One of the best things about going to conferences is meeting wonderful people who are just so clearly fellow travellers and members of the same tribe!
When I was in Portland at the Knit and Crochet Conference , I met a kindred spirit who is doing fabulous work with silk, wool and other natural fibers: Lisa Horner of Purple Lotus Fiber Design. (doesn’t click through yet, sorry)

Lisa dyes ‘Gourmet Art Yarn’.

Rats…. a picture does NOT do it justice….. ah well… imagine great lusciousness!
Lisa doesn’t have her website up yet, but her yarns are available at the most wonderful store:
Abundant Yarns in …read more

Freeform friends meet up at the Knit and Crochet Show!
Over the years, lots of great friendships have been formed because of a neat list on yahoo-
the International Freeform group….
Usually on the Friday evening of a conference, the freeformers will get together and it’s always fun….

There’s Bubbly Bonnie and me and darlin’ Pirk!

And gorgeous Myra and wonderful Jorel in her galaxy vest and marvelous Mel wearing colors that she doesn’t usually work with (but it turned out great)

And then we grabbed Margaret and said, “Get into this picture!”
Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

There’s a wonderful yahoo group of freeform crocheters that has been running for years. A bunch of us have been on it for a really long time and have become friends over the years by email and through conferences.
One of the people on the freeform list is Beth Boshears. Beth’s bundle of joy and a real sweetie.  It was great fun to finally get to meet her…. and oh no! I didn’t get a pic of her!
Beth blew me right out of the water when she handed me ‘an apple for the teacher’ when she was taking one of my …read more

I arrived in Portland on Wed night (Sept 10th) and took the light rail transit into the city from the airport.
I managed to get myself turned totally around, so got completely and frazzlingly lost.
Everyone I asked for directions sent me in a different direction.
arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh……… dragging 2 suitcases around Portland at night is not fun!
Eventually, 3 very wonderful young Goth teenagers got me going in the right direction, and then a lovely young woman who was attempting to sign up voters helped
(come on people! You gotta VOTE!)
(I’m Canadian, and we’re in the middle of our own election, and you bet I’ll …read more

Argh!
My old binding machine has met the end of it’s days….

A few years ago, I broke off one of the handles when the machine got all hung up…. and now….
sob…. the blasted thing has totally, irrevocably siezed up, while eating one of ‘Our Lady of the Hours’.
How rude.
We both have had serious ‘go’s at it, and we have finally declaared it to be kaput. Defunct. Schmucked.
Ah, the perils of self publishing…..  sigh.
Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay (copyright)

I just posted about the fab new book that a group of my designer friends and I have just released: Belt Book
and orders 
as well as a note of advice about self publishing: Myra’s class 
Here’s the belt that I designed for the book:
Autumn Leaves:

I made the leaf buckle, too. I  actually made it several times.
First time, I made it in brass.
That didn’t feel right.
Then I realized – this belt is about ~leaves~  Duh!
So I made the buckle in wood, and was really happy with it.
Unfortunately, so was our little dog.  The cats obviously knocked the belt down, because the dog shot …read more

Last summer, at the Knit and Crochet show in Manchester, NH, a group of designers that have become friends over the years got together for lunch.
We decided that we should put together a book and self publish it. It’s taken a lot longer than we expected, but it’s really wonderful.
Crocheted belt book
Here’s the press release:
NEW DESIGNER PUBLISHING GROUP ANNOUNCES
INNOVATIVE FIRST RELEASE:
CROCHET BELTS FROM THE HIP
Raw, Uncensored Designs Straight From Today’s Designer

STRAIGHT FROM TODAY’S DESIGNERS (SFTD), a designer-based self-publishing group, announces a new venture that heralds the future of crochet patterns: Designers going direct to their public. …read more

Over tea, coffee, deserts and great conversation a bunch of designers got together and decided to self publish a book of belt designs.
I posted about that in Press Release.
We’ve learned a lot in the process, so we’re going to keep at it. We’ll be announcing another new book quite soon. Stay tuned!
A note to other designers: We are still in Beta mode, so we’re not accepting design submissions from other designers.
BUT ! We really encourage other designers to try their hand at this, too.
If you want to learn how to self publish, and are …read more