Happy National Crochet Month 2016!

Welcome to my stop on The Crochet Express! I am so happy you are here! Big thank you to Crochetville for once again putting together this incredible blog tour in celebration of National Crochet Month. I'm sure you are just like me and celebrate crochet EVERY month but March is exceptionally special and it's so much fun to celebrate in a much bigger way!

I developed a new appreciation for things we often take for granted after I reclaimed my health almost 3 years ago and there are many things I never thought I would experience that I now celebrate. I had been sick for over 7 years and I am so thankful that I had my crochet with me but once I found healing, I just wanted to get up and MOVE all the time. The problem that presented would be less crochet time! Or would it?  I love to get creative and blend the various aspects of my life together for the best efficiency. So I didn't see any reason why I couldn't get up and get moving and take my crocheting with me! 

Just because I'm working on my legs doesn't mean there is any reason I can't still be using my hands to crochet, right? 

And so I challenge you to incorporate your crochet into all areas of your life! Especially something that gets your body moving and improves your health! We already know that crocheting is good for your health, now let's step it up to the next level! I know sometimes it can be hard to get and stay motivated so find a friend to keep you accountable and you do the same for them! And if you can't find a friend, make your own! (remember...no excuses!) and so I give you "Workout Wendy" to motivate and inspire you. Plus, she is just really cute and I love making doll clothes. Please click on the link below to get the pattern which will be free for a limited time as a thank you for celebrating crochet with me! If you are ready to take charge of your life and you are ready to improve your health, lose some weight, gain a whole bunch of energy or if you are just ready to look and feel amazing, please send me a message THilde5939@aol.com! I would love to help you! You can also visit me at https://www.facebook.com/Healthybeginswithyou/

Work Out Wendy Set

  

Happy National Crochet Month 2015!

Wow! I can hardly believe it is this time of year again already! I hope everyone has a lot of fun events and activities planned to celebrate National Crochet Month! I would first like to thank Amy Shelton and Donna Hulka, owners of Crochetville for once again hosting this incredible blog tour! I love to read all of the wonderful entries and this year there will be more free patterns and prizes than ever before! Thank you to Red Heart Yarns for sponsoring the great giveaways! You can find the complete list of participants right here!

One great way to celebrate National Crochet Month is by joining the Crochet Guild of America! There are so many benefits to being a member of CGOA; you can find just a few of the top reasons here. The picture below is from our Summer conference last year in Manchester, New Hampshire! Pictured is Jenny King, Amy Shelton, myself and Marcy Smith. We have so much fun and I have learned so much with incredible volunteer opportunities. I am currently serving my second term as Vice President of this wonderful organization. Find out how you too can become involved.

Another great way to celebrate is to pay it forward and share your gift of crochet by bringing love and comfort to someone in need. We will once again be supporting Halos of Hope which is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization committed to providing volunteer-crafted hats to cancer centers across the country. Founder and executive director, Pam Haschke, is a cancer survivor and you can find all the details of their program on their site. I am offering a free hat pattern in celebration of National Crochet Month and I ask that you make a hat or two (or as many as you are able) and send to Halos of Hope! There are also many knit and crochet patterns offered on their site and they also accept donations to help cover the expenses of shipping the hats!

Whatever you do to celebrate, just be sure you ARE celebrating and sharing the love of crochet! Teach someone to crochet, gift your projects, send some yarn and patterns in a random act of kindness to someone in need, just celebrate!

And be sure to stop by and visit me on my Facebook Hot Lava Crochet page, my Craftsy pattern store, my Ravelry page, and lastly, if you are looking to improve your health, lose weight, increase your energy or even create an additional stream of income, I invite you to visit my Facebook Healthy Begins With You nutritional cleansing page. I have lost 53 pounds and I feel absolutely amazing!!! 

And now on to the free pattern! A very special "thank you" to Bendy Carter with her help 

testing the pattern! 

Enjoy!!!

Celebration 2015 Hat

  

Designed by Tammy Hildebrand.

RED HEART® Super Saver: 100% Acrylic; 7 oz. (198g), 364 yd (333m) skein; 1 skein each: Shocking Pink #718 (A); Jade #3862 (B); Lavender #358 (C).

Crochet Hook: 5.5mm [US I-9]. Yarn needle.

GAUGE:

Finished Size:

Special Stitches Sc2tog (single crochet two stitches together)

Notes Ch 3 at beginning of rounds counts as first double crochet. To change color, yarn over with new color when working final slip st to join round. Drop unused color to back of work until needed again and loosely carry up.

