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. 

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Happy National Crochet Month!

I'd like to wish everyone a very Happy National Crochet Month! I hope you are doing something special to celebrate and sharing the love by teaching someone how to crochet!

Unfortunately, (hanging head in shame) I also need to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year's, and Happy Valentine's Day. Where on earth does the time go? In my defense, it has been a very busy time. My first little granddaughter, Willow, was born just before Christmas. She has been a blessing and brings much joy to our lives. Since neither of my daughters have any interest in knit or crochet, I have very high hopes for Willow. I had a hook in her hand by the time she was one week old.

And I include her while I stitch so she is exposed to yarn regularly. She may not seem like she is very interested but I could tell she did enjoy it! I am determined that this child WILL crochet!

I have also been keeping busy with work. I became the vice president of CGOA in January. That has been very exciting and fulfilling. I just finished my first book which will be released Summer 2014 and I'm now working on my second book which will be released Fall 2014. I will tell you more about them in my next post. I promise it will be soon and not months from now!

Celebration!

When I was at Stitches East last month I had the opportunity to try the new Red Heart Celebration yarn. I'm a big fan of bright, bold, in-your-face colors (which none of you probably knew about me) so I was instantly drawn to this yarn. It comes in aqua, blue, gold, lime, pink and purple. Each color has a metallic polyester thread which adds even more "bling". I love it!

I stuffed as much as I could into my suitcase and decided a couple weeks ago to make something just for fun. I don't get to do that very often since I'm usually racing against deadlines. My first little granddaughter is due to arrive soon. Two weeks from today actually so I grabbed a skein of the pink, relaxed in my recliner while watching a good movie and created this dress for Willow.

I have been reading all the wonderful comments on my giveaway post. They have been heartwarming and so full of passion. Crochet and knitting is so much more than merely making loops with yarn. Many readers shared how they still feel close to mothers and grandmothers that that taught them to knit or crochet and have since passed. People are able to show their love and let someone know how much they care by gifting prayer shawls, cancer caps, afghans and petghans to shelters, baby gifts to welcome new little ones and the list goes on. I think "Celebration" is a great name for this yarn since we DO celebrate our stitching! It was a celebration for me to create this and it will be an even bigger celebration to see Willow wearing it and welcome her to our family. 

If you haven't already entered my giveaway, make sure you do it! There is a skein of Red Heart Celebration in the prize package. Just comment on my November 19th blog post. Contest ends November 30 at midnight.