Tree of Hearts

The crocheted tree with hearts hanging from it was entered into the Chapter Challenge of the NIC. It came in a close second. I called it Cardiologists Dream! The three hearts trimmed with white picots have tiny button music boxes within them. Just squeeze and a song plays. I worked on it a long time - about 6 months or so. It was a creative challenge all the way to the last stitch, and I enjoyed every minute and every stitch. Hearts were crocheted with thread, ribbon, wire, light weight yarn, and then hung from the extended branches - all 3-d.

If you haven't crocheted before, or maybe in a long time, try it. You can take your crochet to any level of skill. Keep it simple - just crochet simple scarves and hats and pot holders. They make great gifts. Wanna little more - grab a pattern with a stitch you've never tried before, or a garment you really really want. One of the greatest motivations is making a gift for someone else. One of my students, who turned out to crochet beautiful work when she put her mind to it, didn't do much crocheting outside of our little class, that is, until she wanted to crochet a baby blanket for a gift. Then she got the hang of crocheting at home and with a purpose. Her baby blanket is beatiful. Like most beginners, she didn't count the stitches in a row as she went along, so the blanket got narrower and narrower, and then wider and wider!!! It was so beatiful with a perfect gauge, so I taught her her first lesson in "fudging." I don't know where the term came from but it means to be creative about covering your mistakes or fixing them to incorporate them into the design. I told her to crochet around the edges, and when she came to the uneven edges to change to a higher stitch to compenstate for the shortened length. She had to use the same color as the main color for this part of the edging so as not to call attention to this little difference in stitching. She did this and evened out the eneven ends. Then she trimmed it all in a different color, and added a dood-dad in the corner. It results in a very special and unique baby gift. One of a kind.

crochet

Shh-hh! It's a secret. I'm halfway finished with my hearts project for the Northern Illinois Chapter of the Crochet Guild of America. It is exciting, and I am excited.
This hearts project is truly a creative journey. It is from my heart and hands and head, in that order. Crocheting and Creating are journeys. Tho I will be delighted with the finished piece, I will be a bit disappointed that this journey is over because it sparked so much inspiration and creativity. It makes me think about Creation and God. Creating just never stops - and watching the growth and progress of our creations is satisfying and fulfilling and totally intriging. I wonder if that is why God created us, and the universe which is still growing. The journey is the goal, not the goal. We must be free to create and to do so to the fullest extent of who we are. But freedom has its costs too. Some made bad choices, or are inattentive to their creation and the creation of themselves. At least we can frog our mistakes and begin again, learning from them. In our life journey, we can't frog, but we can learn from them, and above all we have this wonderful ability to use our mistakes to create anew.

Comfort Caps

These are the Comfort Caps which I am bringing to Dawn at the American Cancer Society in Evanston. If you count down from the left hand column, #1 hat was crocheted by Addie
#2 by Dorothy #3 Addie, #4&5 Dorothy.
Column 2: #1 by Donna, #2,3, and 4 by Dorothy
Column 3: #1 by Addie, #2,3,4,5 by Dorothy.
Each of the caps I crocheted were crocheted with a little prayer in each stitch that the recipient put on Peace of Heart when she puts on the Comfort Cap.
This is an on-going project, so if you crochet and have a bit of time, please crochet a comfort cap. The pattern is listed in the blog below this one. Drop me a line - or a Comfort Cap. www.crochetaway133@sbcglobal.net.

Comfort Cap Pattern

Comfort Caps for Chemotherapy Patients

Each stitch represents an act of compassion which bonds us to each other.

Materials: size I hk. 1 skein of worsted weight yarn. 42 inches of ¼ in wide ribbon. For smaller adult size, use size H hk. The caps in the picture were crocheted with Simply Soft yarn.

Gauge: 8 sc = 2 inches. 10 rows = 2 inches.
Finished size: 21 inches circumference.

