Crochet Renee'

Corner View- January

2012-01-25T08:28:00.000-08:00

You probably can't tell in this first picture, but this January day is cold, wet and dreary. Up until today, we have had unseasonable warm weather. Yesterday was beautiful.

But today is beautiful in its own way, I suppose.Y

It's the kind of day that is perfect for cooking and baking. I have the great fortune that my younger sister is still here to assist in my Dad's care. She will be partaking of these tasty oven-baked falafels with vegan tzatziki sauce from the Vegan Dad's recipe with me at lunch today. Yum! In case you are interested, I will be blogging about this over on Two Fat Sisters later!

Corner View is a weekly appointment with bloggers all over the world, started originally by Jane, now curated by Francesca at Fuoriborgo. Go there and click the links to visit other corners around the world.

Corner View- Black and White

2012-01-18T19:03:00.000-08:00

This week's Corner View theme is Black and White.
No pictures this week.
We had to face some decisions this week that you might think of as Black and White....like Life and Death.
Lymphoma had made Dad so weak that his oncologist didn't think he could survive chemotherapy, so he had to choose.
Life or Death?

He chose the only hope he had, which was chemo, even though his oncologist let him know there was a possibility that it could finish him off even faster.
What she didn't count on was how tough, how resilient and how determined my Dad can be.
His words?

"I have never backed away from a fight in my life. I don't see any point in starting now."

When you are faced with a decision such as Life or Death, things become a lot more black and white, and the shades of gray fade away.

So far, so good.

Corner View is a weekly appointment, originally started by Jane, now curated by Francesca. Visit Francesca for links to Corner View's all over the world. Next week's theme will be "January"

Corner View- Out with the old, in with the new!

2012-01-11T12:17:00.000-08:00

January- "New Beginnings" Shawl - Shawl number one of 12 Shawls in 2012

Welcome back, Corner View! We took a little holiday break. Our theme today is "Out with the Old, In with the New". I pondered several different subjects I could have talked about, like how I changed my eating habits last year and how I plan on losing more weight this year. I might have pondered family issues, but they are just too complex right now, and frankly, you probably just don't EVEN want to know...
So, in keeping with the name of this blog, "Crochet Renee'", I thought I would blog about what's going to be new this year in my crochet life. I blogged here about this some already, but thought I would tempt you with a sneak peak of next month's shawl of "12 Shawls in 2012", which I am designing and writing throughout the year. They are all going to be crocheted. Perhaps sometime in the future, I will design some knitted shawls, but for now, I am gonna stick with the hook, because I want to show just how gorgeous crochet can be!

I am calling it "Chocolate Covered Strawberries" in honor of one of my favorite Valentine's Day treat!
Watch for a different shawl each month. If you have any ideas of themes for names of shawls in the coming months, leave me a comment!

Corner View is a weekly appointment with bloggers all over the world, hosted by Francesca over at Fuoriborgo. Visit her to see links to CV's all over the world!

12 Shawls in 2012: January- New Beginnings Shawl

2012-01-01T08:29:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!! I am looking forward to this year being a good one. 2011 was not the best year we ever had in our house. Let's just leave it at that, 'kay? I was toying around with an idea to do 12 shawls in 2012, but was reluctant to venture out, since I had a client who kept me very busy with design work. Unfortunately, that same client got bought out by another company, who does all their design in-house....so suddenly, I was out of that job. Consequently, I now have a little more design time on my hands so I decided to go for it! What's the first in the series? I am so glad you asked!

I am calling this lacy little number the January- New Beginnings Shawl.

In case you wanna buy it now, here's the button that will get you there:

Pretty, huh? This yarn is one of my new favorites, Ivy Brambles Romantica Merino Lace. It is hand dyed by a lovely couple in New Hampshire. The colors and the fibers are SO. YUMMY. They also hand dye a pure silk lace weight yarn. Don't worry, I have some, and yes, you will eventually be seeing it here! Be sure and give them a visit, buy some yarn and give it a "spin" and let them know Crochet Renee' sent you!

Youer than You...

2011-12-07T18:50:00.001-08:00

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You", a quote from Dr Seuss' Happy Birthday to You.

This is the theme of today's Corner View. I had to do a little thinking about this. Just a little, though.
I am obsessed with making things in general, but Iespecially like making things with fiber. I love to spin, dye, knit, crochet and have even been known to weave a bit.

I am often found with yarn or fibers of some type in my hands. I have told people it is my own form of Prozac! If you were to ask most people who know me well, they would probably mention how my hands are rarely still. My hands are almost always busy in some way, shape or form. When they aren't, I am probably sleeping!
Corner View is a weekly appointment with bloggers all over the world, hosted by Francesca. Visit her Corner for links from other bloggers all over the world.

226 yards of bliss

2011-12-05T18:07:00.001-08:00

I attended the Arkansas Fiber Arts Extravaganza this past weekend. While there, I taught a class entitled, "Drapable Crochet". I didn't spend a lot while I was there, as it was a working gig. However, I always like to have a little something to remind me of an event. I picked up a lovely batt, composed of Finn wool, silk and Firestar. It's hard to fully appreciate from this photo, but it has both a halo and a shine. It also has some sparkle. It spun up into 226 yards of fluffy, silky, sparkly two-ply yumminess. I purchased it from Woodenspinner- Fibers by Brenda. You can email her at brenda@woodenspinner.com. She had many lovely batts in assorted colors, but I am a sucker for tonal ivories and whites. This colorway is called "Ice Princess". Get yours now!

Today's Corner View- Joy!

2011-11-30T09:56:00.000-08:00

Today's Corner View topic is "Joy". There are a lot of things in life that give me joy, but nothing gives me joy like seeing this face and spending time doing things with him. Grand babies are the best!

Corner View is a weekly appointment with bloggers all over the world, started by Jane, currently curated by Francesca at Fuoriborgo. Click on over to see Corner Views all over the world.

Corner View- Where has the time gone?

2011-11-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Corner View theme is "Where has the time gone?" Good question. I could have talked about a lot of things. But I decided that I would show you a picture of my baby boy.

In this picture, he is about a month old. You can see how yellow his hospital birth card is.

Here he is now. He's the tall guy on the left. The little boy is my energetic grandson. I am so grateful that he was always a good kid, and now I am proud to say he is a good young man. I can't believe how quickly this transformation occurred. Where has the time gone, indeed?

Corner View is a weekly appointment, curated by Francesca at Fuoriborgo. Visit there for links to other Corner Views all over the world.

What have I been stitching, you ask?

