Autumn 2012 Accessories: Day 5

Here I am at the last day introducing my accessories collection. Sigh.

This final piece is a quick project that came together, or more accurately flowed from, my fingers in absolutely no time. Please say hello to the Slouching Towards Tassels Cap:

 

This very stretchy stitch pattern is rather versatile (oh, that word again) - change yarn weight and hooks to size up or down; the two I worked up in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter and Loft will probably fit most head sizes. The tassels are easily made and added at the end.

Only one skein of either is needed for a cap. All in all, an inspired little design. If I do say so myself.

I'm going to have some final words tomorrow, as well as announce the three winners of their very own accessories e-book, so if you haven't commented previously (and ok, even if you have), definitely feel free to leave your thoughts here today.

And the Great Juggling Act Begins



Sneaky peak of next week's FO. I'm
further along now than when I
snapped this photo.

December has barely begun, yet I feel the bite of deadline pressure already. I'm not certain how I'm going to get it all done, but somehow I will find a way. And I don't have children - those that do deserve Hall of Parental Fame induction at this time of year.

So, along this theme, I have two FOs and one recipe to share with everyone this Friday ... along with the sneaky peak of next week's FO (they're coming fast and furiously folks, just like the deadlines).

My first completed project is my Gourdy Shawl, so named because of its awesome pumpkin color. From a Pierrot pattern (this one, to be exact), I held two strands of alpaca laceweight together to achieve this wonderful fallish color. (Alpaca with a Twist Fino and Misti Alpaca Lace Canada - I knew you were going to ask.)


Additionally, I added some size 6 Japanese silver-lined seed beads in a light peach color on the edging for a little bling, as well as some weight:

This is my second FO this year from a Pierrot pattern, and I couldn't be happier with the result. They are very well charted ... so much so, in fact, that I didn't need any other direction.

My next FO is also the end result of the recipe I have for everyone. As I stated a few weeks back in my review of Crochet Stitches Visual Encyclopedia, I said to watch for projects inspired by the book. Here's the first one, and just in time for me to send it (along with other hand-crafted goodies) to Appalachian Outreach. They specifically asked for 36" square lapghans to keep the elderly warm, so:

The Crochet Stitches  36-inch 'Ghan Recipe


Ingredients (my choices in this 'ghan are to the right):


1 Crochet Stitches Visual Encyclopedia by Robyn Chachula, from which you will choose:








1 or more  motifs                                                            Posy in the Granny, p. 173
1 motif joining method                                                     Chain Space Seam, p. 242
1 stitch pattern                                                               Rocking, p. 7

1 edging pattern                                                             Mari Cluster Edging, p. 261


approx. 450 grams of worsted weight yarn, at least 250 grams of which should be one color
1 U.S. size H/5.00 mm hook

Construction Set-up:

1. Make a sample motif to determine the finished dimension, given your yarn.

2. Swatch, using your main color, in the stitch pattern that you've chosen. It doesn't need to be blocked, but knowing how many stitches/rows per inch will be useful as you create your 'ghan.

3. Swatch a sample of your chosen edging. This row/inch measurement will also be needed later in 'ghan construction.

'Ghan Construction:


1. Create 16 motifs (or any number that will yield a square - 4 [2x2], 9 [3x3], 25 [5x5]).

Note: This is the part of the project that can be a great stash-buster - I used up bits of Lion Brand Wool-ease, Cascade 220 Superwash and Noro Kureyon from previous projects.

2. Once you have all of your motifs made, join them using the joining method you've chosen. A nice treat to yourself: weave in your ends, to this point, now. Once completed, celebrate with hot chocolate (or beverage of choice).

3. Using your chosen stitch pattern, determine how many foundational single crochet stitches you will need on each side of your motif square. (Stitch multiples are provided for each stitch pattern in the book.) Then, with your main color, join just after any corner with a slip stitch. Ch 1, then work a row of single crochet around entire motif block, working three in each corner. Join with a slip stitch in beginning ch 1, and your foundation row is complete.

4. Start working your chosen stitch pattern around the motif block. This is where your swatch work will come in handy. The number of rounds to be completed will be determined by the amount of inches of the stitch pattern you will need: 36 inches - (the measurement of your motif block + the measurement of your edging swatch) divided by 2.




Example from my 'ghan (in inches): 36 - (23 + 1.5 twice [edging doubled]) = 10 = 5" of
                                                                              2                                 2

stitch pattern, or 10 rounds of rocking stitch, since I was getting 2 rows per inch when I swatched.