Instructions: Join each round with a sl st. Place marker at end of each round. Count sts for first 14 rounds.

Abbreviations: beg=beginning, blp=back loop, ch=chain, dc=double crochet, hk=hook, ins = insert, rep=repeat, rnd=round, sc=single crochet, st=stitch, sl st=slip stitch,

Foundation rnd: Ch 3, sl st in 1st ch to form ring.

Rnd 1: 6 sc in center of ring, join with sl st into 1st sc, ins marker into sl st, do not turn, continue by inserting hk into 1st sc following sl st (end each round this way in all the following rounds). (6 sc).

Rnd 2: 2 sc in each sc around. (12 )

Rnd 3: *SC in one sc, 2 sc in next sc* rep bet * * around. (18 sc)

Rnd 4 *Sc in next 2 scs, 2 sc in third sc* rep bet * * around. (24 sc)

Rnd 5 *Sc in next 3 scs, 2 sc in fourth sc,* rep bet * * around. (30)

Rnd 6. *Sc in 4 scs, 2 sc in fifth st.* rep bet * * around (36)

Rnd 7. *Sc in 5 scs, 2 sc in sixth st.* rep bet * * around (42)

Rn. 8. *Sc in 6 scs, 2sc in seventh st.* rep bet * * around (48)

Rnd 9. *Sc in 7 scs, 2sc in eight st.* rep bet * * around (54)

Rnd 10. *Sc in 8 scs, 2 sc in ninth st,* rep bet * * around (60)

Rn. 11. *Sc in 9 sts, 2 sc in tenth st.* rep bet * * around (66 )

Rnd 12. *Sc in 10 sts, 2 sc in eleventh st.* rep bet * * around (72)

Rnd. 13. *Sc in 11 sts, 2 sc in st.*twelfth st,* rep bet * * around (78)

Rnd. 14. *Sc in 12 sts , 2 sc in thirteenth st.* rep bet * * around (84)

Rnds. 15 - 30. Sc around. (84)

Rnd 31. Using BLP, sc around.

Rnds. 32 - 33. Rep. Rnd 15.

Rnd 34. Ch 4, skip 1 st, dc in next sc, ch1, *skip 1 sc, dc in next sc, ch 1* rep around, join with sl st in ch 3 of beg ch3. (42 dc, 42 ch 1)

Rnd 35. Fold up rnd 34, attach to rnd 31 with a sl st, using the bottom strand of the lp on rnd 34 and the exposed strand exposed st means front loop left when you previously used back loop only on rnd 31). Fasten off.

Weave ribbon through round 34 and tie in a bow.

For added decoration, glue a flower to the hat.


Comfort Caps are donated to the American Cancer Society to be given to cancer patients who cannot afford to purchase a comfortable cap or wig during chemotherapy treatment.

If you want Dorothy to bring the cap to the American Cancer Society office, please mail it to
Dorothy Schmidt
5224 N. Bernard St.
Chicago, IL 60624

NIC Chapter Meeting

The June Northern Illinois Chapter of the Crochet Guild of America was held today at the Rolling Meadows Library. Seemed to be a lot of business to discuss. A bead crochet workshop is scheduled for Sept 29th. It promises to be interesting and a good learning opportunity. The item to be created is a heart made of small beads. It will be at the Rolling Meadows Library. The meeting was not well attended. Show and Tell was the best part for me. Marge crocheted a beautiful shrug? top? wrap? which she did not like because it did not fit her figure. However, Zee modeled it, and it just plain looked gorgeous. Gwen crocheted a unique zig zag scarf. I showed the Comfort Caps I crocheted, including the one from Addie. Dana crocheted a snazzy beaded bag - sparkling and glittering.
I am working on my heart project, and enjoying every minute of it. It has grown beyond the size of my lap -- and that's big. I now have it laid out on the dining room table so I can work on it. Exciting.
The photographer where I work is coming on Tuesday to take photos of those of us who are working on the Comfort Caps. It will be with a little blurb about the project in the employee newsletter. I am hoping the publicity will generate more Comfort Caps to bring to the American Cancer Society in Evanston.

