, intermediate and experienced, though I think beginner and intermediate crocheters will get more out this collection than experienced crocheters will.

However, the reminder of what can be done in a short amount of time, and the sweet magic of hook, yarn and imagination, is a welcome one.

Lovely layouts with bright, clear, colorful pictures and the handsome flapped, sturdy paperback, make this book fun to hold and use.

-Akua Lezli Hope

82

fav yarn

spinners!

Keith Evans and the SpinDye Weavers I searched for a top yarn spinner and found the perfect group of folk over in the UK! They made my Fall Best Fav yarn spinners! Here we present Keith Evans and the SpinDye Weavers!

Q) Keith, how long have you been in yarn spinning, making yarn, dying yarn, etc.

I learnt to spin in 1983, while I was serving in the British Army as a nurse, so that makes it my 30th anniversary this year.

I was taught to spin by a lady in Witham, Essex, called Mary Eve and her friend Jill Goodwin who wrote (A Dyers Manual) taught me the basics of dyeing. Since that time I have learnt by tutor and self experimentation to dye better and to weave.

Q) Why did you or what made you decide that this craft was for you?

Well I had tried different crafts in the past such as painting, woodwork and pottery, but felt the need to do something very traditional and different. I had become very interested in the Rare Breeds Survival Trust and had been brought up in the countryside, so after a long time in deep though and a look to see what the local college was offering in the way of courses, I decided that spinning seemed to be the answer to the things I wanted to do. So I applied to the college for the course, only to find out I was the only one interested in spinning so the course was cancelled.

It was only by sheer luck that I found a an advertisement on the back of a door in a crafts shop, it was selling the courses with Mary Eve. By that evening I'd had a good chat with Mary and was set to do the beginners course the only problem being the day of the beginners course was the one day I couldn't attend – no problem she said I'll throw you in the deep end and put you in with the intermediate group! It was a steep learning curve.

Q) What types of yarn do you make, what is your favorite?

Over the years I have made different types of yarns, but not 'art yarns'. They have not really taken my fancy. I have spun mainly yarns for knitting and crochet, usually 2 ply and have

always given them away for other people to knit with. Only on a couple of occasions have I used the resulting yarn for my own use. The first being some not so nice Jacob fleece that ended up as fingerless gloves knitted for me and the second some Merino fleece that I was given, which ended up as a batwing ladies 'v' neck jumper and when put into a competition came second place and was sold for ÂŁ60. In the early 80's that was a fortune! My favorite yarn is always the one that I am doing at that moment, unless I do something really spectacular in very fine fibres and that has yet to happen.

Q) How is it done? The whole yarn process from beginning to end..how long does it take to process and produce a skein of yarn?

These days it is a lot easier to produce a fine clean yarn quite quickly because you are able to buy the wool in what they call 'tops' or 'rovings' which are like long snakes of ready combed

or carded fibre that you can spin with straight away. When I first started here in the U.K. these were not available and we were taught to spin from fully prepared fleece. This meant washing the fleece which is quite a labour intensive and time taking process, then of course you had to wait for it to dry. Having done that you then had to tease the wool apart by hand and then using hand carders, card the wool (pieces of flat square wood with handles, which with a fabric made of hundreds of teeth were attached , were pulled opposite each, so that the fibers were aligned and rolled into little 'sausages' called rolags which you could then spin.

Yes it took a long time! So the time it takes to produce a skein used to take quite a while.

Today however if you spun each day you could easily produce enough yarn to have a decent skein say 50g of wool.

Q) What animals do you use? What kind are harder to process than others? What is your favorite fibers?

I use all animals that produce a spinnable fibre, and I mean all animals including cats and dogs. I don't think any one fibre is more difficult to process,other than the hairy ones and there you often spend a long time removing the hair by hand but it is worth it in the long run because it is always down to the kind of yarn you wish to produce. With a soft smooth yarn you don't want bits of scratchy hair sticking out and into you, whereas if you want something more hard wearing then include the hair and it will make the yarn stronger.

As for favorites, well I spent a long time working only with British Rare Breed Sheep, but now I try to include fibers from all over the world including the USA, Canada and Australia as there are sheep there we don't have here. But if I have to like one in particular it would be the Blue Faced Leicester Sheep. The fibre is longish, soft, silky and has a wonderful shine to it when spun.

Q) Do you combine yarn fibers? Tell us all about sheep! They are so cute! Are they hard to handle, easy to shave, etc. What does into shaving and cleaning the fibers to be prepped before spinning?

