Goodbye, Crochet Fantasy

Long before the DYI network or "Knitty Gritty" or "Uncommon Threads", there was "Crochet Fantasy". The magazine flourished in a period that saw some great magazines - the extended "Annie's Attic" line, the McCall's "Needlework and Crafts", later "McCall's Crochet", all sorts of one offs from various companies. Sometimes the patterns weren't as good as they could be, but that's true of any magazine (or anything else, for that matter). I stuck with them, even when I wasn't crocheting that much. I went through a lean financial time where I dropped the subscription, but as soon as I could, I resubscribed. I didn't care if all the patterns weren't "perfect" for me at the time, I just knew "Crochet Fantasy" fed my crocheting soul.
But now it is no more. I called the 800 number provided on their website and spoke to a pleasant young woman who informed me "We made the decision to close a few weeks ago". She told me of some problems they had with printing companies "after the hurricaine" (I presume Katrina) and basically said it just didn't come together. At this time, she did not know what they intended to do for the remaining subscribers. Generally, closing magazines will fill out the subscription with one of their other magazines. I'm sure their knitting magazine is good for knitters, but not being a knitter, I don't think I would want it.
But I just want to say publicly, I'm sorry to see it go and am sorry they couldn't make a go of it. It seems with crocheting being more popular, "Crochet Fantasy" should have enjoyed a renaissance of sorts. Hopefully the designers that were left hanging (and I'm sure there were a few) will be able to extradite themselves from the ruins and continue their career elsewhere.
I know there are a lot of other great crochet magazines, online as well as in print. I won't name them as I'm sure I'll forget one magazine (or more) and hear "Hey, you forgot 'Robin's Really Cool Crochet'* and I'm ticked about that". But during the long dark days that nobody seemed to be talking about crochet, "Crochet Fantasy" came thru and I'd like to say thanks to everybody who was involved in the production of the magazine. Good luck wherever you go.

*not a real magazine;)

weather forecast;)

For the people living in the DC/MD/VA area, you know that we have had little or no snow. I just want to warn you a big snowstorm may be coming up;) It's hard to believe but I visited A.C. Moore and spent less than five (5) dollars there. Yes, there was plenty of yarn I "needed". There was even a sale going on at the time. But I just restricted myself to _3_ things.
I know that's incredible, I wouldn't bellieve it if I didn't do it myself. But because of this most unusual event, I'm afraid there will be some sort of twist in the weather system and this area will get dumped with massive amounts of snow.
Just warning you;)

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January 9 _already_?!

Thanks for all the feedback regarding the horoscope. It's funny how many folks thought I really "got" them when I was just making it up as I went along*

Anyway, here's a few websites you might want to check out. This one is crocheted furniture, which is pretty cool, but it wouldn't last 10 minutes in my house without the cats trying to figure it out by, ahh, testing it (read "scratching it")
Click here: | designws.com | design news |

For some reason, today I received 2 bits of info regarding crochet and the mathematical connection:

Click here: Knit Theory - - science news articles online technology magazine articles Knit Theory

Although the title refers to "knit", it's actually _crocheted_. Why the person writing the article can't figure out the difference is beyond me to know....

and here's the other article:

Click here: - The Institute For Figuring -

pretty cool stuff....

for those who took the advice to crochet for charity seriously, here's a blog you might want to check out:
http://25thingsforcharity.blogspot.com/

You sign up to produce 25 items for a 12 month period, it's whatever charity you choose, it can be something small like an afghan square or something large, like a whole afghan. You choose how it's counted. Plus it's 25 in 12 months, you can even start, say December 1, 2006 if you happened to give to charity that particular month....I joined up, so far I got 5 things...I don't get a kickback from Cindy (who is running the blog) but it seems like a cool thing to do....

Now I have to go find my measuring tape to check out a granny square I am making for a donation....I have no idea where my measuring tapes wander off to, but they take the yarn needles with them and whatever particular hook I am using at the time. Apparently it's a very exclusive party;)

* the exception being the Gemini forecast, being based on my sister-in-law. I love her dearly, she's a great person, but she always has 10 more projects going on than any mere mortal can handle. It would be great if she would finish her stuff, but she doesn't. And lots of times, I get roped into finishing up her stuff....
and the Scorpio forecast, being based on me because I have bought a lot of fur yarn (hey, it's a $1 at the Dollar Tree) and I do hesitate to use it.....

your crocheting horoscope for 2007

This horoscope is for entertainment only and should not be taken seriously unless you feel like that's something you need to do. It does not reflect my personal belief in witchcraft, the occult, Methodists, white chocolate, a funny Rob Schneider film or that magical Wal-Mart that Paul Harvey always talks about where the "associates" seek out the best yarn deals and bring them to your cart. It's mine, I wrote it, so any comments you can direct them to me.