5. Once you have completed your required number of stitch pattern rounds, work one row of single crochet around, working three single crochet in each corner. This is the set-up round for your border.

Note: This set-up row is where you need to make any adjustments in stitch number to ensure your border will work up without a hitch.

6. Work your border of choice.

7. Weave in final amount of ends.

8. Lightly block your 'ghan. My unblocked 'ghan was 33" square, and paying particular attention to my middle motifs when blocking made a world of difference. In fact, I pinned my middle motif block first, getting it to be square, and then I pinned the outer edge.

9. Once done, enjoy more beverages of choice.

Definitely don't hide under any rocks - get on over to Andrea's blog and see what other deadlines loom this holiday season!

Pattern Excitement This Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday

Ok everyone - I am beyond excited this week. Another two of my patterns (!) have finally been published - by the yarn company that commissioned them, Premier Yarns. These two patterns were submitted way back in July, and were part of the Deborah Norville fashion show at Vogue Knitting Live in Los Angeles this past September. Without further ado, I present La Poétique Beret and Infinity Scarf set:





I am so thrilled with how these patterns worked up! They were crafted with Premier Fashion Jeweltones, a roughly 57/40 acrylic/wool blend, with paillettes for bling (which show up really well in the beret photos). Additionally, I really liked how this heavy fingering/sport weight yarn blocked - the resulting fabric was warm with nice drape, as you can see in the infinity scarf.

I also learned a few things about photographing FOs on live humans as opposed to inanimate objects. Sometimes the natural approach yields intriguing results - and sometimes the photographer just needs to stop moving. I am very pleased with my impromptu models - thanks so much, Alex and Jessica! (And I suspect they can be booked for your next photo shoot - just send me an email!)

Both patterns are free and available for download both at the Premier Yarns website and on Ravelry.

Woot! Again - I am so thrilled! Now definitely check back with Andrea's blog to see what's got everyone else all thrilled on this pre-Halloween Fiber Arts Friday.

Yarn Swifty Gal this Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday

Watching the paint dry on the parts
of my hand-made yarn swift

So, while I was taking my little technological break, I accomplished something I've wanted to since the beginning of the year - I made my own yarn swift.

Now this might not seem like such a grand and glorious accomplishment - until you realize I made it without screws or traditional carpenter's tools of any kind - just craft-store materials, glue, paint, and my own two hands. It looks something like this:


The design for this awesome little
low-tech yarnie machine can be
found here. I love the Internet. 











Want to see it in action? Get a load of it as I wind Andrea's handspun on it:

Isn't the handspun just gorgeous? Can you believe that's the natural color of Midnight Magic? I might need to go and steal that animal from the barn.

Now, you might be wondering why I'm winding Andrea's handspun. Well, here's what she sent me in order to craft a shawl for her:

This is a whole lotta alpaca love

 I'm making her a Critron; I've already started it, and it's going to be some kind of siren song. It might need it's own zip code.

I hope you are as in love with your fiber as I am with mine at the moment. Definitely check out everybody's fiber art from Andrea's blog - and I'd love to hear what you would name Andrea's shawl. It needs a super name, so I'm all ears.

To 40 Revolutionary Years

The kitchen in my self-renovated apartment during my undergrad
days. I didn't quite realize at the time the magnitude of the wall art
bought for a yard sale song.

There's been much online chatter recently about a certain Huff Post blogger's feminist views, at least in my online reading circle.

I thought it appropriate, therefore, to pay homage to that bad-ass foodie rebel and artist, Alice Waters. Her inspired creation, Chez Panisse, is celebrating 40 years of ground-breaking food vision this weekend. For everyone in the U.S. (myself included) who enjoys the bounty of local farmers' markets, has at least a passing understanding of the concept of buying local, in-season produce, meat and fish, and who celebrates the harvest bounty each year, we really have Alice to thank.

What I didn't realize until I listened to Alice explain it herself, is the ground-breaking way she treats her employees at Chez Panisse.  I suppose it should have come as no surprise that her treatment of the humans with which she comes into contact would be as humane, as well ... as just so darn right as her approach to food.   

Thanks Alice, for taking a vision, a stove, and the local farmers you nurtured, and giving everyone (including The White House) inspiration to do better when it comes to the food we eat and the people who produce it.

Now that's a bad-ass feminist by anyone's definition.