Yes I combine fibers together and this I do on a carding machine which makes the whole process a lot easier. But it can be done also on a blending board or a hackle, both of which allow fibers to be laid on each other and mixed.

Sheep are wonderful creatures (well I believe so anyway), they cut your lawn and provide you with fibre for your clothes, some can be milked and when desperate you can eat them. What more could you ask from one animal! They are cute but I wouldn't recommend getting between a mother and her lambs as you will only come off worse for wear. All the husbandry I leave to others, but I did do a simple husbandry course many years ago. I remember from

that, that like all animals they are prone to illness and you have to be always alert to this and of course be ready to help with the birthing of lambs.

Shearing of sheep is done by experts and needs to be done so, as a beginner cannot handle the sheep properly, the sheep won't feel safe and will try to run away which could end up with damage both to the sheep and the shearer from the wickedly sharp electric shears. Not a nice thing to see. When you buy a fleece it should have been “dagged� in other words had the dirty pooey bits removed. If they are still there when you buy the fleece then send it back and never get one from there again. A good farmer supplying fleece will know to remove ALL the dirt before you receive it.

Q) What advice would you give to someone starting to yarn spin or dye yarn?

If you are thinking of learning to spin you must do your research. There are lots of pieces of information available online and in books forewarned is for-armed as they say, and it's very true. I went in head first but had great teachers, and learnt a lot from books. If you know someone who spins or there is a group near you or a 'woolly' event about to happen then go along, you will be surprised how much you will pick up. Then you can make an informed decision as to whether or not it is for you.

Q) Where can people find you online?

I am on a fibre site called ravelry and so is our group. It is an international website with members from all over the world. It is also a great source of information. My name on there is:- woofnwooly and our group name is:- SpinDyeWeavers and these are spelt exactly as they are seen. If you get to read this article then please don't hesitate to say hi!

QUESTIONS FOR THE GROUP: SpinDyeWeavers Q) When did the group start? How long have you guys as a group been in yarn spinning, making yarn, dying yarn, etc.

The group was formed 4 and a half years ago when a founder member asked me if I knew of someone who wanted to start a private, independent group in Bristol. I had just moved into my current sheltered accommodation a year before and told her that I had always wanted to start a group but didn't know of anyone else who would be interested. Also the premises where I know lived had great facilities to accommodate such a group. So after a couple of months of preliminary meetings and a visit it was decided that the group should go ahead. So she invited all the people she knew of, I prepared to have the room for the day and off we went.

The members are a mixed bunch of varying abilities, disabilities and lengths of learning and knowledge of spinning and it's associated crafts.

Our core belief is to spread the word about our group and what we do, among as many interested people as we can. We attend craft fairs, children's craft meetings, agricultural fairs and fleece fairs, in fact as many places as possible, educating and informing the public about this great traditional craft and we intend to have FUN while we do it. This year we attended the Gillingham and Shaftesbury Agricultural Show held in Dorset, South England for the third year and came away with the first prize for the best stall in the show ( we got second place last year and didn't even know there was a competition). So we must have been doing something right!

When we are not doing things like that, we meet twice a month to discuss different methods of doing things, there is always something new, and we have special days when we just do one thing such as dyeing or carding or blending, it's a great way of exchanging ideas.

Q) What types of yarn do you make, what is your favourite?

As a group we all make different styles of yarns all the time. One lady does really fine lace weight yarns (or finer) and is especially good at knitting shawls, another lady does beautiful soft yarns in natural style colours, using these to make wonderful gloves and mittens in the Scandinavian style and also loves to knit retro design ladies tops. We are all different and that's what makes our group so exciting.

We all came to this craft for different reasons, one for historical research , another from her work with animals and others for their love of the associated crafts such as knitting and crochet and being able to design, spin and use their own yarn. And of course when you learn to dye you can make up your own colours too.

89

the fabulous wink aka

Marinke Slump

I started to crochet when I was in the hospital for three months. I got a really crappy little book on how to make amigurumi's and a 3mm hook, and learned myself how to crochet! My first crocheted items were awful (like my first ami that was supposed to be a fish, but turned out to be a pig), but I was hooked for life. Now, three years later, I run a full-time blog, and I write for various magazines and websites like Simply Crochet mag and Tuts+.com. I love being creative, and playing with yarn really lets out my creativity! :) I started offering free patterns pretty quickly after I started blogging. I though about selling them, but I figured that people would figure them out anyway, making it useless for me to ask money for them. After a while, I started to realize the value of paid patterns, so now I offer both! My readers appreciate me for offering photo tutorials for free, and I think that makes

them buy the paid patterns more quickly. I believe there is no one 'right' way when offering patterns; each pattern is different and so is each blog!