Aries (March 21-April 19). You are the commited yarnaholic. You will make sure you untangle that skein without making a break in the yarn so you can say "Yes, I did it! No knots!". Your friends admire this compulsion and bring over their tangled skeins for you to rewind. But beware - all the time you spend untangling yarn, you could be crocheting. Thought for 2007: purchase a yarn swift.

Taurus (April 20-May 20). You love yarn, but you can be a little on the ahh, cheap side. Sure, you do have a budget to consider, but what's the use of buying 5 more skeins of no brand yarn when you would really prefer to upgrade to at least a yarn with a company label. Consider using coupons for the various local yarn / craft stores and buy something really nice to work with - at least once. Thought for 2007: join a yarn exchange and trade up for some luxiourous yarns

Gemini (May 21-June 20). You love the various magazines and online resources for crocheting. You have bags of workis in progress and notebooks filled with works in mind. But somehow your attention span doesn't go all the way to completion. You start a great shrug, get distracted by work or perhaps a new magazine and the shrug languishes in the bag while you start another project. It's great to be enthusiastic, but you need to focus a bit more. Thought for 2007: Finish _2_ of your old projects before starting another.

Cancer (June 21-July 22). You love to crochet at any time. But sometimes, such as that time when you were the keynote speaker, it's just not appropriate. I know you can multi-task, but sometimes *shudder* you need to put down the hook and do something else. This action helps people realize that you actually do know who they are and their importance to your life. Plus it will give your wrists a rest that they most likely sorely need. Thought for 2007: join an online crochet along to find out what other people are doing

Leo (July 23-August 22). You love showing off your crochet work to the world and we appreciate it. Not all of us are quite so fond of your crocheted thong, however, and perhaps you should save that viewing for a selected few. (just a suggestion). You do beautiful work and should share that with friends and family. Try something a bit different this year - threadwork if you do yarn, yarn if you do thread or stretch out by learning a new stitch. Thought for 2007: teach a class on crochet at the local nursing home

Virgo (August 23-September 22).Trust your stitching, it hasn't failed you yet. Yes, I know you've ripped out a few things (haven't we all?) but basically, the hook won't let you down. If you feel your stitches aren't quite "right", spend a bit more time crocheting. Do this in as calm a place you can find and let the stitching be your form of meditation. The hook will take you where you need to go. Thought for 2007: Consider entering an item to your local state/regional fair. It's not about winning, it's about putting yourself out there to be seen.

Libra (September 23-October 22). Sometimes you forget there are other folks in the world that crochet and can share their experiences with you. You're not the only one who had to rip ot 5 rounds of a sweater because you made a mistake (although you do claim the pattern was "poorly written"). Gather online or inperson to find out that most crocheters have the same sort of experiences - the agony and the ectasy, if you will. Thought for 2007: donate your crocheted items to a charity.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21). You are known as the sensous soul of the zodiac and you got the stash of yarn to prove it. However, piling the collection of various fur yarns on your bed and rolling around in it does not constitute creativity. It's something, but I'm not going there. So break out your stash and share it. Make some scarves for friends and family. Trim your jeans with some fluffy yarn. Share and enjoy your sensous stash. Thought for 2007: Just because they make eyelash yarn in every color doesn't mean you need to own 2 skeins of each color and brand.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21). Somehow you have gotten the idea that if you have all the time in the world to crochet and you won't have to worry about that impending deadline. This is not true, so plan your gift giving accordingly. If you're going to crochet slippers for everyone for Christmas, it's a good idea to start in January. Than in November when you are figuring out what gifts you are going to crochet, you still have time to finish the pair of slippers you started in January. Thought for 2007: Keep a calendar and take notes on what you have crocheted

Capricorn (December 22-January 19). You sometimes worry that you are crocheting too much. Unless your doctor or your hands/wrists tell you so, there is no such thing as crocheting too much. But that doesn't stop you from worrying about all you spend on your hobby. It seems as if you should be "making money" from crocheting. You can and there are options you can explore - online auctions, websites that sell handcrafted articles as well as craft fairs and consignment shops. Do a little research first and don't quit your day job right away. Thought for
2007: Be very aware of the copyright laws before you start selling any crocheted items.

