Of all of the posts I read this week in the crochet blogging world, these were the ones I loved the most. Check them out now if you missed them the first time around.
Find Me On Sulia
As some of you may have noticed, I am now trying out Sulia.It’s a little bit like a combination of Pinterest, Twitter and Tumblr. Basically it’s a place where I can share some of the cool crochet things that I’m see around the web, including great crochet photos. I’ve been trying to add my own comments to each post to explain why I think the item is worth sharing. For full disclosure, I get a small payment for using the site as an expert in the crochet field. If you’re interested, you can check it out and follow me here.
Something Special
Share your handmade story. CraftSanity’s Jennifer Ackerman is collecting the stories behind people’s crafts and patterns. She says:
“In a nutshell, I’m essentially asking people to tell me the stories and traditions behind the patterns and projects they make. My plan is to interview and feature the people who send in the best projects and stories. Projects and stories can be emailed to me or sent via regular mail (I enjoy crafty correspondence!) to Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood, P.O. Box 888192, Grand Rapids, MI 49588.”
Monthly CAL
Do you enjoy Crochet-alongs? They provide a chance to work on new types of projects, learn new things, stay accountable to craft more frequently and share your crocheting with others. There are always lots of good CALs going on. I wanted to share one for November: The Curious Pug is hosting a granny square pillow CAL. You can join up now and then complete your pillow anytime within the month. I’m looking forward to seeing what all of the participants choose in terms of color! The Curious Pug is now doing these CALs monthly so even if you’re not interested in this one you may want to check out the site and join in next time.
Smart Crochet Words
- Should crochet designers allow customers to sell items made from their patterns? @freshstitches goes point by point through the reasons many designers choose not to allow this and what her thoughts are on those points as one designer.
- Grandma Dot’s Encouragement. Aberrant Crochet shared how her grandmother’s support of her early crochet creations has always inspired her to try new things in crafting.
- The Glorious Slip Stitch. @aboutcrochet celebrates the slip stitch in this post with ideas for using it well.
- Stop the Curling. Kim Guzman (@crochetkim) explains that Tunisian crochet curls and gives 11 tips to stop it from happening. Helpful!
- On Crochet Photo Copyrights. Crochet Happy shares her experience as a blogger as she journeys from not understanding why people’s crochet photos are copyrighted to “getting it”. Smart info here.
- Knitting and Crocheting for Charity. Martingale talks about why it’s satisfying to donate handmade items to charity and suggests some good places to donate. If you’re looking for more options, see my article on 25 charities that accept crochet donations.
Beautiful Crochet Works
Attic24′s Lucy made this adorable crochet French Bower Bird; see tons of photos of the process and product on her site.
MeganG crocheted this gingerbread house, which I saw in a roundup of “reader makes” from Crochet Today in a post highlighting the way different people have crafted this pattern.
Bigunki made this cute telephone!
Crochet “How To”
- How to Draft Patterns for Crochet and Knit Garments. A nice guide from Crochet Crusader.
- How to Crochet Hats without Patterns. Basics via @crochetspot
- How to Crochet “Narrow Pointed Tubes”. You know, the kind that are used for horns, tails and other amigurumi patterns. Video tutorial from @planetjune.
- How to Crochet Late Color Changes. Reversible Intarsia: Late Color Changes Tutorial from Remembering Rowan.
- How to Crochet the Crunch Stitch. Full tutorial for a textured stitch made from just the ch and hdc stitches … from @newstitchaday
New Crochet Patterns
- Gingerbread Man Crochet Hat Pattern. A new free pattern from Repeat Crafter Me that will be great for the upcoming holidays. Includes video tutorial.
- Granny Crochet Wreath Tutorial. A free tutorial from MemeRose for making a wreath out of granny squares.
- D in Old English. Dainty Daisy shared a free pattern for crocheting the letter D in old English, which can also serve as inspiration for doing the other letters if you are so inclined.
- New Amigurumi Dinosaur Patterns. @planetjune has doubled the number of crochet dinosaur patterns she has for sale.
- Shoulder Stripe Top Crochet Pattern. A new crochet shirt pattern that is for sale from Linda Skuja.
Crochet Reviews
- Sugar and Spice: 6 Bakery-Inspired Crochet Fashions. @crochetbyfaye reviews this new pattern book from @lindamade that uses the beautiful Malabrigo yarns.
- Crochet Boutique. A new review of this book (which I reviewed also); this one from Cherry Heart.
- Sharp Crochet Hook. I was excited about this product when it first came out and then found it didn’t really work for me but I’m always interested to see what others think. This review is by Jenn Likes Yarn.
Video of the Week
Yarn
I was excited when I got a drop spindle to learn yarn spinning but maybe what I really need is a LEGO yarn spinner 
- How to Wash Cashmere Crochet. Suz Place goes over the rules of handwashing crochet you’ve made with cashmere yarn.
- Substituting Yarns. Crochetology shares her experiences learning about different yarn types for different projects.
- Yarn Elections 2012. KnitPicks is giving us all the chance to vote on cotton vs. wool yarn. It’ll be interesting to see what people like the best. Also interesting is the supporting material they’ve shared telling us more about each of these yarn types.
Other Things
- What Makes a Home Cozy? MyRoseValley shares her answer, which starts with handmade goods!
- Are You on Craftsy? GoCrochet makes a case for checking out Craftsy and taking a few online classes.
- 10 Awesome Reason to Buy Handmade Gifts. This Handmadeology article by Amanda of Little Note Crafts makes some good points you may want to share with your own customer base this holiday season.
- Crochetman. Las Teje y Maneje did a roundup of photos of men wearing handmade cowls. Reminds me of the post I did awhile back called 10 Sexy Men Sporting Crochet Cowls. Another post this week that made me think of that was According to Matt’s newest crochet snood.
- Productivity Chat. @kpwerker did a recap of what we all talked about in the October #craftsocial chat this week. I’ll do my own roundup of my participation soon and CraftSocial will be putting up a transcript as well but Kim’s recap is a great place to start.
Special Thanks
- By Hand Magazine for featuring my article on the healing aspects of craft in their debut issue
- Crochevolution for including my article 5 Ways Creativity Heals Us in their Winter 2012 issue
- Hannah of Span’s Studio for allowing me to share my story on her blog
- Stitch and Unwind for featuring my guest post with 5 creativity exercises for crocheters
- Pinnable Business for featuring my guest post on the negatives of using the “no pin” code on Pinterest
- The Curious Pug for a positive review of Crochet Saved My Life
- Annette Graf for covering the book with a review on Examiner
- Richard Frisbie of Hudson Valley Examiner for highlighting that Crochet Saved My Life will be part of the upcoming Hudson Valley Yarn Crawl
- Evie for a lovely blog review of Crochet Concupiscence
- Aberrant Crochet for a shoutout with a great recommendation for Crochet Concupiscence, which I’ve added to my press page
- CraftGirl78 for giving me a shoutout in her weekly Thursday roundup of inspiring links; she mentioned me because through my own links she discovered the terrific weekly crochet mandalas that A Creative Being is making
Have a terrific rest of your weekend. Happy reading!
