tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-320921172012-02-03T05:06:25.344-05:00Crochet is my altar to beauty and access to the great river of cosmic ch'i.Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.comBlogger1651100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-87655615763509482872011-12-10T16:23:00.001-05:002011-12-15T16:33:49.951-05:00

Tunisian Shakti, "Mobi-Dickie" version in bulky yarn The winner, according to this random number generator, is Colorful Temptations. After I complete this blog post I'll alert the book editor, Robyn Chachula, to release a downloadable copy of the new Simply Crochet book to her.  Thank you to everyone who entered! I like that my blog visitors from outside of the USA are equally eligible

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-29917634118315541372011-12-08T09:41:00.001-05:002011-12-16T12:19:17.026-05:00

Neck Lattice (1 skein!)  photo ©2011 Vashti Braha I'm giving away a full downloadable edition of the new Simply Crochet book!  Neck Lattice photo ©2011 Interweave Press If you don't know about the main stitch used for Neck Lattice (just published by Interweave Press), please read on. It's one of the two stitches that have liberated my Tunisian crocheting. (See "Breaking Out of Tunisian Ruts

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com95tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-36787646318836690122011-11-22T21:10:00.001-05:002011-12-03T19:08:27.515-05:00

Check it out: I've just done a whole new kind of blog post, right at my DesigningVashti.com website, and it was easy! It's about my newest crochet pattern coming out very soon, the Undaria Slip Stitch Flutter Scarf.  You can see a gallery of TEN ways of wearing it over there.  I'll have more links created after Thanksgiving. For now, here's its Ravelry project page, and its online photo

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-87792356507528461742011-10-30T10:58:00.002-05:002011-11-01T10:46:04.995-05:00

...and I hope every crocheter will try it. I now have a free pattern for you: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/slip-slope-scarf-free-pattern  See the bumpy short row ends along the top edge? You can make them melt (as they did in the 2nd photo below), or you can emphasize them as a decorative texture (see 4th and last photo below) called "Slip Slope Scarf." Even if you've already tried

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-54922686114079274782011-09-06T13:49:00.000-05:002011-09-06T13:49:15.424-05:00

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in this blog tour giveaway. I'll have to come up with more reasons to do giveaways because it's really fun. It's like hosting a party at my blog! (In fact, if you have a creative idea for one, let me know.) Using a truly random number generator to select a commenter on my previous blog post, I discovered our winner:  Congratulations CATLADY, it's

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-24968715002881439412011-09-03T08:22:00.003-05:002011-09-06T11:56:29.107-05:00

This is no ordinary book review here at ol' DesigningVashti! I've always wanted to do a giveaway on my blog.  In honor of Marty Miller's new crochet tote book, Totes for All Reasons, I'm giving away a copy of the book plus some fun crochet swag to a lucky commenter on this blog post. In your comment, please describe the yarn you would use to crochet your next tote (for example color, fiber, brand

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com59tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-81731412322890692602011-08-15T12:33:00.003-05:002011-08-15T14:04:56.679-05:00

New pdf format for my free crochet patterns This is the most current and complete clickable list of my crochet freebies. I'm in the midst of a website upgrade because the more official Free DesigningVashti Crochet Patterns section of my website needs to be reconfigured--I've learned this the hard way LOL. Giving (and receiving) free crochet designs is fun for me, but if I have to jump

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-18989198387761910652011-07-05T16:48:00.007-05:002011-07-05T16:57:02.059-05:00

If I'm a sailboat on a sea of creativity, the waters have been choppy lately! The schedule of my son's summer camp is like a big speedboat that leaves a big wake for my sailboat. He loves the camp and I'm getting the hang of those waves. There's also the TNNA conference I've just attended: it's an unexpected air current that keeps catching my sails! (OK, I'll stop the analogy here.) 'Twas

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-26000853287417381132011-05-20T15:18:00.086-05:002011-10-11T14:22:02.797-05:00

Petals, my newest Tunisian stitch pattern After designing several new lacy Tunisian crochet wraps, and teaching crocheters and knitters how to crochet Tunisian lace in local yarn shops, I've noticed a few things. I thought I'd blog them below as a way of listing my tips, strategies, and observations in one place. Sneak Peek of Rivuline The #1 most remarkable thing to me about Tunisian crochet

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-59803931330303905772011-04-29T12:27:00.001-05:002011-04-29T12:50:29.273-05:00

© 2011 Vashti Braha I call this freeform crochet jewelry the Aquamarine Réclamé Poem-Lariat:    'Réclamé' (reclaimed) because I recycled the aquamarine gem chips from an old necklace.    'Lariat' because the clasp is decorative, worn in the front, and slides for different styling options. Here the crochet clasp is a flower basket. It's a fun feature of my new Trailing Vines Lariat crochet

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-33467526640778323422011-03-22T09:49:00.003-05:002011-04-06T13:19:11.965-05:00

Woke up this morning and saw this:It could only mean that fairyfolk got into my yarn stash while I slept.  I don't know if they forgot to take this swatch with them, or what. Maybe they're hinting at something. I'm not even sure what the fairies mean it to be, but get this:  These are slip stitches. I can see why the wee folk favor slip stitch lace--slip stitches being all about small and all

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-41376517224057313182011-03-14T17:36:00.002-05:002011-04-19T13:03:24.036-05:00

Satin Pillows Necklace Sterling Boutique Handbag Tunisian Islander Onefellswoop FlexMitts Until I learned this month that I'm a finalist for the Crochet Liberation Front's Best Crochet Designer for Accessories award, I didn't realize how many accessories I designed in 2010!  I've been staying out of trouble, writing up new crochet patterns, learning how my new website works, and how to

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-44715866903093693502011-03-09T11:34:00.001-05:002011-03-09T18:01:14.903-05:00

If you're visiting my blog for the first time because you're touring blogs with my friend Karen Whooley, welcome and thanks for stopping by! I chatted with Karen about her new book,  I Can't Believe I'm Crocheting Socks! and you can see some of our conversation below. I love what she says about socks and her school uniform, lace crochet, and what she imagines her Nonna would say about her book.

