APPLES, APPLES and MORE APPLES in Crochet and Knitting!

My family loves Fall and one of the biggest reasons is for Apple Picking Time! They all love to bundle up and go into an orchard and picks lots of apples for Fall baking! I decided to do my own 'picking' of several cute Apple Crochet and Knit designs! Click on the photos to view the patterns!

Which is YOUR favorite apple design? It is hard to choose, but I think I would have to go with the Knit Pincushion! I love pincushions!


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Knit Simple Magazine Fall 2014 Preview

Have you seen the new Fall 2014 preview for Knit Simple Magazine? It has 50+ great projects in it and is on sale now!


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Today is I ♥ Yarn Day!

Happy "I LOVE Yarn Day"! 

Sponsored by the Craft Yarn Council of America, I love YARN DAY on "October 11th, 2013 is the day to affirm your passion for yarn, whether you knit, crochet, craft or just adore fiber!"
If you Knit, Crochet, Spin, Weave or do ANYTHING AT ALL YARN related, this is your day!

Here at CUTE CROCHET CHAT, I am offering a 50% PATTERN DISCOUNT in ALL of my ETSY shops for today only! Use the COUPON CODE  -  TODAY  -  when you checkout at any of MY Etsy shops listed below and receive 50% off your entire order! All of my sites are INSTANT DOWNLOAD so you receive your order immediately! This coupon expires at midnight ET tonight!

 Jocelyn Designs

Too Cute Crochet

Cute Crochet Shop

Many, many yarn related crochet and knit sites are offering specials today ONLY, so don't miss out! Scroll down to see just SOME of the specials that are going on Today Only. If you know of other specials that would be of interest to our readers or are running a special in your own shop, PLEASE FEEL FREE to LIST THEM with links IN THE COMMENTS BELOW! Thank you!

Yarnpirations is a brand new website which features yarns from Caron, Lily, Bernat and Patons all in one place! For today ONLY, they are offering 25% off all yarn and free shipping on orders over $35.

Vogue Knitting is celebrating I Love Yarn Day with a knitting and crochet pattern sale. All patterns are $2.99 today ONLY!

Leisure Arts is celebrating ALL WEEKEND with 25% off ALL knit and crochet titles!

Annie's Crafts is offering a FREE DOWNLOAD TODAY ONLY, of 50 Stitches for Afghans when you buy 3 or more skeins of yarn.

CRAFTSY Free Class for One Day ONLY, Saturday MAY 18, 2013!

CRAFTSY FREE CLASS DAY!

Are you a member of CRAFTSY yet? If not, today is the day you should join! And if you already are, but have NEVER purchased a class, don't miss out on this great promotion to take a class for FREE!
When you take an online class at Craftsy, it is available to you for life. You can't beat that deal, especially today when it is FREE! 
Come and celebrate FREE CLASS DAY at Craftsy!
Today's promotion is for first-time class takers only.

Choose from one of the classes offered & sign up for your first Craftsy class for FREE, Saturday, May 18, 2013 only!

Today is your chance to sign up for your first by choosing from classes in crochet, knitting, quilting, sewing, cake decorating, and more. Learn from the world's best instructors in the comfort of your home with Craftsy's high-definition online classes.

Share Craftsy Free Class Day with your friends! Help us reach 10,000 new Craftsy students today and we'll make a donation of $5,000 to DonorsChoose.org to fund projects for classrooms in need!

Knit a Dozen Plus Slippers by Amy Polcyn

I am so happy to be the fifth stop in the Blog Tour of Knit a Dozen Plus Slippers by Amy Polcyn and House of White Birches!

This is a great book of thirteen knitted slippers patterns by Amy Polcyn. There is something for every taste and skill level! Directions are given for three different sizes and the instructions are easy to follow and explained well. Following the review, Amy was gracious enough to answer some questions about her design work.


Brightly Beaded Moccasins is one of my favorite pair of slippers in the book. They look so comfortable and functional, but because of the added touch of seed beading, have just the right touch of elegance. The color pattern looks simple to do and is highlighted by contrasting beads that are sewn in place. What a nice addition!

Crochet Cafe: Can you explain the beading technique that is used on the finished knitted slipper? 
Amy: To keep it easy and to use the size beads I wanted,  I simply sewed the beads in place on the finished slipper, following the chart and using matching thread.  Alternately, you could string the beads on the yarns and knit them in as you go, but along with working the colorwork pattern at the same time this might be too "fussy" for some. If you choose to string the beads on the yarn, slightly larger beads may be required.