2011-11-15T10:55:00.001-08:00

I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks, in spite of trying to participate in Corner View (which I will this week; check back tomorrow!). I also haven't done much crochet or yarn related posting. So I am here to rectify that. I am only able to crochet A LITTLE right now and have been working on swatches for an upcoming class I am teaching on "Drapable Crochet" at the Arkansas Fiber Arts Extravaganza. But I can knit. It is easier right now, since I don't have to move my left arm much to knit, but have to move it quite a bit to crochet. I just finished knitting the Harris shrug by Kate Elsa. It is wonderful! And the yarn I used, Madeline Tosh Vintage, was equally wonderful. I will be using this yarn again. I also have some Tosh Light, but have not decided what it's going to be. I am thinking a crocheted vest. Maybe. Who knows? Anyway, I was almost finished with the shrug, when it became apparent that I didn't have quite enough yarn. So a trip over to Ravelry found that raveler jmkorn had a partial skein in his stash. He graciously mailed it to me at his own cost, and his only request? That I send what bits and bobs of wool or wool-blend yarn in a worsted weight so he could make hexi-puffs for the Beekeeper's knitted quilt. No problem! There was enough with a bit to spare, which I mailed back to him with some other yarn. Here is a picture of the shrug blocking. Enjoy!

Corner View- Exotic

2011-10-26T10:04:00.000-07:00

This week's Corner View theme is "Exotic". I had a bit of a time with this one. So as I was working around the kitchen, grilling eggplant, I thought, hmmmm.
Eggplant. While it may not be too exotic for most folks, I recently discovered that a much more exotic name for eggplant is aubergine. So I have recently taking to calling eggplant aubergine. I like the exotic way it rolls off of the tongue. Aubergine. The word even looks exotic, huh? I planted about a dozen aubergine plants in the garden this year; six Italian and six Japanese. The pic above is one I recently picked which I thought bore a striking resemblence to Stan Laurel. A bit exotic, perhaps. I actually had thoughts about trying to sell Stan on Ebay, but decided against it and incorporated him into a lovely eggplant, errr, aubergine curry.
Now that the weather is cooling off, I picked all of my aubergines, both small and large. Today I am grilling them, will eat some and freeze the rest. I love grilled aubergines! For some of the ways I have used my aubergines, visit my blog where my sister and I write about our mostly vegan journey to health, "Two Fat Sisters"

Corner View is a weekly appointment with other bloggers all over this grand world. There is a theme each week. CV is hosted by Francesca over at Fuoriborgo. Click the link to visit other corners of the world. Have a great exotic day!

Corner View- Whatever Tickles Your Fancy

2011-10-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

Today's Corner View theme is "Whatever Tickles Your Fancy". This was hard to narrow down, as there is much in life that tickles me. The first is not so much a what as a who...my cool little grandson. Spending time with him always tickles my fancy.

Some other things that tickle my fancy involve being creative, such as spinning & dyeing...

Crocheting....

Knitting...

and gardening and cooking with all of the bounty! What tickles your fancy?

Corner View is a weekly appointment, started by Jane and now hosted by Francesca at Fuoriborgo. Visit there for links to Corner Views all over the world.

Corner View- October

2011-10-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

Today's Corner View's theme is "October". I had plans to get up this morning and take some stunning photos of turning fall foliage. But it's raining. So, I thought I would share some October pics from last year. Every October my son and daughter in law take my grandson to a local pumpkin patch. I tag along every year, too, because we always have a great time! We will be making this year's excursion this Saturday. There is a corn maze..

The pumpkin patch...

...and some miniature donkeys and horses.

What do we do with all the pumpkin? One thing we like to do is make Pumpkin Biscotti! Happy fall, ya'll!

Corner View is a weekly appointment, created by Jane, now hosted by Francesca at Fuoriborgo. Visit to find links to Corner Views in other corners of the world!

The Last Thing I Learned- Corner View

2011-10-04T17:47:00.000-07:00

Today's Corner View theme is, "The Last Thing I Learned". I thought this would be a tough decision, but after the day I've had today, it was easy. That's my Dad & Mom in the out-of-focus picture. Dad had to go to the hospital today to get his gallbladder out. There was some possibility that he would need his spleen out (he didn't- thing learned #1); we weren't sure that the gallbladder removal was the answer to removing his pain (so far, so good,keeping our fingers crossed; thing learned #2). Finally, I learned that no matter how old you get, you still want to be able to say "My Daddy can beat your Daddy...thing learned #3. I love you Dad, and hope you mend quickly!
Corner View is a weekly appointment with folks all over this blogging world, managed by Francesca at FuoriBorgo. Visit her page for all of the links to see all the views from all the other corners of the world!

Music

2011-09-28T15:45:00.000-07:00

This week's Corner View is titled "Music". My son, Ben, has been making music since the age of 11. He is an accomplished brass musician as well as being able to play a variety of stringed instruments, too. Oh, did I mention he also sings? I am so proud of him, and his sweet music has been the soundtrack of my life for a while. Corner View is hosted by Francesca at FuoriBorgo. Go check out her blog for her CV, as well as links from all over the world for other Corner Views.

Corner View....just beginning!

2011-09-21T18:40:00.000-07:00

I am just now beginning to participate in a weekly blog event, Corner View. It is moderated by Francesca, over at FuoriBorgo. I read her blog on a regular basis. She has wonderful pictures and I just love visiting her blog. There is a different theme each week and to participate, you post a picture that fits with the theme. This week, the theme is "silly".

These pics are all kind of silly. It's what happens when you let a 3 year old boy loose with the camera. The last two pictures were taken while we were camping out in the back yard, which my husband thought was silly as well. But we didn't, we just thought it was fun!

Attack of the killer crustaceans...or what I am crocheting now.

2011-07-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

So, okay, I was recently chastised at a stitching group by Lisa, that I needed to do a new blog post. I have been so. freaking. busy. But, today marks day one of a much needed and much longed for 2 week vacation. I will be having shoulder surgery this fall and didn't want my vacation to consist of recuperating from THAT. So, next week I will be in Minneapolis at the Knit and Crochet Show to attend the National Chain Link Conference. I am so excited! I have been 3 of the last 4 years and I always have so much fun. There are people there who get me...really.
My crochet repertoire has been pretty extensive over the years, but one thing I have avoided up until now is making amigurumi.

AMIGUR-WHAT?
Okay, for my friends who DON'T really get me, amigurumi are little crocheted character dolls. I just was never interested. But let the 12 year old granddaughter visit, and suddenly I have become an amigurumi-making machine.

Also, I have been reorganizing the studio. My work table had disappeared under a fiberstorm. So now I am able to wind yarn, which I have been busy with and making handmade clay buttons. I have a lovely friend who is going to teach me to fire and glaze these buttons, so hopefully this fall I will have some pretty buttons to share with you! Hope you are all having a great summer! Keep cool!

News Flash!

2011-05-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, the fact that I am WOEFULLY behind on my blog is not the news flash, folks. The news flash is related to what showed up in my mailbox a coupla days ago.