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-73631674790674686572011-03-01T12:09:00.001-05:002011-03-01T12:14:22.823-05:00

Would you like a sneak peek? Well, I'm the publisher, so we don't have to sneak around anymore*, right? I should call it a preview. This "Eva Shrug" crochet sweater pattern is so close to becoming a proper downloadable PDF. *still breaking that old habit from freelancing days, when a designer had to be careful what s/he said about a design, months before someone else did the big reveal! You're

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-31467255366179554612011-02-25T11:30:00.001-05:002011-02-25T11:32:40.821-05:00

I must show you what arrived in the mail this month for my birthday: It's a pretty gift bag full of Gifts for the Senses. It so happens that when it arrived, I was home all day every day taking care of my son who had a nasty flu. Imagine the cheer it brought to both of us!  We played with each little gift -- a classic tin kaleidoscope for the Sense of Sight, a sweet French lavender sachet for

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-56355126662968449372011-02-14T14:23:00.001-05:002011-02-14T19:23:22.524-05:00

I crocheted a last-minute Valentine card for my dearest sweetie. He's been my Valentine for 18 years of marriage (plus more years a-courting). Each page of this Valentine Wishbook is a wish for my Valentine for 2011. (I've always wanted to crochet a book.) I used Tunisian Simple Stitch for the center background because it's a great surface for adding er, um, embroidery. (Elsewhere I've

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-18159855182471808212010-12-31T15:09:00.003-05:002011-01-17T15:30:29.089-05:00

I've been crocheting straight through the holidays! This fancy vest is the laciest of my December projects. At right is a temporary experiment in wearing it backwards, as a tunic. I really like the neckline of it. I see "Alezannah" when I look at this lacy beaded red silk, maybe because both of my grandmothers have been on my mind a lot this month. The mysterious* name Alezannah is a women's

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-88811538704885321222010-12-15T17:20:00.004-05:002010-12-16T09:54:05.595-05:00

Orbit's Futuristic Temperament Name on Birth Certificate: Orbit Cowl (downloadable crochet pattern). Her Mom was planning to name her after a medieval ancestor wimple, like Genevieve or Alethea (see below); but then Orbit seemed too futuristic for that. Birthdate: October 28, 2010. How could Orbit have known that Florida would soon be hit with record freezing temperatures? Takes After: the

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-5083886252109656492010-12-02T16:47:00.004-05:002011-03-11T10:28:55.716-05:00

Crochet Lace Innovations by Doris Chan 2010. Shiver Me Timbers!Crochet Lace Innovations is simply gorgeous--the photostyling, the layout, the production values. Potter Craft (publisher) pulled out all the stops on this one! Each page showcases the sophistication and elegance of Doris' crochet designs with lovely lyrical typefaces, chic photography, and refined color palette. This means I pick

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-9915570307408160822010-10-21T21:25:00.002-05:002010-10-21T22:06:17.453-05:00

....And by "cowls" I also mean crochet infinity scarves, eternity scarves, neck gaiters, smoke rings and snoods.* What all of these have in common is that they're warm tubes for the neck, and some can be worn as hoods, or wrapped around the shoulders like capelets, or extended down to warm the chest and back. ** Chainmaille Crochet Cowl IN PROGRESS ** These flattering neckwarmers are plenty

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-87532610395734428042010-10-06T12:58:00.000-05:002010-10-06T12:58:24.158-05:00

Name on birth certificate: Frostyflakes Scarf/Wrap 100% mulberry silk, DK wt Birthdate: July 9, 2010. The heat of summer, when anything can happen. Takes after: Filet crochet and Spiderweb stitch sisters; the eccentric corner-starting, sideways-crochetin' side of the family. Caron Simply Soft yarn & silver bells Malabrigo Lace wt (merino) Quick Scarf of alpaca & silk Beaded Cashmere

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-48282311913426302562010-09-25T07:53:00.000-05:002010-09-25T07:53:36.170-05:00

Today's post might normally be a book review (because I get to be part of a blog tour event this month), except that my reaction to Drew's new book Crochet It. Love It. Wear It! goes beyond the usual bounds of book reviewing! So I'm just going to lay it all out there. I get to build on what other bloggers have already said over the past few weeks.   Laurie Wheeler, me, Drew, Portland OR 2008

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-42571996344470079392010-09-21T20:39:00.005-05:002010-10-06T11:16:00.778-05:00

Name on birth certificate: Weightless Tunisian Stole Birthdate: April 18, 2009 Takes after: 'Wicker stitch' sisters, thread crochet aunts, and lace knitting cousins. Designers will tell you that when it comes to naming a design, it's really nice when crocheters AND knitters AND everyone else all "get" the name. This is true for Weightless. Having the right name is a gift bestowed by her fairy

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-28871470200899070962010-09-15T15:26:00.000-05:002010-09-15T15:26:41.620-05:00

I didn't expect the newsletter creating process to feel magical. Producing each issue on a regular publishing schedule is my top priority, so I waited to launch it until I knew I was ready for that. I didn't know how exciting and fun it would be! Actually, I'd like it to be weekly but for now I can commit to biweekly, every other Thursday. I'm finishing up issue #2 now and it goes out to

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-50821364306558773382010-08-02T11:00:00.001-05:002010-08-02T12:03:56.776-05:00