It's In the Bag This Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday

Once again a confluence of events has made me late to the Friday Fiber Arts party - but here I am, with freshly developed photos of my latest FO - as I promised last Friday, my Building Blocks Tote.

It's a roomy one, coming in at 19" x 12" x 5", and I lined it with some cotton fabric I had in the house. The buttons were also a stash dive, and I love how they look.

Additionally, check out the sassy knit leaves and cables!

The bag is composed of three blocks per side from Nicky Epstein's Block By Block book (which I'm certain most of you have read about in previous posts of mine). The leaves at the bottom are actually two pieces of one block that I decided to keep apart and use them in this manner. The gusset is yet another block that I customized in length and width, and used one complete skein of Cascade 220 Quatro to make. Bag design and finishing are all from my head.

The back view of the tote. The leaves look good no matter the side.

I hope all of you are enjoying the hazy days of summer in your respective neck of the woods. Check back with Andrea's blog to get all the summery scoop!

A sneak of a project in process. Don't expect to
see anything like a finished FO for at least a month.

The Home Stretch this Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday

Happy Friday everyone! This is the final weekend of the Tour de France and the last weekend for all of us fiber TdFers to get our projects all done and spiffied up.

I am on schedule to complete my Building Blocks Tote. Based on blocks found in Nicky Epstein's Knitting Block by Block (which I reviewed last Fall), my 20 x 20 tote is starting to take shape. To the left you'll see a quick photo of the gusset, which is adapted from one of the book's blocks.
I'm using Cascade 220 Superwash Quattro (blue/green/violet) for the gusset and Cascade 220 Superwash (in light blue) for the tote's main blocks. I will definitely be able to show you the completed tote next Friday.

Additionally, I'm slooooowwwwly getting through my Dianna shawl (or, as I'm calling it, Entre Quoi?). Pattern block banished, here's the first lovely leafy block:

People, you have no idea how happy and proud I am of this block. When I completed it, I really did do a happy dance in my living room. I might not get this shawl completed by the end of the Tour, but I am nevertheless thrilled that I'm now on the better side of it.

So, as the riders make their way to the Champs Elysees this Sunday, check back with Andrea's blog and share in everyone's fiber victories, no matter the form.



Can't one always find parking near the local chateau?



A Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday for the Books

Days like today are the reason so many of us transplant to the Pacific Northwest and don't ever want to move away: sunny, blue sky, low 70s with a beautiful breeze, no humidity. The greenery is more verdant, the flowers are just that much more fragrant, and the swallows are chirping about. People are out everywhere - doing yard work, walking their pets, strolling with their children or loved ones, riding their bikes, taking photographs (!), getting errands done while soaking up all that vitamin D. Glorious, absolutely glorious.

It is amid that background that I photographed my most recent finished project - my Lettuce Leaf shawl. I cannot tell you how much I absolutely love this shawl. The pattern is the Critron, which is the crocheted version of the popular Citron knitted half-circle shawl. Worked up in laceweight alpaca and mohair, this blocked out so amazingly well. Can you tell how excited I am?!!!!

This is my first half-circle shawl, and I love how it lays so nicely on my shoulders. It needs just a little shawl pin on the side, but I can see this becoming my new favorite go-to shawl. 

And even though I'm once again a little late to the Fiber Arts Friday dance, I think Andrea might not mind that I exercised my freedom to move about my neighborhood on this awesomely lovely day. Definitely check back with her blog to see how everyone else kicked off their respective July 4th weekend.

Happy independence! Get out there and enjoy ... just don't forget your fiber.

Well I'll Be ...

 ... amazed and pleasantly surprised! I am this week's Wizard of Whimsy awardee (although I do wish dt would come up with a more gender-inclusive term - maybe just "Wiz"?). The submission of the following painting got me this award (which is voted on every Tuesday by the general Internet public, so I can't believe I actually won!):

Feel free to check out dt's blog to see what else he has up his artsy sleeve.

And, finally, on the "well I'll be" meter ... I also received notice the other day that one of my recent design submissions has been approved for publication! While I can't say much more than that (and those of you who know all about design publishing understand why), I've been pretty much over the moon about it since I found out.

Now, back to everyone's regularly-scheduled week.

It's Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday - Again!

OhmyBob, where did the week go? I have been intensely focused on completing my second pattern in three weeks - and here's the result:

I'm calling it my Every Which Way Pillow Cover, because it looks good on either side, and with the buttons either on the top, the bottom, or the side. Nifty, eh? It should be available for download on Ravelry sometime today.