Yep, that's my design on the cover. I screamed when I saw it. Out loud...really! Anyone who knows me very well knows I am not given to such over-exuberant displays of emotion, but....I was just. so. excited! Then, as if that weren't enough, while thumbing through the book, I also found this:

I did both of these designs for Caron Yarns, International some time ago. I wasn't sure exactly where or when they would turn up. I am told (for anyone who might be interested) that this book will be available at Joann's craft stores. Get yours now! I will have to see about doing a giveaway for a signed copy soon, but you can't have my copy! Until next time, keep those hooks flying!

Renee'

NATCROMO!!!!!!

2011-03-08T17:31:00.000-08:00

I recently agreed to participate with several other indie artists in the Crochetville NATCROMO giveaway. What, you might ask, is NATCROMO? Well, it means National Crochet Month, which happens to ge going on all. month. long! These pictures show what Crochet Renee' has donated for the big prize basket. The first is a skein of handpainted sock yarn, the second, two skeins of handspun natural colored alpaca and the third is a luscious 4 oz crazy spinning batt containing alpaca, mohair, hand-dyed angora, recycled Sari silk thread (that's the hot pink you see) and just a touch of purple and green glitz for a bit of bling! When I got done mixing this batt, I was actually sad that I wasn't keeping it. But, alas, it could become yours! How do you enter to win? I am very happy you asked! Visit each of the artists' websites below and find the Treasure Chest for Crochetville, post the URL where you found the chest on the entry form, and when you have found them all, submit the form, and bam! You're entered. To find the form and all the rest of the particulars, visit Crochetville. Now, for more particulars...

National Crochet Month Treasure Hunt 2011

Win a Fabulous Crochet Gift Basket!

In honor of National Crochet Month 2011, Crochet Renee' is partnering with Crochetville and a number of indie designers, spinners, dyers, and hook and toolmakers for the Crochetville NatCroMo 2011 Treasure Hunt.

Each indie business has donated one or more special items for a super-special crochet gift basket that will be presented to one lucky winner by March 31.

The following contest logo has been hidden somewhere on each indie business's website:

Contest participants will have to find the logo on each indie business's website. Entry forms may be submitted from March 8 through 11:59 PM CST March 25, 2011. Participating businesses will hide the logo on their site by March 8, so please don’t begin searching until the evening of March 8.

Click here to visit the Crochetville site for complete contest details and an entry form!

List of Participating Businesses

What are you waiting for? You can't win if you don't enter!

Yarn, beautiful yarn- How a pile of dirty animal hair becomes a creative delight.

2011-02-10T12:01:00.000-08:00

Yarn. So many of us use yarn. Some of us even make yarn. "Why?", you might ask, to which I would reply, "Why not?" I began spinning about 4 years ago, and have been making alot of my own yarn ever since.
This is raw alpaca fiber. Raw means it has been sheared off of the animal and nothing else has been done to it.

Next the fiber is often washed before carding. In this instance, I have chosen to card and spin, and then wash. When I work with sheep's wool, I typically wash first and then card, because of the grease in sheep's wool.

After the carding drum is full, I carefully remove the batt from the carder.

Sorry, I didn't take a pic of the spinning; it's hard to focus a camera while you are spinning! When the yarn has been spun and plied, I wind it into skeins from the bobbin on a "shoebox Kate" onto my antique skein winder. Once all of the fiber has been turned into yarn, all of the yarn gets 3-4 good soaks in warm water; first with soap, then in the last rinse, a "glug" of vinegar is added to acidify the pH, as animal fibers tend to be more to the acid side of things. Plus, it cuts any soap residue that might be left. Then all the lovely yarn is hung by the fireplace (outside in nice weather) to dry.

And that is how a pile of dirty hair becomes a luxury yarn! Any questions?

Baby, it's cold outside!

2011-02-02T15:16:00.000-08:00

It was about 6 degrees (Farenheit) this morning. I think it warmed up to almost 20 at one point. I have been keeping busy, though. Crocheting a design that I plan to put up for sale on Ravelry....

Hunkering down with one of the pups....

Mixing up some fresh rub for our roast beef tonight....

And feeding the woodstove! How are ya'll spending your indoor winter time? Stay warm!

2010-12-31T20:31:00.000-08:00

Well, here I sit at the tail end of 2010. It's been an interesting year to say the least. I have had more patterns published than ever before, my husband ran for political office, we had another grandchild born, we have struggled with the economy like everyone else, there have been loved ones lost and many changes in our family. Recent events, like last night, have brought things into focus to remind me how fleeting life is. Our dear daughter in law and grandson survived a tornado last night. It was over with before we even knew anything happened. Thanks be to God and to Jessica for her quick thinking and reaction in getting the baby and herself into the bathtub in the nick of time. They have pretty much lost everything, but being the grounded young adults that they are, they realize what is really important is that they are still here. Things could have turned out very differently, in a bad way. I am so very grateful that they didn't.
So to all of my family, friends, acquaintances, and business colleagues, may we all keep in mind throughout 2011 what really matters. Give thanks to God for the many blessings in life, including each other. Stuff is just stuff, (yes, even yarn!) and can always be replaced if need be. Love your family; mend fences if you have to. Life is too short to do otherwise. God Bless you all and I can't wait to see what He has in store for 2011!

Crochet Renee'.....TV?

2010-12-16T07:45:00.000-08:00

So, what seemed like a good idea is now seeming like a GREAT idea. The concept of doing a web-based TV show came to me like a bolt out of the blue. While I am not really fond of seeing myself recorded for all posterity to see, I do like the experiences I have had in talking with all of the interesting folks, and look forward to chatting with even more. In addition, there are (and will be more) instructional segments, product demos and other features. I have in mind to also do some instructions on specific projects as well. I am open to any and all suggestions; what would you like to see on Crochet Renee' TV?

If you haven't seen it yet, click here, and by all means, subscribe so that you will never miss an episode!

Crochet Renee' TV...awesome!

2010-12-06T19:52:00.000-08:00

To watch my interview with Anne Bean, organizer of the Arkansas Fiberarts Extravaganza, click here. Then go to the Crochet Renee' Facebook page to enter a giveaway for fab fibery prizes! Then, subscribe to Crochet Renee' TV on YouTube to stay on top of all the great episodes coming and future prize giveaways that will be coming up!

One repeat done...Spider Stitch Shawl!