You can actually see most of my website now, as long as you promise to ignore typos and "under construction" notes, and a few links that don't go where they should yet! (If you can't promise that then please don't click yet. I have more polishing to do today & tomorrow.) http://www.designingvashti.com/ As of yesterday the site has its own cute search box! AND, the links to my patterns work! (

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-62422401667820283862010-07-17T23:38:00.003-05:002010-08-03T09:28:37.909-05:00

#89 Weightless Tunisian Stole Originally uploaded by dorisjchanPattern for this design called "Weightless" is available now! You can see it in my new crochet pattern shop. It requires 2.5 balls of a lightweight mohair-silk blend. I used SR Kertzer's Ovation, which is discontinued, but there are several other similar yarns available. The best known is probably Rowan Kidsilk Haze. This Tunisian

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-80573894398719758382010-05-07T09:37:00.004-05:002010-05-07T15:11:38.673-05:00

I aim to live up to this Fearless Leader Award for High Fashion! Isn't this year's award by Darlisa Riggs a soul-stirring design? Behind the scenes here at chez DesigningVashti, I've been whipping up a crochet pattern menu. Some appetizers, some meaty main courses, an odd side dish or two (wouldn't be DesigningVashti otherwise), and some pure confections for dessert. By my next post or two I'll

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-52132111212224335832010-04-21T14:19:00.007-05:002010-04-21T14:56:47.143-05:00

I'm turning over a new leaf (so to speak): among my usual designing life posts I'll be sprinkling in a crochet book review here and there for 2010 (I'm not being compensated for this, not even through Amazon). If you've been visiting this blog for long enough to remember my reviews of '70's crochet books, well, thank you for being here over the years! It's been awhile since I reviewed crochet

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-28884818159299985562010-03-15T17:23:00.002-05:002010-03-15T17:32:12.057-05:00

Behold two newsy items! First, my Tokyo Jacket design (above right, in green) has been nominated for a Flamie Award for Best Crochet Design (for Adults) of 2009! I'm honored and excited to be included in a category of many excellent designs. For more photos of the Tokyo Jacket (and the full free pattern), click here.  Second, the Five Peaks Shawl (above left in plum), is now officially revealed

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-11464002198712588952010-03-05T17:00:00.005-05:002010-05-25T09:12:14.983-05:00

I love the CraftFail site! It has taken oh, 5 years or so for me to get ruthless about this craft fail: It's a shrug crocheted in somewhat loose slip stitches. The 3/4-sleeves end with unusual linked and unlinked triple trebles--a swingy ruffled fantasy. In my mind. The big reason for the fail is that I used a large crochet hook to make stretchy slip stitches in novelty chenille yarn. I

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-40302082800490679772010-02-22T17:44:00.000-05:002010-02-22T17:44:28.364-05:00

Can't keep the Whipped Cream Apron to myself anymore, just can't: And why not get the full effect of the Lovepod Boa? Patterns for both of these (the 'Thirsty Twists' bathmat too) are written and professionally tech edited. My next step is to see that my Ravelry pattern store is in working order, and start uploading some of these patterns.

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-59019547702070377512010-02-22T12:58:00.014-05:002010-02-22T17:50:13.809-05:00

Please tune in with me & my DesigningVashti Crochet Pattern Line tonight at 9:00pm EST for the Getting Loopy podcast episode! Phone in and ask me questions! (646-915-8371) If you can't tune in then, you can listen to the episode any time on your computer, iPod, etc. I'll be adding info and links to this blog entry so check back here.  For example: I created a new pattern companion blog just now.

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-23679332635479156062010-02-03T11:39:00.011-05:002010-02-03T12:24:27.986-05:00

The new Vashti year has begun because my birthday was February 1st. (It was a blast! My husband and friends threw a surprise party for me and I was in a daze for the next half hour. Lots of birthday wishes rolled in on my Facebook page--I love that.) The next few weeks are all about the final touches of my website for downloadable crochet patterns, in time for the Getting Loopy podcast on

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-30873877215563041712010-01-15T11:38:00.012-05:002010-01-26T11:32:19.157-05:00

Am checking in to blog the results of my design experiment with weighing yarn on a digital scale. It came close enough to perfection that I'll be using the scale for planning other designs.I came within 2 grams (0.1 oz.) of a 100-gram skein. It's likely that I would have come up short if I had not ripped out the longest row before beginning the decrease rows.Would you like to see the finished

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-52985036437824634802009-12-18T17:38:00.011-05:002010-05-07T14:19:51.789-05:00

One of the most valuable tools in my crochet design studio is so simple and easy to find and use: Why oh why did it take me so long to get a digital scale? How many other crocheters and knitters are in the same boat as me? If you think you might use one of these, think again: you'll definitely use it and wonder how you got along without it. It's so much easier to plan projects with whatever

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-988323522928516992009-11-03T14:59:00.004-05:002009-11-04T13:09:31.862-05:00

I've just mailed off a design that will appear in the Spring 2010 issue of Interweave Crochet magazine. I can blog some fun things about it as we get closer to the publication date.Designers I've talked to celebrate after they mail off a design for publication because it's momentous! It means:completed item has all ends woven in, photographed, measured before and after being wet-blocked and

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-3340883818077562222009-10-06T17:10:00.012-05:002009-10-09T09:31:47.573-05:00

I'm elated that I've been awarded the Set My Picot Free Award for Crochet Excellence and Phenomenal Fashion by the Fearless Leader of the Crochet Liberation Front :)For the Tokyo Jacket design I actually have the "eureka!" moment on paper. Want to see it?I remember that: "OO! OO! LACE SIDE PANELS!!" (dates from June 2008). You can see from that scribbly sketch that the construction is the simple