CROCHET AWAY

Comfort Caps

My current project is crocheting Comfort Caps for chemotherapy patients who have lost their hair. I have designed a pattern which is free and may be reproduced as long as it is for charitable purposes. If you want the pattern, please e-mail request to me, and I will e-mail pattern to you. I have crocheted several of them, and donate them to the American Cancer Society in Evanston, IL. This ACS office has a room where women who can't afford to buy a wig, can come and try on and receive one free. My Comfort Caps will be also be available for cancer patients. Won't you help this cause? They are adjustable, and can be decorated with crocheted flowers and beads or buttons.

Crocheted Finger Puppets

Go to www.mossonline.com to see a unique set of crocheted finger puppets - five puppets - each one a mini sculpture of a "terrorist" according to the adverstisement for them. Different.

Crochet Meeting

The Northern IL chapter of the Crochet Guild of America held their meeting today. So much crochet passion in one room! It is fabulous. Show and Tell produced a wide array of delicious colors - pink, red, yellow, beige, green, grey, gold, silver -- like an endless flower bed bursting into bloom, each bloom more delightful than the next. Shrugs, afghans, granny squares, purses, necklaces, baby blankets, chemo caps, sweaters, even a pink corvette convertible all created from long, flexible, shapeless materials.
What fun to create! Bountiful beauties hooked together, and in the hooking, drawing us into one group with a single focus. Glorious crocheters sharing glorious art.

Yarn Cleaner Upper

For my birthday (which was on April 3rd for those of you who forgot), I got a helper to pick up after me. You know -- all those yarn snips that decorate the carpet with such a luscious delightful array of color. My helper's name is Robbi. He was quite expensive, but since I only had to pay a dowry ( and most of that paid with points earned from Amazon. com) he will save me money in the long run, and save my back and knees in the even longer run. I don't have to pay him a salary, just give him a new filter once in a while and feed him a few watts. When I started writing this Robbi was sweeping my kitchen floor. Then he kept nudging my foot and now he is gently, soothingly rubbing against my foot. "Oooh, Robbie, that feels good."

I had to pick Rosie up off the floor so Robbie wouldn't suck at her fingers and make her sing -- and yes I finally attached her arms so she's beginning to look more like a normal gerilla. If this keeps up, I'll have to get a license for operating a Zoo.

Do you speak crochet?

Each area of learning seems to have its own language. Listen to those computer techies! Bites (as in dog bites??), mother board, DOS (mispelled DOES?), gigabytes (Giggling dog bites?), lan, virus (computer got a cold??), Ram (saw a car ram another once), ROM (romp? rump? Rome?) MHZ, MB (a bank?), bugs (get antibiotics for my keyboard), memory (where have I heard that before?) -- you get the idea.

Crochet has its own language, too. It has both a spoken one (Frogging, UFO's, WIP, chains, hookers, Size H, crab st (a holy crab??), and it has written languages. The one that makes pattern reading easier for me is that of symbols. I love patterns in symbols because they visually explain the pattern. I have a list of symbols which I've drawn to help myself and my students speak crochet symbol language. Email your request for them to crochetaway133@sbcglobal.net.

Rosie Gorilla2

(Continued from Rosie Gorilla) No one around. Taking a deep breath, clutching my cell phone, I crept back into the living room.
"You are not imagining my voice," came the voice again. "It's me, on the floor. For gorilla's sake, will you come here and pick me up? And then finish me? I feel helpless without arms and legs."
"This can't be," I thought. "I'm too old for an imaginary friend, and as of 30 minutes ago I seemed sane." I walked over to the crocheted form on the floor.
I swear it looked up at me and smiled. "How could it smile? Oh well - I did crochet its mouth smiling."