2010-10-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

So I have a good start on my Spider Stitch Shawl for the CAL. I am using Naturally Caron's Country in the colorway Spice House. It says Fall to me. This is a lovely, affordable blend with 25% Merino wool and 75% Microdenier (which is a big word that means extra fine) Acrylic, making it machine wash and dry. I am thinking the wool will add to the warmth, and the easy care fibers will make this something I will wear often. How is yours coming along? Remember, we have a Ravelry group, where everyone can show off their work!
Happy Hooking,
Renee'

Spider Stitch Shawl CAL

2010-10-16T18:21:00.000-07:00

I designed the Spider Stitch Shawl for Caron Yarns, International some time ago. When it appeared in the Caron Connections Newsletter quite some time later, I was reminded how much fun I had designing this shawl. I asked the nice folks at Caron if they minded if I did a Crochet-Along (CAL for short) since I decided that I would like to have one to keep. That got me to thinking, "I wonder how many other folks would like to do a crochet-along with me?" So, if you are interested, get yourself some yarn and a hook and let's make it together. The original was done in Simply Soft, but I think I am going to make my version in Naturally Caron's Country. Feel free to use the Caron yarn of your choice! They have so many lovely colors and so many options. I have created a Ravelry group, as well.The pattern is free here, so what are you waiting for?
Renee'

Photo courtesy of and copyright
Caron Yarns, International 2010

2010-10-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

I woke up yesterday morning, feeling HORRIBLE, tonsils swollen and could hardly talk, but started getting ready for work anyway. DH said, "You're not going to work like THAT, are you?" I whined, "What else am I supposed to do?" In the end, I called my boss, who told me to stay home and try to acquire some antibiotics. Fortunately, we now have a walk-in clinic, in of all places, Wal-Mart. I was a little leery, but being a Saturday morning and not feeling it was emergent enough to go to ER, I went. I must say it was a good experience. I was in and out in about 45 minutes, prescription in hand. The pharmacy? Well, that was another issue.

Anyway, after taking my first dose and sleeping until my bones hurt, I decided to work on a project that I started for myself. Pretty much all of the crochet I have been doing lately is tip-top secret, so I haven't been able to share that. But I have been knitting a little more lately and had fallen in very serious like with the Slanting Gretel Tee from Interweave Knits. I have swatched 3 or 4 yarns to find gauge and finally had arrived to a very happy result with Universal Yarn's Classic Shades in the "Storm Clouds" colorway. It's a nice yarn, a little fuzzier than I should have liked, but an affordable choice for the first "grown-up" sweater I have ever knit. I couldn't see dropping a wad of cash on a more expensive yarn when my learning curve is not quite up to it yet. But I think it will be after I finish knitting this one. I could definitely see making this again in the future. Here is my progress so far.

I have been making so many things for everyone else, I decided it was time for me to make something for me. I am also making the Multnomah Shawl, with a Cherry Tree Hill yarn. This is my "purse project" which goes with me everywhere, so I have something to work on if my hands need to be busy. It's a very easy knit, so far, as I am still in the body, which is all garter stitch. I have done Feather and Fan before, so I am not too worried about the border.It is a sock weight yarn; sorry, I don't remember the line or colorway; something like "Denim" or some such.

It should be a nice little thing to throw around my shoulders when things are chilly. David's dog also had a puppy. There were two, but the first one was breech and didn't survive. Looks like LB is going to be a great mom.
There's never a dull moment around here.

Tessa what?

2010-09-27T21:07:00.000-07:00

The neighboring county where I work (as opposed to the county where I live) recently opened a brand new library. I went to purchase a non-resident card today, as our own county library leaves much to be desired. I only had about 15 minutes left to browse...and having never left a library empty-handed, I found one book that I had to take home. Designing Tessellations by Jinny Beyer. What is a tessellation, you ask? It is a repeating shape that forms interlocking patterns. (Think M.C. Escher) I thought this would be an interesting read from a designing perspective. Man, is that ever an understatement. If you are interested, this is the book. It is really getting the creative juices flowing for me. Many designs I have already done in the past utilized this concept, I just didn't know that it had a name! One example is my Spider Stitch Throw that I designed for Caron Yarn, International. This photo doesn't show it in detail, but there are "tiles" rotated around a point to form a pinwheel type pattern. There is a better picture on the Ravelry site of a version made by grumpyspixie here. Yep. Tessellation. This is gonna be so. much. fun! Stay tuned.

Chain Link 2010

2010-07-17T12:55:00.000-07:00

On Professional Development Day, there was a raffle to raise money for Lyme Disease. Here Kimberly McAlindin and Amy Shelton of Crochetville are busy vogueing....I mean selling tickets for the awesome door prizes. I won a copy of "Crochet Bouquet" by Suzann Thompson in the drawing. It's a beautiful book with LOTS of beautiful crochet flowers. Suzann kindly agreed to sign it for me. There was nearly $1,000 raised!

Here is a shot of many of the folks who participated in PDD. We heard from Kristin Ohmdahl and Lily Chin. Then there were break-out sessions for further education. It was all very informative. Participants were also given hooks and their choice of yarn to crochet blocks for charity.( was able to make 2!)

Here are Rebecca Velasquez, Ellen Gormley and Lindsey Stephens. We were all just hanging out in the 24 hour crochet lounge. It was great to have a place to hang out and create with each other! There were so many beautiful things that folks were working on.

One of the more unusual entries in the fashion show included a dress made entirely of plarn (plastic yarn) from recycled, or upcycled shopping bags. The gentleman's vest if made of upcycled VHS tapes!

The designer of this pretty sweater was told by the members of her knitting group that crochet was only good for trim on knitted sweaters. She found a tongue-in-cheek way to make her point, by crocheting the sweater and knitting on the trim!

Here is Vashti Braha, modeling her prize-winning Weightless Tunisian Wrap. She created it with and all new Tunisian stitch she calls the Wicker Stitch. Beautiful!

Finally, I couldn't NOT show the Grand Prize Winner, a beautiful confection of fibery arts goodness. It's a little kimono by Shelby Allaho, called Kyoto Coat. Shelby did a fabulous job of fusing several fiber and needlearts together to come up with this creation. Click on her link to read more about her creative process.

There were so many wonderful entries, both in the design contest as well as the fashion show. There is not enough room here to show them, but if you like, you can visit my flickr photostream to see the rest!
If you have never been to a Chain Link Conference, I highly recommend that you do so in the future. I promise you will learn lots, meet lots of interesting people and come home with lots of inspiration to fuel your own creative spark!

Socks

2010-04-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

Here are the socks I have been working on. They are a gift for someone, but can't tell you who, they might be reading my blog! Anyway, I have increased and am ready to turn the heels. This yarn is beautiful, and I am happy to report that I did buy more in another colorway to make some for myself. Stay tuned to see how they look when they are done! I don't think I will ever knit one sock at a time again!

Blue Hawaii Jacket

2010-04-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

I have had a couple of readers of "Easy as 1-2-3 Crochet" by DRG publications contact me for clarification of how to work the sleeve ends on the Blue Hawaii Jacket. The photos in the book don't have a great close-up of the sleeve detail, so I figured if there were two people who cared enough out there to email me for clarification, there might be others out there who have perhaps started this project and run up against some confusion while working this part of the jacket/sweater.