I had sketched out the idea for this pattern about a year ago (the beginning of April, 2010). However, it wasn't until just recently, when I did a major rearrangement of my living space, that I got the needed kick in the pants to actually make the cover. I used cotton, but worsted weight wool would work equally well.

It also incorporates one of my favorite stitch sequences - Catherine's Wheel. Using three different yarn colors for the Catherine's Wheel inset, as well as super-big buttons, gives the pillow cover a bold, graphic look that I really love. And it's completely washable. And I designed it! Can't get much better than that. Nope. No siree Bob.

I hope everyone is maxing out on the Royal Wedding ... and if you're not, or there's a lull in the festivities, definitely check out Andrea's blog to see what everyone else is up to on this Fiber Arts Friday. Cheers!

Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday … and an Earth Day Reflection

I have several projects on the hooks/needles right now; a few too many for comfort, if truth be told. So not only am I really pleased to be able to put one in the finished column, I’m thrilled with my first knit project utilizing cables. I present my Giant Cabley Stole:

 

At 18 inches wide x 37 inches in length, it is a little bigger than the original. I’m not too surprised, since I added a strand of Patons Décor to the Berroco Peruvia when I wasn’t getting gauge during swatching. I really love the color, and those awesome cables, and the toggle buttons in an olive-y green that add just a little more color and pop. I can’t wait to wear it this fall (which may never arrive, given the amount of time spring is taking to get here).  

Today is also Earth Day. As I reflect on how I treat the earth, I am amazed at my own transformation in the last five years. While I certainly can still do better in the consumption department (at least according to my food bill each week), my days of unconsciously buying are so over. Bottled water? Uh-uh. Plastic bags? Almost never. Recycling and composting? Absolutely – I am so fortunate to live in an area where curbside yard waste/composting is encouraged. In fact, I’ve gotten my non-recycling trash down to about one medium trash bag per week, and I definitely recycle and compost more than I put in a landfill. Public transportation (or walking) over driving? Oh yeah. Reuse/upcycle? Yes … but can still do better. Hey, it’s all a work in progress.

There is something else that is bugging me on this Earth Day. Rachel Carson is widely credited with jumpstarting the environmental movement with the publishing of her book Silent Spring in 1962. Given what I know of her, I find her to be incredibly courageous and a woman ahead of her time.

Ironically, I came upon this essay yesterday, discussing whether or not women have really fulfilled their leadership potential in the 21^st century. If one looks at the female presence at the highest levels of academia, business, law and politics as a measuring stick – that answer is a resounding no. While the existing power structures and modes of operating within those structures were definitely set by men, women can be their own worst enemies. A woman willing to speak out and seek cooperation instead of competition will be silenced – by both men and women. Demanding true partnership and equality at home is still a very dicey deal (to wit: the MLB (Major League Baseball) is finally providing paternity leave to its players – for a grand total of 72 hours! Let’s hope Mom didn’t give birth via cesarean section.)

I don’t necessarily want world domination through craft (but, hey, if you like my designs and work, it’s a plus for you and definitely spread the word!), but I do want global cooperation. Humans are hardwired for it. I hope this Earth Day gets everyone to shift their competitive drive into neutral and set their cooperation speed into overdrive. Respect the earth and your fellow citizens, ok?

Oh, and let’s get crafty out there, folks! And since it's Friday, check out Andrea's blog to see what other crafty endeavors everyone is up to.

An Especially Wonderful Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday

And it’s especially wonderful for me because my first pattern is done and released (well, let’s hope it’s showing up in the Ravelry database!) – The Melina Clutch. It's perfect for spring (which I know is going to make an appearance in these here parts very soon):

It’s a quick crochet project made of 100% cotton. I used Tahki Cotton Classic, but any dk or worsted weight cotton would work well (and I can think of several organic cottons that would be perfect for this project).

This bag has been in my mind since I did the research for the article I recently published on U.S. crochet history. In my head, it looked like this:

Then I started to work it up using a particular stitch pattern and it wasn’t going anywhere. I was none too pleased with it, or myself, so I set it aside and started working on a few other projects. While working on one of those other projects, I had the face/palm moment when I figured out how to get around the stumbling block on the Melina. It always works that way, doesn’t it? Plan B appears when you least expect it!

I had wanted to publish this pattern closer to the date of the article’s publication, but no matter. What’s a mere 14 days in the life of a clutch – nothing, really.