Aquarius (January 20-February 18). You are usually the first one to pounce on a new crochet trend - by the time Martha Stewart was wearing her famous poncho out of prison, you were at "been there, done that" status. You try the newest yarns, the newest techniques before anyone else does and frankly, what I want to know is how do you do it? It's pretty amazing to watch you come up with the newest and coolest crocheted wear all the time. Thought for 2007: Publish your designs

Pisces (February 19-March 20). You go with the flow of crochet. You may crochet a lot in a short period of time, than you put your hooks away and go do something else. Sometimes crocheting just doesn't hold your interest. You may want to look into an advanced class, online or inperson, to give your crocheting an infusion of energy. Maybe try something that will push you outside of your comfort zone. Thought for 2007: Learn a new technique and crochet something in that techmique


Have a great 2007;)

quickie present;)

In case you haven't heard, there's a site that's called Click here: What Not to Crochet
I check it every once in a while, sometimes I'm crocheting what they say not to crochet, sometimes I already have made it. I don't let it bother me because I have no sense of fashion;)

But if you need a quickie crocheted gift for your sister-in-law (or maybe your brother-in-law, I don't know), you should check it out today. It would probably take you no time to make this and it would definitely get a laugh. I had thought about making one for my youngest sister, but my hubby said he didn't want that image in his (or anybody else's) head....

Merry Christmas!

the little happy dance

I have finished my contract piece (drum roll, please). I was beginning to think I wouldn't;) I have to admit, I never tackled a whole suit to crochet. But I do know what I would do differently if I did this pattern again.

1) Rewrite the pattern to suit the way I crochet and comprehend a pattern. I ususally copy the pattern I'm working on and make notes as I go along. This time, I didn't. I should have read the pattern and broken it down - I'm the kind of crocheter when it says "increase 2 pats for next 10 rows", I need to know what my starting number is and what is the final number. I know, sounds silly, but there you are.

2) Use whatever tool is available. When I need to mark a spot in a pattern, Iusually use a different coloered scrap of yarn. I don't normally use stitch holders except to hold pieces of a pattern together, but I definitely needed to use them on this pattern to keep track of what I was doing. It has been a very long time since I cut a pattern from cloth and made and article of clothing. Crocheting the suit is a similiar endeavor, you definitely have to know what piece is supposed to fit where and a stitch holder is good for that. I found the "normal" stitch holders, the ones that look like large diaper pins worked okay.

3) Plan, plan, plan. It never occured to me that it just wouldn't come together quickly. It also didn't occur to me that other aspects of life would go on - illness, work, household emergencies. I _know_ you can't plan for these things, but I should have been more mindful of what time was available to me.

4) Keep in contact with your boss. I was fortunate as the woman I dealt with was quite nice and understanding and generally available to answer whatever questions I had. But I probably should have told her earlier that I wouldn't make the deadline. I just thought if I worked at it a little harder, I'd finish in time. But it goes back to #3, the "plan" part. Some things came up I had no control over.


That's about all I can think of today. I will send it out tomorrow, priority & all that good stuff. I took a break of about an hour (after weaving the ends in) and picked up another hook and began the next project - the "fun fur" scarf my younger sister wants me to crochet for a friend. That, I am happy to report, is coming along well, though I did take it apart a few times. I always have a bit of trouble switching hook sizes - the "fun fur" requires a larger hook than the suit did.

That's it - time for me to go to bed and give the wrists a rest.





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quickie gift idea

Nope, not my original. But it's Noreen Findlay-Crone's, so that makes it cooler (IMHO). It's for a heart you can make into a pin or perhaps a bookmark. M's Findlay's blog is also good reading.
so check it out:

http://www.hankeringforyarn.com/

I've heard a few shops are having a big sale this week - Joanne's is having a big yarn sale today, December 10. A.C. Moore (http://www.acmoore.com/Newsletter/newsletter_12-10.htm) is doing a special 30% off sale on Tuesday and Wednesday (30% off all regular priced purchases). Nope, I don't get a kickback from anyone I've mentioned but I would accept one. Like most politicians, I can be bought;)

enjoy your day