Besides being a voracious quilter I am also a manic crocheter. I have been crocheting with small threads since I was 6 or 7 years old. My Father's Mother did tiny doilies and she taught me to make the lace on pillowcases. It is something I have always enjoyed doing. Well...not making pillowcase lace but crocheting anything else. I had leg braces until I was in 2 nd grade. I think that was a big reason I learned to make things with my hands and why I can sit patiently for long periods. HA!
I make rugs from fabric strips and t-shirt strips. Slippers from all types of yarn. Sun catchers in brass rings...just about anything.
But the biggest gain I ever had in crocheting was when my hubby's Grandmother, Anna Cutigni, who spoke no English...just Italian...taught me how to crochet from a picture or chart instead of "reading" a pattern. Magic Crochet (the magazine) has picture patterns. So much easier to read than boring lines. That liberated me and was such a great bonding experience with that fine lady. I was able to reproduce a crocheted doily for a friend at work. She had the really old doily that had reached the end of it's life span. I laid it on the copy machine at work and I was able to make her a pair of doilies that looked better than the original if I do say so myself.
When I used to lay in the sun to tan I always had to have something in my hands to do or I could not sit still. I learned the hard way not to do cross stitch on dark fabrics in the sun. I was making a picture on navy blue Aiada cloth and the sun faded the cloth. So when I had it framed they managed to cover the faded part.
I even remember crocheting with elastic thread with fake pearls strung and made all types of jewelry from necklaces to rings to pretend sandals.
Here is my latest creation. It just came out in Mary Maxim's Spring catalog. I knew I HAD to make it for DD #1.
http://www.marymaxim.com
item# 99205
Isn't it beautiful???
Only took a few days of crocheting. The two pins on the vest are where the pattern said to stop but Lisa wanted her vest a bit longer. So I added a few more rows.
I have no affiliation with Mary Maxim or DMC. I am just a happy customer!!!!
Now it still needs to be blocked out before Lisa can wear it. The instructions with this crochet cotton say to machine wash but lay flat to dry. Some crochet cottons can be machine dried too. But this thread has a nice feel to it. It feels slinky like Ce'be'lia thread cotton made by DMC. I LOVE that stuff!!!!!!
I make rugs from fabric strips and t-shirt strips. Slippers from all types of yarn. Sun catchers in brass rings...just about anything.
But the biggest gain I ever had in crocheting was when my hubby's Grandmother, Anna Cutigni, who spoke no English...just Italian...taught me how to crochet from a picture or chart instead of "reading" a pattern. Magic Crochet (the magazine) has picture patterns. So much easier to read than boring lines. That liberated me and was such a great bonding experience with that fine lady. I was able to reproduce a crocheted doily for a friend at work. She had the really old doily that had reached the end of it's life span. I laid it on the copy machine at work and I was able to make her a pair of doilies that looked better than the original if I do say so myself.
When I used to lay in the sun to tan I always had to have something in my hands to do or I could not sit still. I learned the hard way not to do cross stitch on dark fabrics in the sun. I was making a picture on navy blue Aiada cloth and the sun faded the cloth. So when I had it framed they managed to cover the faded part.
I even remember crocheting with elastic thread with fake pearls strung and made all types of jewelry from necklaces to rings to pretend sandals.
http://www.marymaxim.com
item# 99205
Isn't it beautiful???
Only took a few days of crocheting. The two pins on the vest are where the pattern said to stop but Lisa wanted her vest a bit longer. So I added a few more rows.
I have no affiliation with Mary Maxim or DMC. I am just a happy customer!!!!
2 comments:
This vest is gorgeous! And how lucky to have learned all your craftiness so early. I wish I had had someone to show me early on.
The vest turned out beautiful, and I love Mary Maxim patterns and yarn, too. I grew up in Port Huron, but live in NC now.
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