FM April 7, 2008

I have a lot of plants. This becomes a problem in late October when I have to bring them in the house because the sunroom will be too cold for them. However, this plant sling could be just waht I need to make that transition a little easier:
http://members.aol.com/lffunt/plantsling.htm

Got a cat potholder? Here's your chance for a pattern for one:
http://crochet.about.com/library/weekly/aa071297.htm?nl=1

Summer is coming and here's a pattern for a bag. It's made out of granny squares, but it doesn't look like the traditional granny square bags:
http://www.stricksucht.de/anleitungen/crochetedbag.pdf

Speaking of summer, here's a pattern for a beach cover up:
http://www.crochetme.com/June_July_2005/patt_waters_edge.htm

I hope I haven't posted this before, but I love this pattern. It's perfect for people who have an offbeat sense of humor - or to offend somebody, I guess.....
Mouldy Cupcake Crochet Pattern

This says it's a pattern for a pot holder, but I see it more as a trivet kind of thing:
Pattern for Crocheted Sealer Ring Pot Holders...

You've seen or heard of performance art - here's a crocheting piece of performance art:
Radical crocheters plug away on pink project for Ulrich

Do you have cats? Then you have cat fur! Would you like to learn how to spin it into yarn? Check this out: http://www.hankeringforyarn.com/spinning-cat-fur

Want to find out more about crochet designers, particularly Mary Jane Hall, author of "Positively Crochet!"? Here's an interview with her: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art2070.asp

How about a crochet necklace? Here's a pattern:
http://creativeyarn.blogspot.com/2008/03/free-patterns-outline-for-crochet.html

You know the normal disclaimer - no kickbacks are given.
_enjoy_

The sea creatures you'll see

I haven't been to the beach in ages. I _like_ the beach, but I also don't like getting sunburnned. I can stay outside for 15 minutes & get a sunburn. As to sunscreens, they do work - but not as well as I think they should. I mean, SPF 45 should allow me to stay outside 45 times longer than what I could without it (that's my reasoning) without getting fried. It doesn't work that way for me. Sometimes I think I should just use Crisco;) When I smeeled the skin burning, I'd know it was time to get out of the sun.
But I do have a deep appreciation of the ocean and the creatures that live in it. I was a volunteer at the National Aquarium in Baltimore for about a year or so and I really liked talking about the displays and doing demonstrations. I don't have any pet fish because I flunked goldfish.

So you're wondering, what does this have to do with crochet? well, here's the link
http://hellejorgensen.typepad.com/photos/artcraft/index.html
M's Jorgensen has made some fantastic looking sea creatures out of crochet. I don't remember seeing any of them at the National Aquarium (or at the beaches I've been to) but they are amazing to look at - the polypod is cool but the sea aneome is really awesome. There's also an interview with her in the April issue of "Crochet Insider"

http://crochetinsider.com/Helle.html

Her work reminds me of something I read, where the crochet artist spoke of using her crochet hook as a sculpturing tool. (Was that "Crocheting in Plain English" by Maggie Righetti or maybe the freeform team of Sylvia Cosh and James Walters - "The Crochet Workbook" ? I'm not sure.)

So if you're limited to beach excursions because of that whole work thing (having to pay the mortgage, feed the bunny and buy yarn), you can see a little ocean beauty in crochet. I don't think there are patterns for the creatures, but you could get inspired enough to try to make them on your own.
_enjoy_

Link