Katies Baby Blanket

Sometimes the new young Mums don’t like crochet things, or so I thought.

My Niece Katie is expecting a baby in 6 weeks, so I thought I’d ask if she wanted something crocheted. It’s a random thought as sometimes the new young Mums don’t like crochet things or so I thought. But 2 days before  asked I  her I noticed a young Mum who was camping close by who had a  a crocheted blanket on her 6 month old boy. When I asked her if she liked it she said she loved the fact that crochet is so breathable with its holes she was reassured that it if ended up covering her little boys face during the night he would be able to breathe. That is not something I would have thought of as a positive for a crocheted blanket. I love crochet in all its forms. The slow fashion aspect, the love in every stitch and having something made by my hands would have been on the top of the list though. But never the safety angle.  I don’t have time to make a blanket before Katie’s baby arrives as I’m designing things for the CGOA conference in USA , making samples for classes that I’m teaching,  and I’m emceeing for the opening Mardi Gras night so I have to make something in Purple green and gold to wear, and  I need to finish that thing I promised I’d make for Scheepjes yarns as I’m meeting up with them at the conference too.   So for now I’ll look at ideas that she has sent me, gather the yarn supplies and pick a design that is a TV watching project so that once the conference is over and I’m sitting on the plane back home  I can start. She wants a bright coloured blanket and her favourite colour is yellow, which is great as we don’t know whether she is having a boy or girl. What fun to go searching for ideas and choose the colours. So far she likes the idea of a chevron, otherwise known as a ripple blanket. And a bobble one or a checked one. She has been on Instagram I think so I’ll go and check this out. Apparently crocheted blankets are really trending. Yeah! Doing a happy dance. I’m off to explore more ideas

Churchmouse Yarns

There are so many times when I’ve received an email from Churchmouse Yarn( This is store on Bainbridge Island WA in  USA that one day I hope to visit)  only to see that we have very similar taste. They knit in Yummy yummy yarns  and I Crochet.

https://www.churchmouseyarns.com

Today in my inbox was  their  Modern Wrapper and it reminded me of the Amy cardigan. The Amy cardigan has a band around the outside edge which changes it slightly but the concept is similar. It is meant to be open at the front to show the garment underneath to give that longer line. Or  that taller feeling that I’m always hoping to achieve.

They also have the Two Point Cowl which is similar to my Collared Poncho which is an adaptation from my Collette which was an adaptation of my Diamante poncho back in the day. Supre (a clothing store here in OZ)  had a poncho that shape and I chased a girl down in the shopping centre to find out where she  bought it. I think I still have the original tucked away in a cupboard here.  I can’t bear to throw anything away. The shape was so  Modern and as it turns out so classic and timeless.

You will notice most of my garments are lacy  and open. When the sun is shining here in tropical Queensland  and the humidity is horrendous with temperature in the 90’s  , I wish I was somewhere like Bainbridge Island feeling   cool enough to put on a wrap.

Perhaps I live in the wrong place.???????????

Maybe Churchmouse would like to swap places too when it is in the middle of winter. I’ll have to ask them.

Once you hit on a great design you can keep on  making it in every yarn and in all other stitches . I need to work on my photos but gradually I’m getting better.

I’m better with a hook than a camera  for sure.  So if you knit where it is cold go visit Chruchmouse.

Front and Back Cover

Sometimes I feel like Robinson Crusoe. There is amazing talent here in Australia especially in the crochet world and I’m delighted to say there is so many talents emerging with the aid of the internet. But when I first travelled to USA on my own in 1999 to attend a Crochet Conference some people thought I was brave. As far as I was concerned it was a job that had to be done. If I was serious about Crochet I  just had to go. The internet was still dial up then and most homes didn’t even have computers.

So on one of these necessary adventures I had the pleasure and delight to room with the author of this book, Susan Huxley. Sadly Susan is no longer with us  but her legacy remains. Susan was a book packager as one of her many “hats”. She contacted Martingale Publishers and with the help of the CGOA committee they put together this book. I was the only Australian member of the Guild who was invited  to design for this book. And if that wasn’t a thrill enough,  2 out of the 3 designs were selected to be on the  Cover. This book was published in 2003. That was a day for much cheering from my island paradise.

Since then I have had my designs on many front pages. Here are a few dating from  2003 to Christmas 2017, some more sensational than others.