Happy fiber arts Friday, and definitely check back with Andrea's blog to see who else is joining in on the madcap Friday fun.

It’s Over …

Well, most of it, anyway. The second annual Knitting and Crochet Blogging Week, that is.

I know it’s going to take me some time to process the event. However, some things I can rattle off right now:

    1.      Wow!

    2.      Wow.

 3.      OhMyBob wow. I cannot believe all of the bloggers  who participated. I’m surprised Blogger didn’t go kaput.

4. Yes, I absolutely realize that not everyone who blogs uses Blogger.

5.      I am so thrilled I found some new blogs to read, and new bloggers with whom to connect. Some of them I already have connected with, and that’s really super.

6.      I am interesting in seeing how I feel about following blogs written by people, and leaving comments on said blogs, when those bloggers either don’t follow me, or pretty much don’t respond to my content. I know I blog for myself, first and foremost. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t like making connections with my blog, so to see that connection be a one-way street is a phenomenon I’ll need to contemplate.

Of course, I’m not a big one for blindly following most anything. So this connecting-with-others out there raises some intriguing authenticity issues to be sure.

7.      Blogging takes a whole lot more time and effort than I expected. Doing it everyday won’t be for me.

8.      I love my blog and the writing outlet it provides. This past week hasn’t changed that one iota.

I’m sure I’ll have more to say later, as well as a recap of the blog entries that made me smile, laugh or otherwise emote the most. Once I’m done reading them all.

Crochet Languishing in the Media Attic
Mixed media on canvas
March, 2011

In the meantime, I’d love to hear your high (or low) lights from last week (or on most any other thing for that matter), so leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Finally, an article of mine on U.S. crochet history was published last week here. If you haven’t visited the Crochet Insider website, now is a great time to start! It’s chock full of intriguing articles and great interviews – and this quarter’s entries are no different. At least I think so.

Skill, Design … and the Voie de Vie Questionnaire (2KCBWDAY2)

While I’ve recently written about my creative process, I’ve not really dwelled on my crafting skills. There is no doubt, however, that 2010 saw my crochet and, to a lesser extent, knitting skills go through the roof.

I’ve always considered myself a better crocheter than knitter. Don’t really know why, but I just always have. There is no doubt that crafting 10 shawls last year for Ravelry’s 10 shawls in 2010 challenge took my crochet skills to the next level. Creating crochet lace, using beads, matching the right yarn with the right pattern, getting to know designers’ patterns inside and out, presenting my FOs in an appealing way, all came as a result of my participation in the challenge. It gave me the confidence to tackle other advanced and non-traditional techniques, including Tunisian crochet.

One particular designer has been one of my most vocal supporters, and I’ve watched her over the last year create some of the most beautiful crochet shawls out there – Sharon Hernes Silverman. I’m currently working on one of her designs, the Moonmist shawl, which I know at this time last year I probably never would have attempted. It’s got it all: skinny yarn, a big crochet hook, an intricate pattern with advanced stitches. It’s also a very fun design. So, instead of reading my blather about skills, I thought you might appreciate an inside look at one of the most talented and gracious designers around (and, psst, she’s nominated for several Flamie awards for her designs as well as her latest book) – so here’s the second installment of the Artfully Voie de Vie Questionnaire:

The Artfully Voie de Vie Questionnaire

With Crochet Designer Sharon Hernes Silverman

Can you tell us a little bit about your background before you started to design crochet garments and accessories?

I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1981 with a major in English and minors in chemistry and biology. My first job was in science publishing, then I moved into technical writing, then corporate communications. In 1987 my freelance article about area wineries was published in The Philadelphia Inquirer. That was the beginning of my travel writing career! Two months later I quit my job at Du Pont and became a full-time freelance writer focused on travel, publishing hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles and several guidebooks and for three years I was the country inn columnist for Maryland Magazine.

On the crafting side, I've always liked to make things. Over the years I've done a lot of yarn arts including needlepoint, counted cross-stitch, rug hooking, a little bit of knitting, and of course, crocheting. One of my early crafting memories is accidentally sewing a cross-stitch pillowcase to my pants leg.

When was the moment you knew you wanted to become a crochet designer?

After I finished writing the Brandywine Valley guidebook, the editors at Stackpole Books wanted me to do another guide, but my boys were young then (now they are 17 and 15), and we couldn't come up with a destination that would fit with my family schedule. Stackpole had just started a "Basic" how-to craft series, and the editor asked, "Can you do anything?" When I told him that I love to crochet, my transition to crochet designer began.