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-28267234554018724622009-10-02T11:32:00.012-05:002009-10-03T18:51:16.390-05:00

The release of my newest design, the Tokyo Jacket, makes this a good time to blog some tips I've learned about crocheting the taller stitches, such as Trebles, Double Trebles, Triple Trebles, Quad-Trebles (to name a few; these are all in US terminology).If you already know how to do the Double Crochet stitch, it's easy to understand how to make the taller ones. To make a Triple Treble (Trtr), for

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-41718809380558191542009-09-09T11:46:00.021-05:002009-09-09T17:52:01.242-05:00

I'm happy to report three exciting crochet hook developments.1) Exquisite New Crochet Hook Sets for ConnoisseursWant to give or get the perfect gift for the next special occasion? Check out these beautiful new "Etimo" sets from a Japanese company called Tulip:I think of them as my "Cadillac" hooks because of what they feel like to have and to hold. The size range of the gold-tone aluminum set is

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-70949154325806422692009-08-26T11:36:00.016-05:002009-08-26T19:48:23.781-05:00

Or, How I Celebrated the Crochet Guild of America's Fifteenth Birthday!CGOA's 15th annual national Chain Link conference, held Aug. 5-9 in Buffalo, NY was simply amazing. I have so much to blog about it that I haven't known where to begin. In the meantime I uploaded photos and tweeted about it. My tweets always show in the right hand column of this blog. I love the anniversary theme: Crystal

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-70038594671904490512009-08-02T19:24:00.008-05:002009-08-02T20:07:00.715-05:00

Good thing I brought my camera! Here are some pics from the Craft SuperShow, a Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) event that was open to the public. All photos were taken on July 31.The highlight of the day for me was when I discovered that Todd Paschall was there with some of his amazing crocheted portraits! I've been following Todd's posts in online crochet forums for years. It was fabulous to

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-10649268713809576302009-07-18T15:03:00.010-05:002009-07-18T15:55:11.498-05:00

I'd better stop what I'm doing and blog now, before I get even busier! My dream is to have something really special to wear to CGOA's Crystal Jubilee 15th Anniversary festivities at the Chain Link conference in less than a month.I finally decided what I want to crochet with my Tess Yarns Cascade Silk stash yarn: a luxe waistcoat-type garment.I'm starting off with Tunisian Simple Stitch for the

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-71017282040787104932009-06-22T10:24:00.010-05:002009-06-23T06:56:50.936-05:00

In the midst of hosting house guests and attending the TNNA conference, a new crocheted hat happened, known as "Vanilla Crown." Early in this blog's life I talked about "Hat Yoga": a hat designing journey for my dear friend Kalli. The Vanilla Crown is the latest addition to the Hat Yoga collection and the first to feature two tunisian stitches for specific reasons. We're having a heat wave here,

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-61568540474534563212009-06-06T13:20:00.016-05:002009-06-06T23:20:56.661-05:00

I wonder how many crocheters are aware of small refinements they can make at row edges to improve an angular shape, such as a triangle? I wasn't aware of it myself until 2006, when I designed the trapezoidal "Swingy Ruffles" bag for Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss. My first swatches resulted in rounded blobby shapes. No matter how dramatically I increased and decreased stitches in each row to

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-30286247148779151072009-05-30T07:02:00.022-05:002009-05-31T08:16:18.936-05:00

Note: In the course of writing this post I explain two projects: a child's "hippie" headband and a hemp teacher's bracelet. They help me illustrate a new crochet tip, so I've turned them into simple free crochet patterns. I've put them into classic pattern format on my ToyDesigningVashti blog.pictured: swatch of 5 heights of foundation stitches (no base chain used)If you crochet with beads, you

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-14827489101922227002009-05-22T08:57:00.015-05:002009-06-06T23:20:56.661-05:00

Although I learned how to do tunisian crochet as a young child, I spent most of my years thinking of it as pretty much just one stitch. I wonder if others have too. That basic tunisian stitch, the Tunisian Simple Stitch (or TSS) is certainly special! (see 1st photo)-- but it's only a hint of what's possible.I wonder what stitches haven't been discovered yet! I crave complete sets of tunisian

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-56180247436638941172009-05-15T07:03:00.007-05:002009-05-15T12:56:57.947-05:00

Can you find my notebook in this project pile?We crocheters are a creative bunch. With all the fresh yarn colors, new crochet hooks, free crochet patterns, and exciting crochet fashions on the runways, some days my problem is too much inspiration! A crochet notebook really helps. Do you already record your crochet inspirations somehow? If so, you know that there's more than one way to go about it

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-79514891720985390652009-05-13T11:15:00.011-05:002009-06-06T23:27:20.061-05:00

I've been thinking about how to crochet wire jewelry since posting one of my free patterns 5 days ago. Within the first 36 hours alone it earned over 70 "hearts" in Ravelry (was favorited by over 70 people), and this brought a big smile to my weekend! Yet the bracelet did not become a new project for these Ravelers. Handmade beaded wire jewelry crochet patterns use materials that are not

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-34929330004365346912009-05-08T19:06:00.011-05:002009-05-10T09:48:51.992-05:00

I awoke from a dream about crochet love knots (a.k.a. "Solomon's knots") covering two sides of a string of beads like airy cages or nets. As I went about my day I planned out the crochet yarn and beads for the experiment: wire would make the love knots stand out from the beads the most. I could use any beads I liked, even big heavy beads with little holes.Here is today's result, which only took

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-78927744663364645442009-04-18T08:20:00.021-05:002009-04-18T13:28:56.551-05:00

I'm pleased to announce that my designing friends have done it again! My "Half Double Half Circle Handbag" crochet pattern is now available in volume three of our downloadable Strapped for Bags series.Like our three other e-books, it is 100% designer-produced, and that's why we're known as.... Straight from Today's Designers. So many of us had a bag pattern to contribute that we divided them