Instructions With A, ch 4, join with sl st to form ring. Rnd 1 (RS): Ch 3, 11 dc in ring, join with sl st in top of beg-ch changing to B. 12 dc. Rnd 2: With B, ch 1, sc in first st, ch 3, skip next st, *sc in next st, ch 3, skip next st; rep from * around, join with sl st in beg sc changing to C. 6 sc, 6 ch-3 sps. Rnd 3: With C, working all sts in skipped sts of 2 rnds previous and behind ch sts of previous rnd, sl st in first skipped st, ch 3, 2 dc in same st, ch 1, *3 dc in next skipped st, ch 1; rep from * around, join with sl st in top of beg ch-3 changing to A. 18 dc, 6 ch-1 sps. Rnd 4: With A, ch 1, * sc in first st of 3-dc group, working in ch-3 sp of 2 rnds previous and next st at same time, sc in next st, sc in next st, sc in next ch-1 sp,; rep from * around, join with sl st in beg sc changing to B. 24 sc. Rnds 5 – 7: Rep Rnds 2 – 4. 48 sc. Rnd 8: Rep Rnd 2. 24 sc, 24 ch-3 sps. Rnd 9: With C, working all sts in skipped sts of 2 rnds previous and behind ch sts of previous rnd, sl st in first skipped st, ch 3, 2 dc in same st, *3 dc in next skipped st; rep from * around, join with sl st in top of beg ch-3 changing to A. 72 dc. Rnd 10: With A, ch 1, * sc in first st of 3-dc group, working in ch-3 sp of 2 rnds previous and next st at same time, sc in next st, sc in next st, rep from * around, join with sl st in beg sc changing to B. 72 sc. Rnd 11: With B, ch 1, sc in first st, sc2tog, *sc in next st, sc2tog; rep from * around, join with sl st in beg sc changing to C. 48 sc. Rnd 12: With C, sc in each st around, join with sl st in beg sc changing to A. Rnd 13: With A, sc in each st around, join with sl st in beg sc changing to B. Rnd 14: With B, sc in each st around, join with sl st in beg sc changing to C. Rnds 15 – 23: Rep Rnds 12 – 14 three times. Rnd 24: Rep Rnd 12. Rnd 25: Working in front loops only, rep rnd 13. Rnd 26 - 28: Rep Rnds 8 – 10 (do not change to B in last rnd). Fasten off after last rnd.

Finishing With yarn needle, weave in ends.

ABBREVIATIONS: ch = chain; dc = double crochet; sc = single crochet; sl st = slip st; sp(s) space(es); st(s) = stitch(es); * = repeat whatever follows the * as indicated.

Happy National Crochet Month 2014

Happy National Crochet Month! What is everyone doing to celebrate? As always, I am honored to be included in the month long celebration blog tour put on by Crochetville. Owners Amy Shelton and Donna Hulka do so much for the fiber community and we appreciate you! Let's have a round of applause for this dynamic duo!

Our focus charity this year is Halos of Hope. Halos is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization founded by Pam Haschke, herself a survivor of inflammatory breast cancer. Their mission is to provide volunteer-crafted hats to cancer centers across the country. Please consider making a hat or two to donate. You can send completed hats to Crochetville's official headquarters (also know as Amy's house). For all the details please visit Hat donation details and be sure to check out the hat pattern I was honored to contribute to the designer invitational program for Halos.

So who is ready for Spring? It has been such a crazy winter all over the country. Two days ago I enjoyed sunshine and 75 degree weather with all the windows open. Tomorrow it is supposed to be in the twenties again! So I decided I needed to create a little Spring of my own and I designed the "Passion Rose Motif". I love the look of the little rose buds just waiting to burst open. I am offering the pattern for free until the end of the month. Please be sure to stop by my Facebook page and say "Hello". I also love to see pictures of your projects from my patterns! Enjoy your celebration of National Crochet Month and thanks for visiting!

Passion Rose Motif

Design by Tammy Hildebrand

.

Skill Level                           

Intermediate

Finished Measurements

7 1/2  inches square

Materials

Caron Simply Soft medium (worsted) weight acrylic yarn (6 oz/315 yds/170 g per skein):

1 ounce each: #0012 passion, #0014 pagoda, #9702 off white

Size I/9/5.5mm crochet hook

Tapestry needle

Gauge

Gauge is unimportant for this design

Pattern Notes

Join rounds with slip stitch as indicated.