As you can see in the picture, it appears as though half a "doily" is attached at the end of the sleeve. the yarn is joined at the center medallion seen at the bottom edge of the picture, worked back and forth, anchoring each row to the end of the sleeve. At one point, the pattern says, "you will now begin working in the round" (I don't remember where, and can't put my hands on the book right now, but the instructions really do say something like that!); at that point you will work in the round, and the lower inside edge of the sleeve with look like this:

Hope that's a little clearer than mud! If you have any questions about any of my published patterns, feel free to email me. I like people to be successful in recreating my designs! Happy hooking!

Ends, ends and more ends....

2010-04-11T19:52:00.000-07:00

Just finished my most recent project for a major yarn company a couple of days ago. Here is what's left of all the ends I had to weave in! Pretty colors, huh? Project details forthcoming; stay tuned!

Bunny Yarn!!!

2010-04-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

So I got the itch after plucking some Angora bunnies to do some dyeing. I like to use ketchup and mustard bottles I have gotten from the local dollar store. (They come two for a dollar). That way I can better control where I place my color. I just mix my stock solutions and they keep in there for whenever I am ready for dyeing.

This is the fiber from one of my male bunnies, one I call Hunny Bunny. I call him that because he is a warm, honey color. Here the fiber is pre-soaking (in about an inch of water with a drop of Eucalan) before adding the dye.Here is the same fiber with the colors added. I used Jacquard Acid Dyes in teal, turquoise, sky blue and pink.

This is the fiber after having simmered gently in the dyepot for over an hour.

I had to let the fiber sit for a couple of days because I had a deadline to meet for a crochet project. I was itching to spin it to see how it would turn out, so I took it to the open work night last night at my LYS along with my spinning wheel. This is the finished product. Actually I still have to wash this to set the twist, but I was so excited, I had to share it! Now I have to figure out what it wants to be...any ideas?

2010-03-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

Don't know if you can see it or not in this pic, but it snowed most of the day today. I didn't get another pic after the ground was white, but believe me, it snowed like crazy!

So, you can see below how I kept myself busy today (as well as yesterday). It was an excellent day to stay inside and crochet! I didn't go to church today, as I have been fighting a combination of my allergies and the tail end of a nasty cold. So, I decided to keep my germs to myself!

Dear friends, heirlooms and crochet

2010-02-06T18:59:00.000-08:00

Today I went to lunch with a dear friend, Joyce. We go at least once a year to a Japanese restaurant in Springfield for sushi. Joyce and I have been friends for several years now. We once worked together, and she is now retired, but we still see each other and chat with each other. I have been fortunate in my life to have many folks in my life whom I consider dear friends, and Joyce is one of those. She and I share many things, including a love for all things handmade. Today she gifted me with these vintage pattern booklets, which once belonged to her mother. Joyce's mom was once a gifted knitter and crocheter, but can no longer enjoy these endeavors. I am very honored that Joyce would give them to me; she knows I will add them to my vintage pattern library (I am a sucker for the old-timey stuff and can't pass up vintage patterns when I find them in flea markets and antique shops!).

It seems needlecrafting is in my genes; I had a great-great aunt on Mom's side who once owned a shop where she sold items she and her sisters had sewn and crocheted. You would think some items might have come down to my Mom, but alas, none have. We only have the stories. For me, it's not so much about the stuff, but it's more about holding something in my hands that was made by the hands of my foremothers, women whom I will never know. What were they like? Who taught them how to crochet? What did their work look like? Since they sold their work in the shop (and I understand the shop was quite successful in the day), I can only assume their work was top-notch. Knowing how skilled my own Mother is with a hook and a string should confirm this, as she learned her craft at the knees of these women.

I love the "Father Knows Best" look on this one!

Most of the booklets are mid to late '40's to early 50's. One is dated 1946, another 1950, the others not dated, but in the same style. So even if I can't have anything heirloom from the distant generations in my family, I can cherish the heirloom patterns of one of my best friends mother. My grandson was the recipient of a gorgeous hairpin lace blanket that Joyce's Mom had made and I was delighted to find the pattern in one of these booklets. The heirlooms will start with my own Mom, who has made a beautiful doily, and quilted table-topper and a counted cross-stitch sampler for me. I told her this year I would love to have a crocheted throw. She said she had never thought about making me one, since I crochet so much myself; but I told her I wanted one that SHE made. So, she's swatching and playing with some design ideas, which is even better than using a pattern, since mine will be the only one in the world like it!

I hope ya'll cherish the little things that you have recieved from generations past, whether they are "things" or stories. I am thinking there is a lot of design inspiration in these; now where did I put my hook?

2010-01-01T15:46:00.000-08:00

This year I propose not necessarily to make resolutions, but to continue with some of the things I already do, but just do them more often and with more frequency. Here are some photos I took this year to help illustrate what I mean....

...I will remain curious.

I will continue to use my creativity.

I will appreciate the beauty that God creates....

I will have more fun.

I will fish more often.

I will rest more and enjoy a good backrub whenever I can.

I will enjoy God's bounty and take time to smell the flowers (and make tea from them, too!)

I will continue to meet interesting new people, make new friends, and keep the old ones close to my heart.

I will walk...A LOT more!

I will love more, pray more and let those I love know it!
May ya'lls New Year bring many blessings and I pray you will enjoy the Lord's favor! Until next blog, keep those hooks and needles flying and may your yarn never tangle!

Renee'

Don't forget to visit me at www.crochetrenee.com

Topic: not crochet...

2009-10-31T18:30:00.000-07:00

Those of you who know me well know that not only am I a crochet designer, but I am a physical therapist as well. I work primarily in an outpatient orthopedic clinic, but occasionally have to work a weekend in the hospital. I don't share that here, typically, because we are bound by federal Hippa laws to protect the privacy of those we serve, so usually the easiest way to comply with this is not to share anything. But I have a story to tell that I think will touch someone and will disguise the person I am talking about so that their identity is safe.
I went to see a gentleman today to get him out of bed and walk him. I was rather well acquainted with him as well as his wife, as his wife had been a patient of mine in the clinic at one time or another over the last 5 or 6 years. As we began our walk, I inquired about his wife, and by the way he drew up short and looked at me, I knew I had said something wrong. "Oh, Renee', she passed away this summer." to which I replied, "I am so sorry...I did not know."
In my some 20 years of working in health care (dentistry, then PT), I have lost patients, which is to be expected. We all die eventually, right? It just took me by surprise and as we walked down the hall (tears running unashamedly down my face) , he shared with me how his wife had gotten ill and finally just couldn't fight anymore.
The thing about this couple is this; they were special people to me. They were open about being Christians and they both loved the Lord. You could see and feel the love they had for Him, for each other and for their fellow humans. As to the lady, who I will call Milly (not her real name, by the way) she was extra special. She had lost a leg as a young woman, but you would have never known, because she used her prosthesis so well you couldn't tell. She survived breast cancer and radical mastectomy....twice. In more recent years she developed multiple other health problems, yet every time I saw Milly, she had a smile on her face and I never heard her say a bad thing about anyone. She was genuinely loving and caring and never felt sorry for herself. I often thought of her in amazement that her faith was so strong that none of her circumstances seemed to get her down.
I often tell people that I have been called to this profession of caring for people because it keeps me from taking myself too seriously and prevents me from having my own pity parties. I see so many people who are challenged in life, that it reminds me that I have nothing to complain about. Oh, that more people could see some of what I see, that they could also realize how truly blessed they are!
I have no doubt that Milly is in heaven, whole and healthy, looking down on her family, waiting for the day they will join her. Nevertheless, I miss her, and will never forget her. You just never know what kind of impact you will make on others, but she definitely made one on me. I won't say good-bye, Milly; rather I will say, "See ya later"