Q) So tell us about your ordeal that occurred a few months ago where you thought you where victim in the latest of big company-small designer pattern theft?

I felt like crap, obviously! But I also had mixed feelings. Apparently, a big name company had noticed my designs, which was good, but they also copied it without contacting me, which was bad.

I decided to drop it, because I felt like I was the only one kicking a big concrete wall. It was never going to fall over with just me kicking it. And I got so much negativity sent my way, I just couldn't handle it. Of course there were a lot of people on my side, but I got that angry mob after me; that mob that always seems to find the 'right' places to vent their anger, that mob that kills everything in it's path of destruction. I couldn't handle the mob. I almost quit blogging because of the mob. You have to understand that I tried to reason with everyone, but it just was no good. Nothing I said was taken the way I meant it, everything was taken out of context, people assumed the worst. It was horrible. But, you are right; it did spark a debate. Some people reached out to me with more horror stories about this company; you wouldn't even believe the stories they sent me! I know now that this company is definitely doing a lot of things the wrong way. I just wonder why.

You can be sure that they lost a customer.

Q) What are you doing now that you didn’t do before this situation when dealing with protecting yourself, your ideas and patterns? I have hear many other bad stories about other places online, not just big companies that steal patterns as well. It’s crazy!

I'm keeping my eyes open! I try to right wrongs when I see them, and luckily a lot of my fans send me links that (illegally) host my patterns as well, and that really helps.

I got my peace of mind back after time. I realized that the mob was leaving my blog, and that everything was going back to normal again, like nothing ever happened. Having something like this happen to you is really difficult, and it will shake you to your very core. The important thing is to stay true to yourself. Just remind yourself of why you started blogging/making patterns/ crocheting in the first place, and hold on to that thought until you regain your piece of mind. It's hard, but not impossible.

Q) Is there anything that you would like to say to anyone reading this who believe that designers should not pursue copyrights and that art, or crafting should be free and done however someone wishes (claims are made that since crochet has been here since forever, that no one should really be trying to get work copyrighted)?

I understand where those people are coming from. But just because people have been painting since forever, doesn't mean that it's okay to copy Picasso.

Being inspired by someone is totally fine, and I encourage it to help you find your own way in your creations. But if you think copying someone else's work and calling it your own is okay, then you're in the wrong. No one should have to copyright their work; people should respect every artist!

You can find Wink online at: A Creative Being www.acreativebeing.com, etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/acreativebeing, facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/ acreativebeing, ravelry shop: www.ravelry.com/designers/marinke-slump Well said Wink! I totally agree with her on this one and although it is a great debate in the land of crochet- copyright is a big issue. Some people do not understand it because they are new. They think that they can make copies of a pattern and give to friends because they are all working on it together. Some people ask for patterns on Facebook. You now, you can only give free patterns away- never paid patterns unless you paid for it and are giving it all away as a gift. Copyright laws are complicated so if you need more advice on it, visit the US Copyright Office at www.copyright.org as well as other places online like the Crochet Guild of America. They have provided a very detailed pdf file on crochet and copyrights, listed here: http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/ www.crochet.org/resource/resmgr/pdf/copyrightbrochure.pdf

To Copyright or not... that is the question...

Things designers should know before posting their work online

Here are a few healthy tips that every designer should know about copyrights before posting their work online: 1. Be aware of websites that offer patterns- both free and paid. Some are illegal and have posted many patterns without the designers knowledge.

There are a ton of there, that I can’t even compile a list. Some we have discovered are in China and other foreign places that operate with masked web addresses. This is the same thing that some hackers do to get your personal info- so just be careful. One designer I know went to the FBI about a site in China that had tons of her patterns on there.

2. Understand that copyright law sometimes needs interpretation- legally. If you feel really threaten, get a pro bono lawyer or someone to at least sit down with your case. Don’t worry about money at first, see the costs and what damages have been made before thinking “Well I don’t have money for a lawyer”. Try to communicate with the other party but if no response, go straight to a lawyer.

