Crochet Talk

I am pleased and most honored to have been included in the most recent issue of
Talking Crochet by Carol Alexander!
Carol reprinted a condensed form of an article I wrote in 1995 for Crochet Digest on "Finishing Techniques."
I enjoy writing about crocheting, of course, and Crochet Tips and Techniques is one of my most favorite topics!

Tag~You're It

Since I've been very busy working lately, I haven't been on the computer much. When I checked to see if my favorite blogs had been updated, I noticed I had been TAGGED by Tara!

Answer the four questions below and then name four taggees.

Four jobs you have held:

Hospital business office worker
Assistant buyer/Navy Exchange
Needlework Designer (current)
Medical Ophthalmic Assistant (current)

Four places you have lived:

Yokosuka, Japan
Naples, Italy
Tampa, Florida
Treasure Island, California

Four vacations you have taken:

Hong Kong, China
Rome, Italy
Palm Beach, Florida
Montreal, Canada

Four vehicles you have owned:

2000 Dodge Stratus
1977 Toyota Celica
1968 Mustang
1975 Fiat 500

Four Bloggers you want to tag:

Chelle

Julie

Wendy

Rebecca

You can learn alot about someone by doing this!
BTW, I was lucky enough to marry a man who was in the Navy; that is why I was fortunate to travel so much!
And, I still have to post those scarf pictures!

Passing Time

OMG! Where does the time go? It seems like I was just in the middle of finishing a few crochet and knit projects and then a week goes by and I haven't done any needlework at all!

The biggest reason for that is because Gina had her baby! Evan James was born by emergency C-section very early Monday morning. Momma and baby are doing wonderful~! We spent most of this week at the hospital, as Gina was not discharged until Thursday evening.

In the meantime, here is an updated picture of the Pineapple Shawl:



The only thing left to do, is finish the individual pineapples, which should go pretty fast, if I can ever get back to them!
I love the way this turned out! The stitch pattern is so pretty and is so well defined in the Berella '4' yarn. The shawl will be so nice for Spring. I hope to post pictures of it as soon as it is done.
Thanks to everyone for the nice comments about the Frilly Wrap! What pleases me most is that Cristina and Angela like it!
I still need to post the pictures of some of the knit scarves that I completed.
Soon maybe????

Frilly Wrap

As promised, I have the picture of my finished knitted Frilly Wrap from Creative Knitting:




The photo does not show the true beauty of the Moonlight Mohair yarn by Lion Brand. It has one strand of mohair in it and one strand of shiny metallic thread/yarn. This color that I used is Purple Mountains and it is so pretty! If you are not familiar with this yarn, it is very similar to Trendsetter Dune.
The wrap was alot of fun to do and worked up very fast. I would love to do another one. It takes less than 2 skeins of the Moonlight Mohair to complete. My daughter Angela really liked it.
Thanks, Rebecca for the nice comments you made about the Wrap and Seraphina. Here is a picture of the beginning of the Pineapple Shawl you asked about:



I decided to try it first in regular worsted weight to see how the pattern worked up, so I am using Bernat Berella '4' and an H hook for this one. If I like it, I hope to experiment with other yarns and hook sizes! I love Pineapples, and anything crocheted with them, so that is why I was attracted to this pattern in the first place. I think I taught myself to crochet in the first place specifically because of the Pineapple design!
Nothing new to report on my Gina, except that if she does not go into labor before next Friday Janurary 13th, she is scheduled for a C-section that morning! We are, of course, hoping and praying she goes way before then!

Knit and Crochet Week!

This has been a great week for me! Other than putting away some Christmas things, I have been doing alot of knitting and crocheting that has nothing to do with designing or business! It has been so much fun!
First of all, I started a knitting project I had been wanting to make from the September 2005 issue of Creative Knitting, ever since I received a complimentary copy of it at CGOA this summer:



There are alot of great projects in this particular issue, but I especially liked this wrap, made from Moonlight Mohair by Lion Brand:



The photo does not do the project justice at all, and it is working up so fast!


I should have a picture of it finished by this afternoon.

I am also working on Angela's Seraphina Shawl. It is half finished. Thank you, Sara for your nice compliments about the Seraphina Shawl I made previously for my daughter, Cristina. She receives alot of compliments on it. She lives in New York City, so that is saying something!
BUT, I think this colorway that I am working on now, is going to be even prettier! I am very happy with it so far:



It is only halfway finished, but the color pattern is coming out so nice, it makes me want to NOT put it down!

Since it was supposed to be for Christmas, and I could not work on it if Angela was around, I had to show it to Angela already. She loves it!
This afternoon, I think I am also going to start on a Pineapple Shawl I found at Crochetville!
whew...What a week....I am having a ball~!

More pictures to come...

A Snowy Crochet-y Day

It's snowing like crazy out!



What a perfect day to snuggle up and do nothing but knit and crochet!
I have chosen to start on another Seraphina Shawl, this time for my daughter Angela.
As I started it, I was reminded about some of my 'problems' last time!
I am again using the same Rainbow Boucle from Joann's, but this time in a different colorway. It is a beautiful color, and I am anxious to see the color pattern start to immerge. BUT, I had forgotton how difficult it is to see the stitches with this yarn! As I stated in a previous post, I would like to see this pattern worked up in a simpler yarn, one that is not a fuzzy boucle.
Fortunately, I am alone and it is quiet today, as the pattern for Seraphina Shawl can be difficult to get started with. The pattern creates itself in the first 10 or 11 pattern rows and then starts to unfold beautifully, but up until that time, it can be a bit perplexing at times. You will find it easier to follow, I believe, if you look at the wonderful pictures that go with the pattern.
More on that later....
Well, Gina did not have the baby on New Year's Day! We are still waiting patiently. Well, Gina is waiting a bit impatiently! The baby is another boy, and we are so excited! I will keep you posted. The nurses at the hospital thought it would be last night or today, since we are in the middle of a snowstorm! Who knows, maybe tonight?
Well, back to Seraphina.....