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-38522746529038607462009-03-11T19:38:00.003-05:002009-03-11T20:18:57.171-05:00

I stand with Annie.Friends, some of you may have noticed that over time, appearances of my new designs have dwindled. Something happened to my designing life last year: four years of selling all rights to my designs caught up with me and I couldn't bear it anymore. At first I wondered if I should stop designing altogether (horrors!). I actually tried that, but found out that I couldn't stop

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-10911891633945749662009-02-24T11:08:00.009-05:002009-02-24T14:26:24.581-05:00

Here are links that relate to last night's fashion crochet podcast.(You can download it if you missed it; also scroll down to Comments, esp. if you are Eleanor in FL!)The dress pictured here is by Wasson for RVCA and is a great example of the inky black crocheted lace looks for Fall 2009 (source): Check out Aquascutum's black Irish crochet lace stockings here. Another designer featuring black

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-12184160824799864072009-02-22T19:16:00.004-05:002009-02-24T13:58:39.938-05:00

That's the topic I'll be discussing with Mary Beth Temple for her Getting Loopy podcast this Monday evening (you can download it if you missed it). Please feel free to call in any questions or comments you have during the show at this number: 646-915-8371. It is deliciously fun to join the chat room also, which is open during the podcasts every Monday. You're welcome to email me with any

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-55364424801933241132009-02-03T11:59:00.004-05:002009-02-03T12:20:07.019-05:00

ClickHere to take surveyWhen you have a moment, please add your comments to a survey created by Mary Beth Temple. It's short--it took me 2 or 3 minutes--and at the end you can also enter her contest on her next Getting Loopy podcast. The lucky winner receives a cone of the new LB Collection Wool Stainless Steel yarn in a pretty color.Thank you! And now, back to my task at hand: rounding up years

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-43145397183154075432009-01-29T10:34:00.006-05:002009-01-30T10:27:56.474-05:00

If you landed here from The Daily Green, welcome! I hope all of my readers enjoy crocheting this draft snake as much as I did.  If you're wondering what to do with leftover crochet yarns or single skeins of pretties, this is your lucky day. This free 'n' easy pattern uses basic crochet stitches, yarns you already own, and is sure to lower your heating bills!To get started, round up the yarns

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-61521545979939255962009-01-20T13:24:00.008-05:002009-01-20T15:26:34.797-05:00

I'm watching televised coverage of the U.S. Presidential Inauguration Day. As the cameras scan the massive crowd, I notice crochet-textured hats and scarves. Occasionally I can identify actual crochet stitches, as in the case of the gentleman who salutes throughout President Obama's inaugural speech: he wears a heathery purple hat crocheted of stacked shells that changes to plain-textured

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-61067640079167869082009-01-01T19:06:00.006-05:002009-01-01T19:37:45.827-05:00

On this New Year's Day I'm reorganizing my "studio"--the creation zones in my house--and I thought I'd share with you a manifesto that I originally posted in my designing space on April 14, 2008. Doesn't "New Year's Day Manifesto" have a nice ring to it? (I also like how my 9 year old has always said New Year's "revolutions" instead of "resolutions".)The original Manifesto, word for word,

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-11657941505076741062008-12-24T06:43:00.015-05:002008-12-29T09:53:10.643-05:00

I've been looking forward to the release of this fun book. Designing three of the projects was pure pleasure! The Flying Jelly Ring (and tambourine variation) went through multiple incarnations, requiring input from my son, a.k.a. Toy Tester "Bob". He cheerfully tested the glow-in-the-dark colors outside on clear summer evenings, for example. One of the prototypes now hangs off of his bedpost.I'm

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-6243851621117372352008-11-13T12:18:00.017-05:002008-11-13T21:31:04.000-05:00

I've been having fun experimenting with a new kind of crochet stitch! It has a unique braided look and is easy to make. A few days ago Teresa posted a Youtube link to a video tutorial on "Triple Crochet" in the Crochet Partners forum. This is no ordinary Triple Crochet.In the first photo, the 4 swatches on the right are my experiments. On the far left is a swatch of some rows of standard dc and

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-15043003637985004642008-09-28T06:40:00.013-05:002009-06-06T23:20:56.662-05:00

This one's fresh off the hook because I wanted to wear it to the Portland CGOA conference two weeks ago. It's really 4 experiments in one!1. I used an obscure stash yarn that worked out great for tunisian crochet. It's Austermann Marco Stretch in "Winterberry" (a warm heathered rose). I've never used a bulky wool with a lot of lycra in it for a sweater so I didn't know what kind of drape I could

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-34255003373422362962008-09-21T15:37:00.012-05:002010-04-02T09:19:18.538-05:00

I took Margaret Hubert's class on Intermeshing at the CGOA regional conference held in Portland, Oregon last week. Intermeshing is like crocheting two separate pieces of fabric, usually simple filet (chain 1, double crochet in the next double crochet), but you are interweaving them as you work a row of one piece and then the other, so it's a whole new way of experiencing filet crochet. The

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-75572765315213017612008-08-24T18:43:00.010-05:002008-08-24T19:34:35.648-05:00

Today in the Crochet Partners forum someone wondered what would be a good amount of yarn to buy if one sees it for a good price but one doesn't have a project in mind. What a great question! Below is my reply, with some additional thoughts.(Pictured: a delicious 10-ball box of Coats Opera #5 thread)If I can, I'll buy the number of skeins it takes to make a full mill "bag", if I can get the yarn

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-37716928559773959442008-08-11T17:54:00.004-05:002008-08-11T18:18:21.300-05:00

