First Friday Freebie

We are starting a brand new feature at Cute Crochet Chat called First Friday Freebie. On the First Friday of each month, we will be posting a different prize giveaway: crochet patterns, knit and crochet books and crochet related items! The contest will be open for 2 weeks following the day it is posted. Each month, you will be given a set of instructions to follow (usually commenting) in order to be eligible to receive the prize.
In honor of our first giveaway, because I just adore the felting/fulling technique, the winner will receive the book Knit It, Felt It published by DRG. The book has 176 pages and contains over 60 projects!
So, what do you have to do to win the book, Knit It, Felt It?
Leave a comment on this post and tell us if you have ever done a crochet or knit felted project before and what it was. Please feel free to tell us all about your projects!
If you have not tried felting yet, let us know what you would like to try for your first project. Please be sure to leave an email address so we can get in touch with you if you are the winner! If you do not wish to leave your email address in the comments section, post your comment about felting and then send your email address to: contest@cutecrochet.com
For this first contest, our winner will be chosen from a random drawing on July 17, 2009.
Good luck!

New Contest Giveaway

Stay tuned to Cute Crochet Chat. On July 3rd, we will be announcing a new contest giveaway here at Cute Crochet Chat! Be sure to check back for your chance to win!

Vanna's Choice Worsted Weight Yarn

Today I am working on a crochet project using Vanna's Choice worsted weight by Lion Brand, a yarn that I have not tried before now.

I had been told it was a nice, quality acrylic yarn and after crocheting with it for a couple of hours, I am inclined to agree. I am working on a home decor design for my column in Crochet World magazine in a specific stitch pattern. Vanna's choice is producing a very nice stitch definition; the stitches are crisp and clear, which is so important when working on multiple stitch patterns. Overall, the yarn is much softer than I thought it would be, making it nice to crochet with. The yarn, itself, is a bit fuzzier than most acrylic worsted weights that I have worked with before, but not enough for me to dislike 'the look'.



The crochet fabric has a nice stretch to it, and yet is full bodied at the same time. As with most acrylic yarn on the market today, it is machine washable and dryable, making it a good choice for a good quality afghan or other home decor items. Vanna's Choice comes in a wide variety of beautiful colors, making it even more appealing for your typical projects made with worsted weight acrylic yarn.

Knit in Public Day 2009

Have you heard about Knit in Public Day? It is a day (weekend, actually) for everyone who knits to show their support for our craft! This year, two weekends are being designated as Worldwide Knit in Public Day, June 13-14 and June 20-21st. You can learn all about it HERE. Perhaps you are one of the lucky ones that have a LYS sponsoring an event. So pick up those sticks starting on June 13 and knit away!

Inside Crochet Magazine

I was delighted to go to Barnes and Noble and find Inside Crochet magazine on the shelf! Inside Crochet is the the UK's newest and only crochet dedicated magazine. Most crochet enthusiasts have waited awhile for this new crochet magazine to hit the stands and I am happy to say, that the wait has not been in vain! The editors Julie Holetz and Amy O'Neill Houck have obviously put much time and effort into determining just what crochet lovers would want in a magazine dedicated to their favorite craft. It certainly helps that they are both avid crocheters and needlework designers themselves!
This first issue is chock full of all the things one might expect from a needlework magazine: great tools; favorite products; timely articles on eco-friendly crochet; crochet book reviews on some of our favorite authors....but Inside Crochet goes so much further than I expected!
Inside Crochet has wonderful step-by-step photographs on how to crochet for the beginner. But if you are not a beginner, you don't need to feel left out. There is a wonderful article on understanding Charts and Symbols that will have you tackling a skill that perhaps you thought you might never master. And several of the patterns are rated for the Intermediate stitcher.
I love the size of the beautiful color photographs...I love the size of the graphs, schematics and the charts....I even love the size of the advertisements...who cares that they are geared for the UK...because I love browsing all things crochet and yarn, it doesn't matter!
I don't think there is one thing that Julie and Amy has left out of this issue! Between Crochet on the Net, Inside the Crochet Studio of Claire Montgomerie, Dates for your Diary, Indy Yarn Profile and more....they have covered all the crochet bases! Of course, you will love the wide variety of crochet wearables from some of your favorite designers, also. Just remember, though, that the crochet terms used in this book are UK terms.
♥ Favorite patterns: Sweet Feet (socks) by Julie Vaconsin, Meadow (scarf) by Robyn Chachula, Strawberry Shortcake (top) by Josi Hannon Madera
♥ Favorite Feature: On most patterns, the editors give wonderful YARN ALTERNATIVES for the design. What makes the alternative special, though, is they list them according to price range; SAVE, SPEND AND SPOIL YOURSELF Love it!!
Bonus: for those who belong to Ravelry there is a Inside Crochet Ravelry Group devoted just to the magazine.

Adorable Knit Soap

Being a crafter and needleworker most of my life, naturally I love all things related to sewing and crafting. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to come across these adorable knit soaps? Aren't they the cutest things? I just love them!
They are from a company called Bramble Berry, who sells all kinds of soap making supplies. I believe you can purchase all the supplies you need to make the knit soaps right on the website. They have a great selection of soap making molds and products to choose from. Check them out. You might find yourself starting a new, fun hobby!