Crochet Rosie

Rosie Gorilla

"Finally, you finished my mouth. You crocheted my left arm ages ago, so when are you going to attach it to me?"
"Huh!! Who said that? Who's here?" I froze in terror in my recliner. I was all alone at home. I didn't have any company, except for a few pantry moths.
CLINK! I dropped my crochet hook and the red gorilla I was crocheting as I cautiously stood up. I couldn't see anybody, and suddenly I had to pee. I was so scared. Dare I move? The voice was close, but I couldn't see anyone as I slowly looked around, and stepped over the partially finished stuffed animal on the floor.
"Ouch! You dropped me on my head," said the voice - a girl's voice.
"Uh. Uh. I must be going nuts," I thought.
"Look down and pick me up, will ya?"
Zoom. I zoomed to the bathroom faster than a ball of yarn could roll down stairs, and locked myself in. I sat on the throne with fear and confusion. I didn't sleep well last night, maybe I am hearing things because I'm sleep deprived, or I'm really losing it. It was quiet now, just the usual tinkle, tinkle. I must of imagined the voice. I have a tremendous, fabulous, humongous, colorful, delightful imagination -- but this was over the edge. It couldn't have been that newly stuffed, newly faced, red limbless, loopy gorilla talking. Absolute silence in the house. I grabbed the cell phone from the pocket of my jeans, and thought about dialling 911. Except what would I tell them? To come and get me out of the bathroom because I was going nuts? Or to come and check my living room for a talking crocheted red gorilla? If I called and they rescued me from the bathroom, and/or from the gorilla??? they might take me away in a white jacket.
I held the phone in one hand, just in case, and slowly opened the bathroom door with the other. I held my breath and almost wished to find an intruder so I would know I wasn't nuts. I peeked around the corner, and stepped silently into the hallway. (To be continued)

Spend Today Crocheting

Today is the first day of the rest of our lives. Spend it crocheting.

Pink Elephants

Pink Elephants are frequently used to indicate that a person has had too much alcohol to drink. He or she can't see straight because they are drunk - so they, figuratively speaking, see pink elephants. I've created Pinky No Drinky Elephant. I crocheted two in the last few days. These are mini Pinky's. In a group of people going to a party where booze flows freely, give the crocheted pink elephant to the designated driver. This crocheted, cute elephant is the only pink elephant he will see during that exercusion into alcohol territory because the owner of pinky may not drink and no one may serve or offer booze to the holder of the pink elephant. Pinky no Drinky was created in memory of my brother, Sonny, who died a horrible death from his alcoholism. If you would like to join in my crusade to save lives by making the designated driver obvious, and a to force a choice to be made before the drinking begins, crochet Pinky no Drinky and give it to your friend, college student or your loved one before it is too late. Pinky no Drinky saves lives. Request a Pinky pattern by e-mail to: crochetaway133@sbcglobal.net.

Crochet Connection

Crochet has taught me many lessons, and is connected to all of my life. Crochet has emotional, psychological, physical, spiritual and practical connections.

How do you crochet when you are angry? How about when you are sad? When you are jumping for joy?

Why do you crochet? Is the journey less important, not important at all, or more important then the destination?

A friend, Carol, was watching me crochet, and asked what I was making. I told her. Carol said "What are you making that for?" In other words, what was my destination. The light bulb clicked on in my head, when the answer dawned on me. I didn't have a destination -- I was just enjoying the journey tremendously. I told her, "I'm crocheting this because I like to crochet." Carol was baffled by my answer. Carol is a number cruncher and everything must add up for her. Reaching the correct answer is all that mattered for her. Sometimes I crochet to reach a destination - but rarely. How about you? What do you crochet for? Why are you crocheting your current project? To take the journey or to get there? Please let me know. My e-mail is crochetaway133@sbcglobal.net. I am dodie -- crochet kookie dodie.

Happy Connections! Let your hook take you on your journey.