My good friend Mary Beth Temple created the Getting Loopy call-in podcast show a few months ago and has already built up a valuable archive of shows that you can listen to anytime. In my previous post I mentioned how she ramped everything up a notch by podcasting live from the conference!Tonight, many of the designers who created the Crochet Belts from the Hip book together, including myself,

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-41091547921694737352008-07-29T14:58:00.011-05:002008-07-29T19:41:02.645-05:00

Have returned from Manchester NH to report that Chain Link 2008 (a.k.a. Knit and Crochet Show) was like no other conference ever!pictured: Yvonne Tate (bklynvonne) handing out Ravelry buttonsHere's a list of firsts:- CGOA's Design Contest was a great success! 115 high caliber entries means oh yes, we'll be doing this again. Thanks to Treva McCain for all of her hard work to make it happen. - We

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-76462270629859854472008-07-19T20:25:00.007-05:002008-10-07T16:07:25.427-05:00

Before I leave for the big exciting national CGOA conference thatIwouldn'tmissfortheworld I'm proud to officially announce a new kind of crochet pattern book.NINETEEN designers rode the publishing rapids together and survived the adventure! We've learned what it's like to put together an instant-download e-book as a group, get a website for it, get it reviewed, and choose the topic for our next

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-20595253149649280392008-06-30T20:22:00.005-05:002008-06-30T20:58:43.626-05:00

(Below find the promised pic of puppy Rosebud)At the same time that I've been researching upcoming color trends for the Trendy Crochet class, color came up in the International Freeform yahoo group. This summer I just want to play with colors. I can't name a favorite color because of how they change in combination with others. Below are my favorite links.Colorcube has lots of color games. My

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-29658790147564810882008-06-27T12:49:00.006-05:002008-06-28T07:44:54.429-05:00

Doris tagged me so I can run, but I can't hide.What was I doing 10 years ago?That was a big year: defended a multidisciplinary thesis on "gender essentialism" so that I could graduate from New College. Succeeded in getting pregnant. Got a puppy, named her Rosebud (nope, not because of the movie). Started paying a mortgage instead of rent. Please check back for a pic of beautiful Rosebud.Five

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-38626173335437059562008-06-24T11:43:00.007-05:002008-06-25T16:38:42.535-05:00

My blog posts are stumbling over themselves to be written. Now that I have updated my handout for the Trendy Crochet class that I teach every year, I can resume blogging.An article that I wrote for Yarn Market News (May'08, page 36) about CGOA's commemorative crochet hooks has been reprinted in full here (scroll down to June 16 entry). If you don't know what "HAS" is, the article will fill you

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-15934814024870051482008-06-14T06:23:00.002-05:002008-06-14T21:03:37.953-05:00

This is the last installment of my TNNA trilogy: photos and a name avalanche!We have the photogenic Kristin Omdahl who wore her own beautiful designs every day of the show. Here's a great pic of Ellen Gormley (who wore her own stylish designs every day to great effect) and that's Doris Chan between Ellen and me. Doris was ready to celebrate the successful taping of her TV episode and although she

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-26369867302214855162008-06-11T23:43:00.001-05:002008-07-04T00:49:18.727-05:00

Let's get down to brass tacks, shall we? You'll find lots of knit-focused blog entries about TNNA-Columbus right now but take a walk with me on the crochet side. My overall hit from this show? Crochet is solidly on the up in knitworld. [I have a dream that someday it will be more accurate to say 'yarnworld' instead] From whence comes such an impression?Not TNNA's fashion show, which was composed

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-54792827885043575422008-06-09T23:29:00.003-05:002008-06-10T17:43:02.381-05:00

This is my first day back from the show, exhausted and happy, so here's a simple list of special yarn discoveries. More on the show tomorrow.Unusual fiber content:Silver (yes, the metal, though it doesn't look at all metallic): Zaol BioRope contains "mirawave" which is a silver-content fiber that is supposed to lend the yarn special properties such as being antimicrobial and conducting heat away

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-16795335488660019242008-05-28T11:35:00.005-05:002008-05-28T12:29:47.471-05:00

If you don't know what all the hubbub is about, please find out today because time is running out. Like many artists and designers I oppose this bill. Here and here are great sites that explain why. Here's one of five reasons: "Under current law, you receive basic copyright protection even if you don't register your work. Under Orphan Works law, your work could be declared an orphan even if you

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-36227340489982433382008-05-24T10:48:00.008-05:002008-05-24T13:03:51.368-05:00

I've emerged from a high pressure inner-weather system with a report. It's similar to Robyn's latest entry about her designing process. Coincidence? Or does blogging about a Day in the Designing Life lend itself to blogging about the designing process? I think I identified the sources of the pressure: there are 6 yarns I want to use first with equal passion + I'm making a personal garment but

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-79394279958756428162008-05-16T07:23:00.009-05:002008-05-17T07:59:51.957-05:00

I love Robyn's "Day in the Life" idea, so here's mine. Good thing I committed to this particular day because if I'd waited for a "typical" day I would never have blogged one. There is no typical day and that's exactly what I like about designing! So here's how yesterday went: 7:10 a.m. - Today I woke up earlier than the usual 7:40-8:00 range. That meant that I could help Mr. Designingvashti get

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-85837321342394033772008-05-12T21:00:00.003-05:002008-05-13T12:43:01.545-05:00

I was writing an entry for my other blog the other day, about peacocks that were born in our backyard. All this time I've felt a guilty pleasure when blogging about the peacocks (even over on my play blog) because they have nothing to do with crochet, toys, or designing! I simply love them and so does my son.Turns out the peacocks have inspired my designing self for a long time in an indirect way

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-29738848302605618622008-05-08T13:28:00.014-05:002008-05-08T15:08:46.336-05:00