Chain-3 at beginning of round counts as first double crochet.

Chain-4 at beginning of round counts as first double crochet, chain 1.

Chain-6 at beginning of round counts as first double crochet, ch 3.

Special Stitches

Cluster (cl): Yarn over, insert hook in indicated space and draw up a loop, yarn over and draw through 2 loops on hook (2 loops remain on hook); yarn over, insert hook in same space and draw up a loop, yarn over and draw through 2 loops on hook; yarn over and draw through all 3 loops on hook.

Popcorn (pc): Work 3 dc in indicated space, drop loop from hook, insert hook from front to back in first dc of 3-dc group, place dropped loop back on hook and draw through.

With passion, ch 3, join with sl st (see Pattern Notes), to form ring.

Rnd 1 (RS): Ch 3, (see Pattern Notes), 15 dc in ring, join in top of beg ch-3, fasten off. (16 dc)

Rnd 2: With RS facing, join pagoda with sc in any st, sc in each st around, join in beg sc, fasten off. (16 sc)

Rnd 3: With RS facing, join off white with sl st in any st, ch 4, (see Pattern Notes) dc in same st, (dc, ch 1, dc) in next st and in each st around, join in 3^rd ch of beg ch-4, fasten off. (32 dc, 16 ch-1 sps)

Rnd 4: With RS facing, join pagoda with sc in any ch-1 sp, ch 3, skip next ch-1 sp, [cl, (ch 2, cl) 3 times] in next ch-1 sp, ch 3, skip next ch-1 sp, *sc in next ch-1 sp, ch 3, skip next ch-1 sp, [cl, (ch 2, cl) 3 times] in next ch-1 sp, ch 3, skip next ch-1 sp; rep from * around, join in beg sc, fasten off. (4 sc, 16 cl)

Rnd 5: With RS facing, join passion with a sc in any sc, ch 3, sl st in top of next cl, ch 3, [pc in next ch-2 sp, ch 3, sl st in top of next cl, ch 3] 3 times, *sc in next sc, ch 3, sl st in top of next cl, ch 3, [pc in next ch-2 sp, ch 3, sl st in top of next cl, ch 3] 3 times; rep from * around, join in beg-sc, fasten off. (4 sc, 12 pc)

Rnd 6: With RS facing, join off white with sl st in any sc, ch 3, 2 dc in same st, sc in next ch-3 sp, sc in top of next pc, working over ch-3 sp, [3 dc in top of next cl of rnd 4, sc in top of next pc] twice, sc in next ch-3 sp, *3 dc in next sc, sc in next ch-3 sp, sc in top of next pc, working over ch-3 sp, [3 dc in top of next cl of rnd 4, sc in top of next pc] twice, sc in next ch-3 sp; rep from * around, join in top of beg ch-3, fasten off. (36 dc, 8 sc)

Rnd 7: With RS facing, join pagoda with sc in sc of any corner, ch 6, (see Pattern Notes), [dc, (ch 3, dc) twice] in same st, [skip next st, (sc, ch 5, sc) in next st] twice, [skip next 2 sts, (sc, ch 3, sc) in next st] twice, skip next st, (sc, ch 3, sc) in next st, skip next st, *[dc, (ch 3, dc) 3 times] in next st, [skip next st, (sc, ch 3, sc) in next st] twice, [skip next 2 sts, (sc, ch 3, sc) in next st] twice, skip next st, (sc, ch 3, sc) in next st; rep from * around, join in 3^rd ch of beg ch-6, fasten off. (16 dc, 40 sc)

Wrapping Up National Crochet Month With A Winner!

There are many of us, myself included, that celebrate crochet every day of every month but the official National Crochet Month celebration ends in just a few hours. I hope everyone enjoyed the blog tour put together by Crochetville. Thirty-one days of blog posts from our professional and associate professional members of the Crochet Guild of America. You can find the complete list here in case you missed any of them. If you'd like to learn more about CGOA, please visit our site http://www.crochet.org/

Don't forget to join us in supporting Project Night Night which is an organization that provides homeless children with a new security blanket, an age-appropriate children's book, and a stuffed animal -- all nestled inside of a new canvas tote bag. You can find all the details here.

And now to announce our winner of the yarn giveaway........ the winner is Carrie P. Congratulations! I will get this sent out to you right away and I hope you will share photos with us on my facebook page Hot Lava Crochet of all the wonderful things you create with it!