2009-08-11T09:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, so you've all heard me blathering on about my win in the CGOA design contest. This is a new photo of the dress hanging at the show...I still don't have a photo of the model wearing it yet. But it seems there is a wrong I need to make right. That's right...I have messed up! I was so excited about my win that I have slighted the model, Kimberly McAlindin, by misspelling her last name in my previous post. So, to make it up to her, I have created a new page on my website called "Industry Insider Interview". After further consideration, I am going to make this a new monthly feature on www.crochetrenee.com . So what are you waiting for? Go check it out!!!!

Grand Prize Winner CGOA Annual Design Contest!

2009-08-08T05:40:00.000-07:00

So, I turned on my Computer Thursday evening to check my email. The first thing I saw was several posts had been put on Facebook, congratulating me. For what? Seems I won the Grand Prize in the Crochet Guild of America's annual design contest! I wasn't sure when the judging was taking place, so it took me by surprise, to say the least! Several folks have wanted to see pics, so I decided to blog about it and share.

Some people have asked how long I worked on my entry and did I design it specifically for the contest. I had actually entered the contest last year, but didn't win anything. Fortunately, Jean Lienhauser (who was last year's judge) agreed to give me a personal critique on my entry, which was very helpful. Before I left the conference, I had a good working concept of the next year's entry and actually bought all of the yarns for this dress before I left the market there.

The elements on the bodice were made from Berroco yarns, Seduce, Bonsai and Lumina and Prism Custom Dyed Yarns with a half-skein of Impressions in the Dune colorway, with a couple of other yarns thrown in for good measure (sorry, couldn't find the other yarn labels). The skirt is made of three skeins of Alpaca with a Twist's Fino, a 70% baby alpaca, 30% silk laceweight yarn. Yum!

I am told that Kimberly McClinden modeled my design when the winning entries were announced. It is my understanding that she WORE this dress! I also heard via Mary Beth Temple's podcast, Getting Loopy, that Mary Beth used double-sided tape to ensure that Kim would not have any embarrassing mishaps on the catwalk, if you know what I mean.

I hope everyone enjoys the pics. I would like to first thank the Good Lord for giving me the ability and the inspiration to create, my Mom for putting a hook in my hands all those years ago, and my husband for getting my entry in the mail in time to meet the deadline!!! Have a great weekend everyone and check out the links above for info on a couple of my designing associates, and of course, don't forget to visit me often at www.crochetrenee.com

So long, Austin!

2009-07-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

Well, it's my last day in Austin, Texas. After the conference ended around noon today, I walked the six or so blocks to a place I had scoped out on Tuesday called, "Wiki Wiki Teriyaki", where I had a bowl of Udon for lunch. If you aren't sure what udon is, it's a broth full of soba (buckwheat) noodles, veggies, and in this case, grilled tofu. It was pretty yummy. After that, my next mission was to return to Hill Country Weavers, as I needed one more ball of yarn to complete a project I had started. As most of my yarn loving friends know, it is very important to match the dye lots so the color is consistent. After that I got some iced tea (it is pretty hot out, after all) and sat at a table outside all of these little vending trailers. The building just the other side of this Airstream is actually the yarn store.

More of the vending trailers. Seems the SoCo area of Austin is very busy on Saturday with outdoor artists, street musicians and vendors. As mentioned in my previous post, SoCo is a very "artsy" section of Austin, and might I add, very colorful, both literally as well as figuratively, and is a great people watching venue.

This is the night time view from my hotel room...the man-made lights are pretty, but they still can't hold a candle to the lights the good Lord has made!
I've had a great time in Austin. Too bad CGOA or TNNA don't have a convention here, because it would be an awesome venue, and I would most definitely attend! Any of my fiber-loving friends have any pull in this area? Think about it....

I am off to pack my bags to head back for Arkansas in the morning! Take care & God Bless!

2009-07-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been wondering what I have been up to lately, well...alot! As I write this I am in Austin, Texas, where it is about 101 degrees outside. That is why I am inside in the a/c! I spent some time yesterday after I arrived looking around town. It was only about 87 (a cool day in July in Austin, I am told) so I walked the seven blocks to the state capitol. Here is a pic of the dome, which is 14 feet higher than the the White House in Washington, D.C.

I took this shot at the top of the stairs before I climbed back down; just to show I really did climb all those steps! Okay, call me weird (you wouldn't be the first), but I adore unusual hardware; not the computer kind, but things like hinges, doorknobs, you know...hardware. These hinges are on the double doors leading into the Texas House of Representatives gallery. I thought they were pretty cool!

Here is the view walking up to the Capitol. It is a very beautiful walk and is lined with several memorial statues and fountains.

I also spent some time in the SoCo District, which is an artsy part of town. There is a very cool yarn store (you knew I would mention yarn somewhere, didn't you?) called Hill Country Weavers. If you are ever in Austin, they are located at 1701 S. Congress Avenue, and are very accessible via the Metro system.

This is something else I have been involved in lately with David. We have been trout fishing more and this is an 18" rainbow I caught a couple of weeks ago...the biggest rainbow I've caught to date, and probably one of the tastiest. And speaking of fishing, David was in a catfishing tournament last week on Lake Norfork. He caught the only two catfish that were caught, so obviously also had the largest...

Yep, this is the big one! That's right; it's in a coffee cup, in case you were wondering. I asked him how much he won for catching the largest catfish. He replied that he was disqualified, as he did not catch this monster with a rod and reel, but rather scooped him up...that, folks, is considered noodling, hence the disqualification! We turned this one and his/her little brother loose in our catfish pond to grow into real monsters.

And last, but certainly NEVER least, the grandbaby has been keeping me busy as well. I keep him once a week while Mom is in school. The other day we built him a tower and it kept him occupied for nearly an hour! Here he's playing peek-a-boo with me. Ain't he sweet?

I am working on some new patterns. Watch for some new designs coming out in the next "One Skein Wonders" book, Crochet World and Crochet! Magazine soon! Until next time, have a great summer!

2009-05-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

Well, last weekend was alot of fun. I went to North Little Rock with my sister Angel and her friend Dani for the annual Greek Food Festival put on by the Greek Orthodox Church in Little Rock, complete with dancing girls!