I can't turn down an invitation from Drew, Kim, and Amy to examine a fashion trend. What a fabulous support group! School photos from 1980 and 1981:I remember grooving on the tinted self-darkening lenses for the ethno-hippie look I was going for in Wisconsin in 1980. I slept with my hair in 16 braids to get that crimp, people. I wore moccasins to school and macramed the sphinx necklace in the

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-39887851507042624662008-05-05T14:13:00.008-05:002008-05-06T16:48:38.889-05:00

Welcome to all the freeformers who have subscribed to this blog. Thank you Mel for your warm recommendation! Normally I would have blogged before now but whew, a flu came out of nowhere! (All better now.)In honor of my freeformin' buddies, here's a "shell game" that I've been playing lately. Like many crocheters I start out enjoying shell (or fan) stitch patterns, but after awhile I get a tad

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-77001269020634909252008-04-01T07:47:00.008-05:002009-06-06T23:27:20.061-05:00

Turns out that I must be able to see my newest and most favorite beads at a glance, just like I need to see my yarn to inspire new ideas. For years I have dutifully sorted beads into little compartments and packets and drawers. Many of my beads remain there, such as seed beads and recycled parts of old jewelry. But when I come home with a batch of fresh bead stash enhancement, I need to see them

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-51248206017508678132008-03-27T10:10:00.011-05:002008-03-27T16:01:31.206-05:00

Though there are many crochet stitch patterns, and they can be known by many names and variations, the Picot Fans stitch pattern is not one of them. It is remarkably standardized by name (in the stitch dictionaries that use names) and I have found only two minor variations in any dictionaries so far. (See comparison of dictionaries at end of this entry.)It forms a wide decorative band on the hem

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-86157510376271626222008-02-28T23:31:00.009-05:002008-02-29T15:14:35.246-05:00

I really enjoyed designing this. I’ve always wondered if I could make a tabard that is more flattering and stylish than the knitted and crocheted tabards of the 1970’s. (Can't find a good pic on the 'net.) The word "tabard" brings to my mind medieval pages and troubadours, so I went for my impression of an "Eleanor of Aquitaine" look. As you can see from the original sketch, I pictured a soft

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-36773282252289897632008-02-21T11:50:00.006-05:002008-02-24T10:06:00.614-05:00

Felted Crochet, the latest book in the popular Vogue Knitting's On the Go series, is due out April 1. I received my contributor's copy and it's great! The range of projects is fun and inspiring and I would have added it to my library even if I didn't have a design in it. Below is a pic of the felted piece before blocking. As you can see, it felted evenly with no wonky ruffled edges. I chalk that

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-70387427120407290932008-02-14T12:06:00.007-05:002008-02-14T13:12:28.919-05:00

Here's my twist on Bella Dia's Sweet Heart Crochet Pattern, in which I find yet another way to marry crochet with 3D fabric paint LOL! (I blogged another way here, and I have more ways I'll blog about when the designs let me.) The full glittery gold effect doesn't show in this photo but in the morning sun it was ardently ablaze with my love for Mr. DesigningVashti. Bella Dia offers her

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-51001591519155136072008-02-10T16:32:00.007-05:002008-02-14T16:53:13.664-05:00

I had a birthday last week and here's a lovely thread crochet heart doily from Mom. Doilies for me reserve a spot for something special. When I received a stash-enhancing shipment of Opera thread a few days later, I knew what this sweet lacy spot was waiting to be: a threadrest. Between swatches, crochet thread accumulates "yin" (kind of like fruit ripening) while it rests until it spilleth over

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-70901469095013547692008-01-24T09:45:00.000-05:002008-01-24T11:06:31.619-05:00

Periodically the question comes up in a crochet forum: "What do you do when you find yourself in a crochet slump?" It just came up today in the Crochet Partners Yahoo group. It reminded me of the answer I gave when a similar question came up in the same group back in June '07. I refer back to this post myself occasionally so I thought I'd post it here, with additional tips and links:- I flip

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-54359300608760654042008-01-11T09:59:00.000-05:002009-06-06T23:27:20.061-05:00

Yes, it's out! The book is out: Get Hooked Again and it's well done--the expert editing, vivid photography, cute illustrations, everything about it makes it fun. I have one design in it and the way the pattern is laid out, with step-by-step pictures and instructions, is the best way I have ever seen one of my patterns published. This is just one pattern out of many that all look great so

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-85597882587378917592008-01-03T11:19:00.000-05:002008-01-08T13:57:39.495-05:00

Happy New Year! I have a few newly published designs to blog about but today, a bit about January clean-up for designers: I'm staring at mailorder catalogs that have piled up over the holidays. Before I throw them out, I go through some of them for crochet design inspiration. Below are my favorites.So much copyright infringement goes on and so many people seem fuzzy about what makes a design

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-72495835072794979572007-12-24T09:00:00.000-05:002007-12-24T11:14:04.610-05:00

Remember when I posted about the 3 yarn-of-the-month clubs I've been enjoying? And then in a later post I compared how far the yarn samples get me from two of those clubs, by working up some coffee cozies?Well: just in time for Christmas I worked up a Coffee Cozy du Cheer using two samples from the Free Form Crochet Club's handspun yarns. I used a blended yarn with giant red nubbies*, which I

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-69240904700856120462007-12-19T17:43:00.001-05:002009-06-06T23:27:20.061-05:00

Crocheted this up and wore it with a white shirt and white shimmery eyeshadow for my first day of holiday shopping, humming "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" even though it was 82 degrees. Had worn its prototype to the CGOA conference and Deanna vanAssche said, "WILMA FLINTSTONE!!" and so we did a deal and she took it home. Made another, wore it to my son's school, and all the third-grade girls