For that first book, Basic Crocheting, I designed some of the patterns myself and purchased a few from other designers. The sweater pattern I commissioned just didn't work—it was far too complicated to be "basic" and far too uncomfortable to wear (all very tight single crochet). Even though I had never designed a sweater, I took a deep breath and said, "Okay, Sharon, you can do this." I picked a wavy chevron stitch pattern, worked out the math for several sizes, and was very happy with the resulting sweater pattern. That gave me the confidence to think of myself as a designer and I have never looked back.



Purple Rain Tunisian crochet
scarf, my interpretation of a
Sharon Hernes Silverman pattern



Can you describe your personal crochet design philosophy?

On the clothing side, I strive to create garments that fit well, pair yarn and stitch patterns harmoniously, are fun to make, and look beautifully hand-crafted (rather than "home-made"). With the amazing fibers available today, and the way crochet has advanced, there is no excuse for shapeless, boxy garments that use rivers of double crochet—we had enough of that with vests back in the 1970s! Tunisian crochet stitches provide an excellent alternative, since the stitches are connected to each other horizontally as well as row by row—it's not all loopy. I love the many looks of Tunisian fabrics.

For home decor, I love to design pillows and blankets that give a room an instant lift. I favor clean lines and natural materials; my home has an uncluttered Japanese aesthetic, and my crochet work is consistent with that.

No matter what I'm designing, I like to experiment with yarn—I'll try anything as long as it doesn't shed. You'll notice that my designs specify some mass-produced products and some hand-dyed fibers at a variety of price points. It's nice to have the opportunity to try things out, and to introduce my readers to new products.



The beginning of my Moonmist Shawl, a recent
Sharon Hernes Silverman shawl pattern



I think my real strength is in the way I write patterns. My background as a technical writer probably helps. Too many times I have attempted to crochet something using a published pattern, only to find the instructions unclear. Just as bad, sometimes a pattern is technically correct, but not helpful. I like to provide a road map so crocheters know where they're going, and how they will get there. Otherwise it's like someone dropped you in a car and yelled, "Drive!" You may get where you're going, but you have no idea what to expect along the way. It's unsettling.

I'm also a big proponent of including technique photos so crocheters know exactly what I mean: "put the hook here, not there." I want everyone to have a great experience when they make a Sharon Silverman project.

What is your greatest crochet (or design) memory?

Being invited to appear on three episodes of HGTV's "Uncommon Threads" with my friends Julianne Eisele and Naomi Ramos.

If you could have dinner with any three designers, dead or alive, who would they be, and why?

Coco Chanel, because of the way she revolutionized 20th-century fashion with simplicity and clean lines; Jane Slicer-Smith, because her knit miters are incredible and I would love to have her explain their construction so I could apply that to crochet projects; and Rita Weiss, past president of the Crochet Guild of America, to hear about her vast experience and her insights into the future of crochet.

Pencil or knife grip?

Knife.

It’s your last object to design (or make). What is it, and what fiber do you use?

A Tunisian crochet blanket in Plymouth Royal Llama silk with an intarsia heart and the words "I love you" so my family can cuddle up and have nice memories of me.

What trait do you most admire in designers?

Their energy! Designers are always thinking about fibers, patterns, construction...dealing with editors and deadlines...working out the math for multiple sizes...frogging when things don't turn out right...helping each other with questions...preparing patterns for publication...and doing the hundred other things that come with the territory. Sometimes I wonder when my colleagues sleep! I deeply appreciate the warm welcome I have received from the design community, and I am inspired by their tireless creativity.

What trait do you most detest in designers?

The arrogant way some of them write patterns. Sometimes I think that they assume everyone is as fluent with a technique as they are, and they don't really care about taking the time to provide some helpful information. This especially pains me when the designs are brilliant and beautiful, yet the patterns are unfriendly. What a waste.

You are recommending a design gift in response to a friend’s inquiry. Other than your own designs (which, as everyone knows, are quite beautiful!), what would you recommend?

Anything designed by Kim Guzman.

My sincere thank you to Sharon for answering my questionnaire. You can learn more about Sharon and her designs from her website, and more about the Flamies here.

Finally, I hope each of you has a favorite designer who has supported your crafting efforts. If so, let me know in the comments section below ... and happy Day 2 of the second annual Knitting and Crochet Blogging Week!