I have the honor of being the final stop on the Urban Edge blog tour, brought to you by Leisure Arts & designer Shannon Mullett-Bowlsby, another crochet dude! (I now know four dudes named Shannon – I’m going to have to cut that off – it gets confusing sometimes – so if you’re a dude named Shannon your chances of my meeting you just reduced drastically. Anywho…)
I got my copy of his new crochet design book when I was at CHA (the Craft & Hobby Association) trade show back in January! So yes, mine is signed to me so you can’t have it.
But I will be giving away two copies so stay tuned…
This is how the publisher describes the book:
Inspired by the lifestyle of the urban dweller, this crochet fashion collection from award-winning designer Shannon Mullett-Bowlsby is vibrant, versatile, and exciting. Shannon presents 13 garments that are as energizing to crochet as they are to wear. Most patterns are for sizes Small to 3X and Easy to Experienced skill levels. Tutorials help explain foundations and finishing techniques.
Here are a few of the 13 garments to choose from! (click image for biggy view)
Shannon did a great job pulling together this urban collection and his partner Jason Mullett-Bowlsby did all the book design, layout and photography too!! What a team!!
You can get more info and see how to order the book here:
So, I can offer up two copies of Urban Edge, and to enter all you’ll need to do is leave me a comment on my blog below – this time to celebrate the urban, I want to hear which is your favorite city and why. Giveaway will end one week from today and the winner will be chosen using a random number generator. Good luck!
(c)2005-2012 Drew Emborsky, aka The Crochet Dude(r) All rights reserved. The Crochet Dude
Don’t you just want to jump into this basket of brightly colored flowers? I love the colors and the way the blogger has displayed them in the basket. Makes them soooo appealing! These are flowers with six petals, a bit unusual. And, you can make your own batch with the free pattern you can find here.
Check the links on the right side of the page when you visit that blog. There are lots of flower patterns there so you can make a bundle of them. Enjoy!
The subject of how to join crochet motifs seems to come up from time to time. As newer crocheters become more adventurous and want to make larger projects, it seems natural to make smaller motifs to join them into larger items. Making those motifs is not too hard. Joining them becomes quite the project.
CraftyMummy has blogged about the three main ways to join motifs – in her case hexagons. But, these techniques will work for most any shape. As always, practice makes perfect (or at least progress). Using one or all of these joining methods should make the task of turning your motifs into a finished item much smoother.
Posted on April 2, 2012 at 1:46 am, by Admin
in Category Crochet | Tags: Glittery
If you have ever had the opportunity to spend even a few moments with Kathy (aka Crafty Chica) you most likely have never forgotten it. Her warmth, happiness, joy, and generous spirt surround her and everything she does. She is truly one of the best influences on the craft industry that I have every encountered. In my effort to collect all things Crafty Chica, I got my hands on her wonderfully inspired book: Crafty Chica’s Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life.
The result: I want to listen to Mana and go face down in vats of glitter for the next three years…
Seriously.
Anywho, for those of you who haven’t heard about La Chica, she is an award winning blogger, accomplished reporter, best-selling author, and entrepreneur extraordinaire! You can find her Latin inspired products from Michael’s to Lowe’s!
Within this gorgeous full-color book she has packed lively, colorful and inspiring projects that you will want to make as gifts. Or better yet, make them for yourself (you deserve it!) and then make them for gifts.
For those of us who love everything Mexican (I once lived in Guadalajara, Mexico for five years), this book reminds us of the richness of the culture with its brilliant colors, mixture of textures and celebration of life. For those of you who are not as familiar with the Mexican culture, hang on because you are in for a lot of fun. (And if you are ever in Houston I make awesome chilaquiles!)
Kathy starts out by offering step-by-step guides to unleash your inner creativity. Each suggestion is attainable and within reach. After you have become inspired, she gives a quick primer of terms and materials. Good to know if you are new to multi-media crafting!
And now you are ready to go. Learn how to make a Fabric Prayer Book or an Empowerment Box. Check out the awesome Coffee Coasters and the Fantasy Paper Lights.There are 30 projects!!! And don’t overlook the Wonderfully Worn Flower Fence.
The illustrations are witty and the photographs clearly show the completed projects. And Kathy even gives you templates for your Dia de los Muertos projects. And, yes, the designs call for lots and lots of shiny glitter! (Shiny!!)
Soon you will be serving margaritas and showing off your new creations to all your friends.