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-39623843088432500652007-12-12T14:13:00.000-05:002007-12-13T01:06:47.621-05:00

The new Diana magazine is on the newsstands in Europe for 2008; the two Lea magazines pictured are from 2004 and 2005. My friends are visiting from Switzerland right now and they were kind enough to bring me these three issues, after much sifting through knitting magazines in yarn shops. One of them was found at the last minute in the Zurich airport!The yarns used are brands like Austermann,

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-79614280827610831382007-12-08T14:39:00.000-05:002007-12-09T10:37:30.866-05:00

I subscribe by email to free newsletters published by yarn companies and yesterday I received five. FIVE. Usually they're spread out throughout the month. Hearing from so many yarn companies in one day brings out the blogger in me. In case you aren't aware of these newsletters, I'll list them below in alphabetical order.Why sub?-Trendwatching: I keep up with what floats knitters' boats because

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-87573665148548180282007-12-05T23:20:00.000-05:002007-12-09T10:14:36.627-05:00

Feast your eyes upon this actual runway design by Ronaldo Fraga for the 2006 Brasilia fashion week!There's something about pop tops that makes people want to crochet them together, like here and here. A remarkable Brazilian site (in English) offers stylish bags of pop tops crocheted together. The same site offers a poptopflower tutorial here and you've GOT to see these pop top fashions of the '

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-27656030285379913332007-12-01T08:17:00.000-05:002009-06-06T23:25:41.337-05:00

Took two excellent classes at the show and realized I didn't blog about them: Lily Chin's Color, Composition, Scale, Stitch and Pattern in 2-Dimensional Design and Darla Fanton's Tunisian Entrelac-to Felt or Not; Part 1-In the Round.I've never seen this one offered by Lily before, so I had to take it out of curiosity. Within in the first 5 minutes I knew I was in the right class when she asked, "

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-74892503144082063512007-11-26T16:31:00.001-05:002007-11-26T18:36:48.151-05:00

Marty and I attended the Orlando Needlework Show just before Thanksgiving and I think of it now as the "Conference of Pleasant Surprises". It marks the first wearing of my silvery-sage wrap design, which is published in Jean and Rita's 100 Crochet Projects as part of a set (it has a matching pencil skirt). I'm happy to report that it was a wonderful companion--it kept me warm, the textured row

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-65635443222522014682007-11-13T17:42:00.000-05:002007-11-26T18:35:53.642-05:00

Let's do the first-ever meme for CGOA, inspired by a recent topic that came up in the CGOA-membership yahoo group: "Are you crocheting something that you would not be crocheting if you were not a CGOA Member?" Here are the rules for participating in the CGOA Meme:1. Begin by including a link to this post and a link to the person who tagged you.2. Answer the above question (Are you crocheting

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-74271762196166794042007-11-09T08:21:00.000-05:002007-11-09T08:59:55.720-05:00

I'm very proud to be able to announce our First Annual Design Contest. It's the real thing--$1000 Grand Prize! Plus First, Second, and Third prizes in 4 different categories. Plus a People's Choice Award. All of the entries will be displayed and winners announced at our national conference held July 23-27 2008 in Manchester, NH. The deadline for entries is June 15, 2008.The board members of CGOA

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-59623113038620554352007-11-01T10:14:00.000-05:002007-11-01T11:22:43.013-05:00

The kiddies in their Halloween costumes inspired me. Started with the chaps and built a costume from there. At first I was going western, hence the hat, but the lurid crochet made me think of the iconic crochet-friendly Janice Joplin. (Terrible photo quality, I know) Kept wishing I had a crocheted hippie-fringe vest to match. Picked up a guitar for a prop and absentmindedly kept humming "I Got

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-16089047351459822772007-10-27T22:21:00.000-05:002007-10-28T22:38:25.483-05:00

Weaving or knitting the yarn in a particular manner, so that more yarn per unit area is achieved, improves the luminance of the EL yarn. (Dr Tilak Dias, Head of the WLIC)Woo-hoo, crocheters get ready! Who needs light-up hooks when it's the yarn that lights up?http://blogs.zdnet.com/emergingtech/?p=730I want to crochet some of this NOW.Quoted from here:Dr Tilak Dias, Head of the WLIC, said: "At

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-58586507084066882032007-10-23T10:10:00.000-05:002007-10-24T11:26:52.367-05:00

Happy Birthday to me mum, who taught me how to crochet. We bought lots of yarn, pattern books, and beads together when I was growing up, with a wonderful spirit of adventure--we learned all the new techniques we could find: Broomstick lace (aka "Jiffy Lace"), Hairpin, and "Cro-Hook" for example. Mom helped me get the tools and info I needed to learn spinning and weaving too.Back then we decided

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-73354349006040704962007-10-18T10:45:00.000-05:002007-10-24T10:00:56.126-05:00

Lark's Jewelry With a Hook, ed. by Terry Taylor, is ON SHELVES and here is my Rowanberry Pendant embellishing the dedication page. (The complete design involves some crocheted "links" and a length of black velvet for a little holiday goth.)Want a story? Rowan berries, which have a rich pagan past, are here represented by Clones Knots, which themselves have a rich history in Irish crochet.The cord

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32092117.post-1726014374081962022007-10-11T16:46:00.000-05:002007-10-24T10:10:25.639-05:00

You might think I'm being melodramatic, because Vogue Knitting does include at least a pinch or two* of crochet in each issue; sometimes there is even more if you look closely, because the C-word might be missing from a depiction of crochet that's labeled "knit" instead.The occurrence of crochet in the Holiday 2007 issue merits a special ALERT though: on page 46+ is an article by Dora Ohrenstein,

Vashti Brahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439436949166577608noreply@blogger.com0