CGOA certificate

Remember the CGOA Master of Advanced Crochet Stitches and Techniques which I passed in December? My certificate came in! Isn't it lovely? :-)

It is framed and will hopefully grace my wall soon. I'm very happy to have taken the course and passed!

Happy crocheting!

link share

Took a few days off. My son was in a motorcycle accident Sunday evening and we spent all night at the hospital in the town where he lives, just over an hour from us. He has a fractured wrist and cuts/abrasions but is alive and doing fine.

It's another link share day. Sometimes I get e-mails from businesses asking me to share links. Often they have nothing to do with crochet or fiber arts so I ignore them. I'm also not too anxious to click on links for places I don't know that I didn't search out myself. I do, however, find lots of links on my own! LOL I do click on links people have in their sig lines and on their Facebook and Ravelry and blogger. So if you want me to find you, add a link wherever you roam on the 'net. Odds are good I'll find it eventually. Here are some that caught my eye recently.

I just read about a scholarship available to knitter's and crocheter's who are in school. Read about the Jimmy Beans for Brains Scholarship. Higher education is so expensive. Every little bit helps!

Nice poncho pattern for when it is chilly but not cold.
http://www.crochetspot.com/crochet-pattern-striped-poncho/

The Bullion Stitch is one I find difficult to master. Here is a tutorial with good tips on how to succeed with this stitch at http://www.crochetspot.com/how-to-crochet-bullion-stitch/

I thought this was interesting. How many ways can you combine ten different yarn colors? http://www.woollythoughts.com/afghans/double.html 

I don't think I've posted these links before. I found them in an old file...

Tunisian knit stitch http://crochet.about.com/od/crochetstitches/ss/tunisian-knit-stitch-tutorial-free-tunisian-crochet-instructions_4.htm

Random stripe generator http://www.kissyourshadow.com/stripe_maker.php

Spring Pastel Scarf Lion Brand. Pattern L0477, another one good for just slightly cool days.

This is an Etsy shop but I thought the hat patterns particularly were so cute. Sun Hat is one I was looking at. Inner Hooker's shop.

I may have posted this one already, but I ran across it again The Spider Hat. I am definitely going to have to do this one soon.

Make your own yarn swift with Tinkertoys. Yes, you can still buy Tinkertoys. Here are a few sets I saw at Amazon.
Tinkertoy Classic Jumbo Set
Tinkertoy Classic Construction Set: Junior Builder
Tinker Toy 200-piece Plastic Construction Set
Tinkertoy Glow in the Dark Construction Set - 225 Pieces
Tinkertoy Classic Mini Set

I could love to have the huge set. I hope they continue to make these as I'd like my grandchildren to enjoy playing with them.

When I was looking for the Tinkertoys I ran across Lincoln Logs. Okay, nothing to do with crochet unless you want to build a little container to hold your yarn but I had to share. LOL

I'm sure I talked about the Magic Square, but it's so clever. Would this make a nice warm blanket for someone in a cold area? Lots of work, I grant you, but warm!

I recently pulled out my Celtic Swan hook. Thought I'd show it to you. This was gifted to me many years ago and I love it. Daughter cleaned it up for me with her special cleaning stuff.

The Daisy square is one I tried some time ago with no success. I think it just wasn't the right time for me. I was too impatient. I'd like to try it again, but need to wait until my obligations are fewer.

I used Kim Guzman's sampler heart pattern to make a scarf or two for Special Olympics (with adjustment in fch to make it 6"). Very nice pattern. Also by Kim Guzman, one of her patterns available for purchase is the Garden Party wrap. I did buy the pattern, but haven't made it yet.

A couple of weeks ago, I was looking for large hooks, very large like Q and S. I found some at The Bag Smith shop. I haven't bought any yet, but I like the idea of wooden hooks.

You might wonder what part of the hook you're actually supposed to use as your "work" area. This site has a color pictorial that shows you just where your yarn should be placed. It's about the middle of the page.  http://crochet.tangleweeds.com/hooks.html

Remember the Polish Star. This pattern was very popular at one time - I'm sure it still is, but I haven't seen posts about it recently. Pattern popularity shifts over time, but good ones always pop back up.

Remember these? Hoods that look like beards. It always cracks me up.

Finally, I found this wonderful pattern collection at The Preemie Project. Consider making one for yourself and one for the charity effort. http://www.thepreemieproject.com/volunteer/patterns


Happy crocheting!