3. Also understand that online, everything works strangely, a person can “say” they have a copyright a few years back but really, they may have just updated some html code or their blog date to try to falsely prove that the pattern was copyrighted before you. Back in the day, people would mail something to themselves to establish date of copyright. Although not as effective, it is still a good way to show ownership. Another would be the date stamp in your word documents, pdf files, etc. Always add your name in the author and info when saving on your computer. When saving PDF files for online viewing, think about adding passwords- even for free downloads and making viewers sign up for your newsletter to receive the free downloads. This way you know that others can not break into your code and steal an unprotected PDF file.

4. Sometimes people do not know better, they think that if it is online, they can share. Add some kind of statement on your blog posts, under a privacy page somewhere and on all photos that your work belongs to you. If they want to use it, to contact you. You promise that you will not bite. :) 5. Take time out to learn and study the history of your craft and what can or should NOT be claimed as a copyright. This would include vintage patterns or general knowledge ideas like the granny square. I’m pretty sure that no one in our time can claim to copyright a granny-square-unless its so unique and never done in full knowledge of crochet history. Somethings, just do not need copyrights- they are there for us to learn from.

6. Keep all online blogs, patterns and photos on dated burned CD/DVD copies and in a file cabinet in case you need a lawyer. Best to also write out patterns and keep your files-paper and all somewhere for future generations and in case the lawyer needs hard evidence that something really does belong to you.

7. Limit posting online- this may sound crazy as we all have blogs and Ravelry pages, etc. But if this was 10 years ago, most of us would be selling face to face or going to groups to chat and knit. I know that being online helps us in a way, but try to post limited on having all of your work online.

The internet is full of hackers and people who DO STEAL our work. Try to only put things online as a shadow of what is to come. Show off a photo of your work or a work in progress and tell people that if they come locally, they can get the full thing! Market yourself by revealing bits at a time to keep people interested. Do more tutorials on your free patterns so the public is made aware that a pattern is yours. Incorporate local yarn shops into selling your patterns. Don’t just limit yourself to being online. If you do, you will most likely run into more people trying to steal and pass on your patterns.

8. Use local and hand-spun yarns as much as you can. Promote the small artist, if you always use big company yarns- they will see you and promote you but it also runs a chance that you will be added onto the long growing list of other designers who claim that big companies then take their workchange it a bit and then post it online with a “false” earlier date as if it where yours.

FYI: Recently people who we all respect within our community have been posting copyright warning on their Facebook pages. One of these people made me aware of patterns being stolen from etsy.com and posting on another website. So the problem is not just the unknown designers, it is happening everywhere. Honestly for those people who advocate or want to argue (as you see if ALOT) -THAT pattern does not have the same first two rows- so its not the same, You need to wake up because if two photos are side by side and a viewer thinks that they both are from the same person- YEP, they stole your pattern!!! I don’t care what rows are different. Legally, it may be ok, but ethically IT IS NOT!!!!!!

We have seen many nasty words even dealing with Wink and her situation from people claiming that crocheters don’t need to copyright our work, we are artist and its ok for us to work for free and all of this other crap.

Frankly if you work for Mattel making and designing Barbies and while working there you get an idea for the Brats....then leave and make Brats...guess what- they don’t look the same but the idea behind it is the same- you get sued. And that is exactly what happened! The designer of the Brats was sued. In our artist world, if you sing a cover song without paying royalties- you get sued, especially if you record an album with those same songs. Why do people think that since we craft, we don’t have the same rights? Its a long debate and its nasty on both ends. We are just here to help

people who have been wronged or those who want to post online but are scared because of all of this copyright stuff out there. When in doubt, seriously as a lawyer.

On Youtube, people steal all of the time, it’s not just patterns, people download and steal full tutorials and then upload them and claim ownership. We live in a world that has evil. As crocheters we make the world better by crafting, when this evil enters our world and people start arguing with each other- it gets stupid.

Let’s support each other and be ethical, not worry so much about legal- if ethical, we can all get a long and be friends and help support each other. When people argue with other designers about the legal stuff, they make it seem like they don’t care about your situations, but if someone steals their patternswill there be singing the same song?

So we at Crochet Savvy Magazine would like everyone to go online and google themselves, their pattern names, look under the images in google and check to make sure that your work is listed where it needs to be. If its not, contact the website owner and be nice, ask them to link back to you or fix it or remove it. I they will not listen- you seek professional help. If you can’t blog about it, social network about it until this situation gets fixed.