Here Angel is enjoying the falafels while Dani has a mouthful of pastitsio. Afterward, we went into the bazaar where I bought my assistant Tammy some "big fat Greek" earrings. Sorry, I didn't get a pic, but they had eyes on them; seems this is a common motif employed to ward off the "evil eye".

You are probably wondering how the bunnies are doing...they are growing more every day and mom no longer requires my assistance in rearing them. All I have to do now is feed and water them. Another week and they should be ready to wean! I bet Mama is about ready for that!

The other day the wild bee balm (also known as bergamot or oswego tea) was ready for harvest. I got three quart jars of dried bergamot for tea later when the weather gets chilly again. Of course, I left some behind so they could reseed for next year! Life in the hills is good! God provides a bountiful harvest for us round here! David says, "If we could eat ticks, we'd have it made!". Ugh! Don't think I would, even if I should! Til next time, keep those hooks and needles working!

Baby bunnies growing up!

2009-04-29T13:53:00.000-07:00

Well, Godiva and family moved back to the barn Sunday afternoon. As I was still getting over the bronchitis, I was moving a little slower than normal, but I decided it was time. As you can see, the babies are growing.
They now have hair and as of today are 12 days old today. They have not yet opened their eyes, but I expect that to happen any time now! They are getting so big! And wiggly! Godiva stills seems a bit clueless about the whole mothering thing. I gave her 24 hours and checked to see if it looked like she was nursing them, which she evidently was not, so.....each evening I go out to the barn to provide a little "encouragement" (read I put her in the nest box so those babies can eat). I am also still having to take care of their toileting needs! I am looking forward to that day that they can attend to their own "toilette" independently! I have been advised that when the babies are a bit bigger that I should breed her one more time this season. The only thing will be finding homes for the babies when they are weaned. Any of my fiber artists friends in the market for a french angora bunny? There's nothing like blending a little angora in with other fibers...my favorite? Alpaca and angora (about a 90/10% blend) is fabulous!
The babies are too small to figure you yet which are boys and which are girls. One is jet black, one is chocolate brown (like Godiva) and the other three are called "Broken Black" which is basically black and white. The runt of the litter is about 2/3rds the size of the largest babies, which are the black and brown. As they get bigger, I will try and get pictures of the individuals, so you guys can start thinking about names!
Remember to visit the website often to see what else I am up to! www.crochetrenee.com
Have a blessed day!

2009-04-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

So...many of you have heard of "Baby Mama"? Meet "Bunny Mama". This is Lady Godiva {so named because 1.) she is a Chocolate bunny and I adore Godiva Chocolate, and 2.) she (normally) has long flowing hair. } She is suffering the effects of a really bad haircut, because when an angora has babies, it is most prudent to cut off the aforementioned long flowing hair, so that the babies don't get all tangled in the hair.

Anyway, I expected her to kindle (that's what it's called when Bunny Mama has her babies) on Saturday or so, but when I got home on Friday night, she was in the process. Unfortunately, Godiva is a first time parent, so she really didn't understand that the nice box in her cage was there for her to pull some nice soft hair and create a cozy nest for her little bundles of joy. She was having them on the wire. And they were very cold, but still moving save one poor little bunny that was already dead. I quickly gathered them up and made a nest for them. 20 or 30 minutes later I went back to the barn and discovered another little guy on the wire. So I took both mama and baby back to the house where I could watch for any more little surprises and everyone (including me) could stay warm and cozy.

All told, we got 5 out of 6 babies, and this is them tonight. So far, with a little help from me (Bunny Nanny), Mama is learning how to care for her babies. She will let them nurse with a little encouragement. They are fat and sassy and seem to be thriving so far. Lucky for me, bunnies only nurse once or twice a day, so after my 10 hours at work all day and my 1 1/2 hour commute, I can still make sure that the babies are being well nourished. Another interesting fact I have learned is that baby bunnies evidently don't go to the bathroom without their mama's licking their little bottoms. It seems this stimulates them and allows Mama to keep the next clean. Mama isn't doing this. Before you ask, no, I am not either...not really. A little warm moist cosmetic wipe is the closest thing I can provide! There are 3 spotted babies, one solid black and one lovely silver grey. When they get a little bigger, I will likely need a little help naming them...hopefully you guys can help! I may have to think about a naming contest or something. Maybe the grand prize could be a skein of handspun angora yarn?!?!?!

I will keep posting updates as the babies get bigger. Hope you are all well and enjoying spring!

Renee'

spinning class a success!

2009-03-07T15:04:00.000-08:00

Spinning class was a resounding success today. Here are my students Sherri and Sara making yarn! They each were able to spin and ply a few yards of Jacob wool yarn to take home. They each left with enough wool to spin a couple of ounces of yarn as well as some other fiber freebies I sent home with them to experiment. Sara says when she comes for open work night on Thursday, she is bringing her spindle instead of her knitting. Be careful, Sara, it's very, very addictive!!!

Here are just a few of my handspun yarns that I take to class for my students to look at so they can see what they can make. Spinning yarn is fun and it's great to be able to make it however you want it! Mixed in amongst the yarn are several items made with handspun as well. You are looking at wool, alpaca, silk, llama, bamboo, and more!

On another note, my latest design is out in this month's issue of Crochet World. It is the Lovely Ruffles Shawl and CW did a great job photographing it. It will be posted a little later on the website. To look at my other designs, go to www.crochetrenee.com . Whatever your fiber passion, have a fun time with it and have a great weekend!

Crochet Renee'

2009-03-03T17:18:00.000-08:00

Well, it was 20 degrees outside this morning, but if you look around, you can see signs of spring.

The cyclamen is peeking through the snow....

The daffodils are blooming.....

And the spring lambs are arriving! So far, 3 ewes have had twins, so the lamb count is up to 6 right now, with one or two more ewes still pregnant. I say one or two because there is a yearling ewe that may or may not be expecting...time will tell. The lamb on the left was feeling a little frisky and decided to do a little dance for the camera!

Another three weeks til the official start of spring!

Yes Sir, Yes Sir, three bags full...

2009-02-08T13:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we took advantage of the nice weather and did a little sheep shearing. We wound up with two beautiful fleeces which we listed on ebay. One was VERY soft and I was tempted to keep it to spin for myself, but I already have so much fiber in my studio I could probably open my own yarn store! This young wether (whom I am calling Lamb Chops; you country folks will understand...) was pretty cooperative until we got ready to shear his belly.

I am finalizing my book proposal package for Storey Publishing for my book about crocheting with natural fibers, so there is likely to be at least one project made from Dad's sheep. They are a primitive breed known as Jacob's sheep. They derive their name from the Bible, where in Genesis Jacob agrees to manage his father in law's livestock in exchange for all of the spotted sheep and striped cattle. God then tells Jacob how to tip the odds in his favor, and before long, Jacob owned more sheep and cattle than Laban! Kinda made up for that bait and switch that Laban pulled on Jacob when Jacob thought he was working for Rachel's hand in marriage and wound up with the sister! Just goes to show, what goes around, comes around....

