To inspire Mary

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!

Ahhh...

Foto 1 is the back of Diane's sweater. 2 is the dress Donna crocheted for her granddaughter and 3 is the front of Diane's gorgeous sweater. The joy of seeing the finished product is an "Ahhh." The satisfaction of teaching that person to create the finished product is heavenly. I was pleased as could be when Donna said that it was a little too big so she went back, frogged a couple of rows, and then decreased as she re-did those rows, so that it fits...and she just did it without my help. that is the mark of both a good teacher and a good student.

Cruisette on Fox River on 9.20.09

See my previous blog about this. Here are some more photos taken by the staff of the Wool and Company yarn store in Geneva, IL.

Cruisette on Fox River

Yesterday I joined a lot of knitters on a paddle boat ride on the Fox River. The trip and the photos about it are sponsored by Wool and Company in Geneva, IL. Even tho I appeared to be the only crocheter I was welcomed aboard. A friend, Connie, did humorously remark that she wasn't sure they should have let me on board. There was a needlepointer on the boat, too. The boat was docked in Pottawamie Park in St. Charles, IL. It was fun. there were little contests, and clever prizes, and each of us got a goodie bag, a really nice one, too, before we left the boat. I would do this again in a nanosecond, and am already looking forward to next year's.
I wish the Northern IL Chapter of the CGOA would arrange for this. We could all meet at the Colonial Cafe afterwards for a meal or ice cream. It's not all that expensive, and a hellva lot of fun. The trip started at 5:30 p.m., so by the end of the ride it got dark on the boat--but some experienced knitter-cruisers at my table brough camplights and flashlights to knit by. this was a somewhat less-than gregarious group at my table, but they did open up when I told them that the beatiful beaded neclace I was wearing was crocheted and by me. they were knitting mittens, baby blankets and a gorgeous lace table runner.

Yarn Pettings

"Bob Wire Has a Point (It's Under His Cowboy Hat)
Crochet Your Way to Mental Health
I'm coming out of the closet...the closet filled with yarn!
By Bob Wire, 9-13-09 "
A yarn store in Montana called Loopy has Yarn Pettings. These are get-togethers for yarn lovers to come to the store and feel the yarn!!! I found this bit of information in the article listed above.

I just read the following in the magazine BODY & SOUL.."...the woman in the cave weaving the world into existence. Each time she gets up to stir the stew she's got cooking on the fire, her dog pounces on the weaving, unraveling it. When the woman returns to her loom, she stands meditatively above the chaotic mess and despairs, 'says Meade, author of The World Behind the World. 'Then she picks up an end and starts weaving again, this time to create an even more beautiful design."
How true in crochet and in life! If it isn't true in your life, "Make It So."

Horses' Clothes

There is a whole slew of patterns for horses' ear bonnets and hats and gear on the internet. go to Crochet do-dads to find it.

Yarn Bombing

Yarn Bombing is the termed coined to describe yarn grafitti, or decorating public places with knitted and crocheted work. The foto I saw on the internet showed some tiny bit of yarn bombing in Seattle. There is also a picture book out about. When I saw the term without reading the explanation, I visualized crocheters and knitters throwing balls of yarn at each other!! What fun!

The Way

Every once in a great while I discover a book which is profound and has the ability to profoundly influence my life. Today, I went into Barnes & Noble in Old Orchard to pick up a copy of the latest Interweave Crochet magazine, and found one. On a sale table I saw a New York Times Bestseller called "How to Practice The Way to a Meaningful Life" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, translated and Edited by Jeffrey Hopkins. I am in awe! I cannot put it down. If you really care about yourself and each other, and the world, please read this.

Wool and Company

There is a yarn store in Geneva, IL called Wool and Company which I visited today. I had been there about two years ago, and I went there again today - a spur of the moment decision to lift my spirits and get me enthused about crocheting again. Wow! What neat stuff they have. It was obvious they cater to knitters and that crocheters are their poor cousins who live across the tracks! However, I still enjoyed my visit and they have a corner, one whole corner for crocheters. I brought home a new bag, which of course I wasn't badly in need of. And little crochet hook silver charms which are really special. Then I went to Egg Harbor for lunch. It took almost twice as long to get there as it usually does because I kept ending up on streets names CONSTRUCTION and ROUGH GROOVED SURFACE and FLAGMAN AHEAD(even tho it was a woman), so coming home I took a less familiar route but with more familiar street signs like 25th Avenue, Belmont, Irving Park and Pulaski. Oh dear, now that I am home where do I put it all -- stash my stash......and a good yarn to you all.

Ripped

This is a sad and stressful evening for me. It has been a day of betrayal, and unlike bad crochet stitches I can't rip it out. I wonder if the Creator ever wants to rip out the Creator's stitiches! This beatiful crocheted piece I have been working on for a few years has been torn, not in one place but in two. Ripping and tearing are completely different actions put upon a crocheted work of art. I choose to rip to make my piece better - others choose to tear apart. I look at the bright colors, made even brighter by the contrasting dark ones, and no longer even feel like repairing them, so deep is the tear and so mighty is the anger. I don't think I can repair this piece. Just the thought of its destruction has left me short of breath and with chest pains through to my back. Any repairs would scar the piece forever. I could start crocheting another one - but only to have it torn by someone else? Is it worth it? Of course, I have options - maybe try to creatively create something entirely different, maybe unravel what yarn is there but the unraveled yarn will be in bits and pieces, maybe just toss it in the garbage, maybe just give up, and stop crocheting. Maybe take all the pieces and crochet a wall. Maybe crochet a suit of armour out of thin wire crocheted so tightly that it cannot be pierced by unfriendly hooks or tapestry needles who don't like its shape, or are jealous and threatened by its beauty.