Although talking about it will get both positive and negative comments, it will forever be out there so if the same thing happens to someone else, they can contact you or look at your situation for guidance.

And finally, whatever you do, be careful posting online, especially photos.

Sites like Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest have clauses in their sites that state whether or not they own the photos you have uploaded....

Maybe all of this can be avoided if we go back to dealing with local yarn shops and local craft groups more, and less online....just a thought lol.

Aldonia Secession

Aldonia has always been creative. To escape life she would find something creative to keep her occupied. Just last year she came across the world of fiber arts; and thought, crocheting looks like fun but refused to make your everyday blankets. With no one willing to teach a left handed person to crochet, she taught herself. After practicing and rewriting patterns she saw online she decided to write her own. She is an active volunteer for the children's festival and fundraiser of Cochise County and is crocheting winter hats for the teens. She is currently working on a pillow for a widow who lost her (solider) husband to a drive by shooting. She is from Bridgeport, Connecticut and have two loving children.She is also a self taught Left-handed crocheter since 2012.

She came up with this pillow from two separate incidents. “First, I live near a military base and have family and friends in the military. I see the toll it has on families. From a sad but happy spouse or kid missing the nights when their parents would read them a bed time story.

designer profile

Second, I lost the man I called dad in 2011. I took it hard because he was that figure in my life that made everything better. (I named my hobby business after him)�

With this pillow you can do it all. And it can be tailor made just the way you want it. You can add a speaker that you can plug in a voice recorder, phone, mp3, or use a voice record button. Your child can plug it in, lay there head on the pillow, and hear you read that bedtime story. A spouse can listen to you or wedding songs. Send a pillow overseas with special message to make there day. Record a pray for your grand kids that live in a different state or country. Even record and pass this priceless heirloom down the family tree.

Owner of Barnwell's delight in Arizona https://www.facebook.com/pages/ Barnwells-Delight

Aldonia’s pillow

I received this pillow to review and it is fantastic. It’s made for a good cause and can be any size or color needed. I know what it means to know military wives and how had it is for them to be alone while their hubbys are away on duty. Aldonia has done a great job with the pillow and is using her time as a military wife in a great way.

This pillow has a cord that you connect your mp3 to or any other thing that you can listen with. It is a great baby shower idea where the mom can record her voice and have the pillow near the baby. The workmanship is excellent, not a stratch or stitch out of place and it came within three days.

I almost forgot that she was sending it because it came fast! We would like our viewers to support Aldonia by ordering her pillows. Check her out on her facebook page! -Crochet Savvy

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101

A List of Standard Crochet Abbreviations

A: alt = alternate approx = approximately B: beg = begin(ning) bet = between BL/bk lp = back loop(s) BLO = back loop only bo = bobble BP = back post BPdc = back post double crochet(s) BPsc = back post single crochet(s) BPtr = back post triple crochet(s)

together dec = decrease dtr/d trc = double triple/treble crochet E: ea = each est = established F: FLO = front loop only foll = follow FP = front post FPdc = front post double crochet(s) FPsc = front post single crochet(s) FPtr/FPtrc = front post triple/treble crochet(s) FL/ft lp = front loop(s)

C:

G:

CA = color A CB = color B CC = contrasting color ch(s) = chain(s) ch- = refers to chain previously made/worked ch-sp = chain space CL(s) =cluster(s) cm = centimeter cont = continue

g = gram grp(s) = groups

D:

L:

dc = double crochet dc2tog = double crochet 2 stitches

lp(s) = loop(s) lp st = loop stitch

H: hdc = half double crochet hk = hook I: inc = increase

M:

T:

MC = main color m = meters mm = millimeters

tch/t-ch = turning chain tog = together tr/trc = treble/triple crochet tr tr/tr trc = triple treble crochet/ triple triple crochet

O: oz = ounce(s) P: p = picot pat(s) = pattern(s) PC(s) = popcorn(s) pm = placemaker prev = previous R: rem = remain rep = repeat(s) rev sc/reverse sc = reverse single crochet rnd(s) = round(s) RS = right side S: sc = single crochet sc2tog = single crochet 2 stitches together sdc = short double crochet sk = skip(ped) sl st = slip stitch sp(s) = space(s) st(s) = stitch(es)

W: WS = wrong side X: X-st = cross-stitch Y: yd = yard(s) yo = yarn over yoh = yarn over hook

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