Here’s my roundup of all of the best posts in all areas of crochet blogging from the past week.
Something Special
Guess what? I’ve joined the Crochet Today team as a weekly guest blogger on their site. I’m excited about this. You can see my introduction post here and learn some new things about me. Then you can check out my first guest blog, about reading foreign language crochet blogs.
Smart Crochet Articles
- The Hobnail Milk-Glass Crochet Trend of the 1950s. Thanks @stitchstory for this interesting slice of crochet history!
- 12/12 in Crochet. CrochetMe shared some crochet history across three centuries on this date.
- Tips for Teaching Kids to Crochet. Great article from @freshstitches. In addition to her tips, she’s profiled a young crocheter here. Another smart article from Stacey this week was her article called “what does amigurumi mean?“
- Use a Potato Masher for Felting. Interesting tip from WEBS.
- How I Plan the Weekly Crochet Mandala. Wink gives us insight into her process for this award-winning project.
- Eucalan’s Wrapture for Blocking. Petals to Picots shares this new product by Kristin Omdahl.
Crochet Books
- Crocheted Granny Squares: 20 to Make. Marie of Underground Crafter reviewed this new book by Val Pierce and is offering a giveaway copy (deadline 12/16/12).
- New Tunisian Crochet Book. Kim Guzman shares her newest title with us.
- Crochet Garlands. Annemarie is working on her second book, due out in 2013, and it’s all about crochet garlands which I think is such a smart topic since so many people seem interested in this type of project.
- The Finer Edge: Crocheted Trims, Motifs and Borders. CrochetMe gives an overview of this new book by crochet designer Kristin Omdahl.
- Are eReaders Good for Crochet Patterns? JD @CraftGossip asked her readers about the pros and cons of using eReaders specifically for crochet reading.
Beautiful Crocheted Items
I adore this little set that @creativejmom made using the sweater pattern from Moogly and the hat pattern from AlliCrafts
I’m also loving the crochet slippers made by Pass the Cereal
Cherry Heart made lots of beautiful crochet snowflakes. Click over to check out all of the great photos.
How To Crochet
- How to Make Snowflake Crochet Greeting Cards. A new tutorial from Crochet Kitten.
- How to Crochet a Button. Via CrochetMe.
- How to Crochet the Aligned Puff Stitch. A tutorial with video from New Stitch a Day.
- How to Switch Colors in the Middle of a Row. A video tutorial from Moogly. LoisLeigh Anderson also talked about switching colors in crochet this week.
Crochet Patterns
- Bath Pouf Crochet Pattern. A free pattern from Daisy Cottage Designs for a bath pouf.
- Dressy Towel Topper. This is a super cute free crochet tutorial for a towel topper. Comes from Sew Ritzy Ritzy.
- Thread Crochet Poinsettia. Each year Planet June makes a new poinsettia pattern; this year the free pattern is in thread crochet.
- Houndstooth Scarf and Gloves. A free crochet pattern from Posh Pooch. Very stylish.
- Color Bomb Flower Square Cushion. This is a free crochet tutorial from Color n Cream for a brightly colored cushion.
- A Gift of Metal and Thread. Crochet Dynamite shares some free patterns from crocheting with paper clips to make jewelry.
- Gifts to Make in 1 hour, 1 day, 1 weekend. Vickie Howell shares links to 2 of her crochet and 2 knit patterns that can be completed before Christmas.
- Speed of Light Cowl Crochet Pattern. A free quick-t0-make pattern from Speckless.
- 5 Irresistbile Knit and Crochet Projects for the Holidays from the Craft Bloggers. This is a Lion Brand roundup. First of all, I love that they’re celebrating other bloggers. And second I’m not surprised to see great patterns here from Repeat Crafter Me, Planet June and One Sheepish Girl.
Crochet Video
New workshop sneak preview from Robyn Chachula
Yarn
- The Evolution of a Custom Color. Lorna’s Laces talks to us about dyeing new yarns.
- Yarn Love. Juniper Moon Farm shares the story behind a particularly pretty yarn.
- How to Read Yarn Ball Labels. Video instruction via Stitch and Unwind. This is the first in the series of learning to read crochet patterns.
Yarn company Berroco shares some history
Other Fun Stuff
- Simply Crochet Sneak Peek. Take a look inside this new crochet magazine.
- Twitter for Indie Designers and Makers. Craftsy asks if you should be on Twitter and explains how you should use it if you are.
- Etsy Shop Branding. Handmadeology reviews “5 sections you must have copy written” if you’re an Etsy seller.
- Going to Market with Your Handmade Goods. Crochet Spot looks at five different things to consider.
- Magda Sayeg Interview. Gestalt Journal interviewed this yarnbomb artist about her history of work and what she’s up to now.
And Some Special Thanks
- Thanks to Gwen for sharing my booklet of stories When Grandma Isn’t Crocheting She’s Hunting Big Game. She said some sweet things about this collection that’s gotten mixed reviews and I really appreciate it!
- Continued thanks to the sponsors of the big Xmas Giveaway happening on the blog right now. Special thanks to Laurinda, Tracy and Birgit for posting this week about the giveaway.
- Parenthood Stories published my article Crafting to Heal from Unexpected PPD, a version of the story about Rachel from Crochet Saved My Life
- And check out my post on 5 magazines that have featured Crochet Saved My Life
Happy reading, happy weekend, happy holidays!