In one of Kathy’s latest novels there is a lot of double crocheting going on, and as her friend i wanted to expand her horizons with a little gift. Here is a video we made when we saw each other in California in January at a trade show:
(c)2005-2011 Drew Emborsky, aka The Crochet Dude(r) All rights reserved. The Crochet Dude
I’ve had this book in my hands for a few weeks and have used it a couple times to try out a new stitch pattern. I wanted to share it with my the group at my local Crochet Club to get their input before I wrote a review. There are a lot of ‘Stitch Bible’ type publications out there. What makes this one different, better?
The first thing I liked about this book is that it contains a stitch pattern I’ve been looking for for TEN YEARS! It’s a ripple pattern they call Swatch 44. It needs a name! Let’s just say that it is a ripple pattern that resembles the old Feather and Fan pattern – but different. Now, isn’t that helpful? LOL. For me, even if this book offered nothing else, it would be valuable because of this single pattern!
I passed the book around at the March meeting of the St. Louis Crochet Club to hear what others had to say. Several spoke up pretty quickly – A-, B+, very good, different than other collections. These are all good comments from people whose crochet is familiar to me, varying levels of expertise, but all devoted crocheters. So, this book gets an A from me.
The book has only a single deficit in my opinion – no diagrams or charts! Good written descriptions and excellent, clear, close-up photos, but no diagrams. Still, it gets an A. In addition tot he 101 Stitch Patterns and Edgings, there are two attractive sampler afghans. This would be an especially good choice for a beginner who is put off by diagrams and prefers the written patterns – as I did for many years before I tackled and mastered reading diagrams.
The latest issue of Crochet Today! Magazine arrived in my mailbox today. Had to hustle all afternoon, chasing computer problems and running weekend errands til I could sit down to page through it. Several really good projects I wanted to alert you to.
First is a really pretty skirt worked in a shell stitch. The pattern is very attractive and the profile fo the skirt would look good on most body types. I also love the cute little Paint-by-Number dress which is an update of an old pattern. Any toddler girl would look extra cute in this little number. There’s a lovely Just Married Shawl which is worked in Hairpin Lace.
There are a bunch of kiddie projects for those who need them and a couple of afghans. I love the Milky Way Blankie which is awash in stars.
Three different patterns are shown which I’d be tempted to pull together using the same yarn – the Champs Elise Beret, Mademoiselle Scarf, and Cafe Wristlers. See what you think!
All in all, there are 23 patterns which is a good number for a magazine these days.
I was going to write a very brief article to share with my readers how much I am in love with the slippers Sher Marchman Day crocheted for me. But we’ll get to that. When I went to her site today to steal a picture of my slippers, I ran across these little bunny slippers. How cute are these??? You can find a link to the pattern for them here. Not free, but after wearing the slippers she made, I’m here to tell you that this gal’s patterns are worth the price you pay for them! More on this later.
You may recall the article I wrote earlier about the bears Sher makes for charity – not her charity – yours. They’re cute and really well priced. Reviewing Sher’s website to write that article, I ran across the slippers, among other items she makes and suggests for gifting.
Now, back to my slippers. I’ve been waiting to write an article about them because I wanted to include a picture of my pretty patchwork (grey and black) slippers on my feet – but, alas, neither of my sons has been around lately to snap a pic. So, here’s the picture on sher’s site of a plain pair (not the patchwork design like I have).
These are custom made slippers. Sher emails for specific measurements and color preference. I measured the bottom of my (previous) favorite slippers and sent along those measurements and the fact that I’d like the black and grey patchwork design. About 10 days later, the slippers arrived in the mail. First, I noticed how good they smelled! Why do slippers smell good? Then I tried them on. Perfection!! I have a narrow and long foot – size 10- and I’ve gotten so used to wearing ‘sloppy’ slippers – ones that are simply too wide for me – that I was especially delighted to feel that these slippers fit like – well – a glove! My feet get cold in bed at night and these are the solution. I am loathe to wear them around the house since I’m hard on slippers – lots of dog hair, trips to the garage which does not have a clean floor, cooking in the slippers, etc. I don’t want these to wear out! So, I save them to slip on before bedtime so I can keep my toes warm all night (and sleep better for it).
Further, I’m actually stunned that I can purchase a pair of custom made, custom fitted felted wool slippers for ! Sher must crochet and felt a lot faster than I do. Now, that’s not hard since I’m a slow crocheter. But, I’ve felted quite a bit of wool and it can be a time consuming process.
So, here’s my shout-out to Sher and her slippers. And, those cute flip flops! And lots of other gift items Sher offers that are beautiful and well priced. Go there and check it out for yourself.