Crochet Guild of America Professional Development

Please be sure to stop by the CGOA blog tomorrow where I will be talking about some of the many benefits the Crochet Guild has to offer to our professional and aspiring professional members. I'll be wearing my Vice President hat for that post. If I really had one, I'd post a picture of myself wearing it here. Note to self: make Vice President hat! (I'm just jealous of Amy and her crown!)

You'll also want to visit This is Crochet, our other stop on the tour tomorrow. Turquoiz Blue is one of our  professional members. She designs beautiful fashion, accessories and home decor. I love her  Fleurette Scarf, a clever piece done in Tunisian Knit Stitch that I think is so pretty. Tell her I sent you!

Until tomorrow.....

The Next Stop on a "Tour Through Crochet Country" is Hot Lava Crochet!

I'd first like to thank Amy Shelton and Donna Hulka of Crochetville for putting together this "Tour Through Crochet Country". What a great idea and I have enjoyed reading all the blog posts in celebration of National Crochet Month. You can find the whole list here blog tour in case you missed any of them.

There are so many ways to celebrate National Crochet Month but don't we really celebrate the joy every day? I know I do and I can't imagine my life without crochet. It is the one thing that stays constant in an ever changing world.

I first learned to crochet from my second grade teacher, Mrs. Crooks. I can remember it like it was yesterday. After school I would get to pull my chair up to her big, wooden desk as she patiently taught me the stitches to create a floppy, purple "hippie" hat that I still have. Little did she know all those years ago just how big of an impact her act of kindness would have on my life! I am so happy to still be in touch with her and I was thrilled to see a comment she recently left on the CGOA Facebook page saying she was going through my patterns to find one of my designs to make in celebration of National Crochet Month. Thank you Mrs. Crooks!

After that first hat, I've never stopped. I have crocheted everything from garments to dog jackets to baby booties and everything in between. I love to experiment with new techniques and try different things. My crochet goes everywhere I go. I have been spotted stitching at bus stops, on my treadmill, on airplanes, on my riding lawn mower and even floating in my pool! 

And speaking of CGOA, which stands for the Crochet Guild of America, I must also remember them as we celebrate this month. CGOA has been instrumental in helping me pursue a professional path with crochet. They offer a mentoring program, a day long event called PDD - short for professional development day - at each conference, and opportunities to network that wouldn't otherwise be available. Even if you have no desire to become a professional, CGOA has so much to offer. Please visit their site for more information. 

My friend, fellow guild members and former CGOA president, Marty Miller, is also blogging on the tour today. You'll want to stop by and see what she has to say! Marty was the person that took me to my very first ever LYS! You can find her site here at the crochet doctor

Lastly, I want to hear about YOU! Leave me a comment on here or my Facebook page and tell me about how you learned to crochet or the craziest place you've stitched! I went through my stash and pulled a few of my favorite yarns to share with you. One winner will be randomly chosen at midnight on the last day of March. As much as I hate to do this, I have to limit it to US residents only. Shipping prices have skyrocketed     and I just can't ship outside of the US. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stitches East 2012

I have had the honor of guest blogging for Red Heart Yarn today! Please check it out! http://www.redheart.com/blog/recap-stitches-east-2012-guest-blog-tammy-hildebrand

Team Red Heart - Me, Amy Shelton of Crochetville and Kathleen Sams of Red Heart Yarn

Friends at Stitches Midwest

One of the best things about going to shows is seeing friends! Some friends I have known for years and other friends are brand new from this show!

Many of you probably know Brenda Stratton. Brenda is a great crochet designer and she was one of the editors at DRG Publishing. I hadn't seen Brenda for 5 years so it was very exciting to finally see her again and to meet her husband Carl. My husband George attended many shows with me and Brenda always wanted the two of them to meet. They are both very easy going and laid back, humoring our yarn addictions.

And then things began to get silly!

I took a picture of Kathleen taking a picture of Carl taking a picture of her!

Another dear friend that I love spending time with at the shows is Bobbie Matela. Bobbie works for Coats and Clark so we get to spend a lot of time together in the booth. 

A brand new friend I had the pleasure of meeting at this show is Jeanne. She walked up to our booth wearing my Hip Granny Tunic I was so thrilled and especially since she is such a sweetie! You can check out her page at CrochetByShadeyJ

Another new friend is Dawn from Maggi Knits. We met at Stitches South last April and just instantly felt like we had been friends forever. It was so good to see her again!

