Crochet to Go

I had a great craft breakthrough about two weeks ago. When I work on a circular object (like a hat) I tend to change direction at the end of each row. While I like the look, one of the main reasons for doing this is to create a straight, unobtrusive seam. When I continue working in rounds, my seams tend to wander.

So: what's the problem? I was pondering the issue while working on the arm warmers below, and decided not to fight it. In fact, I'd intentionally have the seam circle the hat. Five samples later, I think I've got it down. I love the subtlety of the ridge, and how it elevates the basic hat above the expected. In the grid of details, the upper left image is the "wrong" side, the right the "outside".

Design Sponge is one of my favorite blogs. It's dangerous - I probably buy way more of the things I see there than I should - but always interesting and well curated. Last week's feature on artist Tricia Royal is a great example. I'm highlighting it because of Tricia's beautiful use of crocheted items. Both the doily and the blanket are, well, questionable - in the wrong context they could be really wrong. But they're working as accents. I love seeing creative use of heirloom items like this. And it's a great reminder that it's all about the design - even the oddest items can seem perfectly new when arranged properly.

So...the book signing. I signed with Meg, shown, the author of Craft, Inc. She's lovely, and her book is really useful for anyone trying to make money off a hobby. The signing itself wasn't particular successful for either of us, but I'm glad to have had the opportunity. It's fun just to be there and talk to people about crafting.

I definitely recommend checking out the new Chronicle Books Store (1846 Union in San Francisco) - it's well designed, well stocked, and a great place to look for holiday gifts. There are several boxes of labels I'd like to have, and their craft section is growing rapidly.

I've spent the day proofing a pattern for the 2009 edition of the Crochet Pattern a Day Calendar. The deadline is swiftly approaching - get your patterns in now! I'm definitely sending in my easy arm warmer pattern (picture shown), and hope to get organized enough to finish another 1 or 2 patterns in the next week.

Speaking of which, I just received my copy of the 2008 calendar. I have two patterns included - a mesh-weave scarf, and a pretty little clutch. The overall calendar is a bit hit and miss, but I did find several patterns in the 2007 edition worth making. If nothing else, it makes for fun browsing.