Tag Archives: linda

A Review….A Little Early

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ScannedImageI find myself a little ahead of myself. Usually during New Year’s I end up reflecting upon the last year, I am amazed at the 12 months that have past and all the things that have happened and been accomplished. I am not sure if it was caused from my cleaning up stacks of paper, that long ago should have been filed away, or my kids turning pages of their photo albums (yes, I still print photos off and place them in albums), that caused me to begin my reflection this week.

It is a little surreal to look back as it sometimes feels like a lifetime ago, or just last week. So over the last 12 months I have self-published 10 designs, bringing my own design line of Linda Dean Crochet to a total of 35. In addition I completed 16 designs for Freelance contracts, work that is in magazines or websites for yarn companies. This is slightly less than the year previous, but I have undertaken and expanded another portion of my business, teaching.

In 2016 I taught weekly at my local yarn store, with a total of 77 students taught over the year…that is 530.5 student hours. I have to admit, it is a highlight for my week. Everyone is so eager to learn and so friendly with everyone in the room. It has often been expressed to me by the store owners that my students seem to have so much fun, as the laughing and smiles spill over onto to store floor.

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My tour of Charleston, SC

In addition I taught on the national level for the first time, at the Crochet Guild of America’s (CGOA) annual conference this last year in Charleston, SC (I just learned that I will be teaching again at this conference in 2017, this time in Chicago). Here I taught an additional 63 students, with 189 student hours, in my four classes.

I served on the CGOA Board of Directors, served as a co-chairperson for the Masters Committee and Social Media Committee, as well as working as a Master Program Reviewer (the Master’s Program is a program that offers some instruction and tests your crochet knowledge and skill). I also undertook the challenge of creating a new, more educational based Master Program that I hope will be available later in 2017.

Locally I served on the Board of my Hangtown Fibers Guild, I worked at ensuring that there was a program at every monthly meeting, as well as arranging workshops from nationally recognized instructors.

I also traveled quite a bit in 2016…January found me in San Diego (the National NeedleArts Association (TNNA) Summer Show), February I was in Santa Clara, CA for Stitches West; May in Pasadena, CA for Vogue Knitting Live; June to Washington DC for the TNNA Winter Show; and July in Charleston, SC to teach at the CGOA conference. This was much quieter than the year before, but this is only the travel and commitments for my work in crochet.

My kids are always busy, and without the support of my husband I don’t think that I could have accomplished anything. The kids kept busy with TaeKwonDo, 4H, and band. I do not think that there has been a single weekend where we were able to sit back and relax at home.

Looking back really does help me keep things in a perspective. On any given day, I don’t feel like I accomplish much…maybe because in prior jobs I could see the stack of paper, emails and phone calls that I completed daily; crochet has a different flow, it is more artistic, and I do not have the same instant gratification of work completed. Taking stock of the work I have done, does help me to understand that I have been productive, I am contributing.

2017 is already shaping up on becoming a bit busier. This is an interesting journey.

Working the Opposite for Nice Edges

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ScannedImageSometimes all the difference in a handmade piece is the finishing. One of my favorite ways to finish a piece is with edging, and one I really like is the reverse single crochet, sometimes known as the “crab stitch”.

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The Reverse Single Crochet Stitch

Crochet names, like “crab stitch” does not often tell you anything about the stitch, but at least “Reverse Single Crochet” gives you an idea…and it is pretty accurate. Essentially you are working a single crochet in the reverse direction.

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Insert your hook in the next stitch, from front to back, but in the Opposite direction from what you usually work.

You work the single crochet in the same manner, inserting your hook into the next stitch, yarn over, pull through a loop, yarn over and pull through two loops, but the difference is that instead of working in the normal direction of your crochet rows it is worked in the opposite stitches. So if you are right handed you will be working in the stitches located to the right of your work, and if you are left handed you will be working in the stitches to the left. This is in the opposite direction than you usually work.

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After yarning over and pulling through a loop, yarn over again and pull through 2 loops

The most common error made when working this stitch is reversing the processes even further by inserting the hook from the wrong side of the fabric, this actually creates a single crochet stitch, but it is just a single crochet, just as if you had turned the work. So always insert the hook from the front of the fabric and complete the stitch.

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Relax your tension, and pull up your loops a little taller than usual.

Starting this stitch can feel very awkward, and the first couple of stitches may look a little odd, but after you work a few you will start to see a stich that looks almost like a rope. It is this twisted effect of the stitch that really allows it to be used only as an edging.

Not only do I use this stitch as an edging, I occasionally use it as a joining stitch. I place the fabrics I am joining together wrong side together and work this stitch through both fabrics. It creates a raised rope at the edges of the fabrics. I find that this creates a nice textural effect as well as visual interest.

There is one tip I can offer to working this stitch, relax with your tension and pull up your loop a little higher than usual, this makes it a little easier to work in this different direction.

