Several of my readers and I have been talking lately about  NOT recycling needlework and craft magazines so that a valuable ethnilogical, anthropological, historic and sociological resource is not lost. (Besides, we just plain like old needlecraft magazines and books!)
First of all
check out the
lace behind
the bunny
tatting
shuttle….
It’s  a fragment
of needle lace that
I bought 20 years
from a lace collector.
I am fascinated by fragments of  interesting lace whenever I come upon them, as I feel that they are a valuable resource that have clues to the history of needlework.
Anyhow… check out the tiny flowers… aren’t they gorgeous?  Bear with me… this gets a …read more

My sisters-in-law and I absolutely love going to second hand stores.
A couple of weeks ago, we were in one of our favorites, when Sis spotted this old old crocheted piece in the back of a drawer:

She held it up to me and we both fell in love with it.
She asked the lady how much it was, and the lady tossed her wrist and went,
‘Oh, phfft, it’s free…. it’s  worthless….. there’s a hole in the middle!’
Sis and I looked at each other in amazement and had to stiffle guffaws of delight and amazement.
Afterwards, I thought that this is another perfect example …read more

I posted about these little tatted butterflies . I have been making them for the red shawl that I am working on for workshops I am teaching in the fall.
I noticed as I was photoshopping the pics that the butterfly wasn’t one of the new and revised ones. Ah well, the pics are so cute I had to post them anyhow.
One thing I forgot to mention about the yarn for the shawl is that it is Coats Royale Gemini Double Strand Crochet Thread, 100% mercerized cotton. (similar to size 3) The color is 0446 Burgundy/Victory Red.
I’ll be …read more

I’ve been working away on a crocheted and tatted freeform lace butterfly shawl.
It’s been frustrating and challenging, because it just hasn’t been going the way I thought it should.
But! I have had a couple of breakthroughs that I am really pleased about.
The first is that I have finally settled on the thread that I am going to use for the background- I’ll post pics of it later. (and I twigged to something else about the background that I needed to change- but more about that later….)
The thing that I am really happy about is that I have  come up with …read more

On one of the email groups that I belong to, someone posed an interesting question about color combinations that really captivate us.  This made me think about the red shawl that I am working on… which is all about butterflies.
Which brought up for me that butterflies are, hands down, hooks up, my most beloved design motif.  (Well, I also love hearts, flowers, leaves, hands and the human form – but, other than those, it’s butterflies for me…..)
So, I wonder…. are there specific motifs that really sing for you?
Do you find yourself being drawn back, again and again, to working with …read more

 Yesterday, my husband’s jazz trio was playing at an outdoor art and design festival:

That’s my Beloved in  the green shirt.  Look at the sky through the scrim of the stage behind them……
When they started playing (and they were FABULOUS!) the sky was slightly overcast, but it was warm and pleasant.
BUT, as they began their second set, look what the sky did:

The temperature plummeted, and the winds were insane!
The festival staff ran around and took down all the umbrellas from the tables.  Good plan…. we put our personal umbrellas up as it started to rain, and the wind turned them inside …read more

In September, I’ll be teaching workshops in Portland OR at the Knit and Crochet Show
One of the demo pieces that I am making for several of the classes is a red ‘Butterfly’ freeform lace shawl that combines tatting and crochet…..
as it moves along, I’ll post more pics. This is the first…..
And here’s the  next set of pics: Frogging the background
Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay (copyright)

I am tickled pink!
My daughter has decided that the Crocheted Butterfly Shawl will work for her wedding ensemble after all!
I have ordered the silk bricks and will soon be spinning up a storm. Hmmm. I think that this may call for a second Royale Hare Spindle……….
If you scroll down the page, you’ll get the full scoop on the Crocheted Butterfly Shawl.
People have been asking what weight yarn/thread I used in the shawl. Lion Crochet Cotton….. 4 strands for the butterfly and 1 for the background. NOT kitchen cotton! LOL!
Can you substitute? Sure. Just be sure to swatch first.
That’s what creativity …read more