A Review - Crochet That Fits ♥

What first drew me to look through and then buy the book Crochet That Fits by Mary Jane Hall was the beautiful dress on the front cover. Who wouldn't be drawn to it? It is classy, trendy and very unlike so many traditionally boxy crochet garments. What makes it unbelievable, though, is that according to the book, this pattern is easy enough for an Advanced Beginner to make. What?? Are you kidding me? How can that be? Apparently, it's Old Stitches, New Method that makes it possible.
Crochet That Fits introduces a "new method of graduated stitching to make flattering fashions the easy way". This is accomplished by using different sized stitches within the same row to shape the garment, eliminating the need for increasing and decreasing. This method makes the projects in the book perfect for the beginning crocheter, who have been reluctant to try crocheting garments before now.
Not only that, you can learn to crochet garments that are form fitting, soft and drapeable and flattering to the figure. In crochet? How cool is that?
Mary Jane says "several different pieces can be made from the same fundamental design". It all starts with Six Designs from One Basic Pattern, which shows the incredible versatility of this pattern! You can create a cape, skirt, arm warmers, poncho, hat and purse, all from the same pattern.
The book goes on to teach you how to adjust the patterns to fit any shape, all the while creating some lovely fashions and accessories. There are 33 in all in the book. Even non-beginners will have fun crocheting and creating items using this new method of shaping; especially since it will be so much easier to get the perfect fit with all of Mary Jane's helpful tips and techniques that are included.
♥ A+ I especially love that Mary Jane gives several suggestions for yarn choices for almost every project.
♥ Favorite Projects: Little Black Dress, Cap Sleeve Top, Shoulder Wrap with Edging, Ruffled Shrug, Long Flared Skirt, Little Girl's Dress
Crochet That Fits is also the winner of the Best Crochet Book for 2008, as voted by the members of the Crochet Liberation Front in their annual Flamies Awards.
You can read more about Crochet That Fits on Mary Jane's own website: MARY JANE'S CROCHET.

Interesting New Pillow Pattern

Most crocheters love new and interesting pattern stitches. I think a lot of you will love the new, complimentary pattern I just uploaded to my pattern blog at: Cute Crochet Blog Patterns. It is a lovely pillow pattern designed by Michele Wilcox that has a very cool stitch pattern, that once learned, is really fun to do. The stitches are called Embossed Roundels. Check it out HERE!

A Boring Crochet Blog?

Today I had a brief conversation with Kim Werker on Twitter about crochet blogging and twittering. It was actually the longest 'conversation' I had ever had on Twitter before. After our discussion, Kim wrote a blog post regarding Crochet Blogging. I was going to directly write to her, but instead, I decided to BLOG about it. Somehow, I think Kim would be happy about that. :)
Just like several other crochet industry professionals have stated, blogging about our crochet design work can be difficult. It is hard to mix business with the pleasure of blogging mostly because there are so many things we just can't discuss!
On the other hand, as I told Kim today, when I do blog, I usually always try to keep my posts and my twittering crochet related. Kim makes a valid point when she suggests that it is hard to remain engaging when you continually just speak about one topic. So I am definitely guilty of this. Why have I chosen in the past to just post about crochet? First of all, I guess I am basically a private person and until now, never thought that anyone would be interested in anything related to my life but crochet. Do I want to have an interesting crochet blog that people can relate to and will want to return to? Definitely! Do I want to sometimes voice my opinion on industry matters? Yes, certainly! Can I think of some topics right offhand that I would have loved to have blogged about in response to some crochet or knitting controversy? Absolutely. Boy do I have an opinion! But being a professional in the industry and having an opinion doesn't always seem to mix. So I usually just decide to keep quiet. It seems better that way.
I think I learned today, though, that it doesn't have to be so cut and dried, as they say. It doesn't have to be 'all or nothing' when it comes to blogging, just like in real life. Maybe I can begin to blog about crochet, crochet design, the process and how it relates to my real life without 'putting it all out there' and giving away all the secrets.
So what is the answer?
From now on, I think I will try and take my cues from Kim's Top 10 Ways To Be More Interesting. If you read her post, at the bottom she outlines how she feels you can be a better blogger.
Oh and by the way, if you really want to see how it's done, click on over to Doris Chan's Everyday Crochet. She has a wonderful way of telling a great crochet story. I think she must be the epitome of what Kim would consider an incredibly interesting crochet blog.

Crochet Bouquet

Since many of us are in need of Spring, I thought I would take a couple of moments to post links to a site I found that specializes in really pretty crochet flowers and bouquets. I think you might enjoy Crochet Bouquet. Crochet Bouquet is an Etsy shop that sells crochet flowers and bouquets, and crochet related items. You might also enjoy viewing these beautiful crochet bouquets on her Crochet Bouquet Blog. So pretty!

Special Olympics Scarf UPDATE!!

I was informed last week by Coats and Clark that the Knit and Crochet Scarf Project they sponsored had been an overwhelming success!
At that time, the World Games committee had received over 40,000 (yes, 40,000!) knit and crochet scarves from all over the world! Amazing, right?
Today, you can read an article posted on the Special Olympics World Games Website that states they have received over 60,000 knit and crochet scarves to date!! It is truly incredible!
Of course, WE always knew how GENEROUS crocheters and knitters are, right?
I can't wait to actually see the atheletes wearing the scarves. The Games begin February 7 and run through February 13. Check you local television listing to see where in your area the Games are being broadcast.

Special Olympics Scarves

I finally had a few spare moments to work on the Special Olympic Scarf Project that I had been wanting to participate in. The PROJECT is sponsored by Coats and Clark. You can read about it HERE, and you still have time to crochet a quick scarf and send in your entry by the January 15, 2009 deadline! Here are mine:




I fell in love with the pattern that I found over at my friend Darla's blog. She designed this scarf using the book: 365 Crochet Stitches A Year Perpetual Calendar by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss. I think the pattern stitch she used is beautiful and I just couldn't resist copying it! With permission, of course! Thanks, Darla! The pattern stitch works up so quickly that I was able to make two scarves in a very short period of time.