Crochet- More Than One Use

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ScannedImageIn my home we have limited birthday parties. My kids have a family party every year, where they get to set the menu for dinner and we share the meal with any extended family that can attend. However, we have an agreement that when they turn 10 they can have a party with friends, at 13 they can have a sleepover party.

So as I am now dealing with my agreement to have a birthday party with friends, I actually undertake some crochet. Over the years my kids have attended many birthday parties, and they often come home with little gift bags full of trinkets and candy and this got me thinking. How often do I just throw out these gift bags full of empty candy wrappers, can I create something a little different, a little more practical…well I think I have.

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Scrap yarn hats as gift bags

I have taken some scrap yarn and created small hats, kid sized, and used them as gift bags. So after the party and all the treats have been eaten the guest have a hat to keep their heads warm or play a little dress up.

It may be a little time consuming, but I think it is worth it. My kids actually really like the idea, and find it fun that everyone can have a different color and a different style. Well at least so far my kids still appreciate my playing with yarn.

I do not have or follow a pattern, I just create a flat circle until it is about 6” to 6 ½“ (15-16.5mm) in diameter, and then stop increasing until it is about 7” (18mm) from the center to edge- the radius. I use a verity of stitches, whatever might tickle my fancy at the moment. Then I fill them with candies and toys to share with my children’s guests.

No Stitch Join and Standing Stitches

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ScannedImageThe more I play in crochet, the more I realize there really are no rules.

It seems that with colder weather finally descending on my community, everyone wants to crochet hats; most of them first time crocheters. So, as of late I have been teaching how to start circles, all three different ways. I have been teaching how to increase stitches. I have been teaching how to join rounds.

An interesting thing with joining rounds, there are a couple of ways to do it, and it can give you some different results. The method that I have been playing with lately does not actually involve a stitch at all.

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Remove hook from working loop, insert it in the point of the join.

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Put working loop over hook and pull it through joining point.

When you get to the point of joining, the hook is removed from the working loop and inserted into the point of the join, the working loop is then slipped back on the hook and pulled through the point of join. This creates a join that has no extra yarn, no extra loops, and does not necessarily flatten out the stitch that is joined to as can happen with joining to a beginning chain.

If this is not enough, I added in a chainless starting stitch. So anytime you begin a new round or when working flat and turning your work, you usually chain a certain number of stitches to equate to the height of the stitches that are being worked. This is because all crochet stitches end at the top of the stitch, and thus the stitches next to it need to be of a similar height or it just pulls the stitches down. When beginning a new round the working loop is at the base poof the new stitches, and if no beginning chain is worked it can pull the stitch over and distort it. However, to get to this height of stitches, you do not necessarily need a chain.

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Pull up a long loop and work a double crochet in the same stitch.

Sometimes this is called a standing stitch, essentially all it is, is a long loop. After pulling the loop through the joining point, pull it up nice and tall, then work a double crochet (or whichever stitch you may be working) in the same stitch. You can even work the long loop among the stitch making it even less visible.

There are always pros and cons to various techniques, and with these two I find that the join can create a slight distortion, but in a different manner then the slip stitch; also it is a little slower to work and when I am crocheting along mindlessly it definitely stops my rhythm. One of the things I really like about this join is that it closes any gaps that might be created in my stitch placements at the joining point.

With the standing join, it is nice that everything looks pretty uniform, and there is no beginning chain that looks different than the rest of the stitches, yet there are times that the long loop can get a little distorted and uneven for me, I guess I need to work on getting a more even tension with it.

I guess with crochet there is always more to discover.

Crochet in Autumn

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ScannedImageAutumn is always a busy time of year in my home. There is the gathering of fruits and finding ways to preserve them, usually in the form jams and jellies, as well as dehydrated, but sometimes it is cakes and cookies and pies. With the United States celebrating Thanksgiving, it also becomes a time when family memories are created around food.

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Jams & Jellies

However in my life, it not only revolves around food, but yarns and crochet. This is the time of year for last minute holiday gifts, the time of year to reinvigorate hobbies that you work sitting next to a fire, the time of year to think warm thoughts and use that to envision warm items.

I find that I have many people looking for lessons, either private or in my standing classes, to hone their crochet skills, while an increase of requests for mended heirlooms, and custom gifts. So really autumn becomes a time when crochet seems to fill more minds.

For me this is juggled with the other responsibilities of life, birthday parties, holiday dinners, all those special events that always seem to save themselves for the very end of the calendar year. Every year I am surprised at how fast the last 8 weeks of the year just appear to fly by in a blink.

Items tend to come off my hook faster as well, it might be the added self-imposed pressure of getting everything done by a created deadline, or it could be that cold, wet, weather that keeps me moving my hook instead of enjoying the great outdoors. Either that might be the cause, it does help with productivity.

Even if this time of year seems to have time dissolving away, I still find it Thankful. My hands are busy, and my heart is full. What better way to enjoy the time of autumn.