Crochet Cafe: Is there a special technique for changing colors in knitting?

Amy: I used a stranded colorwork technique for the toe of the slippers, similar to Fair Isle designs.  Carry the yarn not in use loosely along the wrong side of the work, and knit each stitch in the color shown on the chart.  To keep the work from puckering, be sure to avoid pulling the yarn tightly when making a color change.  This usually requires keeping the tension looser than you would normally. 

Another great pair of slippers in this book are Mary Jane Slippers. Mary Jane's are one of my most favorite designs to crochet and having a fun, simple pattern in knitting is a great change of pace. Using variegated yarn, as shown in the photo, makes a simple garter stitch even more attractive!

Crochet Cafe: Would a beginning knitter be able to follow this pattern?
Amy: These and are an excellent choice for a beginner!  The slippers are worked in garter stitch throughout, so each row is knitted (no purling).  Although the short row heel may seem tricky for a new knitter with the "wrap and turn" instruction, it is simply a matter of moving the yarn between the needles, slipping the next stitch, and moving the yarn back. The bulky yarn and larger needles make this a fast project, so even a new knitter can be done in no time. For a more experienced knitter, it's possible to whip these out in an evening.  I'm planning to make a few pairs of these for myself to use up some leftover yarn-- Mary Janes are my favorite.

Crochet Cafe: Do you have a favorite way to cast on your stitches?

 Amy: My favorite cast on is the long tail.  I think it's fast to work, easy, and gives a neat, fairly elastic edge.  I don't like taking the time to calculate how long the tail needs to be before casting on, though, so I just overcompensate and cut off the excess when I'm done.  
Thanks, Amy! 
Knit a Dozen Plus Slippers can be purchased HERE. 
Be sure to check out the next stop on this blog tour tomorrow at:
Two Sticks and a Sheep by Amy Duncan 

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Contest Winner of "Knit It Felt It" Book!

Congratulation to Dulcy, of Alabama, who was randomly chosen as the WINNER of our first ever, First Friday Freebie contest! Dulcy is working on her very first felted project, so we hope the felting book will be inspirational for her!
Thank you so very much to all who commented and participated.
Stay tuned for our next First Friday Freebie contest on August 7, 2009!

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!
CONTEST NOW CLOSED. WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY. Thank you so everyone who participated!

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!

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!

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.

Amazing Crochet Lace IS Truly Amazing

I learned to crochet 31 years ago while my husband was stationed in Italy and I was pregnant with my first child. I had been knitting for several years, but had always wanted to learn how to crochet because it seemed there were so many beautiful things you could make from crochet that you could not do with knitting. Being in Europe and surrounded by so much old crochet lace only enhanced my desire to learn. So when two of my friends started making beautiful pineapple crochet tablecloths, I knew I had to learn. I just loved the delicate, lacy thread designs of doilies and wanted to create some of my own. The pineapple design continues to be my favorite today and I am still inspired by beautiful thread crochet designs.
So when I saw Doris Chan's book, "Amazing Crochet Lace", New Fashions Inspired by Old-Fashioned Lace, I just knew I had to have a copy!
The book, itself, grabbed me from the beginning. Yes, I knew from flipping through the pages that it had luscious designs; but I was also pleasantly surprised when I began to read (in Doris' own words) the Forward and the Trimming Me section in the beginning of the book. Doris has a natural talent for telling a story that makes you want to know more.
Crochet-wise, Doris introduces and teaches her own approach and techniques to making "a seamless lace garment", which are used throughout the book. She calls it her MO, or modis operandi and says you need only to know basic crochet skills in order to learn them.
Fashion-wise, the book is filled with lovely, lacey wearables that have become Doris' signature style. It seems as though she put a lot of thought into choosing a variety of beautiful styles and colors that would appeal to many different tastes. One of my favorites is the beautiful pineapple Blue Curacao Shawl. Apparently, I am not alone, because I have seen this lovely shawl posted many times on Ravelry!
The book is photographed beautifully. I love the black and white backgrounds contrasted by the full color of the crochet designs.
If you love crochet lace, you will love this book! It is crochet lace-lover's eye candy!
Oh, and for the record, I know I am a couple of years behind on this review and that Doris has another book out since writing this one! I can't wait to buy Everyday Crochet to see what that is all about!
BTW, if you enjoy Doris' storytelling as much as I did, you can visit her blog Doris' Everyday Crochet to hear more!