more coral reefer madness

okay, deBBie, where in the world are you? I really want to send your book, but I need an address....please contact me...

I turned in 17 pieces of crochet coral reef to the Smithsonian last Sunday. They had Margaret Wertheim there to discuss how the installation will go, where it will be in the Smithsonian (the museum with the big elephant). It was pretty cool...
Anyway, here's some more coral reef I did

large striped coral

all the coral reef together

hairy coral

Dazzle coral

so there is some more of it. The first one I posted in my last post, the green one, escaped the fate of the others - it was hiding in the dryer with the dryer ball. I ran it thru the dryer on air to dehair it...
_enjoy_

FM 6/2/08

There's a neat online publication that's called "Canadian Living". It often has crochet patterns. Here's one for you:
http://www.canadianliving.com/crafts/crochet/crocheted_halter_top_and_shawl.php

This link is not a freebie but I really like it. If I can find a few plastic geese, I think I'd have a perfect gift for my sister-in law. (Did I ever post the story about the "drive by scarfing" incident?) Here it is, costumes to dress your goose....
http://collins-ottinger.com/

This is a very pretty afghan pattern. It is the blogger's own and her favorite afghan pattern:
http://pumamouse.com/crochetmyfavorite.html

I know, I know - who wants to think of an afghan (at least in the North America area) when it's warm out. But this is quite pretty, you can work it up a few motifs at a time and you won't sweat to death doing it.
http://www.artoftangle.com/free_patterns.htm

This is an oldie but a goodie - a "hobo bag" by Lion Brand.
http://crochet.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=crochet&cdn=hobbies&tm=30&f=21&tt=14&bt=0&bts=1&zu=http%3A//joann.lionbrand.com/patterns/ckc-tote.html

Purple Kitty has done it again. I find lobsters funny and this potholder is pretty cool. Or you could adapt the lobster pattern and sew it on a bag - maybe the hobo bag?
http://www.freevintagecrochet.com/potholders/lobster.html


A ribbed sock pattern:
http://www.planetshoup.com/easy/crochet/ribsox.shtml

As usual, I don't get any kickbacks from any of these people for listing their sites here. I'd take kickbacks, I'm not proud, but apparently everyone is watching their money;)

By the way, June 14 is "Knitting / Crocheting in Public Day". I'm not sure what my parents' anniversary has to do with public displays of needlework, but there you are. I happened to be watching an Oriole versus Yankee baseball game and saw a few people knitting in the stands.
(Of course, the Orioles lost because_ I _was watching, doing my own version of "Pitch and Stitch" at home.)

_enjoy_

FM 12/31/07

The last Monday of the year - how did it get here so _darned_ quick? I don't know either, but here's today's dash of freebies.

Tired of that 9 to 5 life, all the phone calls, all the paperwork and that lousy "coffee" in the break room. Maybe you'd like to be a crochet designer. Sounds cool but it's a lot of work. Crochet Craft Gossip offers some books to help get you started:
http://crochet.craftgossip.com/crochet-designer-could-you-be-one/2007/12/25/

This person is lucky enough to know Vickie Howell - well enough so M's Howell names a yarn after her. And well enough to score some free yarn from M's Howell. Sounds pretty sweet, doesn't it? However she had a slight problem with her gauge and found a different way to solve it rather than ripping the whole hat out.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/home/articles/1229crafty1229.html


Ever try to figure out how to make a pattern, but for some reason or another (tiredness, too much work, not enough caffeine) you just can't remember? Here's a tutorial on making a shell stitch pattern:
http://crochet-mania.blogspot.com/2007/12/crochet-shell-stitch.html


I love Crochet Craft Gossip. She always has some really cool stuff. In this particular blog, she presents thrifted sweaters to have fun with - making mitten garlands or crocheted scarves. So if you have some old wool sweaters or snag some from your local thrift store, here's something you can do with them:
http://crochet.craftgossip.com/recycled-sweater-scarf-looking-ahead-350-days/2007/12/28/
Yup, I'm back on the coral reef fascination again. This is a coral reef made from hosiery.
http://www.prokopowicz.org/bonnie/reef1/reef1.htm

This site claims it's for threadies, but they are so wrong. It's for anyone who crochets, you can adapt the patterns for worsted weight or sprots weight yarn. Plus a big advantage - patterns for crocheted snowflakes made from yarn as well as thread. Check it out:
http://www.mypicot.com/patterns.html


I hope all of you have a safe happy New Year with lots of good surprises coming your way!

_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