With this week's email came news that pattern #8 of mine will be published between now and the end of the year. Eight. I am certain all of you must be wondering exactly when the published pattern parade will begin. Quite frankly, so am I. I think anytime after June is looking like a fairly safe bet.
In the meantime, I started that excellent cushion cover I wrote about last week from Star Crochet 2:
Isn't it just good, round fun? I'm done with that part of the cover, and am now working on the other side. Hopefully, I'll have it finished for next week.
Finally, back on the 21st of April, I blogged about a pay-it-forward scheme in which I'm taking part. Two people have responded and will receive a gift from me, made especially for them, sometime within the next year. There's still one more spot, so if anyone would like to receive a hand-made gift when they least expect it ...
Now definitely check in over at Andrea's blog to see what other kinds of good fun everyone else is getting into this Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday.
And to all the mothers - have a happy day this Sunday!
A p.s. to Vivianne over at Kismet's Companion - here's the close-up of that awesome gray mohair kid seta I received recently in a swap. Can you see the bling? It definitely looks better than the current state of your bathroom.
Yes, no more Knitting and Crochet Blogging Week shenanigans, we're back to all things fibery and finished.
Prior to last week, I wrote about the crocheted scarf/shawl I was working on that was using up bits of stash, as well as some serious sock yarn. Well, it's done, and I couldn't be happier with how the colors worked up.
Admittedly it will be saved for this fall, but I love how this turned out. I've got enough left from a few of the sock yarn skeins to make a beret ... which I think I'll make later in the summer.
Additionally this week, I have a completed summer cowl to share. This is a really easy Berroco pattern - Galinhos - from booklet #305. Since the living space rearrange, I've been eyeing this summer yarn and wanted to make something with it. The light pink Reynolds Mandalay is 100% silk, and the contrasting yarn is Classic Elite Flash, a 100% mercerized cotton, both of which have been in my stash since last spring. I'm pretty pleased with how quickly it worked up ... and how versatile these colors will be in the summer. I do need to break out of the neckware, however.
But that's another blog entry.
Now head on over to Andrea's blog to see what everyone else is whipping up for wearing in the summer sun. And remember - let's be fibery careful out there!
To celebrate workers everywhere (and that includes all of the textile, fiber workers and designers out there!) I thought I'd share a quick book review.
Even though Star Crochet 2 has a 2011 Japanese publica-tion date and has received scant recognition, it deserves rave reviews for a number of reasons - not the least of which is the strength of the designs. A few of my favorites? The cover bag is most excellent, as are the utility boxes above; my most favorite of the collection - these cushion covers:
One of the unique strengths of this book is the deep design exploration of and collection creation around just one stitch: the star stitch (or the 5-star Marguerite stitch, on page 185 for all of you who have Interweave Press's Basic Crochet Stitches, part of their Harmony Guides series). The stitch itself is rather appealing; combining it with other stitch patterns creates fabrics with strength, texture and just flat-out good looks. This concept of exploring the design benefits of just one stitch is a somewhat unconventional approach in our crochet publishing world - we might explore a single technique - but not a single stitch. Star Crochet 2 (and I haven't seen the first volume, but I'm on the hunt for it!) has done a masterful job in this regard.
The second big strength is the straightforward, yet playful presentation of the finished samples. All set against a blue and white background, the pieces are shown either being used in their essential function, and/or with simple props that underscore shape or color or texture, or in an amusing manner. One of my favorites:
it gets my best-use-of-stuffed-squirrel award.
Finally, the material is excellently presented for those who are visual learners. Because the book is written in Japanese, I could not rely on the sparse copy for any help with written instructions. However, there are almost five pages of pictoral instruction on how to create the star stitch. Five pages! Additionally, each project contains, in many instances, a complete chart. So, for example, the cushion cover is crafted in two halves of 22 rows - and virtually all 22 rows are charted in their entirety. If one can read crochet charts, these projects will be easily reproduced.
As I'm certain you noticed, I have borrowed my copy from my local library. In fact, that's how I found out about the title - I regularly do a quick database search, by keyword and date, to see what's new in the database. This was one of the titles that came up in search results about six weeks ago. There was also a wait list for the title.
It doesn't surprise me.
Star Crochet 2 definitely gets two crafty thumbs up.
