Crochet to Go

I made it over to Relish at Home recently - it's a lovely little store packed with jewelry, art, bags, and much more by up and coming artists (many of them local). I wanted to buy everything in there. The location is a little out of the way, but it's well worth a trip if you find yourself in Berkeley on a Saturday afternoon.

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Originally uploaded by aliciamalia.

I'm slipping behind on my projects lately, it feels - somehow time is just disappearing. I have been working, just not doing a lot of actual crochet. As you can see, I have an actual copy of the Crochet to Go Deck! It looks great, and should start appearing in stores in the next 2-3 weeks.

I recently heard from the publisher's publicity person as well; advance copies were sent out last week. I'll let you know if there are any hits (come on, Martha Stewart! Ladies Home Journal! Make!).

I've also pitched two new book ideas, and am trying to submit at least 1 pattern per month to magazines. Now I just need to carve out enough time to actually write the patterns...

I started the "Soft Brimmed Casual" a few weeks ago. I was diligent and made my swatch (it took a couple of tries - the yarn reference from 1947 is fairly oblique), and carefully counted and measured my rows.

Here's attempt #1:


As you can tell, it's a complete failure (as an adult hat; it's actually pretty cute for a toddler).

Here's attempt #2 (a complete departure from the pattern; I did my best to interpret the instructions for the proper sizing):


Off, it's really not bad. On, it's awful. Way too wide at the top, too flared at the bottom. Plus it has those awful depressions around the top. On the positive side, it's a decent fit, and the texture and stiffness is right.

Here's #3, a work in progress. Let's hope it works.

It's hard to pass up on this tutorial, although I suspect making that little loop at the end is harder than it looks. On Girl on the Rocks.

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Originally uploaded by pt.

This crochet example snuck into an otherwise knitting-heavy exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City. The show is up through mid-June - looks like it's worth a visit.

I just recently stumbled across this blog. Cathy posts vintage craft pictures from what I assume is her own massive collection - she's posting almost daily. This example is a real gem - can you imagine crocheting your own tights? This outfit must have taken years to make.

It has been a good week for crochet sightings. First up: these truly impressive examples of crocheted food (you can buy them at Mahar Dry Goods). Be sure to check out the new crocheted baby shoes on the site, too.

Next up: a whole pile of strawberries on Bloody Bunny's blog. Definitely check out some of her past posts too - she makes amazing things.

Craft Magazine has this gem - knitted breasts, for use as a teaching tool for new mothers. Go figure. Apparently the cost of model breasts in England has gotten too expensive.

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Originally uploaded by aliciamalia.

I finished this little dress last weekend. It's the fourth project I've completed from Simple Crochet for Cherished Babies (pictures of the others below). This book is great - well photographed, simple patterns, and lots of attention to the details. The leg snaps on the overalls, for example, make the garment actually wearable. I used Sirdar Snuggly Chatterbox (how's that for a name?) yarn, and vintage buttons for the closure.

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Originally uploaded by aliciamalia.

From Simple Crochet for Cherished Babies.

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Originally uploaded by aliciamalia.

This is my favorite piece from the book - the side tie made it quite adjustable, and wearable for months.

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Originally uploaded by aliciamalia.

And another.

Judy Geib's work in included in an exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt right now. She makes gorgeous, heavily layered jewelry, and insists that the pieces be displayed on her custom crocheted display stands. She also crochets remarkable seashell handbags.

Apron Chronicles
Originally uploaded by aliciamalia.

My dentist kept me waiting over an hour on Friday. The only upside to this was that I ran across a reference to this traveling exhibit of aprons in Food & Wine magazine. It's a book, too. The show hasn't made it out to California yet - let's hope it does. There's a photo gallery on the site with lots of inspiring aprons.