Hope everyone is staying warm and safe! God Bless!

Renee'

2009-01-30T12:29:00.000-08:00

Well Folks, we are surviving the icy blast. We are much more fortunate than many in Arkansas, since we didn't have any damage to our home, nor did our family. We are campers from way back, and like the song says, "Country folks can survive"! We easily got an inch of ice on EVERYTHING. There's the love of my life clearing our driveway. He also cleared the neighbor's driveway AND singlehandedly cleared the county road we live on. He is a handy fella to have around!

The ice can be as beautiful as it can be troublesome and dangerous.

This is one of the (many, many) trees that we will have to cut down around our home. Tuesday night was eerie, the woods around us sounded like a war zone with all the popping and crashing of tree tops and limbs all night long. The good Lord kept us all safe, however, and for that I am very grateful!

The upside of all this ice is that I have had A LOT of crocheting time!!!

Stay warm, ya'll!!!

Crochet Renee'

2008-11-02T11:19:00.000-08:00

Hello, All! It's a lovely fall day in the Ozarks...the colors are gee-orgeous!!! Last Wednesday my daughter-in-law, grandson and I went to one of the local cemetaries to look at the leaves. Now...you might be thinking, "a cemetary?" Yes, a cemetary. It is a very old cemetary where the keepers have planted sugar maples all over the place (in case you don't know, sugar maples are not exactly indigenous to the Ozarks). It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. We even went and had Chinese food for lunch, which was good, except for the fortune cookies....we went out the car and I tried to break my cookie open, but it wouldn't break! No lie, I really had to work to get it to break open; the DIL said, "I wonder if I can get my fortune out without breaking my cookie?" She was in fact, able to do that! Needless to say, we didn't eat the cookies!

For those of you who are keeping up with my "design career", you might like to know that I am now a cover girl! Well, I'm not, but my hat is! I designed the Angora Baby Bunny hat that is featured on the cover of "Luxury Yarns One Skein Wonders". If you look this book up on Amazon, the hat on the cover is NOT mine. That was how the cover was originally supposed to look. When my copy came in the mail last week, I didn't even look at the cover, but dove inside to find my design. DIL starts jumping up and down, shouting, "It's on the cover, it's on the cover!!!" You might say I was a little excited, as I have never had anything on a cover before! I also had another design show up in print last week, my Ring Around the Rosie Afghan is in "Heirloom Afghans" edited by Judy Crow. To see a picture of all of my designs, check out my website: http://www.crochetrenee.com/ . The only one not on there yet is the Baby Bunny Hat, as I am awaiting permission from the publisher to use the image on the website. If that doesn't work out, I will just have to take my own picture, I guess! I am working on a couple of book-signings with a couple of local yarn shops...I will keep you posted on those!

Future upcoming designs include a wrap and a throw for Caron Yarn International, a necklace and a shawl in two different issues of Crochet World next year and a purse in a late issue of Crochet! magazine next year. I am also working on a book of my own designs. Whether that will be with an actual publisher, or whether I will have to self-publish remains to be seen. My sisters and I are talking about doing it ourselves, along with some other publishing projects under the moniker of Three Sisters Publishing. We are all pretty much super-busy gals, so we'll just have to see how to budget our time.

Just off the knitting needles are two chemo caps for a friend's mother who is fighting breast cancer. Dear old Dad requests a beret made from some of the wool off of his own Jacob sheep. I have spun up a few skeins and got on Ravelry to find a neat pattern that wasn't too boring for me to work, yet still not too fou-fou for Dad to wear. I found a really neat one that is offered by DC Stitch. You can check out Marie Connely's blog at http://www.stitchdcblog.blogspot.com/ . She has some wonderful original knitted designs. I do some knit design, but my design brain is so focused on what's on my plate right now, I didn't want to have to think too hard about what to make for Dad. I showed him the pattern last night, and recieved his approval...now if I could just find my US size 4 circular needles....

I taught a drop spindle spinning class last week. I thought it went very well. Everyone present made pretty decent yarn before the class was over. We made a singles, then plied it back with itself. I would say most everyone had 3-4 yards or so of 2-ply yarn and a good beginning working knowledge of how to spin wool with a spindle. At the end of the class, I showed them my spinning wheel, and several "OOOOh's and AAAAAh's" were noted. I did tell them that if enough people got wheels, that I would be happy to teach a class on the feeding and care of a spinning wheel. I also left them all with the notion that when they spin all their wool into yarn, if they would like to do a dyeing class, we could do that as well.

I am working on getting my application together to join The National Needlearts Association. I have my letter of recommendation from a wholesale yarn member and my application, just have to get some nice color copies of my work printed out. Sounds like a trip to Staples is in order, since I don't have a scanner....

By the way, since I mentioned Ravelry above...for those of you who don't know what Ravelry is, it is a website devoted to all things fiberarts related: spinning, weaving, knitting, crochet, felting, dyeing, etc....if you can relate it to fiber, it's on Ravelry. It is still in beta testing, but if you sign up for an account and wait patiently, you will get an invitation to join. It's a really neat site, and you can use it as your own online journal of your fiber related pursuits, right down to inventory of your yarn, needle and hook stash! You can also join different groups (I am a proud member of the Crochet Liberation Front, just to mention one....). If you join or are already a member, you can find me...I am Crochet Renee' on Ravelry. In the meantime, keep those hooks and needles busy and as Captain Will Turner said,"Keep a weather eye on the horizon" and watch for my upcoming designs at a magazine stand near you!!! Happy hooking!

Crochet Renee'

visit me at www.crochetrenee.com

I'm moving to a new home on the web!

2008-10-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't changed my website, just my blog site. I decided that this was a much better place for my blog to exist, so here I am! I'm movin' in (with the help of my cute but capable grandson)! I will provide a link to the old blog for those of you that don't know me, so you can go there to read previous posts....if you don't care, well, fine...I see how you are...

So, the latest Crochet Renee' design has come out in a House of White Birches book, "Heirloom Afghans", edited by Judy Crow. Soon to be seen will be the (tentatively named) "Baby Bunny Cap" in the new volume in the "One Skein Wonders" book on luxury yarns. I say tentatively named because the publisher doesn't always keep the name the designer uses....we'll see. I don't really care WHAT they call it, as long as they keep buying my designs!

If you would like to see some pics of my currently published designs, go to http://www.crochetrenee.com/ and click on "my designs"!

I hope you will visit often and I will try to keep up with regular postings here. I hope to have some free patterns and other items of interest for the fiber arts community here. In the meantime, please do check out my previous blog here!