A long-time friend that never fails to crack me up - Lily Chin. For each Stitches show Lily comes up with some incredible costume to unveil. I can't wait to see what she has in store for the next show. 

She never disappoints!

And my final friend that I got to see at Stitches was.....GEORGIE! It's kind of sad that our lives have become so busy that we don't see each other at home but it was really sweet for him to stop by. He drives truck and happened to have a delivery nearby. It felt like the old days when he used to come to the shows with me. Thank you Georgie!

Stitches Midwest part 3

Our booth neighbor at Stitches Midwest was CGOA. The Crochet Guild of America is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit educational organization dedicated to preserving and advancing the art of crochet. The main purpose of the Crochet Guild of America is to educate the public about crochet, provide education and networking opportunities, and set a national standard for the quality, art and skill of crochet through creative endeavors. If you're not a member, check out their site for all the benefits of joining.

Volunteers from the Northern Illinois chapter staffed the booth including founding member, Gwen Blakley Kinsler pictured below. You can read more about the show at Gwen's blog Crochet Queen Royal Ramblings Thank you for all of your help!

Penny Sitler and Karen Kinese, part of our management team.

I just love these girls!

Each year our board of director members create a special design to be 

compiled into a book, "Across the Board", which new members receive

when joining. Penny and I are each wearing a beautiful necklace created

by Guild VP, Cari Clement.

Here is the cover of the 2012 Across the Board book of crochet designs!

FREE with membership!

In my next post I'll share some pictures of special friends I got to see at the show!

Stitches Midwest Part 2

Thursday evening is the first opportunity for people to shop at the Market preview. They start lining up at the door long before opening time talking about which booth they want to visit first and how they have been looking forward to this for so long. They are a very loud and excited group of people ready to fill their bags and empty their wallets. We hear the final countdown begin; 10, 9, 8, 7.......

Amy Shelton, co-owner with Donna Hulka, of Crochetville is ready for business! I love working with Amy. No matter how busy we get, she is always this calm and cool, never getting frazzled by the line wrapping around the booth.

The shoppers arrive! The booth looks great and everyone is happy! 

Check out the cool Red Heart bags we were giving away in the

 picture below. They were perfect to stuff full of yarn!

                            

Just look at all these beautiful yarns with the gorgeous colors

and textures! If you couldn't make it to the show, don't worry, 

all these yarns are available online at Red Heart Yarns

I was very excited to discover that my design; the Square Deal Sweater, 

was featured on one of the big Red Heart banners! 

I had to have my picture taken with it. 

Tomorrow I'll tell you about our neighbors, the Crochet Guild of America, right across the aisle from us. 

Stitches Midwest 2012

I think it has become abundantly clear that I am the world's worst blogger! When it has been so long since you've posted that you have to look up your log in information, you know you're in trouble! I'm going to try and change all of that and post regularly. I am now busier than ever but that also means I have lots of exciting things to tell you.

Back in April, I attended my first Stitches show in Atlanta. Red Heart yarns and Crochetville partnered together and somehow I ended up in the middle of it. Could I be any luckier?! Here's a picture of our very first booth.

We just got back last night from our third show (we were at the Knit and Crochet show in Manchester back in June) so I thought it was time to share with you. If you haven't checked out Red Hearts yarns for awhile, you're going to want to see all the amazing new products they are offering. http://www.redheart.com/yarn There is something for everyone! Each show we need to bring a little more stock because it has been so well received. We had 5 pallets of wonderful yarns, books, Red Heart bags, hooks, needles and the list goes on!

I thought you might enjoy seeing the booth before we get it all put together. It's a lot of work but we have such a great team that we actually have fun doing it. Team Red Heart consists of Kathleen Sams of Red Heart http://www.facebook.com/redheartyarns?ref=ts, Amy Shelton of Crochetville  http://www.facebook.com/Crochetville and of course, me! We also had Amy's sister Julie with us this time. You'll want to check out her page at http://www.facebook.com/julie.r.mitchell. She is a glass artist and brought some gorgeous jewelry to sell in our booth. She's busy working on shawl pins for a future show.

Ok, on to the pictures!

 Yarn, Yarn and MORE Yarn!!!

Getting the shelves ready for all that yarn! There is excitement in the air as the countdown to market preview is quickly approaching.

The poor naked mannequins waiting for their gorgeous display samples.

Come back tomorrow to see the finished booth and hear more about what a great show it was! The next Stitches show is in October so there's still time to make plans to attend.
http://www.knittinguniverse.com/east